The other Turtles were amazed. And inspired! One by one, they drew their weapons and ricocheted themselves off the walls. More Kraang-droids down!
The Ninja Turtles’ fight had really taken flight!
Across town, Splinter was also flying through the air, but for a very different reason. Shredder’s attacks were becoming more powerful. The armored warrior delivered a fierce kata-combo of power punches and speed kicks that sent Splinter sailing backward to the far wall. Shredder was clearly overpowering him, and Splinter began to doubt his chances.
Before Splinter could regain his footing, Shredder brutally kicked him back to the ground. Then he leaned over his opponent’s crumpled body. In Splinter’s moment of weakness, Shredder no longer saw a mutated rat. He only saw the defeat of his lifelong rival.
He decided to call him by his true name.
“It’s over, Hamato,” Shredder said, his blades extending from his armor. “Soon you will be no more.”
Ignoring his enemy’s words, Splinter tried to find whatever strength was still left within him to keep on fighting. He knew deep down that losing now wouldn’t just mean sacrificing his own life; it would mean sacrificing the lives of the Turtles, as Shredder would be free to hunt them down with no interference.
Splinter couldn’t allow that. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing any more children to this monster of a man.
Shredder prepared to deliver what he thought would be the final blow. Aiming his blades at Splinter’s heart, he growled, “And your own daughter will go through her life cursing your name.”
That was it. A rage filled Splinter. Hamato Yoshi may have been defeated by this coward, he thought, but Splinter the rat won’t be!
Suddenly, something snared Shredder’s wrist, making it impossible to complete his strike. He looked down to see—Splinter’s tail! It tightened around his arm and snapped it back like a whip. Using his tail as a snare, Splinter barrel-rolled forward, dragging Shredder helplessly to the ground. The battle was still alive, and so was Master Splinter!
Back inside the Technodrome, the Turtles were still walking on air and stomping all the Kraang-droids that crossed their paths! But although it was fun for the Turtles to kick some Kraang butt, there was no reason to celebrate yet. The ship kept deploying more reinforcement droids by the minute, and they were no closer to locating April.
Mikey knew it was time to step up his game.
He readied the throwing chain that rattled out of his nunchucks and flung it at a nearby pipe. It wrapped around the pipe with a CLANG!, and Mikey used it to swing around an oncoming Kraang-droid.
“Zero-G booyakashaaaaa!” Mikey yelled at the top of his lungs.
He delivered a midair dropkick that propelled a Kraang-droid into the wall, where it exploded on contact!
Not one to be outdone—especially by Mikey—Raph was about to plunge his sais into a Kraang-droid’s face when he pump-faked at the last second and dodged the droid, letting it sail right past him! Raph “swam” through the anti-gravity and caught up to the droid from behind. He leaped onto its back and started riding it like a horse, shouting, “Yeeeehaw! Giddyup!” like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Cowboy! Riding high upon his “trusty steed,” Raph cut the bots behind him down to size.
Now it was Donnie’s turn. Using the wall, he pushed off and launched forward like a rocket. Speeding toward the growing number of Kraang heading his way, he opened his bo staff and deployed the hidden blade inside. There was no time for the droids to scatter before the blade plunged through every last one of them, skewering their circuitry. They found themselves pinned to the opposite wall like a Kraang-kabob!
The Turtles breathed a sigh of relief. There were no more Kraang in sight!
But their brief moment of victory was cut short by the sound of a booming voice hidden somewhere in the ship. “April O’Neil,” the voice roared.
The Turtles floated around, trying to follow the voice to its secret location. Confident that they were floating in the right direction, Raph led them toward a flimsy wall panel. Using all of his strength, he pried it open, revealing a secret passageway. This must be the way to April!
The brilliant light coming from Kraang Prime’s forehead now illuminated every inch of the Technodrome’s control room. April wasn’t moving. She just lay there helplessly in her restraints. The almighty ruler of the Kraang had almost fully drained her of her psychic gift, and in doing so had become one with the warship. Every system on board was powered up to capacity and ready to carry out the final phase of the invasion.
“April O’Neil,” Kraang Prime’s voice thundered, “your mind belongs to Kraang! Soon, your world will be ours!”
Simply by thinking it, Kraang Prime informed the Technodrome of its next command. All at once, radar grids and weapons systems activated in every sector. Outside, the ship pulsed with electric-pink lights coursing through its network, making it glow with a bioluminescent shimmer.
This was the moment Kraang Prime had been waiting for. Earth as humanity knew it was about to change forever.
“Let the planetary mutation begin!” Kraang Prime decreed. It looked over at April, laughing. It didn’t care that she was almost unconscious; it wanted her to open her eyes. “Witness the end of your kind!” it snarled at her.
“Not if we can help it!” said a voice from out of nowhere.
It was Leo!
Kraang Prime turned to see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sailing in to save the day!
“The Turtles!” Kraang Prime hissed angrily. “Kraang will not be stopped by pathetic mutants!”
“At least we’re not stupid aliens!” Mikey yelled back at Kraang Prime.
“Raph, quick!” Leo called out.
Raph emerged from behind the Turtles, flying forward like a bullet. As planned, he rocketed toward the alien leader with his sais pointed out like a harpoon! WHAM! He unleashed a power-strike smack in Kraang Prime’s face, hitting the Technodrome right where it hurt the most!
Kraang Prime recoiled, screaming in agony from the shocking pain. Because its concentration was shattered, the psychic light of its head-symbol began dimming into nothing.
Meanwhile, the glowing eye atop the dome weakened gradually before shutting down. It was clear something was very wrong with the ship.
The Technodrome’s power was nearly gone!
The room began to rumble uncontrollably. Suffering a catastrophic malfunction on all levels, every onboard system failed. The ship went into a severe tailspin. It whirled, sending shock waves through the surrounding area. When it finally came to a stop, the Turtles fell to the floor with a thud.
Gravity had been restored!
The Turtles grinned as they stood up. It felt good to be back on their feet and walking around. Donnie rushed over to April and went to work on freeing her from the restraints.
Still dizzy from her traumatic experience, she wasn’t sure what was going on at first. But as her mental fog lifted, she recognized Donatello and collapsed into his waiting arms.
“Are you okay?” Donnie asked her.
“You’re my hero,” she announced groggily.
It was clear that April was momentarily delirious. But Donnie didn’t care. He giggled, so happy that the girl of his dreams was alive and well and in his arms. The moment was almost perfect.
Right on cue, Raph ruined it. “Hey, Chuckles!” he said to Donnie. “We gotta get out of here!”
And he was right. The entire room started shaking. The ship was falling apart all around them!
Looking at Kraang Prime, Leo shuddered at the thought of what could have been. The giant Kraang just sat there, motionless. With April’s psychic energy gone from its body, and its connective cables to the Technodrome severed, Kraang Prime was severely weakened. Leo signaled the Turtles to make their exit.
This time it really was mission accomplished. Time to head for the space-pods and get back home!
The moment Kraang Prime was alone, its eyes shot open. It had survived! With
what little power was left in the Technodrome, a backup emergency system hummed online. The gears and panels in the room shifted and realigned, making a path for something enormous. But what?
The wall-to-wall compartment that housed the slimy alien suddenly disconnected from the wall, revealing the leader’s true form. Titanium arms extended from its sides, followed by robotic legs that lifted it off its base, helping it tower over everything in the room. It stood tall now, looking like the biggest Kraang-droid ever created!
In its terrifying robo-suit, Kraang Prime rumbled toward the outside world, hissing angrily. Target: Turtles!
In Shredder’s lair, an epic ninja battle raged. Splinter advanced toward Shredder, forcing him back with surprising strength. This caught Shredder off guard, but just for moment! He countered with a fierce attack, blades out, swinging with deadly force. Splinter dodged these powerful strikes one by one, never losing focus. He quickly yanked a sai from his arsenal and broke Shredder’s blades in half.
Before Shredder could find his footing, Splinter grabbed another weapon—a grappling hook—and swung. The hook whirled through the air, spinning, and in one swift move, Splinter tugged it back—pulling off Shredder’s mask! His grotesque face was unrecognizable, completely covered in burns and scars.
Unaffected by this disgusting sight, Splinter looked on his enemy’s face with zen-like tranquility. All he could see was the fear in Shredder’s eyes.
But Splinter wasn’t about to walk away. The showdown wasn’t over yet. He knew he must destroy Shredder once and for all!
Splinter picked up an ancient samurai sword that was lying nearby. Shredder watched, motionless, as he lifted the blade. With one swing, a decades-long feud would finally end. And the memory of an innocent family would finally be avenged! Splinter was about to strike—but a shadowy figure surprised him from behind!
The mysterious warrior attacked with such fury and speed that it was difficult for Splinter to see who he was fighting in the dark. All he could see was another blade. A sword clashing sparks against his.
As Splinter was about to gain the advantage, the unknown sword fighter reversed her move, lunging forward and locking blades with Splinter.
They were at a standstill, staring each other down.
Splinter narrowed his eyes but couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was the familiar face of Tang Shen. Those eyes. But it wasn’t his wife. It couldn’t be! This was the face of a young girl. A teenager.
“Miwa?” he whispered in disbelief.
It was Karai—Shredder’s so-called daughter!
“Father!” she cried as she ran to Shredder’s side. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him unmasked.
All the rage left Splinter’s face. He weakened the grip on his sword, staring at his baby girl. “Miwa?”
“My name is Karai!” she snapped. “Father told me what you did to my mother. And now,” she said, training her blade on Splinter, “I’m going to return the favor.”
Splinter didn’t want to fight anymore. Not when his opponent was his only daughter! But when she charged, he had no choice but to protect himself.
They fought. So skilled was Master Splinter that he was able to duel with Karai without actually harming her. He matched her strike for strike and parried her attacks gracefully, which made her fight even harder. She lunged so angrily, she lost her footing—something that rarely happened to her in battle. She was now completely defenseless. And just as Splinter gained the upper hand in their matchup, with a chance to disable her in one move—he stopped.
Knowing she would never believe his story, Splinter had no option but to retreat. Hopefully, they could meet again someday. Not as enemies, but as family.
Karai watched him drop his weapon and skillfully disappear into the shadows. “Come back! Coward!” she called after Splinter, still blind to the truth about who she really was.
It seemed like the Technodrome was about to explode. Pieces of the ceiling were falling in chunks. Sparks rained down. And every Kraang on board was trying to slither its way to safety. The Ninja Turtles raced to the space-pods with April as the floor rumbled beneath their feet. They had to escape this mess quickly or they were going to go down with the ship.
“Leo, I have a question!” Mikey shouted above the chaos.
“Can it wait?” Leo yelled back as huge sections of the Technodrome began to burn up behind them.
Mikey thought it over. “Not really!” And then, glancing behind him, he asked, “Did we beat that Kraang thingie?”
Still running, Leo answered, “Yes, Mikey, we did!”
“Okay,” Mikey said. “THEN WHY IS IT FOLLOWING US?!”
They all looked back in unison, and through the falling debris they saw the gigantic figure of Kraang Prime in its mech-suit. And with every mechanical step forward, it was gaining on them!
It lifted its heavy robo-arms and fired a barrage of energy blasts at the Turtles.
“There’s nowhere for you to run, mutants!” Kraang Prime hissed.
A stray energy bolt ricocheted, knocking Mikey off his feet. In the commotion, he got separated from his brothers and ended up stranded halfway down a shaft!
Leo looked back in time to see Kraang Prime closing in on Mikey. There was no time to think. He turned and raced back to save him. Sprinting faster and faster under the collapsing ship, he saw Mikey reach up for help, but Kraang Prime was gaining ground.
“Get away from my brother!” Leo screamed, drawing his katanas. Kraang Prime was almost there. But Leo got there first, leaping in at the last second for Mikey’s outstretched hand. As Kraang Prime’s metal feet landed, Leo swung his blade forward, slicing the energy weapon clean off the droid’s body in one forceful swipe!
“Hurry, Mikey!” Leo yelled, pulling his little brother from the shaft. He signaled for Mikey to run away and join the others.
Meanwhile, at the far end of the corridor, Donnie, Raph, and April had reached the loading bay they had sneaked through earlier. There was only one space-pod left. It was their only way out! They jumped inside as the room shook violently all around them. Donnie readied the controls for emergency takeoff just as Mikey boarded. They were good to go—just waiting on their last passenger.
But Leo had something very different to worry about now. He was left alone, the only thing between his brothers’ escape and the evil clutches of Kraang Prime.
“All of you will die here,” Kraang Prime threatened.
After one last look at the space-pod behind him, Leo turned and held his blade high toward Kraang Prime. He knew it was only a matter of seconds before the Technodrome detonated. The words of Master Splinter echoed in his mind: With the world at stake, the only thing of importance is that you complete your mission. No matter what you have to sacrifice . . . or who . . .
He knew what had to be done.
From their pod, Raph watched in horror as Leo charged at Kraang Prime. “Leo!” he shouted.
“No! Get out of here! Now!” Leo fearlessly shouted back. He knew his katanas would never penetrate Kraang Prime’s titanium exoskeleton. But he had to hold it off with something.
And that was when he noticed the chain. Leo picked it up and ran circles with it around Kraang Prime’s robo-limbs. If he couldn’t take Kraang Prime on in a ninja fight, he’d at least trap it in one place. Maybe that would give his loved ones the time they needed to escape. Surely it was worth the risk.
From the pod, Mikey yelled, “Dude, you can’t do this!”
“I can’t hold it back any longer!” Leo pleaded, straining against the power of Kraang Prime’s mech-suit.
“Leo!” Raph called out again.
Pulling Raph back in, Donnie closed the pod door, saying, “We’ve gotta go now!” He pushed a few buttons, activating the controls.
Leo used all of his strength to hold Kraang Prime back. He hoped his brothers and April would make it out alive. But he only managed to buy a few seconds. With a pop, Kraang Prime broke free of the chain and
ran full speed at the space-pod. Leo fell backward, watching the robo-suited alien lunge for the others.
The pod hummed to life and then blasted off into the sky, arcing away from Kraang Prime with just inches to spare.
As the pod flew up and away, Raph looked at the scene below from his tiny, round window. He got one last look at the Technodrome, and his brother Leo, shrinking away into the distance.
The pod flew out over the Atlantic Ocean and splashed down into the water. After a few moments, the hatch doors opened and Donnie, Raph, Mikey, and April scanned the water’s surface.
Donnie said what they were all thinking: “I can’t believe it. We made it.”
They looked at one another, scared by the thought of what could have become of Leo. The eerie silence was suddenly broken by a strange, high-pitched noise. It sounded a lot like a jet engine multiplied by a million.
They looked up in shock to see—the Technodrome! The planet-sized warship was plummeting toward the ocean, plumes of smoke unfurling in its wake!
“Leo! No!” Mikey screamed.
KA-BLAAAAM! The Technodrome crashed into the ocean in a tidal wave of flames and water. The impact was so powerful that it nearly capsized the Turtles’ pod in an unearthly shock wave. All they could do was watch in terror. The Kraang and everything on board were fish food now. And that included Leo.
It was all too much to bear.
Now it was Mikey’s turn to say what they were all thinking. “I can’t believe he’s gone,” he said softly.
They hung their heads in grief.
“Leo,” sighed Donnie.
“And I gave him nothing but a hard time,” Raph lamented. “If I had it to do over again, I’d definitely be nicer.”
The Crime Fighter Collection Page 10
