TMNT: OSTEK: Return of the Kraang Chapter 5

(Language warning)

"He-he’s not my boyfriend...." she mumbled under her breath.

 

"Damn right he’s not! You’re too young to date!"

 

Kala frowned. "Dask, I’m sixteen."

 

"He-he’s a mutant!" Zak said.

 

"So are you..." Kala said annoyed.

 

"We are not the same kind of mutant!" Zak snapped.

 

"If I mutate, I can save him?" She digressed from the subject.

 

"No! You will not mutate and that’s FINAL!" Dask roared.

 

"Dask, it's what she wants; if she's mutated she's away from her boyfriend."

  

"I'd have to stay here too...?" She looked down.

 

"Yeah maybe that brain of a brother turtle-boy has can help him," Zak laughed.

 

"Donnie?" She looked up, "Could Donnie heal him?"

 

Dask scoffed, "I’d like to see him try. This stuff is impossible for normal doctors. Modern medicine hasn’t found a way to heal stuff like that. Heck they don’t even know how to CAUSE stuff like that. If anyone can fix him it’s the Kraang," He looked up, "Wait, Zak, can you hack into the Kraang main fame and see if there’s a cure for this shit?"

 

"Can I? Yes. Do I want to? No."

 

"Do you honestly want them to mutate Kala? You of all people should know how unpredictable it is!"

 

Zak said nothing he only walked out of the room.

 

Dask huffed. Kala looked up at him "Dask..."

 

"No, Kala. That’s the last I want to hear about this! We're waking him up then were getting the two of you out of here. End of discussion!" He turned away from her.

 

"And I’ll never see you again...?" She said quietly.

 

"That’s right," he didn’t look at her. He walked out of the room, opposite the way Zak went.

 

Zak kicked a rock. He was an excellent computer hacker, when he could see. Now blind? He'd need Dask to help him and it would be a bother. Beside why should he help Kala's stupid boyfriend?

 

If she mutated she could stay there with them, and there wouldn’t be a reason to be sad anymore. They could always be together, like when they were kids. If she was mutated, she would never see Mikey, Raph or the others ever again. Zak knew she was conflicted about it.

 

He wanted her with them, but he also wanted her happy and she would be happier with the turtles than she would be here. "Damn it!" Zak shouted, "I fucking hate it when jerk face is right!"

 

A few Kraangdroid were coming down the hall when he started shouting. They turned and ran the other way. He had to find a way to heal the turtle boy without mutating Kala... Healing him by hand would take far too long. He was going to have to have Dask help him hack the computer

 

He had the keyboard memorized, but he can’t see screens... He’d have to use Dask's eyes.

 

He sighed and turned to go back to get Dask. When he came back in Kala was sitting next to Mikey, she had her back to the door, holding his hand in hers. She didn’t notice Zak come in.

 

Even though she was not talking out loud he knew what she was saying

  She owed everything to that turtle. He was the only friend she’d ever had. Horrible things happened to Kala while they were away; she was so broken almost to the point of suicide. She’d given up on everything, and then she met him. All of her memories flashed through Zak's mind. All of the things she’d done with Mikey. The fun times, the scary times, the sad times. If he hadn’t come along she wouldn’t be here right now. She held his hand up to her face, hoping to keep him warm. She was willing to sacrifice everything for him. She was planning to sneak away when they weren’t looking. To let the

Kraang find her and do what they brought her here to do... She didn’t care about anything, but keeping Mikey alive. Even if it meant she’d never see him again...

 

"Kala I can't let you get mutated," Zak said.

 

He took his single blanket from his bed and brought it over for the turtle.

 

She didn’t look up at him. "It’s not your decision. It’s not Dask's decision either. I’ve was deciding for myself for five years. I don’t need you now."

 

"You won't be happy here, you're happier when your with him," Zak said covering up Mikey with Dask's blanket now in addition to his own.

"He's dying..." Kala said sadly.

 

"No he's not," Zak said.

 

Zak put his hand on Mikey's forehead; he was very cold, too cold.

 

"He has to be able to walk... He has enemies in New York. He won’t survive long crippled..." Kala said.

 

"His brother and you can help him," Zak said.

 

"He'd me miserable..."

 

"He'd be alive."

 

She looked down. "If I can help him..."

 

"Kala, you can help him by being there for him, even more than you can by healing him. He needs you just as much and you need him. Got that?"

 

"Dask says if I leave I’ll never see you again..."

 

"I’m sorry Kala… we can’t go back. We never thought you were in danger before, we thought you were safe."

 

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I missed you..."

 

"I missed you too….Kala…."

"How do you know about everything? About the turtles?" She blushed.

 

"I can read minds" he smiled.

 

"That would. . .explain. . .everything." she nodded.

  

Zak smiled, "Dask-boy can move things with his mind."

 

"I noticed that, pretty badass."

 

"What mine's not badass?" he teased.

 

"You know I think its badass." She made a fist and touched his chin with it softly.

 

“Yeah I know I just wanted to hear you say it….." He laughed a little.

 

She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you Zak."

 

"Love ya too Kala." He wished he could see his baby sister's face

 

Kala closed her eyes. It was late.

 

Zak carefully picked her up and laid her in his bed. "Want a blanket? It’s pretty warm in here." he asked. She didn’t respond. She must still be drowsy from the medicine they gave her. He could feel that Mikey needed it more than she did, instead he climbed in bed next to her like when they were little kids and there was a lighting storm, she never liked them. She nuzzled her face into his chest. Zak laid there awake going over Mikey's memories to see her smile. He knew from briefly studying the turtle he was complicated, but what he saw he never expected. He was sure his sister literally saved this turtle's life. Zak wiped away a single tear when he saw her smiling while painting in the tunnel right before everything changed.

 

The next morning, Kala woke up with a jolt. Eyes wide.

 

"Kala what is it!?" Zak asked worried.

"Z-Zak?" She blinked.

 

"Yeah?"

 

 She wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, Zak, it’s really you."

"Yeah it's really me."

 

She held him close. "That means I wasn’t dreaming... That means Mikey is..."

"Yeah, Mikey's still sick, but we will try to help him."

"W-where’s Dask?"

 

"Almost back..."

She got out of the bed and went over to Mikey on the couch.

"He’s still cold..."

"There nothing else we can do, I need Dask.”

 

The door opened and the light flooded in, Zak covered his eyes waiting for them to adjust.

"Breakfast!" Dask called. Several plates of food hovering in behind him.

"I hope you got blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes for Kala"

"What? You didn’t tell me that!"

 

"You didn't ask" Zak said with a smiled

"Dask!" Kala ran to him hugging him.

Dask spun her around. "Morning Kala."

"What no ‘morning Zak’?"

Dask shot him a glance, even though he couldn’t see it, he knew it was intended. "Morning Zak." he said sarcastically. Kala slapped him in the chest

"Be nice!"

 "Morning to you too Dask," Zak shot back just as sarcastically, "So find anything to keep the cold-blooded one warm?"

 

"Yeah. I got like a mountain of blankets and one of those heat thingies you put in a microwave. Also I acquired a new microwave." he set it down on the counter, and set ten blankets on top of Mikey. All without putting Kala down

 "I'm using that microwave" Zak said.

 "It’s for the turtle." Dask said.

 "Wait!" Kala stood up. "You guys look relatively human. Can you go to the store?"

 "Yeah, but we don’t like to. You gotta get approval from the Kraang and we don’t have any money so were pretty much criminals. The Kraang send a chaperone with u, but we just take him out when we get out there. They don’t care. We could wipe out each and every one of them if we wanted to. They’re lucky we need them." Kala stared up at him shocked, and a little scared. Zak felt her fear.

"Don't worry Kala," Zak laughed

 

"Huh? I’m not... “ Kala trailed off remembering that she can’t lie to Zak.

 

"You’re worried?" Dask looked down at her. “Don’t be worried, well protect you." He hugged her again.

 

After they ate Zak looked at Dask, "Either we try another healing session or we hack the computers to see if there is a cure for turtle-boy over there." he said.

 

"Healing him by hand will take hours," Dask sighed.

Kala looked up from her bacon and eggs. "I could..."

 

"No Kala. We'll take care of it."

 

"Well I need you with me to hack…." Zak said.

 

"Right. Kala, stay here with the turtle. Don’t leave this room. We’ll be back soon," He stood up. "Hopefully with a cure."

 

Zak and Dask left to go to a computer leaving Kala alone with Mikey

Zak and Dask walked down the hall with confidence. The Kraang knew to steer clear of them. Very few Kraang were brave enough to talk to them. Either of them could kill a Kraang with nothing but a glance.

 

"Computer…" Zak said.

 

"Uh... The big one in the north hall? We might have to fight for it."

 

"Yeah that would work."

 

"I’ll take the idiots on the left you take the idiots on the right?" Dask smiled.

 

Zak laughed, "works for me."

 

There were guards at the door, but when they saw them they started to fidget. "Move." Dask said.

 

They ran. They did what they were told, praying to live another day. Dask forced the door open. The whole room was composed of Kraang computers. There were a dozen Kraang who all froze as the door flew open.

 

Zak gave the viral command for them to leave. One by one they started awkwardly getting out of their chairs and leaving the room. They fought it, but he was too much for them. The struggle was tiring, but Zak didn’t care.

 

"Nice, bro." Dask said slamming the door shut again and melding it around the lock.

 

"Thanks bro. Now to find a cure for the turtle. Speaking of the turtle…."

 

"Yeah?" he asked placing a hand on Zak's shoulder.

 

"He's just as messed up as Kala has become, living in the trash heap run by that bitch."

 

"Are you actually sympathizing with someone?" Dask looked down at him. When he looked down the screen fizzled in Zak's eyes.

"I don't know!" Zak snapped. "Wait, there was link called 'experiments’ click that. Click 'M09292012' he said.

Dask opened the file.

"That’s him. That's the turtle."

"I got it down." Dask flipped through the file, memorizing its contents. "Can you get into the degeneration records? We need to find a way to reverse it."

 

Zak scanned with page threw Dask's eyes, "found it…but.."

"But?" it was all gibberish to Dask.

 

"It's complicated"

"Simplify it."

 

"I can't I need the same strand of mutation that cause his mutation to help regenerate his muscles."

"Damn it. Do they still have any on file? When was he mutated?" There was a bang at the door.

 

"He was mutated March 1st 2013"

 

"The ones called the Neutrinos are being requested by Kraang to leave the Computer Data Access Base and return to their place known as quarters."