Song: Superheroes - The Script

I pant as I battle against a mutant tiger, whom I learned is named Tiger Claw. He is powerful and muscular, but I have help. Leonardo and I fight as a team, each making up for the other's weaknesses.

All of our training sessions together finally pay off. Leonardo knows every move I can make, and I can predict his with a considerable amount of accuracy. With precision and teamwork, we manage to take Tiger Claw down, though it does take a while. However, it's finished, and I am proud of myself for accomplishing it.

Leonardo glances at me, a goofy smile on his face. "We make a good team," he comments.

I smiled and nod, unable to disguise a faint blush. "Agreed."

A horrible hissing noise sounds from a few feet away. I spin around just in time to see the skeletal dog mutant slice a long claw straight through Karai's belly.

"No, Karai!" Leonardo yells, running to her rescue. He bowls the dog out of the way and bends down beside her, trying to stop the blood that is mercilessly flowing out of her.

"Miwa!" Master Splinter shouts as well as he faces off with the Shredder. He starts to rush over to her, but this enemy is too persistent to ignore.

I am at Leonardo's side in an instant, gazing in horror at the turn of events. Karai shifts to her human form, though her green eyes are still snake-like. She holds the abdominal wound with her hands, her face creased in agony.

   Suddenly, the skeletal dog mutant appears behind Leonardo. I open my mouth to warn him, but Michelangelo comes to the rescue. He leaps onto the mutant's back and rides him around like a bull.

   "Aw yeah, dudes!" The orange-clad turtle shouts cheerfully. "This is what I call a doggone good ride!"

   "Get off of me!" The dog mutant snaps as he tries to fling the turtle off.

   Without thinking, I quickly pull myself to my feet and charge at the dog mutant. I'm not really sure where to hit him at, since he's pretty much just bones, so I cut across one of his legs. I guess I choose the right spot, because the mutant howls in pain and starts to stumble backwards.

   Michelangelo seizes the chance to bend the creature backwards. He forces the dog to the ground and pins him there. He ungracefully punches him in the face until his enemy falls unconscious.

   I high-five him. "Nice!"

   Michelangelo grins so wide that his freckles nearly pop off. "Couldn't have done it without you! Whoa," his tone changes to worry when he sees Karai.

   We walk over and bend down beside her. She doesn't look to good- the blood is a deep purple-red, indicating that something important has been punctured. The stream is still slowly pouring out of her stomach.

   I glance around for Donatello. He and April are fighting off a warthog mutant. They're pretty good at teamwork, too. But I have to break it up.

   "Donnie!" I yell desperately. "Karai won't stop bleeding!"

   Donatello says something quick to April. Then he runs towards me, his eyes immediately spotting Karai.

   "Move, I need to examine the wound," Donatello orders. We all back off and let the expert do his thing.

"She doesn't have much time," Donatello confesses after struggling for a better reply. "At this rate, she only has about five minutes."

Leonardo's face is grief-stricken. He gets down on his knees beside her and carefully traces the edges of the wound. "I'll stay with her," he says softly. "Go shut down the portal before it creates more havoc." He gives me a long apologetic look, but I understand. She's his sister. I would have done the same for Edmund.

Around us, the Shredder's henchmen faded into the shadows. It's as if they're no longer needed. The only thing left to see is the Shredder and Master Splinter having it out in the center of the room. Confused, I exchange glances with Michelangelo, but he doesn't understand either.

"Cowards!" Raphael shouts after them. He's bleeding everywhere, but none of that seems to bother him. He just looks furious.

"Let them go, guys," April says. She is gazing sadly at Karai. "We have bigger problems."

Donatello looks down at Leonardo. "Leo, if you just let me work with her, I could probably fix her-"

"No," Leonardo responds with a shake of his head. "Shut down the portal. Now."

A voice speaks, startling us out of our debate. "Shut down the portal? Why would you want to do that?"

I jump to my feet and twirl around to see who spoke. It's my father, and he is a bit too close for comfort.

My dad has finally decided to face us himself.

We make eye-contact, and my stomach starts churning. I fall to my knees, gripping my abdomen as I groan lowly.

"Lizzy!" Michelangelo exclaims in shock, bending down beside me.

The man steps closer, and I am surprised to see a smirk on his face. In his hand, he holds something so familiar that I feel my heart skip a beat in terror.

"You- You have the serum!" I choke out, staring at the purple substance. The needle makes a chill go up my spine. "Why?"

My father raises an eyebrow as if I asked a petty question. "Because I have a job to finish with you."

"Why are you doing this?" I ask. My vision is starting to blur and I am beginning to feel tired.

Everyone stares at my dad, speechless, as he answers. "All the Shredder wants to do is use the serum for some idiotic plan to take over New York. But I have a better plan: why not use it to take over all national security? I have to start small, of course; so I chose to cooperate with Stockman."

I'm feeling dizzy and struggling to keep my eyes open, but I have to hear him. I have to know why I've suddenly become the center of every enemy's attention. I have to know why my life has been twisted and tied into what it is now.

"So, you chose your own family to be your guinea pigs?" I question hoarsely. Michelangelo's hand runs up and down my back comfortingly, but it isn't helping. I am going to pass out and end up killing someone- and I've already witnessed enough death in my lifetime.

"I chose the people I hated the most," my father corrects me sharply. "You are not my daughter. You are just another experiment that failed to accomplish your purpose: to destroy Shredder's enemies."

"Wait," Leonardo straightens up from his position with Karai. Donatello takes  the viper mutant from his tense brother. "You knew we would rescue her?" the blue-clad turtle gasps.

"I didn't, but Shredder did," the scientist says. "He knew that if he took an innocent victim and placed her under minimal security, you all would save her with no questions asked. And he was right."

"Ow," I moan as my head feels like a hammer is beating it. I grow weaker with every passing second.

Leonardo clenches his fists, his eyes suddenly like a violent hurricane. "You did this to her! Now fix her!" he snaps.

My father shakes his head, a wicked grin spread across his face. "I can't, don't you see? She will never be the same again. And once I give her a second dose, she will end all of your lives for good." He holds the needle up higher as he steps closer to me.

I am exhausted and tired from fighting all night. I am battered and ripping at the seams. Yet, somehow, my father's admittance at his betrayal gives me energy. It comes from rage, but it's still fuel.

I pull myself to my feet. The room is spinning, but I can still make out my father in front of me. I lunge at him with my dagger extended.

My attack wasn't accurate enough, however, and I end up missing. I stumble sideways as the spinning room sets me off-balance. A foot connects with my side and shoves me to the ground. Through the haze of my vision, I can just make out my father towering over me, the needle coming into close-quarters with me again.

I roll out of the way and jump to my feet. "Get... Away from me," I pant heavily, weakly swiping my dagger at him again.

My father easily catches my wrist and examines the weapon. "Interesting," he comments, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "I never thought she would give it to you after she took it right out of my possession."

My mind is slow to realize what he means. "Mom wouldn't steal from you," I say hoarsely, feeling lightheaded.

"Indeed, she did," he replies, shaking his head in disapproval. "She found out what I was planning and she took it away so I couldn't access the Kraang's portals. The day I left her, I promised myself I would find a punishment for that ignoramus."

Hearing him insult my mother bothers me beyond words. He has no right to even speak about her, let alone say she's a thief!

"Now I understand... why she never... talked about you," I pant. I yank my wrist out of his grip and glare at him though my cloudy vision. "She was ashamed of you."

"She never talked about me, because she was ashamed of herself for not joining me while she had the opportunity," my father shoots back irritably. "It's amazing how one petty mistake can change your whole life."

"She didn't make... a mistake!" I spit. My legs are finding it hard to hold my weight. Sweat is relentlessly streaming down the sides of my face. I'm not sure how much longer I can resist the phantom.

"Such a shame we had to meet under these conditions," my dad sighs, almost as if he cares. But I know he doesn't. A man like him has no room for emotions. "Maybe we'll have a nicer reunion in another life."

Without warning, he grabs my arm again and jabs the needle into me. He only empties it partially, however, before I pull away and slice my dagger at him again. He dodges and goes for the same arm, the purple serum dripping from the needle's tip.

Leonardo starts over to help, but Michelangelo's voice stops him.

"Let her do this herself, bro," he says gently. "It's what she wants."

He's right. This is my battle; the one I need to avenge my mom's mutation and my brother's death. It's not the Shredder or the Kraang who need to pay, for they are not the ones who the problem stems from. This whole mess started because of my father, and I desire to end it.

My father catches me in the side with the needle, but he doesn't inject the serum. He simply creates a rather long cut and watches blood pour out of it.

I scream and fall to my knees. The pain is blinding- far more blinding than the serum injection itself. I hold the wound, feeling it sting as the dirt from my hands collects on it.

My father dives for another attempt at injecting me, but I am ready. Furious with grief and agony, I pull him down by the throat. I slit his neck without another thought, satisfaction surging through my veins when a sticky liquid drips onto my hands.

He hisses something at me, but it's inaudible through all of the blood. I drop his head to the ground and double over, the newly-inserted serum trying to take me over.

I can't attack the turtles. Not now, not ever. My father is gone. Master Splinter can take care of the Shredder. Donatello can fix me up. I will be ok. I will be ok...

I will be ok.