Chapter 172: Werewolves in London
The entire Hamato family was gathered around a table in the plane. All of them had serious expressions as they exchanged looks with one another. Even Mikey looked serious.
"Sensei…" he began with a deadly serious tone.
Splinter glanced over at him, his expression never changing.
"Do you have any threes?" Mikey questioned.
Splinter looked over his cards. "Go fish."
Mikey took a card, then sighed.
"Hand over that five, Mikey," Hisako ordered, holding out her hand.
Mikey did so in resignation.
"Why do we still let Hisako play these games with us?" he questioned. "Telepathy is cheating, man!"
"I'm not cheating," Hisako replied. "You flashed me the card when you drew it."
Everyone laughed at that.
"...Oh." Mikey let out.
"Now Leo…" Hisako began, "you have any fours?"
The plane soon docked at London International Airport. Kagome looked around, her expression souring.
"Here we are," she remarked. "The airport where I got pinched for stealing my own identity."
Kasumi took her daughter's hand. "That will not be happening again."
"Crazy story, though," Kagome went on. "One of the Scotland Yard cops on that case claimed to be the great-great-grandson of Sherlock Holmes. With how smart he was, I'm inclined to believe it."
"Perhaps we can meet them," Kasumi mused. "I do wish to have a word with your arresting officer."
"Plus, Scotland Yard would be a good place to start looking for clues on HAVOC," Leo suggested.
"Excellent idea, Leonardo," Splinter agreed.
-X-
It didn't take long for them to find the Scotland Yard building.
"Why's it called Scotland Yard?" Mikey pondered. "I mean, we're in England. I'm no expert on geography, but aren't England and Scotland two separate places?"
"The name derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard," Donnie explained. "Hence, the name Scotland Yard. Kinda like Wall Street and the New York Financial Center."
"Ah, that makes sense," Mikey consented.
They entered the building at that, seeing an older man at the desk. The man was a bit heavier set and possessed a permanently creased brow.
"That's the guy who took me in," Kagome informed them. "Inspector Arthur Lestrade."
"Sergeant, actually," Hisako reported. "He got demoted."
She pointed at the desk, the name plate reading "Sergeant Lestrade."
"Guess that's what happens when you arrest an innocent girl for something she didn't do," Karai mused.
Kasumi's expression darkened at the sight of him, and she was about to go over when Splinter grabbed her arm.
"Keep it civil, Kasumi." he warned. "We do not need any more enemies than we have already."
By now, most of the Yard was looking at them, the sight of all the mutants making them all go quiet. Lestrade was scanning them with annoyed expressions, until he saw Kasumi.
"Sergeant Lestrade," Kasumi said, cracking a small, dangerous smile. "I'm Kasumi Lee.
My daughter told me all about you."
"Miss Lee…" Lestrade managed, going pale. "Listen... about what happened... with your daughter… I acknowledge it was stupid of me, but you must understand that it was rather suspicious. She was in this country with no passport, after all."
"Simply running fact checking or doing your job as an inspector would have proved she was telling the truth, no?" Kasumi questioned.
"I-... I thought it-" Lestrade stammered.
"You thought it was an open-shut case, yet you didn't bother with the details." a new voice cut in. "And that is why you lost your inspector's badge."
They turned to see a new man enter, more and more eyes on the Hamato family from the Yard. Raph soon lost his patience from everyone eyeballing his family like farm animals.
"What the HELL are you looking at?!" he roared at them.
That snapped them out of it, all the onlookers in the Yard getting back to work.
"Do forgive them,." the man said. "They're a curious and overly nosy lot. That, and mutants aren't as abundant here as they are in America."
He approached them, shaking their hands. "Stephen Holmes. Pleased to meet you."
They took in his appearance and name before Vee broke the silence.
"Can I just say I am a huge fan of your ancestor?" she began. "I have all his books."
"Ah yes, my infamous ancestor," Stephen sighed. "Truth be told, I am from Mycroft's line. The frivolities of Sherlock always embarrassed me, though I will admit he had his moments."
"...Who's Mycroft?" Mikey asked.
"Sherlock Holmes' brother," Vee explained. "According to the books, he was even better at analysis and deduction than Sherlock himself. Though he was too lazy to actually apply it as anything more than a hobby."
"So all of Arthur Conan Doyle's books were real?" Donnie asked. "They actually happened?"
"Barring some creative license here and there," Stephen confirmed.
"Oh yeah?" a female voice cut in. "Which part?"
A blond woman in a suit came over, papers in hand and an empty holster on her shoulder.
"Ah, my apologies," Stephen said. "This is my partner, Joan."
"Joan Watson," Joan offered them a hand. "And please, keep the jokes to a minimum."
"So, we have the descendants of Inspector Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes, and Dr. Watson all in one place," Karai mused. "A couple of years ago, this would've really surprised me."
"I'm not his descendant," Joan insisted.
"Actually, the odds are-" Stephen began before a glare from Joan cut him off.
"I take it you don't care too much for your lineage?" Kagome asked.
"It's not that," Joan clarified. "It's just that I'd rather be recognized by my own accomplishments rather than my family line."
"I know the feeling," Stephen agreed. "But anyway, enough about our problems. I'm sure the famed Ninja Turtles didn't come all the way to London on a pleasure cruise."
"That's why we came here first, actually," Leo confirmed. "We're working on a case of our own."
"Is that so?" Stephen asked.
"Have there been any reports of bizarre creatures?" Leo asked. "Anything inhuman, or in the mutant category?"
Stephen thought it over before shaking his head.
"No, I can't say there have been," he informed them. "As I said, mutantkind is not as abundant here."
"Stephen, maybe we should take this to the office," Joan suggested.
"Yes, quite right."
They broke off and ducked into an office. As a joke, someone had put up. a door plaque that read 221B. Stephen rolled his eyes.
"Everyone thinks it's so clever when they pull japes like this," he muttered. "But it's really not that funny."
Nevertheless, they closed the door and shut the blinds.
"Alright, start from the beginning," Joan instructed.
"Long story short, we've been tracking a group called HAVOC," Leo began. "Mutant supremacists who have menaced our hometown more than once. They've recently gone global. We stopped two separate factions of them in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and our intel says they have another outpost somewhere in London."
"Hmmm…" Stephen stroked his chin in thought. "Joan, would you-?"
"Going through Special Cases now," Joan assured, departing.
As he paced in thought, Stephen pulled out a nicotine patch, placing it on the back of his neck. At their looks, he shrugged.
"I used to smoke a pack a day," he explained. "Joan convinced me to quit a few months ago."
"Couldn't stand the smell," Joan added as she entered. "Okay, the closest I got is reports of wolves. An entire pack of massive wolves that was spotted in the east end."
"Wolves in the middle of the city?" Leo asked. "Might be worth checking into."
"Excellent," said Stephen. "We'll accompany you."
He grabbed his coat as Joan slid her service pistol into her holster.
"You sure?" Vee asked. "HAVOC isn't like anything you've faced before. It could get pretty rough."
"Hey, it'll be one hell of a story," Joan pointed out.
"A notch in my belt that old Sherlock can't claim," Stephen added. "We'll take my car."
"No need," Donnie assured. "We brought ours."
Splinter, Kasumi, and Karai looked at him in confusion.
-X-
Outside, everyone stood patiently as the Shellraiser rolled up to them.
"How'd you get the Shellraiser shipped here from New York?" Karai questioned.
Kagome rubbed the back of her neck. "We, uh... hid it in Mom's shuriken budget."
Karai raised an eyebrow. "Her shuriken budget?"
"You'd be surprised how much she spends on them alone." said Hisako.
Kasumi looked down at them, a stern expression on her face. "And when were you going to tell us you wasted my company's money just to bring your van overseas?"
"Kasumi, that's crazy," Mikey insisted. "We were never gonna tell you."
"Actually, you approved it," Hisako cut in. "Donnie slipped the authorization paperwork in with your morning workload."
Kasumi took that information in before sighing in resignation.
"Your intelligence never ceases to amaze me, Donatello," she conceded as they got on.
"Remember Leo, left side of the road," Kagome told him.
Leo nodded as he got behind the wheel and they drove toward the East End, Stephen and Joan following in their own patrol car. As they drove along, Leo took note of the rising moon.
"A full moon, on top of wolf sightings," he mused. "Think it's just a coincidence?"
"Werewolves do exist," Vee confirmed.
"Dude…" Mikey let out. "Werewolves of London!"
"Hope no little old ladies get mutilated," Raph muttered.
"Think we can rule out the possibility of them just being mutants?" Karai asked.
"Not necessarily," said Donnie. "They could just be shifters."
Eventually, the two cars pulled over.
"This is the last sighting, according to the report," Stephen informed them.
Everyone got out, seeing themselves in a neighborhood of tenant housing. There were several children playing roughly in a front yard, several adults watching them. Midnight was instantly growling at the group, hackles raised. The sound seemed to draw the attention of the adults, who all looked like they're ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
"Anyone else getting a bit creeped out?" Mikey asked nervously. "If I had hair, it'd be standing on end."
"Have it," Vee replied. "And it's standing up."
One of the men carefully approached the group. He was built like a runner and had piercing green eyes.
"Morning," he greeted in an American accent. "The name's Terrence Walker. Can I help you?"
"Maybe you can," Leo suggested. "We're investigating wolf sightings around here. We think it may be connected to a group called HAVOC."
"Sorry, but I've never heard of this HAVOC," Terrence replied.
Midnight was still growling at them, moving between Terrence and the group.
"Miss Hamato, please control your dog," Stephen requested.
"She's defensive," Hisako explained. "She won't attack unless provoked."
"What's there to be defensive about?" Raph questioned. "They're just regular people on the street."
"Dogs have very keen senses," Terrence remarked.
He squatted down to Midnight's level, carefully holding out a hand. "Luckily, once they recognize an adversary as friendly…"
Midnight sniffed, then her hackles lowered and her tail started wagging.
"They become endearing and friendly themselves." Terrence concluded.
"Are you a dog person yourself?" Splinter asked.
"You could say that." Terrence replied cryptically.
"Sorry to interrupt, but you did answer our question about the wolf sightings." Stephen cut in.
Terrence turned to him. "What business is it of yours, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Police business, sir." Stephen replied, showing his badge.
"And this HAVOC group we mentioned is in this city," Leo added. "They want to turn the world into mutants like us. That's why we're here."
Terrence's face became unreadable.
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you," he insisted. "I know nothing about any of these wolf sightings."
"I see," Joan replied. "Well, thank you for your time. Feel free to call us if you find anything."
She handed him her card.
"I will." Terrence assured, taking the card.
However, as they turned away, he tossed the card into a waste bin.
Unaware of Terrence's actions, the group returned to their cars.
"Anyone else see something... off about him?" Karai asked.
"Oh yeah, definitely," Vee agreed.
"Yep." said Raph.
"No doubt." Donnie nodded.
"He's scared," Hisako concluded. "That's all I got from him the entire time we talked: fear."
Kagome perked up. "You think he has something to do with this case?"
"He wasn't lying about HAVOC," Hisako assured. "He's really never heard of them. But he was just scared for everyone in that neighborhood."
"Curious," Stephen mused.
"He's the Alpha," Vee realized. "The pack leader."
"So we're going with the werewolf angle?" Kagome questioned.
"You saw the way Midnight reacted," Vee pointed out. "And Terrence's knowledge of dogs was incredible."
"Maybe he's just a vet?" Donnie offered. "It could just be a coincidence."
"I'm with Vee on this once," Leo announced. "I believe in coincidences, but I don't trust them."
"So what's the plan?" Karai asked.
"Can I go back with Midnight?" Hisako questioned. "I might be able to get them to talk to me."
Leo crossed his arms in thought, weighing their options.
"Leo, out of all of us, I'll be the safest," Hisako insisted. "Trust me."
Leo sighed. "Alright. But be careful."
"Always am," Hisako replied.
-X-
The sun began to set as the children were taken back to their homes. Terrence was picking up his own child, an eight year old girl. She hugged her dad, smiling.
"Daddy, who were those creatures earlier?" she asked. "Are they monsters?"
Terrence frowned. "Nina, you know how we feel about that word."
"Sorry, Dad," Nina apologized. "But are they? They weren't human."
"They're just like us, sweetheart," Terrence assured. "People who happen to look different."
"Oh." Nina perked up, sniffing the air. "I smell reptile."
Terrence sniffed the air as well.
"Me too," he realized. "Go on inside."
Nina nodded before heading off. About that time, Hisako came walking down the sidewalk with Midnight on her leash. Terrence looked, seeing her approach.
"You're that girl who was with the Turtles earlier."
"That's me," Hisako confirmed. "My name's Hisako. I was hoping we could talk privately."
"Now's not a good time. This neighborhood gets dangerous at night."
"Because you're werewolves?"
Terrence instantly froze at that. "How did you-?"
"My sister is an expert in the supernatural," Hisako explained. "That, and I'm not without gifts of my own."
She used her telekinesis to pull a frisbee off a nearby roof in demonstration, offering it to Terrence. He slowly took it.
"Yes, it's true. I admit it. Secrecy has been my pack's saving grace all these years."
"I understand, believe me." Hisako cocked her head towards the tenant housing. "Shall we talk more inside? Nina can play with Midnight."
Midnight barked at that, and Terrence nodded before leading her inside. Hisako sat in the foyer while Nina tussled with Midnight. Terrence brought out some tea, which they both enjoyed.
"You don't have to be afraid of the world, Terrence," she assured. "It's a lot different now."
"I'm not afraid of the world. It's the world that's afraid of us. Yes, things are better, but centuries of prejudice don't go away just like that."
Hisako sighed.
"I suppose not. Still, there are mutants who appear human. Karai, the girl with the short hair, can turn into a snake, and we have a friend who can become a spider. We call them shifters. They're accepted, and you could be too."
"Perhaps," Terrence allowed.
"But prejudice isn't the only thing you're afraid of, is it? Someone's been snooping around. Someone you instantly didn't like."
"Yes… A man calling himself Tim Tucker. One of those scientist types... and from what little I could gather of him, completely off his rocker."
"We've had our fair share of insane scientists, and I'm afraid this 'Tim Tucker' is working for the HAVOC we mentioned."
Hisako grabbed a pen and paper, scribbling something on it.
"If you see him again, please call," she told him. "All we want is to keep you and your pack safe."
"Alright, I will," Terrence assured. "I guess if there's anyone I can trust, it's you and your Turtle family."
Hisako smiled at that. "C'mon Midnight, let's go."
The dog barked before trotting over to her. With that, Hisako took her leave.
Later, Hisako reconvened with her family, updating them on the situation. Mikey snorted at the identity of the HAVOC member.
"Out of all the cool villain names out there, one of them drew the short straw and got Tim?" he asked.
"I'm pretty sure that's just the guy's name," Raph pointed out.
"I know," Mikey replied. "I'm just saying, I expected something... cooler."
"Whatever," Leo cut in. "Don, tell me you got something on this guy."
Donnie was already on his laptop, typing away.
"Got something," he reported at last. "Dr. Timothy Tucker. His obsession with pseudoscience and the supernatural led to him being discredited as a lunatic. Not that he needed much help to that end."
"Sounds like the kind of nut HAVOC would like," Raph mused.
"This is true," Vee agreed. "Especially since werewolves are a breed of mutants. In a way at least."
"You guys are made by science, though," Kagome pointed out. "Werewolves are magic made by a curse, right?"
"To quote Clarke's third law, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Donnie recited.
"Actually, there are several different types of werewolves," Vee explained. "The stereotypical werewolf you think of is the Loup-Garou. Those are the cursed ones who transform into mindless beasts every full moon. Then there are Berserkers. Think the Vikings, wild and savage, and basically humans to the barest extent. And finally, there are the Lycanthropes. Those are people who can become werewolves. Think - ugh, I can't believe I'm about to say this… Twilight werewolves."
"In other words, they can shift into wolf form at any time, and don't need a full moon," Karai offered.
Vee nodded. "Exactly."
"Terrence and his pack are the latter," Hisako replied.
"That must be Tim's plan," Splinter pondered. "Acquire werewolf cells to create an army of wolf mutants."
Mikey gasped. "An army of Rahzars?!"
"Even worse," Leo realized. "With DNA from Terrence's pack, they'd be shifters. No one would see them coming until it was too late."
"I gave Terrence my number," Hisako informed them. "He promised to call if he saw Tim again."
She sighed. "I just hope he doesn't have to call."
"And when have we ever been that lucky?" Raph said flatly.
Everyone just exchanged nervous glances, and right on cue, Hisako's T-Phone went off.
"Sooner than I expected," said Raph.
Hisako immediately put the phone on speaker.
"Terrence, we're here," she informed him.
"That bastard Tucker came with a group of thugs," Terrence told her. "Hit us with knockout gas grenades."
"Did you do a headcount?" Hisako asked. "Anyone missing?"
"Nina…" Terrence revealed, letting out a low growl. "That crackpot took my pup."
Hisako nearly crushed her phone in anger. Leo quickly took it.
"We're coming," he assured. "Don't do anything crazy."
With that, he hung up. Hisako stood up, pissed.
"We need to go before I end up breaking our hotel room," she growled.
Terrence lowered the phone. He was trembling in barely restrained anger, his claws popping out. Other members of the neighborhood are there with him, trying to calm him down or clean up the mess.
"Terrence, we'll find Nina," one of his packmates assured. "Our best trackers are already working on finding the scent."
The Shellraiser rumbled up at that minute, the Hamato family piling out.
"We came as fast as we could," Leo said, taking note of Terrence's agitated state. "I know you're angry and worried, but you need to stay calm and keep a clear head."
"It's not easy…" Terrence confessed. "The wolf in me wants nothing more than to rip this monster to shreds…" He took a deep breath. "But the father in me knows that will only put my daughter at risk."
"We'll get Nina back," Vee promised. "And make sure Tucker doesn't see the outside of a padded cell again."
"We need to call the Yard-" Leo began.
"No!" Terrence's shout was almost like a bark. "No human! No Yard!"
"Terrence, your daughter's in danger!" Kagome reminded him. "Now's not the time to keep up a masquerade!"
"I can't put my trust in humans," Terrence insisted.
"Why not?" Kagome asked.
"Because the last time I did, I lost Nina's mother!" Terrence roared.
A dead silence followed at that, before he sighed.
"It all started about ten years ago," he began. "I came here from New Jersey on holiday when I was turned. I kept blacking out, finding myself in weird places like the wolf enclosure at the zoo in the morning. I thought I was losing my mind... until Alex came along. Eventually, we fell in love, started our own pack, and had Nina. We were happy… but it didn't last."
He sniffed back a tear. "I told a friend of mine what happened. I even showed him my wolf. He called us monsters… then called the Yard. Soon, the army was after us. We ran and managed to escape… But Alex…"
He looked away in sorrow, clenching his fist before turning back to them.
"Now do you see why I don't want to get the Yard involved?" he asked. "To reveal my pack's true nature? Because I trusted a human... and it cost me my mate."
Kagome crouched down by Terrence.
"Me and my mom are human," she informed him. "When the Turtles and Splinter were first mutated, Mom wasn't scared of them. She helped them find a home, helped Splinter raise them."
"I couldn't trust anyone when I met them, but now they're my family," Hisako added. "Not all humans are bad. Don't let pain and fear keep you from finding the good among the bad."
Terrence was silent for several minutes, considering their words.
"Please Terrence, trust us," Leo requested. "If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for your kid."
Terrence took a deep breath. "For Nina…
He looked up at them.
"Alright," he decided. "We'll do it your way. Anything for my pup."
-X-
Not long after that, Stephen and Joan showed up.
"Glad you two could make it," Leo greeted.
"You made it sound rather urgent," Stephen replied.
"It is," Leo turned to Terrence. "Show them."
"No need, sir," Stephen cut in. "I'm well aware of your condition."
Terrence blinked in surprise before just nodding.
"You are definitely Sherlock and Mycroft's descendant," Vee remarked.
Terrence gave an impressed smile. "What gave me away?"
"Many things," Stephen replied. "First off, your mannerisms. You have spoken for your neighborhood at every instance where the yard has been involved. While you hold no power officially, you are clearly respected and everyone trusts your judgement, like the Alpha of a pack. Secondly, all reports of oversized wolves have been confined to this area, meaning that the pack had to be localized. Despite sightings, no attacks were ever reported, meaning these wolves were tamed, but then there's the size. Far too big to be normal wolves, so that initially led me to genetically enhanced. However, that brings me back to the tamed nature: their almost human nature. Considering the rise of mutantkind, I had initially assumed the same, but the shifting nature was simply too much to ignore. Thus, the only logical conclusion, werewolves. I'm guessing... Lycanthropes?"
Terrence nodded. "You've certainly done your homework."
"Indeed," said Joan. "Considering you hadn't done anything wrong, we never felt the need to bring it up. After all, everyone deserves to live in peace."
"Thanks for that," Terrence said gratefully.
"Now for why we called you here," Kagome cut in. "That HAVOC group we mentioned attacked Terrence's pack and kidnapped his daughter."
"Oh dear," Stephen gasped. "My sympathies."
"How can we help?" Joan asked.
"Mostly?" Leo asked. "Make sure this guy goes to jail, and that some of us don't kill him."
"We're gonna go after him, and we've learned it's easier to have the cops backing us," Raph added.
The two cops nodded at that.
"The guy's name is Tim Tucker, according to Terrence," Karai informed them. "And from everything we've heard, he's not exactly playing with a full deck, if you know what I mean."
"Guy has no deck," Donnie cut in. "He has a 3."
"If he hurts Nina…" Hisako growled, a lightbulb shattering at that.
"Good Lord!" Stephen exclaimed.
Mikey put a hand on her shoulder.
"I know you're worried and pissed off, but try to keep the property damage to a minimum until we track this creep down, okay?" he suggested.
Hisako took a breath, composing herself. "Sorry."
"We should get moving," Joan cut in.
"Quite right," said Stephen. "Lead the way, Turtles."
As if on cue, one of Terrence's pack came in, twitching.
"We've got the scent!" he shouted.
"Then let's move out!" Terrence ordered.
There was a sudden chorus of howls as each and every person in the neighborhood transformed into a massive wolf. These wolves were easily the size of a small car, ranging from brown to grey to black. Mikey gulped nervously.
"Glad they're on our side," he said nervously.
At that, the werewolves scooped the Turtles up onto their backs. Midnight elected to remain on the ground, staying by the wolf holding Hisako.
"Terrence says, 'Hold on tight,'" Hisako informed them. "And try to keep your mouths closed."
The wolves all took off at breakneck speed, their passengers holding on for dear life.
The trail eventually led them to Big Ben. As they got closer, rain began to fall and thunder crashed.
"Huh," Mikey noted. "Wasn't a cloud in the sky a minute ago."
Luckily for the pack, Stephen had called for the area to be closed off upon realizing where they were going. It was also late, so there weren't too many people on the streets. As they approached Big Ben, they stopped short, seeing a man in his late forties in a suit and lab coat before the area, doing stretches. Terrence growled, and Hisako perked.
"That's him?" she asked, getting a nod from Terrence. "Guys, that's Tim."
"What the hell is he doing?" Raph asked.
"From the looks of it, stretches," Kagome said matter-of-factly.
"I know what he's doing," Raph deadpanned. "I mean why is he doing it?"
"Warming up for an evil plan?" Mikey suggested.
Terrence snorted at that.
"No, he's just crazy," Hisako translated.
Leo slid off his wolf mount.
"Terrence, you and your pack hang back for now," he insisted. "We'll scope things out."
Terrence gave a nod, pawing the ground and snorting again. With that, the Hamato family approached Big Ben.
"Tim Tucker, I presume?" Leo asked.
Upon hearing his name, Tim surprised them by striking a dramatic pose.
"YES!" he exclaimed. "IT IS I! AND- Hm?"
He looked in the direction of the Hamato Clan.
"Oh wait, sorry," he said calmly. "You'll have to move along, hideous goblins. I'm posing dramatically for when the Turtles show up."
They exchanged glances at that.
"Dude, are you blind?" Mikey asked. "We are the Turtles."
"Yeah, can't you see the shells?" Karai asked. "Damn… you really are insane."
Tim looked closely at them, realization dawning.
"Oh, sorry. I thought you'd be taller. Gimme a sec here." He cleared his throat before pointing at them dramatically. "IIIIII'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU, TUUUURTLES!"
Raph looked around. "Yeah… we can tell."
Sure enough, Tim had set up special effects like a sprinkler, a strobe light, and a sound effect machine playing thunder to make everything all the more dramatic. After a moment of awkward silence, Tim hurriedly kicked away the sound effect machine, detached the sprinkler, and smashed the strobe light.
"YOU CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING!" he shouted.
Hisako struggled to think of what to say.
"I…" she sighed. "There are no words."
Vee rolled her eyes. "To call this guy insane would be putting it mildly."
That struck a nerve with Tim. He scowled.
"Don't call me crazy!" he ranted. "That's all I ever heard from my colleagues! They called me crazy! They called me insane! They called me looney! All because of my so-called 'crackpot theories' on the paranormal!"
"Buddy, that ain't why they're calling you crazy," Raph said flatly.
Tim sputtered for several seconds before glaring at him.
"Well, we'll see who's crazy when I help Dr. Falco take over the world with an army of super-mutant werewolves!"
"Oh yeah, that'll clear things right up," Kagome deadpanned.
Terrence let out a loud bark, one that shook everyone.
"Where is Nina?" Hisako translated before speaking for herself. "If you've hurt her…"
Terrence just growled at that, an action that did not require translating..
"It's bad enough that you're helping Falco with his plan, but involving an innocent little kid?!" Donnie spat.
"You're a scientist yourself, Donatello," Tim replied flippantly. "You should know better than anyone. What I do, I do to see what I'm capable of. To put the world under my fingers. The opportunity was right in front of me and I took it. When you have the power to do something, it's hard not to try. I know you understand, my boy! Science is justice! Science is truth!"
By now, the wolves were foaming at the mouths, looking ready to kill. Hisako was shaking, green mist gathering around her hands.
"Leo, it's getting really hard to hold us back," she informed her brother.
"Look, Tim, I'm giving you just one chance to surrender peacefully," Leo warned. "Let Nina go, and this doesn't have to get messy."
Terrence growled and snorted.
"I'd listen to Leo if I were you," Hisako translated. "'Cause right now I'm doing all I can to keep myself from coming over there and ripping your throat out. With my teeth."
After a few minutes, Terrence chuckled before descending into maniacal laughter.
"I hold the cards here, Turtles!" he gloated. "You have nothing! Nothing to threaten me with! Nothing to do with all of your strength!"
"Dude…" Mikey began, "we have an entire pack of nearly feral werewolves, a psychic with a history of blowing up buildings, two cops, two ninja masters, a girl who can turn into a snake, and six kick butt ninjas. And you, good sir, have managed to piss them all off."
"If you really think we have nothing to threaten you with, you really are crazy," Kagome concluded.
Tim grinned psychotically. "Well, then I guess it's time to show you my teeth."
He pressed a button in his hand, and a hidden panel opened up next to his feet, from which feral growls sounded. The wolves and Midnight were instantly on the defensive, hackles raised, as Hisako shuddered.
"Uh-oh…" she let out.
Several wolf-like beasts stalked out of the opening, looking like less skeletal versions of Rahzar.
"What you see before you are my early werewolf prototypes," Tim explained. "Not the result I wanted, but they make good guard dogs."
"Guys, these things are mindless, feral beasts," Hisako reported. "They will not hesitate to tear us apart."
Terrence's pack stiffened, all growling.
"Now do you see why I needed little Nina?" Tim went on. "I needed a pure werewolf strain, taken from the blood of a Lycanthrope born that way rather than turned. You should be honored, Mr. Walker. Your daughter will be the mother of the New World."
"Honored?!" Kasumi shouted. "You're nothing but an inhuman monster!"
The wolves all howled, and it was clear they were beyond reason. They launched themselves at Tim and his feral wolves. Hisako sprung off Terrence's back, launching herself at Tim and tackling him to the ground.
"Where's Nina?!" she demanded.
"Safe," Tim said casually. "For the moment."
Hisako lifted him up, slamming him into the wall as light began pouring from her hands.
"Tell me now, or I will rip the information from your skull!"
Tim just chortled.
"Do you really wanna know what's going on in my head? You may not like what you see."
"I stared into the mind of the devil herself. I can handle you."
"If I was wearing boots, I'd be shaking in them."
At that, Hisako lost her patience, sinking her fingers into his skull. She rooted for the information while Tim just kept laughing maniacally. Meanwhile, the wolves were tearing the feral ones apart. Stephen and Joan were back to back, emptying their guns into the monsters.
"Now this is one for the history books!" Joan exclaimed.
"Most definitely!" Stephen agreed.
It took a significant effort on her end, but Hisako managed to find the information. She stepped back, panting slightly while Tim was still conscious and grinning.
"I warned you my brain isn't a nice place to be."
"I've seen worse." Hisako turned to the others. "Guys! I'm going after Nina!"
"Get moving!" Leo shouted. "We got this!"
"Big deal if you save the girl and stop my guard dogs!" Tim shouted. "HAVOC is all over the world, and Dr. Falco will reign supreme in the end! Victory! VICTORY FOR TIM!"
He laughed maniacally some more, only stopping when Hisako chopped a pressure point in his neck and knocked him out in annoyance.
"God, he's annoying," she muttered before hurrying off.
-X-
Hisako jumped into the still-open hatch where the wolves came out, ascending several stairs until she found herself inside the clock tower itself.
"Nina?" she called. "Nina, it's Hisako! I'm with your dad!"
She soon heard yipping and growling. Following the sound, she ran into a room to see a large cage set up. Inside was a little wolf pup with tan fur and Nina's green eyes, repeatedly lunging against the bars in an attempt to break them down.
"Nina!" Hisako rushed over to the cage. "Nina, are you okay?"
Nina's demeanor immediately brightened at the sight of Hisako. She let out a happy bark, wagging her tail as Hisako looked around for a key. Seeing none, she decided to go for the brute force approach, focusing her power and tearing the door off its hinges.
"C'mon, Nina," Hisako said, holding out her arms. "Let's get you out of here."
The werewolf pup leapt into her arms and Hisako let out a grunt at the unexpected weight.
"You're one big pup." she remarked.
-X-
By the time Hisako made it out, the feral wolves had all been taken down. Terrence was growling, but brightened as he saw Hisako exit with Nina in her arms. Hisako immediately put the pup down, and she bounded over to her father, the two nuzzling happily.
"That is so freakin' adorable." Mikey let out, smiling.
With that concluded, Terrence looked to the still unconscious Tim. His expression darkening, he began to saunter over to him, but Leo stepped between them, holding out a hand.
"Terrence, wait," he insisted. "I know you're pissed over what happened to Nina, but let the police handle him."
"Listen to him, Terrence," Stephen added. "You've done nothing wrong yet."
"And we'd rather not have to bring you in when you just got your kid back," Joan included. "Don't be the monster everyone thinks you are."
Terrence looked at them for a moment before stepping away. He picked up Nina by the scruff of her neck, then he and the rest of his pack began to walk away. After a moment, he stopped, looking back at them and giving a grateful nod.
"I take it you don't need to translate?" Hisako asked.
Leo shook his head, looking Terrence in the eyes. "You're welcome."
At Scotland Yard, a handcuffed Tim was locked in a cell.
"Hope you're looking forward to Bedlam House, Dr. Tucker." Joan remarked.
"Alright, so I'm a little nutso," Tim admitted. "But so what? Madness and genius are too sides of the same coin, after all."
"Seriously, how did this guy get a doctorate?" Raph pondered.
"Doesn't really matter," Leo said, holding out a hand to Stephen. "Thanks for your help."
"Anytime," Stephen shook his hand. "And don't worry about Terrence and his people. We will make sure they're safe."
"Sounds good to me," said Leo.
"So where will you go now?" Stephen asked.
"We'll be staying in London for the next week," Leo replied. "Now that we've taken out the local HAVOC faction, it's time to take in the sights."
"What happened to 'not a vacation'?" Mikey asked.
"Hey, we're here. We might as well," Leo insisted. "Besides, we can afford to take a break here and there."
Author's Note:
There you have it. And we have Sherlock Holmes stuff thrown into the mix; Holmes himself appeared in the Vacation in Europe sub-season of 1987, which inspired Stephen Holmes.
And just to make it clear, yes, Tim Tucker is based on Invader Zim, right down to his voice and mannerisms.
What awaits the Turtles next? Tune in next time and find out.
Please R&R.