Chapter 170: Turtles in Hollywood
The plane ride from New York to Los Angeles continued. The Hamato family and Lee women had settled in, reading and relaxing in their own way. However, Mikey was getting a bit stir-crazy.
"Are we there yet?" the orange turtle asked.
"No." Raph said, bored.
"Mikey, you've been asking that for hours." Karai cut in, annoyed. "You know that saying, 'There are no bad questions'? Well, there are, and this is one of them!"
After a few moments of silence, Mikey picked it up again.
"Are we there yet?" he asked.
"Are we there yet?" Raph said at the same time.
"Hey, that's not funny!" Mikey snapped, only for Raph to repeat that line as well. "That's really immature!"
When Raph continued his little game, Mikey tried to turn the tables on him.
"I'm an idiot." He declared.
"Glad you finally admitted it." Raph quipped.
"You know what, fine!" Mikey exclaimed. "I'm just gonna stop talking!"
"Finally!" Raph cheered.
There was a brief moment of silence.
"I swear, hitchhiking was more fun than this." Mikey grumbled. "I mean, there's no in-flight movie, no nothing!"
"I thought you said you were gonna stop talking." Vee cut in. "Seriously, Mikey, we'll get there when we get there, and your whining is not gonna make it go any faster."
"We did tell you to pack something to read." Leo reminded him.
"I read all my comics already." Mikey replied. "I just wanna be there. I'm so dang bored!"
Hisako sighed, rubbing her forehead. "If he can't handle a six hour fight to LA, he will hate international flights."
"Just find a way to entertain yourself already!" Donnie snapped at Mikey.
"Hey, simmer down!" Kasumi called from the cockpit. "Don't make me turn this plane around!"
"Sorry!" they all called back.
"There you go, Mikey." said Kagome. "Either find a way to stay entertained, or we'll have to endure this long flight back to New York."
Leo sighed, looking back at Splinter, who was deep in meditation.
"How I envy Sensei for being able to meditate through all this racket." he lamented.
"Here." Hisako tossed him a blue i-Pod. "Donnie made us music mixes to relax."
Donnie had a purple one playing scientific podcasts, Kagome had a pink one, and Vee had a yellow one. Raph even got one, Donnie tossing it into his lap before beginning work on the next one. Leo put in the earbuds, kicking back as Mikey flopped into his seat with a sigh. Then he got an idea, making a popping noise with his mouth. Hisako quickly put in her own earbuds as Raph growled. Mikey made another pop, to which Raph grabbed his i-Pod. Heavy metal began blaring in the earbuds, completely drowning Mikey out.
"Cheater." he grumbled before Donnie threw an orange i-Pod at him.
"Here, just finished yours." Donnie informed him. "Now sit down."
Mikey put the earbuds in, kicking back and pressing the play button before jumping up with a scream. Donnie snarled, pulling his earbud out in annoyance.
"Oh, now what?!" he exclaimed.
"It's polka!" Mikey cried out. "Make it stop!"
"Whoops, sorry." Donnie apologized. "Must have been a remnant from my i-Pod. Just skip the song and I'll delete it later."
Mikey did and pop music began playing, to which Mikey kicked back to. Splinter opened his eyes at that, the noise too much for even him.
"Michelangelo, a ninja's greatest strength is patience." He announced. "And you are quickly trying mine!"
Donnie held out a silver i-Pod to him.
"Here, Sensei." he said. "White noise and sounds of the ocean."
"Thank you." Splinter said with a nod, taking the I-pod.
He put the earbuds in before going back to his meditation. In the cockpit, the pilot turned to Kasumi.
"Quite a crazy family you have back there." he remarked.
"Tell me about it." Kasumi agreed. "They can be a handful, John, but I wouldn't have it any other way."
A few hours later, the plane docked at the Los Angeles International Airport.
"Finally, we're here!" Mikey cheered, practically running for the exit.
The others disembarked, finding Mikey already on the ground waiting for them.
"Mikey, fair warning." Raph began. "If you keep up that 'are you there yet' shit on any more of this little world tour, I swear, I'm gonna yank your brains out with a fork and feed it to Midnight."
Midnight gave a confused whine as Hisako petted her.
"So, where to?" Karai asked.
"I'd say our first step is finding a place to sleep." said Leo. "Get our bearings in the city, and then keep our eyes peeled for any H.A.V.O.C. activity."
"I've already gotten us reservations at the Roosevelt Hotel." Kasumi informed them. "Just follow me."
One taxi ride later, the family found themselves looking up at the Roosevelt Hotel.
"Whoa…" they all let out.
"You went all out." Vee remarked.
"One of the benefits of having the resources I do." Kasumi replied.
They went in, retrieving their room keys before going up to their rooms. Mikey flopped back onto his bed with a sigh.
"Now this… is living." he declared. "Wonder what the poor people are doing today."
That earned him a whack from Splinter's tail.
"Another trait of the ninja is humility." the rat master informed him.
"What's the plan?" Donnie asked.
"We keep a low profile for now." Leo replied. "No point announcing 'the Turtles are here' to Falco's cronies."
"Well, we kinda stand out in a crowd." Kagome pointed out. "So that may be difficult."
"Maybe not." Karai piped up. "I was going over Falco's plans. It seems he's got a base somewhere in Hollywood, and considering his penchant for mutants, I'd say he's got ties to the movie industries."
"So we can just walk in, pretending to be monsters in costume." Raph suggested.
"Why not?" Karai asked. "I wouldn't be surprised if someone's making a TMNT movie."
"And why weren't we asked for permission?" Mikey questioned.
"Because you live in a New York storm drain and no one but your inner circle knows your phone number?" Kagome said rhetorically.
"Besides, we'd still get royalties." Hisako pointed out.
"I did notice our checks were getting a bit heftier." Leo noted before shaking his head to clear it. "Alright, back to business. Come nightfall, we're going to the movies."
"Woo!" Mikey cheered, getting a whack from Raph.
"Can you please be serious for once in your life?!" he snapped.
"I've been told to be funny when I'm being serious, and serious when I'm being funny." Mikey replied.
"So what'd you decide on?" Vee asked.
"The medium." said Mikey. "I've decided to be seriously funny!"
Even Splinter rolled his eyes at that.
Evening fell, and the Hamato siblings got to work, rushing along the rooftops of various studios and trailers across shooting lots. Eventually, they came to a stop, looking over the studios.
"Karai, did Falco's plans indicate any film studios in particular?" Leo asked.
"No." Karai replied. "But his choices would be limited. I doubt there's a high demand for mutants in many films."
"So we're looking at horror, action/adventure, and drama." said Mikey.
Kagome crossed her arms in thought.
"Hmmm…" she mused. "I'd say Mirage Studios is our best bet."
"Mirage Studios?" Mikey perked up. "The ones behind The Squid Monster that Ate Hoboken? I loved that movie!"
"Hopefully no relation to Mirage Industries." Hisako said.
"Nope." Kagome assured. "Completely unaffiliated."
"Phew." Hisako wiped her brow in relief.
"Man, I wish I brought my autograph book." Mikey lamented.
"Mikey, we're not here to sight-see." Donnie reminded him.
"I know, I know." Mikey assured. "But still, often can we say we've been to Hollywood!"
"Okay, I see your point." Raph admitted. "But still, focus."
They headed to Mirage Studios, examining the outside.
"I'll be honest, I have no idea what we're supposed to be looking for." Leo admitted.
"That's to be expected when we've only been in this town for one day." Vee deadpanned.
"Vee's right." Donnie agreed. "We have no idea what's normal and what isn't. Plus, I don't want to go tackling a mutant and find out it's just a guy in makeup."
"We'll just have to improvise." Mikey decided. "Keep an eye out and be ready for anything."
They crept into the building. Just as they rounded a corner, they found themselves face-to-face with two security guards.
"Shit…" Raph cursed.
"Freeze!" one of the security guards shouted.
"Run!" Leo yelled, all of them scattering.
They eventually found themselves in an open room filled with props and costumes. Everyone hid as fast as they could, except Mikey, who was frantically looking around.
"Mikey, get down!" Leo hissed from his hiding place. "Hide!"
Out of desperation, Mikey ran over to a set of monster costumes and stood stiff, pretending to be a mannequin. The guards came in, scanning the room. Their flashlights passed over the hiding places before going over Mikey. One of them came closer, looking him over; Mikey stood perfectly still, holding his breath.
"Hey, Mike, you seen this one before?" he asked his partner.
"Search me, Marty." Mike replied. "It's probably just one of the costumes they're making for that Ninja Turtle movie they have planned."
"Thought they were going to use CGI." Marty mused.
"Nah." said Mike. "Apparently, it didn't test well."
"Well, it doesn't look like those kids are in here." Marty remarked. "Let's move."
They departed. Mikey let out his breath, as Raph emerged out from behind a prop guillotine, popping his head out of his shell.
"I almost can't believe that worked." he remarked.
The others descended from rafters, out of dressing rooms, and from in between costume racks.
"That was way too close." Leo said.
"Y'know, in retrospect, maybe we should've cased the joint for a day or two." Kagome said to Leo. "Get a feel for the patrols and all."
"That, or maybe us human girls can take one of the tours." Hisako offered, gesturing to a sign on the wall.
Everyone glanced at the sign, seeing that it had a list of tour times and ticket prices.
"Well sure, if you wanna do it the easy way." Mikey deadpanned.
"Why wouldn't we want to do it the easy way, Mikey?" Vee asked rhetorically. "Think smarter, not harder."
"That would imply Mikey ever thinks." Raph said flatly. "Seriously, I doubt he even has an actual brain."
"That's just mean. I do have a brain!" Mikey insisted before rubbing his neck. "...I just don't use it very much."
They shared a laugh before passing flashlights forced them to hide again.
"Let's continue this at the hotel." Leo decided.
Eluding security, the Hamato kids made it out of the studio and back to the hotel, where they explained to Kasumi and Splinter what happened.
"So the minute you snuck into the movie studios, you were caught by security?" Kasumi asked.
"To be fair, Kasumi, we're nowhere near as familiar with Hollywood as we are with Manhattan." Karai defended.
"Indeed, we are not." Splinter agreed. "We may know everything there is to know about New York, but this is not New York. We cannot trust that things will be the same as they are back home."
"Hisako had a good idea, though." Kagome cut in. "Tomorrow, she and I will join one of the studio tours to get a feel for the place."
"I'm coming too." Karai insisted. "Three's better than two."
"Fair enough." Kagome nodded before turning to the Turtles. "In the meantime, why don't you guys go out and explore the city? Get a feel for the layout and all."
"Getting a little ahead of yourself, Kagome." Donnie pointed out. "If there is a member of H.A.V.O.C. at Mirage Studios, you'll need an alias."
"Say what?" Kagome asked.
"Don's right." Karai agreed. "Kagome Lee is world famous."
"I'll just use my birth name." Hisako decided.
"And Harmony Masamune will work for me." Karai added.
Kagome thought for a minute before nodding.
"Call me… Monica Okano." she decided, getting odd looks. "It was right off the top of my head, okay?"
"Hey, it works." Hisako said with a shrug. "I'll call Sam. He'll have Mortu whip up the credentials we need."
"Will they be ready at time?" Karai asked.
Hisako nodded. "Without a doubt."
She pulled out her phone to make the call, while Kagome looked over herself in the mirror, thinking.
"Even with a different name, they'd still recognize me." she mused. "Mom, do you still have my old glasses?"
"I do, yes." Kasumi confirmed. "Considering you have a habit of forgetting your contacts on trips."
"I haven't done that in years!" Kagome defended.
"A mother never forgets." Kasumi said simply.
"You're gonna go the Clark Kent route?" Mikey asked.
"Hey, if it works for him, it'll work for me." Kagome defended.
Around that time, Hisako finished explaining their plan to Sam.
"So, just to make sure I got it all straight." Sam began. "You want Mortu to forge some IDs so you guys can infiltrate a movie studio?"
"Yes." Hisako confirmed. "Listen, we can't draw attention to ourselves. Kagome and anyone with the name Hamato is gonna draw attention. Please?"
"Alright, alright." Sam replied. "If it's to help put an end to H.A.V.O.C., I figure we can bend the law a little."
"Thanks, Sam." Hisako told him. "You're the best!"
"Well, one doesn't like to toot their own horn." Sam joked. "We'll have 'em ready by tomorrow."
"Awesome." Hisako agreed.
The next morning, the group woke up and got ready. Kagome put on her glasses, sliding a grey sweater jacket over a plain T-shirt and jeans. She did her hair in a bun, then slid a beanie over her head. She turned to the others, doing a quick spin.
"Think anyone will recognize me?" she asked.
"You look great." Raph assured.
Hisako let her hair down from its usual ponytail, only pulling part of it back into a small braid behind her head. She put on a medium length skirt and a tank top, sliding some shorts under the skirt and wearing some comfortable boots. Karai put on a band T-shirt and some cargo pants, a pair of combat boots, and a hoodie.
"All set." she declared. "Just need the IDs."
As if on cue, something began glowing on the coffee table, and three IDs materialized on it.
"I love teleportation." Vee said with a grin.
The trio picked them up, sliding them into their pockets.
"Let's go to work." Kagome announced.
At Mirage Studios, Kagome, Karai, and Hisako arrived just as another tour group was being assembled. They handed over their IDs and nobody batted an eye. Once out of sight, they high-fived.
"Okay, we're in." said Karai. "Now what?"
"Take the tour." Kagome replied. "Look around, and see if anything looks or feels off."
With that, they followed the tour group. Most things went without incident, until they got to the special effects department.
"Special effects." the tour guide announced. "Where the real magic of the movies happens."
As they passed it, Hisako cringed, clutching her head.
"I felt something." she reported mentally. "Something going on in there."
"So special effects is where the H.A.V.O.C. goon is hiding out." Karai mused. "Can't say I'm surprised."
"Right." Kagome nodded. "Any monsters that come out can be passed off as movie monsters."
Karai looked left or right. Nobody was watching. "What's the plan?"
"I got an idea." Kagome declared.
She nodded at Hisako, who promptly fell over.
"Oh, crap!" Kagome screamed. "Stop the bus! My friend just fainted!"
"Go scope things out." she reported to Karai. "We'll keep everyone's attention."
Karai nodded, standing up.
"And Karai?" Kagome tacked on, getting her attention. "Don't do anything stupid."
Karai nodded and zipped off, slipping into the special effects building and creeping along. It wasn't long before she began hearing chirping, and soon realized the source; virtually every surface of the room she had entered was covered with terrariums and jars of various bugs.
"Oooh…" she winced. "Vee's not gonna like this."
She heard talking up ahead, keeping to the shadows as she went. She soon saw what was undoubtedly the H.A.V.O.C. man, an unassuming looking middle-aged man with graying black hair and matching beard. He was talking to a girl around Karai's age with dark blonde hair and brown eyes. He looked down a list of clients, before looking at the girl.
"Rebecca Riley, correct?" he asked.
"Yeah, that's me." Rebecca confirmed with a nod. "I've heard a lot about you. Clancy Quaife, the new special effects guy who's sweeping Hollywood."
"That's me." Clancy replied. "I specialize in making mutants for the movies."
"Well, I was told that if I want to finally get noticed, you were the guy to talk to." Rebecca recalled. "These producers won't even give me the time of day."
Clancy gave a smile. "Well, you've come to the right place."
"So what do I do?" Rebecca asked.
"Just give me some time to prepare my equipment and effects." Clancy answered. "Come back around six tonight."
"Of course." Rebecca nodded. "I'll be back tonight."
Having seen enough, Karai turned around. Just as she turned around, a claw grabbed her shoulder, turning her around to bring her face to face with a large, grotesque creature. It looked like a cross between a stag beetle, a spider, and a man. Insectoid chitin was embedded in its chest. A beetle abdomen made up its lower torso as insectoid feet jutted out of bulging green legs. Its face was an orange spider face with multiple glowing green eyes, spider mandibles, and beetle tusks sticking out of its head. Karai winced at the sight of the beast.
"Damn." she let out. "You fall down the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way?"
The beast hissed at her, throwing her into the wall. As it loomed over her, Karai shook her head and shifted to snake form, rapidly slithering past him.
Hisako slowly opened her eyes as Kagome lightly patted her cheek with one hand.
"Rita, are you okay?" she asked, holding up her thumb and the next two fingers. "How many fingers do you see?"
"Are we counting your thumb?" Hisako asked.
"Yes." Kagome said flatly. "It's a finger, isn't it?"
"Depends on who you ask." Hisako replied with a shrug.
She sat up, eyes eyes glancing around before catching sight of snake Karai. She transformed back, climbing onto the bus unseen.
"I'm okay." Hisako assured, standing up. "I think it's just my blood sugar being too low."
"It happens." Kagome explained to the crowd. "She has dizzy spells every once in a while. Nothing to be worried about."
"Here, girls." an old lady offered, handing them a five dollar bill. "Go and get your friend something to eat. Gotta keep that blood sugar up."
"Thank you, ma'am." Kagome said politely.
The trio got off the bus shortly after, walking back to the hotel.
"What have we got?" Kagome asked Karai.
"There's a doctor who's turning would-be actors and actresses into monsters." Karai replied. "He's luring them in with promises of getting them noticed. One of his little creations managed to find me."
"How bad?" Hisako asked.
"He made Stockman fly look like a runway model." Karai answered.
The other girls shivered at the thought.
The trio made it back to the hotel, seeing the Turtles discarding their disguises as they gushed about the sights they saw in town.
"I have so many pictures!" Mikey declared. "I've sent them to Makoto and he's gonna have some new scrap books for us!"
"So much for not a sight-seeing tour." Karai deadpanned.
"C'mon, Karai." Mikey insisted. "Take the stick outta your butt and have some fun!"
"Fun's over for now, Mikey." Leo cut in before turning to Karai. "What'd you find?"
"The H.A.V.O.C. agent is named Clancy Quaife." Karai replied. "He's working in special effects at Mirage Studios."
"Only special effects now has a more permanent influence that can't be washed off." Donnie mused.
"On top of that, the guy seems to have a bug fetish." Karai added. "The room was covered with cages and tanks of 'em."
"Well, after the Vreen invasion, bug movies are all the rage." Mikey remarked. "People are trying to make light of what happened and all that, so the need for buggy creatures is high."
Everyone stared at Mikey.
"What?" he defended. "I know my movies."
Vee stiffened before putting a hand to her ear.
"Pardon me." she said. "I think I hear my mother calling."
She started to walk out of the room, only for Kasumi to block the door.
"Yes." the older Lee remarked. "She's calling for you to stop the H.A.V.O.C. agent."
Vee groaned.
"Come on." she pleaded. "I've done my 'face my fears' arc. I do not need a sequel!"
"You've faced down giant bugs like three times already, and Makoto's a giant bug himself." Raph pointed out. "How are you still scared of them?"
"Because they're fucking creepy and disgusting!" Vee snapped. "Too many eyes! Too many legs! They're just-"
She shuddered.
"Honestly, should we really be surprised that Vee's still scared of bugs?" Mikey asked. "It took Hisako like a year and a half to get over her fear of Krang, even after our vision quest."
"And if I'm fully honest, he still puts me on edge." Hisako admitted.
"You still overcame it when it mattered. When we needed you." Donnie pointed out. "And Vee should mutate some backbone and do the same."
"We're turtles." Vee shot back. "We don't have backbones."
Donnie just gave her a look, and Vee sighed.
"I can't escape it, can I?" she asked, Leo shaking his head in response. "I have to go through with this, don't I?"
Leo nodded, and she let out a groan, burying her face in her hands.
"I hate being a turtle." she muttered.
Later, the group assembled outside the special effects building. Kagome checked her phone for the time.
"It's almost time for that girl's appointment." she reported. "We better get moving."
They all started sneaking in, only to be caught by a frightened scream.
"No! Stop!" shouted the voice of Rebecca Riley. "What are you doing?!"
"You wanted to be noticed, right?" came the voice of Clancy. "Now the whole film community will know your name!"
They ran in, just in time to see a bound Rebecca dropped into a tank of mutagen.
"No!" Karai screamed.
She turned into a snake and launched at Clancy. While she did that, Hisako boosted herself into the air, diving into the mutagen.
"What did you do?!" Karai demanded.
Clancy looked at her in surprise before noticing the Turtles and Kagome.
"The Turtles?!" he exclaimed. "How the- Dr. Falco said you're always in New York!"
"Even heroes take a vacation." Mikey replied.
Hisako surfaced, gasping for air as she slung Rebecca over her poor woman looked like a cross between a humanoid bee and wasp. Her body was yellow with black stripes, insectoid legs and arms, and large red eyes on her head. Long, translucent wings had sprouted from her back.
"My greatest creation yet." Clancy declared, smirking. "I shall call her... Nightbug."
Rebecca let out a cough, slowly opening her eyes.
"I don't feel so hot…" she groaned.
"Easy there." Hisako soothed. "Don't try to move too quickly. And... try not to scream."
Rebecca blinked before noticing her chitinous hands, feeling her face and antennae.
"What…" she managed in dawning horror, "what happened to me?!"
"I made you better, kid." Clancy piped up.
"This isn't what you promised!" Rebecca shouted, her wings perking and buzzing angrily.
Leo stormed over to Clancy, grabbing him by the collar.
"We're shutting you down, Clancy." he swore.
"First, a little bit of trivia." Clancy said simply. "Did you know the stag beetle demonstrates its strength by lifting up an opponent, wrestling-style?"
Leo just blinked in surprise, right before the monster Karai encountered earlier popped out of nowhere, grabbing him and bodily lifting him up before flinging him to the ground. He rebounded off the ground as the creature pinned him down, preparing to strike. Luckily, Mikey hopped onto its back, stopping it.
"Leave Leo alone, Scumbug!" he shouted, grabbing him in a headlock.
Clancy stood up, straightening out his shirt.
"Meet my bodyguard." he declared. "A half-stag beetle, half-spider super-mutant. He's bigger than you, badder than you, and purpose-built to eat little shits like you for breakfast!"
Mikey snorted. "He eats shit for breakfast?"
Clancy pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"Kill them." he ordered.
Vee gulped, her knees knocking together in fear.
"Um…" she began, "this is the part where we pull a tactical retreat, right?"
"No." Leo said firmly. "We're squashing Scumbug here and now."
Vee turned to go, but didn't make two steps before Hisako grabbed her by her ponytail, yanking her head back.
"Ow! OW!" she yelped. "Okay, okay! Just stop trying to scalp me!"
"C'mon sis, you can do this." Hisako encouraged. "It's just one bug."
They turned to Rebecca, who was glaring at Clancy and ready to pounce. Raph gave her a "go ahead" gesture.
"We'll handle his bodyguard." he told her. "As for Clancy... he's all yours."
Rebecca buzzed angrily, launching herself at Clancy and pinning him down with surprising strength.
"You're not going anywhere, you psycho!" she shouted.
Scumbug buzzed before charging at them, and a furious clash ensued. Eventually, he grabbed Hisako around the waist, bodily lifting her up before rushing her through a wall and slamming her against a pipe. A punch that barely missed her head caved the pipe in before he grabbed her by the neck and tossed her through another wall; she hit the ground rolling, looking up to see an entire crowd of people assembled on the street noticing the carnage.
"Shit…" she cursed.
A loud buzz sounded, and Scumbug exited the hole he made, just as Leo kicked him in the back of the head, the other Hamato teens following. Leo looked up to see the crowd there, and waved his hands frantically.
"What are you all doing?!" he shouted. "You need to run!"
"It's no use." Hisako reported, standing up. "They think this is a publicity stunt for the new movie."
"Then we gotta draw Scumbug away from the crowd!" Mikey exclaimed.
"Any ideas?" Raph asked.
Vee suddenly pulled out a kunai, throwing it at Scumbug and getting his attention.
"Hey, Bug-Brain!" she taunted, waving mockingly. "You want me? You gotta catch me first! C'mon!"
She took off, Scumbug spreading wings and flying after her. Kagome let out a sigh.
"Of course he can fly." she grumbled.
"Not if I clip his wings." Hisako declared.
She threw her tessen, slicing at his wings. Scumbug came crashing down, but quickly pulled himself up and kept chasing after Vee, while the others chased him. Eventually, Vee found herself at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine. Something caught her by the back of her shell and she was yanked back by a webline. Scumbug grabbed her by the throat as she reached him, tossing her through the wall of the nearest building. She hit the floor before pulling herself up.
"Anyone get the license plate of that cement truck?" she let out, dazed.
The rest of the turtles came through the hole, helping their sister to her feet. As they began looking around, realization dawned.
"Uh, guys?" Donnie said.
They were in the middle of a nightclub, surrounded by several people who were now staring at them.
"Ohhh… crap." Karai groaned.
That was when Scumbug jumped in, glaring them down.
"Guys, we can't let Scumbug hurt anyone here." Leo insisted. "Got it?"
"Oh really, Leo?" Raph deadpanned. "I thought we'd just let him go on a psychopathic rampage."
"Raph, now is not the time!" Karai snapped.
Kagome grabbed a piece of rubble, throwing it at Scumbug.
"Hey, ugly!" she shouted. "Over here!"
The fight continued. As the singer performing on stage watched the fight, within minutes he began improvising a rap revolving around the Turtles, the crowd sitting down to relax.
"What is he doing?!" Vee demanded.
"He's trying to prevent a panic." Hisako realized. "Make it look like this is all part of his act."
"Alright then." Leo nodded. "Let's see what we can do to help. Mikey!"
"You got it, Leo!" Mikey declared. "MC Mikey in the HOUSE!"
With that, he jumped onto the stage, dancing as he began to sing.
"Yo! It's the green machine! / Gonna rock the town without bein' seen! / Have you ever seen a turtle get down?/ Slammin' Jammin' to the new swing sound? / Yeah, everybody let's move! /
The turtles are here with the new Jack Groove! / Gonna rock, and roll this place / With the power of the Ninja Turtle bass! / Yo Scumbug! Ya know I'm not playin'- / Devastate the show while the turtles are sayin'!"
He began to chant "Ninja Rap" and "Go ninja, go ninja, go", drawing the crowd into it as the others were left to deal with Scumbug. Raph charged at him before sliding with his feet extended, catching him in both legs. Scumbug was toppled to the ground, landing hard on his face before quickly getting back up again and continuing the fight. While they did, Mikey kept up the rap, the entire club entranced by it.
"Lyrics, fill in the gap / Drop that bass and get the Ninja Rap / Feel it, if you know what I mean / Give it up for those heroes in green / Just flowin, smooth with the power / Kickin' it up, hour after hour / Cause in this life there's only one winner / You better aim good so you can hit the center / In it to win it, with a team of four / Ninja Turtles that you gotta adore it's the / Ninja, Ninja rap!"
As the chanting continued, Scumbug did his best to try and fight against the siblings. Though powerful, his fighting technique was lacking, and the Hamato teens slowly but surely began to drive him back.
"We're doing it!" Donnie cheered. "We're doing it!"
Seeing his siblings succeeding, Mikey belted out one last round of lyrics.
"Villains, you better run and hide / Because one day you might not slide / Choose your weapon but don't slip / Vanilla's in control with the flex of the mic grip / Rockin' the crowd the way it should be rocked / With the Miami drop that you like a lot / Hittin' like a Ninja Turtle when the bass kicks in / You better check your level / The power of the Ninja is strong! / Fightin' all the crooks until they're all out cold."
Finally, Vee sprang off Leo's back, landing a solid jump kick that knocked Scumbug on his back. He tried to get up before collapsing, unconscious. With that, Mikey backflipped off the stage, using his kusarigama to hogtie the mutant bug. With the fight over, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
"Let's hear it for our heroes in a half shell, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!" the DJ who had been working with Mikey declared.
They all waved at the crowd, smiling.
"Thank you very much!" Mikey cheered. "You've been a wonderful audience!"
They dragged the unconscious Scumbug back to the special effects building, and were greeted by the sight of Rebecca standing over an unconscious Clancy.
"Before you ask, don't worry. He's still alive." Rebecca assured. "I'm no killer."
"Good on you, Rebecca." Karai complimented. "I'm sorry this happened to you."
"We thought we still had time before your 'appointment.'" Kagome added. "We never thought you'd come in early."
"You did everything you could." Rebecca looked at her insectoid hands, sighing. "It's my own fault. I knew something was fishy and I still went through with it. I wanted to be a star so bad… and now I'm a freak."
"Hey, being a mutant isn't all bad." Mikey assured. "I mean, look at us."
Hisako stepped forward at that, taking Rebecca's hands.
"Life rarely if ever goes the way we plan." she said. "But it won't do anyone any good to dwell on the past. All we can do is look towards the future, and do our best with the hand we've been dealt. And who knows? You may come to enjoy your new form."
Rebecca looked at her new body in thought, an idea forming.
"Y'know... bug movies and whatnot are all the rage right now." she mused. "Maybe I can do something with this."
The next day found the Hamato family and Lee women watching a preview for a new upcoming TV show.
"The Sensational Nightbug." Mikey remarked. "Well, 'Amazing' and 'Spectacular' were already taken by Spider-Man."
"I think Rebecca will do well." Karai agreed.
Leo pulled out the map the mayor gave him, crossing off Los Angeles.
"One down." he declared.
"A shit-ton more to go." Raph added.
Leo looked over the plans, nodding. "Our next stop is London."
"Oh, boy." Kagome sighed. "Back there again. Hopefully this time, I don't end up in jail."
"Not if your mother and I can help it." Splinter assured.
Later, they were back at the airport, their luggage being loaded on. Before they could board, they heard the found of wings flapping, and turned to see Rebecca flying in.
"Good thing I caught you." she said as she landed.
"Hey Rebecca." Hisako greeted. "Saw the commercial. Looks like you got your wish."
"Not quite how I envisioned it." Rebecca confessed. "But when life gives you lemons, make lemonade."
"That's the spirit." Hisako agreed.
"So what'd you need?" Karai asked.
"You guys inspired me." Rebecca explained. "I've dreamed of being an actress all my life, and I'm happy to have a show. But there's a lot more I can do with my mutation."
"Oh?" Hisako asked.
"So what?" Mikey questioned. "You're gonna be some kinda celebrity superhero?"
"That's the plan." Rebecca confirmed.
"Well, good luck to you." Kagome replied.
"You helped me see the bright side of being a mutant." Rebecca added. "And I just wanted to say thanks. If you're ever back in L.A., give me a call."
"We will." Leo assured. "I promise."
With that, Rebecca took her leave, and they piled onto the plane. As they began takeoff, Raph looked to Mikey.
"Just a heads-up, Mikey." he said, holding up a fork menacingly. "I meant what I said when we landed."
Mikey gulped before nodding. Vee leaned over to Raph.
"You know his brain wouldn't be much of a snack for Midnight." she whispered.
"Yeah, but don't tell him that." Raph replied.
They both shared a laugh as he boarded the plane.
Author's Note:
And there we have it. We even had the Ninja Rap thrown into the mix.
Nightbug is from the IDW story Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything!; of course, there she was an alternate timeline version of April. As for Clancy Quaife, his name is taken from Clancy from Ben 10 and Veronica Quaife from The Fly. For his appearance, think like a younger Tom Savini.
Please R&R. Until next time!