"WOOOHOOOOO!"
"YEAH!"
"LET'S DO THIS!"
"COME ON, APRIL!" I yell at her happily.
That's right, she insisted on coming training with us today. She stops, panting to catch her breath with her hands on her chest. "I... never thought turtles... could be... so... fast!"
"Come on," Mikey says. "This is just the warmup."
"For two hours?!" April asks. "Sara, how do you keep up?"
"I dunno," I reply. "Just being on several missions, maybe."
"It's just what ninjas do," Leonardo says.
"Then I wanna go with you," April says.
"Maybe April should come with us," Donnie says. "It makes sense."
"Not a chance," Leonardo says. "It's just too dangerous."
"Yeah, what if something happens to her?" Raphael agrees.
My mind starts to feel a pulse. "Guys!" I warn them.
"What is it?" Leonardo asks me.
"Somebody's watching us," I say. "Behind us!"
The turtles look too, and we can clearly spot a man taking pictures of us.
"Get him!" Leonardo orders.
We begin a dramatic chase among the rooftops desperately trying to see where that man is going, in that he keeps hiding in darkness. After about two buildings, though, we make out that it's a man in a suit. He goes down a fire escape and enters a building through a window thinking he lost us. We watch him from the rooftop, also waiting for Donnie and April who fell behind.
"Let's go," Leonardo says.
We climb down the fire escape to the floor where the man went in, and stay there shortly. I can also notice that April is struggling to hang on to the edge of that fire escape. Leonardo takes out a fine blade and uses it to get the window open and goes in quietly. I follow him, and then the turtles do, just as quietly. Then, April goes in landing with a slightly louder thud.
I get up and, staying close to Leonardo and Mikey, notice the pinboard on the wall which has many pictures printed in black and white.
And those pictures are of us.
"What the hell is this for?" Raphael asks.
"It can't be good," I say and spot a picture of myself crouching on the edge of a rooftop looking down, about to take out my katana. "Though if you ask me, these aren't bad at all."
"I don't know about that," Mikey says. "I look kinda fat in this one. Oh no wait, that's Donnie."
"Very funny," Donnie replies.
Then, another picture below the one I was looking at calls my attention. It's of me again, with my regular clothing, walking in the street. And my dad, Dante, is walking beside me.
I take the picture from the pinboard and hold it in front of me. I tightly close my eyes and feel the grip on the picture tightening, when Mikey squeezes my shoulder and looks at me sweetly. I lightly trace his shoulder in gratitude, and Mikey steps away revealing a concerned Leonardo in front of me. Though my mask hides it, I smile at him.
There's pictures of all of us, either talking, hiding, even laughing. There are pictures of April alone too, at school or at the street.
"Well, guys," Raphael says loudly and on purpose, "looks like there's nothing more to do here. Let's just go."
He quietly hides behind the door, successfully fooling the man into thinking we're gonna leave. When he shows his face, Raphael grabs his collar and lifts him, punning him to the wall and using his other hand to point his Sai at him.
"Wait!" The man yells. "I'm a friend!"
"Stalker's more like it!" Raphael threatens.
"Finally..." the man says. Raphael warily puts him down, without removing the tip of his Sai from the man's view. "After so many months... I've come face to face with the talking ninja turtles... and with April and Sara Blackburn themselves!"
April and I exchange looks, when the man starts to take a step towards me holding out his arm.
"I don't think so," Leonardo protectively steps in front of me and threatens to pull out one of his katanas. "What's with the photos? Who are you?"
"The name's Kurtzman," he replies. "I was a journalist on the case of a missing scientist last year, and then I discovered something much bigger." He turns on a dim light and sits down on his desk, putting an old book on top of it. "The Kraang. Their infiltration has been going on since ancient times; they've been trying to terraform the Earth with mutagen and they need a specific chain of human DNA. They spent ages capturing people modifying the DNA chains, until finally..."
He holds out a picture of a baby.
"That's me..." April says, surprised.
"Yes, April," Kurtzman says. "Your mother was taken and experimented on. And Sara..."
I look at Kurtzman, eyes glowing with terror at what we might find out here. Kurtzman pulls out another picture, this one is of me as a small baby, crying. In the background, I see my mom, my dad, and even Mr. O'Neil. All of them restrained with their faces showing fear. But at the back, the main detail, horrifying to anyone who meets eyes with it, is Kraang Prime, smiling wickedly at me.
My eyes widen, and I take the picture.
"You were taken by Kraang Prime itself," Kurtzman says. "Your mother would have been experimented on too, but she left when you were born, leading to Kraang Prime taking you. Your mother then returned, and left again years later. That being because the Kraang were near, so after she disappeared, they took your father in an attempt to take you. And that is not all... You and April O'Neil are related. Kirby and your mother are cousins."
I sigh with surprise. April's hand goes to my shoulder as we try to digest all of this. Now we're suddenly distantly related? And my dad was taken because of my mother?! And she abandoned us after I was born?! It's because of her that Kraang took me when I was merely a baby?!
Only one thought comes into my head when I see that this guy knows this much. I slam the picture on the desk and grab Kurtzman's collar. "Where is he?!"
"Who-"
"Dante Blackburn, where is he?!"
"I don't know, Sara," Kurtzman replies calmly. "You'll have to believe me when I say I've been trying to locate him, but haven't been able to. All I know is that your DNA can perfect the mutagen in this dimension."
I let him go and sigh, and April sits down.
"That's why you girls are so special," Kurtzman says.
Just then, the door slams open revealing disguised Kraang droids that start to shoot us immediately. I team up with Leonardo as our compatibility training could come in handy, even though I'm still overwhelmed. Still, I do manage to work well enough to kick some butt.
April is soon cornered by one of the droids, so Leonardo steps aside to help her out.
"It takes a little practice, April," he says.
"So I'm told!" She replies.
More and more Kraang start coming, which forces us to retreat, including Mr. Kurtzman. In a rush, we make it down to the ground.
"Everybody, move!" Leonardo orders. "We head to the Shellraiser!"
We start running, until a KRaang undercover van blocks our way. The back doors open, revealing a Kraang alien on a four legged machine with a laser gun. It starts to shoot us (obviously).
"Run!" Raph yells. We move in the opposite direction dodging all of the lasers that are coming towards us at high speed, and manage to make it to the Shellraiser. Leonardo takes the wheel and drives fast, eventually running over the Kraang that was shooting at us.
"Okay, here's the plan," Kurtzman says once we're out of danger. "You get into TCRI and erase all the data that the Kraang have on April and Sara's DNA."
"I thought you blew that place up," April says.
"Apparently they rebuilt it," Raphael replies.
Leonardo stops the Shellraiser in an alley and we get down. "Okay guys, we get in, erase all the DNA codes, and get out. Infiltration only."
"Let's do this!" April says.
"Great," Leonardo stops her. "You and Kurtzman stay out here."
April scoffs and crosses her arms, Kurtzman gives Leonardo an access card that will get us in and around the building, and now we are off.
"Sara?" Leonardo stops me before we leave.
I stop and look deep into his blue eyes.
"We'll get to the bottom of this," he says.
I exhale gently and hug Leonardo for only a couple of seconds. "Thank you."
I let go and see a small shade of pink on his green skin, and we catch up with the turtles. On a rooftop, we stare at the skyscraper that's brought us problems several times. Leonardo launches a grip-hook at the wall so we can use it as a zipline, when we hear April grunting and she comes on the rooptop too, walking toward us as if she had just run one mile non stop.
"Alright April," Leoanrdo says. "Stay out here and maintain radio communication."
"But I want in on the action too," she says.
The turtles start leaving.
"Sara, please," she says.
"April," I say. "I just found out you and I are distantly related by blood. I won't let you put yourself in danger."
She looks at me sadly, and then I go down the zipline to meet the turtles again. We enter the building through the roof of one of the levels and find a Kraang droid sitting, staring at us.
Mikey is just about to yell out when Raphael places a hand on top of Mikey's mouth to stop him. The Kraang droid doesn't react, it appears like it's just charging.
Mikey approaches it, and starts poking the droid. "He-he! It's all rubbery!"
"Mikey!" I whisper-yell.
"What, it's funny!"
Just then, April lands right in front of us.
"What are you doing here?!" I ask her, alarmed.
"It's better this way," she says.
I sigh. "Alright, just stay close, stay quiet and do not let Mikey touch anything."
Just then, the chargers start to light up more and power up too.
"Wasn't me!" Mikey yells.
"They're done charging," Leonardo says. "We have to get out of here!"
The six of us run away, avoiding being seen by any of the Kraang droids that power up and stand on their feet. Leonardo signals us to stop, suddenly, when the Kraang are already starting to talk among each other.
"Kraang," one of them says, "does this human suit make Kraang look fat?"
April and I exchange looks. Then, Leonardo points at the elevator and we quietly make our way there. With the card that Kurtzman gave him, Leonardo is able to handle the elevator so that it takes us to the top level. We stand awkwardly in the elevator listening to the stupid music, and then the door opens. Quietly, we hide as we witness what's happening.
"What's going on, Donnie?" Raph asks.
"It's a Kraang sweet 16 birthday party!" Donnie says dreamily. "How am I supposed to know?"
There are a lot of Kraang aliens on flying probes, all of them still and in silence as though all they were doing is thinking. In fact, that is what they're doing. Because of my telepathy, I manage to actually see the waves of their thoughts. And the waves lead to...
... a hologram. A hologram of Kraang Prime.
I get uncomfortable the second I see that picture. If the abduction and the nightmares were enough to freak me out, it's ten times worse now that Kurtzman told me the truth.
My hand is squeezed by April's. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," I grimace and try to make out what they're thinking.
"The experiment is nearly complete," the voice of Kraang Prime resonates deafeningly inside my head, driving both of my hands to my temples. "Despite setbacks, the mutagen will be ready as planned."
Somebody, one of the turtles, places his hand on my back. I ignore it and get up, closer to the hologram.
"Soon we will transform the Earth and all of its hideous people!"
I gasp, and find that in the hologram, Kraang Prime's eyes open too, and their disgusting green color is reflecting my face.
"Ah, my own experiment," Kraang Prime says. "It has come with intruders!"
The other Kraang aliens instantly wake up and an alarm starts sounding. Leonardo tries to get the elevator open again, but it doesn't. The Kraang are already taking their laser guns out and start to shoot us all at once, forcing us to scatter.
"April!" I yell when I see that she's alone and run up to her. We manage to fight off many of the Kraang that are approaching us. Soon, though, two Kraang are up against me making me struggle. April tries helping me, but that backfires and they start to take April. I try several strikes at the droids, but another one locks my hands behind my back, and they drag us away.
"Donnie!" April yells.
"Leonardo!" I yell, and see his blue eyes looking at me alarmed before the wall blocks my view. I try kicking and hitting around, until the Kraang release a toxic gas that blacks out both me and April.
****
When I wake up, April is still out cold. I look around desperately, struggling as my entire body is restrained. I spot my armor, which has the portable bow inside it, and my katana leaning on the far right wall. All I'm left with is my green catsuit without my mask. When I look up, I notice many Kraang droids rounding up and a needle starting to come down.
I close my eyes awaiting the pain, feeling completely helpless, when a small movement from on top makes me open my eyes again. Someone is clinging on the machinery.
"Raph!" I yell.
He jumps down. "Hang in there!"
He starts fighting, but there are far too many Kraang for just him to take on. They start to take him amongst all of them, restraining him too.
"No!" I yell. "Raph!"
"Sara!" He's pushed to the ground by the Kraang.
I look back up at the needle, and at the same time fear for April, for Raph, and the others.
"No!" I yell. And suddenly, a massive power is unleashed from my mind. The waves are strong enough to stop the needle, to cripple the machinery as well as the Kraang droids.
April wakes up when she feels the waves, and Raphael instantly rushes over to remove our restraints. I try to walk on my own, but end up falling to my knees as I'm still weakened by the sudden telepathic blast.
Raphael keeps me from falling to the ground completely, when the other turtles arrive. Donnie goes to see if April is alright, and Leonardo comes up to me and Raph.
"Here," Raph says, and he lets Leonardo take me.
I feel the leader in blue holding me gently as I weakly put my hands on his shoulders for support. Mikey does me the favor of grabbing my armor and my katana, and we leave the building.
After several minutes of walking with one arm around Mikey and the other one around Leonardo, we make it outside where Kurtzman is waiting for us in front of a van. Raphael, April and Donnie go in front with Kurtzman, whereas I stay at the back with Leonardo and Mikey.
When I regain some strength, I look up at Leonardo.
"How do you feel?" he asks softly.
"A bit better," I say. "Though... I'm a bit woozy and..."
The van makes a sudden turn making me feel slightly worse. Leonardo puts his hand on my shoulder to help me stay in balance, and smiles softly at me.
"You wanna stick your head out the window?" Mikey asks. "When I'm dizzy that makes me feel a lot more comfortable in case I have to..."
Mikey notices neither Leonardo or I are listening to him.
"...puke."
Leonardo and I stare at each other, and that's when I notice that his arm is around both my shoulders. I lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, and even fall asleep.