Dude, Worlds Are Gonna Collide (A Sonic-TMNT Crossover)

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Leonardo sat in the living area of their lair and stared straight ahead, hands on his thighs, in a meditative pose. His brothers and sensei were asleep, leaving him alone to consider their newfound situation. He had thought long and hard about the choice he had made tonight, and while he knew Kay probably wasn't going to like it – and Raph certainly wasn't – he could see no other option. He needed more time, and until then...

The brick wall that served as the doorway to their home slid open loudly, and he didn't need to turn his head to know that Raph had returned with Kay. Leo rose from his position and turned to them, meeting them halfway.

Raph's gaze went empty as soon as he saw his older brother. "Oh, wonderful. I know that look. What are your orders, Fearless Leader?"

Leo frowned and then turned his gaze to their new friend. "I've already told the others, and Master Splinter approves. Until further notice, no one is go to the surface for any reason. Stay in the lair."

To his surprise, Kay shook her head. "Not going to happen, Leo."

He did a once-over. "The Emerald?"

"I still have it."

"Good. Nice work, Raph."

His immediate junior scoffed. "I didn't tell her to keep it, bro. She made that choice on her own."

Leo shrugged. "Well, now that we know it's safe down here we need to make sure it stays that way. No one is to leave this lair, no matter what. Not until we figure something out."

Kay frowned up at him. "Leo, I can't stay down here. Not now."

"Do you have a plan?" he asked. "If you do, please enlighten me. I've thought about this for a long time. What's the point of going up there to fight and retreat if the better option is to just stay hidden? The Foot and the Purple Dragons don't know where we are. We'll be safe down here until we can come up with a better plan."

"Eggman has found me here on Earth twice now, Leo," Kay replied, her voice becoming edgy. "And it's not just me he's tracking this time. It's the Chaos Emerald. As long as it's down here you are in danger of losing your lair again. Eventually he's going to figure out where we are, and it won't take long. We can't stay down here and wait for him to come to us. We have to do something."

"What do you suggest, then?" Leo asked. He stared hard at her, daring her to come up with something on the spot as he had been trying to for nearly twenty-four hours now. He could see the gears in her mind turning furiously as she considered everything he had already considered a hundred times over, and slowly her face became a mask of helplessness and frustration. He nodded. "That's what I thought. You asked me what my orders are, and I'm telling you now. Do not leave this lair until further notice."

And with that he turned his back to them and set his sights on his bedroom, which he had neglected for far too long.

Kay never thought she could feel such anger towards the Leader in Blue, but she knew now that she'd been wrong about that. She clenched her teeth as she watched him disappear into one of the sewer's many darkened tunnels. "He thinks he's so smart but he has no idea what's in store for us if we stay down here and hide like cowards."

Raph stepped forward and lowered his voice. "Kay, we don't have to listen to him."

"I don't intend to," she snapped.

He glanced at her and noticed that every muscle in her body was clenched dangerously tight. She was going to hurt something if she didn't blow off a little steam. The dojo, he thought, and then out loud said, "Follow me."

Once in the training room Kay didn't hesitate to charge at the punching bag and give it a few good strikes. But then Raph cleared his throat and he looked at her with a smirk. "You're going to want a moving target, Kay. Trust me." Then he slid into a ready stance. "Talk to me."

She turned her body towards him and paused. She had never been good at offense. In all of her training both as a Mobian and a human she had learned only what to do if someone was actively trying to attack her, not the other way around. But somehow, in this moment, she managed to push those thoughts to the back of her mind and charge the toughest Turtle that ever lived.

He expertly blocked every punch and kick she threw at him, and it wasn't long before her initial frustration died away and her thoughts slid back into their Mobian mindset from so long ago. It was like she was back in the training room at G.U.N., or in the wide open fields of Angel Island. All that mattered was that she stay standing and keep fighting. Never give up. Never lose focus.

Never forget.

Kay stopped her attacks suddenly and kept her eyes trained on the ground. Raph didn't even sound winded when he repeated, "Talk to me."

"I've spent far too long asking why things went the way they did two years ago," she said. "Why it's been so long. Why now suddenly Mobius is a part of my life again. When I met you guys I decided I should try and forget about it entirely. I thought none of it mattered anymore. I thought I was through being the Emerald's Chosen."

Raph waited. "But?"

She looked at him. "But I was wrong. Just because I'm human doesn't mean it's over. I'm not sure why, or what I'm supposed to do, but I'm still the Emerald's Chosen. I still have a job to do. And Raph, I cannot stay down here and wait for Eggman to come to me. I just can't."

"I agree." Raph nodded. "So what's the plan?"

Kay opened her mouth to reply but then snapped it shut again. I will not say 'I don't know,' ever again. I do know what to do. I just have to think.

And she was in the middle of this thinking when Donnie burst into the dojo, eyes wide and excited as he met her gaze. He didn't even notice her eyes change color briefly. "Kay," he exclaimed, "you're going to want to see this."