Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She woke up confused. Sprawled on her stomach on the cold concrete of an unknown street, in an unfamiliar city, her eyes opened slowly. She started to sit up, but gasped as her head spun with pain, as if her brain was being torn apart inside her skull. She didn't know how long she lay curled defensively, hoping it might subside.  

Finally, bearing through the worst of it, she sat up slowly, blinking away the blur of unconsciousness as she took in her surroundings.

"Wh-where am I?" she asked aloud to no one. Pulling herself to her knees, she looked down at her hands in the dim glow from a nearby street lamp. Glancing around, she caught sight of her reflection in a dingy, broken window pane, and was shocked to find she knew nothing about the face looking back at her. "Who am I?" she asked.

A group of voices stirred her from her thoughts, and she scrambled to her bare feet just as a group of men came around the corner of the alley she stood in. As they caught sight of her, they paused, growing silent with surprise. Her eyes darted between them instinctively, counting seven. They were all tall and muscled, dressed mostly in dark colors, each covered with tattoos and piercings. They all looked at her with cruel eyes as they recovered from their shock.

"Well, lookie what we found, boys," one of them, who appeared to be the leader, said with a sneer. He stepped toward her, staring her down with dark eyes. "And just what is a sweet little thing like you doing out here on your own?"

She took a stumbling step back, raising her hands defensively in front of her. "I... I do not know where I am... I want no trouble..."

"Ooh, too bad, kid," the man clicked his tongue. "Cause, you see, this is our turf, and we don't take too kindly to trespassers."

"I am...... lost," she whimpered, trembling in fear as the others began to surround her. Her eyes darted around at them nervously as a deep fear welled up inside her, bringing with it a feeling she could not describe.

"Well, allow us to set you straight," the man said, reaching out and grabbing at her. With a cry of surprise, she swung her arms out to defend herself. She felt a strange sensation pass through her, like a surge of energy that leapt from her mind, passing through her fingertips to strike the man before her, who suddenly flew backwards with a yell, as if thrown by an unseen force. The others gaped in shock as he hit the ground a good ten feet back. She even stared, frozen with disbelief. How had she done that? What was happening?

He sat up, shaking his head vigorously, as if shaking off a deep sleep. He glared back at her, his face dark with fury. "Grab her!" he barked. The others were shaken from their surprise, and two of them rushed forward to grab her arms, forcing her wrists behind her back before she could react. The leader scrambled up, striding back to stand just inches from her. "I don't know how you did that, Freak," he snarled. "But I know a few people who might love to find out."

He snapped his fingers, and one of the men holding her wrapped a cord around her wrists, cinching it tight. Terrified, she cried out, only to be silenced by a slap across her face.

"Shut up, kid!" he hissed angrily. "Or you'll get worse than that."

"I don't think so, dude," a new voice said from the shadows. The gang leader turned just as a dark figure lashed out, a solid kick landing across his tattooed face. He went down hard, hitting the ground with a thud. The men holding her let go to charge the attacker. "Didn't anyone ever teach you guys not to hit girls?" the figure asked, knocking them aside with a pair of spinning weapons.

She cowered against the dark wall as the fight ensued. The dark figure fought effortlessly, easily defeating each of her captors, until one, a young-faced man with wide eyes, remained, staring with a mix of awe and fear. The figure glared back, raising the odd weapons over his head. 

"Boo!" he said suddenly, and the gangbanger spun on his heels and scrambled away, tripping over his own feet and crying out for help. She watched in shock as the figure then turned to her.

"P-please.... d-do not hurt me," she stammered, her voice clouded with fear.

~#~

Michelangelo looked at the girl with a mix of curiosity and sympathy. He'd heard her call for help, and he could tell she was still scared. She looked about his age, maybe 15 years old, and she seemed very out of place, even for New York. She wore a sleeveless, cropped black top with matching black shorts, and her feet were bare. He wondered if someone had stolen her shoes or something. She didn't have any jewelry except for a simple black choker buckled with a silver clasp, and he saw a mark on her shoulder. Some kind of tattoo?

She stood pressed against the building wall, poised like she was ready to run, almost catlike in her stance. Her arms were still pulled and tied behind her, so he knew she probably couldn't get far on her own, even if she did run.

His eyes lingered on her face for a moment. She was actually kind of cute, beneath the fear. Her hair was short but wild, the color an intense, coppery orange. Her eyes were what drew his attention the most, though. Wide and clear, they slanted slightly up at the corners. Her pupils were round, dilated slightly. They were the weirdest shade of purple, deep violet voids that seemed to look right through him. 

"Take it easy," he said gently, putting his nunchucks away. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna help."

She blinked, taking in his words as her body relaxed slightly. "Those men.... They said I was a freak. They wanted to hurt me."

"I've heard that plenty of times before," Michelangelo replied, staying hidden by the shadows. "They're just jerks. A bunch of criminals looking for a fight. You should get out of here and go home, where you'll be safe."

"But," she said softly, "I do not know where my home is. I do not even know where I am." 

"Well, what's your name?" the young ninja asked. "Maybe someone can find your address for you."

She paused briefly, her face drawing down sadly. "I.... I do not know," she said finally. "I have no idea what my name is."

"Really?" he asked in shock. She nodded solemnly. He thought for a minute.

How could she not know her own name? Did she hit her head? Was there something wrong with her? "If you're really lost," he said finally, "there's a place not far from here where you can get help. They help the homeless, mostly, but I'm sure they can help you, too. You can at least get some better clothes and some shoes. And someone can probably figure out what happened to you."

She looked down at herself, then down the dark alley, before looking back at him. "Would you take me there?"

The mutant turtle faltered at her question, taken aback by her sudden trust. "Uhh, well, you see...." he searched for an excuse, but found none besides the obvious. "Well, I'm not exactly.... Normal." She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "A lot of people freak out when they see me."

"I am afraid to go alone," she said quietly. 

She cast her eyes down as they glistened with tears, and he realized she really was scared. He glanced around at the now unconscious men that had attacked her, imagining how terrified she must have been. Just looking at her, it seemed clear she had no idea what was happening, and he wondered again if she was sick or injured.

In any case, even he had to admit that it probably wasn't the best idea to let her wander on her own. His hand went to the Shell Cell at his belt. I could always let my bros know... he thought to himself before shaking his head and deciding against it. A little detour shouldn't take me long. They'll never have to know.

"Okay," he said. "I can take you there. As long as you promise not to tell anyone about me. I'm supposed to stay hidden, but I can't just leave you out here."

She nodded, a smile blooming on her face. "I promise."

"Good. But first, we should get you untied." Mikey then stepped toward her, out of the cover of the shadows. He watched her closely, half expecting her to freak out and run away, but instead, she just tipped her head, studying him curiously, as if trying to decide something. For a split second, he thought she might be blind, until she asked, "You are not human, are you?"

"Uhh, no," he answered, surprised by how nonchalant she sounded. 

"... Alright."

His eyes widened. "Alright?" he repeated. "You mean, it doesn't scare you? At all?"

She shrugged. "Why should I be afraid? " she asked. "I cannot even be sure that I am human."

Michelangelo stood dumbfounded for a moment. He thought for sure she'd be afraid of him. Or at least bothered by him being a giant talking turtle. Maybe there's more to this kid than meets the eye, he thought as he finally gathered himself enough to untie the rope around her wrists. 

"In any case," she said as her hands were freed, "you are more human than they are." She motioned to the unconscious men around them.  

He let out a laugh. "Yeah, unfortunately, there's a lot of guys like them in the city. My bros and I try to keep 'em from hurting people."

"Bros?" she echoed.

"My brothers."

"There are more like you?" she asked, more curious than anything.

He looked at her, still taken aback by how unbothered she was. "Yeah," he replied. "I have three brothers."

"If they are anything like you," she said, smiling softly, "I would love to meet them someday."

Mikey returned her smile as they receded further down the alley, not wanting to tell her that that probably wasn't going to happen. The others would probably kill him if they knew what he was up to right now. But he would never feel right about leaving this girl alone on the streets to fend for herself.

He led her through the back alleys and darkened streets before finally stopping. Across the street, lit by a bright sign, was a shelter, open to those in need. 

"Here you go," he said. "Good luck, kid."

"Thank you," she replied. "I never caught your name."

The mutant turtle paused for a second. "Michelangelo."

She smiled. "I hope I get to meet you again, Michelangelo."

He nodded, and watched her as she crossed carefully to the shelter, not moving as she knocked on the glass door, and as it opened to an older woman with a tired, but concerned expression. The two exchanged words, and for an instant, he worried she might rat him out, but, instead, the girl just motioned to herself, then pointed to her head. The older woman nodded, wrapping a thin blanket around the girl, before leading her inside. It wasn't until a while after the door had closed that he finally left, resuming his run through the city, while the mysterious lost girl occupied his thoughts.

"What did you say this experiment was called?" Lu Ten Takanashi asked. 

"Experiment number KC13," the scientist, Dr. Emile Rook, replied. "Kryonix Clone Number 13. The first of the mutagen subjects to live past initial testing." He led his employer down the bleached white hallway of the lab. All around them, rooms buzzed with researchers, running tests, crunching numbers, and rustling papers. The two men stopped before a large plate glass window.

"Tell me, Doctor," said Takanashi. "Exactly why should I continue to invest in your little project? You've failed thus far to produce a viable weapon, after a dozen different tests. What makes this subject so special?"

"Because she's different," A woman replied from behind them. The two men turned to find a woman in her 30's, with bright green eyes, hidden behind black framed glasses, and deep reddish brown hair, piled high in a bun. She wore the same white coat as Rook, identifying her as his colleague.

The doctor smiled. "Ah! Mr. Takanashi, please allow me to introduce Dr. Ella Raeheart. She is my second in command on this project. She knows the subject better than anyone."

"She's truly a wonder," Dr. Raeheart said, smiling as if proud. "Her powers grow with each exposure, and her intelligence and strength are far greater than we initially expected." Her gaze turned to the window, followed by the men.

Inside, a teenage girl sat at a small metal table. Her back straight, her face blank, her amethyst eyes focused on the object she was putting together from tiny pieces scattered before her. Her fingers moved with surprising speed and dexterity, fitting each piece in place as if it were a child's puzzle while two scientists observed from inside the room.

"What is she doing?" Takanashi asked, curious.

"She's building an exact scale model replica of an F-16 fighter jet," Dr. Raeheart replied. Suddenly, the girl set the model down, placing her hands palm down on the table. Raeheart knocked on the glass, and one of the men inside turned and held up a clipboard to show her, making her smile. "And she completed it in less than three minutes."

"Impressive," Takanashi said. "But, I must ask. What if she has the same reaction the other subjects did? They started off well, but they all broke down. What if she's no different?"

Raeheart began to speak, but was beat to the punch. "Well," Dr. Rook said indifferently, "she would be disposed of, like the others. Her files would be terminated, and the experiment would move on to a new subject. In a sense, she would be forgotten." Takanashi nodded thoughtfully, and the doctor clapped his hands together. "Now, follow me, and we'll go over her files thus far. She's scheduled for a new test next week."

Takanashi followed the doctor, leaving Raeheart to catalog the subjects results with the model plane.

Chapter Text

Two nights later, Michelangelo stood atop a dark warehouse near the docks, shell cell in hand. Pressing a button, he spoke in a slightly bored tone.  

"Everything's clear at the docks," he reported. "Can we head in yet, bros? I'm dying for some deep dish action and a monster movie marathon."

"Not yet, Mikey," Donatello replied. "Check out the south side wharf first."

"Aw, man," Mikey complained, leaning back against a maintenance shed set into the rooftop. "There hasn't been any good action in forever. What're we even looking for?"

"Just keep an eye out for anythin' weird," Raphael snapped back. "We can't take any chances of the Foot or the Purple Dragons sneakin' under our radar."

"He's right, Mikey," Leonardo added. "Just watch your back."

"Like I'd let anyone get the drop on me," Mikey said sarcastically as he turned off the cell.

Just then, a figure swung down from the roof of the shed, a pale face stopping at eye level with the turtle. Surprised, Mikey let out a cry, stumbling back, his shell clattering against the door of the shed, which fell open, knocking him on his backside. He reached at once for his nunchucks, but a soft giggle stopped him. Looking closer at the figure that had appeared, his jaw fell open in surprise.

"You?!"

She swung down from the shed, landing on her feet on the rooftop. She wore new clothing - black knee length leggings under a black and green pullover hoodie, with green high tops - but he remembered her bright auburn hair, her intense purple eyes. She smiled as he scrambled to his feet. "Hello, Michelangelo."

"What the shell are you doing here?" He demanded. 

She shrugged indifferently. "I am not sure," she said. "When I left the shelter, I wanted to find you again. So I retraced my steps, followed patterns, and... here I am."

"And why did you follow me?" he was thoroughly confused. 

Another shrug. "I felt safer with you. You are different, like me."

He opened his mouth, but, unsure of how to answer, he thought of another question, instead. "Why'd you leave the shelter? They could've helped you find your home."

"Well," she said, looking at the ground as if ashamed. "I do not think they could have."

"What d'ya mean?"

She glanced up, her eyes glinting in the moonlight. "I have no name, no identification, and no personal belongings. They had no way to know where I came from or where I belong. The only clue I have is this." She took hold of the neck of her sweater, pulling it down to reveal a black mark on her shoulder, the same one he'd glimpsed before. Looking closer, he saw it read 'KC13' in bold, uniform letters. 

"What's that mean?" he asked, scratching his head. 

She readjusted her shirt. "I have no idea. No one could figure it out. It is just one more piece of the puzzle." She looked up at him. "Please. I need help. And I need it from someone like me. Someone who will understand."

"Understand what?" he asked, trapped in her gaze.

"What it is like to be different. To be.... inhuman." She looked away then, turning her eyes to a stack of loose bricks in the corner of the roof. Breathing deeply, she raised her hand to them, her face twisting in concentration, her breath catching in her throat.

He watched her, thinking she might have more wrong with her than her amnesia. But then, her eyes flashed in the dark, and the bricks moved, wobbling at first. His eyes widened in shock as two of them suddenly flung themselves off the roof, as if pushed by some invisible force. She gasped for breath, rubbing her head.

"How did you-?"

"I have no idea!" she said desperately, dropping down to sit on the ground. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "I... I just started moving things by accident. I did not mean to... I do not know what I am. Everything before the other night is a blur. Just.... random words and flashes. But none of it makes any sense, and I cannot stand it!" She was breathing hard now, obviously fighting back tears.

Michelangelo stepped closer to her, kneeling beside her. He reached out, touching her shoulder gently. "Hey," he said softly. "Don't.... Don't cry."

"Why not?" she demanded, turning her deep violet gaze to him once more; for a second, he saw another glint of light in them. "I have no life, no home, no answers. I do not even have a name!" Her eyes glinted in the moonlight, and another brick toppled off the roof.

Mikey stuttered for a moment, lost for words as she glared at him from under wild strands of coppery hair. Blinking, he found his voice, clearing his throat. "Uh, well, we can fix that, at least," he said. He looked her over, thinking to himself, until he felt a lightbulb go on in his head. "That tattoo you have. KC13."

"What about it?" she asked.

"Well, for all we know, those are your initials or something, right?" He smiled reassuringly. "So, until we find out, how about I just call you Kacey. Get it? KC. Kacey."

She couldn't help but smile as he worked it out for her. "Kacey. I like it." She dried her welling eyes with her sleeve. "So, you will help me, then? Find out who I am?"

"Sure," he answered. "In fact, I'll even get my bros in on it. I'm sure together, we can figure this out." Her smile broadened as he stood and offered a hand. "Well, let's go, then."

"Right," she said, taking it.

Mr. Takanashi scanned the papers before him, filled with information and data on subject KC13. "Remarkable. This girl's test results are absolutely incredible."

"Indeed, Sir," Dr. Rook said, beaming smugly. "She excels in intelligence, strength, speed, stamina, adaptability.... She's truly a wonder."

There was a knock at the door, and Dr. Raeheart poked her head in. "Sorry to interrupt, Sir," she said. "But, she's ready."

"Excellent! Mr. Takanashi, how would you like to meet your investment?"

~#~

Dr. Raeheart led the men down the hall, stopping at a solid steel door. She paused to punch a series of numbers into a keypad beside the handle, opening the door with a metallic click. 

Inside, strapped into a chair similar to one you might find in a dentist's or doctor's office, was the same girl from before, her face serene as she stared forward. Takanashi and Rook stepped closer to her, and the investor circled her thoughtfully. 

"She's so young," he noted. "How old is she now?"

"The DNA used to create her came from an 11 year old," Rook replied. She was 'born' about 4 years ago, just after the final adult subject was created. She proved promising when she lasted longer than he did. Especially after we began the mutagen injections to enhance her abilities."

"She has all the cognitive thinking and development of a 15 year old, and then some," Raeheart added, checking the girl's pulse on a monitor nearby. "In fact, she might even be more intellectually developed than some of the adults around here."

"She doesn't look much like a soldier," Takanashi mused, as if he hadn't heard. 

"Her looks work in our favor," Rook said. "Soft features, an unassuming face. She isn't likely to be suspected of any suspicious activity. To anyone else, she's just a young girl."

"And, can she speak?"

"Ask her," Raeheart said. 

Takanashi looked over at her, then back to the girl. "Hello there," he said uncertainly.

The girl turned her eyes to him. "Hello, Sir," she said, her voice soft, not high pitched, but not low, either.

Takanashi smiled slightly. "What are you called, and what is your prime directive?"

"I am Subject KC13," she replied. "I exist to follow my orders."

He gave a chuckle and clapped the doctor on the shoulder. "She truly is a marvel. I'd like to oversee more of her training."

"Of course, of course!" Rook replied. "Come. Let me show you what we have planned for her."

Chapter Text

Kacey picked nervously at the sleeves of her sweatshirt, her gaze glued to the ground as Michelangelo led her through the streets, into an abandoned building with several odd vehicles inside.  He had told her he was taking her to meet his family, that together, perhaps they could solve the mystery of who - or what - she really was. 

She was lost in her imaginings as he suddenly stopped her.  She looked up to see they'd come to some kind of elevator in the middle of the garage. He opened it and led her inside, and she jumped slightly as it began to rumble down.

"You better hang back a sec," he said as they reached the bottom.  "Let me tell Master Splinter about you first.  Then I'll come get you, okay?"

She gave a nod, watching as he disappeared through the door.  Curious, she listened intently, but heard only quiet murmurs.  Whoever this Master Splinter was, he certainly spoke softly.  The seconds felt like hours as she waited, her hands crammed into the pocket of her hoodie to keep from picking the sleeves into nothing.  

Finally, he appeared again, and her breath caught.  "He wants to meet you," Mikey said.  "Before my bros get back."

Kacey lowered her eyes and nodded.  He stood back, and, slowly, she stepped out.  Immediately, she was taken aback, surprised by the interior.  The room was huge, mostly open, and well lit.  Along one wall, she glimpsed a mass of electronic equipment, monitors, and other devices.  On another, numerous television monitors were piled up, with furniture spread in front of them.  Most of the floor was left vacant, with well worn combat equipment stacked neatly nearby.  In the center, a small pool of water glistened serenely.  Directly before her, however, was the sight that fascinated her the most.

The giant rat fascinated her; his grey fur, silvered with age, his small, dark eyes, filled with wisdom.  He wore a long robe fit for any dojo sensei, and he stood, disciplined, leaning lightly on a wooden staff.  No, he didn't scare her at all.  This was the person that Michelangelo looked up to.  Respectfully, she lowered her gaze, bowing her head in greeting.  

"You must be Kacey," he said, his voice soft, but kind.  "Michelangelo tells me you are... special.  Unlike other humans."

"Yes, sir," she said, keeping her eyes down.  "I... I am unsure of what... who I am.  He was hopeful that bringing me here could help."

The wise master stepped forward, closing the gap between them; she noticed absently that he was only a few inches shorter than she.  She felt her body tense as she met his gaze.  He stared her down intently, but she saw no malice or judgment in his eyes, not like she'd seen in those of the people who had tried to help her at the shelter.  Finally, he turned away, stroking his chin thoughtfully.  

"I do believe you need assistance.  Help from those who understand what it is to be different."  Her heart shuddered at the word.  "I can see in your eyes that you are frightened.  Unsure of anything you see around you.  It would be an honor to help you overcome this fear, and find where you belong."

"So," she said, her voice just as quiet, "you will help me?"

He turned back to her, smiling.  "Yes.  In whatever way we can."  

Kacey felt as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders, and she realized that she had been tensing her muscles, worried that she would be turned away, left alone to her wandering mind.  Overjoyed, she could feel tears welling up beneath her eyes.  "Thank you.  I could never repay this kindness."

Splinter opened his mouth to reply, but stopped as the large door behind the girl slid open, his other three sons stepping out, followed by their human friends, April O'Neil and Casey Jones.

"We're back, Master Splinter," Donatello called.

"This has felt like a long night," Leonardo added.  "We went all over the city."

"Nothin' happenin' out there tonight," Raphael said flatly, almost disappointed.  He looked up, expecting to see his sensei meditating in his usual spot.  However, what he saw instead was a figure he didn't know, spinning in surprise to stare at them.  Instinctively, he pulled his sais from his belt, glaring menacingly.  The other two did the same, advancing on her as she stumbled away in shock.  "Who the shell are you, and how'd you get down here?" Raph demanded, his sai raised menacingly.

"Whoa!" Mikey shouted, jumping in front of his brother, arms raised.  "Take it easy, guys!  She's with me!"

"What are you talking about, Mikey?" Donatello asked.  "Who is this?"

"I ran into her the other night," Michelangelo explained.  "This is Kacey.  She needs our help."  

The others listened as he explained her situation.  As he spoke, Kacey half stood and half hid behind him, peeking over his shoulder at the group before them.  As with Michelangelo and Master Splinter, these turtles were interesting to her.  Her eyes darted between them as she passively catalogued them one by one, from the masks they wore, to the weapons they wielded, taking note of every difference between them.  

What piqued her interest the most was the two humans that had entered with them.  One, a pretty woman with red hair, looked at Michelangelo with vested interest, glancing briefly in Kacey's direction now and then, even flashing her a warm smile when she noticed the girl looking back.  The other was a man that made her shudder slightly in intimidation.  Tall and broad, he stood rigidly, his face drawn into a questioning scowl.  He also glanced repeatedly at her, but his eyes were hard beneath his long, dark hair.  She ducked her eyes, avoiding his glare.

"This sounds real noble and all, Mikey," Raphael said finally, wearing a similar scowl, "but is this kid really our problem?  I mean, we don't know the first thing about her 'powers' or what she can do.  And neither does she, apparently."

"My thoughts exactly," the tall man, Casey Jones, agreed.  "Why don't we just take her to the police station?  Let the cops worry about gettin' Tinkerbell back to the other lost boys."

"Casey Jones!" April hissed at him.  "Where's your hospitality?  This poor girl has nowhere to go.  The least we can do is help her."

"But, April-" he started.

"But nothing." she said, crossing her arms over her chest.  "Just look at her.  Does she look dangerous?"

The entire group turned to her at once, and Kacey felt her cheeks redden under the scrutiny.  She looked up, her eyes moving between them.  "I assure you," she said softly, "I have no plans to harm anyone.  I just want my memory back.  To find my home."

A heavy silence fell over the room as looks were exchanged.  Kacey felt the weight of impending rejection settling in her chest again, before Splinter finally cleared his throat behind her.  She turned her head to look at him, just as the four turtles did the same.  

"My sons," he said firmly.  "I have already extended a hand of hospitality to Miss Kacey.  I would like us to assist her where other humans may not.  How do you think she would be treated outside of these walls, should her powers be discovered?  Any differently than any of you would be?"  Kacey noticed how the new turtles softened their expressions at this, apparently understanding.  Splinter noticed it, too.  "It is our duty to help those in need.  And this girl needs our trust, if we are to truly help her."

"Well said, Splinter," April said, stepping forward to greet Kacey herself.  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kacey.  I'm April, and this is my boyfriend, Casey."  

Kacey raised an eyebrow, and noticed the big man tense and narrow his eyes.  It was obvious he found no humor in their identical sounding names, but a snicker still sounded.  Mikey clapped a hand over his mouth to hide it.  Kacey glanced at him before extending a hand to April.  "It is a pleasure to meet you both," she said.  

April smiled, shaking the girl's hand gently.  "I certainly hope we can help you get home," she said.  "I'm sure someone out there really misses you."

Kacey lowered her eyes slightly, silenced at the thought of being missed by someone she couldn't even remember.  Her thoughts were broken as one of the turtles - Donatello - spoke aloud.  "April, do you think anyone may have called in a Missing Person's report on her?"

"Good idea, Don," April replied thoughtfully.  "Without a real name, it would take a while to look through any existing reports, but maybe her physical features would be enough..."

"And if she hasn't been reported missing yet, surely she will be within the next few days or so."  Donatello's face was thoughtful as he pondered the idea.

"Tomorrow morning, I can go to the station," April offered.  "Take her with me and see what comes up."

"And what if that weird power o' hers kicks in, huh?" Casey asked.  "How d'ya think the cops would react to that?"

"Casey!" April shot him a angry look.

"He could be right," the turtle in blue, Leonardo, piped up.  "Or, just think what they'd do if no one has reported her.  Can you imagine what would happen to a teenage girl with no home, no identity, and severe amnesia?  A foster home would be the best case scenario, especially if they discovered her abilities."

"You're right," April said, glancing again at Kacey.  "We can't let that happen.  Maybe she should stay here with you guys while Casey and I go check."  Casey frowned slightly, but said nothing.  

"Aw, yeah!" Mikey cheered.  "It's been way too long since we had someone new to hang with."

"Can the enthusiasm, bro," Raphael said, leering at his brother.  "It's not like she's movin' in."

"You are welcome to stay here as long as you need to," Splinter said to Kacey.  She bowed her head thankfully.

"Thank you, Sir," she said.  Her cheeks reddened slightly.  "Might that include staying tonight?  It is getting late, and I do not think the shelter will take me back in, after my power 'freaked them out', as Michelangelo would put it."

Splinter smiled warmly.  "Of course."  He looked meaningfully at his sons.

"I'll get you some blankets," Leo offered.  "We don't usually have guests, but the sofa's pretty comfy in a pinch."

As he turned away, Mikey clapped a hand over Kacey's shoulders.  "Sleepover!" he said boisterously.  "Who braids whose hair first?"

Kacey couldn't help but giggle, the sound almost foreign to her.

As Takanashi gazed at the strange device before him, his brow furrowed.  "What did you say this thing did?"

Dr. Rook looked up from the charts he was studying.  "This machine will test the subject's physical and mental prowess.  Up until now, all of her training has been rather normal.  Testing her powers, seeing how the mutagen enhanced them with each exposure, monitoring her combat training, and, as you witnessed earlier, testing out her IQ and problem solving skills."

"And this is somehow different?" Takanashi asked, looking at the large tube-like device.  "It doesn't look like much."

"Not on the surface," Rook replied.  "But this device uses special sensors and electrodes to stimulate her mind and senses.  Perhaps, if pushed past her limits, she may surprise us all with her abilities."  He gazed at the machine with a glint in his eye.  "If she manages to pass this test, it will be a huge leap in her development."

Takanashi stroked his chin thoughtfully.  "Tell me, doctor," he said.  "You mentioned she was the only clone to survive this long, yes?" The doctor paused for an instant, then nodded.  "Is this because of the host's younger age?"

"In a way, yes," the scientist replied.  "Until her, we had used DNA from adult volunteers, each hand picked, that had abilities beyond that of the average person.  But the adult clones broke down as soon as the mutagen tried to change them."

"And your solution was a child?"

""It was a long shot," Rook admitted. "And, under normal circumstances, we wouldn't have done it. But, this particular child not only had telekinetic powers, but had also been diagnosed with a terminal condition." Takanashi's eyes widened in surprise, and Rook looked back to the charts. "With the mother's permission, we drew the blood, cloned it like the others, and KC13 was born. The year after her creation, the host passed away."

"And the clone's younger stage of development allowed for greater growth," Takanashi guessed.

Rook nodded.  "Yes, that's right.  Where the other subjects failed, she has excelled.  This new test will give her another chance to leap ahead of the past failures."

"Well, then," Takanashi said, turning to the doctor.  "Let's hope she succeeds, shall we?"

Chapter Text

Everything was black.  As Kacey blinked in confusion, the darkness swirled all around her, devoid of any warmth.  The only light she saw seemed to radiate from her own skin.  The air around her was filled with shadows, each darker than the last.  They swirled together, forming an endless, shapeless void of nothingness.  There was no sound, and the utter silence roared in her ears. 

She tried to run.  She wanted nothing more than to get away, to escape this terrible place.  She tried to run, her movements frantic, desperate.  But, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move.  Her entire body felt strange, weightless.  As if no ground existed beneath her feet.  She cried out for help.  Her voice echoed endlessly, finding nothing in the dark. 

Kacey awoke with a start, sitting straight up.  Her heart was pounding, and she could feel a cold sweat on her skin. For an instant, her fear festered, as her eyes darted around the dark room.  Then she felt the blanket that covered her, felt the sofa she sat on, and heard a series of thuds around her. 

Curious, she pushed aside the covers, shivering slightly when her bare feet touched the cold floor of the underground lair.  As her eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, she sat up, looking around.  Scattered on the floor around her were several books, discarded takeout containers, and other odds and ends, laid out as if someone has tossed them around in a rage.  With a jolt, she realized that she must have tossed them; her mind had been moving things while she dreamt of the empty place.

Her mind flashed to the turtles, spinning with questions they might ask her.  How would they trust her if they knew she could not control her power, even while she slept?  Fearful of the answer, she climbed to her feet, picking up the objects and putting them away.  She stepped silently to the shelf that had held a pile of thin paper books, unhindered by the darkness now.  One by one, she tucked them away, stacking them neatly.  All the while, she worried that if she slept again, the same thing may happen.  On a whim, she kept hold of a few, taking them with her to the waiting sofa.

Tucking her legs beneath her, she pulled the blanket across her shoulders, opening a book in her lap.  She was surprised to find it full of bright drawings, little people in colorful costumes engaging in combat.  Within minutes, she was completely absorbed by it.  And that was how Master Splinter found her, just a few hours later.

As the wise old rat emerged from his sleeping quarters, he was surprised to see their guest, barely visible, sitting up in the dark.  "Kacey?" he said softly, reaching out and turning on the light.  Kacey head snapped up in his direction just before the room illuminated, and she quickly rose, the little pile of comic books dropping to the floor at her feet.  Splinter glanced at them, then back to the surprised girl.  "Were you reading.... in the dark?"

She blinked in surprise, her head tilting to one side.  "Dark?" she said curiously.  "It did not seem very dark to me."

Splinter stared at her with narrowing eyes, about to question further, when his sons stepped out into the main room.  "Good morning, Master Splinter," Leonardo greeted with a yawn, echoed by his brothers.  Splinter decided to leave well enough alone - for now - and turned to greet them.

"Good morning, my sons," he said.  "I trust you are all rested and ready for your morning exercises."

"Yes, Master," they replied, moving apart to begin stretching.

Kacey reached down hurriedly, plucking the dropped books from the floor and tucking them under one arm before turning to fold the blanket she had been using, placing it neatly on the arm of the sofa.  "Hope you slept okay," a voice said behind her.  

With a slight jump, she wheeled around to find Michelangelo standing there, his face lit by a smile.  She felt her cheeks heat slightly.  "I... I slept fine," she replied.  "I just woke up a bit early, and I thought I would occupy myself."  She held up the comics with a sheepish smile.  "I hope you do not mind."

"Not at all," he laughed.  "You like the Justice Force?"

"I have actually never heard of it," Kacey admitted.  "And much of it was confusing.  But, overall, an interesting story."

"Never heard of it?" he asked incredulously.  "Man, you really don't have any memories, huh?"  He tapped the top one with one finger.  "This is only one of the best comic book series that ever existed!  I have every issue!  And the reason it was confusing is because you started like halfway through the series."

"Oh?" she said, genuinely intrigued.  

"Hang on!" he replied, disappearing into his room.  After a moment, he came back, a new stack of comics in his hands.  He set them down, and handed her the top one.  "Here you go.  Try starting over with this one."

"Thank you," Kacey said, smiling.  

"Michelangelo!" Splinter called.  

"Whoops, gotta go," Mikey said, flashing her a smile.  "Happy reading!"  He turned away to join the others on the floor.  Kacey sat back down, watching them as they trained before breakfast.

~#~

Kacey felt strangely at home as she spent the day getting accustomed to her new companions.  Michelangelo spent every free moment talking with her, making jokes and telling her stories of the different adventures he and his brothers had had.  Two of his brothers also made an effort to get to know her, or what little she could tell about herself.  Only Raphael still seemed wary of her presence, hanging back and watching her closely.

"Ah, chill out, Raph," Leonardo said finally, pulling his brother aside and giving him a friendly punch in the shoulder.  "If she was any kind of danger, I think we could handle her, don't you?"

Raphael looked at him for a moment before nodding reluctantly.  "I guess you're right.  We do have her outnumbered, even with her weird powers."

"Right," Leo said.  "Besides, she seems harmless enough.  Why don't you stop worrying about her and start worrying about your aim?  Master Splinter wants us all to work on our accuracy."

Raph rolled his eyes as he looked at the array of objects they were meant to practice with.  Glancing at the distracted Michelangelo - who was still chattering away with their 'guest' - he grinned deviously and scooped up a ball from the table.  "Heads up, Mikey!" he yelled, lobbing the ball as hard as he could at his brother.

Mikey looked up at the sound of his name, spying the projectile instantly.  Giving a laugh, he jumped up to catch it, but at the last minute, the ball curved slightly, slipping through his fingers as it continued on its course.  His grin faded as he watched the ball speed directly toward Kacey, on a crash course for her face.  He tried to warn her, but his words caught as her face suddenly went blank, and she effortlessly spun on one foot, whipping her body around easily in a flawless roundhouse kick, her other foot swinging around to catch the ball hard, sending it flying back to strike Raphael square in the chest.  

As the breath was knocked from his lungs, Raph dropped to one knee, sucking in air as he rubbed the spot where the ball hit him.  It felt like he'd been shot by a canon, and as the ball rolled away, his brothers stared in shock at the sight.  Kacey blinked and shook her head, as if surprised by what she had done.  Even Splinter stared, awestruck, at his toughest son, knocked down by a teenage girl's attack.

Leo reached down to help him up, but Raph shoved his arm away.  "Get off," he barked, climbing to his feet.  He glared at Kacey, who still looked shocked.  "How the shell did you pull that off?" he demanded.  

She shook her head, her face once again soft and confused.  "I... I don't know!" she said.  "I... It just.... happened!"

Raphael kept glaring angrily, but Leo put a hand on his shoulder.  "Leave it alone, Raph.  She doesn't remember anything, remember?  How would she know if she has any training or not?  Are you hurt?"

"Of course not!" Raph retorted.

"Then just drop it," Leo said.  "She's got quick reflexes.  You weren't expecting it. That's all."

Raph huffed indifferently, turning away.  After a moment, the tension seemed to lift, and Kacey, blushing brightly, returned to the sofa, curling up as if to avoid detection, trying to figure out where her reaction had come from. For a split second, she remembered a flash of something, objects flying at her that she was supposed to... stop? Catch? But then it was gone, and she held her head in both hands as she tried to bring it back.  Mikey stepped toward her, but Donatello stopped him.  "Leave her be, Mikey," he whispered.  "Don't push her."

Mikey glanced once more at her, but nodded and joined his brothers, leaving her to sulk.

~#~

The day seemed to pass quickly.  As evening fell, the large door against the wall slid open, and April and Casey stepped out, each carrying a large pizza box.  The turtles greeted them boisterously, and it was obvious to Kacey that they were great friends.  It wasn't long before the boxes were open and everyone was enjoying the meal.

"So, April," Leonardo said once the initial welcome ceased.  "Any luck with the Missing Person's reports?"

April sighed, glancing at Kacey, who stuck to the back of their small group, nibbling on a single slice of pepperoni pizza.  "No.  We looked at reports from as far back as last year, and nothing matched.  I'm sorry."

Kacey felt a pang of disappointment in her chest.  Her shoulders dropped ever so slightly.  She felt a hand on her arm, and she looked up to see Mikey give her a reassuring smile.  She did her best to return it.

"Hmm," Donnie thought aloud.  "If she hasn't been reported missing, there's not much more we can try.  I suppose we could wait and see what comes up..."

"If she doesn't mind using the sofa for a few more nights," Leo said.

April turned thoughtful for a moment, then clapped her hands together.  "She won't have to," she said, looked back at Kacey.  "How would you like to stay with me until we figure this out?  You can stay in my guest room."

Before she could answer, Casey scoffed.  "Really, April?"  he asked incredulously.  "You're inviting Tinkerbell to live with you?"

"Just until we figure out where to go from here," April retorted.  She looked back at Kacey.  "What do you say?"

Kacey looked around at the expectant faces.  As much as she hated to leave this place that was just starting to feel welcoming, she knew she'd be back.  With a soft smile, she nodded.  "Yes, I would like that.  Thank you."

"Then it is settled," Splinter said.  "Now, my sons.  Finish eating so you can resume your patrols.  Who knows?  Perhaps you may find some answers to this mystery out in the city."

Mr. Takanashi sat across the table from Dr. Rook, staring intently at a large monitor.  Across the screen, they watched the test subject going through her training.  Takanashi watched as KC13 expertly performed complicated gymnastics routines, her movements graceful and catlike.  "Impressive," he mused.  

"That's nothing," Rook said, pressing a button on the monitor.  The image flickered, switching to a new day.  This time, KC13 was sparring with another person, a large man wearing a white karate gi.  "The second person is a blackbelt in martial arts."

Takanashi stared in awe as the two fought, KC13 matching his blows effortlessly.  With a single fluid motion, she took his arm, spun around, and flung him roughly up and over her shoulders, dropping him hard on the ground.  "He must be at least double her weight," he said thoughtfully.  "And yet she threw him so easily.  What else can she do?"

Rook chuckled.  "This is quite interesting."  He pressed another button, and the screen dimmed, taking on a greenish color.  There was the subject, standing alone at one end of the room.  "This was an obstacle course, set in a pitch black room," Rook informed.  "It was recorded using infrared cameras.  The floor tiles move at random, and there are pressure sensors and lasers throughout that will trigger an alarm if she trips them.  Watch."

Takanashi turned his gaze to the screen.  KC13 took off, ducking and weaving with ease.  He watched in the night vision camera as the section of floor before her suddenly dropped away, leaving a dark gap.  This did not stop her, though.  Instead, she pitched forward, gaining momentum through her cartwheel, easily flipping herself over the drop, landing with a roll on the other side that ended with her on her feet.  "Incredible!" he said with wide eyes.  "How can she navigate the darkness?"

"It appears that her eyes are far more sensitive than ours," Rook replied.  "Like a cat, she seems to be able to see in much lower light than normal humans.  Quite useful for stealth attacks.  Also, as you can see, her reflexes are incredibly quick.  She reacts to changes quicker than most of the scientists here."

Takanashi shook his head, grinning.  "She really is shaping up to be a useful soldier.  Are there any more secrets hiding within my little investment?"

Rook grinned, pressing another button on the monitor.

Chapter Text

As April unlocked the door to her apartment, Kacey watched silently. "Welcome to my home sweet home, Kacey," April said, opening the door and leading her inside.

Kacey stepped inside, looking around. The room they were in was large, full of shelves and tables that were cluttered with all manner of strange objects. Stacks of dishes with varying patterns, vases, books, dolls, games. The walls were full of paintings and artwork, and there was even an old fashioned bicycle hanging from the ceiling. Kacey turned in place, trying to take it all in. "You have a nice home," she said as April took off her jacket, hanging it up.

"Thank you," April said, smiling. "But this is actually my shop. My apartment is upstairs." She headed toward a staircase, and Kacey took one more look around before following her.  

Upstairs, April's apartment was quite warm and inviting. Kacey's eyes scanned the living room as April led her inside, closing the door behind them. "I'm going to see if I can find you something to sleep in," April said. "You can go ahead and make yourself comfortable."

As April disappeared through a door, Kacey couldn't help but wander a bit, looking at the photos and knick knacks that decorated the room. She saw April, smiling and happy, with people who must be her family. There were photos of the adult April, who was now murmuring to herself as she looked through her old clothes, but there were also photos of a young April, a laughing child at various stages of life.

Kacey picked up one such picture, in which April was posing with a man and a woman who must be her parents. Kacey stared at it, wondering if her own parents had pictures like this of her.  

Just then, April emerged from her room, and Kacey set the photo back down, turning to her. "Here you go," April said, handing Kacey some clothes. "These should fit you alright. Go ahead and get changed, and I'll make us some hot chocolate."  

She motioned towards a door, and Kacey smiled with a quiet "Thank you," before heading into the small guest room. As the door shut behind her, she looked around, taking in the room, with the twin bed, mismatched furniture, and simple decorations. She glanced toward the little vanity in the corner, where she caught sight of her reflection, and was once again awed by the fact that she did not know the girl that stared back. 

Moving closer, she examined her own pale skin, her own deep purple eyes looking back at her. Her coppery orange hair hung wildly about her narrow face, shining in the light. She pulled off her sweater, leaving her in the cropped, sleeveless black top she had awoken with. Her gaze moved to the mark on her shoulder, now bare, and she traced the letters with a finger. KC13. This strange number was her only connection to her past, but she had no idea what it meant. 

She shook her head, took a deep breath, then closed her eyes and allowed herself to think back over the previous days. The strange surges of power. The odd dream she'd had. Meeting the turtles. The men who had tried to attack her. Waking up alone on the pavement. Where did it all begin? With a sigh, she tried to clear her mind so she could think straight. She took several deep, controlled breaths, focusing on her own heartbeat rather than her memories.

Suddenly, amidst her meditations, a new image flashed before her closed eyes. She saw a strange room, the walls bleached white. All around her, figures moved back and forth, slow and surreal, almost like they were floating. She tried to see their faces, but the more she tried to focus, the blurrier they got, like trying to stare at a ghost. 

The figures weren't the only thing she saw. Before her, at the other end of the room, was a strange contraption. It, too, was blurred, out of focus, but she saw an immense circular mass, dark against the bright wall, several wires branching off of it. As she tried to make out the details, a voice suddenly cut through the silence. 

"KC13 is not ready for this," it said, speaking slowly, strangely pitched, as if it were also slowed down. Kacey's breath caught at the sound of the numbers on her shoulder. "She won't make it."

"She will do the test now," a different voice retorted, just as odd. "That's final."

The voices took to mumbles, and Kacey struggled to hear them, but a knock at the door shattered the vision altogether. "Kacey?" April called. "The cocoa's almost ready. Is everything alright?"

Kacey realized she'd been holding her breath, her chest aching for air. She let it out in a silent whoosh, trying to steady her racing heart. "I.. I'm fine," she said shakily. "Thank you, April. I will only be a minute."

"Take your time," April replied.

As Kacey heard her footsteps walking away, she tried to figure out what she had seen. But, like everything else that had happened, it just didn't make sense. She sighed in frustration and instead quickly finished changing. The clothes April had found for her were quite comfortable; a long, soft black t-shirt with a pair of sea green cotton shorts to wear underneath.

Still reeling from the weird vision, Kacey stepped back into the living room, and saw April, now wearing her own pajamas, sitting on the sofa, brushing her hair. On the end table beside her sat two steaming mugs of cocoa, piled with marshmallows. "Oh, hey," she called as she spotted Kacey in the doorway. Kacey waved meekly. "Here you go," April said, offering one of the mugs to her.  

Kacey smiled and took it, sitting down in a soft armchair. "Thank you," she said softly.

"No problem," April said, smiling. "There's nothing better than a hot cup of cocoa before bed."

"Not just for that," Kacey clarified. "Thank you for letting me stay here. You did not have to..."

"Nonsense," April said, waving a hand dismissively as she picked up her own mug. "I don't mind at all. In fact, it'll be nice having another girl around for a while."

"Really?" Kacey asked, taking a cautious sip of the hot, sweet concoction.  

"Yeah," April replied. "It'll be like a slumber party."

Kacey tipped her head. "What is that?" she asked.

April blinked at her. "Oh, I forgot, you don't remember much. A slumber party is when a bunch of friends get together to have fun."

"What do they do?"

Aprils smiled. "Well, usually they watch movies, or play silly games. Do each others' hair and makeup, maybe get all dressed up for no reason."

Kacey smiled back, thinking about it. "That sounds like fun," she said softly.

"Oh, it is," April said with a chuckle. "Hey, why don't I put on a movie now? What do you say?"

Kacey nodded, and for the next hour or so, she sat curled up in April's chair, sipping her cocoa and talking with April as a cheesy romantic comedy played in the background. By the time it was over, the two had all but forgotten it was even playing, as April entertained Kacey with stories of adventures she'd had with the turtles. Finally, April yawned and stretched, glancing at the clock.

"I suppose we'd better get some sleep," she said. "We can go see the guys bright and early tomorrow, and see if they found anything."

"Okay," Kacey said, setting her empty mug down. She got up and headed toward the little guest room.

"Goodnight, Kacey," April called after her.

Kacey paused, glancing back at her. "Goodnight, April," she said softly. She entered the room, and curled up on the bed, pulling the sheet over her. She thought briefly of the strange vision she'd had earlier, but the combination of the late hour and the soothing cocoa made it impossible to stay awake to focus on it. Soon enough, she was drifting to sleep, and her dreams were full of shadows, turtles, and the sound of echoing voices.

"Are you sure this machine is safe?" Mr. Takanashi asked, staring up at the large metal contraption that stretched along the wall. 

"We've spared no expense in construction," Dr. Rook replied. "Every safeguard you could imagine has been put in place. We've even gone as far as to place the computers that run it, as well as the observation area, behind bulletproof glass. Everyone involved will be perfectly safe while the subject is undergoing testing."

"And when will the test take place?"

"Not until KC13 is ready," a voice replied. The men looked up to see Dr. Raeheart walking in, her face stern. "I keep telling Dr. Rook that she isn't yet prepared for this machine."

Rook shook his head. "She's capable of more than you give credit for," he said. "All she needs is the right motivation."

Raeheart narrowed her eyes. "Perhaps, but you haven't considered all of the ramifications of rushing this experiment. If you push her too soon, she may end up like every other subject."

"That is my problem, Miss Raeheart," Mr Takanashi interrupted. "I'm paying for a superweapon and I expect to get one, no matter the cost."

Raeheart began to respond, but a sharp look from her superior stopped her. Instead, she turned to the machine and began to make calibrations, her mind on the young subject that would soon occupy it.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Kacey followed April back down to the sewers, putting her experience the previous night from her mind. She didn't want to think about blurred memories around her new companions. As April opened the door to the lair, they were met by a chorus of greetings from the brothers. Kacey forced a smile to her face to respond, greeting them in return.  

When she looked to respond to Michelangelo, though, he had disappeared from view. She didn't have long to ponder his vanishing act, however, as he suddenly stepped up beside her. "I made you something," he said enthusiastically, obviously excited for something. He held out a small box.  

"Oh," Kacey said, surprised. "Um, thank you." She opened the little box, taking out a long strip of fabric in an emerald green color. Two holes were cut out from the center, and the ends were tapered like a fish's tail.  

"It's a mask, like we wear," Mikey said, tugging at the ends of his own. "I kinda figured with all the talk about people figuring out your powers, it might be useful. Plus," he took it and held it up to her face. "It goes so well with your complexion!"  

She couldn't resist laughing along with him, and she smiled as she took the mask, folding it up and putting it into her pocket. She felt touched that after the events of the last few days, someone had actually made her a gift. She watched Mikey join his brothers in their training, wondering if he'd still feel the same if he knew about her strange memory last night. Or the voices she heard.

April chattered away to her, but Kacey could hardly manage proper responses without being asked things twice or more. "Is something wrong?" April asked her finally.

Kacey shook her head, hoping her lack of sleep didn't show in her eyes. "Just some strange dreams. I just keep thinking about them."

"What kind of 'dreams'?" Master Splinter asked, and Kacey jumped in surprise to find him standing just beside her.  

"Oh, uh," she stammered, looking for the right words. "Just some weird things. Strange rooms, some voices." He raised an eyebrow at her, and she could tell from his face that he didn't buy it. She sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright. Last night, I think I may have seen remnants of a memory. But nothing about it was clear. It was all blurry and warped, and no matter how hard I focused, I could not see any better."

Splinter considered this, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "It seems your memories are still there somewhere, waiting to be revealed," he said. "Perhaps, all you need to find them is the correct concentration." He saw her confused look. "Meditation could be the answer. Many great minds in the world have used meditation as a means of focus and control. It could be just what you need."

Kacey thought about it, wondering if he could be right. "If I wanted to try it, what would I do?"

"Just follow me," Splinter said, leading her to his favorite meditating spot. He sat down, instructing her to do the same. Effortlessly, she dropped into a lotus stance that matched his own. "Now, Kacey," he said quietly to her. "Empty your mind of the present. Put all thoughts of fear or worry behind you, and try to focus on serenity instead." He watched her as her eyes closed, her face smoothing to a mask of calmness. "Relax your body and your mind. Find one thought to concentrate on. Do not lose sight of it."

Kacey tried to do as he said, emptying her mind of all of her worries from the days past. As she tried to find one thought to focus on, though, she couldn't seem to stop all of them from swarming; the strange voices, the dark visions, the worries growing wild in her mind. Her mind was spinning as they circled again and again, her breathing growing quicker as her hands shook, and her ears rang with a high pitched tone. She could hear Splinter trying to calm her, but his soothing words did nothing to quell the dark thoughts that seemed to emerge from nowhere.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and her eyes flew open. The force spinning in her head came crashing back down all at once, escaping her mind to the air around her in a wave of force that sent the old master flying across the dojo, landing in a heap.

No sooner had she cried out in alarm, than a strong figure knocked her flat on her stomach, pinning her down as she struggled to stand, to help ease the damage she feared she'd caused. "Master Splinter?!" she called out, unable to raise her head under her captor's grasp.  

"I am fine, Kacey," he replied as Leo helped him up. "Raphael, let her go."

"Are you nuts?" Raph snapped back. "Did you see that? She just knocked you halfway across the lair! With her freakin' mind! Why the shell would I let her go?!"

"She did not mean to," Splinter replied, stepping closer. "Her mind is troubled. It struggles to cope with not only her powers, but her repressed memories. Trying to clear her thoughts merely set off a chain reaction that was entirely involuntary. Now, let her go."

Raphael hesitated, but finally did as his master said, releasing his hold on her. For a moment, Kacey lay still, afraid to movie, afraid to even breath, tears forming in her eyes. Then a new set of hands took her shoulders gently, easing her off the floor to her knees. She looked up to see Master Splinter looking over her thoughtfully, his robe a bit dusty, but looking no worse for wear. Focusing on the hands that held her, she glanced up to see Mikey. He didnt look scared, but worried. Behind him, Raphael wouldnt even look at her. Donnie was looking back and forth between her and Splinter, his brow furrowed thoughtfully. Leo studied her carefully, his expression guarded. "I.... I'm sorry," she stammered. "I didn't know-"

"It is not your fault," Splinter said. "Your mind is far too active to be calmed so easily. It appears that stress and fear may trigger your abilities. Perhaps, what you need is a way to burn off the energy that keeps your mind racing." He looked around the dojo and reached out to take up a pair of sleek silver knives. Kunai. Small but agile. Excellent for long range, but still useful in close combat.

 They should work well, he thought as he held them out to her.  

"What are these for?" she asked, taking them in one hand. She climbed unsteadily to her feet, leaning on Mikey to balance herself.  

"You will join my sons in their lessons for now," Splinter replied. "As with them, I believe that if you exercise your body, your mind will be easier to access."  

"You're serious?" Raphael demanded. "No way I'm sparrin' with her. One hit, and we'll all prolly end up halfway to Jersey!"

"What's the matter, Raph?" Mikey asked, before Splinter could argue. "You scared?"

Raphael glared at him, until Leonardo stepped between them, facing his red masked brother. "Stop it, Raph," he said. "Like Splinter said, she couldn't help it. She's got a lot of energy built up that her mind doesn't know what to do with, so a little exercise might actually keep her from blowing again. Just give her a chance."

Raph grumbled to himself, glaring at the stunned girl until she dropped her gaze. "Fine. One chance. But she tries anything like that with me, and I'm taking her out!"

"Fair enough," Leo said, giving Kacey an apologetic glance. "Are you ready ready to begin?"

"Incredible," Mr. Takanashi mused, watching through the plate glass window as Subject KC13 demonstrated her telekinetic abilities. "She's truly able to move things with her mind! It's fascinating!"

Beside him, Dr. Rook grinned smugly. "Truly a wonder, isn't she? Her powers have increased ten-fold since her first exposure to the mutagen, and they continue to grow even stronger. Would you like to see more?"

"Absolutely!" Takanashi said.

Rook reached down to the control board before them, pressing an intercom button. "Dr. Raeheart, please instruct the subject to go through routine number MC-84. Let's give our investor a show."

Inside the training room, amidst the bustle of scientists taking notes and calculations, Emma Raeheart strode to a panel, pressed a series of buttons, then turned back to watch as several panels opened in the floor. Large devices emerged, each resembling a gun with three distinct barrels, all pointed at the young subject. All at once, they began firing, sending a barrage of rounds at her. Instinctively, KC13 threw her hands up, stopping each shot in its tracks mere feet from herself, until a halo of shells surrounded her. Raeheart gave a cue, and 13 clenched her fists, causing all of the rounds to crush together until they formed two solid balls, each the size of a grapefruit. Her eyes flashed as she flicked both hands, and the balls of lead shot through the air in a wide arc, demolishing the guns one by one.

Above them, in the observation room, Takanashi seemed almost giddy with the results. "Truly outstanding, Doctor!" he praised. "I expected nothing less!"

Rook smiled slyly. "That's just the beginning," he said.

Chapter Text

The panel on the wall slid open, and Casey Jones stepped into the dojo, his hockey stick slung over one arm, his white mask covering his face. He slid it up, though, as he saw what awaited him. Around the dojo, the turtle brothers each sat looking wiped out.

Leonardo held an ice pack to his arm, Donatello was stretching out a leg and wincing, and even Raphael looked to be nursing a blackening eye. Only Michelangelo seemed unperturbed, though he had a bump growing on his forehead. He grinned as he chatted with Kacey, who was twirling a short knife absently in one hand.  

"What the heck happened here?" Casey asked as he set his golf bag aside.  

"Ask the new prodigy," Raph said bitterly.  

"No way!" Casey said, fighting back a laugh. "Tinkerbell clocked you?"

"Shut up," Raph muttered.

"She has remarkable skills in combat," Splinter said, approaching them. "As if she's been training for years."

"Still seems strange that she can't remember anything, though," Donnie added. "It's like a reflex to her or something. Almost like survival instincts."

"I find it hard to believe that this kid could take on you guys," Casey said skeptically. "Maybe you're just losing your touch."

"Yeah, well why don't you go toe to toe with her, then?" Raph spat. "See how long you last, tough guy!"

"Maybe I will," Casey snapped back. He slipped his hockey mask down over his face, spinning his stick in his hands. "Yo Tink," he called. "You up for another match?"

Kacey turned to him. "Uh, sure." She squared her feet, raising the pair of knives as the others watched. She and Casey circled each other for a moment, before she saw an opportunity to strike, lunging forward with catlike grace to swipe at his side. He barely had time enough to react, but managed to block her swing at the last second returning at once with an arcing swipe of his stick, which she practically danced back from, her feet moving skillfully.

He narrowed his eyes, chasing after her retreat, taking a swing at her legs, hoping to knock her off balance. Moving quickly, she rolled away from his swing, ducking to the ground as his stick flew up in a wide arc, narrowly missing her shoulder.  

Coming to her knees, she ducked another strike, rolling to the other side. She braced her arms to the ground, her feet swinging up in a high kick that connected with his battered white mask, knocking him back as she followed through to land upright. Twirling the knives, she struck at his legs, causing him to stumble back, and he grunted as he hit the ground.  

"Nice one, Kacey!" Mikey called from the sidelines. She flashed a smile in his direction, as Casey climbed to his feet, his mask hiding an angered expression.  

No way I'm losin' to this pixie, he thought to himself. Glancing around, he saw a discarded pizza box laying on the ground, and he snatched it up. "Think fast, hotshot," he called, slinging it at her face as she turned back to him, catching her off guard. Surging to his feet, he took advantage of her surprise, grasping the hood of her sweater in one hang and wrenching it up and over her head, blocking her vision as he shoved her away. She just managed to pull it off as he ran at her again, and she scrambled to react.

As Jones lunged for her with a yell, Kacey couldn't help but shuffle back, tripping in her haste. With a startled yelp, she hit the floor hard, her eyes still locked on her attacker. Too late, she swung to her feet, her timing lost in her daze. She brought her arms up just a moment too soon, completely missing him in her swing, and the resounding crack of his stick against the side of her head seemed to echo in the silent room.  

As the others, Jones included, stared in shock, Kacey let out a stunned cry as the pain radiated through her skull. In that instant, it was as if her vision was dyed red, and she felt the pain wash over her whole body, like an agonizing phantom burn. She saw again the shadow-like figures from her vision before, only now they seemed clearer, though still bathed in red. She blinked once, and the vision changed; suddenly, she was staring up from a machine of sorts, strapped down with wires and cables stretching from her, each one like a new point of pain to her body as she writhed.  

She didn't even realize she was screaming until she heard the others yelling over her, trying to figure out what was going on. The figures in her vision were yelling too, sirens blaring in her ears. Another blink, and she saw a red-washed figure looming over her, reaching closer. She slammed her eyes shut, instinctively lashing out at it. Like a strange wave, she felt a force move through her, whipping against the figure with extreme force, sending it flying. The wave didn't stop there. She could feel it spinning around her, catching everything in its path inside a typhoon of invisible energy.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Snap out of it, Kacey!" a familiar voice said, and Kacey was able to make out Mikey's face above her. She shook her head, and the pain in her body faded at once, the storm in her mind calming slowly. She felt tears in her eyes, her entire body shaking as he pinned her arms to her sides. She managed to look around, and saw that there were objects scattered all over the dojo, and across the room, Casey sprawled on the ground, rubbing his head with a grimace.  

"I... I'm so sorry!" Kacey sputtered. " I just... I just..."

"You freaked out!" Raph shouted. "I warned you, kid!"  

"Stop it, Raph!" Mikey said, still holding her.  

"She didn't mean to-" Leo started

"You can't keep defendin' her, bro," Raph snapped. "She took one hit, and look what happened!"

"It was a hard hit!" Mikey said desperately, letting her go. "Look at her head! She's bleeding! She was just protecting herself. Donnie even said her powers were like a defensive thing."

"I... I saw something," Kacey cut in. All eyes turned to her. "It was another vision. But it was different. All I could feel was pain. I... I acted instinctively, and.... I'm sorry."

"Sorry?!" Casey shouted, climbing to his feet. "Seriously?!"

"Enough!" Splinter cut in. "You did not exactly help, Casey Jones. You fought dishonorably. This may not have happened if you hadn't." Casey started to argue, but could think of nothing to say, so Splinter continued. "If Kacey did see a new vision, I would call it progress, even though the mess it made is less than desirable. Acting against her for it will accomplish nothing. For now, I'd say we've had enough excitement."

"But-!" Raph started, but stopped when his sensei glared at him.  

"Let's just clean up this mess, okay?" Leo said. "We'll figure this out later."

Raphael grumbled, but joined his brothers in the cleanup, staying - like Casey Jones - as far away from Kacey as he could.

Dr. Raeheart absently scanned her paperwork as she led subject KC13 down the hall, the teenage clone walking dutifully at her side. The doctor stopped at the door to the stasis room, opening it and ushering the girl inside.  

KC13 stood motionless in the center of the room as Raeheart set about preparing her stasis chamber for the night's rest. "You really impressed Mr. Takanashi," Raeheart said as she checked the tubes that fed into the chamber.  

"Yes, Dr. Raeheart," KC13 said flatly.  

"You did very well today," the doctor said.

"Thank you, Dr. Raeheart," 13 replied in the same tone.

Raeheart went to the control panel, pressing a sequence of buttons that made the chamber slide open. "In you go," she said, watching the girl step inside. Another sequence of buttons, and it slid shut around her.

As the teen stood like a statue inside, Raeheart activated it, and a soft hissing sounded as the chamber filled with its special combination of gasses. First came the gas that changed the density inside the chamber, suspending KC13 weightlessly inside. As the second gas started pumping in, her violet eyes slid shut, the sedative coaxing her to sleep.  

The older woman stepped up to the glass chamber, gazing at the girl inside with a soft sigh. "I wish I could take you away from here," she murmured. "Take you away from Rook's plans. Maybe go to Paris. Or New York." She smiled to herself. "Yes. New York. No one would ever find you there. You could have a normal life." She looked up at the girl, placing a gentle hand on the tube. "If I ever get you out of here, we'll go to New York City. I'll keep you safe there."

The sleeping girl didn't answer, of course, and Raeheart sighed. "Sleep tight," she said softly before switching off the lights and leaving the room, locking the door behind her.  

Chapter Text

Kacey let her feet dangle as she sat on the roof of the garage over the lair's entrance, watching the street below. Her temple throbbed where she'd been hit, and as she reached up to brush her hair from her face, her fingers grazed the bandage that Donnie had wrapped her head with, making her shudder with the thought of how she'd freaked out and lost control.

Groaning at the memory of tossing Casey Jones across the room with her mind, she buried her face in her hands, and was only vaguely aware of the figure walking up behind her. "What do you want?" she mumbled as he sat beside her.

"You ran off without eating anything," Mikey said, setting a takeout box between them. "I thought you'd be hungry."

"I'm not," Kacey lied, though the scent of teriyaki chicken was making her stomach growl.

Mikey glanced at her, though she still didn't look up. "It wasn't your fault, you know," he said.

Kacey scoffed. "Not my fault! So I guess someone else hurled Casey around like a ragdoll?"

"That's not what I meant," Mikey said, waving his hands defensively. "I just meant, well, I, uh..."

"Well?" Kacey said, turning her amethyst glare on him.

"Look," Mikey started, "you've been through a lot. You've got a lot on your mind that you can't remember. Like Master Splinter said, it's not your fault if it breaks out."

Kacey rolled her eyes. "Sure."

"I mean it," he said.

Kacey ignored him, instead picking up the takeout and chopsticks. "Mikey," she said finally, absently pushing bits of chicken around the box. "I know the others don't trust me."

"What?" he said. "Nah, they do..."

"You don't need to lie," Kacey said, popping a morsel into her mouth. "I can tell."

Mikey looked at her, and the look on her face made his stomach twist. "Well... That's just because they don't really know you."

"Neither do you," Kacey pointed out.

"Yeah but..." Mikey said, looking for words. "You don't seem dangerous to me. In fact, you kinda remind me of myself."

"How?"

"Well, I mess things up a lot too," Mikey said, and held up his hands as she started to protest. "I mean, I try to do the right thing, but sometimes it blows up in my face. I try to help, but sometimes I just make things worse. The guys get mad at me for it sometimes, but we're family. Family forgives each other."

Kacey looked down at the street below. "But I have no family."

"Don't say that," Mikey said. "I'm sure there's someone out there missing you right now. Besides, you've got us."

"That is your family, Mikey, not mine," Kacey corrected him, eating another bit of chicken. "What if... What if my family left me because of what I can do? What if they were afraid of me?"

Mikey stared at her. "You really think anyone would do that?"

"Your brothers hate me because of my powers," Kacey said. "They don't trust me. They're... They're scared of me. What if my family was the same?"

"Because you're too good for that," Mikey said, ignoring the roll of her eyes. "You don't want to hurt anyone, Kacey. You're a good person." He paused. "You're not scary. You're just scared. And that's okay! Any family that would abandon you doesn't deserve you."

Kacey glanced at him, feeling tears sting her eyes. "Thank you, Mikey," she said softly.

"What're friends for?" Mikey said, grinning.

Dr. Raeheart looked at her young subject as the other scientists bustled about, gathering instruments for the day's preparations. A loud whirring drew her gaze to the device across the room, and her jaw clenched in anger. "I still say she isn't ready," she said to the man at her side.  

"Nonsense!" Dr. Rook replied. "13 has passed every test so far with flying colors. If any subject is going to endure this procedure, it'll be her."

"You don't know that!" Raeheart said sharply, her hands balling into fists.  

Rook turned to her, a hint of venom in his eyes. "I understand you're rather close to the subject, Ella. If you'd prefer to continue questioning my authority, you can be reassigned."

"No!" she shouted.  

"Then do your job, and let me do mine," Rook said sternly. "It's time to prepare her for the test."

Raeheart stood and stared at him feebly for a moment, then sighed, deafeated. "Yes, sir."

Chapter Text

Kacey kept her eyes down as she followed Mikey back into the lair,only daring a quick look around. The turtles had cleaned up most of the mess made by her psychic storm, and had gone back to their own devices. Leonardo was currently meditating, and seemed to be zoning out everything around him. Raphael was talking with Casey Jones, and neither even bothered to look at her. And Donatello was fussing with some kind of contraption in the corner, surrounded by his gadgets. None of them met her gaze, and she couldnt tell if that was better or worse than having their attention.

Curious, Kacey stopped to watch Donnie work. "What is that?" she asked softly, unable to stop herself.  

Donnie looked up at her, as Mikey joined her by her side. "It's a parabolic microphone," he said, turning his attention back to the wires.  

"In English, Professor?" Mikey said.

Donnie rolled his eyes slightly, but smiled. "It's a special microphone that can pick up sounds from far away. I thought it could be useful on recon missions. That is, if I can ever get it to work." A spark flew from the device suddenly, as if to emphasize his point, and he let out a sigh of frustration. Just then, a monitor behind him let out a ringing tone, and he set the microphone down, turning to it. "Finally," he said, tapping on a few keys. "Maybe now we'll have some good news."

"What's all that?" Mikey asked, looking at the information on the screen over his brother's shoulder.  

"I decided to run a thorough search on the number on Kacey's shoulder," Donny replied, scanning the screen. "I thought it might give us some idea where she came from."  

"Good thinking, bro!" Mikey said excitedly. "Don't you think so, Kacey? Kacey?"

But she wasn't paying attention. Her focus was on the microphone, which was now in her hands. With nimble fingers - and a strangely intense expression - She was rearranging several of the wires, pulling them out and clasping them into new places around the dish. "Hey!" Donnie said, noticing her. "What are you doing?"

She ignored him, her hand darting out to grasp the soldering iron he had left on the work table. In seconds, she had connected the wires, and then handed it back to him. "Try it now," she said softly.

Donnie stared at her for a moment, then looked down at the microphone, then at his brother, who shrugged. Giving a dubious look, he slipped on some headphones, connecting them to the microphone. He flipped a switch and pointed the dish upwards. In seconds, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "I don't believe it!" he said. "I can hear traffic on street level! Car horns, tires spinning, everything!" He looked back at Kacey, his expression full of questions. "How'd you do that?" he asked.

Kacey could only shrug. "It just made sense to me."

"Whoa!" Mikey said, beaming. "You're a genius!"

Kacey couldn't help blushing. "I'm not a genius."  

"Kacey!" April called. "I'm heading home. You coming?"

"Yes," Kacey replied. "See you tomorrow, Mikey."

"Definitely!" Mikey said with a grin, watching her turn and head for the door with April. "She's totally a genius," he added to Donnie, who was still playing with the repaired mic.

"That may actually be true..." Donnie replied thoughtfully, as he went back to playing with the newly repaired microphone.

Dr. Raeheart watched with a frown as KC13 was led to the device set into the wall. A flurry of technicians circled her, hooking up wires and electrodes, connecting her to the horrid machine. Observing it all, Dr. Rook barked out an order now and then, checking readings on monitors. Ella let out a huff, then stormed over to him. "Ah, Ella," he said, looking up. "You changed your mind about wanting to observe? You can join Mr. Takanashi in the-"

"KC13 is not ready for this," Ella said sternly, glancing toward the teen as she was strapped into the device. "She won't make it."

Rook glared at her. "She will do the test now," he said. "That's final." He raised a hand as she started to respond. "I will not argue with you any more. Now, you can either join Mr. Takanashi in the observation deck, or you can leave. Your choice."

Raeheart stood for a moment, trying to think of a way to change his mind. In the end, however, she realized her fight would be fruitless, so, with a final look at the young girl she had helped create, she turned and made her way to the observation deck, ignoring their benefactor's greeting as she watched the final preparations being made.

"Alright," Rook called finally. "Everything is ready. Let's see what our weapon is made of." He reached out a hand, switching the device on.

Chapter Text

At first, the experiment seemed to be going well.  KC13 struggled in her bonds as the machine activated, stimulating every nerve in her body.  Rook watched the monitors carefully, taking note of every spike and drop in her brain activity.  He glanced toward the observation deck, where Takanashi and Dr. Raeheart watched.  Raeheart was wringing her hands, her eyes filled with worry.  But Takanashi stood relaxed, his face almost bored.  "Turn it up," Rook said to the lab-coated lackey beside him.

"Sir?"

"The machine," Rook barked.  "Turn it up.  Push harder."

"But sir," the man said, "the machine is set to raise on its own.  Turning it higher now may skew the results."

"Then skew them," Rook ordered.  "It's time to see what this girl can really do."  He watched as the man fiddled with dials and buttons, as the power level of the machine rose.  

Strapped inside it, KC13's body tensed, her muscles tight as sweat broke out on her skin.  He looked again to the monitor, where her brain activity had spiked exponentially.  And still she showed no signs of change.  Or signs of giving in.

"Higher," he called out.  Now he could actually hear the machine, electricity humming dangerously.  Another spike in the charts.  Then, a new sound, high pitched and chilling.  KC13 was screaming.  Screaming in pain.  Rook had never heard her make such a noise.  And still she didn't break.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Dr. Raeheart cried, running to the glass wall of the observation deck.  Her eyes were wide with fear, her scarlet hair tumbling loose from her bun.  "You can't push her this hard so early!"

"I'll do whatever I need to to show Takanashi his money is well spent," Rook replied, turning away from her.

"You'll kill her!" Raeheart exclaimed.  "She can't take this much so soon!"

"That isn't your concern," Rook said coldly.  "More power!" he added to the others.  Higher still went the power levels, and louder came the screams, both KC13's and Raeheart's.  Raeheart tried desperately to plead with him, to get him to stop, but he ignored her, instead keeping his focus on 13's vitals, which were climbing through the roof.  

He called once more for power, and now 13 was screaming endlessly, her body seizing and convulsing, as the machine buzzed, and the room filled with a strange static charge, as if lightning was building in the air.

Suddenly, a spark lit across the connections, and 13's eyes flew open, glowing violet.  For an instant, the room went deadly silent, then filled with a metallic shrieking as the metal restraints of the machine tore apart, bits of shrapnel flying into the tiled walls.  Sirens blared, wires severed, sparks flew, and screens exploded amidst a startled uproar and flurry of white coats.  Rook watched in awe as 13 seemed to float up from the machine, her eyes glowing bright, her hands clenched at her sides as she met his gaze.

Raeheart called out to her, and for an instant, 13's eyes flicked in her direction.  Then, over the din of the chaos, a new sound came, one that shook Rook to his core.  It was like the tearing of a thousand sheets, a ripping sound that seemed to shake the very air around them.  Rook's skin tingled, and his ears felt as if the room had been pressurized.  He looked up in time to see something appear just beside 13 in the air.  

A dark shape was growing before her, an open void with no end or beginning.  Like someone had ripped a hole in the very existence of the room.  Before he could cry out, the void had closed around 13, and in an instant, she was gone, and all sound in the lab came to a sudden and violent stop.  For a few heartbeats, Rook stared at the empty place where, just moments before, 13 had been standing, before his mind caught up with his shock.

"Where is she?!" he cried.

There was a scramble as the techs tried to give him an answer.  Beside him, Raeheart ripped a tablet from the arms of one, hammering out a command function with shaking hands.  "Her tracker is offline," she said, her voice quavering.  "Sh-She must have shorted it out somehow.  But..."

"Find her!" Rook roared.  "Search the compound!  Seal the doors!"

"She...  She..." Raeheart was murmuring, obviously in shock.  "H-How did she do that?  She tore apart the machine in moments.  Her powers should have been contained.  And then she just...  She just... She vanished..."  She suddenly seemed to register Rook's presence.  "You... You did this!" she shouted.  Rook turned to her, already opening his mouth to argue, but she shut him up with a hard slap to the face.  "I told you!" she screamed.  "I told you she wasn't ready!  I told you you were pushing too hard!  And now she's gone!"  She emphasized each sentence with another slap, the stunned doctor too startled to react at first.

He came to his senses after the second or third slap, however, and motioned the security guards guards forward.  She struggled as they took hold of her, still screaming at Rook as they dragged her back.  Rook straightened himself, looking at her coldly.  "Take Miss Raeheart to her quarters," he told them.  "Make sure she stays there until I figure this out."

Raeheart fought against them as they dragged her from the room.  "You did this!" she cried over her shoulder at him.  "She's loose now, because of you!  You did this!"

The door slid shut behind them, leaving Rook shaken, but determined to find 13 at any cost.  He had underestimated her abilities, her power.  She was even more useful now, if they could just find her.  He looked at the destroyed wreckage of the machine, then at the wide-eyed face of the investor, Takanashi.  Oh yes, he thought to himself.  She'll be very useful indeed.

Chapter Text

Over the next couple of weeks, Kacey found herself falling into rhythm with her new companions.  Master Splinter began training her alongside the turtles, as well as guiding her through meditation one on one.  She'd managed to keep a lid on her powers - and the visions - and she'd discovered an affinity for the kunai, small silver knives perfect for short range combat, or for long range throwing.

She still hadn't won Raphael's trust, but the others, Donatello and Leonardo, had slowly warmed up to her.  Leo had become an excellent sparring partner, his swords a good match for her knives.  And Donnie often showed his experiments to her, asking her opinion and assistance, and had given her her own communicator.  

Mikey, of course, had been attached to her at the hip, always there with a witty joke or story, and had taught her the ways of comic books and video games.  April treated her like a sister, and let her help out in the junk shop.  Even Casey Jones had stopped glaring at her all the time, though Kacey suspected April had something to do with that.  It was only Raph that still avoided her.  She didn't mind, though.  She couldn't blame him.

So she didn't even bother to be offended when he didn't greet her as she entered the lair.  Instead, she focused on Mikey's usual exuberant welcome.  "Hey Kacey!" he called, bounding over to her.  "Guess what today is?"

"Um.. Tuesday?" Kacey answered, a curious smile on her face.

"No patrol," Mikey said, his grin bright.  "No training.  No chores.  It's our day off!  And I know just what we should do!"

"What's that?" Kacey asked, brushing her hair from her eyes.

"Joyride!" Mikey yelled, pumping a fist in the air.  "I'm feeling the need for speed!"

"Not a chance," Leo interjected.  "No way you're taking the truck out again after last time."

Mikey groaned.  "Aw, come on, bro!  It was one little crash."

"You knocked out the power for half a city block," Leo said sternly.

"But we've been working so hard!" Mikey whined.  He looped an arm around Kacey's shoulders.  "I want to take Kacey on a tour of the city.  Might jog some memories, y'know?"

"The answer is no," Leo replied.  "You two can just take the scenic route."

"And don't even think of touching my bike," Raphael growled from the corner.  "I don't want you - or her - messin' it up."  Kacey tried not to flinch at the bite in his voice.  He never called her by name.  She was only 'kid' or 'her'.  At least Casey always called her Tinkerbell.

Michelangelo let out another groan.  "But walking is so boring!"

"Here, Mikey," Donatello said, ducking behind one of his work tables and reappearing with a long board.  "I fixed the thrusters on your skateboard.  Should be more than enough to satisfy your 'need for speed'."

Mikey took the board from him with a gleeful grin.  "Sweet!  You're the best, bro!"

Donnie couldn't help but smile.  "Just take it easier this time," he warned.  "You really fried the circuits the last time you used it."

"Sure thing," Mikey promised distractedly, tucking the board under one arm.  "Come on, Kacey!  Let's see what this baby can do!"

Amused and curious, Kacey followed him down a tunnel.  She watched as he set the board down, then turned to her.  "All aboard the Turtle Express!" he said, grinning.  Kacey took his hand, and he pulled her up onto his back.  "Please keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times," he said jovially as she took a grip on his shoulders.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Kacey asked, looking down the dark tunnel, dotted with light that leaked in from the storm drains and manholes above.

"Totally safe!" Mikey assured her.  "I do this all the time!  Well, except for when Donnie has to fix my board, but that almost never happens."  Kacey tightened her grip on him.  "Okay.  Ready?" he asked, stepping onto the board.

"As I'll ever be," Kacey replied nervously.

"Get set," Mikey said, his foot hovering over a small button at the back of the board.  Kacey checked her grip once more, clamping her knees to his shell.  "Go!" his foot came down on the button, and with a roar, the thrusters kicked on.

In seconds, they were hurtling down the tunnel at breakneck speeds.  Kacey let out a shrill cry that quickly turned to gales of laughter as her hair whipped around her face.  She almost felt as if they were flying, as Mikey weaved back and forth, the intermittent light dancing over them.

"Wooo hoooo!" Mikey cried as they sped along.  He ramped the board up the sides of the tunnel now and then, liking the way it made Kacey laugh even more.  "Hang on tight," he called to her.  "We're about to go topside!"

He veered down a side tunnel, picking up speed.  Up ahead, a set of stairs led out of the sewer, and Mikey hooked his arms around her knees as he jumped the board up onto the railing, sparks flying as they ascended.  At the top, they burst through a door that had long since been disabled, into the alley above.  Kacey squealed as the cool night air hit her face, but they didn't stop there.

Mikey leaned forward, aiming them toward a wide wooden board propped along a rusted fire escape.  Up they went, and with a loud whoop and a thud, Mikey landed them on the roof of a building overlooking the street.  He drew to a halt at the edge of the rooftop, looking out over the neon lit storefronts and passing headlights.  "What do you think?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at Kacey.

She couldn't stop grinning as she looked back at him.  "That was so cool!" she exclaimed.

"What do you say to a moonlit stroll through New York?"

Kacey's grin widened.  "As long as it's fast," she replied.

Mikey beamed.  "You better hold tight, then," he said, kicking the thrusters on again.

They spent almost an hour skimming rooftops and launching across alleys.  Mikey pulled out all his favorite tricks, and Kacey loved the thrill of sailing through the city with her best friend.  Eventually, though, they decided to head back, but Mikey had one more thing he wanted to show her.  He took the long way home, the way he knew led through an abandoned building that had the best way back to the sewers.  Five stories, no stairs.  Just one big ramp right down to the street and into the subway.  He knew she'd love it.

It wasn't long before they jumped through an already broken window, the boards conveniently removed.  Kacey hung on tight as they began to spiral down, down, down, gaining speed with every second.  Mikey watched her from over his shoulder, smiling as she laughed and whooped.  When he looked ahead again, he realized too late that someone had blocked the way, wooden boxes and pallets stacked up directly in front of them.

He tried to stop, but their momentum made turning off the thrusters useless.  He tried desperately to turn, but only managed to slam right into the barricade.  His heart dropped as he felt Kacey's grip disappear, and nearly stopped when she flew right over his head, screaming as she sailed over the railing, headed right for the hard ground that was still far beneath them.

"KACEY!" he cried, and, ignoring the pain in his side from the impact, he leapt after her, reaching out for her.  He managed to snag her hand and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her as they tumbled in the air.  He crashed shell first into the ground, and held tight to Kacey, shielding her as he bounced once, twice, and finally rolled to a stop, dazed and aching, but okay.  Finally, he let go, his pulse racing as he grasped Kacey by the shoulders.  "Kacey?  Kacey!  Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," she gasped, her voice shaking.  "You saved me..."

Mikey laughed, half in relief, half to hide his nerves.  "That's what friends are for."  He sat up and let Kacey help him to his feet.  "Ow, my aching shell!  What idiot put all that junk there, anyway?"

"Who you calling an idiot, freak?" came a voice from the shadows.  Mikey's head snapped toward the sound, and he pulled Kacey back, putting himself in front of her as a dozen men stepped forward, emerging from darkened doorways.  Each one was covered in tattoos, chains, and leather, and the lead one looked familiar, especially when he sneered coldly, his eyes on Kacey as she looked around Mikey's shoulder.  "Well well well," he said.  "Look what we got here, boys.  The little freak from before.  What're the odds?"  He looked to Michelangelo.  "And you're what?  Her pet?"

Mikey pulled his nunchucks from his belt.  Behind him, Kacey drew two kunai, gripping them tightly.  "Hey, man," he said.  "Look, we didn't mean to crash your party.  Just back off, and no one gets hurt."

The creep laughed, echoed by his gang.  "You hear that boys?  The big lizard promised not to hurt us.  What do you say?  Should we let 'em go?"  All around them, men began drawing weapons.  Knives, pipes, chains, even guns.  "I guess that's a no," their leader said, amused.  He pulled a handgun from his belt, looking again at Kacey.  "You made me look like a punk, kid," he growled.  "You and whatever freaky power it is you have.  And you," he looked at Mikey and chuckled.  "I don't even know what you are.  But I think I know some folks who'd be very interested in both of you."

Mikey glared at him.  "You won't get near her."

"We'll see about that," the leader replied.  He snapped his fingers, and the others began to advance.

"Stay close," Mikey murmured to Kacey.  She nodded, turning the kunai in her hands.  Mikey watched their advancing attackers, and, glancing back at Kacey, he said the only thing that came to him at times like this.  "Cowabunga!"

As one, he and Kacey attacked, and several men dropped in moments.  One grabbed Kacey by the arm, only to get a kick to the face from Mikey.  Another tried to sneak up on the turtle, but Kacey knocked the pipe from his hand with a well thrown kunai.  For a while, it seemed like they would win.

But then the leader gave a loud whistle, and at least a dozen more men came pouring out into the lobby, surrounding them.  Mikey looked around at them, weary from the fight and the fall earlier, but determined to keep them from taking Kacey.  He wished his brothers were here to help, and he knew the lair wasn't far from here, but he didn't have time to call for them.  Behind him, Kacey was trembling, her head pounding with adrenaline.  She was running out of kunai, with only a couple left in the pouch she carried.  Still, as the men closed in on them, they fought.

But this time, things went south quickly.  Somehow, the men were able to separate them, and Kacey found herself with too much space between her and her friend, who was getting swarmed.  She was quick and strong, managing to hold her own, but still more came.  Then one managed to sweep her feet out from under her, and she cried out as she fell to her hands and knees.

A rough hand gripped her by the hair, and her head was jerked back to see the leader sneering at her.  "You put up a good fight, kid," he growled.  "You and your freaky friend.  But this is getting boring, and I think you're the better prize here.  So he's just dead weight."  Kacey grabbed his wrist to keep from being scalped, and her heart raced as she watched him raise his free hand, pointing the gun at Mikey.  "I'd say it's time to lighten the load."  He cocked the gun, and Kacey cried out to Michelangelo, her ears ringing as her head pounded even more.

Suddenly, it was as if the pounding in her head forced its way out, and the grip in her hair vanished as the leader was flung away.  The gun dropped to the ground beside her, and with a flash of her eyes, was crushed to a metal pancake.  The other men advanced on her once more, and her vision went red.

Hearing Kacey cry out, Mikey spun just in time to see the leader of the gang go flying. Not again, he thought.  He shoved past stunned gang members, and caught a glimpse of Kacey, kneeling on the floor, a circle of men closing in on her.  He watched as she looked up, and his blood went cold when he saw that her eyes were glowing, a violent, piercing purple glare that cut through the gloom like a beacon.  She raised her arms, and her entire body floated up from the floor, hovering ten feet above the concrete.  All at once, twenty men flew into the air before getting thrown back, each one slamming the walls.  

A few left over pulled guns, firing shots at her, but Kacey waved a hand, and the bullets blew right out of the air.  She clenched a fist, and guns everywhere crumpled to useless hunks of scrap.  The remaining guys tried to retreat, but with another wave of her hand, all the doors slammed shut, trapping them.  The men hammered at the doors uselessly, and Kacey rose even higher into the air.

Mikey tried to call out to her, to get her to calm down, but she couldn't hear him over the yelling of the gangbangers.  Just then, something glinted in the corner of his eye, and he turned to see the leader pulling back his arm, a silver knife glinting in his hand.  He dove at the creep, hitting him just as it left his grasp.  Mikey turned back to Kacey to see the little blade cut a gash in her shoulder.  She cried out in pain, and all at once, windows shattered on every floor, broken glass tumbling down on them all.  The remaining men were lifted twenty feet in the air, spinning like tops, whisked around as if in a tornado, before dropping hard.  A rumble went through the building, and Mikey saw several deep cracks forming in the concrete walls.

Kacey's eyes glowed even brighter, as blood dripped down her arm.  Still higher she rose, her face painted with fury.  All around them, the air seemed to crackle with energy, and the room felt as if lightning was about to strike.

Mikey knew he had to think fast.  He jumped to his feet, knocking the leader out with a kick, and bolted up the spiraling floor, running as hard as he could.  When he was high enough, he leapt onto the railing, prayed she wouldn't blast him out of the air, and jumped.  He hit her hard, and heard the wind get knocked from her lungs.  The glow in her eyes faltered as they dropped out the the air to the ground.  He hung onto her, sprawled on the floor, talking gently to her as she stared at him, her mind slowly comprehending what her eyes were seeing as she came back to herself.  She blinked at him, tried to gasp something out, then passed out cold.

Michelangelo looked at her, then around at the destruction she had caused.  This was bad.  This was very bad.  He sat up, cradling Kacey's head in one hand as he pulled his Shell Cell from his belt.

Not long after, his brothers burst into the building, ready for the worst, but wholly unprepared for what awaited.  Dozens of gang members were unconscious amidst a sea of broken glass, crunched metal, and fallen debris.  The walls and floor were laced with cracks, and in the middle of it all, Michelangelo sat with Kacey held in his arms.  He'd torn the sleeve from her jacket and wrapped the cut, but she was still bleeding and very much unconscious.  Mikey looked tired and beaten as his brothers ran to his side.

"Mikey," Leo started, looking around at the carnage.  "What the shell happened here?"

"I'll explain later," Mikey replied, climbing to his feet, Kacey hanging limp in his grasp.  "Now, could you help me-"

"She did this, didn't she?" Raphael demanded, pointing at Kacey.  "She really lost it this ti-"

"I said," Mikey snapped uncharacteristically, "I'll explain later.  Right now, she needs help."  He headed for the door, but staggered a bit, nearly dropping Kacey.  Leo rushed forward to catch her.

"Let me take her," Leo offered, but for a moment, his brother held tight, looking at him warily.  "You're both hurt.  I'll carry her, Mikey.  We'll get her home."

Mikey nodded finally, letting him take her, and Donatello moved forward to take his arm, helping him walk.  Raph hung back a moment, looking around once more at what Kacey had done, before following his brothers outside and down into the subway.

"Dr. Rook!" a white coated lab tech called, rushing over to the irritated doctor with a tablet in hand.  "Dr. Rook!  I think we have something!"

"Better be something good," Rook snapped.  "It's been weeks.  WEEKS!  And not one trace of 13!"

The tech faltered slightly, but raised the tablet.  "W-We just got a signal..." he said, flinching when Rook swiped the tablet from him.  "It's s-still being analyzed, but we're almost certain it's from 13's tracker."

"I thought her tracker got destroyed."

The tech swallowed.  "W-Well, we think it was shorted out when her p-powers went haywire," he explained.  "B-But, it's p-possible that she's had another episode, and that m-may have jumpstarted it again."

"Where?" Rook demanded, tapping away at the tablet.

"N-New York," the tech replied.  "B-But, the signal is still faint... We can't pinpoint it from here..."

"Then get us on the first flight to New York," a voice said behind them.

Rook turned to see Ella Raeheart, looking unkempt and disheveled, her eyes wide and red. 

 "Perhaps it's best if you stay here, Miss Raeheart," he said coldly.  "I do believe you're becoming too close to the subject."

She glared at him, her fists balled at her sides.  "You know why I have to come," she said, her voice filled with venom.  "And you're not going to stop me."

Rook met her gaze for a moment before turning back to the tablet.  "Very well," he said.  "We leave as soon as possible.  Be ready."

Ella nodded, then turned on her heel to return to her quarters to pack.

Chapter Text

Leonardo was the first of his brothers to rise.  Even Master Splinter was still sleeping.  He decided to take the chance to check on Kacey again.  It had been two days since she and Mikey had been attacked, and she hadn't stirred since.  Donatello assured them that she was physically alright.  Even the cut in her arm had healed almost overnight.  But still, she hadn't woken up.  Mikey had spent the first day and a half by her side, unwilling to leave her, but Leo and the others had finally convinced him to rest.

Leo stepped out of his room, expecting to find Kacey laying on the sofa, still hooked up to Donnie's monitors, and was taken aback when he saw the room was empty, the screens black.  For a moment, Leo feared that something had happened, perhaps that the men from that night had somehow found her.  But he realized quickly that was impossible.  So he backtracked, looking through the lair.

He was beginning to wonder if she had left the lair altogether when a soft sound from the very back of the dojo stopped him.  He moved closer to the shadows, looking around in the dim light.  He guessed Kacey hadn't bothered to turn all the lights on, since she could pretty much see in the dark.  

He found her perched atop one of the boards they used for balance exercises.  She sat in the center, one knee pulled up to her chest, while the other leg dangled free, her bare toes a couple feet off the floor.  Leo couldn't see her features well in the weak light, but he could see the sparkle of tears on her cheek.

"Kacey?" he called softly.  She didn't look up or answer, but he knew she had heard him.  Her eyes were down, and she was turning something over in her hands.  Looking closer, Leo saw it was a long, thin strip of emerald green fabric, and he remembered the mask Mikey had made for her after he first brought her here.  He had never seen her wearing it, but it seemed she still carried it with her.  Leo cleared his throat.  "How long have you been awake?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

There was a moment of quiet before she answered.  "A few hours," she said finally, her voice hoarse.  "How long was I asleep?"

"Two days," Leo replied.  "We were starting to worry."

"Why?" she asked, so quiet that Leo thought he'd misheard her.

"What?"

"Why would you worry about me?" she clarified, her words unmistakable now.

Leo stared at her through the gloom, dumbstruck.  "Why wouldn't we?"  There was another long pause, and Leo started to think she wasn't going to respond.  But then...

"I remember what I did," Kacey said darkly.  "I remember every moment.  I.. I hurt those men.  I hurt them bad."

"You were just defending yourself," Leo said gently.  "Mikey told us what happened.  You saved him, and-"

"I could have hurt him!" Kacey exclaimed, her voice echoing through the room.  "He could've ended up just like those other guys!"  She had the green mask wrapped around her hands now, her fingers turning white as she gripped it tight.  "I lost control, and he could've gotten hurt, and it was all my fault!"

Leo found himself at a loss for words.  He had considered that possibility, and, in fact, he and his brothers had talked - well, actually fought -  at length about it after Michelangelo had told them what happened.  But he hadn't considered that Kacey would feel so strongly about it, though it was understandable.  

He thought for a moment of going to get Mikey to talk to her, to try to cheer her up.  But as he watched new tears slide down her cheeks, he realized that what she needed right now was truth and guidance, not jokes.  A leader, more than a friend.  He reached up, laying a hand on hers, which were shaking slightly.

"Mikey doesn't blame you," he said softly.  "In fact,  he blames himself for even getting you into that situation."

"What do you mean?" she asked, still not looking at him.  "It's not his fault I can't stop hurting people.  It's not his fault I'm a monster."

Leo thought back to Mikey, how guilty he'd sounded when he explained what happened, how hard he had fought to share the blame when Raph had pointed the finger at Kacey.  "He thinks he should've paid more attention, that you wouldn't have gotten cornered if he hadn't crashed the way he did."  He paused.  "He blames himself for almost getting you killed."

Kacey was silent as she remembered those moments of terror when she'd gotten thrown from Mikey's back, the weightless turn in her gut as she'd dropped through the air.  "He caught me," she murmured.  "He saved me."

Leo nodded.  "And you saved him," he said.  "You took down every single one of the guys who jumped you.  Destroyed every window.  You even put some cracks right into the walls and floor. 

If he hadn't stopped you, you probably could've brought the whole building down.  But you didn't leave so much as a scratch on Mikey.  Why do you think that is?"

Kacey shrugged.  "Luck?"

"I don't think so," Leo said, shaking his head.  "It would've been easy for him to end up just like them.  You chose not to hurt him, Kacey."

"I wasn't in control," she protested.  "It was only lucky that he didn't get caught in the crossfire."

Leo looked up at her, seeing her more clearly as his eyes adjusted to the shadows.  "You said you could remember everything.  What exactly do you remember?  After you lost control?"

Kacey didn't want to think about it, but she shut her eyes, letting it play out in her mind.  "I remember being hurt.  Glass falling.  People yelling.  And..." she hesitated.

"And?" Leo prompted.

Kacey's brows furrowed as she relived those moments again.  There was something she hadn't remembered.  Her name.  Someone - Mikey - calling her name.  She saw him in her mind, looking up at her, saw the look in his eyes.  Not fear.  Worry.  Fear. He was scared for her, not of her.  She had seen him, known he was there.  She had seen him, but no one else.  When he'd grabbed her, pulled her from the air, he had protected her.  He had pulled her back down to earth, pulled her back to herself.  She could've hurt him.  But she didn't. She didn't want to.  Leo was right.  She had stopped herself from hurting him.  She had chosen not to hurt him.

Her eyes welled with fresh tears, and her chest felt tight.  She didn't realized she had dropped the green mask until Leonardo pressed it back into her hands.  For the first time, she looked at him.  "You're right," she said, her voice choked.  "I wouldn't have hurt him.  I couldn't have."

Leo smiled.  "You saved him.  You saved both of you."  He put a hand on her shoulder.  "You're not a monster, Kacey.  Monsters don't save their friends."  She wiped her eyes, and he offered her a hand.  "Come on," he said.  "Donnie wanted to check you over when you woke up.  And I'm sure Mikey would love to know you're okay."

She took his hand and Leo helped her down from the beam.  He saw her fold the mask and put it back in his pocket, but he didn't say anything.  He just led her from the corner, silently wondering if he'd ever see her wear it.

Ella Raeheart looked around the warehouse they had set up in.  It had taken nearly two days to set up this base, a temporary lab where they could try to track KC13, wherever she was.  Ever since they'd touched down, all she could think about was finding the girl, hoping she was alright after so long on her own.

Finding 13 was on Dr. Rook's mind, too, but he didn't seem at all worried for her wellbeing.  He'd spent the last two days barking orders, yelling at the techs who were trying to boost the weak signal from 13's tracker.  They'd only been able to track her as far as New York City, but pinning down her exact location was proving very difficult, which was making Rook hostile. 

 Ella had avoided him as best she could while they'd been here.  She still hadn't forgiven him for causing all of this.  If only he'd listened to her.  If only-

"Sir!" she heard a tech call out.  She turned to see the young man hand Rook a tablet.  "We've narrowed the signal down.  We still can't find her exact location, but we've got it down to a five block radius."

"Great!" Ella said, stepping up beside Rook and reaching for the tablet.  "We can start there, and work our way toward -"  Her words caught as Rook yanked the tablet back, startling her.

"Are you mad?" he demanded.  "We're not going after her."

Ella looked at him, confused.  "What?  But, I thought that's why we came -"

"We came here to get a better fix on her location," Rook said, cutting her off again.  "Not to go gallivanting through the city looking for a superweapon that's out of control."

"But... If we don't look for her, how will we get her back to the lab?"  Ella asked, perplexed.  Rook looked at her, but said nothing.  She could tell something was wrong.  "What are you not telling me?"

Rook stood for a moment, a muscle working in his jaw, before answering her.  "The plan is to get a lock on her location, and then send in someone more capable of bringing her in.  One way or another."

Something about how he said it sent shivers down her spine.  "Send in who?" she asked.

Rook started to answer, but a distant wumpa-wumpa overhead distracted him.  He looked up, as did Ella, to see a sleek black chopper descending toward them.  The side was emblazoned with the Kryonix logo, a double helix forming a K, but that made no sense to Ella.  Who would be coming by chopper now?  Surely not Takanashi.  He'd given them the promise of time to find 13.

Rook walked away, toward the landing site, watching the chopper as if it carried precious cargo.  Ella followed behind him, shielding her eyes as the propellers kicked up all manner of dust and debris as the chopper touched down.  Rook moved forward as the door opened, greeting a tall man in army camo who stepped out.

Ella was dumbfounded.  Was this who would be going after 13?  Was he some sort of soldier?  What was going on?  And then, a second figure emerged from the cockpit, much shorter than the army man, dressed all in black.  Ella moved closer, and as the propellers died and the dust settled, she got a good look at the newcomer.

And screamed in shock.

Rook and the army man turned to her, and Rook rushed forward, speaking quickly, but she didn't hear a word he said.  Instead, she was staring, wide eyed and open mouthed, at the teenage boy who had joined them.  The boy whose face she knew, so very well.

He was pale, slim but muscled, with deep green eyes, slanted a bit at the corners, and a wild spray of flaming auburn hair that stopped at the nape of his neck.  He was dressed in black pants and a matching black tank top, a thin black collar around his neck, clasped with silver.  On his shoulder, she could see letters inked into his skin.  KC14.  He watched her blankly, clearly uninterested in her.

Ella forced herself to tear her eyes away from him, to Rook, who was still talking away.  "What the hell have you done?!" she screamed, cutting him off.

"Let me explain..." he started, but she punched him in the mouth before he could say more.  As he stumbled to his knees, blood trickling down his lip, the army man made to move forward, but Rook stopped him with a wave.  "Ella, let me speak..."

"What is this?!"  she shrieked, motioning to the boy, who hadn't moved.  "What did you do?!"

"This," Rook said as he climbed to his feet, "is KC14.  13's twin, in a manner of speaking."

"When were you going to tell me?!"  Ella yelled.  "There was only supposed to be one clone!"

Rook raised a hand defensively, taking a step back.  "It wasn't planned," he said.  "When we were creating 13, two embryos survived the initial phase.  Twins, nearly identical in DNA, aside from the chromosomes, of course. In any case, it presented a world of new opportunities for the experiment."  He took a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed the blood from his lip.

"What opportunities?" Ella demanded.  "Why was I never told there were two?  Why was I never told there was a boy?"

"It was decided that the two clones would be raised separately," Rook replied.  "You were brought in to work with 13, given your connection to the host -"

"Kaden," Ella snapped, her eyes burning.  Rook gave a nod.

"Your connection with Kaden," he corrected himself.  "It was thought that working with the boy would be too hard for you.  Too... distracting.  It was determined that 13 would be given lighter training and testing to see how far the mutagen alone could get her as far as her powers and abilities.  And as you know, she excelled well enough."

"And the boy?"

Rook glanced toward the army man, who stood rigidly, glaring at Dr. Raeheart.  "14 was separated as early as possible," Rook explained.  "We sent him to a new facility, one with only the highest level of security.  Strictly classified.  Ever since then, he's been given not only the mutagen injections, but the highest level of military training we could manage, overseen by General Fox there.  Combat training, weapons tactics, battle strategy.  He's learned it all.  And his powers..."  Rook trailed off for a moment before looking at her.  "Ella, his powers are like nothing you could imagine.  Things 13 would be years away from achieving at her current pace.  But thanks to 14, and the results of 13's last test, we now know she's capable of excelling just as much as he has, with the right persuasion."

Ella listened to him in horror, unwilling to accept what he was telling her.  There had been another clone.  Another Kaden.  And no one had told her.  This boy had been treated like a lab rat, subjected to god knew what kind of torture.  And no one had told her.  She felt like she'd been turned to ice, frozen where she stood by this revelation.  "Why..." she started, but her voice was choked, her throat tight.  She swallowed and tried again.  "Why is he here?  Why bring him out now?"

Rook looked at her grimly.  "He may be the only one who can bring 13 back.  If she's gone rogue, we won't be able to capture her.  But he'll be more than a match for her.  If she's able to be captured, he'll bring her in."

"What if she fights him?" Ella asked.

"Then he'll be fully capable of putting her down," Rook said, and Ella's blood ran cold.  "We'll simply put all of our effort into furthering his progress.  Without 13."

"And... And if he does bring 13 in?"

Rook looked at her, his eyes hard.  "Do you want to know why I wasn't more surprised when 13 vanished from the lab?"  He turned away, not waiting for an answer.  "Because I knew that 14 could already do that.  For the last year or so, he's been able to transport himself from one place to another, instantly.  He developed the power during a test much like the one 13 was given.  He was tested earlier than she, and it put him leaps and bounds ahead of her.  13's results prove that she can catch up to him."  He turned back to her, his face dark.  "If he brings her back, Ella, we'll put an end to her pandering.  She'll be given the same training as 14, to push her to his level.  We'll either end up with two successes, or a failure that will be eliminated.  Either way, Takanashi gets the weapon he paid for."

Ella stared at him, her mouth agape.  Without another word, Rook turned away, going to talk to General Fox.  He motioned the general - and the boy - toward the temporary bunker, leaving her alone.  This was madness.  She thought they were just here to find and collect 13, but now... Either the girl she'd spent the last 4 years raising would be killed, or she would be subjected to all manner of torture in the name of progress.  She couldn't let this happen.

Ella rubbed her face roughly, thinking, her mind whirring.  What could she do?  How could she stop this?  13.  She had to find 13.  But how?  She looked around, and spotted the tablet that had been abandoned when the chopper had come.  Picking it up, she saw that the area that had been pinging 13's signal was still lit up.  As she stared at it, her mind was made up, and she knew what she had to do.

Chapter Text

The day was rather normal, Kacey thought.  Leo hadn't mentioned their talk that morning to the others, which she was grateful for.  Michelangelo had spent most of the morning asking her if she was alright, even though Donatello had checked her thoroughly for concussions or any other lasting trauma, and given her a clean bill of health.  Raphael didn't seem to care that she had been unconscious for the last two days, giving her his usual grunt when she greeted him. But Splinter had greeted her warmly, and though he didn't mention that night, there was something in the way he looked at her that told her he had his own thoughts about what she had done.

It didn't take long to fall back into step.  Kacey spent a few hours meditating with Splinter's guidance, calming her mind, suppressing her inner turmoil.  She faltered only once, as the memory of men flying through the air replayed in her mind.  Her fists tightened, and her breathing hastened, as she tried to dispel it.  A gentle hand touched her shoulder, and Splinter spoke quietly to her.  "It is in the past, my child," he said soothingly.  "Do not let what you have done haunt you.  Let it slip away."  Encouraged by his calming words, Kacey was able to push back the image in her mind, focusing instead on peace and tranquility.  Splinter watched as she relaxed once more, a proud smile forming.

After her mind was settled, Kacey set about to working her body.  She joined the brothers in training, working on her form with the kunai.  It was then that April O'Neil and Casey Jones entered the lair, and April was quick to greet Kacey with a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're alright," she said.  "When Mikey told us what happened..."

"I'm fine now," Kacey said quickly, not wanting to discuss it again.  She was determined to let that night stay in the past, as Splinter had said.  April still looked worried, but Casey seemed to get the hint, changing the subject for her.

"Made any progress with them toothpicks, Tinkerbell?" he asked.

Kacey looked at the knives in her hands.  "I've been getting better," she replied.

"Never did get a rematch," Casey said, quirking an eyebrow.  "How 'bout you show me what you can do?  No cheap tricks this time, promise."

Kacey looked up at him.  She was surprised he was being so genial to her, but it was a welcome change.  Perhaps April had something to do with it, she thought as she caught April's pleased expression, her worries quelled for the time being.  She smiled, spinning the blades in her hands.  "You're on."

"Ooh, the rematch of the century!" Mikey called.  "Casey versus Kacey.  Who will win?"

Kacey watched as Casey Jones picked up his hockey stick, spinning it in his hands.  As she rolled out her shoulders, adjusting her grip on her blades, the others all moved out of the way, gathering like a tiny audience.  Mikey was calling for bets on the outcome.  Even Splinter seemed to be watching with interest.

She turned her attention back to her opponent.  Casey raised his stick, meeting her eyes.  Kacey squared her feet, ready to move, her blades raised in her fists.  She waited, watching him, and when he lunged, she easily sidestepped it, ducking to the side before bringing her kunai up in a slash that he just barely managed to block.  "Not bad, Tinkerbell," Casey said as he stepped back to reset.  He raised a hand, beckoning her forward, and she responded, darting toward him.

Casey was a strong fighter, but she was smaller and quicker by far.  She feigned a head on advance, then quickly ducked under his swing to land a few lightning fast jabs to his ribs with the blunt end of her blades before rolling past his guard, her momentum bringing her back to her feet behind him.  She lobbed the kunai from her right hand at him as he spun to face her, and the knife made a solid thunk as it sunk into the wood of the stick, inches from his head.  He looked at it a moment and grinned.  Behind him, the others seemed to be enjoying the show.  Mikey was calling "That's my girl!" and Kacey thought she caught Splinter giving a nod of approval.

"Not bad at all," he mused.  He gave the stick a spin before swinging it at the ground.  With a clang, the kunai dislodged, skidding across the dojo floor and out of reach.  Kacey was now down one weapon, and she didn't have the leather pouch of extra kunai that Splinter had given her.  She would need to be smart now.  She raised her remaining blade in her left hand, her right poised in front of her.  With a smile, she repeated his beckoning motion from before, daring him to come for her.

Casey lunged again, and this time she didn't run.  For a few moments, they were a flurry of limbs, accompanied by the whistle of wood and the glint of silver as they fought.  Kacey jabbed with her fist and slashed with her blade, matching his swings blow for blow, blocking and returning with ease.  Then he baited her with a wide swing, and when she brought her kunai  down, he was ready with the stick, and once again came the thunk of metal hitting wood.  He gave the stick a hard jerk, and her remaining blade was wrenched from her hands, sent flying into the wall.  She was now weaponless, and Casey took the offense.

Kacey took a few steps back, dancing away from his swings as she tried to regroup herself, now empty handed.  She regarded Casey, watching his grip on the hockey stick, and had an idea.  She sidestepped him, but stumbled ever so slightly.  It was enough of an opening for him.  He swept the stick low, whipping her feet out from under her, and at the same time falling for her trap.  As her feet flew forward, she bent back, planting her hands firmly on the mat.  She brought her feet up, catching the stick just between his hands, sending it flying into the air.  She vaulted back, up and over into a perfect hand spring, coming back to her feet in time to catch the stick herself.  As she raised it, though, a blaring alarm sounded through the dojo, drowning out the whoops and jeers from their spectators.

"Intruder alert!" Donatello yelled over the siren, rushing over to his monitors.  He punched a few keys, and the screen flickered though different camera images, until it settled on one.  On the screen, they could see a figure had entered the tunnels and was heading their way.  "The north tunnel," Donnie said.

"Move out," Leo called to his brothers, all levity from the sparring match forgotten.  Kacey moved to join them, but Leo caught her by the arm.  "You stay here with April, Casey, and Master Splinter," he said.

"I want to help!" she protested.

"Whoever that is could be after you," Leo said seriously.  "After what happened the other night, it could be anybody.  Stay here while we check it out.  Please."  And with that, he followed his brothers down the tunnel.  Kacey thought about trying to follow him anyway, but Splinter moved between her and the tunnel, and she had a feeling she'd never make it past him.  So, she stood and waited, while April moved beside her to put a hand on her shoulder, and Casey watched the door with the hockey stick held tight in his hands.

"You owe me five bucks, Raph," she heard Mikey say as their voices and footsteps trailed off.  "Kacey totally won."

Ella Raeheart raised her flashlight, squinting through the darkness.  What would 13 ever be doing down here? she wondered.  She couldn't remember if she'd ever been instructed for underground survival, but as she checked the signal on her tablet again, there could be no doubt.  The signal from 13's tracker was getting stronger.  She was down here somewhere.  Ella just had to find her.  And then... Then what?  She hadn't thought that far just yet.

A sound in the shadows made her jump, and she swung the beam of light around in a panicked arc.  To her left, a scuffle, and the light danced again.  She hated it down here.  There could be anything lurking in the sewer.  Rats.  Snakes.  She wouldn't even be shocked to find an alligator.  "The sooner I find her, the better," she mumbled to herself.

"Who are you?" a voice suddenly spoke from the darkness, and Ella screamed in surprise, dropping the flashlight.  The light flickered and spun as it skittered away, finally coming to a stop out of Ella's reach and going out.  Her whole body shook as she blindly searched around her.

"Wh-Wh-Who's there?" she called.

"You first, lady," came another voice, different from the first, but just as sharp.  Still she couldn't see where they were coming from.

"M-My name is D-D-Dr. Ella R-Raeheart," she replied, gripping the tablet tight.  "I... I'm looking for someone.  A young girl."

"What do you want with her?" yet another voice asked, though this one sounded more curious than anything.

How many people are down here?  Ella thought as she desperately felt around for the flashlight.  "D-Do you know where she is, then?" she called into the darkness.  "Do you know where I can find her?"

"That depends," came the first voice, sounding much closer now.

"On what?" Ella asked, as her hand finally closed on the cool metal of the flashlight.  She grasped it, turned it on, and nearly had a heart attack when she saw the four green figures standing just feet away from her in the tunnel.

"On what you plan on doing with her," the lead figure said, and Ella bit back a scream.

Chapter Text

These people - these creatures - they were unlike anything Ella had ever seen before in her life.  Each stood over five feet tall, and green from head to foot.  They all wore a mask over their faces, each bearing a different color.  They weren't human, they couldn't be.  And yet, they stood on two legs, each glowering at her, and they had spoken.  "What... are you?" she wondered aloud.

"We'll ask the questions," said the lead figure, the one in a blue mask.  He stepped closer, and Ella stumbled back.  "What do you want with the girl?"

"I-I'm part of the group that created her," Ella replied.

"Created?" echoed the purple masked one.  "What do you mean?"

"It's... a long story," Ella said.  "Do you know where she is?  I need to find her."

Another creature stepped forward, this one wearing orange.  "What do you want with her?"

"She's in danger," Ella replied, her initial fear beginning to wear off.  She was sure these creatures knew something about 13.  "Others are looking for her.  If they find her, she'll either be captured or... or killed."  The creatures shared a look.  "Please," Ella said pleadingly.  "If you take me to her, I can help."

"What do you know about her?" asked the blue masked one.  "Can you tell us who she is?  Where she came from?"

Ella nodded earnestly, hope building.  "If you take me to her, I'll tell you everything you want to know.  I swear."

He regarded her for a moment before stepping back to huddle with the others.  Ella could hear them murmuring to each other, but couldn't make anything out.  Finally, he looked back at her.  "Alright," he said.  "We'll take you to her.  Come on."  

He turned and started walking down the tunnel, the creature in red walking beside him.  The other two hung back, and fell into step behind Ella as she followed the first two.  They led her through the dark in silence, and she was too afraid of angering them to speak herself.

Finally, they came to a heavy door.  The creatures in front of her pushed it open, and Ella shielded her eyes from the sudden burst of light inside.  As her eyes adjusted, she took in the wide, open room, filled with all manner of strange things.  A wall of screens and monitors.  Equipment that appeared to be Japanese style weapons.  Bits and bobs everywhere that made the room look like a hoard of children - no, teenagers -  lived there.  

Now that she could see properly, she realized the creatures appeared to be enormous turtles, their shells unmistakable.  The ones in front of her stopped, and Blue Turtle bowed to someone in front of him, talking softly.  Ella peered around him and saw the biggest rat she had ever seen, wearing a robe and leaning on a walking stick.  After the giant turtles, it seemed oddly underwhelming to her, but still a shock when the rat looked directly at her and spoke.  "Dr. Raeheart, is it?"

Ella stammered, trying to think of what to say, when the turtle behind her - Orange Turtle - brushed past.  He passed the others, passed the rat, and went to stand by some other figures Ella had not noticed before.  A redheaded woman who looked concerned, a tall, scary looking man who leaned against the wall, idly tapping a hockey stick on the ground as he frowned at her, and... Ella had to do a double take.  "13!" she exclaimed, forgetting the turtles, the rat, and anything else to rush forward.  Orange Turtle moved forward, blocking her, but Ella could still see the girl, was still elated she was alright.  And yet...

As Ella looked at her, she realized that something had changed.  Gone was the simple black clothing issued by the lab, though the tracking collar still remained.  She was now clad in black leggings, a dark green cropped shirt emblazoned with sea turtles, and black and green sneakers.  Her auburn hair was still wild, but had grown from the short cut she had had at the lab, and was half pulled up with a green tie. 

 But it wasn't just her appearance.  Gone, also, was 13's usual stiff stance.  Ella was so used to seeing the girl straight-backed and rigid.  This girl stood with her feet apart, her shoulders hunched slightly, arms crossed, head slightly tilted.  The redheaded woman had moved closer, placing a hand on 13's shoulder, and 13 seemed to lean slightly into the touch, as if for reassurance.  

She seemed... normal.  Like any other teenage girl, shy and afraid and nervous, but also curious.  As Ella met her gaze, the girl's brow furrowed, her violet eyes flicking from her to the woman beside her. It was so... human. "What... What happened to you?"  Ella said out loud.

"That is what we would like to know," said the rat, and Ella spun around, suddenly remembering him.  "Dr. Raeheart, my son tells me that you know our young Kacey.  We would be grateful to know anything you can tell us about her."

"Kacey?" Ella repeated.  "Who's Kacey?"

The rat motioned to 13, who gave a shy little wave of her hand, surprising Ella again with how utterly normal the gesture seemed.  "My apologies," the rat said.  "I realize you probably know her by a different name.  Kacey is what we have called her.  Courtesy of my youngest son, Michelangelo."  The turtle standing by 13 stood a little taller.  "She came to us, knowing nothing of her past, all memory wiped clean from her mind.  We have tried to help her regain it, but with little success.  Perhaps, you may shed some light on the subject."

Ella looked at him dumbly.  Kacey?  No memory?  What was happening?  "Uh..." she choked out in her confusion, "She... She doesn't have a name.  She's always been called KC13."  A hushed look went through the room.

"No name?" Purple Turtle asked.  "Why wouldn't she have a name?"

"Because she was cloned," Ella replied honestly, and the room went silent.  Glancing around, Ella saw that 13's eyes had gone wide, her mouth open in surprise.

"Perhaps," the rat said finally, his voice careful, "we should have a seat."

The next few hours were spent on introductions - Ella learned the rat was called Splinter, and the two other humans April and Casey, but she figured it might be a while before she would really get the turtle's names straight - and explanations.  Splinter told Ella about how they had taken 13 in, her struggles to remember the past, and her loose grip on the strange power she had.  

In return, Ella kept her promise to Blue Turtle - Leonardo? - and told them everything, starting with how 13 had been cloned and mutated.  She told them about her powers, about the plan and training to make her a supersoldier, about the torturous experiment that had led to her escaping through some sort of portal.

As she talked, the others listened intently, and Ella couldn't help but notice how nearly all of them had moved to surround 13, as if they all wanted to protect her from her own dark past.  The one she was pretty sure was Michelangelo was seated beside 13 on the worn sofa, his posture deceptively relaxed, but his arm defensively around her shoulders.  Another turtle - Donald?  No, Donatello - sat on her other side, and appeared to be taking notes on everything Ella said.  Leonardo perched on the arm of the sofa beside him, watching her every move, as if expecting a sudden attack.  Splinter the rat had settled into a chair to the left of the sofa, but sat stiffly, as though ready to rise at any moment.  Even the two other humans, April and Casey, had put themselves between 13 and the doctor.  April sat cross-legged on the floor by 13's feet, and Casey stood at the opposite end of the sofa from Leonardo, looking like a bodyguard.  

The more Ella spoke, the more the others seemed to be troubled, even outraged, by what she was saying.  Only the red masked turtle, Raphael, stood away from the girl, behind the sofa, his arms crossed over his chest and his face unreadable.

Ella finally told the group about Dr. Rook's plan to send a new clone, KC14, after 13, to either eliminate her or bring her back for further training.  "I can't let that happen," she said finally.  "It's bad enough they even created 14 without telling me, but to turn 13-"

"Kacey," Michelangelo corrected her.  "Her name is Kacey."

Ella nodded.  "To turn Kacey into a copy of him?"  She shook her head, remembering the boy's face, so familiar to her, save for the green eyes.  "He was like a machine.  There was nothing human about him.  Nothing at all."

"But he's like me," Kacey said, the first time Ella had heard her speak since arriving.  Ella noticed that even her voice had lost the rigid tone it had always had; she sounded more relaxed and casual, even with the edge of caution.  She looked at the doctor as heads turned to look at her.  "He's a clone like me.  Right?"

"Well, yes," Ella replied, unused to actually conversing with the girl, but eager to keep her talking.  "You were both cloned from the same boy.  His name was Kaden."

"So," Kacey said, her eyes dark, "I'm no more human than he is.  No different."

Ella's breath caught for a moment.  "No, I didn't mean..."

Kacey stood up, and the entire group seemed to move with her, a tension broken.  "All this time," she said, "all this time, I was hoping to find out that someone missed me.  That I wasn't just some freak.  That I had a... a family waiting for me.  But none of that is true, is it?  I am a freak.  A science experiment.  There's no home for me, no family.  I'm barely even human, just a copy of someone else.  Someone people actually loved."

Tears sparkled in her eyes, and Ella was struck by how young she really looked.  She tried to think of something to say, some way to quell the girl's anger.  But she could think of nothing.  Without another word, Kacey turned away, vaulting over the sofa with ease and heading for the tunnel.  She bumped past Raphael as she went, but didn't stop, even as the others called out to her.  She disappeared into the darkness, and there was a scramble as Michelangelo tried to follow her, calling her name, but Leonardo stopped him.  "I'll go after her," Leo offered.  "Try to talk to her."

"I wanna talk to her," Mikey insisted.  "Did you see her face? She needs me!"  They bickered for a moment, until something entirely unexpected happened.

"I'll go get her," Raphael said, pushing his way between them.  Everyone stared at him incredulously, and, noticing the silence behind him, he turned to look at the group.  "What?"

"You wanna go after her?" Mikey asked, his voice touched with suspicion.  "Why?"

"I got my reasons," was all Raphael said, and he turned to follow Kacey from the lair.

It took him longer than he expected to catch up to her once he got topside.  The kid was definitely faster than she looked.  The pouring rain that had started didn't make it any easier, but eventually he found her, trudging through the alley that led to the street.  Her hair and clothes were soaked, but she didn't seem to care.  Raphael called out to her, but she didn't answer.  She did stop, however, so he walked to join her, taking his time.

To say she was surprised was an understatement.  Kacey would've expected Mikey to follow her, or maybe Leo.  Even Splinter seemed a more likely choice.  But it was Raphael who approached her now, as she blinked raindrops out of her eyes, and Kacey waited to hear what he had to say.  "What do you want?" she asked, not meaning to sound quite so bitter.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, unbothered by the rain as he looked down at her.  "What you said in there.  It ain't true, you know."

Kacey scoffed.  "Not true?" she said.  "How can you even say that?  Of course it is!  I'm a freak!  A clone!  An idea cooked up in some lab by some rich warmongers!"  She turned on her heel, stalking away.

Raphael kept pace with her this time.  "I meant that other stuff," he said.  "The stuff about not havin' a home or a family."

Kacey rolled her eyes.  "What, you mean that other clone?  Yeah, I'm sure my 'twin' will just love catching up while he's trying to kill me."

Raph grabbed her arm, stopping her just before the alley ended.  "I mean my brothers," he said, looking at the ground rather than at her.  "Mikey, Leo, Donnie.  Splinter.  Even April and Casey."

She looked at him, surprised.  "Wh.. What do you mean?"

Now it was his turn to scoff.  "What, are you blind?" he asked.  "You couldn't see how they were all reactin'?  Anybody in that room woulda gladly took a bullet for you.  Shell, Mikey almost did."  She tried to turn away, but he held fast to her.  "Listen to me," he snapped, but he wasn't angry.  Rather, insistent.  "Mikey brought you here.  He don't leave your side.  Splinter offered you help, he trains you, treats you just like one of us.  Leo sticks up for you, and that's sayin' somethin'.  Donnie lets you tinker with his work.  April lets you live with her.  And Casey?  If you saw that fight from the outside, you'd know that he was havin' the time of his life watchin' you hold your own.  And every single one of 'em are ready to defend you from anythin'.  They love you, kid.  So before you go sayin' that you don't have a family, just... Think about that."  Finally, he let go of her arm.

As he spoke, Kacey listened, her eyes on the street just ahead of them.  Across it, she watched a little girl splashing in the rain, bouncing a small ball into puddles as her mother looked on.  Watching them, hearing what Raph was saying, she realized he was right.  She hadn't noticed it before, but every one of them cared about her.  Just as much as they cared about each other.  And she loved each of them in return.  

"I don't deserve them," she said softly, her eyes still on the little girl across the street.  She thought about what she was, a clone brought up in a lab, a copy of someone who had once been like that little girl, something she had never been.  "Why should I have such a family?  I'm... I'm supposed to be a weapon.  I'm supposed to destroy, to hurt people.  What have I ever done to deserve them?"

Raphael started to answer, but the squeal of tires drowned him out.  In that instant, it was as if Kacey's world slowed down, while still moving so, so fast.  In the street, she saw the car as if it were moving in slow motion, its tires spinning over wet pavement.  She saw the little girl, running from her mother's outstretched hand, toward the ball that had bounced into the street.  Kacey was moving before she even thought about it, oblivious to Raphael shouting behind her.

She could feel every drop of rain on her face, feel every beat of her racing heart, the pounding of her feet as she ran, faster than she'd ever run, her eyes on the little girl, now frozen in the headlights of the car that was inching closer with every second.  When Kacey hit her, she could feel the heat coming from the car's engine, feel the trembling from the motor as she drew the girl into her arms.  Too late to move, too slow to jump.

As the bumper struck her, Kacey tucked herself around the child, letting her feet leave the ground even as she felt the crack of bone.  She let momentum take over, clutching the girl to her chest as she rolled once, twice, three times, over the hood of the car - she was vaguely aware of the sound of shattering glass and crunching metal - bouncing off the trunk, and onto the ground.  She twisted, hitting the ground on her back, just as Michelangelo had done when he'd caught her, and used what momentum remained to roll to her feet, ignoring the screaming pain in her legs and side.  Out of the street.  Away from cars.

She managed a final burst of adrenaline to get her to the sidewalk again, where the girl's mother was on them instantly.  She drew the child out of Kacey's arms, and Kacey was grateful for the lessened weight on the rib that she knew was probably broken.  As the mother kissed and hugged her child, thanking Kacey with every breath, Kacey made an effort to smile and welcome her.  Every fiber of her being was in agony, but Kacey was determined not to show it.  Not in front of the girl.

A crowd was forming, and the mother moved away to confront the driver who had almost hit her child.  Kacey felt a tug at her shirt, and she knelt down, fighting the scream of pain that wanted to come out, and smiled at the little girl.  "Are you alright?" she asked, fighting to keep her voice even and happy.  The girl nodded.

"Thank you," the little girl said, and she held out her hands.

Curious, Kacey offered her own, and the child passed her a small toy, a tiny stuffed bear from her pocket.  Kacey stared at it, her throat suddenly tight with tears.  It was such a small token, but Kacey felt honored to have received it.  She blinked her stinging eyes, knowing that crying now would break her resolve, and looked at the girl.  "Thanks," she said earnestly, and the girl gave her a quick hug that made her rib ache, before running back to her mother.

Kacey stayed there, knelt on the pavement, staring at the toy for what felt like eternity, though it couldn't have been more than a few seconds.  Then, a soft whistle from behind her, in the alley, brought her back to reality.  Biting her tongue, Kacey forced herself to stand, dragging herself away from the growing crowd of bystanders, and into the safety of the shadows.  Only then did she let the pain take her, and she collapsed on the spot.  Raphael appeared to catch her, cursing as he did.

"What the shell were you thinkin'?!" he demanded, pulling her further from the prying eyes of the street.  "You coulda been killed!"

Kacey breathed through gritted teeth, trying to put pressure on her wrecked leg without screaming.  "If I didn't," she bit out, "The little girl would've died.  I.. I had to."

Raph looked down at her, bruised and broken, but still determined, and couldn't help letting out a single laugh.  "And that," he said, "right there, is why you belong with this family."  Kacey looked up at him, grateful tears in her eyes, and Raphael scooped her carefully into his arms.  "Now c'mon," he said, heading back to the lair, "let's go see if that Dr. Raeheart knows anythin' about broken bones."

Kacey didn't respond, keeping her thoughts focused instead on the little bear in her hands, her proof that she was more than she had been made to be.

Chapter Text

As Raphael carried Kacey into the lair, they were greeted by a chorus of surprised voices.  He ignored the initial questions and demands, taking his time to carefully set her down on the old sofa.  She'd gone awfully quiet during the descent through the tunnels, and he knew she had to be in a lot of pain.

"Bro, I thought you were just gonna talk to her," Mikey said, leaning over the back of the sofa as Raphael set Kacey down. "What happened?!"

Rolling his eyes, Raph shoved him back.  "I did just talk to her, shellhead," he snapped, obviously irritated.  "And then your girlfriend here decided to run in front of a speeding car."

"She did what?" Mikey asked, stunned.  "Why would she... Wait, she's not my girlfriend!"

"Raphael," Leo cut in.  "What happened?  What do you mean, she ran in front of a car?"

Raphael gave them a rundown of Kacey's clutch rescue of the little girl, accompanied by gasped confirmation from Kacey as Donatello and Dr. Raeheart worked over her, assessing her injuries.

As he finished, April looked over at one of the tv sets.  "Guys, look!"  She turned up the volume as the reporter on the screen was talking.

"-live from the street, I'm here with Marcia Potter, whose little girl was saved by a mysterious young hero in a miraculous rescue just half an hour ago.  Ms. Potter, what can you tell us about the daring young woman?"

The camera panned over, and Kacey saw the mother from before, still clinging to the little girl.  "She came out of nowhere," the mother said.  "One moment, I saw Olivia running for the street, and the next, that girl was there.  She saved my daughter, and then she just... disappeared.  I wish I knew who she was.  I could never thank her enough."

The camera moved back to the reporter.  "We're now cutting to footage recovered from a witness' camera," he said, "showing what was captured of the death-defying save."

The feed cut into a new video, a little grainy and blurred from motion and rain.  As it whipped toward the street, Kacey saw herself, just as she reached the little girl.  They all watched in awed silence as Kacey tumbled up and over the car, tucked tightly around the little girl, Olivia, before bolting for the sidewalk, moving almost inhumanly fast, a blur as the camera tried to keep up.  On the screen, Kacey saw for the first time the massive dent left in the front of the car - a dent, she was sure, would be a perfect fit for her body - and the cracked glass of the windshield where she'd rolled over it.  Kacey reached into her pocket and gave the little stuffed bear a squeeze, trying not to think about how that could have been Olivia's dent instead.

"Nice save, Kace!" Mikey said, ruffling her hair.  "Though you lost some points on the dismount."

"Thanks to this brave individual," the reporter said, cutting back in, "Olivia Potter, age 5, sustained no injuries, and a mother can rest easy tonight, knowing her child is safe."

"I can't believe you actually just ran in front of a car like that," said Casey Jones, switching off the set as the news shifted to weather.

"I couldn't just let her get hit," Kacey said indignantly, followed by a sharp yelp as one of her caretakers pressed too hard on her ribs.

"'Course not," he agreed.  "But you got that power, right?  You coulda just pushed her out of the way with your mind, or stopped the car or somethin'.  Saved her without almost killin' yourself."

Kacey grimaced, realizing he was right.  "I didn't think about that," she said.  "I didn't have time to think.  It all happened so fast."

"It's lucky for that little girl that you were there," Donnie said, rummaging through his oversized first aid kit.  "Things could've ended very badly if you weren't."

"That's right," April added.  "Not many people would be willing to risk their lives like that.

"Oh, I doubt the car could've killed Kacey," Ella said passively.  Every gaze snapped toward her as she looked around. "Trust me, Kacey has had much worse injuries than a cracked rib and fractured leg before.  She's very resilient.  In fact, these injuries will probably be completely healed in a few days."

"Really?" Mikey asked.  "So, what, Kacey has, like, super healing?"

"Well, I don't know about 'super'," Ella replied earnestly.  "But it's absolutely better than a normal human's.  For example, she broke her arm during one exercise last year.  A clean break.  Just a week later, it was little more than a fracture."

"That would explain how that cut on her shoulder healed so quickly," Leonardo said thoughtfully.  "But then, why was she out cold for so long?"

"Out cold?" Ella repeated.  "What do you mean?"

Leo explained what had happened just a few days ago, telling her about Kacey losing control of her powers and then losing consciousness.  As he spoke, Ella listened intently, while Mikey held Kacey still as Donnie splinted her leg.

"So that's what triggered it..." she said softly.

"Triggered what?"  Leo asked.

"A few days ago, we got a ping off of Kacey's neurotracker," Ella explained.  "Until then, we hadn't gotten one signal from it.  Not since she escaped the lab through that strange portal thing.  An outburst of her powers like you described must have been enough to get it working again."

Donnie had looked up from wrapping Kacey's ribs.  "Wait a minute," he said, his eyes wide.  "Did you say tracker?  That's how you found her down here?  Kacey's wearing a tracker?"

Ella looked over at him.  "The black collar," she said, pointing to Kacey's throat.  Kacey's hand went to touch it.  "It's a sensor, wired directly to her nervous system.  The silver clasp houses a microchip that keeps records of her vital signs and brain waves.  We used it to monitor her powers.  It also emits a signal that we can track from almost anywhere.  But it was damaged when she escaped.  Overloaded, most likely."

"But it's working now," Leo said, his face darkening with concern as realization kicked in.  "You used it to find her here."

"Which means your boss can find her, too," Donnie concluded.

"I have to get away from here," Kacey said worriedly, trying to sit up with a grimace of pain.  "I can't lead them here."

"No no no," Ella said quickly as Donatello and Michelangelo forced Kacey to stay put.  "The signal we got from the tracker was still very weak.  The technical team could only triangulate it to a five block radius, and even then it was fuzzy." She went to her brown shoulder bag, and pulled out the small tablet.  "When I found out what Rook was planning, I took this to track Kacey myself.  I hacked Rook's laptop and downloaded copies of everything I could find.  Then I rewrote the code for the tracking program so that it would randomize, but never actually track her signal.  So for them, it will just appear as if she keeps changing locations.  Maybe they'll just assume she's doing that teleporting thing again."

"How d'ya know so much about the tracker?"  Raphael asked.

"Because I designed it," Ella replied, a proud touch to her voice.

Donnie finished patching Kacey up.  As she laid back with a sigh of relief, he stood and turned to the doctor.  "What happens if they figure out that the program was tampered with?  Is there a way to remove the tracker?  Disable it, or even destroy it?  Then no one could track her."

Ella nodded.  "I was planning to disable it after I found her.  By the time they figured out they were on a wild goose chase, there would be no way to track her.  I wasn't expecting all of this," she motioned around her, "to distract me.  But now I can go to work on it.  I just need to assess the current damage to it, but we'll be able to destroy it."  She looked over at Kacey, and saw that she had passed out, probably exhausted from the day, the rescue, and her injuries.  "I suppose it can wait until tomorrow, though."

"If she doesn't spend another two days sleeping," said Michelangelo, laying a blanket over Kacey.

"Oh," Ella said, remembering what they had said earlier about Kacey being unconscious after using her powers.  "That?  That was just Kacey recharging."

"What do you mean?" Mikey asked, looking at her.

"Kacey's powers," Ella explained, "especially her telekinesis, are derived from energy. She harnesses and manipulates her own energy to generate them.  And the stronger her attacks, the more energy she uses up.  Sometimes during tests, when she had to use her powers too much over a short period of time, it would drain her.  We developed a stasis chamber where she would be treated with a special gas that helped her rebuild her energy faster, usually overnight.  Without that, it makes sense that she needed to rest longer."

"You've really spent a lot of time takin' care of her, huh Doc?" Casey asked.

Ella looked at the sleeping Kacey and sighed.  "I probably know her better than anyone else at that lab."

"You don't strike me as the kind of person who would be involved with making a weapon," Donatello noted.  "You even made the decision to abandon your team when you saw what they did with that other clone.  So why spend so long working with Kacey?"

Looking down at Kacey, watching her peaceful face, so young, so innocent, yet still so familiar, Ella spoke without thinking.  "Because the boy she was cloned from was my son."

"What?!" came an outraged cry from several of them; Kacey shifted.

"You mean you signed up your own kid to become a weapon?" Casey asked incredulously.

"No!" Ella said, her tone hushed but urgent.  "It wasn't like that-"

"Why would you wanna clone your own son?" Raphael demanded.  "'Specially knowing what the clone would be used for?"

"You don't understand-," Ella pleaded.

"You knew what Kacey was being trained for, and you stuck around?" Leo asked.

Ella was on the verge of tears, when Master Splinter spoke up for the first time since Raphael and Kacey had returned.  "Enough," he ordered, his voice carrying through the dojo.  "It is not wise to pass judgement before knowing the whole story. Let her speak, my sons."  He looked to the doctor, and motioned for her to explain.

Ella still looked miserable, but she gave him a grateful look as the others settled down, although they still looked disgruntled at this new twist.  "You have to realize," Ella said quietly, her voice thick, "that Kryonix wasn't always interested in making weapons.  The company started out using genetic research to find ways to save lives.  We wanted to help people.  The cloning program was meant to find a way to do just that.  All of the adult volunteers we used were first responders.  Paramedics, firefighters, police officers.  People who save lives by putting their own on the line."  

She paused, and she knew that they, like her, were thinking about how Kacey had done just that.  "Our original goal was to create a new wave of first responders.  Clones that had all the skill, all the know-how of their hosts, but were stronger, faster, more capable.  We could have doubled the number of heroes out there saving lives, only these new heroes would have an advantage.  Along with being first responders, all of the volunteers had some kind of ability that set them apart.  They were all metahumans, each one with a natural genetic mutation that gave them some kind of power.  They all volunteered willingly, so long as we didn't share their secrets with the world, and none of them were harmed."

"So when did the program turn into making a weapon?" Donatello asked.

"Our benefactor, Lu Ten Takanashi, saw our work with the cloning program, and he saw potential in the super powered clones.  He demanded that we try to push the mutations even further.  Introduce the clones to mutagen, try to bring on new powers.  Unfortunately, it only caused the adult clones to break down.  Their bodies couldn't handle the change.  We needed a new subject.  A younger one.  One whose growing body could adapt to the changes."  She took a deep breath as she thought back to times she had tried so hard to forget.  "Of course, no parent really wants their child to be part of some experiment.  So we hit a wall.  Until I learned that the illness my son was battling was winning.  He wouldn't have long, and he told me that he wanted me to tell Dr. Rook that we could use his blood, his DNA, to work on our experiments."

"What good would that do?"  Casey asked.  "I mean, no offense, but why would a sick kid be any use?"

"Because Kaden had telekinetic powers," Ella replied.  "He could move things with his mind.  He wanted to help me, to help Kryonix, so we could save lives.  He wasn't going to live much longer.  And... And I wanted to keep something of my little boy alive, I suppose.  So we took his blood.  Made the clone.  And Kacey was the result.  Well, her and 14."  Another pause as she took a moment to staunch her renewed anger at being lied to.  "Anyway, when Kacey was 'born', she already had Kaden's abilities.  When she responded well to the first few rounds of mutagen exposure - some of which was derived from the DNA of earlier subjects, which is where some of her other abilities came from - Dr. Rook decided she would be far more useful as a soldier than as a hero.  Takanashi agreed with him, of course.  At that point, I couldn't leave her there alone.  I had already lost Kaden.  I couldn't lose her, too."

"You stayed to protect her," Splinter said, a statement rather than a question.

Ella nodded.  "I knew she wasn't my Kaden.  But she was all I had left of him.  I had to stay.  I did everything I could to keep Rook from pushing her too hard."  She looked again at Kacey.  "I should have left.  I should have found a way to get her out.  She deserved to be a normal kid.  She deserved a home.  A family."

"She's got all that right here," Raphael said.  Ella stared at him in surprise, as did the others.

"Raphael is right," Splinter said.  "This will always be a home for Kacey."

"She's as normal as any of us," Donnie agreed.

"We're her family now," Leo added.

"And now she's got you, too," Mike said, grinning.  "You're pretty much her mom.  She'll be thrilled!"

"Oh no," Ella said softly.  "Please, don't tell her about this.  At least, not yet.  I want to tell her myself, when the time is right.  With everything else she's learned about herself today, I want this to come from me."

The others all agreed to keep the secret.  Little did they know, however, that Kacey had a secret of her own.  Though her eyes were still closed, her breathing slow and even, appearing for all the world to be asleep... Kacey was wide awake.  She had heard every word.  She stayed quiet, though, turning this new information over in her mind until she actually exhausted herself thinking.  When she finally fell asleep, she dreamed of a little boy with her face, who expected her to do great things.

Chapter Text

When Kacey awoke, she was surprised to find the lair nearly silent.  As she sat up, she winced, a hand going to the tight wrap on her rib cage.  "Still hurtin', huh?" a voice asked, startling her.  Looking around, she saw that Casey Jones was seated nearby, his feet propped up on a low table.

"Yeah," she replied.  "A bit."

"The Doc said you'd probably need at least a few days to heal," Casey said.  "Apparently, even your freaky fast healin' takes its time with broken bones."

"Fractured," Kacey corrected, shifting to place her feet on the floor.  Looking up, she saw that the largest tv was showing a bunch of men playing a game of some sort, whizzing back and forth on skates as they all chased a small black disk across a field of ice.  The volume was turned low, just a dull murmur.  Glancing around, she found that she and Casey were the only ones around to watch.  "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, well, Donnie and Doc Raeheart are off doin' some science-y things," Casey replied, half focused on the tv.  "Doc did some scan while you were sleepin', and I guess she found out that tracker thing is more damaged than she thought, so she and Don are workin' out a way to get it off without, y'know, zapping you or somethin'."  He paused, noticing that she had reached up to touch the black collar around her neck.  "Don't sweat it, Tinkerbell," he said.  "Don's the smartest guy I know.  If anyone can help the Doc figure it out, he can."

Kacey brushed the little silver clasp, trying not to worry about the idea of having a beacon, broken or otherwise, leading the enemy right to her friends around her neck.  She let her hand drop into her lap anyway.  "Okay, so what about the others?"

"April's at work," Casey continued.  "She said that story about the 'mystery hero' who saved that kid is all anybody's talkin' about today."  Kacey's cheeks reddened slightly, and he grinned.  "And Leo, Raph, and Mikey decided to head out and do some recon on that Kryonix base, and Splinter-"

"What?!" Kacey yelped, her violet eyes wide.  "They went WHERE?"  She jumped up, and immediately regretted it as her splinted leg gave a painful twang.  Still, she was too wired to worry about it.  "They can't go there!  They'll have security.  And that other clone might find them!  If they get caught..."

"Hey, hey, hey," Casey said, rising to his feet.  "They'll be fine, Tink," he promised her, trying unsuccessfully to get her to sit back down.  "They do this kinda thing all the time.  They won't get caught.  They just wanted to know a little more about the setup, see if they could find any weak spots.  Maybe see if the Doc's little trick with the tracking thing is workin'."

"I could've gone with them," Kacey said, chewing her lip.  "Maybe I could still catch them."  She took a few limping steps toward the door before Casey blocked her way.

"Whoa, take it easy, Tink," he said.  "They didn't take you with 'em 'cause your leg is still messed up.  Not to mention, they were worried that gettin' any closer would let 'em pick up the real signal from that lojack on your neck.  Just relax.  If they do run into any trouble, they'll call for backup."  He motioned to her Shell Cell, hanging from her belt.  "Everything's gonna be fine.  Just sit back and chill.  You're supposed to be restin', anyway."

Kacey sighed, her shoulders drooping.  She hated the thought of her friends out there, risking getting caught for her.  She wanted to be doing something, to be helping somehow, but it seemed like there was nothing she could do.

Casey watched her, feeling awkward, but understanding that look of disappointment on her face.  He'd been stuck on the sidelines before.  He knew it sucked.  He tried to think of something he could do, something to keep her busy.  "Hey," he said, getting an idea.  "How bad is that leg hurtin'?"

Kacey cocked her head, raising an eyebrow.  "It's not so bad, I guess..." she said curiously.  "Why?"

"Come on," was all he said, and he led her to the surface, keeping the pace slow.

Kacey followed him, wondering what he was up to as they emerged in the warehouse on street level. The sun was bright outside, and Kacey had a moment of panic, thinking about the turtles getting close to the lab base in the daylight before Casey distracted her.

"How 'bout a ridin' lesson?" he asked, motioning to his motorcycle, left parked in a corner.

Kacey stared at it in both confusion and admiration. It was an impressive machine, and she would love to learn how to use it, but she was curious why Casey would offer teach her. "I thought you didn't like me?" she asked, the words slipping out before she could stop them. "Why would you want to trust me with your bike?"

"Ah, yeah, well," Casey muttered, shrugging. "I didn't, at first, I guess. I kinda just thought you were trouble. 'Specially when you kept losing control of those powers of yours. I wasn't alone, though. Raph didn't trust you, either."

"Yeah, I figured that much out on my own," Kacey said glumly.

"Don't take it too personal, Tinkerbell," Casey said, not wanting her to feel bad. "He just didn't want his brothers to get hurt. Besides, I think he's cool with you now. I know I am."

"Why is that?" Kacey asked. She reached out a hand, running it over the smooth chrome of the bike.

"Because of what happened with Mikey," Casey replied, and he raised a hand defensively as her gaze snapped to him. "Hear me out. While you were out cold, the guys had a big fight over what to do when you woke up."

"They did?"

He nodded. "Raph wanted to throw you out. Mikey tried to tell him it wasn't your fault, but he didn't care. They had a huge argument about whether or not you were too dangerous to have around. And," he added, looking a bit ashamed, "I gotta admit, I was on Raph's side. At least until Leo pointed out that you hadn't hurt Mikey, just the guys that jumped you."

Kacey looked at the ground, remembering Leo telling her the same thing. "I didn't want to hurt Mikey. I couldn't have hurt him. I was just trying to save him."

"And that's what tipped the scales," Casey said, watching her, starting to wonder if he should've told her all this. "Raph and I realized that you weren't as bad as we thought. And, of course, it helps that April loves havin' you around." He gave a chuckle. "She said it's like havin' a kid sister around or somethin'." She smiled at that, and Casey felt better about telling her the truth. "I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to be a little nicer," he admitted. "So, since you got nothin' better to do today, I thought you might like to try somethin' new." He again motioned to the bike. "If you're up for it."

Kacey looked at the bike, then back to him, as her smile grew. "Where do we start?"

"Hop on," Casey said, returning the smile. "We got a lot o' work to do."

For the next hour or so, Kacey listened intently as Casey Jones told her everything she needed to know about riding. He sat her on the bike, and drilled her on finding the throttle, the brakes, the ignition, again and again until she knew exactly where everything was without hesitating. He made sure to instruct her on how to balance and shift her weight through a turn, how to stop, how to park. He didn't actually let her drive it just yet, though.

"You're still hurt," he said when she asked. "Last thing I need is you flippin' over and breakin' even more bones." She was understanding, but obviously disappointed. "Tell you what, though," he added, plucking a shiny black helmet from the back of the bike. "You put this on, and I'll take you for a little spin. See how you do as a passenger. And maybe next time you can ride on your own."

Kacey grinned excitedly, grabbing the helmet in an instant. She pulled it on as she scooted back on the seat. When the bike roared to life beneath them, Kacey hung onto the back of his shirt.

"You ready?" Casey asked over the loud purr.

"As I'll ever be," Kacey replied, and she cried out as he pulled onto the street, veering between cars as they picked up speed.

It wasn't quite as thrilling as leaping rooftops with Michelangelo, but Kacey still found herself laughing, loving every moment of the ride. She didn't say so, but she deeply hoped that she would get her chance to ride alone soon.

Casey took them around a few blocks, a meandering path that made plenty of twists and turns, before finally pulling back into the warehouse. Just as Kacey was pulling off the helmet, a voice called out.

"Casey?!"

"What?" Both Kacey and Casey Jones said, looking up as the three turtle brothers came into the warehouse.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked, looking back and forth between them before settling on Casey. "She got hit by a car last night, and you took her for a joyride?"

Casey shrugged. "She needed somethin' to do. You guys left her on the bench. 'Sides, she had a helmet on.  April woulda killed me if she didn't."

Kacey wasn't listening to their squabble, though. She had thrown her arms around Mikey, overjoyed to see that they were alright. "You're okay!" she cried.

"'Course we are, girl," Mikey said, laughing as he hugged her back. "Why wouldn't we be?" Suddenly, she pulled away, reeled back a fist, and socked him as hard as she could in the chest. "Ouch!" he yelped, stumbling back. "What was that for?"

"How could you go after Kryonix like that?!" Kacey yelled, not just at Mikey, but at all three brothers. Her brief distraction from her worry had given way, and now all she felt was anger. "They could have seen you! With all the tests with mutagen they did on me and that other clone, what do you think they'd have done if they caught you? And going during the day? What were you thinking?!"

"Ah," Leo said, interrupting her rant. "See, that's where we had a secret weapon." He held something up, and it took Kacey a moment to recognize the parabolic mic she had helped Donatello fix a while back. "The base is by the docks. Plenty of places to hide. We heard everything they said, and we never got close enough to be spotted."

"Yeah!" Mikey chimed in. "We were totally like super spies!"

Kacey let out a sigh. "Alright, fine," she said. "Just... please don't run off like that again. I don't want you guys getting hurt for me."

"Deal," Leo said with a nod. "As long as you promise no more joyrides when you're supposed to be healing."

Kacey smiled. "Deal."

"Alright," Leo said. "Let's get down to the lair. We'll let you know what we found out." He led them back to the elevator.

Kacey started to follow, limping worse now as the pain began to flare in her leg. Mikey moved ahead of her, offering a hand. "Need a lift?"

"Thanks," she said gratefully, taking it.

"Anytime," he replied, scooping her up before following his brother.  "When your legs don't wanna work right, just call a Turtle Taxi."

"So," she heard Raph say behind them, "she any good with the bike?"

"Definitely," Casey replied. "Kid's a natural."

Kacey smiled to herself as they descended to the lair.

Chapter Text

"Ah, there you are," Donatello said as his brothers and friends entered the lair.  "I was looking for you, Kacey."

"What d'ya need?" Casey Jones asked, bringing up the rear.

"Not you, Casey," Donnie said, approaching Kacey as Michelangelo set her down.  "I wanted to check how your injuries are doing.  And tell you that I think Dr. Raeheart and I have found a way to get that tracker off of you."

"That's great," Kacey said as she sat down to let Donnie check her over.  "The sooner I get this homing beacon off my neck, the better."

"Actually," Leo cut in, "we might not even have to worry that much about the tracker."  He set the parabolic mic on Donnie's worktable.  "Your mic worked like a charm.  We could hear everything the lab techs were saying.  And it sounds like they don't have a clue where Kacey is right now.  Dr. Raeheart's bug in the program is keeping them all mixed up."

"They haven't figured it out yet," Ella Raeheart said as she joined them.  "That's good news.  If they didn't figure it out by now, it'll probably take them a while to correct the problem."  She looked at Kacey as Donnie was finishing his examination.  "By then, we'll have the neurotracker destroyed."

"Let's do it, then," Raphael urged.  "Sooner we get rid o' that thing, the better."

"Hang on a second," Donnie said.  "It's going to take a while to actually get the tracker off before we can smash it."

"Why's that?" Mikey asked.

"Because," Ella explained, "the collar is far more damaged than I had anticipated.  Trying to disable it with the automatic shut down code would likely result in an overload."

"And since the collar is wired directly into Kacey's nervous system," Donnie added, "an overload could seriously injure her.  She could be paralyzed, or worse.  She might be able to heal cuts and broken bones quickly, but a damaged nervous system?  Not likely."

"So, if we can't shut it down automatically," Kacey asked, "how do we get it off?"

"We have to sever the connections one at a time," Donnie replied.  "I was able to help Dr. Raeheart rewrite the code for the automatic shut down so that we can isolate each connection individually instead."

"How many connections are there?" Casey asked.

"Hundreds," Ella answered.

"So it's going to take a while," Donnie added.  "Even with both Dr. Raeheart and myself disconnecting them."

"Then we'd better get started," Kacey said eagerly.

"Yes," Ella agreed.  "There's no better time than the present.  I'll go get things ready."

She headed toward Donnie's workroom, while Donnie stayed behind to finish fitting Kacey's leg with a brace.  "You know," he said, while the others dissipated, "this will take a few hours, at least."

Kacey shrugged.  "I don't mind.  It's worth it to get this thing off."  She touched the black collar with a frown.

Donnie nodded.  "I only mention it," he said in an undertone, "because it might be a good time to talk to Dr. Raeheart about what you heard last night while you were pretending to be asleep."

Kacey's eyes flew wide in surprise.  "You knew I was awake?"

He smiled.  "Mikey tried to fool Master Splinter all the time when we were kids. Your breathing was too forced, and the rhythm was disrupted.  A classic sign of someone feigning sleep."

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop," Kacey sighed.  "I was just trying to fall back asleep after everyone yelled.  But then I heard what she was saying, and I couldn't help but listen."

"I understand," Donnie said, helping her up.  "I just think you should tell Dr. Raeheart what you know.  It might do both of you some good to talk about it."  Kacey didn't answer as he helped her to his workroom, and Donnie didn't bring it up again.  "Have a seat," he said, motioning to a chair.  "Like I said, you'll be here a while, so get comfortable."

Kacey sat down, and Dr. Raeheart approached her, connecting sensors to the silver clasp of her collar. Behind her, Donnie took his place in front of his computer.  "Just relax," Ella said.  "We'll get the tracker off soon enough."

As the doctor started tapping away on her tablet, Kacey watched her, thinking about what Donnie had said.  She didn't know exactly how to bring up her eavesdropping, so she settled for an easier topic.  "Thank you for helping me," she said softly.

Ella paused for a moment to look at her.  It was still so surreal to hear KC13, Kacey, sound so normal.  "You're welcome," she said finally, going back to her tapping and typing.  "Your friend there is very bright.  I don't know if I would've been able to rewrite the shut down program on my own in time to be useful.  It's rather lucky you stumbled across these turtles."

Kacey smiled, looking over her shoulder at Donnie, typing away as he disabled connections.  "Yeah," she said, "it is.  Although, to be honest, it was more like the turtles stumbled across me."  She told the doctor about how Michelangelo had rescued her, and later brought her to meet his family.  She told her everything that had happened in the weeks since then, about training with the turtles, living with April, learning to meditate to try and regain her memory, and even about losing control over her powers several times.  "I've been so scared to use my powers willingly," Kacey admitted.  "The last thing I want to do is hurt any of them by accident.  Not again."

Again, Ella paused in her work, watching Kacey in awe.  Never before had she seen such emotion on the girl's face, never had she heard her express remorse for her actions.  "You know," she said, reaching out to lay a hand on Kacey's shoulder, "I could help you with that.  Controlling those powers, I mean."

"Really?" Kacey asked, looking up at her hopefully.

"Of course," Ella replied, unable to resist a smile.  "After all, I was there when you had to learn to control them at the lab.  And, of course," she added without thinking, "I had to help Kad-" she faltered, catching herself.

Kacey looked at her, deciding this was as good a time as any.  "You... had to help Kaden learn to use his powers?" she finished for her.  Ella stared at her, wide eyed, nearly dropping her tablet.  Kacey looked at the floor, her cheeks flushing.  "I'm sorry," she said softly.  "I heard what you said last night.  About Kaden being... your son."

Ella sat frozen for a moment, then blinked, looking away.  "I shouldn't have tried to keep it a secret," she admitted.  "And, for what it's worth, it wasn't a secret before.  At the lab, everyone knew about Kaden.  Even you.  But you were so different then.  So...  Robotic.  I never imagined you could be like this." She motioned toward Kacey.

"Like what?" Kacey said, looking down at herself.  Was something wrong with the way she was?

"Like that," Ella said, gesturing to Kacey's concerned face.  "Worried about opinions.  Thinking about others.  Acting without orders, making friends, apologizing for your actions.  So... normal."

"Normal?" Kacey asked, incredulous.  "Me?"

"Well, yes," Ella replied, continuing her work on the tablet.  "The girl you were before, the experiment in the lab.  She never would have run out to save that child.  Not without direct orders, at least.  She wouldn't have made friends with these turtles.  She wouldn't be trying to protect them."  She shook her head.  "I always wished you could be a normal kid.  Like Kaden was."

"What was he like?" Kacey found herself asking.

Ella smiled sadly.  "He was such a sweet boy.  Always worried about how others were doing.  Always looking out for everyone else."

"Sounds familiar," Donnie said absently from behind his screen.

"Yes," Ella mused.  "It does seem like you've become quite similar to Kaden.  I would love to learn more about you, if you'd be willing to share."

Kacey smiled.  "What would you like to know?"

Ella looked at her, a million questions on the tip of her tongue.  "Do you have a favorite color?" was the one that slipped out first.

"I'm pretty fond of the color green," Kacey replied.  She didn't say that the reason was because of the mask Michelangelo had given her.

Ella smiled softly.  "Green.  I'll keep that in mind."

And so, Kacey and the young doctor kept up a conversation while Ella and Donnie worked on the tracker.  Ella asked her questions, and Kacey answered, before asking questions of her own.

Kacey told Ella all about herself, the interests and hobbies she had come to enjoy, most of them courtesy of Michelangelo; Comic books, video games, skateboarding, and, most surprising to the doctor, horror movies, especially science fiction ones.  She told Ella about her time staying with April, about all the fascinating things she had seen and learned about from helping in the junk shop, like the book full of interesting facts about all kinds of animals, which had led to her liking sea turtles. "April looks a little like you," Kacey mused, her head tilted thoughtfully. "Maybe thats why I liked her right away."

In return, Ella told Kacey all about the things she couldn't remember, her early life in the lab, things she had said or done during training.  More interesting to Kacey, though, were Ella's stories about Kaden and herself.  Kacey learned that Ella's husband had been in the military, and had been killed in action when Kaden was just a baby.  She learned that, after his loss, Ella had decided to study biology and medicine to discover ways to help save lives, which had led her to Kryonix.  And through it all, Donnie listened, but stayed poignantly quiet, letting them talk, knowing they needed this bond after all that had happened.

Finally, after hours of working, Donnie pushed back from his computer.  "Finally," he said.  "It looks like that was the last one."

"Yes," Ella agreed, doing a final scan with her tablet.  "The collar is no longer connected.  Now I just have to shut down the security function, and..."

There was a tiny click, and Kacey felt the collar loosen.  She reached up, and the collar fell into her hand.  She stared at it, feeling as though she was holding a venomous snake, or a ticking bomb.

"What're you waitin' for?" Raphael asked, he and the others gathering around.  Kacey looked up at him, and he grinned.  "You know you wanna smash it."

Kacey laid the thin black collar on Donnie's worktable.  In one wickedly fast movement, she drew a kunai from her belt and brought it down, right into the silver clasp of the collar.  Sparks flew as the point of the knife drove clean through the metal, burying itself into the table beneath it.  She left it there, taking a step back. "Good riddance," she murmured.

After a moment, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to find Mikey smiling at her.  "Come on," he said.  "I've got snacks and a movie marathon all ready to go."

Kacey's shoulders relaxed, and she returned his smile.  "That sounds good, Mikey," she said.  She glanced back at the remnants of the tracker, which Donnie was already working on extracting from the table to dispose of.  "That sounds really good."

Chapter Text

"Are you sure?" Donatello asked.  "Absolutely sure?"

"Yes!" Kacey trilled.  "Look."  She raised her left foot off the ground and gave a few jumps on her right.  "See?  Totally better!  Doesn't hurt at all."

"Hmm," Donnie hummed, tapping his chin.  "I don't know.  I just want to make sure the fracture is all healed up."

"It's been almost a week!" Kacey grumbled.  "It quit hurting three days ago, Donnie.  I swear, it's all better."

"Maybe a few more jumps?" Leo offered.  "Just to be sure."

Kacey pursed her lips.  "You want jumps?  I'll show you jumps."  She bent low, then sprang up into the air.  She turned over in a somersault, then vaulted up again.  A front flip in midair, and she came down to land right in front of the two brothers.  "See?"

Leonardo and Donatello looked at each other, and started to laugh.  "Kacey," Leo said, "we were just messing with you.  We believe you.  Good form, though."

Kacey looked between them, her eyes hopeful.  "So... does that mean I can come?"

"It could be dangerous," Donnie warned.  "Even with your leg all healed up, who knows what we might run into."

"I can handle it," Kacey promised.  "Please, guys?  I'm dying to get out and do something.  I'm going out of my mind."

"Aw, come on, bros," Michelangelo chimed in, appearing at Kacey's side.  "Let's bring her along.  It'll be fun!"

"Oh, alright," Leo said finally. "She can come topside with us."

"Yes!" Kacey and Mikey cheered.

"I dunno, Leo," Raphael said, though he was smiling.  "You think she can keep up?"

"I'm fast enough to keep up with you," Kacey retorted.

"I'm not the one that got hit by a car," Raph teased.  He laughed as Kacey stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's exactly the kind of thing I want to avoid," Donnie said, rummaging around his worktable.  "So I took the time to put this together."  He surfaced with a board in his hands.  It was similar to Mikey's but shorter, and painted a dark green.

"Whoa!" Kacey gasped as Donnie handed it to her.  "Is this really for me?"

"Of course!" Donnie said, smiling.  "I thought you might like your own transportation.  You'll get to test it after we get topside."

"Last one to the surface buys dinner!" Mikey called, and Kacey laughed as she joined the mad dash for the door.

"Is this even safe?" Dr. Raeheart asked, watching the commotion with a worried look.  "Maybe it's better if Kacey stays here."

"Ah, don't sweat it, Doc," said Casey Jones, swinging his golf bag onto his shoulder.  "Me and the guys'll keep an eye on her.  She'll be fine, promise.  Hey guys, wait up!"  He ran after the others, leaving an unconvinced Dr. Raeheart behind.

Kacey could hardly contain her excitement as she emerged with the others onto street level.  The evening air was cool on her face, and on her arms and legs, left bare in her shorts and tank top.  This was her first real excursion from the lair since she got hit by that car nearly a week prior, aside from going to and from April's place along with Ella, who was staying as a guest in April's house along with Kacey now.  

It was also her very first time joining the turtles on one of their patrols, and she couldn't be more ready, especially with Donnie's new board in her hands.

"Let's get going!" Leo called, leading his brothers to the Battle Shell.

Kacey looked at the truck, but couldn't help feeling disappointed.  "Is it okay if I take the new board instead?" she asked.  "I wanna see what it can do!"

"I don't know, Kacey," Leo replied.  "I don't think you should be going off alone, even with the tracker gone."

Kacey reached up automatically to brush the thin black choker around her neck, a gift from April O'Neil.  Unlike her tracking collar, cold and utilitarian, this one was simply jewelry; supple black leather with a tiny silver turtle shell charm hanging just over the hollow of her throat.  It felt more welcoming than the tracker had, and Kacey had developed a nervous tick of touching it when she got worried.

"Relax, Leo," Casey said, climbing onto his motorcycle.  "You guys take the truck, and I'll ride along with Tinkerbell.  We'll meet up at Central Park."

"Alright," Leonardo said reluctantly, following his brothers onto the truck.  "But call us if anything happens, got it?"

"Sir yes sir," Kacey giggled, giving an exaggerated salute.  As the truck pulled out, she turned to Casey Jones with a devilish grin.  "So," she said, "you feel like a race?"

In reply, Casey smirked and revved the engine, and Kacey set the board on the ground and jumped on.  She brought her foot down on a button near the back, and the board sprang to life, shooting into the night as Kacey whooped with glee.  She looked over her shoulder as Casey barreled after her on his bike, but she was only vaguely aware of him as she was swept up in the feel of the wind in her hair, the city whizzing by in a blur.

"Slow down, kid!" Casey called, but she only laughed.

"Catch me if you can, slowpoke!" Kacey yelled back, as she sped along the streets, bobbing and weaving and having a blast.  Soon, though, she realized she'd completely outrun him, and, reluctantly, she stopped the board, picking it up.  She stood by the street, waiting for Casey to catch up, when something caught her attention.

From the alley behind her, she could hear what sounded like someone calling out.  Curious, she made her way into the shadows, looking around.  As she went deeper, the cries got louder, and she could hear it was someone calling for help.  Her eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, and she could see a figure in the gloom, hunched over like they were hurt.

"Hello?" she called out.  "Are you alright?"  She took another step closer, but paused as the figure turned toward her.  She could see it was a man, and that there was something in his hands, but before she could make out what it was, she heard a faint, metallic click. The sound of a trigger being cocked.  The moonlight glinted off of some kind of gun.  

A trap!

Kacey turned on her heel, jumping back on her board as fast as she could.  She hit the boosters and sped away from the mysterious figure, but just before she got to the mouth of the alley, she heard a bang, followed by a loud whoosh coming toward her, and something slammed into her from behind, knocking her off the board, which bounced away toward the street.  Kacey tried to get back up, but something had encased her, cold metal links that pinned her arms and legs in an iron grip.  

She struggled to break free as the man in the alley came closer to stand over her.  He was tall and broad, dressed head to toe in army camouflage.  He carried a large weapon on his shoulder, the launcher that had fired this net at her.  He stared down at her, his eyes cold and his smile cruel.  He nudged her with the toe of his boot, pushing aside the shoulder of her tank top to find the letters inked there.  KC13.

"And Rook said you'd be difficult to catch," he sneered, and Kacey screamed as he picked her up.

Just a few minutes later, Casey Jones cruised along that same street, going slow as he searched for Kacey.  "Where'd she run off to?" he wondered.  "I was s'posed to stick with her, and I can't even find her.  The guys are gonna kill me."  He was starting to wonder if she'd gone ahead to meet the turtles in Central Park without him, when something glinted in his headlight.  He pulled the bike over and jumped off, running to the opening of a dark alley.  There, on the ground, was Kacey's new board.

Casey picked it up, knowing this couldn't be good, and his head snapped up as a scream reverberated from deep inside the alley.  Kacey's scream.  Pulling his hockey mask over his face, Casey ran into the alley after her.

Kacey screamed and fought as the camouflaged man carried her ever deeper through the twisting alleyways, but it barely hindered him.  He kept her slung over his shoulder like a rug, drawling on as he walked.

"Rook said we'd have to send 14 out after you," he was saying.  "'She's too dangerous to go after ourselves'.  Hah!  When I saw that news story about the 'mysterious hero' that saved a kid from an accident, I knew it had to be you, and I knew you weren't nearly as dangerous as that oaf made you out to be.  14 would never waste his time with such heroics.  I didn't even have to bother him to collect you.  I just had to wait around until one of my drones caught sight of you, and then let you walk right into my trap."  Kacey thrashed violently, kneeing him hard in the chest, and the man dropped her to the ground with a grunt.  "You got a lot of spunk, I'll give you that, kid.  But you won't be getting out of that net."

"Let me go, you big bozo!" she cried, trying desperately to reach the Shell Cell on her belt.

"Hmm," the man hummed, looking down at her.  "Perhaps you're a bit too spirited."  He took something from his pocket and pressed a button.  Instantly, the metal links of the net sparked with electricity, and Kacey screamed as pain arced through her body.  The man watched as she writhed for a moment, until he let go of the button, and she fell silent.  "Now," he said, "are you going to cooperate, or-"

"I'm only gonna say this once, wackbag," a voice called out behind him.  The man turned to see Casey Jones staring him down, hockey stick in hand as he stalked forward.  "Get.  Away.  From.  The girl."

"Casey!" Kacey gasped, then yelped as the army man picked her back up.  "Help me!"

"I assure you," the man called out to Casey, "this is none of your concern.  I am General Fox, and this girl is a fugitive.  I'm simply returning her to where she belongs.  So you can be on your way."

"I don't care who you are," Casey growled.  "I'm gonna give you to the count of ten to get your stinkin' paws off her," He raised his stick.  "One. Two. Ten."  He rushed forward, swinging the stick hard at the man's head, but General Fox was faster.  Without dropping Kacey, he swung around, delivering a brutal roundhouse kick that sent Casey flying.  As he tried to recover, Fox took off, Kacey in tow.

Casey Jones swore, and pulled out his cell.  "Guys, I'm gonna need some backup," he barked.  "Some mook just swiped Tinkerbell!"  He gave the location as he climbed to his feet.

"We're on our way!" Donnie replied.

Casey ran after the General, following Kacey's cries through the winding alley.  When he caught up, the General was running toward a waiting black van, the side door open, surrounded by several camouflaged men, each burly and mean looking.  Casey didn't care, though.  He wound up and lobbed the hockey stick at the General, catching him just behind the knees.  As he went down, Kacey thumped painfully to the ground, still encased in the chain link net.  Casey ran past Fox to her, and he tried to untangle her from the net as Fox rolled back to his feet.

"Stop him!" Fox bellowed, and four men ran forward, circling Casey.

"You clowns wanna dance?!" Casey spat, pulling a bat from his bag.  "Let's dance!"  The men advanced, and Casey swung.  He caught the first in the chest, the next in the stomach.  The others were quick, though.  One slipped behind Jones, dragging Kacey away, while another tackled him, wrestling him for the bat.

"Get the girl in the van," Fox yelled.  "NOW!"

Kacey screamed and fought as the men dragged her toward the sinister looking vehicle.  They had almost succeeded when a dark shape dropped from above, landing right on the man holding her.  "Mikey!" Kacey cried in relief.

"At ease, soldier!"  Michelangelo swung his nunchucks, catching Fox right in the jaw and knocking him aside.  He scooped Kacey up and leapt away from the van.  "We leave you alone for ten minutes and you get snatched up by G.I. Joe?" he said in mock disappointment.

"Little help here!" Casey called between grunts as more men swarmed him.

"Heads up, Casey!"  Three more shapes dropped as the other brothers came down swinging.  In no time, the other army men were out.  "You guys okay?" Leo asked, helping Casey to his feet.

"Thanks for the save, fellas," Casey said, rubbing his head.  "Cut it a little close, though, didn't ya?"

"The Battle Shell is on its way," Donnie reported.  "We left it behind to get here faster."

"Hey, bros," Mikey called, tugging at the metal net around Kacey.  "Can I get some help here?  This thing won't budge!"

"Back away from the girl!" General Fox ordered, getting to his feet.  "She's coming with us."

"She ain't goin' nowhere," Raphael growled.  "So you can just beat it, Rambo."

"Have it your way, then."  Fox pulled the switch from his pocket, pressing the button again.  Once again, electricity arced across the net. This time, it shocked both Kacey and Michelangelo, who still gripped the net attempting to break it.  As their cries rose, the brothers turned, distracted.  Fox took the opportunity to storm them, engaging Donatello first.

Donnie just managed to jump back as Fox swung a fist at him, the switch clutched in his hand.  "We have to get that net off!" he cried out, countering as Fox attacked again.  "Someone get that switch!"

"On it!" Casey yelled, running at Fox from behind.  When Fox blocked a swing from Donnie's bo staff, Casey swung his bat at the general's hand, knocking the switch free.  A swing of Leo's katana, and the switch was split in two.

Instantly, the net quit sparking, and Kacey went limp, shaking.  Mikey went back to trying to break the links, even though his entire body was tingling from the shock.  "It's no good!" he lamented.  "I can't break this thing!"

"Somebody call for a can opener?" Raph said, leaping off a soldier's back to land beside them.  With a couple swipes of his sais, the net was reduced to scrap.  He and Mikey helped pull Kacey out.

Seeing this, Fox swore loudly, and he reached to his belt, pulling out a large gun.  He aimed for the turtles holding the girl, and opened fire.

"Duck!" Mikey cried, as he and Raph leapt behind a dumpster, pulling Kacey with them.  They could hear the metallic bangs and pings as bullets ricocheted off the metal can.  Casey and the other turtles moved to stop Fox, but were blocked by the other soldiers, back with a vengeance.

"That girl is coming with us," Fox roared.  "Turn her over now, and the rest of you can walk away."

"We gotta do something!" Mikey yelled, ducking over Kacey as another wave of bullets hit the dumpster.

"If we move, Captain Warmonger's gonna turn us into swiss cheese," Raph retorted.  "We're sittin' ducks!"

"Maybe not," Kacey said, placing her hands on the cool metal of the dumpster.

"What're you doin'?"  Raph asked, jumping as a bullet skimmed the side of the can, inches from his shell.

"Ella's been teaching me about my powers," Kacey replied, closing her eyes.  "Maybe I can..."  She visualized the dumpster in her mind, willing the invisible force inside her to spread over it.  Taking a deep breath, she concentrated, giving a colossal shove with her mind, as well as with her hands. The big metal can flew forward, smashing right into the surprised General.

"Yeah!" Mikey cheered.  "Now that's what I call taking out the trash!"

"We got her!" Raph called to the others.  "Where's that Battle Shell, Don?"

"It should be here any second!" came Donnie's reply as he knocked out a soldier.

Just then, there came the squeal of tires as the Battle Shell careened around the corner, followed by a loud crunch as it crashed right into the sleek black van, caving in the front of it.  The armoured Battle Shell was left undamaged.

"Guess that'll keep them from following us," Donnie noted.

"Let's get out of here!" Leo called, knocking aside one of the soldiers.  They all ran for the truck as the soldiers tried to regroup.

"NO!" General Fox bellowed, pulling himself out from under the dumpster.  He fired at them as they reached the armored truck.  Kacey paused as the others climbed on and pulled a kunai from her belt, sending it flying at the general.  He cried out as it struck his hand, knocking the gun away. Her eyes flashed, and the blade swerved in midair, flying back into her waiting hand.  "Stop her!"  Behind him, the remaining men raised their weapons.

"You can't bring knives to a gun fight!" Mikey yelped, grabbing Kacey around the waist and hoisting her into the truck.  He pulled the door shut as the soldiers opened fire.  "Get us outta here, Donnie!"

"With pleasure!"  Donnie punched the gas, and everyone on board held on as they shot away from the alley, leaving the angry general and his goons in the dust.  Kacey looked out the back window, watching as her would-be captors vanished into the night.

"You okay, Kacey?" Mikey asked, still holding her around the waist.  She turned and threw her arms around him, shaking as she buried her face against his chest.  Mikey hugged her protectively, looking around at the others.  "Who the shell was that guy?"

"He called himself General Fox," Casey said.  "Said Tinkerbell was a fugitive."

"That's the guy who trained the other clone!" Donatello said from behind the wheel.  "He works for Kryonix!"

"Wait," Mikey started, holding Kacey a little tighter.  "So that means..."

"That means Kryonix came close to capturing Kacey tonight," Leonardo finished for him.  "Too close."  He looked at her, still shaking and close to tears, obviously scared out of her wits.  He thought about how close she'd come to being taken, and he silently cursed himself for being so stupid, letting her go off without them like that.  It was sheer dumb luck that they'd stopped Fox when they did.  If the other clone, KC14, had been with him, who knows if they'd have been able to save her.  "Donnie," he said gruffly, "take us home.  We're getting Kacey back where it's safe."

As the truck turned, heading back to the lair, Leo was already making plans to keep Kacey from being spotted again.

As General Fox surveyed the damage from the fight, another black van came to a halt in the alley.  Out stepped a teenage boy, dressed all in black.  His fiery hair shone in the lamplight, and his green eyes scanned the street.  "General," KC14 said, his voice quiet and emotionless, "what happened here?"

"I had KC13," Fox replied bitterly.  "She was neutralized.  An easy target."

14's eyes swept the street again, taking in the bashed up van, the dented dumpster, and the dozen soldiers that were bruised and battered, cleaning up the area.  Even Fox himself was sporting a black eye, and his hand was wrapped in a bandage.  "It does not look like she was so easy to apprehend."

"She had help," Fox growled.  "It seems she's teamed up with some... strange creatures.  Mutants, from the look of them."

"And they helped her escape?" 14 asked.  Fox nodded.  "What is the plan, Sir?"

"The drones lost their trail," Fox replied.  "Surely she'll be hidden away somewhere now that she knows we're close.  Her neurotracker went dead after that wild goose chase.  I don't know how we're going to find her again."

14 glanced around, his gaze falling on a pile of sliced metal.  He approached it, knelt, and lifted part of the destroyed net from the pavement.  Vaguely, he though of the exercises when similar nets had been used on him, and he felt the ghost of the electric shocks race over his skin.  The thought was banished, however, when something fell out of the net, clattering on the sidewalk.

"What is that?" Fox asked as 14 picked it up.

"It appears to be some sort of communication device," 14 replied, turning it over in his hand.  It was small and green, reminiscent of a turtle's shell in shape.  14 pressed a few buttons experimentally, but nothing happened.  "I imagine KC13 must have been using it to stay in contact with her new allies."

"Must've gotten fried in the net," Fox noted.  "It's just garbage now."

"Perhaps not, General," 14 said, his sharp mind already working as he looked at the little device.  "Perhaps, it could be just what you need."

Chapter Text

Ella tapped her foot nervously as she looked at her tablet.  For a week now, she had been reading through the files she had stolen from Kryonix, and each was more disturbing than the last.  She was especially bothered by the case files on KC14, as well as the plans Rook had for Kacey if he captured her.  And it didn't help that her focus was split, part of her mind worrying about Kacey being out in the city.

Her thoughts were interrupted, however, as Master Splinter set a cup of hot tea on the table in front of her before taking a seat across from her.  Ella looked up, surprised, having forgotten he was there.  "Oh," she said softly, "thank you."

He bowed his head before taking a drink of his own tea.  "Do not worry about Kacey," he said.  "My sons will make sure she is kept safe."

"They do seem rather protective of her," Ella said as she took a drink.  She was just about to compliment the old master on his tea when the door to the lair slid open, and the four turtles walked in, accompanied by Casey Jones, with Kacey tucked defensively in their midst.

Splinter looked up in surprise.  "My sons," he said, "you are back so soon.  Has something happened?"

"We had a change of plans, Sensei," Leonardo replied.

"Yeah," Mikey added, looking at Kacey as she dropped into a chair.  "The game got called on account of attempted kidnapping."

"What?" Ella cried, jumping up from her seat.  "What do you mean?"

"Some psycho general tried to take off with Tinkerbell," Casey Jones supplied.  "Set a trap for her and everything."

"And he almost succeeded," Leo said grimly.  He gave a brief summary of what had happened.

Ella had already gone to Kacey's side by the time he finished.  "Are you alright, Kacey?  Are you hurt?"

Kacey shook her head, but said nothing.  She just wrapped her arms around herself, trembling slightly.  Splinter tried speaking to her as well, but she didn't even look at him.  She wouldn't look at anybody.

"I think she's alright," Donatello said.  "No physical injuries, at least.  She did get electrocuted, though."

"Twice," Jones pointed out.  "General Nutcase zapped her once before you guys got there."

"Oh my god," Ella gasped.  She pressed a hand to Kacey's forehead.  "Are you feeling any pain?  Should I get-"

Kacey shoved her hand away.  "I'm fine, okay?!"  Ella stared at her in surprise, but Kacey wouldn't look at her.  Or anyone else, for that matter.

"It was reckless to let her come along," Leo said, ignoring Kacey's outburst.  "If we'd been just a few minutes later, Kryonix would've gotten her."

"But you did get there, my son," Splinter said soothingly.  "You all did very well."

"We didn't anticipate General Fox having a contingency plan," Donatello said thoughtfully.  "We were too focused on what Dr. Rook and the Kryonix techs were doing to find Kacey.  We didn't even think about Fox going after her on his own."

"Anticipated or not, it happened," Leo said.  "And he could be out there right now, planning another trap.  If we hadn't stopped him, Kacey would be on her way to being tortured, or worse."

"I'm sorry," Kacey said suddenly, her voice soft.

Everyone turned to look at her.  "Sorry for what?" Mikey asked.  "Almost getting kidnapped?"

Kacey kept her eyes down, avoiding them.  "Fox wouldn't have caught me if I hadn't fallen for his trap.  I shouldn't have been so stupid."

"It's not your fault, Kacey," Leo said gently.  "Fox tricked you.  None of us could have known it would happen.  But it's not going to happen again, I can promise you that."

"And I suppose you have some grand plan to keep that promise?"  Raphael asked.

"Yes," Leo replied, "I do.  For the time being, Kacey's going to stay here.  No more going above ground.  I'll have April bring your stuff over, and-"

"What?!"Kacey cried shrilly, looking at him now.  "You're... You're grounding me?"

"It's for your own good," Leo said firmly.  "It's not safe for you to go topside.  If Fox shows up again, we might not be able to stop him.  Especially if he decides to bring that other clone with him next time.  So it's just safer for you to stay down here where his drones can't spot you.  At least until we can figure out how to handle Kryonix."

"I can't believe this!" Kacey raged.  "I made one mistake, and you're gonna treat me like a child?!"

"Kacey-"

"No!" she continued, cutting him off.  "If Fox comes back, I want to fight.  I-"

"Yeah, 'cause that worked so well tonight," Casey muttered.

Kacey stood up sharply and rounded on him, her chair clattering to the ground.  "What is that supposed to mean?!" she snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Casey fumbled for a response, but Michelangelo moved between them before he could speak. "I wanna talk to you for a sec," he said quietly.

Kacey shook her head, still glaring at Casey over his shoulder.  "No."

"Yeah, I wasn't really asking," Mikey said.  Before she could react, he moved forward and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder as she protested.  He glanced at the rest of the surprised group, ignoring Kacey's attempts to break free.  "Excuse us for a minute."

As Mikey carried the squirming Kacey away, Casey Jones finally found his voice.  "I wasn't tryin' to make her mad," he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.  "It just slipped out.  I didn't mean..."

"It's alright, Casey," Leo told him.  "She's just upset and scared.  We all are. I'm sure she'll be fine after she's had some time to think."

"What she needs," Raphael cut in, "is to get those headhunters off her back.  I don't see why we can't just go bust some heads at that lab."

"You'd never get close," Ella said, picking up Kacey's chair.  "The first thing Rook did when we got there was set up defenses. Alarms, hidden cameras, armed guards.  Top of the line security, in case Kacey found her way there."

"And from what we just saw, General Fox has called in dozens of trained soldiers, too," Leo added.  "You can bet he has plenty of them patrolling the base."

"Not to mention the other clone," Donatello pointed out.  "I've been reading the reports Dr. Raeheart stole. His powers are just as dangerous as Kacey's, and we've all seen what she can do."

"How tough could he be?" Raph asked.  "He's just a kid, like her."

"Kacey can move things with her mind," Ella replied, picking up her tablet.  "She has advanced healing, heightened senses, and enhanced strength and reflexes.  KC14 has all of those abilities as well, but due to the accelerated testing with mutagen, his abilities are even stronger than hers.  And Dr. Rook said he can even teleport, move from one place to another by tearing open a rift in space and time."  She opened a file and began scrolling through it.  "He's also been trained in at least a dozen different fighting styles.  Proficient with firearms, hand-to-hand combat, battle strategies..."

"And he won't have the same morality as Kacey," Donnie added.  "He's been trained to obey them without question.  He'd have no sense for right and wrong, only what he's been ordered to do."

"Which means he'd have no problem kicking our shells," Leo summarized.  "Or going after Kacey."

"Alright, alright, I get it," Raph muttered.  "It was just a suggestion."

"We'll just have to wait and keep Kacey safe until we figure out what to do," Donnie said.

Even if she hates us for it, Leo thought, thinking about how angry she was.

Meanwhile, Michelangelo clung to a struggling Kacey, carrying her away from the group as she tried to squirm out of his grip.

"Put me down!" she protested, banging a fist on his shell.  "Mikey!  Let go of me!"

"Just hang on," he said, keeping a tight hold on her until he managed to get to his room.  He kicked the door shut so they could no longer hear the others talking, then finally set her down.

As soon as his grip loosened, Kacey pushed herself back from him, glaring as she straightened her shirt.  "What are you-"

"I wanted to get you away before you did something you'd regret," he said, cutting her off.  He walked past her and picked up a discarded comic book.  Taking a seat, he propped his feet up and thumbed through it, utterly ignoring her.

Kacey stared at him, incredulous.  "What do you m-"

"You're taking a page out of Raph's book," he said, again cutting her off.  "And if there's one thing I've learned from living with Raph, it's that it's better to stop some fights before they even start.  Of course, it's not quite as easy to carry him away.  He's a biter."

For an instant, Kacey fought the urge to laugh, but then her anger caught up with her.  "Why shouldn't I start a fight?  Leo's treating me like a little kid.  And Casey-"

"Casey saved your shell tonight," Mikey said, sitting up.  "If he hadn't found you when he did, we wouldn't have even known you got caught.  If he hadn't slowed Fox down, you'd be at that stupid lab right now.  And you pay him back by yelling at him?"

Kacey stared at him in surprise.  She'd never heard him sound this serious before.  "But... He said.."

"Who cares what he said?" Mikey asked.  "Or what Leo said, or what anybody said?  Everyone's upset right now.  You almost got kidnapped.  You get taken, and you either get killed or tortured into some psycho superweapon.  Nobody wants that to happen.  So of course nobody wants you to go looking for a fight.  A fight you'll probably end up losing."

Kacey sighed, running her hands through her hair.  She shut her eyes and took several long, deep breaths, employing the meditation techniques she had learned from Splinter.  Slowly, she felt her anger dissipating, though it didn't go away entirely.  After a few very long minutes, she finally opened her eyes to find Mikey watching her.

"Feel better now?" he asked.

"A little," she replied.

"Good," Mikey said, his smile finally returning.  "Cause there's only room for one hothead around here, and I don't think Raph's ready to give up his title."

Kacey managed a weak laugh.  "You're right.  I shouldn't have acted that way.  I just... I don't know."  She sat beside him on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest.  "It's like... like everything just got real, you know?  What I am, what Kryonix wants.  I... I'm just.."

"You're scared," Mikey finished for her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.  "Trust me, we are too.  But blowing up at Casey and Leo isn't gonna make anything better."

"I know," Kacey sighed.  "I'll apologize to Casey."

"And Leo?" he prompted.

Kacey frowned slightly.  "I'm still mad at Leo."

"Why?" Mikey asked, looking a little hurt.  "Would it really be so bad if you stayed here with us?"

"No," Kacey said softly.  "I guess not.  It's just... April's place was finally starting to feel like a home.  And now I can't go back for... I don't even know how long.  I mean, what does Leo expect me to do?  Live on the sofa indefinitely?"

Mikey laughed.  "Of course not," he said, as she looked at him, confused.  "Come on, I'll show you where you're gonna stay."

He led her out of the room, and she couldn't help glancing over at the others, still deep in conversation.  She didn't have long to wonder what they were talking about when Mikey pulled her through another door.  He turned on a light, and Kacey blinked as she looked around.

The room was small, but there was a bed, a small desk and chair, and shelves on the walls.  "I didn't know the lair had a guest bedroom," Kacey said with a smile.

"It didn't," said a voice from the doorway.  Kacey spun around to find Leonardo there, leaning against the frame.  Mikey looked back and forth between the two of them, as if he was expecting fireworks.  "This room was for storage," Leo said.  "We've been converting it.  Now, it's your room."

Kacey looked around the little room again, before looking back at him.  Her room?  Had Leo been planning to ground her down here?  "What do you mean?  You knew I'd have to stay here?"

"Of course not," Mikey said, his tone light despite the rising tension.  "It's just, you've already spent the night here a bunch of times.  When you first got here, when you were zoned out for a few days, when you got hit by the car.  Oh, and don't forget our epic all-night game-a-thons!"

"The point is," Leo cut in, "You've had to stay here before, and we thought you might like your own room instead of the sofa.  A room you could use any time you wanted.  It was going to be a surprise the next time you decided to stay over from April's, but with everything that's happened, it's yours now." He walked past her and picked something up off the desk.  "I'm sorry it had to be so sudden.  I probably should have talked to you instead of just announcing it.  But you're a part of this family now, and I look out for my family.  And down here is the safest place for you to be right now."

Kacey looked at the floor and sighed, all anger flooding out of her.  "I understand," she said softly.  "I'm sorry I overreacted.  I know you're only trying to help."  She looked up at him.  "Thank you.  For everything."

Leo smiled and put the object from the desk into her hands.  Looking down, she saw that it was a small wooden sign, with 'Kacey' carved into it.  "Welcome home," he said, before walking out of the room.

Kacey looked down at the little sign, feeling a pull at her heart.  Home.  This was home.  She looked around the room again.  Her room.  She felt tears sting her eyes, and she blinked them away.

"Need a hand hanging that on the door?"  Mikey asked, making her jump.  She'd forgotten he was still there.

She looked at him, returning his smile.  "Sure, Mikey."

"And when we're done with that, we can go dominate level 7 of Ultra Smackdown!"  Mikey continued, energetic as always.  "And maybe dig up some snacks.  I'm starving!"

Kacey glanced again at the room as she followed him.  Her room.  Her home.  Her family.  Though she was grateful for all of them, she still couldn't help but feel she didn't deserve any of them.  Especially after what had happened that night.  She only hoped that she could someday prove herself worthy to claim them.  Somehow.

Chapter Text

It had been nearly a month since that dreadful night, and Dr. Ella Raeheart couldn't help but be surprised by how well Kacey seemed to be adjusting to her new living arrangements.  Despite her outburst that first night, Ella had watched Kacey train and learn alongside the turtles, watched her worry about them when they left to patrol the city.  During her visits to the underground lair to instruct Kacey on the use of her abilities, Ella had even seen the turtles standing by to observe, encouraging the girl as she struggled to regain the control she had once had, now forgotten.

Even now, on a quiet evening in the lair, Ella had to smile, watching the five teenagers as they sat gathered around the television. They were competing against one another in whatever video game they had chosen that night.  Kacey laid propped against a pillow on the floor, wearing her usual black shorts with a green sweater, her coppery hair pulled back from her face in two buns atop her head.  

Beside her sat Michelangelo, with a half devoured bowl of popcorn between them.  The other brothers occupied the sofa, two of them holding game controllers as they took their turn playing.  Ella watched Kacey as she laughed and talked with them, jeering whichever brother was losing.

Even after these past few weeks, it still struck Ella to see Kacey acting so normal.  Even though her cohorts were giant talking turtles, Kacey appeared for all the world to be a typical teenage girl hanging out with friends and having a good time.  She was so vastly different from the girl in the lab that Ella had known and raised for four years.  That girl had been disciplined, trained to obey, destined for destruction.  And this one was... happy.

"Is something on your mind, Miss Raeheart?" Splinter asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

Ella turned to look at him.  "I was just thinking about how well Kacey fits in here," she said softly.

Splinter smiled, glancing at the group as Kacey managed to wrestle a controller from Raphael.  "Yes," he agreed, "she has certainly made a home here."

"I could never repay you for taking her in," Ella said.  "It would have been so easy to turn her away."

"It would seem that way," Splinter said, shaking his head, "but it is our duty to protect those in need.  Casting her away, knowing she had no memory of herself or her abilities, was never an option."

"She's brought you so much trouble," Ella observed.  "She told me about losing control, nearly hurting you and others.  And her very involvement with you puts all of you in danger.  If Kryonix knew what you were, I have no doubt they would try to put you all in a lab right beside Kacey."

The old rat chuckled.  "My sons have caused more than their fair share of trouble.  We can handle a little more."

A chorus of cheers sounded from the group, no doubt signifying a victory for someone.  Ella couldn't help a smile.  "I thought I had my hands full just raising Kaden.  I can't imagine how you handled raising four mutant turtles."

"With a lot of patience," Splinter replied with a note of exasperation. His smile betrayed his tone, though.

"At least none of them could move things with their minds," Ella said with a laugh.  "Kaden's tantrums could rattle walls, and you've seen what Kacey's outbursts can do.  I'm sure raising four little ninjas was nothing compared to that."

"Kacey is quite the little ninja herself," Splinter pointed out.  "Though she is still far from a master, she has learned lessons in just weeks that took my sons years to study."

Ella smiled.  "Well, they say that girls learn faster than boys," she joked. "And Kaden was a very bright boy to begin with."  She glanced over as another round of shouts rose.  Michelangelo and Raphael were playing now, and it appeared to be a death match, with Kacey and the others taking sides.  "Kaden would have loved to meet them, you know," she said softly.  "And Kacey, too.  He always wanted friends that were like him.  Friends that were... different."  She sighed.  "I miss him so much sometimes."

Splinter laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.  "We will always miss those most dear to us," he said softly.  "The best thing we can do is keep them alive in our hearts.  And love those we have left all the more." He motioned to the rowdy group of friends, where Kacey was now acting as a referee while Raphael attempted to pin Michelangelo in a headlock.  "Even if they try our patience," he added wryly.

Ella chuckled.  "I suppose that's true," she said, watching as Leonardo joined Kacey in trying to separate the two brothers.  She did love Kacey.  She had for years.  Even when she'd been marked to be a weapon, Ella had often thought about ways to sneak her away from the lab, to hide her and give her a normal life.  The life she deserved.  Now, as she watched Kacey laugh and smile and have fun, Ella knew this was the life Kacey needed.  She only hoped Kacey would someday be able to enjoy it without the looming threat of Kryonix.

With that thought, Ella found herself remembering the face of the other clone, the boy who could have been her Kaden, aside from his eyes.  The boy who, at this very moment, could be preparing to hunt for Kacey.  She wondered how he might've turned out had he been the one to be found by these turtles.  She wondered if there was any chance for him to change.  To become a normal, free thinking teenager, like Kacey had.  

As Ella rose to join Splinter in breaking up the fight, she knew it was probably only wishful thinking.  But, if it kept 14 from hurting Kacey, perhaps she would just have to wish a little harder.

Kryonix Base

KC14 felt his irritation rising as Dr. Rook circled him for the fiftieth time.  He was trying to concentrate on the small green device he was working to rebuild, and the doctor's insistence on flitting around like a frantic hummingbird was more than distracting.  This was one reason 14 had always dreaded the doctor's visits to the hidden lab during his training.

"What exactly is the plan for this device?" Rook asked again.

14 resisted the urge to scowl.  "If I can finish reverse engineering it, we can use it to send a signal to wherever the turtle creatures are," he said slowly, his voice flat and even. He'd been working on the communicator for weeks, carefully studying its design and function, and had grown irritated at the doctor's continued questioning.

"And what good will that do?" Rook asked.  "We need 13, not a bunch of giant reptiles.  Although I'm sure their DNA must house plenty of very interesting secrets," he added, almost to himself.

"If we can lure the creatures out," 14 replied, carefully soldering a wire, "we can interrogate them.  They came to 13's aid.  Surely they know where she is."

"And if they won't talk?" Rook asked.

"Then we make them talk," General Fox snapped, banging a fist on the table.  "That girl won't slip away again."

"She wouldn't have gotten away if you hadn't been so foolish," Rook said, earning a steely glare from the general.  "The reason I brought you here was to give 14 the orders to capture 13.  You blundered everything by trying to capture her yourself."

"I had her!" Fox snarled.  "She was trapped in the electronet.  She was powerless.  Helpless.  And then that mask-wearing oaf and those creatures showed up."

"If you'd had 14 with you, they wouldn't have been a problem," Rook retorted.  "He was designed for that kind of combat."  Fox glowered at him.

"I do not quite understand why 13 is so important," 14 said quietly, and the other two snapped their attention to him.

"What?" Rook asked.

"From what General Fox has reported," 14 replied, keeping his attention on the task at hand as he continued to rewire the fried circuit board, "13 has lost her directives.  She ran, even after knowing she was being taken back to Kryonix.  She fought a Kryonix official.  Why should Kryonix bother to reacquire her?"

Rook turned his glare on Fox.  "Why is he questioning me?" he snapped.  "I thought you had him trained to obey, not to question his superiors."

Fox rounded on the boy.  "Soldier," he barked, and 14 tensed.  "What is the meaning of your insubordination?"

14 looked up at them, already feeling the tingle of the embedded electrodes in his neurotracker.  "I did not mean to be insubordinate, General Fox, sir.  I was merely curious."

"We need 13 apprehended," Rook spat, "because it can't be let out that Kryonix has a rogue weapon loose in the world.  If she can be recaptured, subjected to more intense training, like yours, perhaps we may not have to eliminate her.  If not, she must be destroyed before she can wreak havoc and ruin everything we've worked to do.  Understood, boy?"

14 met the doctor's gaze.  "Understood, sir."

"Good," Rook said.  "Now, get that device up and running.  The sooner we can get intel on 13's location, the better."

"Sir, yes, sir," 14 replied, turning back to his work as General Fox loomed over him, no doubt debating on how to punish him for questioning Rook's authority.

Chapter Text

Donatello yawned as he finally pushed away from his computer.  Looking at the clock, he saw that it was nearly three in the morning.  Another late night, he thought to himself as he stood, stretching.  He started to head to his room for some much needed sleep, when he noticed a light coming from Kacey's room.  Curious, he tapped on the door.  "Kacey?" he said softly.

"Hey, Donnie," came her quiet reply.

Donatello opened the door, and found her sitting cross legged on her bed, a blanket drawn around her shoulders.  Her hair was wild, and her eyes were down.  Following her gaze, Donnie saw that she was holding a small stuffed bear, no bigger than her hand.  She stared at it as she brushed a finger over the face.  "What are you still doing up?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied.  "I... I had some bad dreams."

"Do you want to talk about it?"  Donnie asked.

She shook her head, and he wasn't sure what to do.  It didn't feel right to just leave, but he didn't know what else to say.  Then, something on the desk caught his eye.  Looking closer, he saw that she'd left a notebook there, open to a page about halfway through.  But instead of notes, the page was taken up by a drawing.

At first, he didn't realize what it was a drawing of.  He saw what looked to be metal restraints, wires going out in every direction.  Beyond that, drawn into the background, was a room full of people in white coats, manning monitors and control panels.  It looked like something from one of Mikey's science fiction movies.

But then, with a start, Donatello recognized the machine as the pain inducing monstrosity from one of Dr. Raeheart's stolen files.  The machine that had caused Kacey to escape the Kryonix lab after pushing her too far past the breaking point.  He knew the machine from the schematic left in the file, but this... this was a drawing from the perspective of someone strapped inside it.  From Kacey's perspective.  He picked up the book to examine it closer.  "Did you draw this?" he asked.

Kacey nodded.  "Since Dr. Raeheart started teaching me how to control the telekinesis, I started remembering things from before.  Not a lot, but some flashes here and there.  She thought it would be good for me to record what I remember.  She wanted me to write them down, but it's easier just to draw what I see."

"Do you mind if I look?" he asked.

"Knock yourself out," she replied, leaning back against the headboard and hugging her knees to her chest.

Donnie flipped the book to the beginning.  On the first page was a drawing of Dr. Raeheart, but not as he knew her.  She looked tired, her eyes distant behind her glasses.  Her hair was piled into a tight bun, and she wore a white lab coat.  The next page showed a large tube, a control panel beside it.  Another had a drawing of Michelangelo, his face caught in unmistakable laughter.  "Mikey isn't from 'before'," Donnie said absently.

She shrugged, though he thought he caught a flush in her cheeks.  "Not all of them are from before," she said.  "But they are all memories.  I just drew some more recent memories when nothing new came to me."

"They're very good," Donnie told her, turning to a drawing of a tiny fighter jet resting on a table.

"Sure," she said wryly.

Donnie chuckled.  "No, really.  You have talent."  He flipped through the pages, seeing several drawings of Splinter, April, Casey, his brothers, and himself.  There was even one of Kacey herself, her frightened reflection in some broken glass.  They were all pen and ink drawings, all highly detailed.  She certainly had an eye for drawing from memory, and he wondered idly what she could do with a good set of colored pencils or markers, when he came to one that drew him short.

This one was of General Fox, who had a steely glare in his eyes.  And beside him was a shorter figure.  At first, Donnie thought Kacey had drawn herself again, but then he realized it was a boy, dressed identically to Fox in army camo, his hair short and buzzed like the general's.  His eyes were dark and hard, almost angry, but the shape of them, along with the lines of his face, matched Kacey's so well it was spooky.  "KC14," Donnie said aloud, and Kacey flinched slightly.  "But, you've never seen him before."

Kacey was silent for a moment, and Donnie looked at her, catching a flicker of something in her eyes.  "I see him in my dreams," she said finally, her voice oddly hollow.  "He always looks like Fox, but he has my face."  She drew her arms tighter around herself.

"Is that what your dream was about tonight?" Donnie asked.  She didn't answer.  He shut the book, setting it back on the desk, and was about to leave, when she spoke.

"You've read all about 14, right?  And about me?"

"Uh..." he said, confused, "yeah.  Why?"

"I just need to know," she said softly.  "If it came down to it.  If there was no other way around it.  If I had to fight him... could I win?"

Donatello stared at her in surprise.  That was the last thing he'd expected to hear.  He thought for a moment, unsure of what to tell her.  "Well," he started, fumbling for the right words, "all I know is what the reports say, and without having actually seen him fight for myself, there's no way to really make the assumption that-"

"Don," she cut him off, looking him in the eye.

He sighed, knowing it was pointless to lie.  "Statistically speaking... no."

Her shoulders slumped a little, her face resigned.  "Yeah," she said.  "That's what I figured."

He looked at her for a moment, then sat in her desk chair.  "Hey," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "before you go and write yourself off, you should know that my brothers and I have been in over our heads plenty of times before."  He saw a flick of her eyes that told him she didn't quite believe it.  "I mean it.  There have been times that we've been outnumbered, outmatched, and out of our league.  But we always got through it."

"How?" she asked.  "How do you get through something impossible?"

He smiled.  "Together.  We always do it together.  No matter how impossible things get, no matter how desperate, we've always had each other's shells."

She shook her head.  "I could never ask you to fight for me."

"No," Donnie agreed.  "But you wouldn't have to."  She started to object, but he stood up and turned for the door.  "You should get some sleep, Kacey," he said over his shoulder.  "I'll see you in the morning."

Kacey stared after him for a moment, thinking about what he'd said.  She wasn't sure how much it helped, but he was right about one thing.  She needed to sleep.  She sighed and laid down, turning the lamp off.  Turning over, she closed her eyes, and was asleep before she even noticed.  And instead of seeing Fox and 14, this time she saw her green brothers, waiting for her to join them.

Chapter Text

"Heads up, Kacey!" Michelangelo called, and Kacey dropped to her knees as a katana whooshed past her.  She spun, meeting Leonardo's next strike with her own ninjato sword, a new addition to her training from Master Splinter.  Unlike the katana, the ninjato was small and light, perfectly matched to Kacey's speed.  

But Leo's swords were bigger and heavier, and she was forced further to the ground with the impact.  She swiped at Leo's legs, forcing him to stumble, and rolled to her feet just in time to meet his next blow, their swords clashing.

"Nice try, Leo," she said, giggling.  She danced back as he kicked at her, too quick for him to connect, and glanced over her shoulder.  "Watch out, Mikey!" She called out, before turning her attention back to Leo.

Across the dojo, Mikey dove to his left as Donatello swiped at him.  He looked at Kacey. She was leading Leo to the middle of the floor, and he had an idea.  "Catch me if you can, Don!" He made his way back, ducking and dodging Donatello's attacks, goading him with every miss.  

Finally, he saw Kacey stop right beside him, just as Donnie was winding up for a strike.  Kacey raised her sword as Leo ran forward, preparing to swing.  At the last second, Mikey wrapped his right arm around Kacey's waist and leapt again to his left, pulling her with him and leaving Donnie and Leo to crash into one another.

"Yeah!" Kacey cheered, giving Mikey a high five.

"I can't believe that worked!" Mikey laughed as the others picked themselves up.

"Me either," Kacey said.  "Good thinking, Mikey."  Suddenly, she gasped and shoved him aside as Raphael's sai shot between them.

"You ain't won yet, chuckleheads," Raph said, rounding on Kacey first.

She raised her sword as he struck again, countering the blow.  Mikey came at him from behind, but Raph was ready.  He turned back and forth, fending them both off as they tried to trip him up.  They had him outnumbered, but he was determined to beat them, and they found it nearly impossible to get a hit in.  Finally, Kacey backed off, giving Mikey an opening to distract Raphael as she tried to come up with a plan.

She looked around, surveying their surroundings as she circled the brothers.  She saw Donnie and Leo, now standing off to the side with Master Splinter, who had been spectating the sparring session from the start.  Behind them, she saw the sofa, where she had left her kunai in favor of her new ninjato sword when they had begun.  And now, as an idea formed, she paused, seeing that Michelangelo was positioned just between her and Raphael.  "Mikey!" she called out, darting forward.  "Up and at 'em!"

Raph paused for just an instant as she moved, wondering what she was up to.  It gave Mikey just enough time to hunch down, and when he felt Kacey's foot on his shell, he lunged up, giving her leap enough of a boost to get up and over Raph's head, out of the reach of his sai.  In midair, Kacey threw out her free hand, gave a pull with her mind, and one of her kunai came zipping toward them, almost too fast to see, whistling as it sliced through the air.

Acting instinctively, Raph moved to knock it aside before it could strike him, and with his momentary distraction, Kacey landed behind him.  Just as Raph was turning back to face her, she brought her sword down, an instant before his sai came up, stopping her blade just inches from his head.  "Made you look," she said, grinning.  "We win."

"You cheated!" Raph complained as she slid her sword into the sheath on her back.  "You can't use your powers to help you win!"

"No one made that rule," Mikey countered.  He looked over at Master Splinter.  "Can we get a judgement call, ref?"

"This exercise is about working as a team," Splinter said,  "which Kacey and Michelangelo have demonstrated well.  Perhaps if you had worked better with your own team," he motioned to Leo and Donnie, who were barely containing their laughter at Raph's indignation, "you might have won."  He turned to Mikey and Kacey.  "Well done, both of you."  They both smiled and gave a respectful bow, which Splinter returned before turning back to the others.  "We are finished for today.  Better luck next time, Raphael."

Raph groaned.  "I can't believe we lost again!" he snapped as Kacey and Mikey laughed.  "You two win any more of these matches, and your heads won't even fit through the door!"

"Take it easy, Raph," Donnie chuckled.  "The 'dream team' has to lose a round sooner or later."

"Maybe you want to change up the teams next time?" Leo asked.

"Mikey's even more annoying as a teammate than an opponent," Raph grumbled.  "And now I got a score to settle with Mighty Mouse over there."

Kacey grinned as she perched on the back of the sofa.  "Then good luck next time, Raph," she said brightly.  "You'll need it."

Raphael rolled his eyes, though he was cracking a smile.  "You keep telling yourself that, kid," he replied.  "Because next time, I'm callin' no powers."

"Fine by me," Kacey said, still smiling.  "I can take you on without them."

"In your dreams," Raph retorted, chuckling.

"I'd pay good money to see you eat those words, Raphie," Mikey laughed.

Raphael narrowed his eyes.  "How about you eat this, bonehead," he grumbled, shaking a fist at him while the others laughed.

"Alright, guys," Leo said finally.  "Time to hit the rooftops.  We haven't been topside for a while."  The others began getting ready to go, while Kacey watched them with slumped shoulders.

"Want me to keep you company?"  Michelangelo asked her.  "We could marathon Evil Space Freaks from Neptune."

"No, that's okay," Kacey replied, though she was touched that he would give up going topside to stay with her.  "I have to stay down here where I'm safe, right?  But you don't.  You guys go ahead and stretch your legs.  I'll be fine."

He grinned and ruffled her hair, making her smile.  "We'll be back in a couple of hours, okay?  And then we'll binge Space Freaks."

She giggled.  "It's a date.  Now get going, or they'll leave you behind."  She watched as he left with his brothers, then stood for a few minutes, staring at the door.

"I am sorry you must be left behind, Kacey," Splinter said, suddenly beside her.  "You must be tired of being hidden away in the lair."

Kacey looked at the old rat.  "I don't mind," she lied.  "I'll just, uh... Watch some tv or something..."

Splinter regarded her for a moment before turning away.  "You know," he said, a little too casually, "the sewer is very large.  Plenty of room to 'stretch your legs', without going above ground."  Kacey stared after him, surprised.  Surely she was misunderstanding.  Surely he wasn't giving her permission to leave the lair.  But then he gave her a sly smile over his shoulder and added, "Don't go too far.  And have fun."

Kacey grinned, buzzing with excitement.  "Thank you, Sensei!" she called as she ran to her room.  She emerged a minute later, her skateboard under one arm, a black backpack slung over the other.  She stopped at the door leading to the maze of underground tunnels and jumped onto her board.  "I won't be gone too long, I promise," she said, kicking off and disappearing down the tunnel, leaving a chuckling Splinter behind.

Kryonix Base

Meanwhile, KC14 was carefully, delicately, putting the finishing touches on the newly reconstructed communicator his doppelganger had dropped.  He had to admit, whoever had created the device had piqued his interest.  Even fried by the electronet, the circuitry was impressive, and it had taken him far longer than expected to repair it.  But now, with a final wire secured in place, it was done.

He pushed back from the work bench, the device in hand.  This was it.  The key element to the plan to find 13.  The bait to lure in the turtle creatures, to capture them and get them to reveal where 13 was hiding.  14 stared at it, and couldn't help but wonder if it was truly worth it.  Did he want Rook and Fox to capture 13?  Did he want to see someone else subjected to the tortures he faced every day?  Did he want to see what they did to the creatures to make them talk?

He shook his head, straightening his shoulders and tightening his grip on the device.  No.  It wasn't his place to think like that.  His orders were to fix the device, to aid in the recapture of 13.  And he existed only to follow his orders.

He took the device to Dr. Rook and General Fox, who were already busy mobilizing the soldiers Fox had called in to guard the Kryonix base.  Each was armed with a weapon capable of firing bullets and shock rounds, and 14 had to fight a shiver of revulsion as his nerves remembered the feel of the disarming projectiles from his training.  Putting the memory from his mind, he moved to stand before General Fox.

"General Fox, Sir," he said, holding out the device.  "Repairs are complete, Sir.  The device is fully functional."

"Good work, boy," Fox said, a dark smile crossing his face as he took the device.

"Who do we do now?" Dr. Rook asked, looking dubiously at the little green device.

Fox opened the device, and pushed a small red button, which began to blink.  "Now, doctor," he said, "we wait for our prey to fall into the trap."

Across the city, four figures were darting across the dark rooftops, racing and whooping.  The turtles were all enjoying the fresh air after so long below.  "I wish Kacey could've come with us," Michelangelo called out.  "She's gotta be sick of the lair by now."

"It's still not safe for her out here, Mikey," Donatello replied, vaulting past an exhaust vent.

"We still need a plan for getting rid of Kryonix," Leonardo said, jumping a gap between the buildings.  "Then she'll be able to go anywhere she wants."

"I'm down for any plan that involves bustin' some heads," Raphael offered.  "Maybe Don can whip up some new weapons for the Battle Shell and..."  he trailed off, noticing that Donnie had fallen behind them.  "Don?"  He doubled back with the others, to where Donnie had frozen in his tracks, his Shell Cell in hand.

"Something wrong, Donnie?" Leo asked.

"It's... It's Kacey," Donnie said, his voice colored with concern.

"What?" Mikey cried, pushing past Raph to get closer.  "Is Kacey hurt?  What's wrong?"

"I'm getting a distress call from the Shell Cell I gave her," Donnie said, sounding slightly frantic now.

"That can't be right," Raph said.  "She's back at the lair with Splinter.  What could be so wrong that she'd send a distress call?"

Leo pulled his own cell out, and called Splinter.  "Sensei," Leo said when he answered.  "What's happened?"

"What?" Splinter replied.  "What do you mean, my son?"  Leo quickly told him about the distress signal, only to be met with more confusion.  "Kacey is not in the lair," Splinter told him.  "I allowed her to go for a walk in the tunnels for a change of scenery."

Donnie immediately pulled out his PDA and began trying to track the location of the call.  Meanwhile, Mikey was almost beside himself, trying to call Kacey's cell, but getting no reply.  Finally, Donnie looked up, his face looking even more green than usual.  "What is it, Don?" Raph asked.

"The signal," Donnie replied gravely.  "It's... It's coming from the Kryonix base. They... They got her.  They got Kacey."

There was a moment of shocked silence as the others digested this.  Then, Raphael said, "Then we're gonna get her back.  Right now."

His brothers all agreed, and Leo let Splinter know what had happened, before telling him to call April, Casey, and Dr. Raeheart to tell them.  Finally, he hung up, and the four turtles went hurtling through the night, toward the warehouse where Kacey was being held.

Little did they know, but Kacey was perfectly fine.  She had spent almost two hours in the tunnels, unaware of the time - or the panic of her friends - as she rolled along on her board, glad to be able to do something besides lose her mind sitting in the lair.

She headed home now, though, finally tired and ready to relax again.  Maybe she'd join Master Splinter in some meditation before the guys got back.  Or maybe she'd surprise them by making dinner.  She was just making up her mind as the door to the lair slid open, and a shocked voice cried out.  "Kacey?!"

And Kacey suddenly found herself swept into a tight embrace.  Startled, it took her a moment to realize it was Ella hugging her, her forest green eyes red and wet.  "I'm so glad you're alright!" she exclaimed.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kacey asked, genuinely confused.  All this just because she hung out in the sewer for a couple of hours?

"We were so worried!" April O'Neil said, standing just behind the doctor, and looking just as relieved.

"The guys must've made short work of that base, huh?" said Casey Jones, who was beside April.

"Indeed," Splinter said.  "We worried they would need assistance to free you."  He looked over her shoulder to the empty tunnel.  "But... Where are they?"

Now Kacey was just plain boggled.  "What are you all talking about?" she asked, pulling away from Dr. Raeheart.  "The guys?  The base?  I haven't seen the guys since they left."

"But..." Casey said, looking confused.  "Didn't they have to come rescue you?"

"Rescue me?" Kacey echoed.  "From what?  I've been in the sewer this whole time.  Riding my board, painting a couple of walls.  See?"  She pulled open the bag on her shoulder to show half a dozen cans of spray paint, then held out her hands, which had splotches of neon paint stuck to them.   "Mikey thought I should try doing a mural in the lair, so I was practicing in the sewer tunnels.  Master Splinter said I could go.  Now, what the heck are you all going on about?"

They all stared at her, stunned.  Finally, April explained.  "Don said he he picked up a distress call from your Shell Cell.  He tracked the signal to the Kryonix base.  They headed over there to rescue you almost an hour ago."

Kacey felt a whirlwind of emotions, from fear, to worry, to confusion.  "My cell?" she said finally.  "But... that can't be right.  I don't even have my cell.  I lost it when...." Suddenly, she went silent, as her blood turned to ice in her veins.

"What is it?" Splinter asked.

"I... I lost it when Fox attacked me," Kacey said, her throat tight with terror.  "Fox must have it.  He's setting a trap!"  And she sank to the floor as she babbled inconsolably, pulling at her hair, tears stinging her eyes.  "God, I'm so STUPID!  Why didn't I tell them I lost the cell?  This is all my fault!"

As she ranted, Casey Jones knelt beside her.  "Hey Tink," he said, trying to sound reassuring.  But she didn't respond, and kept on ranting to herself, almost like she was in shock.  He tried again, but it was the same.  He couldn't make out most of what she said, but he heard a lot of 'My fault'.  Finally, he grabbed her by the shoulder.  "Yo, Tinkerbell!" he said firmly, and she finally looked up at him.

"What?!" she snapped, her eyes sparkling.

"You wanna sit here blamin' yourself all night?" he asked.  "Or do you wanna go get our guys back?"  She stared at him for a few long minutes, then jumped to her feet, determination replacing her despair.  She ran to her room, the door banging behind her.  Casey stood up, turning to the others.  "What's the plan?"

"If Rook catches the boys, he'llwant them contained," Dr. Raeheart said.  "He had a containment unit prepared for Kacey.  A large cage made of a dense alloy, nearly impossible to break, and electrified.  It can only be unlocked by entering a password.  I have no doubt he'll put them in there."

"Can you hack it?" April asked.

Raeheart nodded.  "With enough time, yes.  But I'm sure Fox will have it surrounded."

"Splinter and I can deal with that," Casey said, pulling a hockey stick from his trusty golf bag and twirling it.

"Don't forget about me," April said.

"Yes," Splinter agreed.  "We will give you as much time as we can to get that cage open, Miss Raeheart."

"That just leaves the clone," April said.  "KC14 will definitely be close by.  We'll have to get the jump on him if we're going to keep him away from the guys."

"Leave him to me," said Kacey.  They turned to find her all geared up, her pouch of kunai at her hip, and her ninjato strapped to her back.  She had her hands up, the emerald green mask Michelangelo had given her so long ago held tightly as she finally put it on.  As she pulled it tight, she looked back at them, her eyes bright behind the fabric.  "I have a plan."

Chapter Text

The four turtles came to a silent stop, just outside the boundaries of the Kryonix base.  Donatello fiddled a bit with his PDA, zeroing in on the signal from Kacey's Shell Cell.  "We're close," he said quietly.  "She's in there somewhere."

"Uh, guys?" Michelangelo said, looking around as they crept along the fence surrounding the warehouse.  "Does it seem kinda quiet to you?"

Leo peered through the fence, to the dark interior of the base.  There was no movement.  No patrolling guards.  No one around at all.  "It almost seems deserted," he murmured.

"You know we're probably walking into some kind of a trap, right?" Donatello said, looking at him.

"Yeah," Leo replied gravely, nodding.  "But Kacey's in there.  We have to help her."

Donnie pointed to a smaller structure just outside the massive warehouse; a six foot tall box, covered over in a large camouflage tarp.  "According to the signal," he whispered.  "She's in there."

"Then what're we waitin' for?" Raphael grumbled.  "Let's bust her out."

"Stick close," Leo instructed.  He drew his katana, and with a few slashes, cut a turtle-sized hole in the fence.

They crept through, keeping a watch around them as they approached the large box.  As they got closer, they could see it had a steel door that was held shut by a thick metal chain, secured with a heavy padlock.  Donnie knelt by it, pulling a lockpick from his belt.

"For all the effort they've put into capturing Kacey," he mumbled as he picked the lock, "this seems like an oddly lax way of containing her..."  He didn't have much longer to ponder this as the lock clicked open.  He quickly slid the chain away, and pulled open the door.  The others moved closer as they all peered into the darkness inside.

At first, the box seemed empty.  Then Leo spotted the blinking red light of Kacey's cell near the back wall.  He took a step inside, and he could just make out a figure, hunched down next to the blinking cell, their coppery orange hair gleaming in the moonlight streaming in through the open door.  "Kacey?" he called out.

The figure moved, and a pair of eyes suddenly lit up in the shadows.  A pair of green eyes.  Suddenly, Leo felt a force slam into him, like a gust of wind, but more solid.  He cried out as he was flung backward, through the open door of the box, to land on his shell amidst a chorus of surprised shouts from his brothers.  He jumped up as the figure within the box stepped out into the moonlight.

It wasn't Kacey, though the boy could've been her twin.  Only his piercing eyes, emerald green rather than violet, set him apart.  Well, that, and the dark expression he wore as he raised his hands.  In an instant, the other turtles were thrown back just as Leo had been.  They landed hard on the ground, but quickly rolled back to their feet.

"It's 14!" Donnie yelled.  "Watch out!"

"I don't care who he is!" Raph snapped, charging forward.  "He's goin' down!"  He leapt toward the boy in a flying kick, but 14 raised a hand, and a weapon flew out of the dark box and into his grasp.  He ducked Raph's kick, then fired two shots.

Raphael dodged the first round, but the second caught him in the shoulder, a tiny dart with a barbed tip.  The moment it touched him, he let out a yell of pain as electricity sparked from the dart like a small but powerful taser.

"Raph!" Donnie cried as his brother crumpled to the ground, unconscious.  He ran toward him, but 14 was quicker.  He fired another expert shot, catching Don in the leg.  Like Raphael, Donnie cried out in pain as the electricity buzzed, then hit the ground.

"Mikey, look out!" Leo shouted as 14 shifted his aim.  He ran for Michelangelo, but was a moment too slow, and he watched as Mikey dropped, a dart in his arm.  He rounded on the boy who looked like Kacey, drawing his katanas.  He managed to knock the next few rounds from the air, running at 14 with an angry cry.  Nonplussed, the boy braced himself for the fight.... but it never came.

From behind the box came another loud bang, and a dart stuck in Leonardo's neck, dropping him to his knees as he cried out, electricity racing through his body.  As he fought to stay conscious, he saw General Fox emerge from the shadows, weapon in hand.  And then... darkness.

Fox looked around at the fallen turtles, then to 14.  "Excellent work, boy," he said.  "Now, get them into the cage.  Those darts won't keep them out for long.

When the turtles woke up, they found themselves tangled up in a pile.  Leonardo got up first, rubbing his aching head as he looked around.  They were in a six by six foot cage, surrounded on all sides by steel bars.  The floor and ceiling were solid metal plates, and the door was shut tight.  He reached for his katanas, and realized they were gone.  In fact, all of their weapons and gear had been taken.

"Ugh, what happened?" Mikey groaned, climbing to his feet.  "Where are we?"

"In big trouble," Leo said, helping up Donnie and Raph.

Donatello looked around the cage as well, then moved to the door.  "No lock," he noted, looking closer.

"Then let's get out of here," Raph growled, reaching for it.

"No, wait!" Donnie shouted, a moment too late.

The cage buzzed loudly, and Raphael let out a yell, jerking his hand back as the bars shocked him.  "What the shell?!" he cried, shaking his hand as if he'd been burned.

"I should probably mention that the entire cage is wired," said a voice from outside the bars.  From the shadows, a tall, dark haired man wearing a white lab coat emerged.  "The door is electronically sealed, too.  So there will be no getting out, unfortunately."

"Dr. Rook, I presume?" Donatello said.

The doctor smiled.  "You know who I am, then?  I suppose 13 must have told you."

Leo glared at him through the bars.  "Where is she?!" he demanded.

Rook looked at him, as if studying a bug under a magnifying glass.  "That's what I was hoping you could tell me," he said.

"We followed her signal here," said Donnie.  "We know you have her."

"We have this," General Fox replied, coming to Rook's side and holding up a familiar green object.

"Kacey's cell!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Kacey?"  Fox echoed, laughing as he tossed the cell into a crate nearby, which also held the turtles' weapons and gear.  "So, you've given her a name.  How sweet."

Raphael glowered at him.  "Cut the crud, General Wackjob," he snapped.  "Where's the kid?!"

Fox moved closer to the cage, until he was mere inches from Raphael.  "She's not here, creature," he rumbled.  "The only 'kid' here is my lieutenant.  I believe you already met."  He held out a hand, and 14 emerged, moving to stand at attention next to him, and the turtles finally got a good look at him.  His gleaming orange hair was a match for Kacey's, though it was buzzed short, and his deep green eyes were cold.  He was dressed all in black, from the sleek collar around his throat to his steel toed boots, and the hilt of a sword poke up over one shoulder.  At his waist, he wore a belt with several different weapons holstered.

"I don't think we were properly introduced," Raph sneered, clenching a fist.  "How about you crack open this tin can so I can say hello?"

"Tell us where KC13 is, and you can all go free," Dr. Rook cut in.  "Or don't, and you'll remain as prisoners.  You have no hope for escape."  He nodded to Fox, who gave a signal.  At once, the cage was surrounded by armed troops, at least forty or fifty of them.  "So you might as well start talking."

"Why would we ever tell you where she is?" Leonardo asked.  "So you can torture her and turn her into that?" He motioned to 14, whose eyes flicked in his direction only for a moment.  "We won't let you turn her into a monster."

"It's what she was created for," Rook said, his voice exasperated, as if he was explaining something to a child.  "To follow her orders and do as she's told.  She has no other purpose."

"She'll never answer to you," Donatello said.  "She doesn't follow anyone's orders but her own now."

Rook raised an eyebrow, smirking.  "You're saying she has free will?  Morals?  Impossible.  She's nothing but a weapon, made for destruction.  She's experiencing a temporary lapse in her directives, which will be corrected.  And if she doesn't respond the way we want her to, it's no matter.  She'll be destroyed and forgotten."

14's head turned at that, a shadow breaching his cool facade.  No one seemed to notice, though.  No one except Michelangelo.

"If you're just going to destroy her," Leonardo said, "why not just leave her alone instead?  Let her live her life?  She's just a kid."

"She is property!" Rook shouted angrily.  "She belongs to Kryonix.  We created her.  And we will decide what to do with her.  As soon as you turtles tell us where she is."

"Kacey saved a little kid's life," Michelangelo said suddenly to 14, interrupting the doctor's tirade.  14 didn't look at him, but a stiffening in his shoulders proved he had heard.  "Did they tell you that?  She ran right in front of a speeding car, without even a second thought.  And she saved me, too.  Took down at least thirty guys.  That's what let them pick up her tracker signal to find her here.  Did you know?"

"Uh, what are you doing?" Donatello asked him, bewildered.  "He's not going to care about-"

"She also likes video games," Mikey continued, ignoring him and watching 14's reaction.  "She dominates at Ultimate Smackdown.  Even managed to beat my high score.  And she loves horror movies.  And pizza.  And reading.  And the color green."

Donnie and Raph, as well as Rook and the general, all looked at Mikey like he had lost his mind.  But Leonardo noticed the way 14 was responding to what Mikey was saying.  The more Mikey spoke, the more 14's shoulders relaxed.  The boy's hard stare into oblivion was softening, and Leo could see something lurking behind the emerald eyes.  Could it be.... longing?

Suddenly, Leo realized exactly what Mikey was doing, and he said, "Kacey's proved that it's possible for you to be normal kids, 14.  You don't have to listen to them.  You don't have to be what they want you to be."

14 slowly turned his gaze to meet Leo's, looking thoughtful.  He had just opened his mouth to say something, when General Fox shoved him aside to glare at the turtle.  "You think you can change the boy?" he snapped.  "14 is a perfect soldier, creature.  He follows his orders. Nothing you say will change that."

By now, the others had picked up on what Mikey and Leo were trying to do.  "They've tortured you," Donatello said, ignoring the general's words.  "I read your files.  They did so many unspeakable things to you.  Tried to make you obedient.  To make you 'perfect'.  But you can get away.  Just like Kacey did."

14 stared at him, a hand moving unconsciously to the black collar on his neck, where hidden electrodes had been used on him so often.

"You're tougher than any of these clowns, kid," Raphael added.  "You don't have to listen to any of them."

14 was looking back and forth between the four brothers now, his brow drawing lower and lower.

"Enough!" Dr. Rook shouted, pulling a control switch from his pocket.  He pressed a button, and there was a loud buzz as the entire metal cage sparked with electricity.  Inside, all four turtles yelled in pain.  Rook watched them for a moment before shutting off the power.  "I will not have you miscreants corrupting my other subject.  And you," he spat, rounding on 14, who immediately drew to attention once more.  "How dare you even consider listening to them."  He pressed another button, and 14 gave a pained cry as the electrodes in his collar activated, sending arcs of pain throughout his body.  Again, Rook just watched as 14 dropped to his hands and knees, his body twitching and writhing.

"Cut it out!" Michelangelo yelled from inside the cage.

"It's not his fault!" Donatello pleaded.

"He's just a kid!" Leonardo shouted angrily.

Finally, Rook let up, leaving 14 gasping for air on the ground, before turning back to the livid turtles.  "Let this be a lesson to you," he said darkly. "That nothing you say will overcome the boy's training.  14!" He snapped his fingers.  "At attention!"

And the brothers watched in stunned silence as the boy, still trembling and sweating, dragged himself to his feet to stand beside the doctor.  The emotion that had been building on his face was gone, and he was back to the blank, almost robotic facade, his body rigid and straight.

"What is your directive, boy?" Rook asked him.

"To serve Kryonix," 14 said, his voice hollow and cold.  "To aid in the capture of escaped subject KC13."

"How can you do that to a kid?!" Raph shouted.  "You better hope I don't get outta here, Rook! 'Cause I'm gonna make you eat that remote!"

Rook ignored his threat, slipping the remote back into his pocket.  "I'm growing tired of these games.  Where is 13?"

"Her name," Michelangelo snapped, "is Kacey!"

Rook shook his head.  "If you won't tell me where she is, we'll just have to tear this city apart until we find her.  And you four will be shipped to my lab, where I will take great pleasure in breaking you down and finding out exactly what lies in your DNA."  He turned to Fox and began giving instructions, but quickly trailed off as a sound filled the air.

A rumble was building, growing louder and louder with each passing moment.  Fox and Rook looked around, trying to find the source, when suddenly, a sleek red motorcycle busted through the fence surrounding the base.  Tires squealing on the pavement, the bike swerved around, toward the crowd surrounding the cage.

Caught off guard, the soldiers parted in front of the bike, trying to avoid being mowed down as the rider, hidden beneath a shiny black helmet, cut through them like a knife.  As it went, the rider tossed small metal canisters onto the ground, and each one began to emit a thick, blinding smoke.  

As the men tried to gather themselves, some raised their weapons, firing blind shots at the bike.  Before any could connect, though, the bike swerved again, peeling across the compound, circling the cage amidst a cacophony of shouts, bangs and flailing limbs.  All the while, the turtles watched in awe, not even sure what to think.

Finally, the bike shot forward, out of the throng, and was followed by men, running hard and shouting, weapons still raised.  The bike circled a large shipping container full of equipment left nearby, and as it rounded the other end, it came shooting back toward the charging troops, many of whom froze in shock.  The rider revved the engine once more, then jumped up, planted both feet on the seat of the bike, and leaped.  

The bike surged forward on its own, and the rider soared up, up, up, higher than any normal person should be able to jump, and, with a flip, landed on the top of the shipping container.  The bike tipped over on its side, and its momentum carried it into the advancing mob, toppling several of the men before finally grinding to a halt, the engine choking off.

Atop the massive metal container, the rider knelt, peering down at them, and removed her helmet.  "I hear you've been looking for me," Kacey called out, her violet eyes gleaming behind the emerald green mask.

Chapter Text

"Kacey!" Michelangelo yelled, grabbing the bars of the cage without thinking, before jumping back with a yelp of pain as they zapped him.

"13!" Rook shouted at the same moment.  His face was angry, but there was a wild, almost greedy look in his eyes as he looked up at the girl he had hunted for weeks, as black smoke curled in tendrils between them.

Kacey glared back at him as she perched on the edge of the shipping container.  "Let them go, Rook!" she shouted.

"So it's true then," the doctor said, sounding amused.  "You really think you have some sort of free will now?  That you can tell me what to do?"  He shook his head, chuckling darkly.  "If you think you're just going to run away from me again, you're sorely mistake, little girl."

Kacey rose to her feet, the tails of her green mask catching in the breeze.  "I'm done running."

Rook smiled, the expression both smug and sinister.  "Then you can come down from there, and we'll be back at the lab by-"

"I'm not going back to any lab," Kacey cut in.  "Never again."

"Then I suppose we'll just have to take you by force," Rook said.  He looked at Fox, who nodded and turned to 14.

"Go and get her, boy," the general ordered.  "Dead or alive."

At once, 14 surged forward, and Kacey moved back from the edge of the container as he leapt up, easily clearing the eight foot threshold, and landed with a solid, ringing thud in front of her.  Being the first time either had seen the other in the flesh, they studied one another for a moment.  "You know," Kacey said cautiously, reaching slowly to her belt for her kunai, "you don't have to do this."

14 gave an infinitesimal shake of his head, and his green eyes narrowed.  "My orders are clear," he said coldly.   "I do not wish to hurt you, but I will if you leave me no choice."

Kacey pursed her lips.  "Then I'm sorry it has to be like this."  With that, she lunged forward, darting toward him with a cry of attack.  She barely registered it when his eyes lit up, a glowing, piercing green in the night, or when he raised his hand, palm facing her.  As she leapt up, she felt something slide over her, like a gust of wind, but it did little more than tickle her skin as she swung her foot around, catching 14, off guard, in his temple.

As he stumbled to his knees, more stunned than hurt, the turtles watched from below in awe.  "Uh, what just happened?" Michelangelo asked, his eyes wide.  "Shouldn't that have blasted her back like it did to us?"

"Their telekinetic powers must not work on one another," Donatello exclaimed.  "They're both manipulating the same energy, so they must be immune to each other's powers."

Next to the cage, General Fox sneered.  "On your feet, boy!" he bellowed.

The momentary shock now past, 14 was on his feet almost instantly, and he wasted no time in charging Kacey.  She'd lost the element of surprise now, and she braced herself as he came at her.

As they connected, they immediately became a flurry of limbs and fiery hair, moving almost too fast to see.  Kacey managed to duck most of his blows; it seemed she was just quicker than him, though he definitely had the upper hand in strength.  But still, he was very well trained, and was able to catch her once in the knee with a kick, again in the ribs with a fist, and finally, in the face with an elbow.

As the cries of her friends rose from below, Kacey stumbled, her vision flashing red, and 14 slipped an arm around her neck, pulling her into a tight choke hold.  She clawed at his arm, jabbed at his elbow, tried to pull free, but he held fast.

"It was foolish of you to come here," he murmured in her ear as her vision dimmed around the edges.  "On your own, you could not possibly defeat me.  Why even try?"  She whispered something, but her voice was too strangled to understand.  "What?" he said, leaning his head closer.

"Made... you... look..." she gasped.

Just then, there came a massive CRASH, as the Battle Shell smashed right through the fence surrounding the base.  As the armored truck barreled through the throng of stunned soldiers, 14's focus was pulled away, just long enough for Kacey to pull out a kunai.  She slashed at 14's arm, still around her throat, and with a cry of anger and pain, his grip loosened. She slipped away, gasping for air.

His attention was back on her now.  He scowled at her, reaching up to draw the sword from his back, the cut on his arm already closing.  Kacey pulled her ninjato at the same time, but she couldn't help a shiver of trepidation as his sword glinted in the night.  It was at least eight inches longer than hers, the blade straight and double edged, no doubt wickedly sharp.  He charged her, but she was ready for him.

Meanwhile, the truck was careening through the compound, leaving nothing but chaos behind.  Men were running everywhere, trying to avoid the erratic vehicle, trying to take out the tires and windows with shots made blind by the thick smoke still lingering in the air from Kacey's entrance.  It screeched in a turn next to the cage, and the back door flew open.  Out came a huge black motorcycle, scattering the ring of troops surrounding the cage as it crashed down in the truck's wake.

His face hidden behind his hockey mask, Casey Jones squealed to a halt outside the cage, raising his stick in greeting to the turtles inside.  "The cavalry has arrived!" he shouted over the screaming tires of the Battle Shell, which was circling the cage again, halting the advance of more troops.

"Casey!" the turtles cheered from inside.

"What took ya so long?" Raphael shouted.  "The kid was gettin' her shell waxed!"

"Don't blame me," Casey shot back, swinging his hockey stick at a soldier that was running at him.  "It was Tinkerbell's plan to wait til she got 14 and the others all distracted."

"You mean," Donatello said, turning his focus back to the two clones, "that was all just a diversion?"

As the others followed his gaze, they saw that 14 had engaged Kacey again, but this time, it was a vastly different fight.  Kacey was still faster than he was, but now she had her ninjato in one hand, her kunai in the other, and was matching 14 blow for blow as he swung at her with his own sword, the blades clashing even over the roar of the charging Battle Shell.  She had been pulling her punches before, lulling 14 into a false sense of victory, but now, they were both out for blood.

"She can't keep that up for long," Leonardo noted.  "Casey, you have to get us out of this thing."

"Already on it," Casey replied as the Battle Shell swerved once again next to the cage, this time drawing to a halt.

The doors opened once more, and Dr. Raeheart jumped out, accompanied by Master Splinter and April O'Neil.  As Splinter and April jumped into action, followed by Casey peeling off on his bike, to fend off the troops that managed to double back in the confusion, Ella ran toward the cage, wasting no time in plugging her tablet into the panel that controlled the lock.  With nimble fingers, she went to work disabling it.

"Man, is it good to see you guys," Leo said, grinning.

"Are you hurt, my sons?" Splinter asked, leaping up to deliver a brutal kick to one soldier.

"We're fine," Donnie called back.

"We gotta help Kacey before she gets skewered, though!" Mikey added.

"I just need another minute..." Ella said, typing furiously.

"Step away from that cage, Dr. Raeheart," came a voice behind her, and Ella spun to see General Fox there, the barrel of a gun trained directly on her.  "I won't tell you again," he snapped.

He took a menacing step forward, but was suddenly blocked as Casey Jones pulled up between him and the doctor.  "I got a bone to pick with you, Fox," Casey said, climbing off the bike.  Fox raised the gun, but Casey quickly knocked it from his hands with a swing of his hockey stick.  "Get that box open, Doc," he said over his shoulder.  "I'll take care of General Jarhead."

"I'd love to see you try," Fox sneered, raising his fists.

As Casey attacked him, Ella went back to work on the electronic lock.  Her hands were shaking now, and she kept fumbling the commands.  Inside the cage, the turtles were growing more and more anxious, watching their friends and loved ones fighting while they were left helpless.  "Come on, Doc," Raphael urged.  "We gotta get outta here!"

"I'm doing the best I can!" Ella said, working feverishly to decipher the last encryption code.

Michelangelo looked back to the two clones, and cried, "Kacey!  No!".  The others followed his gaze, and saw that the fight between Kacey and 14 had taken a drastic turn.  Kacey's sword was on the ground, and she was bleeding from a cut on her right arm.  14 was still armed, advancing on her as she stumbled back.  As they watched, calling out to her, he blocked the swing of her kunai, and managed to rend it from her grasp.  Before she could pull another from the pouch on her hip, he lashed out, grasping her by the shirt with his free hand, and slammed her headfirst onto the shipping container with a loud bang

He had just lifted her back up when Ella gave a triumphant shout, and the lock on the cage slid open with a click.  In an instant, Michelangelo was gone, running for the shipping container as fast as he could, ignoring Leo's call of "Mikey, your chucks!".  He didn't register that he was unarmed, or that his brothers had paused to gather their weapons.  

He could only focus on Kacey, as 14 wound up and threw her from the top of the eight foot container.  She sailed toward the ground, too dazed and limp to right herself.  Mikey jumped up, plucked her from the air, and landed back on the ground, cradling her in his arms.

"Kacey!" he said, sounding almost frantic.  "Kacey, are you okay?"

It took her a moment before she fully recovered from the blow to the head, her blurred vision focusing on his face.  "Am I winning?" she murmured, and he sighed in relief.

"You really gotta start remembering that you can't fly, Kace," he said, grinning.

Kacey smiled, rubbing her head.  Suddenly, her eyes flew wide.  "Move!" she cried, and she rolled to the side, pulling him with her, as 14 hit the ground, his sword sending up sparks as the blade struck the pavement just where they'd been a second before.  Mikey pulled Kacey to her feet, and they both jumped back as 14 slashed at them.

Raph, Leo, and Don ran up to join them, and the four brothers moved to put themselves between Kacey and 14.

"Your friends will not change anything," 14 said, stepping back to reassess.  "I will just have to hurt them, too."

"You can try, kid," Raphael retorted, raising his sai.

"We won't let you hurt Kacey," Leo said, passing Mikey his nunchucks before drawing his own katanas.

"You are fools," 14 told them.  "I have to take her.  I have to follow my orders."

"Then you'll have to go through us," said Donatello, spinning his bo staff.

"Why do you protect her?" 14 asked them.  "Why do you not see that you cannot save her?"

"That's what families do," Mikey replied, twirling his chucks as he glared at the boy.  "You'd know that if you didn't keep following those nutjobs."

"She is not your family," 14 snapped.  "She and I do not have a family.  We only have orders."

Kacey raised a hand, giving a pull with her mind, and her ninjato flew through the air to her.  She moved forward, to stand beside the turtles rather than behind them.  "That's where you're wrong," she told her doppelganger.  "They are my family.  And I will not let you hurt them!"

14 looked around, taking in each of them.  "Then you will all die," he said, raising his sword.

Kacey glanced at the turtles that stood beside her, Leo and Donnie to her right, Mikey and Raph to her left, before looking 14 directly in the eye.  She raised her sword, and said the first thing that came to her before she charged.

 "Cowabunga!"

Chapter Text

"If I had known you'd be this much of a pain," General Fox grunted, swinging a fist at Casey Jones, "I wouldn't have let you off so easy the last time we met."

"Funny," Casey replied, ducking another swing, "I was about to tell you the same thing, Jughead."

Fox sneered and charged at him, but Casey caught him in the gut with a swing of his hockey stick.  Fox swore in pain, and Casey swung again.  But this time, Fox reached out, catching the end of the stick in one hand.  With the other, he lashed out, snapping the stick in two with the heel of his hand.  Casey dropped the useless end he was left with and pulled a bat from the bag on his back.

"Full of tricks, eh boy?" Fox chuckled, tossing the rest of the hockey stick away.  "It's useless, you know.  14 will take your girl down soon enough.  And your little green friends, too, if they get in his way."

"They can handle themselves, Fox," Casey said, circling him while looking for an opening.  "Maybe you should be worrying about your kid."

He motioned over Fox's shoulder, and the general turned to see that the four turtles, along with Kacey, had surrounded 14, and were working as a team to keep him occupied.  Alone, the girl had barely been able to hold her own, but now, it seemed that 14 might actually have trouble keeping up with the fight.  Fox scowled, turning back to Casey Jones.  "Meddlesome pests!" he growled, taking a knife from some unseen holster.

He ran at Casey, swiping madly, and Casey had to move fast to avoid his blade.  Luckily, he'd gotten used to sparring with Kacey, and Kacey was much faster than the general.

As Fox lunged forward, bringing the knife streaking down, Casey brought his bat up, catching the blade in the wood.  With a hard twist, it went flying, and in the general's moment of confusion at being left empty handed, Casey hit him hard, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Stee-rike three, you're outta here!" Casey cheered, as April ran up beside him.  "You okay, babe?"

"I'm fine," April said.  "I think we've almost gotten all of them."  She looked back at him, but her smile was quickly replaced by a look of horror.  "Casey!"

Casey turned quickly, and saw that Fox had fallen right by the gun he'd dropped earlier.  The gun that was now aimed directly at Kacey and the guys.

"I'll take out the little brat myself!" he bellowed, finger on the trigger.

Casey ran at him, but he was too far away to stop him.  Just before the gun went off, though, it was knocked aside once more, and Fox found himself face to face with a very large, very angry rat.

"You will not harm my children!" Splinter snarled, leaping up and hitting Fox square in the chest with a hard kick that sent him flying.  Fox groaned, dragging himself back to his feet.

"Jeez," Casey said, "what's it take to get this guy to stay down?"

"You're all finished," Fox growled, leering at them.  "Nothing's going to stop- Aarrrgh!"  Something struck him in the chest, and he cried out in pain before dropping to the ground.  Surprised, Splinter, Casey, and April looked around, and found Dr. Raeheart, Fox's gun in hand, glaring at the general's crumpled form.

"That's for hurting my little girl," she said bitingly.  She looked up, noticing the stares of the others.  "What?" she asked, lowering the weapon.  "I set it to fire shock rounds.  He'll be fine.  Unfortunately."

"Way to go, Doc," said Casey Jones approvingly.  "Come on, let's take care of the rest of 'em while Tink and the guys keep G.I. Junior busy."

And keeping him busy, they were.  The turtles were definitely helping to even the odds, but KC14 was strong and skilled.  Their real saving grace was Kacey's agility.  While the turtles worked to split 14's focus four ways, she was able to slip between them and around them, delivering several blows when 14 was too slow to block her.

When Leonardo parried 14's sword, Kacey slipped past him, jabbing at his ribs with her kunai.  As 14 turned to slash at Raphael, Kacey and Donatello intercepted him, hitting him from both sides.  When 14 raised a hand toward Michelangelo to send him flying back, Kacey threw up both hands, using the invisible force in her mind to catch him.  It was all 14 could do to keep up with her.

Finally, Kacey vaulted forward, landing right in front of 14.  He struck at her with the sword, but she caught his wrist in her hand, pushing his arm to the side.  His sword flew right past her face, close enough that she saw the reflection of her own eyes in the blade.  She brought her knee up, and heard the grunt of pain as it connected hard with his stomach.

The sword clattered from his hands as he doubled over, and Kacey heard the turtles give a whoop.  But suddenly, 14 lifted his head, meeting Kacey's eyes as he smirked and grabbed her by the leg in an iron grasp.  Kacey gave a startled and pained yelp as he whipped around and threw her as hard as he could.

She was tossed like a doll, and slammed right into the cage that had previously contained her friends, her head bashing into the steel bars as they buckled.  She crumpled to the ground, her vision swimming while her ears rang.  Lifting her head, she could just make out the blurry form of the turtles as they lunged for 14.  Just behind them, she saw 14's glowing green eyes, piercing the night like a beacon.  In an instant, all four turtles were sent flying, pushed by 14's mind.  14 raised his arms, and the turtles were blasted even farther back.

Kacey's rattled mind cleared just as 14 pulled his knife from the holster on his thigh, and she dragged herself to her hands and knees while 14 stalked toward Mikey, who had fallen just a few feet from where she lay.  As 14 raised the blade, Kacey let out an ear piercing scream, and her vision went red.

14 looked up at the sound of the scream, and felt a moment of awe as he watched his twin rise from the ground, her eyes shining a luminescent purple.  She rose to her feet, but then she kept on rising, until she hovered a few feet above the ground.  14 stared at her, stunned.  He hadn't been told she could do this.

"You're in for it now, dude," murmured the turtle in orange, watching Kacey from where he still knelt on the ground, and 14 realized he still had his knife raised, ready to deliver a final blow.

Before he could move, though, Kacey spoke, her voice colored with fury.  "Get away from my family!" she cried, raising her arms.  With a screaming groan, the door to the steel cage behind her ripped free from its hinges and launched itself at 14 like a missile, striking him hard.

He tumbled back, momentarily stunned, but rolled back to his feet, rubbing his jaw as the twisted hunk of metal clattered away.  "So," he spat, his own eyes blazing as the air around him fizzled with energy, "you have a new trick.  Impressive."  Like Kacey, he rose above the pavement, the air around him almost crackling with energy.  "Now, let us see how good you really are."

Mikey jumped up and bolted as the ground beneath him began to rumble.  With a deafening crack, a chunk of pavement broke free, flying at Kacey.  She leapt up at the last second, and the hunk of concrete lodged itself into the side of the cage, warping it for good.  Kacey hit the ground running, streaking right at 14.

14 held his ground, flicking a hand at her.  Several crates rose into the air and pelted toward her.  Without pausing, Kacey flung up her hands, knocking two of them out of her way, then jumped up, planting her hands on a third to vault up and over it.  Back on the ground, she kept running, her eyes full of rage.

Now 14 moved back, his face twisting with malice as he watched her approach.  He took a deep breath, pointed both hands at her, and concentrated hard.  With a massive groan, the shipping container behind him began to lift off the ground.

"Oh no ya don't!" Raphael yelled, launching both of his sais at the boy.

Distracted, 14 dropped the container, and with the snap of his fingers, stopped both of the projectiles in midair.  Smirking at Raph, he flicked a hand, sending them flying at Kacey instead, fast as bullets.

The turtles called out to Kacey, trying to warn her, but she was already moving.  She hit the ground just instants before the sai skewered her, the blades just slicing the ends of her hair.  Instead of stopping, though, her momentum kept her going.  She slid the last few feet toward 14, and just before she reached him, she kicked her feet up and caught him hard in the chest.

As 14 stumbled back, Kacey flipped upright, spun on one foot, and connected the heel of the other with 14's chin, sending him sprawling to the ground.  She advanced on him, but he threw out a hand.  Kacey's ninjato rose from where it had fallen before, and shot at Kacey.  But, quick as ever, she ducked the blade, and snatched it out of the air.  She raised it high, the the tip pointed down at 14 like a guillotine, and the glow in his eyes dimmed, replaced by fear.

"Kacey, stop!" Michelangelo called out as the turtles ran up behind her.  "Don't do it!"

"He ain't worth it, kid!" Raphael added.

"You've already won!" said Donatello.

Leonardo moved closer than the others, holding his hands out to her.  "Don't be the monster they want you to be, Kacey," he said softly.

Kacey glared down at 14, her glowing violet eyes reflecting in his, the sword gripped tight in her hands.  Finally, she lowered it, and her eyes dimmed to normal again.  She took a step back, her head pounding, and Leo took the ninjato as

Mikey threw his arms around her.  "You did it," he said, hugging her tightly.  "You beat him."

"You are all fools," 14 said suddenly, and they all looked up as his eyes blazed bright once more.  Before they could stop him, he rose from the ground again, but this time, he didn't stop.  He rose higher and higher, above all of them, glaring down.  "You could have ended it," he snapped at Kacey.  He waved a hand, and Leo was flung away from her.  "You could have killed me."  Another wave, and Raph went sailing.  "You had your chance, and you did not take it."  Donnie was sent flying.  "Now, you will watch them all die."  And Mikey was blasted away, leaving Kacey alone.

14 raised both arms high, and for a moment, nothing happened.  Then, as his face twisted in concentration, the air around them seemed to change, a charge building, like just before a lightning strike.  All at once, everything around them seemed to move.  Crates, boxes, fallen weapons, the wreckage of the fight, even Raphael's shell cycle.  All of it rose into the air, whipped around them like a tornado.  The ground rumbled as more cracks split open, and even the massive warehouse began to groan, windows shattering on all sides of it.

Amid the maelstrom, the four turtles all scrambled to grab hold of something that wasn't spinning in the air.  Mikey managed to grab onto the mangled remains of the cage, which was bolted to the ground.  Leo sank a katana blade into the pavement, holding it tight as he caught Donnie out of the air.  Raph was slammed into the side of the shipping container, and braced himself against it, looking around for Kacey, sure she had been swept into the fray.

But Kacey was still standing where she had been, staring up at 14 in shock.  She didn't seem to comprehend the chaos around her, and it didn't seem to affect her one bit.  "What the shell is she doing?" Raph wondered out loud.

Then he remembered what Don had said earlier.  Their powers didn't work on each other!  Which meant that she was the only one who couldn't get blasted by 14's tantrum.  Which meant... "Kacey!" Raph yelled out to her.  She looked at him, her eyes wide at hearing him say her name for the first time.  

He faced her, his shell braced against the metal container, which was starting to shift, and cupped his hands in front of him.  "Up and at 'em!" he called.  Kacey looked at him, glanced up at 14, then back.  She bolted forward, running hard, and when her foot connected with his hands, Raphael heaved her up.

As Kacey rose into the air, it was as if the world slowed down, just as it had when she had saved the little girl, Olivia, from the car.  She could see 14 in front of her, getting closer and closer with each instant.  She knew the turtles were watching her, expecting her to stop him, to put an end to this fight somehow.  And, as she tried to think of something, anything to do, all she could think was that she wished 14 could have been where she was, could have learned what she had.  She wished there was some way to show him, to get through to him.  To take him back to where it all began.  Back where it all began...

And suddenly, she knew what to do.  As she slammed into 14, she clamped her arms around him.  And as they dropped from the air, she squeezed her eyes shut, thinking harder than she ever had before.  She felt a stabbing pain in her head, a ripping sound split the air, and a dark shape opened below them, an endless void that seemed to come from nowhere.  The twin clones dropped through it, and it vanished, leaving a strange and sudden quiet behind.

As all of the flying debris dropped to the ground, the four brothers shielded themselves.  When the dust had settled, they regrouped, trying to figure out what had just happened.  "What the shell was that?" Raphael asked, scanning the wreckage.

"Kacey?  Kacey?!" Mikey called, looking around frantically.  "Where's Kacey?"

"They dropped into that portal," Leo said, pulling his katana out of the ground.

"The rift," Donnie muttered, and the others all looked at him.  "Rook's reports on 14 said he could open a rift to teleport from one place to another.  That weird portal matched his description of it."

Raph threw his hands up.  "Well that's just great!" he snapped.  "So Kacey's been teleported to who-knows-where by that little megalomaniac, and we got no way to find her!"

"Actually," said Don, "I think... I think Kacey's the one who opened that rift."

"What?" Leo asked, incredulous.

"14 was distracted," Donnie replied.  "Kacey had him.  It wouldn't have done him any good to use the rift with her hanging onto him.  I think she opened it."

"But where would she want to teleport him to?" Mikey asked, still looking around even though it was futile.

"I don't know," Donnie said honestly.

"Let's just hope she can make it back alright," said Leo, looking up at the sky where the rift had been.

Meanwhile, Kacey found herself in complete and utter darkness.  She could feel 14 struggling in her grasp, but it was even too dark to see him.  It was silent, so silent that she couldn't even hear her own heart beating, or 14's.  Like something had sucked away all volume of sound.  It was so quiet that it hurt, and her aching head actually felt like it would burst.

Suddenly, her ears popped painfully, the world lit up, and they dropped onto a cold tile floor.  In an instant, 14 shoved away from her, rolling to his feet.  "You impudent little-!" he spat, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off the ground.  "You think pulling me through the rift will save your pathetic little 'friends'?"  He threw her hard, and she crashed through a polished window into a large, dimly lit room.

Kacey gasped in pain as she felt the window break against her back, and again as shards of the window rained down on her, one cutting a gash in her leg.  14 jumped easily through the hole, and picked her up again, this time dangling her by one wrist.  "Without your annoying 'family' around, it will be even easier to defeat you," he murmured.  "And then, I will go back and finish them."  He hurled her across the wide, white room, and she slammed into a massive mass of metal set against the wall.  

She cried out as she felt her left arm snap against a steel cross bar, and crumpled, gasping and crying, on the floor.  14 came at her again, but, just as he reached for her again, he froze, suddenly realizing what he was looking at.

Kacey lay shaking on the cold floor, knowing exactly what he saw as he shuffled back.  She could see it clearly in her own mind, as she had when she'd drawn it in her notebook.  She remembered every inch of the metal monstrosity, every wire and electrode, every one of the surrounding monitors, each one now broken.  

Behind 14, through the shattered window, she could see the observation room, where Dr. Raeheart had watched, helpless, as Kacey had been strapped into the device.  Back where it all began, Kacey thought bitterly.

"Why..." 14 mumbled, his eyes wide.  "Why have you brought me here?"

"Because," Kacey said through gritted teeth, the pain nearly enough to make her scream.  "This is where I became who I am."

14 shook his head, taking another step back.  "There is only pain here," he said.  "Nothing but pain."

Kacey nodded, which made her head ache even more, the edges of her vision blurring.  "The pain," she said, "is what cleared my mind.  Rook... pushed me so hard.  So far.  Probably trying to force me to catch up to you.  He thought I would excel.  But I just blew up."  She forced herself onto her knees, motioning with her good arm to the busted monitors, the cracked tiles in the walls, and the mangled restraints on the machine.  "I.. I opened the rift for the first time here.  I got away.  To New York City."

14 glared at her.  "I never got away," he snapped.  "I only teleported to other parts of the lab.  Why should you be any different?"

Kacey had to think about that.  What had been different for her?  Something had caused her to choose New York.  In the very back of her mind, she could hear a voice, like the whisper of a memory.  "Yes.  New York.  No one would ever find you there."  Dr. Raeheart.  Ella.  Kacey remembered her words, as if from a dream.  "If I ever get you out of here, we'll go to New York City.  I'll keep you safe there."

New York City.  Safe.  That had been it.  That had been why she'd chosen New York.  "She told me it was safe there," Kacey muttered, dragging herself to her feet.

"Who did?" 14 demanded.

"The mother of the boy we were cloned from," Kacey replied, leaning against the machine for support.  "She told me I could be safe in New York.  You never had anyone tell you that.  You only teleported to places you knew, and they were all inside the lab you were raised in."

14 stared at her, his face a mix of confusion and fury.  "The mother?" he said finally.  "You... you knew his mother?"

"Yes," Kacey said quietly.  "She helped raise me.  Worked with Rook and his team here."  She again motioned to the room.

"She... raised you?"  14 echoed.  His gaze fell to the floor, and for the first time, he looked just as much like a regular teen as she did.  "Why... Why you?  I...  We came from her son.  Why not me?"

Kacey watched him, swaying slightly.  "Rook never told her about you.  He let her believe I was the only clone.  He claimed it was to... to keep her from becoming attached to you.  Because... He knew she'd love you.  Just like she loved her son."

A pained look crossed his face.  "What... What happened to her?"

"She was with me," Kacey told him.  "She came to rescue the turtles, just like I did."

His eyes shot to hers, wide and glistening.  "You mean... She was there?  She was at the base?"  Kacey nodded, and he dropped to his knees.  "I... I could have killed her.  I was going to destroy the base, destroy everyone there.  She... She would have died.  And it would have been my fault."  He pressed his hands to his face, and Kacey saw tears sliding down his cheeks.

Suddenly, a siren blared, and the room was bathed in flashing red light.

"They know we're here," Kacey said, looking around.  "They'll be coming for us."

14 looked up, then threw a hand out.  With a horrible rip and a smell like ozone in the air, the rift opened again.  "Go!" he said.  "Go back to your family."

Kacey moved slowly toward him, limping on her cut leg.  She knelt in front of him, then reached up and pulled off the green mask, looking him directly in the eye.  "Come back with me," she said softly.  "Come and meet her."

He looked back at her for a moment, then shook his head.  "No.  I cannot.  If I go back..." his hand drifted to the black collar around his neck, the little silver clasp catching the red light as it blinked.  "I can't.  I have to end this.  Once and for all."

Kacey wasn't entirely sure what he meant, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know.  She stood up, almost screaming as her leg protested, and reached into the little pouch on her hip. Her fingers closed on something soft, and she pulled out the tiny bear that Olivia had given her.  She held it out to 14, who looked at it, confused.  "I was given this when I saved a little girl's life," Kacey said, and she saw a flash of something in his eyes.

"One of the turtles," 14 said in a low voice.  "He said you had saved someone.  Risked your own life to do it."

Kacey nodded, looking at the little bear.  "I didn't think.  I didn't even consider my own safety.  I just needed to save her.  She gave me this in return.  It proved to me that I wasn't just a monster, a weapon made to kill and destroy.  It proved that I could help others.  That I could save lives.  It proved that I could be what I wanted to be, not just what I was designed for."  She pressed the little bear into his hands.  "It helped me.  Maybe it can help you, too."  She met his eyes. "Don't be the monster they want you to be."

He stared back at her for a moment, his eyes pained, when suddenly there was a banging outside the room, and 14 threw out his free hand, pushing a desk across the door as someone unlocked it.  "You have to go now," he said, his other hand closing on the bear.  "Please.  Go back to your family."

Kacey hesitated as someone on the other side of the door tried to get it open.  "I can't just leave you," she said helplessly.  "You're... my brother."

14 looked at her, then did something she never expected.  He threw his arms around her, hugging her tight.  "I am so sorry, Kacey," he whispered as she returned his embrace.  He pulled back, and Kacey saw that his face was streaked with tears.  

Before she could say another word, the door was forced open, and armed guards came streaming in.  14 gave her a hard shove, and she vanished into the rift, screaming as it closed around her.  The last thing she saw was 14 turning to face the guards, and then she was surrounded by the black silence.

Back at the lab, the others were just finishing rounding up the unconscious guards and soldiers, locking them all inside the shipping container that had served as a battleground.  The last one in was General Fox, still out cold from the shock dart.  Casey Jones took more than a little satisfaction from tossing him inside.  "That does it," he said, shutting the heavy door and barring it.

"Good," said Raphael, anxiously spinning a sai in his hand.  "Now we can focus on how we're gonna find Kacey."

"You really have no idea where she could have gone?" April asked the brothers for the fifth time.  "She didn't give any indication?"

"No," Leonardo answered.  "One minute they were there, and the next..."

"And since Fox had her Shell Cell," said Donatello, "I can't track her."

"What about 14's tracker?" Michelangelo asked, sounding a little manic.  "His wasn't broken like Kacey's.  Can't we track him?"

"I thought about that," Ella Reaheart said, just as worried. "But 14 smashed all the computers here in that last attack.  I can't find him.  I'm guessing Rook has some other way of tracking him, but of course that bloody coward ran off when the real fighting started."

Mikey groaned dejectedly, punching the side of the shipping container.  "We'll never find her!"

"Calm yourself, my son," said Master Splinter, placing a hand on his shoulder.  "We must not give up hope.  We will find Kacey."

Just then, an earsplitting rip split the night, and a black void opened up nearby.  The entire group watched in awe as Kacey tumbled through it, looking battered and broken, her face streaked with tears.  As the rift closed behind her, she looked around, dazed and confused.

"Kacey!" the brothers yelled in unison, and she turned toward them, relief washing over her face.

She limped forward as they all ran toward her, calling out to her.  Suddenly, her path was blocked as Dr. Rook appeared from wherever he'd been hiding.  He looked at her with such absolute loathing that she froze in her tracks.  "You!" he spat, a mad glint in his eyes.  "You've ruined everything!  All of my plans!  Years of research!  I never should have kept you in the first place, 13!"

He lashed out at her, and Kacey had barely registered the object in his hand, small and sparking with electricity, before she had shoved his hand aside.  "My name," she spat through gritted teeth, "is Kacey!"  With that, she brought her elbow down on his hand, and the stun gun clattered away.  She drove her knee into his stomach, the gash in her leg screaming with pain.  As he dropped to his knees, winded, she brought her leg up, and delivered a brutal roundhouse kick to his temple, knocking him out cold.

She stumbled back, away from him, before the last bit of adrenaline left her and her legs gave out, the pavement rushing up to meet her.  Before she hit it, though, several pairs of hands caught her.  "It's okay," someone said, though Kacey couldn't be sure who as her vision blurred and a dull roar filled her ears.  "We got you, Kacey.  You're safe now."

Yes, she thought as someone picked her up.  Safe.  Safe with my family.

And then the darkness took her.

Chapter Text

When she woke up, it took her a few moments to realize that she was back in her room in the underground lair.  It took a little longer for her to remember how she'd gotten there, as her mind raced over her last few memories.  The fight at the warehouse, rescuing the turtles, and 14...  

She sat up, wincing as her body protested, and took a mental inventory of herself.  Her head pounded, one arm was bound tightly in a splint, and several other smaller aches and pains made moving rather miserable.  Still, slowly, she stood and made her way out of the room and into the dojo.  

Voices drew her attention, and her heart leapt when she saw the four turtle brothers, along with Master Splinter and Dr. Raeheart, sitting around the old sofa while several of the tv screens before them flickered with various programs that none of them seemed to be paying attention to.

"-already told you, Mikey," Donatello was saying, sounding a little exasperated.  "They weren't flying.  They were levitating as a result of all the excess telekinetic energy.  It was just a side effect."

"Levitating, flying, same thing," Michelangelo said, waving a hand.  "My point is, Kacey could totally be a super cool superhero!"

"Dream on, bro," Raphael laughed.  "She just got out of being a super soldier.  What makes you think she'd wanna be a superhero?"

"I don't know," Kacey said softly.  "Being a hero doesn't sound too bad."  Every head snapped in her direction.

"Kacey!" Mikey cried, leaping over the back of the sofa and running at her.  He hit her like a freight train, wrapping her in a hug that knocked the wind out of her, and nearly knocked them both over.  "You're awake!"

"Can't... breathe!" she gasped as he all but carried her back to the others.

"Ease up, shell for brains!" Raph snapped, smacking Mikey on the back of the head.  "You're gonna put her right back into a coma.  Welcome back to the land of the living, kid," he added to Kacey with a grin, ruffling her hair.

"Thanks, Raph," Kacey said as Mikey finally let her go.  Almost instantly, Kacey was wrapped in another equally crushing hug, as Ella pulled her close, kissing her forehead.

Kacey returned her embrace as best she could with only one usable arm, her eyes stinging.  Too soon, Ella let her go, and Kacey blinked, looking around at the others.  "How long was I out this time?"

"Almost a week," Leo replied, smiling.  "A new record."

Kacey stared at him, dumbfounded.  "A week?!" she echoed incredulously.  "What have I missed?  What happened to Dr. Rook?  And Fox?  And-"

"Slow down, my child," Splinter said, motioning her to sit.  "We will tell you everything that has happened."

Kacey sat down, and the others began to fill her in on everything she'd missed while she had been comatose.  They told her all about how they had anonymously tipped off the police, leading to a raid of the Kryonix base.  How they'd left Rook, Fox, and all of their troops practically gift wrapped, along with a thumb drive full of all the reports and notes that Donatello and Ella had compiled over the last few weeks, detailed every account of illegal experimentation that Kryonix had been a part of.  According to the news reports, Rook, Fox, and even Kryonix's benefactor, Lu Ten Takanashi, were all arrested and pending a massive investigation that was likely to take Kryonix down entirely.

"But what about you?" Kacey asked Ella when they'd finished.  "Won't they arrest you, too?  And what about me and 14?  They'll be looking for us.  We're too dangerous to just let slide."

"Ah, well," Donnie said, smiling, "that's why we were so invested in going over all of that data.  All of the 'not-so-important' details just happened to be a bit... corrupted."  He grinned as Kacey quirked an eyebrow.  "Rook and the others can say all they want about you, Dr. Raeheart, and 14, but at this point, who would believe them?  They'll never be able to find any of you.  I made sure of that."

"Just like the Men In Black," Mikey mused, waving his hands mysteriously, "you don't even exist!"

Kacey let the reality of this sink in.  Kryonix was finished.  Her existence was erased.  She was free.  She could be anything she wanted, do anything she pleased, and no one would be hunting for her.  It was everything she could ever hope for.  And yet... Something still bothered her.  "Have you heard anything about 14?" she asked softly.  They all stared at her, surprised.  "What?"

"Uh, we kinda thought you wasted him..." Raph admitted.

"Yeah," Mikey said when she looked puzzled.  "I mean, he was pretty intent on taking all of us out.  It was a fight to the death."

"And then you both went through the rift," Leo added, "but only you came back."

"Lookin' like you just went five rounds with Muhammad Ali," Raph said, pointing to her splinted arm.

"When 14 didn't follow you," Donnie finished, "we just thought you must've... Y'know."

Kacey shook her head.  "No, I didn't... He... He let me go."

"Why would he do that?" Raph asked, clearly surprised.  "Like Mikey said, he was trying to take you down.  Why would he just let you walk away?"

She looked at him, then around her at the others, her eyes lingering on Ella for a moment.  She wasn't sure what exactly to tell them.  That he had inexplicably stayed behind to fight, buying time to send her back through the rift?  Would they understand what had made him change?  She wasn't even sure that she really understood.  Was she even ready to talk about it?  She felt a hand on her arm, and turned to meet Master Splinter's gaze.

"The important thing is that he did let her go," he said to the brothers.  "Whatever caused his decision, we are just lucky to have Kacey here with us now."  He looked back at her.  "We have heard nothing about him.  We can only hope that, wherever he is, he has time to consider what is truly important."

She gave him a grateful look as the others relaxed.  Wanting to change the subject, she looked around and said, "So, what happens now?"

"Now," Leo replied, "you get to enjoy your life."

"Without a bunch o' wackbag scientists following you around," Raph added.

Kacey smiled.  "I like the sound of that."  She looked at Ella.  "What about you?  What will you do?"

"Actually," Ella said, "I'm planning to find a new job here in the city."

Kacey felt her heart flutter.  "Really?" she asked.  She hadn't considered it before, but now that she thought about it, the idea of the doctor actually leaving New York made her feel empty somehow.

Ella smiled at her, reaching out a hand to brush her auburn hair from her eyes.  "April's already been helping me look for apartments.  And there are plenty of places in the city that would be looking for someone with my knowledge of biology and technology.  I'm not going anywhere, darling."

As Kacey beamed at her, the door slid open, and in walked Casey Jones and April.  They both paused when they saw her, and then April rushed to hug her as Casey grinned.

"It's so good to see you awake!" April said.

"Get enough beauty sleep, Tinkerbell?" Casey asked teasingly.

Kacey smiled.  "More than you, apparently."

"Oh ho," Casey laughed, grinning.  "What, didja find a sense of humor in that black hole you fell in?"

"I guess getting rid of the guys who wanted to kill me just brings out the best in me," Kacey replied.

Chuckling, Casey patted her head, messing up her already tousled hair.  "Yeah, that'd do it," he said.  "It had to feel good to put that crazy doc down."  He punched he air a few times.  "Whatcha gonna do with all your newfound freedom?  Find a few more butts to kick?"

"I'm afraid the 'butt kicking' will have to wait a while," Ella interrupted.  "At least until the rest of Kacey's injuries are healed."

"She's right," Donnie said, as both Casey and Kacey groaned.  "Kacey's arm is still fractured, and she's got some pretty bad cuts and bruises that are taking their time to mend."

"Eh, I guess that ain't so bad," Casey said with a shrug.  "As fast as she bounced back from that car accident, I'd say it'll be another week, tops."

"And then we'll kick some butts," Mikey whispered, earning a giggle from Kacey.

The next few days, however, felt like years to Kacey.  The aches and pains seemed to take forever to fade, and by the time her splint came off, Kacey was ready to lose her mind from anticipation.  

Finally, just over a week after waking up, Kacey found herself seated in front of Ella, painfully aware of Mikey watching from behind her, almost vibrating with excitement, as the young doctor slowly bent and extended her arm, looking for any signs of pain.  At last, Ella smiled, satisfied.

"It seems the fracture is healed," she said.

"Yes!" Mikey cheered, rushing over and plucking Kacey from her chair.  "She can come with us!"

"Please just promise you'll be careful this time," Ella said, watching them.

"I promise," Kacey replied, laughing as Mikey tossed her over his shoulder and practically danced his way over to his brothers.

"Way to play it cool, bro," said Raphael, though he, like the others, was smiling.

"I've been dying to finally bring her along with us!" Mikey retorted, still clutching Kacey, as if she'd vanish if he let her go.  "Do you have any idea how hard it was to wait for her arm to heal?"

"Are you planning to carry her the whole time?" Donatello teased.

"Hey, with her track record," said Casey Jones, "that might be the only way to keep her from gettin' hit by a meteor or somethin'."

"Hey!" Kacey said indignantly, squirming out of Mikey's grasp and raising a hand.  "It's not my fault that weird stuff always happens."  Her ninjato flew toward her, and, ignoring a pointed look from Casey, she caught it and strapped it to her back.  "Are you coming too, then?"

"'Course," Casey replied, grinning as he idly spun his hockey stick.  "After what happened last time, I ain't lettin' you outta my sight."

Kacey rolled her eyes, though she couldn't resist smiling as they followed the turtles into the tunnels.  "You do remember that Fox and Rook are safely behind bars, right?"

"Yeah, but who knows what kind of trouble you'll attract next," Raph said with a laugh.  "And now that your arm's all better, we gotta keep you alive long enough to fix my bike."

Kacey's jaw dropped as she stared at him.  "I saved your shell!"

"And you messed up the Shell Cycle in the process," Raph retorted.  "The paint's all scratched up, it's full of bullet holes, and-"

Kacey shook her head, laughing.  "Fine.  I'll fix it, Raph.  But next time, I'm leaving you in the cage."

He laughed.  "If that means you won't bang up my bike again, fine by me."

Kacey started to retaliate, but stopped as she bumped into Casey Jones, who had suddenly paused in front of her, staring up at the wall of the tunnel.

"Whoa," he whistled, examining the wall.  "When did you guys get into graffiti?"

Kacey looked around him, and saw what they were all staring at now.  On the stone wall, standing nearly three feet tall, was the silhouette of a sea turtle.  The shell was filled with twisting waves, and the lines were painted in several different colors; orange, red, blue, purple, all flowing together seamlessly.  In the center, in bright green, was a single kanji character.

"Where the shell did this come from?" Raph asked.

"I painted it," Kacey said softly.  She ignored their turning stares, and reached out to touch the turtle.  "This is what I was doing when you all thought I was kidnapped."  Her fingers brushed the kanji.  "Family," she murmured.  "I... I thought you guys would like it."

A hand touched  her shoulder, and she looked at Leo, who smiled.  "It's great, Kacey."

"Expertly rendered," Donatello agreed.

"Yeah, it's great," Raph said, nodding. "Now any sad sack that wanders down here'll know just who they're dealing with."

"Yeah, it's real cool, Tinkerbell," Casey said.  "Now can we get goin' before the sun comes up?"

He took off, the others running after him with a chorus of whoops and yells.  But Kacey hesitated, her hand still resting on the cool wall.  She stared at the symbol in the middle, her eyes sad.  'Family'.  When she'd painted it, she'd only thought about her newfound family, the brothers who had taken her in.  But as she stared at the green lines, she couldn't help thinking about 14, the brother she knew was out there somewhere.  She sighed, and her hand dropped to her side.

"We'll find him," Mikey said behind her, and she turned, realizing that he hadn't run off with the others like she'd thought.  He smiled and hugged her.  "We'll find 14," he repeated, and Kacey almost wondered if he could read her mind.  "If he's anything like you," he said reassuringly, "then I know he's gonna be just fine, wherever he is."

Kacey smiled and hugged him back, finding solace in his words.  "Thanks, Mikey," she said quietly.

"Anytime," he replied.  Suddenly, he scooped her up, swinging her onto his back.  "Now, we better catch up."

She laughed and clung to him as he ran after the others, out into the night.  As they ascended a fire escape to the rooftops, Kacey raised her head, smiling as the night air brushed her face, cool and clear.  At the top, the others were waiting.

"'Bout time you two caught up," Casey said as she dropped to the ground.  "What, you get lost?"

"Alright," Leo said, cutting off her retort.  "The game is Ninja Tag."  He motioned to the next rooftop, at least a ten foot gap separating them.  "Farthest jump across gets to be It first."

"Now we can see what you're really made of, kid," Raph said teasingly, nudging Kacey with his elbow.

She watched as the four brothers and Casey Jones took their turns running toward the gap and leaping across, each covering more ground than the last.  Smiling to herself, she backed up.  With a running start, she launched herself, and as the wind whipped her auburn hair back, she couldn't help the rush of adrenaline.  The next rooftop, and her brothers, rose up to meet her, and she found herself eagerly looking forward to the night ahead.  And to the next adventure with her new family.

Chapter Text

She didn't keep her window locked.  A foolish thing to do, he thought as he slid the glass open, though it benefited him in this moment.  Silently, he slipped through the narrow gap, into her dark room.  It took mere seconds for his eyes to adjust, aided by the dim light seeping in from the street. For a few moments, he cast his gaze around the room.

It was small, but comfortable.  The wall opposite him was pinned with posters and schematics, as well as a few sketches.  More drawings littered a desk in the corner, along with pencils in every color he could think of, a small lamp, and a radio.  On the walls, the shelves held stacks of thin, colorful books, thick novels, silver knives, and several more trinkets and treasures.  Her sword, sheathed in green, hung from a hook on the door.  A dresser sat beside the window, the top decorated with framed snapshots.  

He glanced through them, recognizing her in many, alongside the four terrapins, a large rat, and a man and woman he did not know.  His eyes paused at the center one.  He saw her there, behind the glass, her arms around an older woman he had only laid eyes on once before.  Side by side, he could see how similar they looked, their smiles echoing one another.  He thought he could even see touches of the same auburn hair in the older woman's mahogany locks.

He turned away from the photos, and finally looked at her.  She lay peacefully beneath a forest green quilt, her hair tumbling over the pillow.  Even in the low light, he was struck by how similar they looked; she truly was his twin.  

A tiny silver turtle shell glinted from a black band at her throat, a rather charming replacement for her tracker.  He watched her, breathing softly, slowly, looking so serene, and he could not believe that he had once been ready to kill her.  She shifted slightly, and he realized her hand rested next to a pad of paper, the top page etched with lines.  Curious, he looked closer, and was shocked to find his own face staring back at him.

Without thinking, he took the book in his hands, studying the sketch as if it held some secret message.  She had captured him as truly as any photograph could have, every line and shadow and highlight.  And, more surprising still, she had made him look.... sad. His eyes were full of sorrow, his face pained.

"That's how you looked just before you pushed me through the rift," she said softly, and he nearly dropped the book in surprise.  Kacey had sat up, the quilt pooling around her.  She watched him, her violet eyes intense, but wary.  He stared at her, a million words in his mind, but none reaching his lips.  She met his eyes, and smiled.  "It's good to see you again."

At this, he broke.  He dropped to his knees, the sketch book falling from his hands.  Before it hit the floor, she was there, her arms around him, and he buried his face in her hair, his eyes burning.  "I worried about you," he said hoarsely.  "I... I knew you were hurt."

She pulled away, her eyes studying his face.  "I thought about you, too," she admitted.  "I've spent so long, just hoping you were alright."  She reached up, touching her fingers gently to a spot near his right eyebrow, her head tilted slightly.  "I didn't know we could scar."

He closed his eyes, remembering how he'd gotten the small blemish, which was fairly new.  "It does not happen often," he murmured.  "Or easily."

Her brow furrowed.  "What happened to you?"

His eyes opened, and he met her gaze.  He reached up, took her by the wrist, and pulled her hand away from his face.  He stood, turning away from her.  "I needed time," he said finally.  "Time to think.  To understand.  To... To make amends."

Kacey rose from the floor, too, and sat instead on the bed, watching him.  It had been weeks since the night she'd fought 14, and she'd thought about him every single day. He looked like he'd been through a warzone.  He wore black jeans and a plain grey tee, but both were ragged and torn, and neither seemed to fit properly.  The thick black boots on his feet were scuffed and worn, the laces loose.  The black collar around his neck, though, was as tight as ever, though angry red marks made her think he'd been trying to remove it on his own.  His hair had grown from the short crop, and hung down almost to his eyes.  Eyes that betrayed his quiet facade, and told her that something was troubling him.  She couldn't help thinking about what he'd said, and wondering what could have happened to give him that scar.  "What did you do?"

He gazed out the window, to the dark street below.  "The guards were no trouble," he recalled, and she thought briefly back to the pounding of a door, the flash of charging men she'd seen just before being swallowed by the rift.  "I defeated them easily enough.  And then I... I destroyed the lab."  He heard her gasp softly, but she didn't interrupt him.  "I made sure that no one, no one, could ever use that place to hurt people ever again.  And then, when I was strong enough, I went through the rift, back to the lab that raised me.  And I...  I..."

"You what?"

He sucking in a breath, turning to face her, his emerald eyes wild.  "I demolished it.  With the same charges they once trained me to disarm."  He raised a hand, brushing the scar on his temple.  "I did not quite get out fast enough, though.  I got caught by some shrapnel from the blast.  It was worth it just to see the place burn."  He didn't tell her how badly he'd been injured, or how long it had taken him to recover.  He'd let her think it was only a single scar.

She stared at him, eyes wide, mouth agape.  "But..." she stammered, "if you destroyed the lab, wh... what about the people working there?"

He looked at her, marveling for a moment at how she could be concerned for people who had been paid to inflict pain and suffering, then shook his head.  "The building was empty," he said finally.  "When Fox brought me to New York to find you, he also brought every hand that served in that lab."  I did not kill anyone, he added in his mind, though he knew she thought the same thing from the way her shoulders relaxed.

"So why are you here?" she asked.  "You've been gone for so long.  Why come now?"

Now he looked at a loss for words, as if he'd completely forgotten his reason for coming.  Then, he dug into a pocket, and pulled something out.  Holding his hand out to her, she saw that he held the little bear that Olivia had given her, after Kacey had saved her life.  The bear that Kacey had then given to him.  "This... This is yours," he said at last, his eyes on the floor.  "I thought you would want it back."

Kacey stared at the little toy, then looked back at him.  "I gave it to you.  It's yours now."  He shook his head, but she reached out and closed his hand around it.  "Why did you really come?"

He sighed, his shoulders drooping.  "I needed to see you," he said honestly.  "To know you were alright.  And... I guess, part of me was hoping..."

"Hoping...?" she urged.

Another sigh, deeper this time, more hopeless.  "...hoping that... I might... see her."

He motioned to her dresser, and Kacey looked over, seeing the photo of herself and Ella together.  April had taken it the day they'd moved into the apartment, which was just two streets over from April's place.  The other photos were all from that day, too, and Kacey could still remember laughing with the turtles as they'd helped get the place cleaned up.  But that photo was special.  It was her first picture together with Ella.  With her mother.  And Kacey understood her twin's feelings.  "You wanna meet her?" she said.

"I have already met her," 14 replied quietly, his eyes still low.  "But I had no idea who she really was at the time.  I only knew she was screaming at rook, and I was ready to subdue her if necessary.  They had never told me that Kaden's mother still worked for Kryonix.  They never told me her name, or what she looked like.  By the time I figured it out, she had already vanished. Off to find you, I imagine."

Kacey smiled, shaking her head.  "No," she said.  "Do you want to meet her?  Right now?"

His gaze met hers, his eyes wide.  "I..." he said, looking pale.  "I... I do not know if that is such a good idea..."

Kacey jumped up.  "Of course it is."  Before he could stop her, she'd padded from the room, her footsteps almost silent as she practically skipped down the hall.  Minutes later,  she was pulling a drowsy, pajama clad Ella Raeheart behind her, promising something special.

"Kacey, it's almost three in the morning," Ella was saying as the girl nudged the door open.  "Whatever this is, better be-" she froze, spotting the boy standing there in her daughter's room.  "Wh... What..?"

14 stayed where he was, immobilized by shock, stuck dumb by his own nerves.  He stared at the woman, paralyzed, even as Kacey suddenly flipped the light on.  The young doctor looked much as she had the first time he'd seen her, though a bit disheveled.  Her dark hair tumbled in a loose braid down her back, and her glasses sat crooked on her face.  Her eyes were wide behind the lenses as she looked back at him.  He wracked his brain, looking for something, anything to say.  "Hello..." he managed finally.

Ella took a tentative step toward him, her heart racing.  When he didn't move, she closed the gap between them, and drew him into her arms, holding him as only a mother could.  Slowly, hesitantly, he returned her embrace, sinking into her touch.  Ella reached out to Kacey, pulling her closer, holding both of her children tight.

The next morning, Kacey entered the underground lair just as the turtles were finishing their exercises.  "Morning Kacey!" Michelangelo greeted her with a wave.

"Hey guys," she replied, waving back.

"What's up, Mighty Mouse?" Raphael asked.

"Well," Kacey said, glancing over her shoulder.  "I have something to show you guys."

At this, the four brothers all looked up, curious.  "What is it?" Donatello asked.

"I'd like you guys to meet... my brother," Kacey said as she stepped aside.  The turtles stared in surprise as 14 entered their dojo.  He glanced at them, wondering what they were thinking, but no one spoke.  Finally, Kacey couldn't stand the awkward silence, and she took him by the arm, pulling him over to the turtles.

14 stood tensely as Kacey introduced him to them one by one, offering only small greetings that were barely more than a nod of the head.  In return, most of the terrapins greeted him, but seemed reserved, as if unsure how to react.  All but one of them, anyway.

"It's great to meet you!" Michelangelo said, immediately clapping him on the shoulder.  "Y'know, now that you're not all 'grr, I have orders to destroy you all' and all that."

14 cast a look at his twin, but she only smiled and said, "That's Mikey.  He's always like this.  You'll get used to it."  She looked up as a new figure approached them.  "And this is Master Splinter."

Splinter studied the boy closely.  "You threatened to destroy my sons," he said finally.  Kacey started to protest, but he raised a hand to silence her.  "And you nearly killed our Kacey.  What have you to say for yourself?"

14 shook off Michelangelo's hand, meeting the old rat's gaze.  He knew that only the truth would do.  "I meant to destroy them all," he said.  "I truly did.  It was what was ordered of me.  And, for too long, I believed that my orders were all that mattered."  He looked around at them, all staring.  "I thought there could be no life for us.  That we only existed to obey and fight.  But now I see what Kacey has found.  I see the family she has made.  And I know that it really is possible for us to be good.  To do good in the world.  I know I can never make up for what I tried to do to her.  What I did to all of you.  But I am willing to try, if you will let me."

Splinter regarded him for a moment more, then smiled.  "It isn't what you have done that's important," he said earnestly.  "It is what you choose to do to make up for it that matters now."  He extended a hand to the boy.  "Welcome to our home."

14 hesitated, then took his hand.  At once, a tension broke, and the boy found himself surrounded by turtles, all welcoming him.  The one that Kacey called Leonardo moved aside, and returned with something long and thin, wrapped in a black cloth.  14 looked at him curiously as he held it out to him.

"We saved this when we went over the Kryonix base," Leonardo said.  "Just in case."

14 raised an eyebrow and took the bundle.  Pulling aside the cloth, his breath caught.  There, inside, was his sword, the blade gleaming as well as it had the day he'd forged it.  He held it up, the weight familiar in his grasp.  "I thought it was gone," he said.

"It's a good sword," Leo said, smiling.  "It seemed like a shame to leave it behind."

"...Thank you," 14 said.

Mikey again threw his arm around 14's shoulders, tossing his other around Kacey's.  "Welcome to the family... Uh...  huh...  I guess we need to figure out what to call you now."

14 looked at him inquisitively.  "What do you mean?  I am KC14."

"That's not a name," Donatello pointed out.  "Just a serial number."

"You should have your own name," Kacey said.  "Like me."

"Yeah, and you want to choose a good one," Raphael added.  "Or else Mikey'll pick, and you'll get stuck with a name like Kacey."

"Hey!" Kacey protested, swinging at him as he ducked away with a laugh.

14 watched them, fascinated.  "I... would not know what to call myself."

"I'm sure I could think of something for you," Mikey said, rubbing his hands together as if excited at the prospect.  But Leo stepped in first.

"You don't have to choose a name right now," Leo told the clone.  "You have all the time in the world to decide on one you really like.  Until then, you're more than welcome here, 14."

KC14 glanced around at them, his gaze settling on his twin, now laughing as Raphael pinned her in a headlock to tousle her hair.  He smiled.  "Thank you."

Little more than a week later, Kacey leaned against the back of the sofa, watching her brothers around the dojo.  Donatello, of course, was at his work table, putting together his latest brilliant device.  Raphael was busy working out, his punches and kicks making steady, rhythmic thuds against the sandbag, which were sharply contrasted by intermittent clangs as Leonardo and her twin traded sword handling techniques, debating the benefits of one blade versus two.

Watching them, Kacey couldn't help being pleased with how well 14, who had since chosen the name Kai, had been adjusting to this new life.  He still wasn't quite ready to join the rest of the world as Kai rather than KC14, but he had opened up remarkably well around the turtles.

Her thoughts were interrupted just then by a tap on the shoulder.  Turning, she found Michelangelo grinning at her, a huge bowl of popcorn balanced in one hand.  "You ready for Evil Space Freaks?" he asked.

Laughing, Kacey vaulted over the sofa, landing with a bounce onto the seat and grabbing the remote.  "Born ready," she said, grinning as he popped in the first of a large stack of films.

"This binge is long overdue," Mikey said as he plopped down beside her.  "I'm not stopping 'til we watch the whole series!"  He kicked his feet up and tossed his arms over the back of the sofa.

"That'd take all night," she pointed out, pressing 'play'.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Mikey laughed.

Kacey giggled, then looked over her shoulder.  "Hey guys!  The movie's on!"  As the others made their way over, and the room filled with the first eerie notes of the sci-fi score, she tucked her feet beneath her, settling in for what promised to be an epic movie night.  Kai dropped onto the vacant seat on her other side, and Kacey couldn't help smiling as he watched the screen with rapt attention, glad to be able to share her new life with all of her brothers.