TMNT: Of Lizards and Turtles: Ch 1: New Friends

This is a revamped version of Mona Lisa's back story.  Raphael brings home a strange mutant lizard one night.  The turtles learn of her past and try to cure her, but her mutant form prevents her from ever being human again.  Set in the 2003 realm.  Enjoy!

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Something wasn’t right; she knew it.  She tried pushing herself up off the ground, but she was too weak.  She sank back to the hard surface, struggling to breathe.  Why was it so hard to breathe? 

Opening her eyes, she realized her soaked and matted hair covered her face.  Feebly moving it aside, her eyes moved over her surroundings.  It was dark out; only a plain street light shone in the distance.  Ah light! Where there’s light, there will be people, she thought.  She could get some help, and then get back home.  Gathering up whatever strength she possessed, she dragged herself with much effort toward that light. 

But not everything goes as planned.  The closer she came to the light, she began to hear pathetic screams.  It sounded like ‘monster.’  Monster?!  Everything seemed surreal as the people around her shrieked and scattered. 

“…I…I’m not…a monster,” she rasped in a shaky voice.  But no one listened.  They continued avoiding her as if she were some disease.  She swore at one point she heard someone call the police.  Well, maybe the police would help, she thought.  They would see she wasn’t a monster. 

But that little wish was in vain.  The police arrived shortly after the call was made; but something else happened.  She heard more panicked screams as she felt herself being lifted off the ground by a strong arm.  It was almost like a human arm, but it wasn’t.  The skin against her body felt rather scaly. 

Wait a minute, she thought.  Where’s my clothing?

She had no time to feel embarrassed, for she instantly slipped into unconsciousness.

~~~~~~

Something still didn’t feel right.  When she woke up, she thought she might have been having a bad dream before.  She opened her eyes, and it was dark again, but this time with a nasty smell.  She wanted to sit up, but there was no strength left in her.  A chill went through her body, making her shake pitifully.

“So yer awake,” said a manly voice in a Brooklyn accent.  “Thought you were dying back there.”

A soft squeaky moan escaped her lips.  Who is this guy? She wondered.  And what is that smell?

“Can’t talk yet,” the man said half to himself.  Or was it a man?  “Welp, better get you to my place.  My brother will examine ya in his lab.”

She moaned again, still too weak to answer.  The “man” lifted her in his strong muscular arms and began trudging his way through the darkness.  Eventually, they came to a lighter area of the tunnel.  As the light illuminated the person carrying her, she realized this was no man.  It was a giant green thing with a yellowish colored chest.  Her eyes wandered over to her legs.  Green skin?  Maybe it was just the light.  The illusion would go away at some point. 

“Hey Donnie!” the green creature called.  “I got something for ya!”

Who’s Donnie? She thought.  Another green creature approached, though his skin was more olive in tone; the one who rescued her had emerald-colored skin. 

“Watcha got – whoa…!” said Donnie, taken aback.  “What the…?”

The emerald green creature rolled his eyes.  “Skip the drama, Donnie, and just take care of her!”  

Donnie made a disgusted noise and took her into his arms.  She looked over at the one who rescued her and saw he wore a red mask; his piercing eyes were golden in color. 

As Donnie carried her to his special medical area, she couldn’t decide whether to be frightened or grateful.  Sure, the emerald-green one rescued her, but what if there was malicious intent?  She wanted to struggle free – to run from this place and get back home.   She fidgeted a little and groaned in an attempt to speak; but Donnie tightened his hold on her.

“Shh,” he whispered in her ear.  “It’s okay.  We won’t hurt you.”

She looked up at Donnie through half-closed eyes.  As she focused curiously on his face, her stomach bottomed out.  This giant thing looked kind of like a turtle.  His large soft brown eyes gazed gently into hers; they were full of compassion and a kind of brilliance that the red-masked one didn’t have.  For an instant, she almost fell in love with those eyes. 

Her moment of enchantment was cut short when Donnie set her down on a cot.  Reluctantly, she lay down and tried to relax herself, breathing a shallow sigh. 

“Atta girl,” Donnie said softly, rubbing her shoulder approvingly.  “Hang on a sec; we’ll get you something to eat.”  The purple-banded turtle straightened up and turned to his taller golden-eyed sibling. 

“Since you enjoy being ticky with me, Raphael,” Donnie began, “you get to help me take care of her.”

“Oh yeah?” Raph challenged.  “You can’t make me!”

Donnie all but felt his blood boil.  His face turned hard, and his eyes bored into Raphael with such a fierceness that made the latter cringe.  Raph had to admit, he was a wuss when it came to dealing with Donnie’s temper.

“Okay, okay, fine!” Raph caved.  “What do ya need me to do?”

~~~~~~

“Hey Leo!!  Come check this out!!!”

“What is it, Mikey?” Leo rolled his eyes.  He had just been interrupted for the fifteenth time – or was it the sixteenth – while trying to meditate in his room.  Meditating would have to wait until Mikey was sound asleep. 

“Raph’s helping Donnie!!” Mikey said excitedly, practically jumping up and down in the doorway.

“…You had to bug me for that?!” Leo snapped.

“But there’s more to it!” Mikey urged.

Leo huffed.  “Like what?”

“Like Raph found some lizard girl and brought her home!”

“What?!” Leo jumped to his feet.

“Yeah, come on!” Mikey beckoned.  “I’ll show you!”

When they arrived in the medical area – which Mikey fondly referred to as ‘Doctor Donnie’s Office’ – Leo couldn’t believe the sight before him.  There, on the cot, was a female lizard with long brown hair, and a very thick, flowing tail. It was obvious that she was a human before, as was evident by her womanly figure.  Donatello was preparing something at his little “doctor’s table”; it looked like a needle.  Raphael stood nearby in a guard-like pose, keeping an eye on the girl. 

“What do ya think, bro?” Mikey bubbled. 

“Fascinating,” Leo said half sarcastically.  “Very fascinating.”

“And what are you two bozos doing?” Raph muttered, approaching his brothers. 

“Checking out your hot date!” said Mikey.

“Mikey!!” Leo growled, making his little brother cringe.  Straightening himself up, Leo continued.  “So what’s the story, Raph? Where’d you find her?”

“Found her in an alleyway,” Raph said plainly.  “Actually, more like halfway in the open; people were calling her a monster – and screaming and running like idiots.  You know, the usual behavior towards a mutant.”

Leo looked at Raph thoughtfully.  The former’s thoughts were interrupted when a high-pitched scream pierced the air, causing the brothers to jump.  When they turned around, they saw Donnie with a needle, and the lizard girl curled up like a newborn baby on the cot, her eyes wide with fear. 

“It’s okay,” Donnie reassured, putting his hand on her shoulder.  “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

The lizard still stared at Donnie, her frightened blue eyes wider than before.

“Then…what’s that needle for?” she said somewhat clearer. 

“Just blood samples,” Donnie said nonchalantly. 

She gasped.

“Hey, it’s not as bad as you think,” Donnie continued encouraging her.  “All you’ll feel is a little pinch, and it’s done.”

The lizard’s mind went blank.  “…That’s what they told me before,” she said quietly.  That sentence alone brought Raphael, Leo, and Mikey closer to the cot, their interest peaked.  Donnie, however, seemed more concerned than the rest; his voice was caught in his throat for a second.

“…Who’s they?” he asked softly.

“The…the scientists…”  A small sob escaped; she covered her face as tears began to flow down her petite green face.  Donnie wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace as her body shook pathetically with sobs.

“There, there,” Donnie whispered into her hair.  “Calm down now.  Everything will be fine.”

“…No,” she whispered.  “No…! Get off of me!!” she screamed, pushing Donnie off of her body.  She sat up, staring in fright, ready to jump off the cot and run.  All four turtles stared in surprise at the lizard girl. 

Finding his voice, Donnie spoke.  “It’s okay,” he said, extending his hand towards her.  “Please, just stay where you are.  We don’t bite…except for Raph maybe.”

“Hey!”

The lizard screamed and retracted.  “Keep your hands off of me!” she panicked, swiping Donnie’s hand away. 

“Dude, we should just leave her alone for a while,” Mikey suggested.  “She obviously doesn’t know what’s going on, ya know?”

“Mikey has a point, Don,” Leo joined in. 

The taller purple-masked turtle sighed.  “I guess,” he said, feeling a bit exasperated.  “But one of us should stay nearby in case she tries to run for it.”

“I’ll guard her!” Mikey volunteered.

Donnie glared.  “You?”

“It’ll be fine,” Mikey said dismissively.  “Besides, Raph is too intimidating and might frighten her more.”

“He’s got a point,” Leo said. 

“Okay, all right!!” Donnie burst.  “Mikey, you may watch our new friend here.  I’ll enhance the security outside the lair.”  The genius walked away without saying anything more. 

“Thanks for sticking up for me, Fearless,” Raph snorted. 

Leo scoffed and went back to his room. 

“Are you leaving yet?” Mikey addressed Raph.

The emerald-green turtle growled and also left.  With his brothers gone, Mikey turned to the lizard. 

“Hello again,” he said good-naturedly.

The lizard shrank back again and hugged her knees, still frightened by the giant mutant turtle standing before her.

“You’re still pulling the scared-of-a-mutant bit?” Mikey said irritably.  The lizard girl simply looked at him.

The turtle sighed.  “Are you at least going to talk to me without freaking out?”

The lizard put her head down on her knees, remaining silent. 

Mikey crossed his arms over his chest.  “It’s gonna be a long night,” he muttered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And a long night it was.  Guarding the frightened lizard girl was very boring, as she couldn’t bring herself to speak.   Every attempt to relax herself was futile, for every time she tried to be calm, panic overcame her.  She wasn’t all that hungry, even though her stomach growled a few times. 

At one point, Donnie came in to check on the situation.  The lizard girl gasped upon seeing the olive-green turtle, which only made him shake his head and sigh.  A simple look from Mikey told the genius everything he needed to know.  Don nodded and turned back to his work in the lab. 

The night continued, no less exhausting.  Mikey had seated himself at the head of the cot, half expecting the lizard to jump off and escape.  Fortunately, his position deterred the long-tailed reptile from doing anything of the sort.  Some time passed before the lizard finally lay down and gave in to sleep.  Hearing no other noise except for soft breathing, Mikey also closed his eyes and drifted into slumber.   

Donnie worked until the late hours of the night before he strolled into the medical area to check on Mikey and the lizard girl.  He smiled at the sight of the two of them asleep.  Quietly tip-toeing to one of the cabinets, Don pulled out two blankets, making every effort to close the door as silently as possible.  Tip-toeing back, he placed one blanket on his younger brother and the other over the lizard.  Chuckling softly, he dimmed the lights in the lair, and went to his room.   The turtle removed his mask and gear, and crawled into his bed, pulling the blanket over.  The minute his head touched the pillow, he slipped into unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An ear-piercing scream split the air in the turtles’ home, startling them from their slumber.  Donnie was the first to race downstairs to the medical area.  There, he found Mikey trying to comfort the lizard girl.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Mikey asked softly as he rubbed her shoulder. 

“What’s that movement under the blanket?!” the girl said in a panicked voice.

Looking at the blanket, Mikey’s mouth twitched; he lifted the cover and realized what it was.

“That’s only your tail moving,” he said nonchalantly. 

“My what?!”

Mikey looked perplexed.   “Uh, you didn’t know lizards have tails?”

“Lizard…?” Now it was the girl’s turn to be puzzled.  “No, I’m not a lizard.  I’m a human, see?” She lifted her hand to show Mikey that everything about her was normal; but upon seeing her hand, she started to pant, and yet another scream escaped her lips.  Bringing her other hand up, she hoped with every fiber of her being that at least that one would be normal.  When the other one came into view, the lizard couldn’t believe what she saw: both of her hands were a textured greenish color with webbing in between the fingers.  How was this even possible?  Looking over her body, she was horrified by her appearance: a yellowish color graced her chest and abdomen, and the tail she felt before was big and long.  Lifting her eyes, she gazed at Mikey.

“What is going on?” she asked.

“I was gonna ask you that,” Mikey answered.

The lizard looked at her body again, still in utter disbelief as to what was happening.   “This isn’t a dream, is it?” she asked worriedly.

“Unfortunately, no,” Donnie answered instead. 

Mikey and the lizard girl looked up.  The sight of Donnie made the lizard sit up straight, and she would have backed off the cot had Mikey not caught her. 

“You again!” she exclaimed, glaring at the genius.  “Keep away from me, you rotten-”

Mikey covered her mouth quickly.  “No more of that,” he scolded.  “Donnie’s a good guy.  You need to trust him, okay?”

Despite her apprehension to the olive-green mutant, the lizard girl slowly nodded her head. 

“That’s better,” Mikey smiled, rubbing her shoulder.  Turning to his brother, he said, “Your turn, Don.”

Donnie cleared his throat.  “As I was saying: No, it’s not a dream,” he continued, walking up to the cot.  “If it was a dream, you would have been back at home already.”

The lizard felt her insides shrink.  She gulped, not knowing what to say.  

“…What time is it anyway?” Mikey said.

“It’s almost 5 AM,” Donnie said flatly, “a time when most folks are asleep.”

“Well, for the record,” the lizard stammered, “this…mutant thing is kind of new to me.  You wouldn’t know what it’s like.”

Mikey and Donnie simply stared.  The olive-green turtle came close to the lizard’s face.  “Then you…have a lot to learn yet.”

The lizard’s brow lowered, a new fire entering her eyes.  “Get out of my face!!” she snapped, pushing Don’s face harshly. 

The large turtle snorted.  “You’ve got some nerve!”

“Um, guys,” Mikey interrupted.  “This isn’t entirely the best way to start.”

“I would advise you to stay out of it, Mikey,” Don said in a low voice.  The younger turtle was annoyed by his brother’s tone.  “Besides, no one made you the expert in dealing with new mutants.”

Mikey snarled viciously, and his anger took control, directing his fist straight towards Donnie’s jaw.  The force of the punch sent the larger turtle to the floor, knocking him out of his senses.  The blue-eyed turtle stood for a moment, his body stiff and his hand curled so tight, his knuckles nearly turned white.  He sighed, letting go of the anger; his fist slowly uncurled.  Turning back to the lizard, he said, “Sorry you had to see that.  Donnie…he tends to get a little feisty.”

“I see this,” said the lizard. 

Mikey took a deep breath.  “So…do you want to sleep now? Or would you prefer to eat something?”

“I don’t know,” the lizard shrugged.  “I’m kinda tired…but I am pretty hungry.”

“Okay then,” Mikey’s eyes brightened a little.  “How about this: you eat, and then you can crash out for a few hours.”

“Um…sure,” said the lizard girl.  “That’s fine.”

“Great!” Mikey said excitedly.  “Are you able to walk okay?”

“Hmmm…”  The girl slid her legs over the side of the cot; inhaling, she attempted to stand up, but she was too weak, as she about lost her balance and toppled.  Mikey quickly caught her and supported her in his strong arms.  For a moment, the two stared into each other’s eyes.  Mikey’s baby-blue eyes mesmerized the mutant lizard; and the girl’s sapphire blue eyes caused the turtle to lose his focus on reality.  They continued gazing into each other’s being before Mikey brought himself and the lizard back to the real world.

“So, uh…” the turtle began, clearing his throat.  “Would you like to eat now?”

“Y…yeah,” the lizard shook her head, blinking rapidly.  “Yeah…” she cleared her throat, feeling a tad awkward.

Supporting the lizard’s back with one arm, Mikey slid his other arm under her knees and carried her to the kitchen.  The girl was flattered by the service she received.  It wasn’t every day something like this happened.  Stepping into the kitchen, Mikey gently set her down in the long seat that surrounded the table. 

“Okay then,” Mikey gleamed.  “What is your favorite breakfast?”

“Mmm,” the girl hummed thoughtfully.  “I like French Toast.”

“I can do that,” Mikey returned graciously.  “Would you like sausage with that? Or bacon?”

“Bacon is my preference,” she said.  “I don’t like it too crispy, though.”

“All right,” the turtle replied.  “And what about drinks? Would you like orange juice, or milk?”

“Milk, please.”

“I can do that too!”

The girl giggled.  She had to admit, these turtles weren’t all that bad; especially not this one.  Mikey smiled in response and happily went about the kitchen, preparing the girl’s breakfast.  The smell emanating from the food made the girl’s stomach rumble.  The urge to inhale the scent was overwhelming, but she refrained, for she often upset her stomach by breathing in too much of a food scent.  Her friend once told her it was a psychological thing, but the lizard knew better. 

A few moments later, Mikey briskly came over with the girl’s breakfast, setting it down on the table.  Quickly, he went to the drawers to get a fork, a knife, and a napkin.  After that, he brought her the milk and the syrup. 

“Why thank you!” the lizard said, feeling very flattered now. 

“It was a pleasure!” Mikey said proudly. 

The girl smiled and, buttering and pouring lots of syrup over the toast began to eat.  Her eyes lit up when she tasted it. 

“Mmmm!” she hummed heartily.  “This is so good! What did you put in it?”

“Can’t tell you,” Mikey grinned with a mischievous glint in his eyes.  “It’s my own secret recipe.”

“Would you like to make some for us?” Raph said suddenly.