The Hamato siblings were all on the ground of the Triceraton ship, gasping on the poisonous air and writhing in contorted agony. As they struggled to remain consciousness, the brown gelatinous blob that Mikey had accidentally freed began to make its way towards the five. It branched out in five different direction, slowly pulling itself into five pieces. Each of these pieces began to crawl up each of the siblings until it as sitting on their chests. It then began to melt, seeping through their clothes and through their skin (or plastron in the case of the turtles). As it made its way under their skin, brown veins began to trail from the main mass, making their way up their faces. It connected with the corner of their mouths, their nose, and then finally the corner of their right eyes. The second that final connection was made, all five of them suddenly gasped as fresh air flooded their lungs.
They all greedily sucked filled their starved lungs, coughing and wheezing as their bodies attempted to return to normal. Unfortunately, this robbed all five of them of consciousness, reducing them to a pile of sleeping ninjas. No sooner had they passed out, the doors to the cargo bay opened up, allowing a group of about five Triceratons inside.
"Spread out." One of the Triceratons ordered. "Make sure everything is still in place."
The Triceratons spread out, each of them taking a different path through the maze of containers and crates. One of the Triceratons caught sight of the broken remains of the container that once held the gelatinous blob.
"Uh, sir?" He called out. "We've got a problem."
"What is it?" another Triceraton asked.
"It's the Cerebralite." the first one explained. "Its container was destroyed."
There was a loud snort of anger as the lead Triceraton punched a container next to him.
"Slag. That thing cost us 30,000 zemulaks! The Prime leader will have our horns!"
"Sir, it just got worse." a third Triceraton interjected. "I found something."
The Triceratons converged on the third of their quintet, who was standing over the pile of unconscious bodies.
"It's the four Gamarons and the humanoid that were with the Fugitoid." one of them commented. "They must have followed us in an attempt to take him back."
"Well, they're no threat to us now." another remarked. "They're oxygen breathers, and never would have survived our nitrogen rich atmosphere."
One Triceraton judged at Mikey's unconscious body, rolling him onto his shell. When the leader saw the brown vein on his face, he let out an angry snort.
"The Cerebralite." he spat. "It bonded with them."
"Should we destroy them sir?" a different Triceraton asked.
"No." the commander replied. "Lock them up for now. The Prime Leader will decide their fate."
…
Donny was the first to come to, rubbing his forehead to alleviate a headache caused by the temporary lack of oxygen. As he rubbed, he found his wrists attached to each other, which caused him to become more alert rather quickly. He pulled his hands back to see a pair of futuristic looking cuffs locked around his wrists. The sight made his heart plummet into his stomach.
"Oh shell..." he swore.
The purple turtle took a look around, attempting to get his bearings. He was in a grey room that was completely devoid of any furniture, his brothers and sister leaning against the walls still unconscious. They all had similar cuffs on their wrists, and their weapon holsters were empty, their weapons no doubt confiscated. Standing up, Donny approached a small rectangular hole in one of the walls, though Donny got the feeling that the wall was really the door, peering through it. He saw a long hallway filled with grey doors with a similar rectangle hole.
"Locked up again." Donny bemoaned. "Why do these things keep happening to us?"
Another groan drew his attention and he turned to see Leo slowly waking up. Donny rushed to his side, helping Leo to sit up.
"Easy bro." Donny warned. "You're gonna be light headed for a moment, so don't try to stand up just yet."
Raph soon rejoined the land of consciousness as well, then Mikey. Finally, Hisako slowly opened her eyes. They all groaned and rubbed their heads.
"Everyone okay?" Leo asked.
"Peachy." Raph snapped irritably, glaring at his wrists. "Just peachy."
"How are we alive?" Hisako wondered. "I mean, all I remember is choking, then suddenly being able to breathe again."
"I don't really understand it myself." Donny admitted. "For all intents and purposes, we should be dead."
"Well, what I want to know is what's with the veins." Mikey commented, running a finger along his face. "I mean, we all got weird brown veins on our faces."
Everyone felt their face, and could feel slightly raised skin trailing along the right side of their faces.
"Huh, that's weird." Donny remarked. "I don't remember having this before."
Donny followed the vein down his neck and into his shirt. He then pulling his shirt collar forward to get a better look, then promptly released it and screamed.
"Holy Chalupa!"
Now morbidly curious, the other Hamato siblings did the same. Instantly, Leo, Raph, and Hisako all released their shirts, their eyes wide.
"I don't know whether to be scared, disgusted, or curious." Hisako commented.
"I'll take disgusted." Raph remarked. "It looks like someone threw up on our chests."
Mikey, however, didn't seem phased by the sudden appeared of a brown blob residing under his skin.
"Dudes, I think I know what this is." he told them.
"Mikey, I don't know what it is," Donny told him, "so how the shell can you-"
"It's this weird jello creature that I accidentally freed from a glass jar."
Donny paused.
"Wait, this stuff… is alive?"
"Uh huh." Mikey nodded. "I thought it was cool so I wanted to take it home. Then I broke the jar."
Donny looked at his brother in surprise, then looked down his shirt once again.
"Fascinating. Whatever this thing is, it seems to have formed a symbiotic relationship with the five of us."
"Do you think it might have anything to do with our sudden ability to breath?" Hisako wondered.
"It is possible." Donny surmised. "Perhaps this creature is molecularly deconstructing the air we're breathing into a compound suitable for respiration."
He was met with a round of blank looks from his siblings.
"It's turning the bad air into good air." He clarified in a deadpan voice.
About that time, there was a loud bang on the door from the outside as a pair of reptilian eyes filled the rectangular hole.
"Shut up in there!" a loud, deep voice demanded.
All five of the Hamato siblings did fall silent, but not because they'd been ordered to. Rather, they were all awestruck by the sudden realization that their captor had just spoken to them.
In plain English.
"Ummm… That was a Triceraton, right?" Mikey asked.
"I'm almost 95% sure it was." Donny replied.
"Then how was it speaking English?" Leo wondered.
Donny didn't answer. Instead, he just looked down at the blob on his chest.
"I think this thing did more than save our lives." He hypothesized. "I think it also rewired our brains a bit."
Hisako groaned at that.
"As if my brain wasn't screwed up enough." she muttered.
"Not in a bad way, I think." Donny assured her. "I think it just manipulated the language center of our brain so we can understand the aliens around us."
"So we have brain sponges living on our chests now, and that's why we're alive and aliens speak English?" Mikey asked.
"Basically." Donny nodded.
"You know, as fascinating as this conversation is, we're all forgetting one crucial detail of our situation." Raph reminded them, holding up his cuffed wrists irritably. "We're prisoners!"
"None of us have forgotten, Raph." Leo remarked. "But right now, our best option is to be patient. Until we have more information on our situation, we sit tight."
Raph grumbled, then leaned against the wall again, Hisako leaning against him. Silence then fell over the cell as the Hamato siblings waited.
…
Professor Honeycutt slowly woke up, his mechanical eye zooming in and out as he attempted to get his bearings. He appeared to be in what appeared to be the personal quarters of a Triceraton scout ship. His heart began beating a mile a minute once he realized that, and he truly began to panic when he realized he was completely alone.
"The Gamarons, Hisako… My friends!" he exclaimed.
The door to the quarters he was in slid open, allowing a single Triceraton inside. The dinosaur had deep scarring on the right side of his face, his right eye glassy and white. His entire right arm was gone, replaced with a rudimentary mechanical one. The professor recognized him instantly.
"Commander Mozar." He greeted, forcing his voice to remain even and devoid of fear.
"Professor Honeycutt." Mozar replied. "It seems the tranquilizer finally wore off."
The Professor rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the small wound caused by the tranq.
"Well at least that answers the question of how I ended up here." He remarked.
Mozar gestured towards the door, which stood open for him.
"Come." he ordered. "The Prime Leader is eager to meet you."
…
The scout ship approached a large floating landmass in the center of space. The landmass was conical in shape, reminiscent of an ice cream cone with a sealed dome representing the ice cream. This landmass had several long arms with smaller land masses on them bearing the same ice cream cone shape and a few where just normal ships could land. The scout ship took one of these arms, landing and connecting an airlock. The Triceratons walk through the airlock, leading the Professor deeper into the main landmass.
"I suppose there is one benefit to my cybernetic form." The Professor said to himself. "My mechanized lungs can breathe any atmosphere."
Eventually, the Professor was led into a grand throne room, where a large, red Triceraton was sitting. This Triceraton was wearing what appeared to be a military uniform, many medals and accolades decorating his lapel. A metal headpiece rested on his head, and he had this gleam in his eyes of a creature that would do whatever it took to get what he wanted.
"Prime Leader Zanramon." Mozar greeted, beating the center of his chest in salute. "I have brought to you Professor Zayton Honeycutt of the planet Dhoonib."
Zanramon leaned forward, a smile on his face, something that greatly unnerved the cyborg.
"I didn't realize I was so important to you Zanramon." The Professor mused.
"Oh don't be so modest, Professor." Zanramon admonished. "Everyone in this part of the galaxy is aware of the mental prowess of the Great Zayton Honeycutt."
"Your accolades are impressive, but I don't believe you invited me here just to flatter me." The Professor replied.
Zanramon chuckled, then stood up, approaching the cyborg.
"Indeed I did not." he replied. "When I heard about what Darius Dunn had reduced you to, I knew that I had to act. I couldn't allow such a brilliant mind to be reduced to a common cybernetic slave."
"That should mean you wanted to save my life," the Professor responded. "But I get the feeling it means you want something from me."
Zanramon gave a small shrug.
"I will admit, the weapons that we received from our dealings with Dunn were some of the greatest that I have ever seen." he explained. "While we Triceratons pride ourselves in strategic prowess and combat skills, our technological advances leave much to be desired."
"If you don't mind Zanramon," The Professor said, starting to get irritated. "Get to the point."
Zanramon coughed a bit, taken aback by the Professor's general attitude. However, he shook it off, continuing on.
"As you wish." He decided. "I am willing to offer you all of the funding you could ever ask for, all the resources you will ever need, and a lab to call your own. More than that, I am also willing to provide you with full rights as a citizen of the Triceraton Republic. You would no longer need to fear that your cybernetic status will affect your daily life. All I ask is that you become my scientific advisor."
Honeycutt thought for a moment. The offer did sound enticing. To be able to live his life again without having to constantly look over his shoulder, plus unlimited funding and resources, it almost sounded too good to be true. Then, a thought popped into his head.
"Just out of curiosity," The Professor began to ask. "What if I refuse?"
Zanramon looked at the professor, then turned to Mozar. Mozar gave a single nod, then pressed a button on a terminal next to him. A large holographic screen suddenly turned on, displaying a scene of the turtles and Hisako still sitting in their cell. The Professor's eyes went wide at the sight.
"My friends!" he exclaimed.
The turtles and Hisako all suddenly sat up in surprise.
"Guys, did you hear that?" Mikey asked.
"It sounded like the Professor." Donny added.
"My friends," The Professor called out. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"
He then paused for a second as something dawned on him.
"How are suddenly speaking Dhoonib-ese?" He added.
"We're okay Professor." Raph answered. "They ain't hurt us."
"Not yet." Zanramon clarified.
Hisako visibly tensed.
"Professor, where are you?" She questioned. "And who's that with you?"
"This is Prime Leader Zanramon," The Professor answered. "Leader of the Triceratons."
Zanramon smirked at that.
"If I were you creatures, I would be more worried about your own situation." he told them.
"Yeah well give me a minute and I'll stick our situation right up your-" Raph started to curse.
"Raph!" Leo cut off. "Don't antagonize the leader of the species holding us captive."
"You should listen to your companion, Gamaron." Zanramon suggested. "After all, you already have a rather hefty list of crimes stacked against you already."
"Crimes?" The Professor asked. "What are you talking about?"
Zanramon turned to Mozar a second time, giving him a nod. The commander brought up a holopad, reading from it.
"Assaulting multiple officers of the Triceraton army, stowing away on a Triceraton scout ship, theft of personal property of the Prime Leader-"
"Hey, we haven't stolen anything!" Mikey called out angrily.
"Oh really?" Zanramon asked with no small amount of smugness in his voice. "So that isn't my Cerebralite now residing on your collective abdominal regions."
"Uh… no." Mikey replied.
The reality of his friends' predicament was beginning to set in for the Professor. With the crimes against them, and the merciless nature of the Triceratons, the odds were not in their favor.
"What do you plan on doing with them?" The Professor questioned.
"With the number of crimes against them, they would be sentence to at least 13 Nextons in Incarceron."
The Professor gasped, something that didn't go unnoticed by the turtles and Hisako.
"Professor, how long is a Nexton?" Leo asked.
"And what is Incarceron?" Donny added.
"The High Security Triceraton prison." The Professor explained, his voice thready from nervousness. "And one of the deadliest prisons in the galaxy."
"Of course, I would be willing to pardon them of their crimes." Zanramon offered. "I'd even be willing to transport them to the nearest Utrom Outpost so they can return to Gamara… If you agree to my proposal"
"Don't do it Professor!" Mikey called out.
"Our lives aren't worth it!" Leo added.
"We can take whatever this guy dishes out and more!" Raph promised. "Just trust us!"
Zanramon made a 'cut' motion with his finger and Mozar cut the feed, turning the holographic screen off.
"Make your choice professor." Zanramon told the Professor, his voice hard. "And choose wisely."
The Professor looked at the Triceraton Prime leader nervously, then his metallic fists clenched.
"My friends to me to trust them, and so I shall." he decided. "I will never work for you."
Zanramon sighed.
"Such a shame." he lamented. "Mozar, escort the Professor back to his chambers and see that the creatures' sentence is carried out."
Mozar saluted again, then took hold of the Professor, dragging him out of the throne room.
…
The scout ship landed on one of the smaller chunks of land attached to the Triceraton home world. This chunk was dominated by a single structure, a large building that looked like a futuristic prison. The main doors of the prison opened, allowing the scout ship to land in some sort of unloading bay. The ship's doors opened as the Hamato siblings were pushed out of the ship. Once the five of them caught a sight of the large prison, all of them felt a lump of fear settle into their throats. Hisako instinctively clung to Leo's sleeve, doing everything she could to keep herself from fainting.
"It'll be okay sis." Leo whispered. "This isn't That Place."
She gulped and nodded, trying to steel herself. They were all forced inside the prison, where a large, muscular Triceraton stood waiting.
"Greetings, Gamarons." he greeted. "I am Warden Tetrax. Welcome to Incarceron."
"Warden Tetris?" Mikey asked. "We're supposed to be intimidated by an arcade game?"
Tetrax growled as the Hamato Siblings snickered, then the Triceraton continued.
"You should be intimidated, Gamaron." Tetrax remarked. "This is the most impenetrable fortress not only in the galaxy, but the universe. When inmates arrive here, they leave only two ways, released, or in body bags."
"Oooooh, I'm so scared." Raph growled. "Please, we've been locked up somewhere that would make you wet yourself, Tetris."
"We'll see about that." Tetrax replied, his hands visibly clenching at the purposeful mispronunciation of his name.
He then let out a shrill whistle as a team of guards came out, each of them grabbing one of the five siblings.
"Get them all cleaned, dressed, and processed." Tetrax ordered. "Then we'll see how they handle the general population."
…
All five of the siblings were stripped of their clothing and hosed down by a high pressure water hose. Once they were all properly 'cleaned', they were each given an orange outfit to wear. They all got dressed, then were forced onto a line up where there mugshots were taken. Raph snarled at the camera, holding up his third finger in his own attempt at flicking off the guards. Unfortunately, the gesture went right over the guards' heads.
Donny stood for his mugshot, though his gaze was elsewhere, his mind already trying to figure out the layout of the prison and map out a possible escape route.
When Hisako's turn came, most of the fear she'd felt had been successfully suppressed, giving way to annoyance and anger. Both of these emotions were prominent on her face as her mugshot was taken.
Mikey, ever the free spirit, decided to try and make the best of his situation. When his turn to have his mugshot taken came, he shot the camera a huge grin, posing and giving a turtle peace sign before moving on.
Finally, Leo's turn came. He didn't attempt to look around, antagonize the guards, or even make light of the situation. Instead, all he could think off as the camera went off was how much trouble they were in, and how the shell he was gonna explain this to Master Splinter.
Eventually, the five of them were shoved through a large set of double doors into the large common area of the prison, the doors slamming behind them. Raph let out a loud growl, turning towards the door and pounding on it.
"You know, I'm getting real tired of people shoving me around today!" Raph remarked.
"Cool it Raph." Leo told him, grabbing the red turtle by the shoulder. "We can't afford for your temper to land us in any deeper hot water."
"I can't imagine water hotter than this Leo." Mikey shared.
"I can." Hisako interjected. "And it's big, pink, has a huge respirator, and is eying me like I'm lunch."
Mikey raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Where do you see that?"
Hisako pointed off to the side, where a large, hideous pink alien was sitting on a table. All around him were a few other aliens, each of them giving the Hamato siblings the evil eye. The pink one eventually stood up, walking over to the five. He was easily a good foot taller than the turtles, and easily twice as wide.
"Well, well, well." the alien said, his respirator making his voice deeper and a bit echoey. "Look what we have here. Fresh meat."
The five all reached instinctively for where their weapons should have been, all of them grimacing when they only hit air. Their large adversary just chuckled, cracking his knuckles audibly.
"I'm Rynokk, the boss of this prison." he introduced himself. "You do what I want when I want, and maybe you'll live to see your release date."
"Hate to break it to you big guy, but I think old Tetris would disagree with that statement." Raph quipped.
Rynokk just started laughing loudly, a sentiment that was matched by his band of cronies.
"Let me clue you in on something." Rynokk told them. "The guards don't care what happens in here once those doors shut. They're just here to keep us inside and clean up the blood."
He then poked Raph in the chest, glaring at the red turtle.
"Remember that, before your big mouth gets you and your friends into a world of pain."
He then marched back to join his cronies, then the whole group walked off. Raph's fists were clenched tightly and his teeth were grinding against each other. Once more, Leo placed a hand on the red turtle's shoulder in an attempt to hold him back.
"Don't Raph." he warned. "He's not worth it."
"Besides, the sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can put some light years between us and Rynokk." Donny added.
Raph growled, then slowly unclenched his fists.
"You're right..." he begrudgingly admitted, "So what now?"
"We're gonna need a place to hunker down while we're here." Leo answered. "Somewhere easily defendable should Rynokk or any of his friends come looking for a fight."
"We may need to find a place on high ground too." Donny added. "It will give us a vantage point and a way to get a good idea of everything standing between us and escape."
Hisako gestured up towards the third level of the prison.
"Our best bet would be a cell up there then." she suggested. "Maybe a corner one facing this way."
"Good idea sis." Mikey told her.
"You heard her guys." Leo declared. "Let's go, but stick close."
…
The five siblings made their way to the third floor of the prison, Donny mentally noting down various guards and their posts along the way. Once they reached the top, Raph let out another angry growl.
"Great. Rynokk's here."
The five of them ducked behind a wall, watching as Rynokk and his goons approached a corner cell. The cell was occupied by a single inmate, a blue creature that resembled an anthropomorphic salamander. Their figure suggested that they were a female, and her gaze suggested that she had seen many battles in her days. She was sitting in the center of the cell, and didn't even acknowledge Rynokk until he spoke to her.
"Salamandarian!" he shouted. "I thought I told you I wanted you out of this cell by mealtime!"
"You did." the Salamandarian replied.
"Then why are you still here?!"
"Because I do not take orders from an overgrown Bolovak that does not know his excrement valve from his oral cavity."
Mikey's eyes went wide and he had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing. Raph's angry demeanor had faded somewhat as a smile graced his face.
"Don't know who that is, but I am liking the way she handles business." he remarked.
Rynokk did not share the turtles' sentiments. In fact, a few veins began to show on his bulky arms as he punched the door frame of the cell.
"I'm going to give you five tiks to get your rakkan hide out of my cell, or I am going to wear your skin for a loincloth!"
Rynokk began counting, and when he reached five, he made a grab for the Salamandarian. He got within inches of her shirt before she caught his fist. She then stood, grabbing hold of his wrist and flipping him over her shoulder and onto the ground. She then turned to the cronies, cracking her knuckles.
"Anyone else?" she asked.
That's when Rynokk stood up, wrapping his beefy arms around her and hoisting her into the air. She struggled and kicked as the cronies moved in, punching at her helpless form as she struggled to free herself.
"That's it!" Raph exclaimed.
Before any of his siblings could react, Raph barreled out of their hiding place. He grabbed two of the cronies, smashing their heads together and drawing the attention of the entire group.
"Didn't your mothers ever teach you it ain't nice to gang up on a lady?"
The Salamandarian took advantage of the group's moment of distraction, sliding herself out of Rynokk's grasp and delivering a powerful kick to his respirator.
"While I am grateful for your aid, this is not your fight." she told Raph, the two going back to back like they'd been fighting alongside one another for years.
"Let's just say I've got a thing against people like Rynokk." Raph replied.
After that, the time for conversation was gone. The two released a flurry of punches and kicks at Rynokk's goons, sending them all flying out of the cell and into the hallway. From their hiding place, the other three turtles and Hisako watched with no small amount of enjoyment.
"Think we should intervene?" Mikey asked.
"Nah." Leo replied. "Let Raph have his fun this time."
After a few minutes, all of the goons were down for the count, leaving Rynokk alone. He looked at Raph and the Salamandarian before letting out a growl.
"You win this round." he begrudgingly allowed. "But you best watch your backs. I won't forget this."
"Just take your goon squad and beat it!" Raph snapped.
Rynokk left after that, dragging a few of his unconscious goons behind him. Those that were still conscious quickly scrambled after their boss. Once they all left, the Salamandarian turned to Raph with a smile.
"Thank you again for your aid." she told him, bowing respectfully.
"Hey, whacking punks like those guys is a daily occurrence for me and my family." Raph said with a shrug. "I'm Raphael. You got a name?"
"I am called Y'Gythgba." she replied.
Raph blinked for a second.
"Um… you got a nickname?"
Y'Gythgba gave a small laugh.
"Salamandarian names can be a bit cumbersome to unfamiliar tongues." she told him. "If you would like to call me something else, I will not object."
Raph thought for a minute, then snapped his fingers as an idea came to him.
"I got it." he declared. "Back on my home planet, there's this painting of the most beautiful woman in art and stuff. So… how about I call you… Mona Lisa."
From their hiding place, the other turtles were all smiling like idiots, especially Mikey. Hisako covered her mouth as she snorted. Y'Gythgba seemed to mull over Raph's choice, then she gave a smile.
"Mona Lisa. I shall accept it."
"Awesome." Raph said with a smirk.
Deciding they'd been hidden long enough, the other four Hamato siblings came out of hiding. Leo gave a small cough as they approached.
"Did you forget we were here bro?" Mikey asked.
Raph turned red, rubbing the back of his head.
"Right… Uh… Mona Lisa, these are my brothers Leonardo-"
"Hey."
"Donatello-"
"Hi there."
"And Michelangelo."
"What up?"
"And this is my sister Hisako."
Hisako gave a small wave as Mona Lisa cocked a head in confusion.
"Your sister?" she questioned. "How does that-?"
"I'm adopted." Hisako interrupted.
Mona gave a nod, then gestured for them all to come into the cell. They all settled down, the turtles all instinctively going on all sides of Hisako. As they sat, Mona spoke again.
"Why have you five been locked up in this rakkan hole?" she questioned. "You do not have the malicious air of those who should be locked in here."
"It's because Zanramon is trying to use us to get to a friend of ours." Donny explained. "He placed a bunch of trumped up charges on us and tossed us in here."
Mona growled at that.
"So you are more innocent victims of the dishonorable methods of the Triceratons." she rationalized.
"More?" Leo repeated. "You mean there are more in our position?"
"Not in your exact position, but there are many who have suffered unjustly from the dishonor of the Triceratons." Mona answered, looking down slightly. "Myself included."
Mikey leaned forward, crossing his legs and putting his hands on his knees.
"I sense a tragic backstory." he declared.
Raph smacked Mikey hard, glaring at him.
"Mikey, show some respect!"
Mikey rubbed the back of his head as Hisako sat forward.
"Mona, what did the Triceratons do to you?" she asked.
Mona leaned against the wall of the cell, closing her eyes as she remembered.
"My home world, Salamandaria, was at war with the Triceratons for Nextons." she explained. "We were warriors born and bred, and we held our own against the Triceratons. G'Throkka, my brother, told me that we were close to winning the war..."
Raph then noticed a pattern to what she was saying.
"Lisa, you keep speaking in past tense." he noted. "Did… did something happen to your home planet?"
Lisa nodded, a single tear rolling down her face.
"Yes..." she answered after a moment, "It was destroyed..."
Hisako gasped and the turtles all felt a pang of sympathy.
"You cannot imagine the horror of watching helplessly as your home is reduced to space dust." Lisa continued, hugging her legs. "Billions of lives lost..."
"H-how did you escape?" Mikey asked.
"G'Throkka managed to get me off planet before it happened." she explained. "We escaped the carnage, and then we set off to try and bring down the Prime Leader. Unfortunately, our efforts were in vain. We were both captured. I was sent here and G'Throkka..."
Her breath hitched a bit and her fists clenched.
"I do not know where he is… or if he is even alive..."
Raph went over to Mona, reaching hesitantly for her hand. He paused before touching her though, realizing that he had just met her and she may not appreciate the gesture. However, her hand loosened and she took his offered one, obviously grateful for the attempt at comforting her.
"Hey Lisa..." Raph began. "My siblings and I are planning on busting out of here soon. Maybe… Maybe you could come with us."
Mona looked at Raph.
"You have an escape plan?" she asked.
"Not yet, but we will." Donny told her. "And frankly, we could use all the help we can get."
"If you help us bust out of here, then you'd be free to search for your brother." Leo informed her.
"So what do ya say?" Raph asked. "Think you'd be willing to give is a shot?"
Mona Lisa thought for a minute. This was the first time in a while that anyone had shown her kindness. More than that, it was the first time she'd felt any hope of seeing G'Throkka again. She wiped her eyes and smiled.
"I will help you." she decided.
