The next day, morning
Outside the TCRI lab, a high school bus arrived and parked by the entrance. When the bus door opened, a teacher came out, and the students got off the bus one by one. Each student is paired up with a partner; among them is Arianina, who is paired up with an African American teenage girl. Her hair is wavy and short, with half her hair shaved off on the left side; she has brown eyes and wearing a red crop top with a black leather jacket, shorts ripped on the edge, fishnet leggings, and black studded boots. She even has fingerless leather gloves. She glared at Arianina, who ignored her and had her hood up.
And the last to come off the bus is April, holding a camera in her hand. As soon she was sure no one was looking, she turned around and gave out a whistle. The turtles came out of the ally, dressed in their disguise, and caught up with April as she followed the class.
Leo looks up and down, scanning the building. "Well, this doesn't look so bad." He stated.
" The building looks significantly ahead, like one for a sci-fi movie with the fancy robots," Mikey added. He turns to Donnie. "Are you sure TCRI is making a new spice for food? Like pizza?"
" Positive, it's totally out of this world." Donnie nodded. "I promise you that it will be worth it."
Leo has his arms crossed as he looks at the building still. "I don't know; I still have doubts about this place." He doubted. "I keep hearing these crazy rumors of this place like they are doing human experiments."
" Leo, it's just a silly rumor." April scoffed at this. "They aren't like that, Stockboy." She walks away from them. "Now come on, we're getting behind with the kids."
The turtles rushed up and caught up with April and the students just in time when the door opened for them.
Inside the building, they are in the reception room with a secretary typing on her desk. The reception is cozy with ten sets of chairs, a table with a science magazine, a small stand with a DNA statue, and in the corner is a milkvetch in a pot. Behind the secretary on the wall is the company log closing in light blue. And lastly are two sets of doors.
Rockwell is coming out on the right door; he almost tripped and regained himself. Pinned to his lab coat is a DNA badge pinned on his right side. He clears his throat. "Hello. Welcome to the Techno Cosmic Research Institute, or TCRI for short. I am Tyler Rockwell; I will be your guide for this amazing trip." He grinned at the students. "Now, I will need to remind you. No flash photography; our scientists are busy now and need to focus." He turned around. "Follow me, please." He opened the door, came out, and let the students and the turtles in.
They stopped near a rail that had two stairs on the left and right. Donnie gripped the railing and gasped softly at sight he was memorizing.
On the bottom floor, every scientist in a different station is working on their task. Some are mixing chemicals, some are doing mathematics while writing them down, and some are typing on computers and creating programs. Computer scanners beat in bright lights and print their results. At the end of the stairs are directions to which department of the building. And each scientist has a badge of the department they are skilled with on their lab coat. It is everything Donnie has ever dreamed of.
The group follows Rockwell down the left stairs, carefully watching their steps. Along the way, April takes a picture of the scientist working.
" Wow. I never knew TCRI was so advanced on the inside." Donnie beamed. "It's amazing."
Leo groaned. "And here we go. Donnie is going to be talking all nerdy along the way." He rubs his face. "Why did I get talked into this?"
"Here in TCRI, our researchers study the astronautical and mental task of the human mind." Rockwell guided them as they walked to the side to not get in his co-worker's way. "We all believe that changing the human brain will make a great impact on putting mental crime to end."
Then the African American teenage girl, standing by Arianina's side, asked. "So you are trying to change the psychos to be, like, normal people?" Arianina rolled her eyes.
" It's what our head scientist, Eric Sacks believed," Rockwell answered. "We have been getting many news reports of strange criminals with unnatural abilities, so he wants to stop it so New York will be a safe city for tourists and newcomers."
Behind them, Raph whispered to his brothers. "Does he mean the mutants and the yokais?"
"I think so." April nodded.
" But how? Draxum's oozequito doesn't have a cure," Mikey added. "There's no way they can do something he can't."
" in TCRI, we believe in making a change to change the world." Rockwell continued. "From looking for signs of Astro life forces to healing the mental injures." He leads the students as they write down notes.
Then he led them to a small pool that had turtles in them on top of a cart, and by it was a teenage girl with blonde hair in a bun, pale skin, bright blue eyes, dressed in jeans, a blue shirt, tennis shoes and wear a lab coat with a biology logo on her left side. "These turtles were brought here by the animal store, proclaiming that the poor creatures are almost near their end," Rockwell explains. "My assistant here will demonstrate how we work here." He turns to the girl. "Ms. Benci, if you may."
" yes, sir." She faced the group. "Hello, students; my name is Ginevra Benci. I am a worker here at TCRI. What I do here is I take care of our animals, like the turtles." She reaches into the pool and picks up a red-bellied turtle. She held it to show them. "This one here is suffering from a cold, but with the chemical the lab made, we can save his life and hope to find him a good home." She reaches for a syringe filled with chemicals lying on a small table. With her handshaking, she breathes in and out. "You got this, Ginny, you got this." She mumbled quietly.
She injects the needle into the turtle's vein on his leg, being extremely careful not to hurt it. She breathed again. "There we go." She mumbled again, putting the syringe on the table and the turtle on the pool. "By now, the chemical is entering the veins, healing him from the cold." She smiled at them.
" thank you. Give her a huge hand for her amazing effort." Rockwell smiled.
The students clapped and applauded her, who was still smiling. Leo peaks in from between and spots Ginny. His own eyes widen at the sight of her.
Unknown to them, Arianina was staring in horror at the demonstration. Inside her pocket, she is gripping her fists until they turn red. But Bello inside licks her hand to calm her down. She sighed, not liking this. She continued watching in disgust.
" Thank you all. If it weren't for Tyler, I wouldn't be here." Ginny motioned to Rockwell.
" Oh, stop it." Rockwell chuckled with a wave of his hand.
Suddenly, a teenage girl with long red ginger hair in a loose pigtail, freckles on her pale face, and blue eyes dressed in jeans, a yellow turtleneck sweater, converse shoes, and a brown jacket. She reaches into the pool and pulls out a greek turtle. She raises a finger to touch its forehead. "Aww, what's wrong with this fellow?" She asked. The greek turtle nibbles her finger.
" Fungi," Ginny answered.
Then a teenage boy with the same hair, eye color, skin, and freckles. But his red ginger hair is in a ponytail, jeans, a yellow t-shirt, a brown jacket, and converse shoes; he reaches in, grabs the turtles, and puts them back in the pool. "Judi, please don't touch it." He told her as she pouted.
The African girl reaches in and grabs a map turtle. She stares at it. "So the store owner gave them away 'cause they're sick? What the hell does that mean?" She questioned them while her other hand was placed on her hip.
" We are not monsters that torture animals to satisfy our research, they have more rights than we do, and we wish to help them get better so they will have a home to be safe." Rockwell disclosed.
" Sounds very pathetic to me." She rolls her eyes. Then the turtles bite her palm hand hard." Ow!" Then she dropped in, but Ginny caught it and placed it back in the pool. "It better not have anything contagious!" She snarled.
" no, we already healed him from a bad shell infection." Ginny glared at her.
" Good! That little squirt bites me." She glared at the turtle who was lying on the sand.
" You did disturb his nap." Ginny glared. "Need to remind you not to touch the turtles; they have been injected with unsafe chemicals for humans like us." She told them.
" Sorry, Ms. Benci..." Judi looks down.
Ginny smiled. "It's okay, and call me Ginny since I am close to your student's age."
The African girl crossed her arms, eyeing her. "Then how come you're ain't in school like us?" She asked her.
Ginny blinked, feeling hurt by this. She didn't answer as she cast her eyes down.
" Come on. I want an answer." She pursued her.
That's when Leo stepped in and came between Ginny and the teen. "Hey, don't push her. Maybe she is dealing with something she doesn't want to discuss, and you must respect that." Leo scolded with his arms crossed.
She groaned. "Fine! Whatever, loser!" She turned around and returned to her partner, who glared at her.
Ginny touches his shoulder. "Thanks for standing up to me. No one has ever done that." She thanked him.
Leo turns to face her, rubbing the back of his neck. "No prob, I'm dealing with things at home too." He chuckled in bashfulness. "The names' Leo."
" Leo?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.
" It's short for Leonardo." He explained.
" Like Leonardo da Vinci?" Ginny asked. "That's a cool name." She let out a smile.
" Thanks." Leo smiled back. "And Ginevra, it's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl like you."
Ginny blinked. "Me? Beautiful?" She places her hands on her hips.
" of course. What else?" Leo implied. He clears his throat. "Say, got any plans after this? Cause I know a fancy restaurant with the best pizza." He boasted till Raph came in and stopped their conversation.
" Okay, Leo, let's get a move on!" He grunted at him. He faced Ginny. "Sorry about my brother." He apologized.
" It's fine." Ginny brushed it off. "I have two older brothers that like to flirt with girls." She grabs the handle of a cart. "You have a lovely day."
"You too." Raph smiled. Once Ginny pulled the cart away and headed to the nearby hallway, Raph faced Leo. "What was that for?" He questioned his brother.
" what? I'm trying to be nice; It's no big deal." Leo scoffed.
" Yeah, but she is a human, and I saw how you look at her." Raph pointed out. During the demonstration, he spots Leo looking at Ginny like she is the best thing in Leo's life.
Leo pushes him back a bit. "Relax, it's nothing personal." He rolled his eyes. "And besides, I don't think she is my type." He added. Before Raph could argue back, they heard a loud yelp of pain.
The two turn their heads and spot the African teen pulling Arianina's long hair. Arianina tried to pull her hair back, but the teen was more potent than her. It only made her scream in more pain from the force.
" Let me go, you jerk!!" Arianina shouted.
" When was the last time you cleaned and got your hair clipped off?" The teen pulled more, almost like she was pulling a wig off. "You are just looking like a sad hobo Unluck!" She laughed, taunting, pulling more, and making Arianina scream in pain.
Raph faced Leo. "We'll discuss this later." He growled. He marched to the two girls with an angry expression. He grabbed the teen's hand and lifted her up, letting her let go of Arianina's hair as she ran off from them. "Look here, missy!" Raph pulls the girl to face him. "You don't get to treat her like that!"
She just rolled her eyes, not caring at all. "And why should I listen to you?" She sassed at him; only it just made him madder.
" Because I can break you, and I don't care if you are a lady!" He poked her stomach hard, and she gasped and clung to her stomach.
Then April came and put a hand on his arm. "Raph, you're making a scene here." She told him.
Raph turned and spotted the students, their teacher, Rockwell, and some of the scientists staring at him. He growled, then he let her go as she fell on the floor and got back up.
" If I caught you humiliating anyone else again, I won't go easy on you." He gave her a warning as he had his arms crossed.
Only she gave him a taunting expression. "I like to see you try!" She chuckled cruelly, and she walked ahead of the group.
Raph glared in her direction. "I can't stand her!" He growled, gripping his fists in a tight ball.
" She's not worth it," April reassured him with a touch on his shoulder. That seemed to calm him down. "Come on; we still got some sightseeing." The two return to the group as they return to their tour.
" Okay then." Rockwell mumbled. "if you follow me, we will catch sight of our worker on tech testing." The group followed him. "They build automated cars with auto drive and excellent GPS. No more taking those silly driving lessons for disabled citizens." They headed to the tech department, and April took more pictures along the way.
Behind them, Arianina slowed until the group was out of sight. She was still mad at the show they saw. She doesn't care what Rockwell said about not treating them as test subjects; scientists like him can't be trusted around animals for their sick research. She spots a scientist heading to a lone hallway that has a sign of the bio lab.
Once she was positive no one was watching her or catching her, she quietly followed the scientist down the hallway and went after him as she disappeared into the lightless hallway.
Back with the turtles and the students, they watch mechanical scientists working on testing their inventions and taking notes for flaws and improvements behind the window glass. The students write down, amazed and interested.
Donnie watched and pressed himself against the window glass. "Oh, mi gosh! These techs are far more advanced than I ever dreamed of!" He beamed with a huge smile and had stars in his eyes. "Auto-drive vehicles! Mechanical organs and hand-free devices!! This must be heaven!!" He hopped on his feet and held his fist up while smiling still.
Rockwell noticed him, curious of this young man and how he reacted around here. So he approaches him with his hands behind him. "You got an eye for technology, young man," Rockwell commented.
Donnie looked up and faced him. "I happen to be a scientist myself." He prided himself.
" We can definitely use young minds like yours," Rockwell added. "If you ever think of joining TCRI, we offer teaching programs and classes; give us a call." Rockwell reaches into his lab coat pocket, pulls out a card, and hands it to Donnie. On the card are the company name, the logo, the address, emails with Rockwell, Falco, Eric, and the secretary, and even the company's phone numbers.
Donnie gasped at this. It's an offer from a scientist who is interested in his skill and offering to teach him. "Thank you so much sir!" He thanked him. Rockwell smiled and went back to his touring.
April smiled at him, standing by his side. "See Donnie? Don't you feel much better already?" She hinted yesterday.
" Thank you so much for this idea, April; best sneak out ever," Donnie exclaimed; he pulled up his jacket and put the card in his belt pocket.
" Glad to get you out of your shell." She took one last picture at the mechanics
Arianina walks down the hallway, looking at the doors that have labels. She tried to find a room that was carrying the turtles or any animals in; she couldn't risk letting them be test subjects for the scientists. Sure it can get her into trouble, but her injustice overtakes her senses and her reason for what's right and wrong. She pressed on till she was at the fork of the hallway. She let out a growl of irritation.
Then in the corner of her eyes, on the left side of the hallway, she spots a lone scientist walking down the long stairway. It piques her curiosity, thinking it could be the way to the turtles and many others that have become test subjects. After making sure they were out of sight, she rushed quickly and stopped at the stair edge. She grabs hold of the side pole and quietly walks down the stairs, trying to ensure her presence is unnoticed.
She finally reached the end, facing a long hallway with windows to each lab room. She quietly walks down the path while looking inside the windows. Something about those rooms made her feel unsafe; it was almost like this floor was where they did dangerous experiments and held dark secrets that the staff wanted no one to know. She walks to a window and takes a look inside the room.
Then out of nowhere, she flinched and fell on her bun. Inside was Sister Krang, roaring at her and letting out a snarl. Arianina looked shocked at this. This must be one of the monsters that caused the invasion last year. And to see one in person was unexpected of her and under the care of TCRI. But to how they got their hand on it is a mystery to her. She slowly gets up while still locked in Sister Krang's glaze. And she sprints onward to the hallway.
She stopped three doors ahead and took a breather. This is more than what she expected; she thought she would find the turtles here and not be face-to-face with a dangerous alien. She turns her head to the right and sees a single door with no window view and only a danger sign. It was the same door Bishop had passed through. Arianina slowly walked to the door and gripped on the doorknob. Finding out it was unlocked, she stepped in and entered inside while closing the door behind her.
While on the far side of the hallway, Judi was on her own, looking around the shadowed hallway and moving forward. She stopped, only facing a wall on her path. She then puts her hands over her ears as if she is blocking any noise. A hand touched her shoulder, causing her to scream and jump.
She turned around and was face to face with her brother. "Judi! What are you doing here?!" Julian shouted. "We shouldn't be here!"
" but the voices are telling me to come here," Judi explained. "They said they found something; they won't stop until I follow them." She rubbed her hands together, rubbing them faster and faster. Julian stopped her hands and held them.
" I know, but we can get into trouble if we are caught," Julian spoke calmly. "Let's get back." Judi nodded.
" You two! You're not allowed here!" They both heard a stern voice. Going their way is Ginny; she has just put the turtles back in their lab and was about to head back up when she heard voices that weren't her co-workers. She put her hands on her hips, giving them a motherly glare.
Julian sighed. "So sorry, Ginny, my sister has schizophrenia. She started seeing hallucinations that started to look more realistic and voices that were getting more demanding too." Julian explained to her.
Ginny's glare softens. "Schizophrenia?" She asked. "I think I know a medicine for schizophrenia." She added. She then waves her hand, motioning them to follow her. "Follow me, and we can go back to your group."
Judi and Julian smiled. Happy to find a way to help Judi. "Thank you." Julian thanked her, and the two followed her down the same hallways Arianina was in.
Then suddenly, the three heard a loud crash sound. Ginny scans the area, silencing the two to keep quiet. It could be a worker coming in and might fall from lack of light or a worker who is slacking off instead of doing their job in their department. She took their hands and looked for the source. She spots a faint light inside a room that has a viewing window; she slowly walks to the door that has been open a bit.
She pokes her head inside, and to her and the two are surprised. Sitting on the boxes was just the black teen as she was playing on her phone and listening to punk music with her headsets on. Ginny sighed. This is getting more troublesome and she will be in more trouble with her boss.
She pushes the door open more and walks inside. "Excuse me, what are you doing here?" She asked her with a very stern voice. The black teen looks up from her phone and pulls her headset off. "This is a private area and not for students here." Ginny has her arms crossed.
"But you are here, and these two are." She pointed out and mentioned the two twins watching from the door.
" I am a worker, not a student." Ginny retorted.
" Yet you are younger than these old gizzards." She commented.
Ginny growled under her breath; she uncrossed her arms and rubbed the bridge between her two brows. This teen is becoming a thorn in her side. "look. I don't got time to argue with you." She started. "I promise them I got a medicine for her schizophrenia and have to take them back to their group, including you, ma'am."
The black teen glared at her. "It's Primrose, not ma'am." Primrose implied.
" Fine, Primrose." Ginny rolled her eyes. "Follow me."
"Whatever, miss control freak." Primrose rolled her eyes. She got up from the boxes and put both her phone and headset inside her shorts. She followed the three out of the room and resumed their way down the ominous hallway.
Meanwhile, during their meeting, Arianina was looking around the lab, which is much bigger than the small rooms she passed by. It was wide as a lake and tall as a grand oak tree. The floor is stainless steel and makes a soft sound from her converse shoes. The walls are in a dark stage of blue. She spots two empty desks with no chairs and a tall cabinet on the right side of the room. She looks up at the ceiling; the ceiling lights are dull, leaving no harsh lighting and a vast fan overhead.
She heard a crash sound, looked down, and saw a piece of paper stick on her converse. She lifts her leg up, pulls the paper out, straightens it, and reads it. On the paper were instructions based on chemistries and a drawing of a strange mosquito she had never seen.
As she read, a soft light of green color flashed from the corner of her eyes. It caught her attention. She set the paper down on a desk nearby and turned her head to the source. She let out a faint gasp at the sight she saw.
And right in the middle of the room is a tall, colossal tube that is glued from top to floor. Inside is a slimy green chemical that swirls and waves around the tube. It has a small hole that is plugged up on the bottom and behind its platform with a rail and stairs on both sides. The green chemical also gives a green light around it while it shines on Arianina's shocked face, who covers her mouth with her hand as she backs away, only to be stopped by the desk.
Then she heard a deep growl from the right corner of the room. She turns her head and lets out a sharp gasp.
She spots a big cage that is holding a Chinese Alligator inside. It was looking at her as it growled. Arianina couldn't believe her eyes. What is that massive tube of green chemicals? What was an alligator doing here? What was this room for? And what is happening?
But her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps and voices coming. She quickly hides under the desk, covering her mouth with both hands as the door opens and two men come in.
Eric and Falco walked passed Arianina's hiding spot; Falco was holding a clipboard while Eric kept walking till he was a foot before the tube. He lifts a hand and strokes the tube glass.
Eric turned and faced Falco. "Is the test subject ready?" He asked him.
" Ready, sir." Falco gave him a nod.
" Good. Let's begin." Eric nodded back.
Falco makes his way to the caged alligator, grabs it, and drags it close to the tube. Then he heads to the cabinet, open it and pull out two gas mask. He put one on him and gave the other to Eric.
The alligator glared at Eric, narrowing its eyes. Then suddenly, it bites the cage and shakes it too. Falco grabbed hold of the cage to keep it still, but the alligator kept going. Eric rolled his eyes at this. This happened every time. But the alligator's snot slipped through the bars, and it bit Eric on the leg, making him scream. He growled and then kicked the cage, shocking the alligator and making it stop. Once they are sure it won't make a ruckus, it feels calm enough for the two.
Falco let the cage go, he opens the small plug, and green gas let out. Arianina, in her hiding spot, watched while still covering her mouth. Falco and Eric stepped back and watched the gas envelop the alligator as it inhaled the gas through its mouth. After ten seconds, Falco closes the small plug. The massive ceiling fan turns on and blows the gas out of the room till it turns off by itself. They waited for what felt like minutes.
Arianina looks very worried for the alligator. Whatever they release could be dangerous for it. But saving it is the last thing on her mind now. She needs to get out of here before she gets found and gets into big trouble.
But her thoughts of getting out are broken by the painful roar of the alligator. Her eyes widen at the horror behold her and the two. The alligator's bones cracked through its skin, one by one. Its painful roar echoed throughout the room, clearly in sear pain. Falco wrote it all down on his clipboard as he and Eric watched. Then the alligator rises on its hind legs, its bone-cracking almost like it is changing. Its arms grown muscular, form a male chest, almost turning into a humanized version of itself. Its eyes change to having an iris of yellow. It was panting from the painful transformation.
Seeing this reaction, Falco and Eric both took their mask off. Falco wrote the progress down while Eric just looked down to the ground. Then he growled and smacked his fist at the desk; Arianina almost flinched from the impact.
" Damn it! This is the sixth time this month!" Eric shouted in frustration. "This ooze is still a malfunction!!"
" We're trying our best, sir," Falco reassured him. "Our smartest chemist are trying their best to perfect it." He sighed. "It's just not ready yet."
Eric slowly faced him. "Not ready yet?" He huffed out. "Not ready yet!? Falco, I didn't steal that damn bug out of thin air for it not to be ready yet!" He yelled at him.
Falco fixed his lab coat, right where a human brain logo is pinned on his left side. "Eric, as your best friend and colleague for six years. We are dealing with this strange phenomenon that is far beyond our reach." He explained. "This is the reason why we can't get into the EDF."
But Eric smacked the clipboard off his hand; it fell and landed by Arianina's spot as she hid as deep as she could. "Is your mind full of rats?!!" He fumed. "That idiot Bishop turns his back on me 'cause he thinks he knows better than me! Like those fools who said my work is dangerous to society."
" Cause it is," Falco answered him right when he kneeled down and picked up his clipboard. He didn't see Arianina being quiet. "Eric, that ooze has turned half of the population into monsters." Falco pointed out. "Think of what would happen if you released it around New York. We might cause a serious pandemic, and Bishop would shut us down."
" Listen, I am not letting a single man tell me that what I am doing is wrong," Eric argued. "I just need the right chemical to create this gas, and once I am sure it will not turn anyone into a monster, my plan to turn New York into a health hazard zone will get me stupid rich and be the most powerful man in New York, more powerful than Bishop himself."
Arianina listened to everything Eric said and felt an air of horror. Make this ooze into a hazard weapon? All for money? But it might harm the animals too. She slowly backed away, but she ended up bumping her head on the desk, and her loud yelp echoed throughout the room.
That caught the two's attention. Eric turned his head and saw Arianina rubbing her head. "Hey! What are you doing here?!" Eric yelled at her. "This is a restricted area! No students allowed!"
Arianina stands up and puts on her brave face. "I heard everything." She added.
" You were here the whole time?" Eric gasped. A student was here the whole time and heard his plans.
" And how you are using that thing to make a deadly gas!" She shouted in anger. "If you release it, you could infect the animals too!"
Eric scoffed. "I could care less of those nasty, dirty test subjects." He rolled his eyes in response.
Arianina gasped. "Test subjects!?" She growled. "You scientist give out a bad name!"
"Oh please, you're just a kid. Who will believe you?" Eric pressed his watch, which let out a loud alarm. No later, five guards came and circled around Arianina. "Guards, take this brat and throw her out, TCRI," Eric ordered them with a wave of his hand.
One guard stepped in and grabbed Arianina by the shoulder. But suddenly, Arianina grabbed his arm, lifted herself up, and kicked him in the face. It caused him to let her go, and she landed on her feet. Another guard grabbed her from behind, then she flipped over him and elbowed him from behind. Arianina punched another guard and hit him on the stomach with her kneecap.
Eric groaned and gridded his teeth in frustration. "Aw, come on! It's one kid!" He shouted.
" One kid that took lots of martial arts and gymnastics classes!" Arianina responded back as she jumped and kicked a guard in the face.
"Okay. Then let's take it to the next challenge." Eric turned to Falco. "Send in more guards!" He shouted.
Falco pulled out a radio talker and spoke through. "All post patrol down on Room X!" He ordered.
Soon ten guards came into the room. Nina was panting as her knees are shaking. She can't keep fighting; she isn't strong enough. She spots two electric prods leaning on the cabinet, they must be for dangerous animals. She quickly rushes to the cabinet, grabs one, and hits a guard with it. But the prod turned on, electrocuting the guard, causing him to pass out.
" For crying out loud, just grab her!" Eric snapped, getting annoyed that his men were getting beaten by a teenage girl.
Arianina hit them more with the prod, all five hit and electrocuted too. Just as she is about to be cornered, the mutant alligator rams in his cage and rams more until it is broken and runs out in all four. Arianina noticed the alligator running their way, she leaped out of the way and hit her body against the tube, and the alligator hit the wall.
" He got out!" Falco shouted among the chaos.
Suddenly, they all heard a crack. All attention turned to the tube that had a crack in the glass. Then it grew and grew. The guards and the one who gained consciousness all ran out in fear. Arianina gasped while Eric screamed.
" No!! No!! No!! No!! NO!!!" Eric shouted. "Look what you've done!!"
Arianina get up, but Bello fell out of her hoodie pocket. He let out a chirp. "I'm sorry, Bello." Arianina picked him up and held him.
Then the tube shattered and let out all the ooze out. Arianina gasped, turned, and ran to the entrance. But she fell on her knees, feeling weak in her legs. She looks at her legs, they are shaking, and she doesn't have time to rest. She sees the ooze coming to the entrance. She looks at Bello, who is nibbling on her thumbs; she has to make the most challenging choice.
" I'm sorry, Bello." She apologies. She put him down, then she took her hoodie off, revealing her dark long sleeve purple turtleneck. She put Bello in her hoodie and tie it to a ball with him inside. "Please take care of yourself and find a good home!" With her final strength, she throws Bello out of the doorway just as she got hit by the ooze and lets out a loud scream of pain.
Ginny, Prim, and the twins walk down the same hallway, following Ginny. Judi stays by Julian's side while Prim looks bored. And that's when they heard a loud scream from the same lab.
" The hell?" Prim blinked.
" It's coming from over there!" Judi point at the open lab door.
Ginny shook her head. "Oh no! That is a restricted room!" Ginny yelled. "I am not allowed to go there!"
" But it could be someone in trouble!" Judi runs to the door. "Let's go!"
" No! No!" Ginny panicked.
Judi rushes fast while the three catch up to her. Julian grabbed her arm and stopped her. And out of the room is a balled-up hoodie. Julian let go of Judi, picked up the hoodie, and Bello poked his head out.
" What the?" Julian looks confused.
The three turned their attention to the open room. But before he and the three girls knew it, the ooze came out, and it hit the teens. And everything went black.
With April and the turtles, they are sitting in a cafeteria area along with the students who are taking a lunch break. The cafeteria around them is clean white walls and spotless clean floors. It has a cafe with coffee, pastries, and fruits. Have ten tables with chairs and a food court served well.
As for lunch, the turtles are enjoy TCRI pizza. Mikey took a bite, enjoying the flavor.
" For a geek lab, they make delicious pizzas," Leo commented while he was chewing.
" Mmhm." Mikey nodded.
April smiled at the boys. "So, any thoughts of today?" She asked them.
Raph thinks. "Well, it's pretty cool and what they can do." He answered.
" It's not bad; I give it a 6 out of 10," Leo answered back, taking another bite of the pizza.
Donnie looks offended. "Not bad?! It's the perfect place for a genius like me! I love it!" He smiled hugely. He enjoyed his time here and watching other scientists work around here. April smile at him, happy that he is forgetting his nightmares.
But their moment is interrupted by a loud alarm beeping around the building. The alarm made the scientists and workers stop working. And a loud announcement is heard. "All must exit out, all must exit out." it confused the students, the turtles, and April. Did something happen?
" What's going on?" Mikey asked.
Rockwell gulped. "Oh dear, I'm afraid that our tour will be cut short, my little scientists." He professed. "Thank you all for your time here at TCRI." He apologized to each student, who all groaned and whined in disappointment and get into a line.
Their teacher did a headcount of the students, but then she noticed someone missing. "Wait, I am four students short." She said. "Where is Judith? Julian? Arianina and Primrose?" She looks around concern on her face.
" Oh, dear." Rockwell walks away from the group, pulling out a radio and speaking through. "Hello, we got a problem up here."
" And we got a problem down here too!" Falco's voice spoke through the radio.
" What are you talking about? These are four missing students, and someone triggered the emergency alarm." Rockwell declared.
" Well, one of those missing students was in the Mutagen Room and let out all the ooze out!" Falco explained.
Rockwell shouted. "What?!" A student was in the underground lab and in the room. This can't be good.
While the trouble is happening, the turtles are still in their seat and listening to everything. They discussed it.
"This sound really bad," Raph spoke.
"Four missing students? What should we do?" Mikey asked in concern.
Leo thinks. "Well, if Doctor Rockwell can't, it's up to us." He turned to Donnie. "Donnie, can you do a scan of the building?" He asked him.
Donnie nodded. "Easy as a pizza pie." He answered. He pulls down his goggles, which take a scan around, and a map of the underground lab is seen inside them. "Hmm. It seems that this building has an underground lab just past that hallway over there." He points in the direction that Arianina took.
"Then that's where we are heading." Leo implied. "Ninja in gang." In commendation, they stuck to the shadows and followed Donnie, who followed the map in his goggles.
They walked down the same hallway and stopped right at the fork. A scientist walked passed them along with a mechanic. They stayed in the shadows while waiting for them to be out of sight. Once Donnie gave them an okay, they turned left and found the stairway. The turtles just jumped down while April took the stairs down.
The turtles landed on the ground, and April made it down to the bottom. They walk down the dark hallway, and then their track is stopped by a mess of green ooze.
"Gross! What is it!?" Raph shriek.
Donnie moves ahead, pulls out his Bo staff, and pokes it. It didn't melt or burn. "It's not hazardous." He acknowledged, his goggles taking a quick scan of the ooze.
"Good, meaning we can get across." Mikey was about to take a step, but Donnie stops him,
Donnie held Mikey by the arm. "Wait, my reading says this ooze is the same as the oozequito." He confirmed.
Leo blinked. "You're saying this is the same mutagen from Draxum's bugs!?" He shouted. "And TCRI got a hold of them?!"
Donnie nodded. "Afraid so." He looked ahead and spot something near an open door. "I spot something over there, just five doors down."
The group carefully walked over to the ooze, trying not to get double-mutated. Raph even has April on his shoulder, keeping her safe from being mutated too. The five failed to notice the same Krang watching them from her prison while growling.
April turned around, looking at the window. But see no one inside. So she returns her focus on getting to their destination.
By the time they reached the door, they all stopped in their track. They even stopped their breathing too at the sight upon them.
" Oh-" Raph gasped.
" Mi-"Mikey whispered.
" Gosh." Donnie finished.
On the floor, surrounded by the ooze, are four mutant turtles. A red-bellied side neck with blonde hair, and her clothes are melted. A map turtle with short curly black hair, her clothes shredded from the shell. And two greek turtles with red hair; the female has long red hair, while the male has a ponytail. Both their clothes were ripped apart. All four are unconscious from the impact of the ooze and got turned into the last being they last touched was the turtles.
Leo noticed the blonde hair turtle. "Ginny!" He rushed and kneeled, placing his fingers on her throat, and checking her pulse.
" Okay, this is beyond freaky." Mikey gulped.
Then they heard voices coming from the direction they came from. It must be the scientists, and they seem to have gotten guards. Panic enters their systems; they will be seen and caught along with the four new mutants.
Leo thinks for a moment, then he picks Ginny up and holds her bridal style. "We need to get them out of here." He said.
" What?!" Raph yelled. "No! No! Dad will kill us if we bring them with us!" He has his arms crossed.
" What choice do we have!?" Leo fumed. "They won't survive like this, and they will be discovered soon!"
Raph growled under his breath, but Leo did have a point as the new leader. If they leave them like this, the scientist will do what kind of experiments on them. So he picked up the map turtle and held her with one arm. He watched Mikey pick the female greek turtle and carry her in a piggyback style, and April had the male greek with his arms around her shoulder.
While his brothers are carrying the new turtles, Donnie feels a bite on his feet. He looks down and sees Bello biting his ankle. He left the hoodie while the ooze was draining out. Bello bites his ankle still. "Huh? What do you want?" He asked the tiny turtle.
Bello moves his head and points it to the open room, making a grunting noise. Donnie looked inside and felt his breath stuck in place.
Inside is a disaster. The ooze is scattered on the floor; the desk has melted into dust, and the tube has a vast shattered crack. The mutant alligator lies unconscious on the floor while its cage is dissolved like a roasted marshmallow. It was a huge mess.
" Sweet Jupiter Jim galaxy.." Donnie mumbled. He felt sick in the stomach. He can't believe the TCRI has made Draxum's mutagen. He was about to back away, but Bello's grunts stopped him.
Bello points his head to a figure lying on the floor. The long brown hair covers the figure.
Donnie gulped. He stepped in, careful to not touch the ooze. He grabbed the figure by the shoulder, turned them over, and gasped.
Laying on the floor is a mutant wood turtle with long brown hair; her clothes have ripped from her elbow, and the back of her turtleneck is destroyed from her shell. Her converse is ripped from her new feet. She grunted and opened her eyes, revealing her eyes to him. But she closed them and passed out.
Donnie looks around the lab, then look down to see Bello have curled up by his owner's side. "You must be her pet." He whispered. "Hang on, we're getting you two out of here." He picks Bello up and places him on her chest. Then he picked the wood turtle up and held her in princess style. He turned and run out of the room.
Leo has opened a portal to their lair, the scientists are getting closer, and the turtles jump into the portal one by one.
Leo spot Donnie coming. "Is that one of the missing students?" He asked.
Donnie nodded. "Yeah."
" Good, then let's get out before anyone finds out." Leo responds back. Donnie jumped in the portal, and Leo jumped in last. The portal close and disappeared.
Rockwell came along with Falco and five security guards. The two stop and are horrified by the mess. They can't believe that a girl did this and ruined their months of work. Rockwell entered the room and almost fainted.
" Good god.." Rockwell mumbled. "When you told me she let out the ooze, I never imagined it be this gruesome." He added.
" Eric! Are you there?!" Falco shouted, his voice echoing through the vast room.
Then they heard a loud growl coming from the corner of the room. Emerging from the ooze is a humanized alligator with blonde hair and ripped clothes. He looked down at his hand and widened his eyes. While the ooze was released, Eric tried to run out as he could, but the ooze was too fast, and it must have hit him along with Arianina. Now he is a mutant.
Eric huffed. "All these months, wasted and gone.." He panted, all his work, and his plans are ruined.
" sir?" Rockwell questioned him nervously.
" That little girl! That meddling little brat!" He roared. "She did this! She did this to me!!"
Rockwell pulls out a tablet from his lab coat pocket and opens a page with info on Arianina. "I believe her name is Arianina Luck, age 16, and she goes to Laneway High." He pointed out. "But I can't find any medical records of her." He scratches his head.
" Arianina.." Eric growled in rage. He glared at the two. "If you two saw her, find her and bring her here!" He huffed out. "I will make her my new test subject for the gas.
Falco nodded nervously while Rockwell just look shocked and scared for the young lady.
As the three scientists were discussing, someone stepped out of the shadow of the hallway. It was Harry who Bishop assigned to spy on TCRI. He took out his phone and opened them. It shows pictures and a footage of the turtles. He had never seen anything like them, and they weren't aliens like the Krang. But whoever they are to him, it's clear they could be a threat in their way.
Harry then dials a number. He waited for the phone to ring, and a call was answered. "It's Harry; put me online." He spoke.
" Yes, Harry? Did you get anything?" Bishop's voice asked.
" More than that, I found something very interesting you need to see," Harry responded back.