Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I got a case of writer's block and struggled a little with this chapter, but now I have it done! I want to tell you that there will be just a few more chapters before this story ends. However, I plan on doing a sequel to the story that takes place a few years after the end! I'm not going to give away any spoilers, so you'll just have to sit tight! Be sure to read and review, and please don't send flames.
Summary: As the Turtles celebrate their 18th Mutation Day, Donatello discovers Farrah Rosenberg's master plan. Allies are rescued, and a certain man finally has the scales taken off his eyes.
Chapter 43: A Light in the Dark
"Citizens of New York…I must inform you, for your safety, that the mutant threat grows even stronger." The face of Farrah Rosenberg, her jaw and neck coated with fresh bandages and burn ointment, addressed through the multiple screens across the streets. "I myself, just a few days ago, came under attack thanks to these creatures. Fortunately, I only came away with a few burns…but I must tell you that they are no longer playing around. The mutant threats are being led by four, in particular. Four brothers…turtles. And they are not alone."
While some people stopped on the sidewalk to watch the broadcast, others took to the streets. Riots were beginning to pop up everywhere in New York, and rumors went around that the movement would go global. Police forces wore themselves thin arresting people for vandalism and assault. In front of City Hall, more anti-mutant protestors started calling for much more extreme measures. Detaining mutants wasn't enough…they wanted them all DEAD. The murders of a few more people and the presumed death of Casey Jones made them all snap, and many went to the streets to search for and kill any mutants they found.
"These turtles have allies; some are mutants that have human appearances. Fortunately for us, my assistant Luc and his task force have apprehended a group of mutants calling themselves the Mighty Mutanimals. We are actively questioning them on the whereabouts of these turtles, and we will update you on any new information we come across. It is time to stop sitting on the sidelines…we must fight and take back this beloved city. Stay safe, New York…I have faith in all of you."
The protestors raged on, holding up signs and threatening the few pro-mutant people left to stand up. One of those attending the anti-mutant rally of the day was Kirby O'Neil. While he wasn't as loud as the others, he still held up a sign and chanted the mantra spewing venom at the mutants. In his eagerness to be part of this crowd, he didn't realize it until the last second when a rugged hand grabbed him by the collar and forcibly dragged him towards an alleyway.
"Hey, wait, what're you-Get your hands off of me!" Kirby turned angrily to face his assailant, but immediately paled when he saw who it was. "A-Arnold Jones? Arnold, I-I'm so sorry about what happened to Casey-"
"Casey's ALIVE, ya sad excuse fer a man!" Arnold Sr. bellowed. "He's in th' hospital, but it's better than bein' dead. Course, he wouldn't be in th' hospital if ya didn't run yer MOUTH!"
Kirby blinked his eyes and processed the news. "C-Casey's alive? But Farrah said mutants killed him and dragged him underwater…"
Arnold snorted, still holding the man by the collar and growling, "He told me everything. He told me some guy named Shredder stabbed 'im in th' stomach, an' that Farrah planned it all out! He wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for th' Turtles!"
The redheaded man felt everything jumbling around in his head. Arnold Jones wouldn't have a reason to lie about his son's fate, but he couldn't process the man defending the mutants. "…That can't be right. People only get hurt because of the Turtles…and mutants HAD to be the ones to murder those three people! Why would Farrah lie about it!?"
The burly man took a deep breath and let go of the fellow father. Rage still resided in his features, but not as intensely as before. From one dad to another, he knew the one thing that could possibly get through to O'Neil and keep him from sinking further into the madness. "Believe what ya want, but let me tell ya somethin', O'Neil." Arnold took a step closer and closed the space between him and Kirby. "They ain't gonna make an exception wit' April. It's not gonna matter if yer wit' these maniacs an' she's yer kid. Once they find out she's half-alien…they're gonna kill her. An' since yer wit' all th' anti-mutant freaks, it's gonna be easier ta find 'er."
Seeing Kirby stand silent, Arnold sighed and turned to go back home; Angel was probably worried. "Think about what I'm tellin' ya, O'Neil. Trust me…my kids are all I got left, too. But I'm not gonna let 'em die 'cause I wanna blame th' wrong people."
Arnold Jones disappeared into the night, and Kirby stood mulling over his warnings. Why wouldn't he understand the dangers mutants posed? But then…why would Farrah lie about Casey being killed by mutants? Maybe she didn't know Casey survived, or maybe she did know and still reported him being dead. Still, nothing good came from being around them, especially those Turtles. They were the same Turtles who mutated him into a bat and left him feral, flying around the streets of New York like a mindless transient. They let him remain captured by the Kraang for who knows how many months. They almost let April die from mutant snake venom. They brought danger because of their association with a long-thought-dead ninja clan and power-hungry aliens!
And yet, they were the same Turtles who kept April safe. Many of the times April got hurt, it was because of her putting herself on the scene of action, trying to better herself and get herself stronger. They, particularly Donatello, cured him of his mutation, allowing him to be with his daughter again. Donatello rescued him from the Kraang stronghold, and he and his brothers saved the city more than once. They rescued him and the other New Yorkers from Dimension X, they stopped the Triceratons from destroying the planet, even though it almost cost Donatello his life. He knew deep down, they were still keeping April safe, and they saved Casey's life. Then it dawned on him that when he joined this movement, he didn't even take into consideration April's half-Kraang heritage; she qualified as a mutant. Because of him…Casey almost died at the hands of Shredder and Farrah, the Turtles were an easier target, and if these people discovered his daughter's powers, they would kill her.
The sign he held slid out of his grasp, and the chanting of people behind him drowned out in his own anguished thoughts.
"…W-What have I done?"
Donatello sat on the couch and ignored the latest episode of "Chris Bradford's 2 Ruff Krew", favoring listening to the others planning a rescue of the Mutanimals. He would've been included in, but aside from his injuries, he was still grounded thanks to his stunt that resulted in the Mutanimals' capture. Karai insisted on taking the blame for that, but he knew well it was all his fault. Sighing, the genius turtle kept his head down and continued with his silent eavesdropping. So much for trying to prove he wasn't a liability…
"We all know Foot Headquarters and Baxter's lab are going to be heavily guarded since last time, so we have to find a way to knock out everyone inside." Leonardo looked up from the crudely-drawn map on the table and glanced over to the couch. "Donnie, do you have anything that could work?"
Donnie glanced over his shoulder for a split-second, then dropped his head down again. "…Why would you want MY input? I got them captured. Besides, I'm still grounded, remember?"
Karai frowned. "Donatello, would you stop with the self-loathing? You shouldn't be blaming yourself, I was-"
"Donnie, just because of what happened doesn't mean we don't want your input." Leo huffed, setting a map piece down and walking over to his brother. He sat down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, ignoring Donnie's attempts to shrug it off. "Listen, Donnie, I get why you did what you did…look at the dumb stuff I did when we were at April's farmhouse! I know you think we're still mad at you, but we're not; you want to make things right…"
"If you're trying to lift my spirits, it's not working, Leo." Donnie huffed, staring back at the floor and wringing his hands. "I won't feel better until the Mutanimals are free. You guys won't, either."
By 'you guys', everyone knew he meant Raphael. The hotheaded turtle still felt sore knowing Slash and the other Mutanimals were still prisoners, possibly even guinea pigs, and hadn't spoken to Donnie after chewing him out. Donnie couldn't blame him, though; he'd be pretty steamed if one of his best friends got captured, too. He noticed Raph give him a three-second glance before turning away in a huff, worsening the genius turtle's guilt. Leo chose to ignore this and get back onto the main topic: figuring out how to free the Mutanimals without getting killed by the Foot or Farrah and Sang.
Michelangelo didn't like the tension coming back into their home. While he knew Donnie made a dumb move, he also knew his brother acted out of frustration and desperation, thus forgiving his brother fairly quickly. Just like the others, though, he worried for the Mutanimals; was Leatherhead okay? But he felt confident that they could rescue their friends, just like they always did…unless Shredder decided to put brain worms in them. As he listened in to Leo getting back to the plan of action, his eyes wandered over to the nearby calendar on the wall and…
Whoa…their Mutation Day was tomorrow! They'd be turning eighteen! And that gave him an idea to lift their spirits…
The turtle in orange made sure everyone else remained engrossed in their plans as he sent two text messages.
Slash sat alone in his cell, staring vacantly at the tile floor before looking out the glass separating him from freedom. Fresh cuts littered his arms and tore his bandages to shreds, and his body still ached from a brutal beating he received from…himself. That Sang guy, or whatever his name was, decided to play a little game called 'Quit Hitting Yourself' involving turning him into a puppet and making his own fists connect with his body. The cuts came from that witch Farrah and those freaky nails of hers. Sadly, he received a light punishment compared to the others. Pete got hit with pouring water while he was strapped to a table to make him cave, but the poor bird had some strong will not to reveal where the Turtles were. Leatherhead got electrocuted several times, and he could still see him twitching in his cell. Now, they were getting ready to perform a 'brain probe' on Rockwell, hoping to find something in his memories.
No matter what happened, they couldn't afford to break down…
"Leatherhead…how're you holdin' up?" Slash asked wearily.
The gator glanced up from his place on the floor and grunted, fighting the uncontrollable twitching in his muscles. "I've…had worse. Did they…did they take Dr. Rockwell into the room?"
"Not yet…but they're gettin' it ready." The giant turtle growled. He glanced over to another cell and saw Pigeon Pete still coughing like he was drowning. The poor guy…no, all of them needed medical attention. "We gotta find a way outta here. If we don't, they're gonna kill us."
Leatherhead got to his feet and leaned against the glass door. "The Turtles will get us out…we must have faith in them, Slash."
Slash sighed and leaned against the wall. Easier said than done when they were already trapped here for days. No food to eat, hardly anything to drink except minimal water, nothing comfortable in the cells, and those Foot goons tapping on the glass like they were zoo animals on display…it all made him ill. Nothing could make him forgive the Foot, or that Farrah woman, not even his deathbed; they were all pure evil. He thought the Kraang were bad, but even they didn't compare to the foul that came from the Foot Clan. If they didn't find a way out, they would become casualties alongside the innocent humans. As much as the people above hated mutants, they didn't deserve to die for a show…
The sound of hands sliding on glass brought him out of his stupor, and he expected it to be another Foot freak wanting to poke fun at him. Growling, Slash readied his throbbing fist to strike the glass, only to find not a Foot mutant, but…
"…Michelangelo?"
Mikey hung upside-down on the glass door like a lizard and gave the giant turtle a grin and wave before hopping down. He switched over to his serious game face and pulled a small knife from his wrist wrappings, using it to cut into the glass and make an opening. Without making a sound and ignoring the flabbergasted look on Slash's face, the freckled turtle pulled the glass out and leaned it on the adjacent wall.
"We're bustin' you out, Slash-man!" Mikey beamed, holding his hand out for his friend to grab.
"W-We?" Slash sputtered, slowly climbing out. "What do you-Why'd you break in alone!?"
A chuckle came from behind the freckled turtle. "We weren't going to let Mikey come alone. The others would kill us!"
From behind Michelangelo emerged none-other than Anna and Kaitlyn. The former dashed over to the control panel to open the glass doors, while the latter helped Slash to his feet. After Mikey sent them text messages, the two superhumans met up with him near Foot Headquarters and learned of the plan he had. They all agreed it was best Cheyloe didn't come along, as she still felt shaken up by the encounter with Farrah. True, Mikey's plan was, to put it bluntly, crazy, but the freckled turtle came prepared with the necessary supplies: sleeping gas bombs Donnie had been working on, spray to uncover hidden trip wires, and a knife strong enough to cut through glass.
Watching all those Mission: Impossible movies on TV finally paid off.
The glass doors slid open, and Leatherhead and Pigeon Pete weakly crawled out. Anna glanced around the several cages, and found Rockwell strapped to a gurney in one of them. She brought out a knife she borrowed from Kaitlyn's cutlery set and hastily cut the leather straps on the gurney, then went to pull the almost-comatose chimp off to a standing position. He would be like this for a while, considering the captors gave him strong sedatives. The first step was done…now they had to actually get out before the sleep gas wore off, or in case Sang lurked nearby.
"Do the…do the others know you're here?" Leatherhead breathed out, leaning on the now-elated Michelangelo.
The orange-masked turtle shook his head. "No, I'm gonna surprise 'em! What better Mutation Day present than to have you guys free?"
"You should've…you should've had them come with you." Slash grunted and held his side before giving a grateful nod. "…But thank you, Michelangelo. We're in your debt."
As the group slowly headed out, they abruptly stopped when someone walked in their direction. Baxter Stockman, aka Stockman-Fly, stopped dead in his tracks, holding a candy bar before it slid out of his good hand. All of them silently stared at each other for a good minute, but the fly mutant suddenly made a move for the alarm…until he found himself caught by the wings by Kaitlyn. He tried desperately to cry for help, but found his mouths forcibly covered up with a firm hand.
"Rule number one…don't squeal, Fly-Boy."
Stockman could only gulp as he saw the superhuman's fist connect with his cranium, making him see stars before blacking out.
"Donnie, what're you doing on your laptop?"
Donatello looked up from the bed and saw Leo standing at the door, holding a plate of leftover pizza. Looking at the clock, he realized he missed the dinner call for the second night in a row. As much of a bad habit it was, he was so close to cracking the secrets in Farrah's planner. He also knew Leo might admonish him for being on his laptop, but at least he wasn't in the lab, right? "Thanks for brining dinner, Leo. And no, I'm not sneaking lab work…I'm still trying to crack this stupid planner. I took out the memory card, but Farrah must want all her stuff as secure as possible."
"Sensei may not see it that way." The blue-masked turtle noted, sitting the pizza on the nightstand. "He's already miffed about Mikey sneaking out without telling anybody. Weird that he'd go out of the lair just to call and check on Cheyloe and the others."
"Speaking of Cheyloe, she's invited all of us over to her place for something." Donnie stated nonchalantly, still typing away. "It may just be for some tea, but she said something about a surprise. What she means by surprise, I don't know…"
Leo gave some thought to that. Due to the recent tension, he figured she'd only invite one or two of them at a time over to draw away suspicion. Inviting all of them over seemed to overdo it, especially after Donnie's 'ingenious' stunt…unless they had something planned that needed the whole family's cooperation. Come to think of it, since discussing their plans for rescuing the Mutanimals yesterday, Mikey had been acting pretty weird right in the middle of it. He disappeared for a while during that time, then started acting secretive when he returned, ignoring Splinter's harsh lecture about leaving without notice. What was he up to, exactly?
"I have a feeling Mikey knows…but maybe we can let him be brave enough to spill the beans himself." Leo suggested before darting his eyes to the laptop. "Whoa, how much does Farrah want to protect this stuff? How long have you been at this?"
Donnie didn't even blink. "Since Cheyloe and I were rescued from Foot Headquarters." When he typed a few more keys, his computer suddenly beeped, followed by a folder opening up and several files appearing on the screen. A gap-toothed grin suddenly appeared on his face and he shouted, "I did it…I'm IN! I finally cracked it! I-" When he opened one of the files and scanned the information, his grin melted away into an expression of pure horror. "Oh no…"
Leo leaned forward and tried to make heads and tails of the information. "What is this, Donnie? Are these research files?"
"Not just that…" Donnie ignored everyone else suddenly entering the room and Splinter readying to scold him for being on his laptop. "This is part of Farrah's plan…she's-"
"Tell us later, dude!" Mikey suddenly lifted the laptop from Donnie's lap and pulled him out of bed. "We're heading over to Chey's place right now! We can't be late!"
"W-Wait, Mikey!" Donnie quickly saved the files and grabbed the laptop before being helplessly dragged along by his younger brother. "I-I'm still grounded, remember!?"
Splinter was the one to give his say on that. "For tonight, you are released from your grounding…but only for tonight, Donatello. We must not keep our friends waiting."
Whatever was going on, Donnie didn't know if he should be excited or dread the anticipation of it…
When the Turtles, Splinter, and Karai arrived at the balcony of Apartment 4C, they found the residence in total darkness. If Cheyloe and the others wanted to invite them over for a surprise, they'd have to remember the number-one rule: be home to present said surprise. Were they just running late? Were they asleep? Or was this all just some sort of lame prank to lighten the sour mood going around?
"They're not even home!" Raphael grumbled. "Let's go back home before we're spotted. What a waste of time!"
Donatello raised his fist to knock on the door, but something told him to jiggle the door handle. Why he got that feeling, he didn't know, but he decided to try it out. To his surprise, the door was unlocked and creaked open with ease. Odd for the ladies to leave even the balcony door unlocked…unless it was on purpose. If this turned out to be part of the so-called surprise, either Cheyloe actually had a sick sense of humor or she was kidnapped by the Foot. When he opened the door, he and his family stepped inside, only to be greeted by the lights suddenly flashing on in the room.
"SURPRISE! Happy Mutation Day!"
The Turtles jumped back at the exclamation. Shock wearing off, they finally registered Cheyloe, Anna, Kaitlyn, and even April standing in front of them with a big cake on the kitchen table. It wasn't one of the weird algae-and-worm cakes Mikey always made for their past Mutation Days; it was a legitimate, delicious-looking, two-tiered cake with blue, red, purple, and orange candles on it. The brothers stood in awe at the cake and a few gifts scattered on the table next to it, but what stunned them more was how they knew to do this for them. And three of them came up with one solution: Mikey.
"Mikey, did you have somethin' to do with this?" Raph interrogated, staring at his youngest brother.
"Well, maybe." Mikey teased, smirking and motioning at the cake. "I spoke with the ladies, and they decided to make us a big cake! Sure, it's not my algae and worm cake, but it'll be delicious, just the same!"
April suddenly averted her eyes. "…Even though it's our third attempt until Kaitlyn had enough."
"So, wait…did we actually forget about our own Mutation Day?" Leo wondered as he stared at the cake and girls in the room. "You guys planned this out since last night? Just for us?"
"Oh, Splinter and Karai had an idea, too." Anna mused, earning nods from the two in question. "But even they don't know about the next surprise in store. Follow us to the rooftop, and you'll see! They should be here right about now…"
Confused, the Turtles took Anna's advice and followed her up to the rooftops, avoiding detection from any neighbors or other bystanders. What would be up there, even more guests or presents? Once they got to their destination and got a good look, their jaws slacked open when they saw…
"SLASH!"
There the Mighty Mutanimals stood, mummified in bandages and frail but still alive. Slash ignored the pain in his body and gladly accepted the tackle-hug from his teary-eyed friend, and Mikey followed suit with Leatherhead; he didn't get the chance for a true hug during the rescue. Leo and Donnie laughed in relief before checking on Dr. Rockwell and Pigeon Pete, and the lead turtle was the first to glance over at the young women smiling and observing them. Everything made sense…they rescued the Mutanimals as a Mutation Day present, and he already knew the mastermind behind this was Mikey. So that meant…
"Did Mikey actually go in alone and get the Mutanimals out!?" Leo gaped when the pieces fit together in his head. "THAT was why you disappeared last night!?"
"Goodness, no!" Cheyloe gasped, attempting to calm Leo down. "Anna and Kaitlyn went with him! We weren't just going to let him infiltrate Foot Headquarters alone, Leo! I would've went, but I didn't for…obvious reasons."
Donnie glanced away in shame, prompting the brunette to act fast. "N-No, not you, Donnie! I-I was talking about Farrah…"
"We owe these ladies and Michelangelo our lives." Slash interrupted, resting his large hand on Raph's shoulder. "Shredder and that Farrah woman did some pretty nasty things to us…we're just glad they didn't probe your location through our brains. But…they'll know you're involved in our rescue, and they'll come after you."
Kaitlyn snorted. "Let 'em come. We ain't afraid of 'em."
"Wait, everybody, let's not focus on Shredder or Farrah or any of the anti-mutant stuff! At least not for tonight." Mikey insisted, patting Leatherhead on the snout with joy. "Let's just celebrate being eighteen and eat some cake!"
"Well, may we join?"
Everyone turned and saw a few other guests arriving. The first was none-other than the Fugitoid, looking full of glee and holding what resembled a metallic gift box. The other individual, the Turtles and superhumans didn't recognize, but seemed to be associated with the android. The second guest resembled a young woman with strawberry-blonde hair and a face full of freckles, and said face appeared stoic, calm, almost emotionless. Who was this person and why hadn't Fugitoid told them about her earlier?
"Oh, my apologies! Allow me to introduce my da-I-I mean, my assistant! I happened to be going through my lab when I realized she hadn't been active in years!" Fugitoid still beamed, contrasting his so-called assistant's cold demeanor. "I believe a Mutation Day celebration is just what she needs to get accustomed to Earth!"
Ignoring Leo suddenly staring intently at the assistant, Mikey grinned and cheered, "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's party already!"
The sounds of everyone chatting over the stereo playing, silverware hitting plates, the door opening and closing to deliver cake to the Mutanimals, and soda cans fizzing resonated through the apartment. If the landlord or neighbors came to complain and investigate, Cheyloe found herself fortunate that she knew a bunch of ninjas. After Mikey got a short scolding from Splinter about breaking into Foot Headquarters, everyone came together to cut the cake; they managed to get out of singing the 'Happy Birthday' song. April and Raph took it upon themselves to deliver a slice of cake to Casey once the party ended, but for right now, they would celebrate and forget the troubles going on.
Speaking of troubles…Cheyloe looked over to the sofa and saw Donnie glumly watching the party go on. How could he not be happy about turning eighteen? Well, considering what happened recently, it would be pretty difficult to cheer him up. The brunette grabbed a cake slice and sauntered over to him amidst the crowd in the apartment. The turtle didn't even look up much when she sat down next to him. "Hey, I grabbed you a slice." No response, and Chey grew worried. "Donnie, what's the matter? You can tell me."
The purple-masked turtle stared at her before sighing and reluctantly taking the plate. "I know, I know, I should be cutting up and digging in, but…I still can't stop thinking about how we're going to fight back. Can we even fight back?"
Cheyloe blinked and put a hand on his shoulder. "Of course we can. I mean, I'm still pretty afraid of having to face Farrah, but that can be overcome. Donnie, you can't give up hope…"
Donnie poked at the cake slice and finally confessed, "Cheyloe, I cracked open the files on Farrah's planner. What she's going to do isn't good…it's going to threaten not just New York, but the world. I have to tell everyone right now and-"
"Donnie, settle down." Chey reprimanded quietly, cupping his cheek with her hand and staring straight into his worried eyes. "Once celebrations are over, you can tell them…but for right now, just enjoy yourself! Oh, that reminds me!"
Donatello didn't know what she was up to, but watched the brunette go to the kitchen counter and retrieve a small box. The box looked pretty old, like out-of-an-antique-store old, and had a purple bow stuck to the lid. Once she handed it to him, he sat his plate down and went to carefully open the old box. Nothing out of the ordinary inside it, unless he could count the two ornaments inside. He picked one up and studied it carefully, finding it was in the shape of a turtle dove. In fact, both of them looked like turtle doves. "Cheyloe…why did you give me these turtle dove charms? They are charms, aren't they?"
Cheyloe chuckled and picked the second charm up. "It's a funny story, really. After Mikey told us about his plan, I went out and scrambled to find some last-minute gifts. I actually tried to get some pizza gyoza for the party, but unfortunately, Murakami's is closed because it's been deemed a 'suspected mutant gathering place'. I came across this antique store downtown, so I decided to check it out and found this old woman at the counter. She asked if I had anything in mind, and I told her about you. I didn't tell her you were a mutant, but I told her about how much I care about you. So…she went over to a display case and pulled these out." She paused and studied the turtle dove interlaced in her fingers as a smile grew on her face. "That woman told me that turtle doves represent a deep connection between two people…a connection born out of love and faithfulness that lasts for eternity."
Donnie immediately blushed and thanked God that none of the others heard the conversation. It wasn't that he was embarrassed by the history behind the charms, it was that Cheyloe got them for that very history. If this were during when they barely knew each other, he'd find the gift a little more than uncomfortable, like April was with that music box. Only this was way after that, and it didn't take his vast intellect to know the deep love between them. Not just as friends, either. For Cheyloe to give this gift to him…it had to mean both of them didn't just love each other, they were IN love with each other. Donnie already knew this of himself, but hearing, seeing, feeling Chey confirm she had the same feelings brought a joyful smile to his lips. If this wound in his plastron fully healed, he would start tap-dancing right now. Having this gift, though…it was enough.
"Thank you, Cheyloe." Dangling the charm he had from his finger, he reached over and fitted the loop attached to the other charm over her wrist. "One for each of us, right?"
The two steadily ignored the music and chatter in the background, finding themselves drawing closer…well, their faces drawing closer. They already knew what they wanted, and the occasion tonight would make it feel even more special. Their eyes slowly closed, their mouths opened slightly, ready for-
"Donatello, what sort of data is this on your laptop?"
Donnie sharply turned his head and found Fugitoid snooping through his laptop; he forgot he brought that stupid thing here. Worst of all, he found the data he decoded from Farrah's planner, though the only ones who could make sense of it were the android and, well, himself. Everyone stared at the data with piqued curiosity, so the turtle figured it was time to temporarily cease the carefree celebration and give them the hard truth.
"Everyone…" Donatello stood up and got the attention of his friends and family, halting the celebrations to allow a serious atmosphere to flow in. "Leo knows this…but I successfully hacked into Farrah's planner. She's planning something BIG, big enough to threaten the entire world." Taking a deep breath, the genius turtle narrowed his eyes and concluded, "She plans on releasing a chemical that'll forcibly mutate every human in New York into superhumans."
The others felt their jaws drop open, and Mikey spat out the cake that he had shoved in his mouth. Donnie decided to continue, since he definitely had their undivided attention. "I've had Kurtzman dig up stuff on Farrah. One thing he discovered is that her college major is, get this, Biochemistry. Since she has some deep-seeded hatred for normal humans, she'd probably use that knowledge to make more of her kind, whether they wanted her to or not."
"Wait, Donnie…why would this necessarily be a bad thing?" Raph questioned, crossing his arms and leaning back in an easy chair. "Wouldn't the only consequence be people going crazy with new superpowers?"
"Raph, there's a BIG difference between a natural gene mutation for superpowers, like with Cheyloe and the others, and a forced gene mutation. I think this file right here'll shed some light."
Donnie took the laptop from Fugitoid and pulled up one of the hacked files. A video popped up, showing some sort of laboratory and a date on the top corner of the screen. On a table lay a frightened man, encased in a Plexiglas prison, being observed by a younger Farrah Rosenberg and a few other people. Farrah pressed a button, and two needles emerged from a machine inside before said needles lodged themselves into the man's neck. A few minutes passed with nothing happening…until the man started screaming before erupting in violent seizures. The Turtles held their breaths and felt terror growing inside them; this had to be just some random man off the street, probably having a family wondering where he disappeared to.
The video went to a section called 'Day 1'. The man was free from the table, begging Farrah and her associates to let him go. When the poor man tried to reach his fingers through the holes in the Plexiglas, he found his fingers, then his whole hand, stretching to incredible lengths. From her place at the observation deck, Farrah gave a smirk at the results. She didn't even pay attention to the man letting out wet cough after cough as his body fixed itself. Things got even worse when sliding over to 'Day 2'. This time, the man looked frail, coughing to the point of blood, yet his extremities looked swollen. Farrah could be seen furiously taking notes, scowling at the damaged man. Donnie could tell she wanted to know what went wrong and how to fix it. When 'Day 3' played, some of the people in the room had to keep themselves from throwing up. The captive man once again lay on the table, with his entire body grossly swollen, his eyes sunken in, and his skin so think his bones and organs were barely visible. He gasped for breath after breath as Farrah asked one of her associates what was happening. When he failed to provide an answer, she wasted no time in gutting him with her metallic nails.
Then it happened…the man let out a guttural moan as his body swelled even more before seemingly imploding and collapsing in on itself. Unidentified liquid that was once his innards oozed onto the floor, right there for a stunned Farrah to see. Morbidity wearing off, she put her cool demeanor back on and simply mouthed one word: failure. The video cut to static, and everyone remained horrified at what they just watched.
"…That's what a forced mutation will do to people." Donnie breathed out, swallowing back the taste of bile in his throat. "And if she hasn't improved on her methods, that's what'll happen to the people of New York."
April found herself shaking. "D-Do you think Shredder knows about her plan?"
Leo frowned. "If he knew, he wouldn't have agreed to work with her, would he? I'm sure she's been planning this behind his back since their team-up. Donnie, is there any way for a person to survive that?"
The purple-masked turtle shook his head. "No…not unless you're very lucky. According to her notes, she experimented on about fifty people. Out of those fifty people…only one survived. Want to take a guess who?"
Cheyloe was the one to answer, "…Sang."
"That's probably why he's Farrah's little butt-kisser." Mikey teased, despite the urgency of the situation. "So all this about wanting to protect the people from mutants is just to lull them into a false sense of security?"
"That, and she just wants the people to destroy each other…unless she thinks they're not destroying each other fast enough." Donnie concluded. "She wants the people to have their full trust in her before she yanks the rug out from underneath them. Us and New York aren't the only ones in danger anymore…the whole world could be in danger if Farrah manages to get global power!"
The silence in the apartment made way for murmuring amongst the group. What could they possibly do to stop Rosenberg's master plan? How would they even convince the people of New York that they were in danger of being killed by forced mutation? How would they even get the people on their side? So many of them already had such a deep hatred for mutants that convincing them of their status as the good guys would be near-impossible. But they couldn't just stand here and do nothing…they had to act. Maybe not now, but the opportunity would present itself, hopefully when Donatello and Casey were both at full strength, and once they had more dirt on Farrah.
"That settles it." Leo concluded, standing up and taking a deep breath. "The people of New York see us as enemies, but they don't deserve what Farrah has planned for them. We have to stop Shredder and Farrah, even if it costs us our lives."
Raph, Donnie, and Mikey stood up in agreement with Leo's cut-and-dry declaration. It only took a few seconds for everyone else, even Fugitoid and his mysterious assistant, to stand up and declare their determination. If Casey were among them, he'd be standing, too, but Raph and April would be sure to inform him of the news. They'd even reach out to their other mutant allies, Bishop, whatever help they could get. If they could even manage to plant a seed of doubt in Shredder's mind, they'd use that to their advantage, too.
No matter how much the people hated them, the Hamato Clan would still save them. They had to save New York and the entire world, no matter the cost.
Another long chapter, but I figured I'd go on and reveal Farrah's plan without drawing things out too long. The experimented man's death is actually inspired by what happened to Senator Kelly in the 2000 X-Men movie; X-Men is one of the inspirations I got for Cheyloe and her friends. Next chapter involves April and Raph being helped by someone completely unexpected, Cheyloe having a deep discussion with Splinter, and Donatello and Leonardo getting assistance from Fugitoid and his soon-to-be-named assistant. Well, do stay tuned!
