What did that guy shoot me with? She thinks, putting a hand to her burning stomach.
She hears something and hastily stands, immediately going into a ready stance.
She just notices her surroundings.
"Wha'? A sewer?" She mutters, realizing how much it hurt to talk.
Then she sees them turning the corner. Her eyes widen. "The Turtles...? NNNG!!" A sudden burst of pain sweeps through her body, she grabs her mid-section, and collapses, passing out.
They hear a body flying against a wall and a shout that has an unmistakable note of pain in it. At the urgent look that Splinter gives them, they take off down the tunnel.
Turning the corner, Raph sees a girl who looks just like the one in his dream. She's standing in an obviously defensive stance.
Nah, must be somethin' Mikey put on that pizza...It couldn't be her!
Her eyes seem to get bigger and she gasps, "The Turtles..?" His own eyes widen, but before he can do anything, her guard drops as the pain overtakes her, she wraps her arm around her mid-section, and with a loud "NNNG!!", crumples to the ground.
He rushes over to her and turns her over. She's out cold. He looks at her face and is amazed to find that it's the same one as the one in his dream.
He feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up to see Leo standing behind him, "Raph, do you know this girl?"
Raph looks up in shock. "She's the one from my dream.."
He checks her breathing and pulse. "She's ok, just unconscious."
Mikey crouches next to him and pulls her shirt up a little.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!?!?" Raph roars at him.
"I'm checking her for bruising, she might be bleeding internally." Mike says, hoping Raph won't blow up at him. She isn't bruised; he gently pushes down on her stomach to see if there are any places that are hard that shouldn't be, a sign of bleeding. There aren't and he marvels at the softness of the skin and the firmness of her muscles.
"MIKE!!!" Raph howls. Apparently Mike had taken to long.
Mikey grins, "I'm pretty sure there isn't any bleeding, she's got a nice tummy, though."
Raph just growls and scoops her up, leading the way back to the lair. The others just look at each other and shrug.
When Diana comes back to the land of the living, she realizes she isn't on the floor. She keeps her breathing at the same rate as it had been and keeps her face relaxed, her eyes closed and takes stock of her surroundings with her other senses. She can feel she's on her back on a soft surface, with another surface pressed against her left side. She's on some kind of couch, and covered with a blanket.
She can hear water running in the distance and soft voices conversing.
They all sound young, and she can't understand exactly what was being said, but she can tell a little about the personalities that are behind them.
One has the sound of authority and confidence in it. The Leader, she thinks.
Another has humor and good naturedness in it. The Clown, she thinks, chuckling internally, but still appearing asleep.
The third has a note of scientific intelligence to it. The Scientist, bet he likes computers.
The last has anger and hurt in it. Ah, the Rebel, like me.
Finally, she feels a presence by her side and hears a soft chuckle.
The presence says, "You may open your eyes, child. I know you are awake, though I'm sure others would be fooled."
She grins sheepishly and looks at the rat. She can't help gasping and muttering, "I must be dreaming." She reaches up and runs a hand over her head, checking for any lumps that weren't there before.
The rat chuckles again, and says, "No that you are not." He then looks at her in concern. "Does your head hurt?"
She smiles, "Nope, I was just checking to see if there are any bumps there that weren't there before." She sighs, and says, "But I have a feeling it will before the night is over."
At hearing the conversation, the guys rush into the room and stand, looking at her.
She carefully starts to sit up, and feeling no pain, sits up more smoothly and swings her legs over, so there's more space.
Raph walks over, sits next to her and puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. He asks, "Are ya feelin' any better?"
She nods, "Yeah, thanks." Then to all of them, she introduces herself, "I'm Diana, you folks can call me Di if you want to." She sighs and shakes her head. "I believe I know your names."
They look at her, disbelieving.
"Really." Don says, skeptical.
"Yes, Donatello." Mikey's jaw drops, and the rest of the guys' eyes widen. She can't help grin and say to Mike, "You might want to close that; you'll start catching flies."
Mike's mouth snaps shut, and they all sit or stand in stunned silence.
Splinter finally breaks the silence, "Diana, could you please tell us what you remember of today's events?"
She bows as much as she can in a seated position. "Well, this morning was pretty normal, I woke up, did my exercises and got ready for school. I had some breakfast and went to school.
"I went to my morning classes, English, Gym and Math. After math, I headed to my locker to get my lunch and the rest of the stuff that I'd need for the rest of my day. I was just reaching for my lunch when a huge man came and tried to make a grab for me, I dodged him and threw him into the wall. I was standing ready to defend myself, and he pulled some weird gun.
"He shot me, and next thing I knew, I was flying against a wall somewhere in these sewers. I was really hurting, it felt like I was burning inside." She winces at the memory of the pain. Raph squeezes her shoulder, she smiles at him and pats his hand with her own.
"Thanks, Raph." She goes on. "I wasn't exactly sure of where I was and when I heard you guys coming, I didn't know weather you were friend or foe, so I got into a stance. It didn't even occur to me to run, usually that would have been the first thing for me to think of, or to hide, anyway, I wouldn't know where to run to.
"Anyways, I was pretty amazed to see you guys, but the pain got worse then, more than I could handle, and I guess I fainted. The rest you know."
She grins shyly and looks to the guys and Splinter.
Splinter asks, "Did anything odd happen, that perhaps you forgot to mention?"
She thinks for a moment and then replies, "I...don't think so, but I did have a feeling that something weird was going on. An odd feeling that just stuck with me throughout the day."
Then Don asks, "What did this gun look like, that this guy shot you with?"
"Do you have Star Trek here?" Diana asks. Don nods. "Have you ever seen their phasers?" Again, Don nods. "Well, it looked like a cross between one of them and a handgun."
Don just says, "Oh," and looks thoughtful.
Raph asks, "What did this guy look like, that attacked you?"
She closes her eyes, remembering what she saw. "Um, he was easily twice my size, at least six foot and very muscular. Dark hair, pale skin, just altogether mean looking."
Raph looks at her in amazement, and she raises an eyebrow at him. He just shakes his head and she shrugs.
Leo looks like he wants to ask her something but didn't quite know how to ask it.
She just smiles at him and he takes that as his cue, feeling a little embarrassed to be asking, but they had to know. "How...how do you know who we are?"
She blushes and chuckles nervously. "Um, well, I don't know if you'll believe me. It really sounds kind of far fetched." She looks down and rubs the back of her neck.
Raph looks up and smirks, "So does getting shot with a phaser."
She narrows her eyes at him, brushes his hand off of her shoulder and stands.
Splinter gives Raph a look and then gently says to Diana, "It is all right, you can answer the question, if you wish."
She nods, sighs, and paces around a little, trying to think of a way to answer without sounding like she's on drugs or totally insane. She can only think of one way to put it, and she dosn't really like the way it sounds.
"Well, um, where I'm from, you guys are comic book and cartoon characters." She chuckles, "I'm a bit of a fan." She blushes again.
The answer does make sense, in a warped kind of way. It's quiet again until Mikey softly says, "Cool! A fan."
Diana just ducks her head.
After a few more minutes, Diana wraps her arms around herself and looks at her feet, examining her shoes. "If you guys just want to kick me out because you think I'm nuts, I'd understand," she says in quiet misery.
At this, Splinter rises and gently puts an arm around her slumped shoulders.
"Ah, child, we wouldn't make you leave, even if you did sound less than sane," the wise old rat says.
Leonardo walks over to her and puts a hand on the back of her head. "Yeah, you're stuck with us."
She smiles and gives her new friends on either side of her one armed hugs, and softly says to all of them, "Thanks."
The guys grin, and Mikey speaks up, "I have a question."
Everyone looks expectantly at him.
"Did you ever have a chance to eat that lunch?" He inquires.
Diana suddenly realizes how hungry she is, it had been hours since she'd first shown up.
"Why, no, I didn't," she grins and replies.
Mikey grins, and says in a French accent. "Vell! I veel make you zee best meal you haf ever eaten!"
"WHERE IS THE GIRL??!?" The Dark Master roars.
George winces, his large countenance groveling in front of the dark form.
"I-I don't know...I-I shot her when she put up the fight, and then came back. But when I returned, she wasn't here, like she should have been." He cowers, not liking to upset his master.
The form rises, and rises, to its full eight foot height and says in its booming voice, "George," he cringes at hearing the mockery in the voice. Master has always thought that his name was humorous.
George hates hearing his master's laugh.
The master goes on, "I need her. Her mind, her skills and her body." Then, as if he's talking to a stupid child, he starts explaining why he needs her so much.
"Her mind, I need to have to deal with sniveling sots, such as you and every other person I seem to have to deal with. Her skills, to teach my child and to help lead my armies. And her body, to actually have my child. She is the only one how has the right genetic make up to create the child."
George just sits there and wonders how a creature as large as his master would be able to procreate with someone as small as she. He's too afraid to ask, but the question's answered when the master shrinks into the form of a man.
"Now," says the master, holding out his human hand, "Give me that device."
George holds out the transporter gun and bows his head. The master snatches it up and examines it.
"YOU FOOL!" The master bellows. "YOU HAD IT ON THE WRONG SETTING!!"
George is backhanded, the force of the strike sending him to the floor, holding his aching face. He lays there, knowing that if he tries to get up, he'd only succeed in making his master more angry.
"NOW WE HAVE TO FIND HER!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW BIG NEW YORK CITY IS?!?!?"
The kick he administers to George sends him flying into a wall. George is knocked unconscious.
The master growls, cursing in the tongue of evil spirits. Then in English he calls for a servant.
By the time one arrives, a man wearing the uniform of a servant-warrior, he had transformed back into his regular form and is sitting on his throne.
"Bring George," he laughs at the name, "to his quarters, and have his injuries healed. When he awakens, have him locate the girl. He is to return for reinforcements, since he obviously can't handle her on his own."
The servant bows, and carries George away. The master settles back into his throne to ponder how to break her will after he gets ahold of her.
Chapter One
Chapter Three
Realities Index