Dude, This is No Vacation (A Sonic-TMNT Crossover)

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

When she awoke, Kay had no idea how long she’d been asleep or what time it was. There was no clock anywhere around her, and even if there was, it was too dark to see much of anything in this room. She did feel refreshed, however, and she felt the Emerald tumble into her lap as she sat up in bed. Kay took it and returned it to her backpack, then shoved that under the bed, determined to keep the thing hidden from both the Turtles and herself. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Kay knew it wouldn’t work that way.

She did her best to make the bed and fix her hair before she exited the room and made her way back down the hall towards the living area, where she could hear what sounded like a video game tournament going on. When she reached the railing on the upper level and looked down, she saw that it was only Mikey, swinging an old-school video game controller back and forth like it would have some effect on the game he was playing.

He completed whatever level he was on quickly and sat back to stuff his hand into a bag of chips, glancing up as he did so. His eyes caught sight of her, and he waved. “Oh, hey! Come down here. I have something to show you.”

It suddenly occurred to Kay that Leo had taken a ladder to get to the upper level, only now she could not find it anywhere. Mikey got her attention again and pointed to her right, where a tiny, vertical sewer pipe acted as a fireman’s pole. Kay grabbed it and tried to ignore the grimy feel as she slid down. She wiped her hands on her jeans as she approached the youngest Turtle.

Mikey grinned. “I noticed your shirt earlier and remembered that we actually have some old Sonic games. Donnie hooked it up so we can play them if you want.”

She had forgotten all about her shirt. It featured classic Sonic giving different facial expressions in nine separate squares. Her favorite was the one of him laughing. Kay observed the interesting but efficient setup around her and asked, “Which ones do you have?”

The orange-clad Turtle reached for a case sitting on top of the TV and handed it to her. She took it and looked it over carefully. It was a collection of different Sonic games – everything ranging from the original Genesis collection to Knuckles’ Chaotix. Kay felt her heart ache for them all.

“You any good?” Mikey asked her, bringing her out of her stupor. Instantly she felt her competitive side taking over and she grinned uncontrollably.

“Am I any good?” she scoffed. “Move over, Mikey. I’m going to show you how it’s done.”

A little while later, the two of them had become so wrapped up in their gaming that they were oblivious to the outside world. Kay watched the Green Hill, Marble, and Angel Island Zones fly past her with ease and took in every bit of it, feeling Mobian again for just a moment. Beside her, Mikey stared in awe at how quickly she was getting through the levels. She was just delivering the final blow to the final boss when Raphael walked in and saw them.

“Ha!” Kay cried triumphantly as the machine on the screen blew itself to bits. “Take that, Eggman! Or Robotnik. Whatever.”

Raph stood behind the couch with his arms crossed, watching as the credits for the game began to roll. “What are you two doing?”

They both turned around, and Mikey grinned up at him. “Video games, bro. She’s pretty good. She even beat me.”

“There’s a shocker.” Raph rolled his eyes. “Go on and rest, Mikey. I’ll stay here with the new girl.”

“Great timing. I’m beat,” the youngest Turtle said as he stood and stretched. He waved to his new gaming partner as he walked away. “See you tonight.”

“Uh-huh. She’s human, Mikey. She’s not awake at night like we are,” Raph muttered. Kay turned back to the odd setup and did her best to shut it all down, attempting to hide the sting of the word “human.” When she was finished, she leaned back in her seat. Raph moved around the couch to sit where Mikey had just been beside her. “So what’s the deal with you?”

Kay looked at him, surprised. “Excuse me?”

He leaned back as well and crossed his arms, never taking his scrutinizing eyes from her. “Why do you act like you already know us? Leo said you knew his name before he’d introduced himself. How?”

Crap. Kay kept her cool as she replied, “Well, like I told him, it’s a long story, and I bet you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me,” Raph challenged with a smirk.

Double crap. What do I do? Kay held his gaze for several heartbeats as she debated what to say next, if she could manage to say anything at all. Finally she had to look away from him.

“Or not. That’s fine, too.” There was a pause. “Sorry. I forget not everyone is used to this kind of thing.”

“I am used to it,” she said quietly, looking back at him.

“Which is why you didn’t faint when you saw us.” She nodded. He raised an eye ridge. “But you did when you saw Master Splinter.”

“Yeah...” Kay cringed, sinking a little lower into her seat. “I didn’t mean to.”

He chuckled. Then, “You gonna be okay?”

The question made her sit up straight again. “Yes. I’ll get used to this, just like I get used to everything else.”

“Leo told us you fight pretty well.”

“I had good teachers.” The best, she wanted to say.

“Hmph. Until you beat me in a fight, you ain’t been taught well enough.”

Oh. Kay looked him right in the eye and smirked, her competitive side rising up again. “Challenge accepted, Raphael.”

He grinned.

“Glad to see you up and about,” Leo said to Kay as he walked into the kitchen. She and Raph had migrated there and were eating cereal together in the silence of the lair. Kay glanced up at him as he pulled open the refrigerator door and spoke to his brother. “Looks like we’ve got to start patrolling the city again now that the Purple Dragons are back in business.”

“No kidding.”

“They’re looking for her right now, too. Right in broad daylight.”

Raph glanced across the table at her, but spoke to Leo. “So, what, you want to just leave her down here with Splinter after she fainted in his presence earlier?”

Leo glanced over his shoulder at them. “She spoke to him not long after that. I think she’ll be fine.”

Kay frowned. “I can handle myself, too, you know. I want to know who’s been telling the Purple Dragons about my Emerald.”

“I’m not sure—”

“Leo, I will not sit on the sidelines of my own story and let you guys fight for me,” she said firmly, holding her spoon a little tighter. She’d had this argument before, albeit with different people. “Why do you think I learned hand-to-hand combat in the first place? I’m coming with you tonight.”

He stood still and watched her carefully for a few moments before a small smile tugged on his lips and he shrugged, turning his attention back to the contents of the fridge. “All right. I can’t stop you.”

Kay looked back at Raph, who watched her with a hint of admiration in his eyes. She focused back on her cereal and continued eating, feeling stronger with each passing moment. She was not going to miss out on the best thing that had happened to her since Mobius. No way.