New York City, America
8:02 AM
The vast labyrinth of New York City's sewer system was dark and damp: a foreboding place to be even if one was a member of the city's underground maintenance crew. A slight chill clung to the air no matter the season along with a pungent odor that was a mix of mildew, rusting metal and sewage. Those who ventured down into the tunnels beneath the city never stayed long: first, out of fear of getting lost and second, without the proper gear, one would not be able to weather the conditions there for too long...unless, one had been raised in the secretive shadows of New York's depths.
One such family lived out their lives in the penumbra of the city's subterranean passageways. In a forgotten nexus of tunnels, a sequestered portion of New York's underbelly was formed into a home. A multitude of candles was placed strategically around the sunken dwelling, mixing with the fluorescent glow of electric lights that hung from the ceiling. The air was surprisingly dry in comparison to the rest of the tunnels and, the fetor that clung to the air that surrounded the makeshift abode barely penetrated inside its walls.
In the large central chamber, the relaxing sound of running water echoed through the expanse from a pipe funneling fresh water down a slide into a pool below. Beside the pool was a Japanese rock garden. To the right, in an adjacent chamber, a multitude of interconnected computer screens cast a soft, blue glow into the central chamber. The computers were accompanied by a large makeshift laboratory filled with various Bunsen burners and glass jars. Connected to the laboratory was a large room, filled with an array of mechanical equipment and tools. Behind the pool and rock garden was a dojo, weight room, ofuro or, Japanese bath, with an adjoining shower as well as a kitchen and dining room. To the left of the central chamber was a connected honeycomb of rooms including bedrooms, a meditation alcove that was concealed by beautifully decorated fusuma, and a kamidana, the abode's Shinto shrine that was used to honor a man named Hamato Yoshi.
Usually, the underground residence was filled with various sounds that were a mix martial arts training, power tools, and video games. Today, however, it was abnormally quiet. The four mutant turtle brothers who called the space their home were gathered in the bedroom of their father, Splinter. For the last few days, they took turns looking after the aged mutant rat, tending to the wounds he suffered from a fight that occurred between their family and the latest experiment from Bishop and the EPF.
"When will we know if it worked?" Michelangelo asked in a hushed tone. While he and his brothers were in their late twenties, he was the youngest and, by all accounts, the most happy-go-lucky with the biggest heart. However, Mikey had been less than his jovial self as of late. He had been worried ever since their last confrontation with Bishop and his soldiers.
"That all depends on him, Mikey," Donatello answered in a whisper. As the resident computer, engineering, chemistry genius, and unofficial surgeon among his brothers, the bulk of the scientific and medical work fell on his shoulders. While he was extremely confident in his engineering skills, his certainty in his emergency surgical skills was another story.
"He's going to make it. He has to." Raphael said quietly, holding one of Splinter's weathered hands. Through the years, Raph was often accused of being a "hot head" due to his fiery temper. However, that inclination to give himself over to his anger wasn't his only attribute. It was also known that his tough exterior concealed a warm heart; he felt emotions deeply, and once his friendship was earned, a nearly unbreakable bond of loyalty was earned with it.
Leonardo said nothing, only sighing deeply. Leo was the oldest of the four; the most responsible focused, and task-oriented. Due to his talent for strategy, the duty of leading his brothers through battle fell on his shoulders. That duty was a responsibility that he did not take lightly. He possessed an intensity that was only matched by Raphael's fiery temper. Leo was unwaveringly devoted to his family, the art of ninjitsu, and a strict code of honor. During the last few days, he replayed the fight with both Bishop's latest experiment and EPF commandos over and over again in his mind; searching for a mistake that must have lead them to this.
A few days ago, Bishop sent his latest super soldier on a test run. That genetically enhanced creature was called "the Reaper" and it was stronger, faster, and stealthier than the other modified human soldiers before it had been. But what made the Reaper more nefarious than the other E.P.F super soldiers they were pitted against, it targeted Splinter.
The last time that the EPF successfully targeted and apprehended their father, Bishop bragged that Splinter's mutated mammalian DNA was precisely what he needed in order to complete his super soldier program. In fact, Bishop and the EPF were able to complete one such soldier which they called, "The Slayer": the first of an army of human clones, created in the likeness of Agent Bishop himself!
Bishop desired to set them loose onto the population in order to ferret out any alien species that may have been hiding among humanity. However, Bishop was unable to see his plan through. The Turtles and their friend Leatherhead arrived at the base that Bishop was using, combatting EPF soldiers and the Slayer that was recently awakened. Not only were they able to save their master, but they managed to inadvertently destroy the base due to a massive explosion. The Slayer, the clones, and all the information were annihilated in the blast.
This time, Bishop mockingly suggested that their aging father wouldn't be in the world much longer anyway, so they may as well donate his body for scientific progress. "You'll have the honor of knowing that your 'father' helped save humanity before his advanced age claimed him!" He sneered. The taunt set the four brothers off: jumping into a furious melee with Bishop's Reaper and EPF soldiers!
The brawl was hard-won, and not without its costs: even in his advanced age, Splinter was still a force to be reckoned with. He was still a master of ninjitsu and more than proficient in the use of various weapons. But on that day, the father in him eclipsed the ninja master. Seeing that his sons may well be overpowered by the machete-wielding Reaper, Splinter intervened on their behalf. While he was able to finish the Reaper, lancing the creature's eye and spearing its brain with the sharp end of his walking stick; the Reaper was able to connect a blow on Splinter's left side. What at first seemed like a mere graze, turned out to be a more serious injury when Splinter began to bleed heavily. The Reaper managed to slice into Splinter's ribcage before collapsing onto the ground in a lifeless heap.
Bishop and the EPF engaged in what the Agent called "a tactical retreat in order to regroup" and vanished from the scene, leaving the Mutant Turtles alone in disturbingly still laboratory and their gravely injured father. The Turtles quickly swept Splinter back to their home beneath New York's streets.
"Donnie?" Leonardo asked as Donatello exited Splinter's room after performing emergency surgery on their father.
"I've done all I can." He frowned. "I-I'm just…it's just that…I'm an engineer, Leo, not a doctor. I just hope it's enough."
Leonardo had placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder, "Whatever it is, Donnie, it's enough."
Michelangelo soon emerged, a distraught look on his face. "I'm gonna get Master Splinter another blanket."
During the procedure, Mikey had been Donatello's unofficial nurse. It was an easy choice: ever since they were young, Mikey had always had a knack for sutures. As the years went by and they matured from teenagers to young adults, and now to turtles in full adulthood; through their many battles and life-threatening situations they often found themselves in, it was clear that their family needed a sort of "combat medic". They needed someone who was adept at biding broken bones, cauterizing bleeding wounds, and sewing sutures on the battlefield.
While the more complex medical procedures were still left to Donatello, the role of the resident combat medic seemed to flow from their youngest sibling. "Besides," Mikey once quipped, "I have the best bedside manner out of all of you guys!"
It wasn't long after attending to Splinter's wound that their sensei, as well as the Turtles themselves, realized that because of his advanced age, he was not healing as well as he should have been. The wound on his side kept oozing fluid, regardless of the efforts from both Donatello and Michelangelo: the wound was simply refusing to heal. As things were on this day, the Turtles would barely leave Splinter's side: hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.
So caught up in their thoughts of Splinter, the Turtles didn't hear their longtime friend, April O'Neil-Jones, enter their home. Ever since the Turtles saved her from an assassination attempt by her former boss, Baxter Stockman, she had become an indispensable member of their makeshift family. Over the years, April functioned as an unofficial mother, sister and, was even Donatello's romantic crush for a time due to their shared interest in science.
The dynamic changed when the Turtles made a new friend of a man named Casey Jones and introduced him to April. While the pair didn't hit it off right away; April being a math and science wiz, Casey an auto mechanic-turned-vigilante, they both eventually started dating, culminating in their wedding five years back. Three years ago, the two welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Shadow.
Having been to her second family's home many times before, April walked around the Turtles' lair with purpose. Wearing a simple pair of jeans, pale yellow tee-shirt, camo jacket, and wedge boots, she made her way toward Splinter's room carrying with her a bag bearing the image of a local veterinary hospital.
As she approached the aged mutant rat's room, her pace slowed slightly, almost imperceptibly. She strained her ears to hear any sign of grief from her friends. Hearing none, she approached the shoji panel that concealed Splinter's bedroom and gave the wooden frame a gentle tap before sliding the panel open and coming in.
Her heart ached to see the looks on her friends' faces: a mix of uneasiness and cheerlessness. While she loved Splinter like family, she knew that her friends, these adopted brothers of hers, might be close to losing the only father they've ever known. They acknowledged her with a round of quiet "hellos".
Donatello stood, and with a swift movement, adjusted his glasses by pushing the bridge up with a single, green finger. The techno-savvy turtle only started to wear frames over the last few years, as his constant interaction with various computer screens began to affect his eyesight. He moved toward her and before he spoke April whispered, "I was able to get the medicines you asked for. The vet was going to give me a hard time about the quantity, so I told him I was a rat breeder. He didn't give me too much trouble after that."
"Thanks, April." Donatello took the bag in April and began fishing through its contents.
April turned to Leonardo who stood to her right, "How is he?"
Leo took a deep breath and his brow furrowed, "We're just waiting now. We hope he'll get better, but he seems to be getting weaker."
A shot of melancholy passed across her delicate features. Words failed her. While everyone knew Splinter was quite advanced in age, no one expected to face the prospect of losing him now. It was always a far-away concept, something to think about later, not today, and not like this.
Raph got up from Splinter's bedside, and moved toward April; Michelangelo quickly taking his place beside their father, adjusting the elderly rat's pillow for optimum comfort. April knew that look in Raphael's eyes: he wanted to take action! After Donatello stabilized their father, Raphael reached out to April for help. He knew his tech-savvy brother would be preoccupied with Splinter so he asked April to research whatever she could find about Bishop and the EPF. Raph already had his sights on payback.
"Well? Have you found anything?" Raphael asked.
The question called Leo's attention.
"Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that article on the genetic hybridization breakthrough by Dr. Marius Schneider over dinner with you guys?"
"The guy who thought it'd be a good idea to combine human DNA and alien DNA?"
"Yeah, that guy! Well, in that article I remembered that it mentioned that a lot of his work was funded by the U.S. government."
"Wait…" Leonardo interrupted, "Combining alien and human DNA sounds like-"
"Bishop's super soldier program!" Raph finished, his fiery temper apparent behind his green-gold eyes.
Bishop's name grabbed both the attention of Mikey and Donnie who were attending their resting father.
"Let's talk outside. Splinter needs his rest." Leo motioned for them to step outside of the room.
Once outside in the tunnel, April continued, "Exactly! It sounded just like something right up Bishop's alley! So, I did a little research and found that in every photo journalist's picture taken of Dr. Schneider, going back twelve years, Bishop is in every…single…one! I found him in every picture, lurking in the background like a creepy shadow."
"Did you figure out this Dr. Schneider's connection to Bishop?" Leo asked.
"Yeah. Bishop has been bankrolling Dr. Schneider's work in genetics for about twelve years. So, I tried to dig a bit deeper and found that Bishop takes frequent trips to Dr. Schneider's facility, Curiosum Labs, in England. Plus, I was able to learn that EPF commandos are there for added security for the 'biologically hazardous materials' that are there. And, I learned that the EPF just sent a shipment of 'biologically hazardous materials' there two days ago via government aircraft."
"Anything else?" Raphael asked.
"Sadly, no. That would require an ability to hack into a network that has, apparently, been developed by a highly classified arm of the United States government. As good as I am at hacking into computer systems, that's a bit beyond me."
"But it's not beyond me." The trio turned to see Donatello's lanky yet muscular body in the frame of the shoji panel that concealed his father's room.
"Donnie, are you sure you can-?" Leo began, but Donatello interrupted, "I think Mikey can handle changing bandages and administering antibiotics. If you guys need me to help take down one of Bishop's creature factories, then I'm in."
April studied the brainy turtle for a moment: he was possessed of the gentlest spirit she had ever known. Yet, she could tell that a deep anger was brewing inside him and it stung her heart to see his tender soul moved to thoughts of retribution. She knew that he at one point, had developed romantic feelings for her. She adored him and as such, wished that there was some way that she could grant him the kind of happiness that only a romantic relationship could give. However, she knew that there was nothing that she could do, beyond loving him as a little brother. Without flaunting it in either Donatello's or his brothers' faces, she embraced a romance with Casey. While she was happy with her husband and their daughter, Donatello still held a special place in her heart. She wanted to see him happy. "I'll help you." She said.
Leonardo nodded. "Do it. Let's see what Bishop's been up to in England."
Hours passed before Leonardo heard his bespectacled brother call his name. Leo made his way toward the enclave reserved for Donatello's interconnected computer equipment. He stood behind his brother and April, flanked by a myriad of glowing computer screens. Leo was soon joined by Raphael and Michelangelo who had emerged from their father's room.
"What's up, Donnie?"
"Well, Bishop's been busy in England, that's what's up. April was right, he's been dumping a lot of money into Dr. Schneider's Curiosum Labs over the last twelve years."
"Who is this doctor guy?" Mikey asked
"Dr. Schneider is only the world's foremost mind in genetic editing, genetic experimentation, and hybridization," April stated.
"He's the best at his craft." Donnie added.
"So, if you want the latest 'creature feature', he'd be go-to?" Leonardo stated.
"Exactly. As it so happens, April and I have found out that the last five EPF wannabe super soldiers and Slash were a product of this unholy union between Dr. Schneider and Agent Bishop! Moreover, when these projects of theirs fail, their remains are sent back to Dr. Schneider's lab for further experimentation."
"That guy made Slash?!" Mikey exclaimed.
"Yeah." Donnie answered.
Michelangelo's faced soured, "I hated that ugly excuse for a turtle!"
"I think we all did, Mikey." Leo said.
"Wait, so that shipment of 'biologically hazardous materials' that was sent there a few days ago-" Raph began and April finished, "Those are the remains of that Reaper that injured Splinter!"
Leonardo's brow furrowed, "Anything else?"
Donatello and April exchanged glances, then April spoke up, "I read a few internal emails regarding an 'activation of Project Siren.' Bishop wants to activate it within the next few days."
Leo took a deep breath, "Do we know what 'Project Siren' is?"
Donnie pursed his lips, sighed, then spoke, "That's what worries April and I. We don't know and we can't figure it out."
"It's apparently highly classified." April added.
"So much so, that I think the information is so sensitive that one must be hard wired at Curiosum Labs in order to access it. It's almost as if they've anticipated hackers and as a result, they've opted to keep the information off of the main network: like a fail-safe against cyber-attacks." Donnie finished.
"Wait, they want to activate 'Project Serendipity'…or whatever…within the next few days?" Mikey asked.
"Project Siren." Donnie corrected, and April nodded. To which, Michelangelo groaned, "Man! We can't get a freakin' break!"
"I say, we go pay a visit to that lab and knock a few heads off!" Raph growled.
Leo folded his arms over his massive chest, "I don't like rushing into a situation when I don't know all of the potential angles, but I think you've got a point, Raph." He unfolded his arms and looked to each of his brothers, "If they're going to send another one of Bishop's pets our way, then I say we save them the trouble of buying the airfare. We take the fight to them and shut down that lab!" His brothers nodded and he turned his sapphire gaze toward April, "Would you-"
"You don't even have to ask. I'll look after Splinter while you guys are gone. I'll just give Casey a call to let him know."
Donatello turned to her, "Call us if there's any change." She nodded.
"Alright. Then we do this and we do it quickly! The last thing we can afford is another fight with one of Bishop's experiments while Master Splinter is in his condition." Leo stated.
"I'm gonna kill 'em, Leo!" Raph grumbled.
Leo placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, "I understand, Raph. Bishop and the EPF will get theirs! First, we shut down that lab. Then, we're back here to look after Splinter until…"Leonardo paused for a heartbeat, unable to bring himself to say the words, "…until." He finished. Leo paused again, then met his brother's eyes: his gaze mirroring the flicker of vengeance he saw inside Raphael. "After Splinter…I promise you, we'll bring the pain. But right now, we gear up. We're heading to jolly old England."
