Half Heart Hero: Bubble Heart, Kumandra's Last Hope [Rise of Sifa Book 1]

Chapter 7

"What is this thing?" Casey asked, confused. He didn't even know where they were going, but Donnie had this giant truck-like tank that can drive to the city.

"Hold on to your gluteus maximi," Donnie told him, and he started the tank and then drove into the street. Their Tank was shaped like a Jupiter Jim moon buggy with a new upgrade they have used. Mikey and Donnie founded it and remodeled it to make it their battle tank. It was the only vehicle that they could choose from.

"The Turtle Tank, baby!" Mikey peeped. "It's how we roll in the past. I mean, the present. I mean..." He became very confused. "Oh. Time travel is confusing."

"And I can't stop thinking about those dark spirits," Pavi shivered. She was in a seat with Rudolf while the others held onto the railing.

"I think they are called Druun," Reika reminded her. "Shira told me about them." Her head turned to see Shira resting her head on the gem. Her eye was closed and she was curled up with the gem wrapped in her arms. She has been like this ever since the Krang appeared and she fought until she was exhausted.

"What are Druun anyway?" Rudolf asked. He was sitting at a nearby seat since there is an extra.

"A plague," Tomoka began. Her voice was cold, but she told them about the Druun. "They bring misery and despair instead of the dragons giving humanity hope and trust. They can consume everything until there is nothing but ash and stone."

"It appears that maybe the Krang created them so they can live on Earth to make it their home," Galaxy wondered.

"Galaxy, you knew about this?" Manako gasped, lifting her head up.

"Yes," Nebula nodded. "We know about the Druun. They are too dangerous even with a touch of their dark shine. They only have a weakness. Water and bright lights."

"But I thought Druun are not afraid of light."

"Only by a true love's determination in the soul can stop the Druun," the gothic alien replied.

"True love?" Pavi gasped, holding her Manaphy in her arms. "I know this. It's the most powerful thing the world has ever seen."

Of course, Pavi knew about how strong it could feel if they could believe in themselves.  Nearby, Meloetta was singing a song to keep their spirits up. 

"Uta really has a calming aura, doesn't she?" said Manako, cheerfully.

"Uta?" Casey asked.

"It is her nickname because she sings."

"Uta means song," Tomoka concluded. "It's a Japanese name."

Chipzie let out a squeak.

"And how come this little light keeps following us?" the boy continued.

"Chipzie's just afraid that she will get lost again," Manako said. "So we decided to bring her with us."

Donnie looked at the tracking device on the dashboard. "They're on the move. According to the subcutaneous tracker I put on Raph–"

"Wait," Leo stops him. He was on top of Raph's captain chair. Formally Raph uses the captain chair when he was leader. And mostly, Leo is confused why Donnie used a tracker on Raph. "Does that mean you put trackers on all of us?"

Donnie hesitated. "Uh... No... Of course I did... n't." Changing his mind, the hologram shifts to a city. "Based on their trajectory, they're headed..."

"To the tallest building in the city," Casey suddenly answered, standing up.

"That's right, Metro Tower."

"Also known as the Empire State Building," Tomoka concluded.

"I heard the story so many times as a kid, but I never thought....." Casey said, recalling the events of what happened and taking a second. "And behold, from their perch atop New York City, the Krang ripped open the sky itself. What came out was terror and what rained down upon us was worse than death."

It made Manako and Leo shiver. They didn't like this feeling, it even made their hearts pound.

"They told that to kids?!" Mikey squeaked, terrified, gripping his head, before slumping down. "Man, the future is harsh."

And if it could be true, Donnie and Tomoka were worried as well, concerned that things are not gonna go right. Even it shocked Galaxy, Pavi, Meloetta, Rudolf, Akua and Twilight by the story. Nebula and Reika, however, seemed unaffected by the story.

"I'm not gonna let that happen," proclaimed Leo. "We need to get into the Metro Tower without being spotted. We'll take the subway tunnels."

"Subway tunnels don't offer much in the way of an escape if we need it," Tomoka said. "Are you sure about this?"

Manako poked her head from her seat. "Yeah, maybe we should..."

"Guys, we're doing it my way. Remember?" For a moment, Leo thought about Shira. He turned and saw the leatherback Ogima hybrid sleeping with the gem in her hands. He knew he had to protect her, even Meloetta.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Galaxy asked Pavi. The red cloudy haired alien was kneeling next to Shira.

"She's been so scared ever since they lost their mystic magic," Pavi sighed, recalling what had happened after the krang got released.

"I wonder what she is dreaming about?" Rudolf wondered.

They watched as Shira nestled into her gem deeper as she slept.