Golden Angel

“Chi, are you ready?” Artemis whispered, eyes still locked on Zanramon.

“And what’s your little blind friend going to do?”

The Prime Leader lifted the still-angry jade-skinned turtle into the air.

“You’d be surprised…”

Mozar lifted Don up by his bound wrists, and Mizu glared coldly.

“Listen, you pea-brained gecko! How many times do I have to tell you? The Fugitoid is NOT-ON-EARTH!”

“Our brains may be small, terrapin scum, but our tracking equipment does not lie.”

“Apparently, it pulled the hood over your eyes.” Mizu stated.

“The Professor isn’t here!!”

“The Fugitoid’s teleportation trail leads directly to your planet!”

“He WAS on Earth.” Artemis conceded.

“But he ISN’T on Earth anymore!”

“Then where is he?” Zanramon demanded, dropping the crimson-eyed turtle.

“I…I can’t tell you that!” Don replied.

“Can’t? Or WON’T?”

“We WON’T!” She snapped back.

“Very well…We ‘pea-brained geckos’ will just have to extract the information from your over-sized terrapin brain.”

Mozar grabbed Don roughly, but was met with immediate resistance.

“DON’T!” Artemis shouted, kicking him away.

“…If you’re going to do anything…Just do it to me.”

“Artie-!”

Don stopped at the serious look she gave him, and Chi bit her tongue.

“Gladly…”

The Triceraton placed a strange helmet on her head, and she cried out at the sudden pain.

Jerking back as if to escape the sudden spark, she clenched her teeth to keep back any further cries.

“Struggle all you want. There’s no resisting the Triceraton Mind Probe.”

The other three looked at her and the screen helplessly as memories flashed across its surface.

Suddenly, arrows glowed on her skin, and they felt the whole HOME WORLD shake…

“I won’t give in!”

There was a blast, like a strange explosion, and the helmet blasted to pieces.

The gold-banded turtle breathed out as the white glow left, and she swayed weakly.

“How is that possible?!”

“Clearly, the Earth creature has something to hide…”

Artemis had to lean on Chi in order to keep from falling over, and glared.

“We have other methods of making you talk…”

“Bring it.”

“I’ll never tell you anything!” Don stated defiantly.

Mozar aimed a blaster at Mizu, and the purple-banded turtle’s eyes widened.

“Not even to save her? Or your miserable brothers?”

He looked pointedly at Artemis.

“Not even to save Leonardo?”

She glared angrily.

“You wouldn’t…”

Chi even felt anger well up inside her…

‘If ‘e ‘urts Mikey…’

“We know they’re in the same city we apprehended you.”

They could only hope the others didn’t get captured…

“You’re brothers are down there!”

Zanramon pointed at the screen, which showed New York being pulled apart piece by piece.

“Now tell me where the Fugitoid is before I have them hunted down and destroyed!”

“We ain’t tellin’ ya anythin’.”

Everyone turned at the sudden voice, and were faced with Chi’s stubborn face.

“Ya can torture and kill us, but ya won’t get anythin’.”

“Those are big words coming from such a little girl…”

She smirked a bit, and the handcuffs rattled.

“Ya have no idea what I can do…”

A piece of New York was being lifted into the air, though Chi couldn’t see that…

“Stop it! We told you! The Fugitoid is not on Earth!” Don shouted.

“And why should we believe you?!”

“Can’t you just scan for his positronic energy signature or something?”

The two aliens laughed, and the four teens glared at that.

“What kind of fools do you take us for? Positronic space signatures are as common as space dust!”

“Not on our planet.” Mizu answered.

“We’re not advanced enough.”

“WHAT?! Why was I not informed of this?!”

“Well, naturally, we just assumed-.”

“We Triceratons assume nothing except VICTORY! Initiate positronic energy scan NOW!”

“Yes, Prime Leader!”

Chi couldn’t help chuckling, finding it rather funny that such a small Triceraton could order the others around and cause fear.

She got the feeling that, unlike her, he had no strength to hide within his size…

The scan started up, but it seemed to take it’s time loading…

“This had better not be one of your terrapin tricks! A way to stall for time, perhaps, so your precious Leonardo can commit some act of sabotage?”

“I don’t think even MIKEY’S stupid enough to want to get on this damn rock, even if you burned his comic books.” Artemis snapped back, defiant.

Door opens…

“Prime Leader! Sorry to intrude, but we found these spies trying to take control of our security post.”

“Not stupid enough to want to come here, eh?”

“…How was I supposed to know they’d all take stupid pills!?!”

“HEY…” Mikey whined.

“Now they will be exterminated…”

Chi rushed forward at the raised blaster, but Artemis held her back.

Her senses were telling her to hold back…

She locked eyes with Leo, hoping to distract him from the blaster aimed at him.

“You five will now answer for your crimes against the Triceraton Republic. And don’t think I forgot about my space cruiser.”

“Excuse me, Prime Leader. But wouldn’t it be best to prolong their agony in your private torture chamber?”

“Uh…NO!” Mizu replied.

“Excellent suggestion, guard. Make it so.”

“Yes, sir.”

The three girls groaned.

“No one EVER listens to the prisoners…” Artemis grumped.

“I say I skewer ‘is ass…”

“Wait for it, Chi…Wait for it…”

The soldier led them out, and the four turned to the other turtles.

“What the HELL, guys!” Chi shouted.

“Don’t tell me you actually took stupid pills!” Mizu added.

“SERIOUSLY! Now I’m even MORE worried about what you guys have been doing while I was gone!”

“If this is your idea of a rescue, it’s pretty lame!”

The guard suddenly released their handcuffs, and four teens blinked in surprise.

“You were saying?” Leo asked.

“…Okay…Open mouth, insert foot…”

“I second that…”

“Me, too…”

“Me, three….”

“Come. We must take you to an escape ship.” Monzaram stated, lifting the vent cover off.

“Alright…” Artemis conceded.

“The sewers?”

“The sewers.” Leo answered.

“…What else is new…”

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Sliding out of the sewers and behind some crates in the holding dock, they all looked out at the scrambling Triceratons.

“I can take ‘em…” Chi assured, ready to attack.

Sending a strange floating platform of flammable tanks towards the guards, the Earthbender motioned for Artemis to do the hard part.

Smirking back, the gold-banded turtle settled into a Northern Shaolin stance she knew rather well.

“Ready to run for the hills?”

Mikey nodded enthusiastically.

“Then GO!”

Fire flew from her hands in a reckless beam, and set the tanks ablaze before they exploded.

“Come on!” Leo ordered, and the six teens ran after the blue-banded turtle.

“Hey! This is the Prime Leader’s ship!” Mikey noted.

“Didn’t we steal this once before?”

“And guess what? We’re stealing it again.” Leo answered.

Chi smirked.

“I bet ‘e won’t min’ if we ‘borrow’ it…”

Everyone jumped into the space cruiser, and most took seats.

“Good luck, my friends.” Monzaram stated, closing the hatch above them before departing the ship.

Mikey and Raph were ready to shoot, and Don sat down, ready to TRY and pilot it.

“Hey, at least Mikey’s not driving.”

Artemis was met with awkward silence, and her eyes landed on Leo and Raph…

“…What did you two do?”

“Uh…I might’ve told Mikey to fly a ship before?”

“…ARE YOU GUYS CRAZY!?!”

Crimson eyes widened in surprise.

“SERIOUSLY!!! I HARDLY TRUST HIM ON HIS SKATEBOARD, AND YOU GIVE HIM A HIGH-TECH CAR!?!?!”

“Well, we’re a’right-.”

“YOU COULD HAVE DIED!!! DID YOU TWO TAKE CRAZY PILLS!?!?!”

She was breathing heavily now, like she’d run a marathon, and Leo put a calming hand on her shoulder.

“We might have a problem, though…” Don admitted.

“What problem?” Mizu asked worriedly.

“The Fugitoid piloted last time…”

Lasers struck them, and the Waterbender cried out in surprise.

They still took off with extra haste, but even Chi looked a little stunned at the rocky speed.

Raph and Mikey were HAPPY to shoot back at the soldiers, though…

They flew out into open space, and the jade-skinned turtle sighed in relief.

“When we get home, I hope Mitsukai’s okay…”

“Planet Earth dead ahead!”

“I’m more worried about dead BEHIND!” Mikey stated.

“As in OUR dead behinds!”

Artemis growled.

“They sent those weird tri-bases…And they’re firing those weird things at us!”

“Fly FASTER, honey!” Mizu begged, crouching down beside the purple-banded turtle.

“Sit tight and hold onto your lunches!”

Seeing the shield coming up at a fast pace, Artemis grabbed Chi and strapped her to a seat.

“HOLD ON!”

They dodged the shield, but the blast turned with them.

“It must be a smart weapon!”

“Then we’d better get smarter, ‘cause it’s right on our tail!” Raph warned.

“Right now, that’s the least of our problems!”

“WHY?” Chi questioned, agitated.

They were heading back to the tri-bases, which were firing up some more blasts…

“…Just hold onto your pants and try not to scream…”

Glazed black eyes widened, and the Earthbender seemed to lock the unseeing eyes on Mizu.

“WHY?!”

“…You don’t wanna know…” Artemis admitted, crouching down.

They did a barrel roll to avoid the two new ‘smart weapons’, and they aimed their course back down to Earth.

“Can’t ya do anythin’ ta shake those thin’s, Donnie?!” Raph shouted.

“Don’t you get it, Raph?! Those energy spheres follow us wherever we go!!”

An idea struck him, and he shared a glance with Mizu.

“Then maybe it’s time to use that to our advantage!”

“Right!” Artemis agreed, smiling.

“It’s like Waterbending! Using your opponents offense and hitting them back with it!”

Speeding through the shield, they headed for the tri-base over New York City, which was starting to lift it from the ground.

“Special delivery!”

They zoomed inside, and this scene reminded the gold-banded turtle of Star Wars…

When they destroyed the Death Star…

Then fire started following them…

The two Waterbenders REALLY wished they had an ocean with them right then…

They managed to get out though, and New York was freed of the force field, sliding back into place.

“Way to go, Donnie!” Mikey cheered.

“How’d you know it was gonna work like that?”

“Actually, I didn’t…”

“…You guys WANT me to have a heart attack, don’t you?”

The Triceratons were leaving the planet as the sun rose…

“The horn-heads are packin’ it in…”

“Looks like we saved the Earth from the alien invasion.” Leo agreed.

“AWESOME! We’ll get a heroes welcome! Dinner with the President! A made-for-TV movie!” Mikey stated.

“Yeah, an’ I’ll get a pedicure…”

“…Or we could keep hiding in the sewers and let someone else grab the glory…”

“Look at the bright side. We got a cool spaceship out of the deal, and, more importantly, this whole Fugitoid crisis is FINALLY over…” Don reasoned.

Artemis sighed, leaning on Leo as she stared blankly out of the windshield…

‘Why do I feel like, for the first time, Donnie’s wrong?’