Chapter 24: The Savage Land

The turtles and company had been holed up in the Sanctum Sanctorum for almost a week now. They'd spent much of their time training and getting into magical trouble. Under the tutelage of Doctor Strange, April's psychic and magical abilities had increased dramatically. Wong and Splinter had been training the turtles, but they were all itching to get out and breathe some fresh air once again.

Doctor Strange had strictly forbidden any access to the outside world at first. The Sanctum Sanctorum was warded by powerful spells which would protect it against any forcible entry, and Loki's forces had already tried once to gain entrance and sustained many casualties. Doctor Strange and Wong had traversed the city by night using astral projection, a form of magic in which the user's consciousness leaves their physical body and travels as a spirit, to observe what had happened to New York. They had found plenty of death and destruction, but no evidence of Loki's troops. Not a single Frost Giant, Dark Elf, or rock troll to be had anywhere. Even the HYDRA forces had withdrawn now. It was all very puzzling. They didn't know where they'd gone or what they were doing. But they didn't want to raise a fuss. It was best for them to be left alone, at least for now.

Kingpin had been hard at work campaigning for mayor. He'd used his vast financial resources to hire construction crews to rebuild New York City, and as a criminal overlord he'd put the squeeze on the insurance companies. His private militia was going around shutting down looters and putting a real squeeze on crime. He'd sponsored soup kitchens, welfare packages, and all kinds of other things to get the people of New York back on their feet. In turn, they'd supported him in droves. Mayor Osborn, the current mayor, had eventually dropped out of his reelection bid. The turtles had been too busy getting back on their feet to pay much attention to Kingpin.

One day, there came a knock at the door. Wong moved cautiously to the door, peering through the peephole. Some kind of robot stood on the steps. The robot looked a lot like one of Tony Starks' Iron Man suits, but its head was different, smaller and flatter, with blue eyes.

"Metalhead!" Mikey cried, having spotted the robot through the window. Turning at the sound of Mikey's voice, Metalhead raised a hand and waved at its old friend.

"You know this creature?" Wong asked.

"Uh, yeah, dude!" Mikey said. "Only the most awesomest kick-buttiest robot in the world! I didn't know he was still alive!"

Wong tapped into the mystical energies and projected his astral form up into the air, through the walls of the Sanctum Sanctorum and above the city of Manhattan, scanning for any of Loki's forces in case this was a trap. Sensing none, he opened the door and let Metalhead inside.

The group came running to the main entrance to see what was going on. "Metalhead?" Casey asked. "Aw, wicked! Donnie gave you one sick upgrade!"

"How did he find us?" April said.

Suddenly Metalhead opened his mouth, revealing his voice box. A shiny piece of Stark tech had been added: a holoprojector. The holoprojector came to life, revealing a recording of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury. The Director was in the middle of battle, crouched behind a car in the street. Alien warriors in the background were firing on their position.

"Turtles," the recording began. "This is Nick Fury. Many good men and women died making sure this message got back in time to you, so you better listen. The world is under attack. Some maniacs are attempting to wipe out all the forces of good on this planet. We tried to stop them, but we got our asses kicked. Now it's up to you. Track down any heroes you can find and come to these coordinates."

The recording switched to a map image showing a blinking red dot off of the Antarctic Peninsula. "If you and the heroes don't succeed, reality is going to come crashing down on your head," said Nick Fury, and the recording switched back to him. "I believe in you. Only you can help win this war." There was a blinding flash of white light, and the transmission ended.

"Well, this isn't good," said Wong.

"Dudes!" Mikey yelled. "This is awful! The world ending is like my second biggest fear of all time!"

"I'm almost afraid to ask, Mikey," Raph groaned. "What's the biggest one?"

"That if I ever, like, woke up as a pizza . . ." All the color went out of Mikey's face as he stared wide-eyed into Raph's eyes. "I would eat myself, bro. I wouldn't even question it."

Raph slapped Mikey in the back of the head. "Can you be serious for like two seconds, Mikey? The world ended!"

"Who is this 'Nick Fury'?" asked Splinter.

"Just some dude with an eyepatch we ran into a while back during an adventure with Tony Stark, Master Splinter," Raph said. "He runs this secret spy network called S.H.I.E.L.D., and I guess we're on his contact list. How did he get this message to Metalhead? And how did Metalhead know to bring it to us?"

"Only one way to find out," Strange said. "We do what the message says and head to the Savage Land."

"How?" asked April. "Raph can barely walk, Doctor. Could you teleport us?"

"No," Doctor Strange said. "Whatever coordinates Fury wants us to travel to, I can't teleport there. The place is psychically guarded against magic users."

"He doesn't have to," said Casey. "If we can get back to the lair, we can take the Turtle Sub. It's still parked there, last I checked."

"If we're going to the Savage Land," a voice from behind them said, "then we need to get our savage on." They turned to see Mikey standing at the top of the stairs. The turtle still wore his orange bandanna, and elbow and knee pads. But he had put on a belt covered in translucent green crystals, and tied pink Kraang tentacles around his arms and his right thigh. He'd also put the hollowed-out skull of a Kraang, the front of it decorated with purple paint. The skull's eye sockets fit over his eyes perfectly, so it was like wearing a mask.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Savage Mikey? I thought you threw that costume away."

"No way, bro!" Mikey said. He pulled a long-tongue worm, a creature native to the Kraang's homeland of Dimension X, off of his belt and squeezed it. The worm shot its long sticky tongue out of its mouth, which stuck to the ceiling. Mikey then swung off the staircase and landed in front of the group. "I've been saving it for a rainy day."

"I will stay here and guard the Sanctuary, Master," said Wong. "In case Loki's forces return."

"Thank you, Wong," Strange said. "Turtles, allies, if you're ready, let's go. The basement of the house has a portal that opens into one of the sewer treatment stations. We can find your lair from there."

As the group dispersed to grab their things, Mikey approached Wong. "Hey, uh, Wong? If for some reason, we don't make it back . . . would you mind taking care of Ice Cream Kitty for me? She can melt like normal ice cream, so keep her in the freezer. She loves pizza."

Wong smiled. Mikey's childish nature was refreshing to have around in these stressful, bleak times. "Of course, Michelangelo," he said. "Your pet is safe with me."

Mikey went into the kitchen and opened the freezer, where he was greeted by a "Mew" from Ice Cream Kitty. "Alright, Ice Cream Kitty, I'm gonna go take a trip but I'll be back soon!" he promised. "And I will bring you back a cheese pop! I know how much you like those."

"Meow," Ice Cream Kitty said, licking Mikey goodbye.

"Aww," Mikey said, licking her back. "I'm gonna miss your cute deliciousness."

Soon they were all ready to go. Led by Doctor Strange, they stepped through a portal in the basement and landed in the tunnels of New York City's sewer systems. It took some time to reach the lair, but when they got there they were dismayed to see the place had been trashed. The TV had been destroyed, the kitchen was in ruins, and the pinball machines had been tipped over.

"Looks like somebody was fighting here," Kirby O'Neil remarked. "There's no sign of Captain Stacy or his men."

"I hope they're okay," April said.

"None of us are ever gonna be okay, April," Raph snapped, hobbling forward on his crutches. "The world is totally screwed, unless we can get to this Savage Land place and figure out what to do next."

Following the moat that surrounded the common area, the team soon reached the location of the Turtle Sub. The Turtle Sub, a submarine that Donatello had built for underwater missions, was parked underwater near the lair. Mikey dove into the water and climbed inside, and the sea turtle-shaped sub surfaced with a splash. The heroes piled in, and with Mikey piloting and April, Casey, and Kirby O'Neil pedaling the exercise bikes that powered the sub, they were off.

Three days later, the Turtle Sub surfaced from the waters just off the coast of the Savage Land, and the heroes got out. As far as their eyes could see, the apocalyptic landscape spread before their astonished eyes. Where there had once been wild and thriving flora and fauna from the prehistoric age, now there were meteor craters and dead, brown vegetation. Mikey gasped as he saw the dinosaurs, stomping across the valley. There were Ankylosaurus with massive club tails, duck-billed Corythosaurs, plated Stegosaurus, and triple-horned Triceratops.

"Whoa, dudes," Mikey said, pointing. "This is so totally awesome. Dinosaurs! Real live dinosaurs! That makes this whole Loki thing worth it!"

"Wow," Raph muttered, on his pair of crutches. "This place is worse than New York."

"Yes," said Strange, hovering over the ground. "This is about what I thought we would find."

Casey spotted the wreck of a S.H.I.E.L.D. plane, which had crash-landed nearby. The cockpit glass had been shattered, and one of the wings had been sheared off. "Woah!" he cried, running over. "Check it out. Sweet ride!"

"There's a Quinjet?" Raph asked.

"An old one," said Kirby, "by the look of it. But who was flying it?"

"April," Splinter said, turning to the teenage girl. "What do you sense?"

April closed her eyes, using her newly-improved telepathic powers. "Nothing on my end," she said. "All this nightmare happened days ago at least."

"I don't like being out in the open like this," Raph said, pounding one of his crutches into the ground. "We gotta move."

"Where do we go, Doctor?" Kirby asked.

"We head inland," Strange said. "To the Citadel."

"Wait!" April called, and all eyes turned to her. She pointed to the top of a ledge, where a lone figure stood. The figure had long blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail. He was incredibly muscular, his chest showing through the open leather vest he wore. Tactical pants and boots covered his lower body, and he carried a drawn knife in his hand.

On the man's right stood a woman, breathtakingly beautiful, with blonde hair as well that whipped about her face. Her curvy yet muscular figure was barely constrained by strips of leopard-print cloth over her chest and private area. On the man's left stood a brown-furred sabertooth tiger, its teeth bared in a snarl.

"It's him," Strange breathed.

"Huh," Splinter murmured softly.

"Who is it?" April asked as they walked up towards the ledge. The man regarded them with a wary look.

Strange bowed his head. "Ka-Zar. Lord of the Savage Land. It is an honor to see you again."

"You as well, Stephen Strange," said Ka-Zar.

Strange turned to the group. "Friends, this is Ka-Zar and his wife Shanna the She-Devil. They rule the Savage Land."

Casey stared blankly at Shanna's voluminous chest, his mouth open and his eyes glassy. April rolled her eyes and sighed.

The sabertooth tiger licked its chops while looking straight at Mikey. "Dudes, does anybody have any catnip?" the orange turtle whispered nervously.

"Zabu, stand down," Shanna ordered. "These are friends." The tiger closed its mouth, but never took its eyes off Mikey.

"Follow me," Ka-Zar said, and he turned and walked off towards the jungle.

Zabu the sabertooth tiger walked over to Raph, sensing the mutant was in pain from his injuries. Since Raph was having trouble walking, the big cat bowed its head and went in between Raph's legs, and the red turtle suddenly found himself on Zabu's back.

The group walked through the jungle after Ka-Zar. Soon they had left the barren wasteland area, and the jungle became vibrant and green again. The procession wound its way slowly into the ever-darkening forest—tiny, somber creatures inching through a giant's maze. The sun had nearly set now, and the long criss-crossing shadows made the cavernous domain even more imposing than before. Yet Ka-Zar, Shanna, and Zabu seemed well at home, turning down each dense corridor of vines with precision.

"You know, I did a few years as an environmental and endangered species specialist for the Central Park Municipal Zoo," Kirby said. "I really appreciate the conservational environment you guys have here. Some of these species are from the Paleolithic Era!"

"Yes," said Ka-Zar. "But your world will never see them. And we want to keep it that way. Shanna and I are dedicated to the protection of this tropical paradise from any outside forces. We've had issues before; a man named Ulysses Klaue is a frequent visitor in these lands. But we manage to drive him away every time."

"Ka-Zar, there's more than just you and Shanna and Zabu, right?" Raph asked. "I mean, we need help big-time."

Ka-Zar chuckled. "Look up, Raphael."

Raph craned his head upwards. Tiny orange sparks of light flickered directly above him, between the trees. Nice stars, he thought, but I don't see any reinforcements. Suddenly he found himself being carried on Zabu's back up intricate stairways and hidden ramps around the immense tree trunks, and the higher they went the bigger and cracklier the lights became. When the group was 150 feet up in the trees, Raph finally realized the lights were bonfires—among the treetops.

"Wow," he breathed.

They were taken out onto a rickety wooden walkway, far too far off the ground to be able to see anything below them but the abysmal drop. The narrow platform ended midway between two trees. Shanna grabbed hold of a long vine and swung across to the far trunk, which had a cavelike opening carved into its surface. Vines were quickly tossed back and forth across the chasm, until soon a kind of lattice was constructed—and the heroes found themselves pulled across it. Mikey looked down once, into nothingness, and swallowed hard. It was an unwelcome sensation.

On the other side they rested on a shaky, narrow platform until everyone was across. Then Ka-Zar dismantled the webbing of vines and proceeded into the tree, followed by the rest of them. It was totally black inside, but Kirby had the impression it was more of a tunnel through the wood than an actual cavern. The impression of dense, solid walls was everywhere, like a burrow in a mountain. When they emerged, fifty feet beyond, they were in the village square.

It was a series of wooden platforms, planks, and walkways connecting an extensive cluster of enormous trees. Supported by this scaffolding was a village of huts, constructed of an odd combination of stiffened leather, daub and wattle, thatched roofs, mud floors. Small campfires burned before many of the huts, and the sparks were caught by an elaborate system of hanging vines, which funneled them to a smothering point.

And everywhere were hundreds of natives. Dark-skinned men and women with long black hair, many of them wearing animal tooth necklaces. Cooks, tanners, guards, grandfathers. Mothers gathered up squealing babies at the sight of the guests and scurried into their huts or pointed or murmured. Dinner smoke filled the air; naked children played games; minstrels played strange, resonant music on hollow logs, windy reeds.

There was vast blackness below, and vast blackness above, but here in this tiny village suspended between the two, Splinter felt warmth and light, and special peace.

The entourage stopped before the largest hut. Dozens of natives gathered around, chattering curiously in animated grunts.

A tall native man emerged from the large structure, silencing everyone with his presence. Shorter than most humans, he was nonetheless clearly the object of general respect. He wore He wore the skin of a wolf over his back, its stuffed head sitting on top of his as a hat. The wolf's pattern of light and dark grey stripes glinted in the fire's flames. Instead of wearing an animal tooth's necklace, a horned animal half-skull adorned with feathers hung from his neck. His face was wise. He carried no weapon, only a pouch at his side and a staff topped by the spine of a once-powerful enemy.

One by one, he carefully appraised the guests, smelling Casey, testing the fabric of April's shirt between his fingers. When he came to Splinter, he became fascinated, and poked at the rat mutant with his staff of bones. Splinter allowed him to do this, and the man took a quick back-step, at the same time reaching into his pouch and sprinkling some herbs in Splinter's direction.

"He must be the head honcho, dudes," Mikey said.

"No," Ka-Zar corrected, "this is Kalani. He is the chief medicine man here in the Village of the United Tribes." He turned to the assembly of natives and made a short speech, pointing from time to time to the heroes. He stood still before them, the small fire dancing in his eye. For a timeless moment, all the world seemed still.

The natives were moved. Without saying another word, they nodded in agreement. All at once drums began to beat throughout the entire village. The natives jumped up and ran across the platform to hug the guests. Kalani approached Shana, pointing at Raph and grunting.

"Kalani is going to try to help heal your wounds," Shana said. "I can help, too. Let's go." Zabu carried Raph into the large hut, growling nervously. The big cat hated heights, especially being so high up in trees.

Raph rolled over onto a soft mat, and was surrounded by native women, scrubbing at his shell with herbal water and holding up a cup made from a hollow coconut. It contained a thick, greenish-brown liquid that smelled like a mixture of sewer sludge and rotting pizza. Raph turned his head. "What is this stuff?" he choked.

"Medicine," Shanna said. "It will help you heal faster. Drink it."

Raph took the cup in one hand, held his nose with the other, shut his eyes, and choked down the malodorous brew in two hasty gulps. "It's foul," he groaned as he rolled sideways on the mat."

"You all right, bro?" Mikey asked.

"No, I'm not all right," snapped Raph. "I think this medicine is gonna do more harm than good." He resumed gagging.

The rest of the travelers were fed hot food and treated excellently. April took a liking to the native children, who had never seen a girl with red hair before. Weary, the group retired early from the festivities and were shown to their huts, well-furnished for guests. Laying down on the soft mats felt amazing as one by one they drifted off to sleep.

Around midnight Mikey woke up and snuck out of his hut, being careful not to wake up anybody else. He slipped inside the medical hut, where Raph lay snoring silently, his leg bound in a makeshift splint. Mikey smiled sadly looking at his brother.

Suddenly a soft noise startled him. Turning, he saw Splinter standing in the doorway of the hut. "Oh, hey, sensei," he said. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"No, Michelangelo," Splinter said, smiling fondly at his youngest son. "My body may be tired, but my mind is active with worry. And even worse, I am experiencing midnight cravings for a cheesesicle." Splinter sat down on the ground next to Mikey, and they kept vigil over Raph's sleeping form.

"How are you feeling, my son?" Splinter asked. The rat knew his son needed some calming down.

Mikey didn't respond right away, staring at Raph's sleeping form. A lot of emotions ran through his mind as he searched for an answer. Finally, he spoke. "Am I a screw-up?"

Splinter's ears twitched, unsure if he had heard correctly. The question had caught him off-guard. "What do you mean, my son?"

"Am I a screw-up, Sensei?" Mikey asked again. He looked up into Splinter's face, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. "Do I mess things up? My bros are always yelling at me for goofing off, and sometimes we get into trouble or get hurt because of it. And then I was the one who started not doing what you said, not sticking to the shadows, cause I was just messing around. But then we all started doing it. And because of that Raph got hurt real bad. The shaman was telling Ka-Zar that Raph might not ever walk right again." A couple of tears slid down Mikey's green freckled cheek. "Why do I act like that, Master Splinter? I hate who I am, I hate that I can't ever take anything seriously, and I'm a distraction to everyone on the team."

He started sobbing softly as Splinter, ears flat against his head, pulled his son in an embrace. "No, my son. That is not true."

Mikey's head shot up. "What? But . . . Sensei—"

"I do not wish for you to change who you are," Splinter said. "You are carefree and uplifting, flamboyant and unique. That is who you are, my son. You should not be changed for anything. You have a special look on life, one that is distinct and different from your brothers'. And theirs is different from yours as well." He pulled away, looking into Mikey's eyes. "I may sometimes want you to be more serious, but only when it comes to training. Being what you are now is part of your personality. And that is not something I want any of my sons to be robbed of."

Mikey beamed, smiling through his tears. "Thanks, Sensei." He hugged his father back.

Morning mist rose off dewy vegetation as the sun broke the horizon over the Savage Land. The lush foliage of the forest's edge had a moist, green odor; the rolling indigo sea was empty from horizon to horizon; the morning sun blazed in a radiant blue sky that was equally empty except for a low white cloud to the east. In that dawning moment the world was silent, as if holding its breath.

In violent contrast, the submarine squatted over the surface of the water. Harsh, metallic, cylindrical, it seemed to cut like an insult into the verdant beauty of the place. Three boats, each paddled by four grizzled men, slid through the water towards the shore. The men wore combat gear and carried tactical weapons. They had been at sea for three grueling days, searching for a land that according to secret maps found only on the black market was somewhere in these waters.

Their leader, the only man not paddling, sat in the prow of the front boat. He was a large man, a bit older and thicker than the others, but still very strong. His hair was a salt-and-pepper gray, and his beard traveled down the sides of his face and hung from his chin like a patch of grey moss. His blue eyes stared from behind aviator glasses at the shoreline. His name was Ulysses Klaue, and he was an international criminal for hire well renowned for his ability to get you pretty much anything.

Klaue had been hired by Thaddeus Ross of the U.S. military to capture three Tyrannosaurus Rex. Ross was a decisive and ruthless general with an interest in using dinosaurs for military operations. He'd struck a deal with Klaue, being willing to strike his criminal record in the United States if the black-arms dealer could provide him with three live Tyrannosaurs from the Savage Land. Ross had been operating under a super-secret project by the U.S. government to genetically engineer dinosaurs for battle, as they would be more deadly than dozens of foot soldiers. Modern technology like drones could be hacked, unlike animals.

Klaue had been offered a stimulus package as well as a clean slate for his criminal records, and he'd agreed. He'd gathered a crew and traveled to the Savage Land, the only place where these dangerous creatures still walked the earth. His hunters had been hired for their expertise. But despite their skills, Klaue knew they would have to tread carefully if they didn't want to become the prey.

The boats reached shore, and the men climbed out of the canoes, each carrying an assault rifle loaded with tranquilizer darts. "This is good," Klaue muttered, looking around at the misty morning. "What you don't want when you're hunting monsters is poor visibility."

A short, stubby man with a brown mohawk, sideburns, and a mustache spreading onto his cheeks climbed out of one of the boats behind the rest of the team. He was panting heavily, his large gut heaving. His arms were equally large, and covered in camouflage tattoos. His military sense of fashion was continued by what he wore; a multi-pocket vest, camouflage shorts, and a backpack filled with arrows and guns. Around his neck was a necklace lined with teeth, bones, and a shrunken head.

"Don't worry boss," said the man. "I got us the best dinosaur hunters in the illegal hunting business." He held up the shrunken head and pantomimed, speaking in a high-pitched voice as if it was the head itself talking. "No, you didn't, Finger. You got the only dinosaur hunters in the business." He scowled, then went back to his normal voice. "What's the point in me lying if you're just gonna spoil it, Mama?"

Klaue sighed and rubbed his eyes. The Finger, named so because of his sixth finger on his left hand, was insane. The man pretended his mother was talking to him while he talked to that disgusting shrunken head he kept on his necklace. Still, he had earned his place as the top hunter of elusive and strange creatures who dabbled in illegal hunting operations, and that was why he'd been hired.

"All right, let's see." Klaue pulled a crumpled note from his back pocket. "Ross wants full-grown T-Rex. You ready for that, Finger?"

"We'll find out soon enough." The Finger drew an arrow from his backpack and set it on the string of his compound bow. "Won't we, Mama? 'Sure will, son,'" he added in the squeaky voice. "'Stay safe for Momma.'"

Ignoring the Finger's lunacy, Klaue turned to the rest of his men. "Let's bag these things before any of the natives show up." They entered the jungle. Beneath the thick tree canopy, a cloak of near-darkness enveloped them, and the sound of songbirds gave way to the hum of insects and the rustle of lizards and snakes. In the distance, a blood-curdling roar filled the air.

"I got a bad feeling about this," one of the mercenaries whispered to his buddy.

"Just this?" the second hunter snapped. "Because I got a bad feeling about this whole place."

Soon they had reached the rise of a hill overlooking a forested area sloping down to the edge of a lagoon. The whole landscape of the Savage Land was bathed in soft light, with shrinking shadows. The surface of the lagoon rippled in pink crescents. Farther south, Klaue spotted the graceful necks of some gallimimus, standing at the water's edge, their bodies mirrored in the moving surface. It was quiet, except for the soft drone of some insects.

The Finger licked his extra finger on his left hand and held it up in the air. "There's a T-rex around here somewhere, Mama," he said.

One of the mercenaries chuckled. "Then where is he?"

"Hiding," the Finger said. "He's a little shy."

The other mercenaries started laughing. "Shy? Tyrannosaurus rex is shy?"

"Well, he conceals himself," explained the Finger. "Ya almost never see him out in the open, especially in daylight. He's got sensitive skin."

Klaue held up a hand, silencing the men. One of the Gallimimus had wandered into the open field and was dipping its snout into the wet grass, looking for insects. The smell of garbage, a smell that smelled of putrefication and decay, wafted up the hillside toward them in the air. "He's here," Klaue said, and the mercenaries readied their weapons, loading their guns and strapping on their shoulder-mounted TOW missile launchers. Hunters knew how difficult it was to bring down a four-ton African elephant, and Tyrannosaurs weighed ten times as much.

The Gallimimus was almost a hundred feet from the nearest trees. For a moment, Klaue could see nothing at all. Then he realized he was looking too low; the animal's head stood twenty feet above the ground, half-concealed among the upper branches of the palm trees.

"He's a large as a bloody building," Klaue muttered, staring at the enormous square head, five feet long, mottled reddish brown, with huge jaws and fangs. The tyrannosaur's jaws worked once, opening and closing. Then it sprang silently forward, fully revealing its enormous body. In four bounding steps it covered the distance to the Gallimimus, bent down, and bit it through the neck. The other Gallmimus began bleating in panic, stampeding in fright. The tyrannosaur let them go, bending over its kill. One great hind limb held the carcass in place as the jaws began to tear the flesh.

The Finger drew an arrow on his bowstring, and the sound of the bowstring stretching as it was drawn back filled the air. The tyrannosaur became suddenly hesitant. It lifted its head, ragged chunks of bleeding flesh in its jaws. Its massive head turned on the muscular neck, looking in all directions. It stared fixedly at the men, high above on the hill.

"Can he see us?" Klaue whispered.

"Oh, yeah," the Finger whispered back. "Let's see if he's gonna eat here in front of us or drag the prey away. He probably thinks we're trying to steal his kill."

The big animal roared, a terrifying scream from some other world that shook the ground. "Get ready," Klaue whispered. They had to wait for the animal to charge; if they attacked now, they'd scare it off.

The T-Rex started walking towards them. Slow, ominous strides, coming right towards them. The T-Rex roared, and leaped forward.

"Now!" Klaue yelled.

The mercenaries opened fire with their weapons, and the two who had brought missile launchers let fly. One of the missiles missed, but one of them struck its target, hitting the T-Rex in its chest. The T-Rex bellowed but didn't stop charging, propelled forward by its movement. The mercenaries began to run, their feet splashing in the wet morning dew. The Tyrannosaur bounded alongside one of them and ducked its massive head, and the man was tossed screaming into the air like a small dog.

The Finger was tensing to run for the woods when suddenly the Tyrannosaur spun back to face him, and roared. He froze, the T-Rex no more than eight feet away. At so close a range the animal's sound was terrifyingly loud. The Finger felt the spreading warmth in his shorts. He'd peed in his pants. He was simultaneously embarrassed and terrified.

Klaue had doubled back behind the Tyrannosaur and raised his prosthetic arm. The hand and forearm split down the middle, revealing a powerful sonic cannon. Without hesitation Klaue took aim at the Tyrannosaur and fired a concussive pulse wave straight into the beast. The pulse was capable of crushing vehicles and repelling targets with a single shot; at this range, it knocked the Tyrannosaur several feet to its right, straight on top of the Finger. The Finger screamed as he was crushed under its weight, his cries muffled by the Tyrannosaur's roar in pain as electricity rippled across its body. Klaue fired again, twice more, and finally knocked the Tyrannosaur out.

Warily, the mercenaries regrouped next to the dinosaur. Klaue examined a leg sticking out from the Tyrannosaur's unconscious form curiously. "I guess everyone's share of the bonus just got a lot bigger." He laughed. "All right, boys, that's one down. Two to go!"

The Village of the United Tribes native on patrol had seen the entire incident. Concealed in a group of ferns, he watched open-mouthed as the group loaded the unconscious Tyrannosaurus into a holding cage. He had to warn Ka-Zar. Turning, he fled into the forest back to the village.

April had woken up early to enjoy the natural beauty of this part of the Savage Land. Not the whole area had been as barren as the area they'd landed in. Parts of it were quite gorgeous. Shanna had taken her on patrol, and they'd taken a wide lap around the village before returning for the Savage Land equivalent of coffee (which was quite delicious).

When April got back, the village was in chaos. Natives ran around, grunting at each other, grabbing spears and bows and arrows. Ka-Zar was in the middle of it all, barking orders. Shanna went up to him. "Ka-Zar, what is it?"

"Klaw," Ka-Zar said grimly. "He's back. And he's here for the dinosaurs."

Shanna paled, then set her jaw. "Then we must act quickly. What's the plan?"

"I will take our best warriors and put an end to this menace once and for all," said Ka-Zar. "You had better join us, Shanna."

"Us, too, Your Highness," said Mikey. He and Casey had emerged from their huts.

"Casey Jones never misses a scrapping," Casey said, sliding his hockey mask down over his face.

Ka-Zar nodded. "Thank you both for your bravery."

When they had reached the ground, Ka-Zar whistled, and the ground around them began vibrating as loud thumps filled their ears. Suddenly, without warning, a red-skinned Tyrannosaurus Rex poked its head through the trees above them. It roared, shaking the ground beneath them.

"That is totally wicked!" Casey laughed.

The T-Rex bent down, and they could see a small hairy human with thick fur covering his entire body except for his hands, face, and feet riding the dinosaur's back. "Devil, quit showing off for the guests," the creature scolded.

"Moon-Boy," Ka-Zar said. "We need your and Devil Dinosaur's help. Klaw has returned, and with greater numbers than last time. Our scouts report he has captured a group of Tyrannosaurus Rex and is planning to take them off the island and sell them."

Moon-Boy's small eyes narrowed. "That treacherous Klaw will pay. Devil has been itching to pay him back for the last time they met." Mikey noticed a large, fresh-looking scar running down the T-Rex's left eye. As if remembering his dread enemy, Devil Dinosaur roared again. "We will assist in any way we can," Moon-Boy finished.

Ka-Zar motioned everyone in. "Then listen close, all of you. Here is what we will do . . ."

Ka-Zar, Zabu, Mikey, and a dozen natives made their way to a woody area overlooking the beach where the poachers had set up camp. Mikey viewed the area a small telescope. Two full-grown bull Tyrannosaurs in oversized reinforced cages were being loaded into boats; the third, already in a boat, was being transported to the enormous submarine about a hundred yards offshore. Several jeeps were parked nearby. Mercenaries stood around, helped with the dinos, took watch, packed up supplies. The massive Tyrannosaurs roared anxiously.

Mikey moved the telescope to the west. Shanna, Casey, and April were flattened down in the bushes nearby, waiting for the signal. He put down the telescope and scuttled back to the others. "This isn't going to be easy, dudes," he told Ka-Zar. "Of course, back where I come from, me and my bros have gotten into more heavily guarded places than that."

Zabu the sabertooth growled and crouched as if ready to spring. "Hold, Zabu, hold," Ka-Zar commanded, petting his friend. "They have guns and they are many." He glanced at the beach. "They're poaching the Tyrannosaurs. And they're using our people to do it."

Mikey glanced through the telescope again. Now he saw something he hadn't seen before. A group of natives warily prodded and poked the Tyrannosaur in one of the cages, under the supervision of several armed mercenaries. "What do they want with dinos, Ka-Zar?"

"Nothing good," Ka-Zar said grimly. "If Klaw wants them alive, then they will be used to make weapons. World-changing weapons. And they are taking them—even though world laws have been passed to stop that from ever happening." He looked at Mikey, his gaze intense. "And you know what? The only question I have, really, is what took them so long?"

"It just doesn't make sense," Mikey said.

Their conversation was interrupted by a gunshot. Startled, they looked up to see a mercenary standing over the body of one of the natives. The man had shot the native through the head at point blank range in execution style.

Ka-Zar's jaw clenched. "Let's go." He gave a whistling bird call, signaling Shanna, April, and Casey to move.

Hearing Ka-Zar's whistle, Shanna and Casey moved towards one of the mercenaries standing a few feet away, speaking into a walkie-talkie. "Left quadrant perimeter secure. Over," the man said, his voice a nasty rasp.

"Over," came the reply on the walkie-talkie. As soon as the transmission ended, April grabbed the man from behind, clapping a hand over his mouth and dragging him back into the bushes. The man had time only to grunt before a well-placed punch from Shanna knocked him out.

"Wicked," Casey breathed, thoroughly impressed.

They quickly stripped the man of his gear, and Casey slipped it on. "Ugh," he groaned, holding out the camo Kevlar vest. "It smells like this dude slept in it."

April grimaced. "I think he had something spicy for lunch today," she said.

The walkie-talkie squawked. "Left quadrant perimeter status? Over."

"Uh, left quadrant perimeter secure. Over," Casey responded, trying to mimic the raspy sound of the mercenary's voice. Now decked out in his mercenary gear, he headed towards the mercenary poaching camp.

One of the natives did not want to poke the caged Tyrannosaur into submission with his electro pike, and grunted in defiance at the mercenary overseer. "Stupid idiot," the mercenary said, smacking the native in the head with the butt of his rifle hard. The native went down, hitting the wet sand with a thud as the other natives began hooting excitedly. The mercenaries waved their guns, quieting the natives, as the first mercenary continued to savagely beat the defiant native.

Casey's fist clenched. But he couldn't break cover now; he had a job to do. While the commotion ensued, he crept around to the back of the Tyrannosaur cage and quietly undid the giant lock. The door was now unlocked but closed, so the dinosaur would be able to flee when the time came.

As Casey headed over towards the second cage, he passed a table underneath a canvas tent, around which two men stood. One of them was dressed in the mercenary gear, and the other wore a tan khaki safari style shirt and aviator glasses. He looked mean.

"You don't have to worry about that," the man told the mercenary. "Just do whatever you need to do to get the job here done quickly. There are other natives in this area."

The mercenary chuckled. "A total of what? Five? Maybe? Don't worry, Klaw. We'll be in and out of here as soon as the last Tyrannosaur gets on the sub."

"See that we are," the other man said. He must be Klaw, Casey thought.

Suddenly Casey's walkie-talkie squawked loudly. "Left quadrant delta, have you left your post?"

Oops. Aw, man.

Klaw looked up suddenly, his eyes fixing on Casey. "Hello," he said. His voice was calm, yet Casey could hear the underlying menace. "And who might you be?"

Casey gulped as the mercenary loaded his rifle and aimed at Casey's face. "What are you doing all the way out here, boy?" Klaw asked.

Well, there would be no bluffing his way out of this one. Casey raised the guard's assault rifle and began spraying wildly, yelling. Several of the mercenaries yelled as their bodies were filled with tranquilizer darts. Klaue ducked under the shots, but two of the darts landed in his prosthetic arm. Still spraying the area blindly with gunfire, Casey made a break back for the edge of the forest.

"Stop him!" Klaue roared, aiming his prosthetic arm at Casey and firing a blast. The shot missed, but hit the ground with such force that it launched Casey into the air where he landed hard on the side of the Tyrannosaur cage.

As he lay on the ground slightly stunned, the mercenaries advanced, weapons ready. "Put him down! Now!" one of them shouted.

Casey shut his eyes, praying for a swift and painless death. Instead a thundering growl filled the air as Zabu the sabertooth tiger pounced on the mercenaries from the bushes. Snarling, the tiger's long teeth and sharp claws tore through the hapless mercenaries, who screamed and discharged their weapons.

Now Shanna and April appeared from the bushes, charging into the fray. Shanna was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, and used her fists and feet as well as her knife. April was able to telepathically pick up the guards' rifles and fire them, sending them diving for cover. A couple of them tried to get close, and she broke the telepathic link to kick them using her ninjitsu skills.

One of the mercenaries guarding the perimeter had raised his sniper rifle and aimed at April. He likely believed he had a clear headshot. But he never got the chance to fire. In minutes he was lying on the beach dead, with Ka-Zar's spear in his back.

"So you dare to break the law of Ka-Zar!" Ka-Zar yelled. "For that, you must pay the price! The time is come for them to face the wrath of Ka-Zar! For none may break the jungle law!"

He threw his head back and let loose with a wild yell, somewhere between a roar and a scream. The ground began shaking, and everyone froze. Suddenly, the line of trees parted to reveal Devil Dinosaur charging through them onto the beach. Raising its mouth to the sky, it let out a mighty roar that shook the earth to its foundations and sent the birds in the trees flying to the skies.

Now April closed her eyes and focused her telepathic abilities, concentrating on the two dinosaurs in their cages. The Tyrannosaurs' eyes blazed to life, and though they had been stunned into submission by electro pikes they willed all of their strength and forced themselves to stand, pushing their way out of the unlocked cages.

The two Tyrannosaurs joined Devil Dinosaur, who bore an armor-wearing Moon Boy on his back. "Let's show these cowards what happens when they disturb the sovereignty of the Savage Land!" the small furry blue boy yelled. As if on cue, the Tyrannosaurs charged, wreaking chaos and havoc on the battle. They tore through the mercenary's ranks, being careful not to harm Casey or Ka-Zar or Shanna or Zabu.

Many of the mercenaries tried to make a run for it, but Mikey and the natives were carefully positioned along the treeline, cutting down anyone who tried to escape with arrows and spears. "You ain't going nowhere, dudes!" Mikey crowed, pounding his chest in his Savage Mikey outfit. "Not if Savage Mikey has anything to say about it!"

Ulysses Klaue was a brave fighter, but he had seen enough this day—a fierce sabertooth tiger, a strangely-dressed turtle-ninja creature commanding an army of natives, and—worst of all—three Tyrannosaurs who seemed to be working together. He was brave but not suicidal. "Retreat!" he shouted, and the mercenaries turned, and with the T-Rexs hot on their heels, ran out of their camp and down to the rowboats, desperate to escape this infernal island and to seek the safety of the sea.

The Tyrannosaurs chased them as far into the water as they could go, managing to overturn one of the rowboats. But most of them escaped to the sub, which promptly retreated underwater. Ka-Zar watched them go. "They will not return," he said. "Not for some time. But they took one of our dinosaurs. One of the ones I had sworn to protect." He looked down sadly.

"Hey, dude," Mikey said, having used a long-tongue worm to swing over to Ka-Zar. "One thing that me and my bros have learned the hard way, is that when you're in charge of saving a city or a land, you can't save everybody. And the sooner you learn to accept that, the better off you will be."

Ka-Zar gave Mikey a strange look. "You speak wise words for one of your age, Michelangelo."

Mikey shrugged. "Yeah, well, that's cause I try not to put any anchovies on my pizza."

The next day, they were back in the Village of the United Tribes. Doctor Strange had explained their predicament to Ka-Zar. "Nick Fury told us to travel to these coordinates," Strange said, using magic to display the coordinates in the air. "For some reason, I am unable to teleport to these coordinates. There's some kind of protection against outside interference."

Ka-Zar studied the coordinates. "You will be travelling to the Fallen Heights, in the heart of the Savage Land. And you will need transportation, for that journey takes normal humans several days."

Ka-Zar, Shanna, and Zabu led the heroes down to the forest floor, where Moon-Boy and Devil Dinosaur were waiting for them. "Moon-Boy," said Ka-Zar. "Our friends require transport to the Fallen Heights. Can you give us a ride?"

"Of course," said Moon-Boy. "Devil won't mind. Will you, Devil?"

The dinosaur shook its mighty head, and lowered its body to the ground. A bit taken aback, the heroes climbed aboard warily. Devil Dinosaur stood up and stomped off, and Ka-Zar, Shanna, and Zabu followed on foot. The T-Rex began picking up speed, but these wild-bred humans kept pace, having the ability to run at least fifty miles per hour.

Moon-Boy turned around on the back of the T-Rex to look at Mikey. "Hi," he said. "We never were properly introduced. I'm Moon-Boy. I'm not from around here."

"Me neither, bro," Mikey said. "I come from a strange world called Manhattan. They serve this odd cuisine called pizza, which is incredibly delicious and nourishing. Let me know next time you and Devil Dinosaur are in town, and I'll call up Antonio's and order in. Make sure to let me know ahead of time, though. They'll have to prepare all of the pizzas for your dino buddy there in advance."

"What a strange world you live in," Moon-Boy said. "Me and Devil come from a distant planet called Dinosaur World. We came here by falling into a portal and we've been trying to find a way home ever since."

"Cool story, bro," said Casey. "Ouch! Don't squeeze so tight, Raph!"

Raph was hanging onto Casey with both hands and his eyes shut tight. "Tell me when we get there," he said nervously.

Eventually they stopped at the base of a giant waterfall, and Devil Dinosaur laid down, letting the heroes off his back. Ka-Zar, Shanna and Zabu stopped running. They showed no signs of fatigue or exhaustion in the slightest.

"Where are we going, Lord Ka-Zar?" Splinter asked.

"We're already here," Ka-Zar said. On the other side of the waterfall was the mouth of a cave, partially concealed by jungle undergrowth. "Someone is expecting you."

April closed her eyes, extending her telepathic abilities. "I'm getting a very strong sense it is fortified to block against psychic penetration."

"Yes," mused Strange. "And magic users."

April frowned. "I don't like it," she said. "Just the fact that it was built to keep out telepaths means—

"It means it was well built," said Splinter.

Raph nudged his brother. "Well, come on, Savage Mikey. You first."

Mikey swallowed and grabbed a handful of bang rocks off of his belt, advancing into the cave. It was a large opening that went about ten feet deep before it ended in a rock wall. "Phew," he breathed in relief. "Dead end, dudes."

The heroes entered. "Is this a joke?" Casey asked, leaning against what he thought was the rock wall of the back of the cave. The rock began to roll away, and Casey landed with an "Oof!" on the ground as he revealed a large steel vault door, like a giant safe. An electronic keypad was next to the door.

"A code lock," Kirby O'Neil said, examining it. He turned to Ka-Zar. "Do you have the code?"

"A numeric code," April added.

Ka-Zar shrugged. He walked out of the cave and called up to Moon-Boy, still seated on the T-Rex's back. "Moon-Boy. Would you mind—?" he asked, gesturing at Devil Dinosaur.

Devil Dinosaur caught Ka-Zar's drift and bent down, waiting for everyone to exit the cave before he stuck his head in and rammed his skull into the door with all his might. The door shook but didn't budge. He rammed it again and again, and after the fifth time it caved inwards with a clang. A bazooka rocket came flying through a moment later, striking Devil Dinosaur in the face. The T-Rex howled in pain and backpedaled, flailing wildly. The heroes ducked under the beast's massive tail.

Mikey charged into the cave to see a shadowy figure standing in the doorway clutching a smoking bazooka in one hand. He flung his nunchaku at the man, who stepped aside and caught the weapon in one hand.

"Settle down there, turtle boy," the man said as he stepped into the light. "You see what this baby did to your discoloured dinosaur? I imagine it'll blow your shell back to whatever you were before your mutation."

Mikey recognized the man immediately. "Nick Fury?"

They began filing into the cave, but Nick Fury stopped them. "Hold it right there!" he snapped. "No one make a move. No one make a sound. Let's just see if everyone is who they say they are." He pulled a scan pad from his pocket and held it up in the air, scanning the group. Their IDs blinked verified on the pad, and he put the pad away.

"Okay, then," said Nick Fury. "Welcome to the end of the world."