CHAPTER TWO
Several hours later, high above the land that housed Sweetsinker town, the Turtle Blimp cut through the sky with all four Turtles on board.
"There's the town right below us dude" Michelangelo noted, pointing to the large stack of buildings below.
"Then, when we're not too far from the ranch, head south and turn left guys" instructed Donatello.
"Or, you know, we could just pitch down, I'm sure they'll welcome us with open arms and full plates" Michelangelo commented.
Leonardo sighed.
"Remember Michelangelo, think less on food, and more on the mission" he said.
Leonardo's Turtle-com suddenly went off; he removed it from his belt buckle and activated it. The familiar face of April materialised.
"Leonardo here, hi April" the Turtles leader spoke, greeting his friend.
"Howdy fellas, I take it you saw that young boy's message on my bulletin earlier?" she inquired.
"We're trying to pinpoint the McGruder ranch right now. Once we get acquainted with the family, we'll start the investigation" Leonardo explained.
"Great, I'll catch up with you later" she said. Just before she signed off, she opted to take a small dig at one of the four.
"I hope you're not feeling too peckish Michelangelo" she teased. Michelangelo's face lit up and he buried his head in his right hand, his left holding his stomach as it rumbled. "She hates me" he said "She means to torture me" he said. April laughed.
"See you later April" Leonardo said, and turned off the Turtle-Com to spare Michelangelo further embarrassment, and deny April fresh opportunities to rib him.
Eventually, the Turtles finally located the ranch. Upon landing the blimp, they made their way over to the front door of the McGruder homestead. Leonardo gathered his brothers together.
"Ok guys, we're here. Be polite, be calm, and above all else, don't make a scene" Leonardo instructed. His brothers all nodded in agreement.
Leonardo smiled, turned around, and knocked on the door. The Turtles were soon greeted by a plump fair haired woman.
"Howdy ma'am" Leonardo said, putting on a bad Texan accent, looking to make a good impression. The woman took one look at the group's faces and took a step back.
"Oh my" she said. Leonardo, however, was seemingly oblivious to her startled reaction. "We're here to see your son" he continued. The woman turned her back, put both hands to her mouths, and cried out. "Tony, son, get the shotgun, we got more Martians"
"Great fearless leader" Raphael remarked, "First you mess up the language of the land, now the locals are acting like we just stepped out of a Michael Bay press conference"
"Ma'am calm down, we're not your enemies" Leonardo insisted, "And what do you mean by MORE Martians?"
"Are you for real" the agitated woman asked. "Hello? Earth-to-Earth-gal, this happens to be a CARTOON" Raphael replied
"No need to get real Raph" Donatello remarked.
Before long, Toby arrived on the scene.
Upon seeing the Turtles, he stopped dead in his tracks.
The Turtles prepared for the worst, only to be surprised by the boy's sudden excitability. "WOW, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? MOM, these aren't Martians, there the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" he bellowed ecstatically.
He went up to all four of them and shook their hands. "You've heard of us?" Leonardo asked.
"You're only on the news every single minute" Toby explained, "Plus I'm part of that fan club started by your fifth member. We've gotten pretty big since the advent of the internet".
"Hey, Zach's really taking the term "networking" to a whole new level" Donatello commented.
"Well at least we don't have to explain ourselves this time around" Leonardo said, relieved.
"So you guys are going to help me find my dad? That's got to be why you're here isn't it?" Toby asked, punching the air with ecstatic jubilation. "As long as you help me find something to eat" Michelangelo replied.
Back at Krang's stronghold, hidden away in another part of the landscape, the wicked warlord was overseeing the second phase of his operation
"The inter-weathoral nexus generator is at full capacity" he revealed to Shredder, "It shouldn't be long now before the project is complete"
"I still don't see why you decided on a solo outing. Rocksteady, Bebop and myself could have backed you up" Shredder advised.
"You and your mutant meatheads have fouled up one operation too many. Besides, I get the distinct impression you're looking for a vacation" Krang replied.
"If I were there you wouldn't have had to deal with interlopers…you couldn't even keep a rancher out of the sinkhole" Shredder countered.
Krang was irked by this reminder, but he didn't let his mistake faze him.
"Worry not. Unlike you, I tend to tie all my ends up in a knot…and then some" he said.
"Unhand me ya cerebral psychotic!" yelled Krang's prisoner, leaning back and forth hoping, praying, somehow to shake his bounds loose. Krang opted not to indulge his prisoner, choosing to bury himself in his work at the control console.
"And what if even the Turtles catch wind of this? That meddler's kid put out a convincing performance on the Channel 6 news" a concerned Shredder responded. "Even if those amphibian arsonists DO ruffle our feathers, I guarantee you their own will be plucked in no short order" Krang assured him.
"Trust me Shredder, this time I have a weapon the Turtles have no defence against"