Radical Transformation
The hospital woke slowly, as the morning announced with a warm ray of sunshine through the windows.
It was the next morning, and the room in which the guys were in hadn't stirred yet. They were still sleeping, and didn't move when Hera came in. But she walked over to the closed curtains and drew them back. The bright sun shone through and now all of them groaned and tried to turn away from the light that shone through their eyelids.
"Wake up, sleepy heads!" Hera called walking back over and folding her arms in front of their beds.
"Sleep . . ." Mikey moaned.
"Oh, so you'd rather stay here than go home with your aunt?"
"Our aunt?" Mikey sat up and frowned.
"Must be too early in the morning for you, but you know, April O'Neil? Your aunt," Hera smiled. "She's taking you home today, should be arriving soon. She's brought you some better clothes to put on as well."
"Clothes?" Mikey frowned again, but then realised he was human. It was still a little difficult to get the hang on.
"Wow, you really aren't a morning person, are you?" Hera smiled. "You want breakfast before she gets here, or are you going to wait till you get home?"
"Home," they all said together.
The doctor laughed, and walked over to Donnie.
"How's that arm feeling?" She asked him.
"Painful," he replied, and winced as she felt along it.
"Yeah, will be for a few days, same with your leg," she said to Raph, who was laying on his stomach, cheek flattened against the pillow, refusing to get up like his brothers. Hera turned back to Donnie. "I'll redress it, and the stitches need to come out at the end of the week, okay? Good." She moved away from him to look in the cupboards on the far wall. She came back with fresh bandages, and was just unwrapping the first when April walked in.
"Morning guys," she said, and greeted Hera. April still had to stop herself from staring. She would get used to it soon. She threw a rucksack to Mikey.
"Clothes," she said, as Mikey frowned at the bag. She laughed inside her head, as she joked to herself about these guys needing help putting clothes on.
Hera finished dressing Donnie arm, and started on Raph's leg, who took it out of her reach.
"I just want to redress it, that's all," Hera said, rising her hands to show the bandage rolls.
Raph let her redress his lower leg, and then she went to the door.
"I'll leave you to get dress. I'll be back in five minutes." Hera left.
"I'll leave you as well," April said. "Or do you want me to just turn around?" She smiled. "In case you need assistance getting dressed."
They laughed sarcastically at her, and said she could turn around while they pulled on a pair of clean clothes: Underwear (which was strange!), blue and black jeans, and a coloured, baggy top that matched their colours. Leo's blue, Mikey's orange, Raph's red and Donnie's purple. Raph and Mikey got the black jeans, Leo and Donnie the blue.
They said April could turn back around, and she did do, smiling at them. They embarrassedly looked anywhere but at themselves and at her.
"Hey, guys, you look cute, the girls will really go for you!" April said.
"Don't rub it in," Raph growled, hands in his pockets.
"Our life has just turned upside down in a somersault," Donnie said, plucking his jeans. "We can't go to school . . ."
"I know, but you can't say that to the cop," April said. "I'm sorry, but until we can find a way to change you back, you're just going to have to put up with it."
"But what if we change back in the middle of school?" Mikey asked. "We'd have to run outta there pretty quickly."
"What if we don't change back at all?" Leo voiced the question that had been worrying him. But should he worry?
"Hey, guys, I don't know any more than you do, but let's hope everything goes well and turns out well at the end of this." April smiled and sat down on Mikey's bed. "The thing that should be worrying you the most, is are you all going to be smothered in girls when you arrive in school?" She laughed, while the guys blushed.
Hera walked back in, and smiled at them being dressed.
"Okay guys, you're free to go, but I just need to take down a few details, and you two will be back here at the end of the week to have those stitches out," she added to Donnie and Raph.
They followed her out of the room, after she had asked Raph if he wanted crutches for his leg and he almost shouted 'no'. They still felt funny walking on five-toed feet. And they felt so much lighter on their backs. No shell, and it felt like something had just been amputated. Leo helped Raph walk, as his brother was limping pretty bad, but he refused anything for it.
They got to the very bottom floor of the hospital and followed Hera to the very front of the hospital where the counter was, and the waiting visitors.
Hera asked the lady at the counter to pass her a form, and then she turned back to the guys and asked them their age, and things like that. Then she writ the name of the school they should be going to, which the cop had recommended. They didn't catch the whole name, but they just heard '-la High'. Then she put the form in her pigeonhole, asked Raph once more if he wanted crutches, and when shouted at, smiled and said goodbye to them as they finally walked out the door.
"We're out . . ." Donnie said. "And no one screamed at us when we went by . . . How weird does that feel?"
"Well they did stare at us," Mikey said.
"Well yeah, how many quadruplets do you get to see in a lifetime," April joked. "C'mon, let's get you all to the car so Raph doesn't drop in pain, I'm surprised they let you and Donnie out."
They walked across the parking lot, feeling way too strange and aware people were still looking at them, and over to April's car. She unlocked it and they all got in, Raph in the front so he could stretch his leg out and not be cramped by his brothers, who squished up in the back.
She drove them home, and all the while they were in the car, they stared out the window watching the world of daytime. They had never really seen people active in the day without having to hide. But they felt so strange. They didn't have to duck, turn away, hide, run; they just sat.
When they reached April's apartment, they had to stop themselves from going over to the ladder that led up to the building roof. They didn't need to climb it in fear of being seen. So they followed her through the building, up the stairs and into her apartment.
"Make yourselves at home, not that you never do," April smiled. "And I'll make you guys some breakfast."
They all stared at each other. For once in her apartment, they felt strange.
"Sit down then," April said. "Raph can take some weight off that leg."
Leo helped Raph onto the couch, and he sat down next to him, while Mikey sat on the other side of Raph, and Donnie sat in the armchair that Splinter always vacates.
"April, can we phone Splinter?" Leo asked.
"Sure, go ahead."
Leo got up and went over to the phone. He knelt down and dialled their number, letting it ring. It ran for ages, but was not picked up. Leo finally put the phone down.
"He's not picking up," Leo said, sounding worried.
"Maybe he's out looking for us," Mikey suggested.
"He'll be fine, Leo," Donnie reassured. "Splinter can look after himself, I mean, he taught us."
"Yeah," Leo agreed. Master Splinter was capable, but Leo always worried. It was in his nature to worry when things seemed different or wrong.
April brought over their breakfast, and they hungrily ate it, thanking her.
She smiled as she watched them eat, then she went back to make a pot of tea.
"Oh, forgot to tell you," April called from the kitchen over the noise of the kettle. "Casey left a few things around here, and never took them back. There's quite a lot of his stuff in the back bedroom, so use that if those clothes get mucky, which I'm positive they will. I think they'll fit you. I cleaned them so don't worry."
They all looked at each other.
"What was Casey doing round here, and to leave his clothes?" Raph grinned.
"Oh, he, er, got into one of his fights and nearly killed himself," April said, blushing a bit. "I said he could stay, so he has done a few times. Don't you even think about anything!"
The guys laughed, and noticed how much their voices hadn't changed. Not at all. Still the same voices, still the same eyes.
"Oh, and I brought your weapons back for you," April said and walked up the stairs, coming down a few seconds later with a sports bag, and Leo and Donnie's weapon sticking out of the zip. "They were going to ask you why you had these on you, but I guess they forgot. Nearly weren't gunna let me take them, but I said they belong to a friend of mine and were stolen."
She put the bag down next to the couch and Mikey got up and grabbed his belt. He put it around his waist, which was now way too small for his belt. But he adjusted the strap, and it fit perfectly.
They others adjusted theirs as well. They were all so much different now.
April brought in their tea, and they drank thirstily.
"So, what do we do now that we can't go back down the sewers?" Mikey asked, feeling totally lost in the human world.
"Use your imagination," April smiled. "There's a whole world out there, and for once you can all be a part of it. Best make the most of you time like that."
The guys looked surprised, not realising what they could now do. Leo thought that April always referred to them as going to turn back soon . . . But what if they didn't?
The phone ran and they jumped. Leo hoped it would be Splinter.
April answered, but the conversation was not one she would have with the Ninja Master. She put the phone down.
"Guys, I have to go to work, so I'm gunna have to leave you here," she began to get ready, putting on her jacket and bringing her shoes out from the cupboard. "Get what you want to eat, and if you go out I have a spare key I can give to you; not that you might because Raph can't walk, but I should be back in a few hours, I'll phone ya." Then she tossed Leo a cut key, and walked out the door.
The guys all stared at the key, then looked at each other.
"I wanna go out!" Mikey said excitedly.
"We can't, Raph can't walk," Leo said, pointing to Raph who was falling asleep.
"Wha'?" He asked, hearing his name.
"Hey Raph, can you walk?" Mikey asked, ignoring the stern look from Leo.
"What kind of question's that? I got two legs."
"No," Donnie said. "Raph shouldn't be putting any weight on his leg, and I'm not too sure I want to explore so soon after . . . After, well, this . . ."
"Let's just think," Leo spoke again. "I mean, how could this have happened, think out the most possible ways."
"I have no idea it's just -" Donnie began, but then froze and a thoughtful expression changed his face.
"What? What is it Donnie?" Leo asked, frowning at his brother.
"I just thought . . ." Donnie half whispered. "Remember the other day, when we were eating that pizza . . .?"
"Yeah," Mikey said, waiting for his brother to continue.
"Well, didn't you say, Mikey, that it tasted strange?"
Mikey thought, his memory was a little less clear than his brothers as he had the worst head injury.
"Yeah . . . I think I did . . ." Mikey said slowly, then realised what Donnie was saying.
"What . . . You think it was the pizza?" Leo asked, also catching on.
"Well, yeah, I mean, think; when we ate that pizza, Mikey said there was a strange taste to it . . . And then afterwards, we had that conversation about humans, and Mikey said it, didn't he?"
"I said, I wished . . ." Mikey said.
Donnie nodded. "Yes. That must have been it. There was something in that pizza, I'm sure. Or maybe forget that and call it coincidence," he snapped at Raph, who he had noticed was shaking his head to all of Donnie's explanation.
"Soz, Don, s'not that . . . I mean, well, yeah it is. How the hell did a pizza change us?" Raph said.
"Mikey changed us! The pizza was just the juice!" Donnie said, slapping his hand in his other hand to hit his point.
All brothers stayed silent for a while, to let this new information/explanation sink in. Was it possible? Was what Donnie said true? And how would they change back?
Finally Mikey broke the silence.
"So . . . Do I eat another pizza and wish us back?"
They all looked at him. He looked back and shrugged.
"I have a feeling it was just that one, and lucky us got it." Donnie said, sarcastically with the 'lucky'.
They felt sick with this subject, even know they all wanted hard proof of what happened to them; so they changed the subject . . . At least Mikey did.
"Just think what and where we could go now . . ." Mikey said, as though his dreams had come true . . . Which they had in one way.
None of his brothers answered. Mikey looked: Leo was staring into space, Donnie was obviously deep in thought with the funny face screwed up, and Raph was snoozing, drooping on Leo's shoulder, who didn't even know. Mikey sighed.
/\/\/\/\
The soldiers made a fearful line in front of their Master, who was looking rather steamed. He watched as his men lined up, and he paced up and down, slowly in front of them.
"What happened?" He demanded in his rough, hard voice, which he was pleased to see, made the Foot flinch ever so slightly.
One nervous soldier stepped forward. He bowed respectfully.
"We attacked the figures in the trench coats you described, they fought exactly like our enemies," the man said. "But they were not. They were only four cloaked kids, teenagers. But they did have the same weapons . . ."
He bowed again and stopped back, probably dripping with nervous sweat, and lucky to not have been killed for being the bad news.
Their Master stopped pacing and it was clear from his silence and his stance that he was thinking. The soldiers were also in thought. What had happened down in that alleyway? The fighting skills and the weapons had been exactly the same as those freaks'; but when un-hooded, they were human kids . . .
The hospital woke slowly, as the morning announced with a warm ray of sunshine through the windows.
It was the next morning, and the room in which the guys were in hadn't stirred yet. They were still sleeping, and didn't move when Hera came in. But she walked over to the closed curtains and drew them back. The bright sun shone through and now all of them groaned and tried to turn away from the light that shone through their eyelids.
"Wake up, sleepy heads!" Hera called walking back over and folding her arms in front of their beds.
"Sleep . . ." Mikey moaned.
"Oh, so you'd rather stay here than go home with your aunt?"
"Our aunt?" Mikey sat up and frowned.
"Must be too early in the morning for you, but you know, April O'Neil? Your aunt," Hera smiled. "She's taking you home today, should be arriving soon. She's brought you some better clothes to put on as well."
"Clothes?" Mikey frowned again, but then realised he was human. It was still a little difficult to get the hang on.
"Wow, you really aren't a morning person, are you?" Hera smiled. "You want breakfast before she gets here, or are you going to wait till you get home?"
"Home," they all said together.
The doctor laughed, and walked over to Donnie.
"How's that arm feeling?" She asked him.
"Painful," he replied, and winced as she felt along it.
"Yeah, will be for a few days, same with your leg," she said to Raph, who was laying on his stomach, cheek flattened against the pillow, refusing to get up like his brothers. Hera turned back to Donnie. "I'll redress it, and the stitches need to come out at the end of the week, okay? Good." She moved away from him to look in the cupboards on the far wall. She came back with fresh bandages, and was just unwrapping the first when April walked in.
"Morning guys," she said, and greeted Hera. April still had to stop herself from staring. She would get used to it soon. She threw a rucksack to Mikey.
"Clothes," she said, as Mikey frowned at the bag. She laughed inside her head, as she joked to herself about these guys needing help putting clothes on.
Hera finished dressing Donnie arm, and started on Raph's leg, who took it out of her reach.
"I just want to redress it, that's all," Hera said, rising her hands to show the bandage rolls.
Raph let her redress his lower leg, and then she went to the door.
"I'll leave you to get dress. I'll be back in five minutes." Hera left.
"I'll leave you as well," April said. "Or do you want me to just turn around?" She smiled. "In case you need assistance getting dressed."
They laughed sarcastically at her, and said she could turn around while they pulled on a pair of clean clothes: Underwear (which was strange!), blue and black jeans, and a coloured, baggy top that matched their colours. Leo's blue, Mikey's orange, Raph's red and Donnie's purple. Raph and Mikey got the black jeans, Leo and Donnie the blue.
They said April could turn back around, and she did do, smiling at them. They embarrassedly looked anywhere but at themselves and at her.
"Hey, guys, you look cute, the girls will really go for you!" April said.
"Don't rub it in," Raph growled, hands in his pockets.
"Our life has just turned upside down in a somersault," Donnie said, plucking his jeans. "We can't go to school . . ."
"I know, but you can't say that to the cop," April said. "I'm sorry, but until we can find a way to change you back, you're just going to have to put up with it."
"But what if we change back in the middle of school?" Mikey asked. "We'd have to run outta there pretty quickly."
"What if we don't change back at all?" Leo voiced the question that had been worrying him. But should he worry?
"Hey, guys, I don't know any more than you do, but let's hope everything goes well and turns out well at the end of this." April smiled and sat down on Mikey's bed. "The thing that should be worrying you the most, is are you all going to be smothered in girls when you arrive in school?" She laughed, while the guys blushed.
Hera walked back in, and smiled at them being dressed.
"Okay guys, you're free to go, but I just need to take down a few details, and you two will be back here at the end of the week to have those stitches out," she added to Donnie and Raph.
They followed her out of the room, after she had asked Raph if he wanted crutches for his leg and he almost shouted 'no'. They still felt funny walking on five-toed feet. And they felt so much lighter on their backs. No shell, and it felt like something had just been amputated. Leo helped Raph walk, as his brother was limping pretty bad, but he refused anything for it.
They got to the very bottom floor of the hospital and followed Hera to the very front of the hospital where the counter was, and the waiting visitors.
Hera asked the lady at the counter to pass her a form, and then she turned back to the guys and asked them their age, and things like that. Then she writ the name of the school they should be going to, which the cop had recommended. They didn't catch the whole name, but they just heard '-la High'. Then she put the form in her pigeonhole, asked Raph once more if he wanted crutches, and when shouted at, smiled and said goodbye to them as they finally walked out the door.
"We're out . . ." Donnie said. "And no one screamed at us when we went by . . . How weird does that feel?"
"Well they did stare at us," Mikey said.
"Well yeah, how many quadruplets do you get to see in a lifetime," April joked. "C'mon, let's get you all to the car so Raph doesn't drop in pain, I'm surprised they let you and Donnie out."
They walked across the parking lot, feeling way too strange and aware people were still looking at them, and over to April's car. She unlocked it and they all got in, Raph in the front so he could stretch his leg out and not be cramped by his brothers, who squished up in the back.
She drove them home, and all the while they were in the car, they stared out the window watching the world of daytime. They had never really seen people active in the day without having to hide. But they felt so strange. They didn't have to duck, turn away, hide, run; they just sat.
When they reached April's apartment, they had to stop themselves from going over to the ladder that led up to the building roof. They didn't need to climb it in fear of being seen. So they followed her through the building, up the stairs and into her apartment.
"Make yourselves at home, not that you never do," April smiled. "And I'll make you guys some breakfast."
They all stared at each other. For once in her apartment, they felt strange.
"Sit down then," April said. "Raph can take some weight off that leg."
Leo helped Raph onto the couch, and he sat down next to him, while Mikey sat on the other side of Raph, and Donnie sat in the armchair that Splinter always vacates.
"April, can we phone Splinter?" Leo asked.
"Sure, go ahead."
Leo got up and went over to the phone. He knelt down and dialled their number, letting it ring. It ran for ages, but was not picked up. Leo finally put the phone down.
"He's not picking up," Leo said, sounding worried.
"Maybe he's out looking for us," Mikey suggested.
"He'll be fine, Leo," Donnie reassured. "Splinter can look after himself, I mean, he taught us."
"Yeah," Leo agreed. Master Splinter was capable, but Leo always worried. It was in his nature to worry when things seemed different or wrong.
April brought over their breakfast, and they hungrily ate it, thanking her.
She smiled as she watched them eat, then she went back to make a pot of tea.
"Oh, forgot to tell you," April called from the kitchen over the noise of the kettle. "Casey left a few things around here, and never took them back. There's quite a lot of his stuff in the back bedroom, so use that if those clothes get mucky, which I'm positive they will. I think they'll fit you. I cleaned them so don't worry."
They all looked at each other.
"What was Casey doing round here, and to leave his clothes?" Raph grinned.
"Oh, he, er, got into one of his fights and nearly killed himself," April said, blushing a bit. "I said he could stay, so he has done a few times. Don't you even think about anything!"
The guys laughed, and noticed how much their voices hadn't changed. Not at all. Still the same voices, still the same eyes.
"Oh, and I brought your weapons back for you," April said and walked up the stairs, coming down a few seconds later with a sports bag, and Leo and Donnie's weapon sticking out of the zip. "They were going to ask you why you had these on you, but I guess they forgot. Nearly weren't gunna let me take them, but I said they belong to a friend of mine and were stolen."
She put the bag down next to the couch and Mikey got up and grabbed his belt. He put it around his waist, which was now way too small for his belt. But he adjusted the strap, and it fit perfectly.
They others adjusted theirs as well. They were all so much different now.
April brought in their tea, and they drank thirstily.
"So, what do we do now that we can't go back down the sewers?" Mikey asked, feeling totally lost in the human world.
"Use your imagination," April smiled. "There's a whole world out there, and for once you can all be a part of it. Best make the most of you time like that."
The guys looked surprised, not realising what they could now do. Leo thought that April always referred to them as going to turn back soon . . . But what if they didn't?
The phone ran and they jumped. Leo hoped it would be Splinter.
April answered, but the conversation was not one she would have with the Ninja Master. She put the phone down.
"Guys, I have to go to work, so I'm gunna have to leave you here," she began to get ready, putting on her jacket and bringing her shoes out from the cupboard. "Get what you want to eat, and if you go out I have a spare key I can give to you; not that you might because Raph can't walk, but I should be back in a few hours, I'll phone ya." Then she tossed Leo a cut key, and walked out the door.
The guys all stared at the key, then looked at each other.
"I wanna go out!" Mikey said excitedly.
"We can't, Raph can't walk," Leo said, pointing to Raph who was falling asleep.
"Wha'?" He asked, hearing his name.
"Hey Raph, can you walk?" Mikey asked, ignoring the stern look from Leo.
"What kind of question's that? I got two legs."
"No," Donnie said. "Raph shouldn't be putting any weight on his leg, and I'm not too sure I want to explore so soon after . . . After, well, this . . ."
"Let's just think," Leo spoke again. "I mean, how could this have happened, think out the most possible ways."
"I have no idea it's just -" Donnie began, but then froze and a thoughtful expression changed his face.
"What? What is it Donnie?" Leo asked, frowning at his brother.
"I just thought . . ." Donnie half whispered. "Remember the other day, when we were eating that pizza . . .?"
"Yeah," Mikey said, waiting for his brother to continue.
"Well, didn't you say, Mikey, that it tasted strange?"
Mikey thought, his memory was a little less clear than his brothers as he had the worst head injury.
"Yeah . . . I think I did . . ." Mikey said slowly, then realised what Donnie was saying.
"What . . . You think it was the pizza?" Leo asked, also catching on.
"Well, yeah, I mean, think; when we ate that pizza, Mikey said there was a strange taste to it . . . And then afterwards, we had that conversation about humans, and Mikey said it, didn't he?"
"I said, I wished . . ." Mikey said.
Donnie nodded. "Yes. That must have been it. There was something in that pizza, I'm sure. Or maybe forget that and call it coincidence," he snapped at Raph, who he had noticed was shaking his head to all of Donnie's explanation.
"Soz, Don, s'not that . . . I mean, well, yeah it is. How the hell did a pizza change us?" Raph said.
"Mikey changed us! The pizza was just the juice!" Donnie said, slapping his hand in his other hand to hit his point.
All brothers stayed silent for a while, to let this new information/explanation sink in. Was it possible? Was what Donnie said true? And how would they change back?
Finally Mikey broke the silence.
"So . . . Do I eat another pizza and wish us back?"
They all looked at him. He looked back and shrugged.
"I have a feeling it was just that one, and lucky us got it." Donnie said, sarcastically with the 'lucky'.
They felt sick with this subject, even know they all wanted hard proof of what happened to them; so they changed the subject . . . At least Mikey did.
"Just think what and where we could go now . . ." Mikey said, as though his dreams had come true . . . Which they had in one way.
None of his brothers answered. Mikey looked: Leo was staring into space, Donnie was obviously deep in thought with the funny face screwed up, and Raph was snoozing, drooping on Leo's shoulder, who didn't even know. Mikey sighed.
/\/\/\/\
The soldiers made a fearful line in front of their Master, who was looking rather steamed. He watched as his men lined up, and he paced up and down, slowly in front of them.
"What happened?" He demanded in his rough, hard voice, which he was pleased to see, made the Foot flinch ever so slightly.
One nervous soldier stepped forward. He bowed respectfully.
"We attacked the figures in the trench coats you described, they fought exactly like our enemies," the man said. "But they were not. They were only four cloaked kids, teenagers. But they did have the same weapons . . ."
He bowed again and stopped back, probably dripping with nervous sweat, and lucky to not have been killed for being the bad news.
Their Master stopped pacing and it was clear from his silence and his stance that he was thinking. The soldiers were also in thought. What had happened down in that alleyway? The fighting skills and the weapons had been exactly the same as those freaks'; but when un-hooded, they were human kids . . .