Chapter 04: A Thing About Rats
Kairu knelt beside the wooden bed, gazing worriedly at Splinter as he slept.
He sighed and stood up, wishing he could do more than stare at the brown rat and wait for him to wake up.
"How's he doing?" Asked Michelangelo worriedly.
"Exhausted, but alive." Replied Kairu.
"No internal injuries from what I can tell." Said Adam.
"He'll be fine." Said April as she assured.
"He just needs sleep." Said April.
The Turtles still didn't look pleased, in fact, they looked absolutely steamed as they left the room to let their master sleep.
Kairu and Adam followed them out to the entrance to the lair and into the sewers.
"Shredder must pay for this." Said Leonardo as he growled.
"I'd like to douse him with that mutagen and turn him into a mutant hamster!" Yelled Raphael as he agreed.
"He'll pay all right." Said Donatello as he nodded.
"By turning Splinter back into a human being." Said Donatello.
"Stay with him, April." Said Leonardo softly into the lair.
"Come on!" Yelled Raphael as he urged.
"Let's find that Technodrome!" Yelled Raphael as he and the others ran towards the door.
"Hold up!" Yelled Kairu as he went to stop the boys.
"In what universe is that a good idea?" Asked Kairu as he was looking at them like they were crazy.
"Kairu, you saw what Shredder did to Splinter!" Yelled Leonardo as he pointed out.
"All I saw was Shredder dragging Splinter off." Said Kairu.
"Then I saw him with you guys, nothing more nothing less." Said Kyle.
"Kairu, Shredder cannot get away with this!" Yelled Raphael stomped his foot in determination.
"Revenge is not the answer." Said Kairu.
"Normally, I would be all for battling it out with the Shredder but not now, when it's so soon after the battle, we jist can't risk it." Said Kairu.
"Kairu, you should stay here." Said Donatello as he suggested.
"Shredder obviously has some interest in you and we can't risk you getting hurt. That wouldn't be fair." Said Donatello.
"Fair?" Said Kairu as he scoffed.
"Was it fair when Splinter pushed me out of the way so Shredder's robot wouldn't capture me, was it fair when you guys forced me to stay behind to watch Splinter while you fought?" Asked Kairu in anger
The Turtles fell silent for a while.
"Kairu, we have to do this." Replied Michelangelo.
"We owe it to Splinter to change him back to his original form." Said Leonardo as he explained.
"He took care of us and practically raised us and you, he doesn't deserve to live underground, away from people, from a warm home, from the light of the sun." Said Leonardo.
"He may be a ninja master." Said Raphael.
"But he's still human…in a sense." Said Raphael.
Kairu sighed.
"Fine, do what you believe is right, but I'm staying with Splinter, I can look after and protect him." Said Kairu.
"Maybe I should stay too." Said Adam.
"Well it would be fun to talk to someone who isn't a so called comedian." Said Kairu as he was gesturing to Raphael.
"Oh, Ha, ha." Said Raphael as he rolled his eyes.
"That's so funny I forgot to laugh." Said Raphael as he and the others began to walk out.
Kairu then smirked while Adam chuckled and returned to the lair.
They walked over to Splinter's bedside, staring at him with a concerned look.
He lay on his stomach, using his arms for a pillow, and snored softly.
He looked peaceful, but his twitching eyes and trouble groans made Kairu think he was having nightmares about Tang Shen.
"I think they have some tea in the kitchen." Said April as she offered kindly.
"You want any?" Asked April.
"I suppose I could try it." Said Adam as he stood up.
"Kairu?" Asked April.
Kairu shook his head.
April only sighed and disappeared into the kitchen to find the tea with Adam.
Kairu sat, cross-legged, at the head of the bed and began to draw in his book.
He sketched his father, brothers, April and Kairu.
He even drew some rooms from the lair he sat in.
"I got the tea!" Yelled April cheerfully.
But when they entered the room, they found Kairu slumped over on the bed, using the side of the bed for a pillow and sleeping soundly.
April only smiled and set the tea down, putting her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow.
"Never in my life have I met a boy like you, Hamato Kairu." Said April with a smirk.
She found an old blanket and gently draped it over Kairu's shoulders before sneaking from the room to drink her tea in the kitchen.
The Technodrome then ran over an underground city and destroyed it.
It Later stopped.
A Drill later came out and drilled it's way to the surface.
It later went to an abandoned house.
The door then opened and Shredder came out.
He later placed a box on the table.
"Now to find a new source of my technical equipment." Said Shredder.
He later pushed a button and multiple electronic bugs later came out and flew away.
The later exited the house.
Later a man with blonde hair and wearing a lab coat then placed a rat in the maze.
The rat begins to run in the maze.
"The rat will follow it's nose to the end of the maze." Said the blonde.
He later pulls out a remote control.
"Now watch how my Mouser follows it's nose to the rat." Said the blonde as he pushed a few buttons on the remote.
Some kind of a white robot with legs and a red eye with jaws begins running.
The rat later finds the cheese and ran off with a piece.
The rat heard the Mouser coming and ran faster.
The Mouser then went to dead end.
It began chewing it's way through the wall.
The man gasped.
It began chewing right through the other walls.
It finds the rat put's it in it's jaws.
"You see, there's no place pests can hide from my Mousers, all I need is a big company to mass produce for me." Said the blonde.
Shredder was then watching.
"In large quantities, they could solve the city's rat problems." Said the blonde.
"Including my problem with a rat named Splinter." Said Shredder to himself as he laughed.
The blonde then looked at a book then at the man.
"So, do you think A Jacks Pest Control would be interested in my invention?" Asked the blonde.
The man then tapped his fingers on the table.
"Well to put it in a single word, Get outta here!" Replied/Yelled the man as he threw the blonde out to the streets.
"Hey, you can't do this to me." Said the blonde as the Mouser was thrown out as well.
"Get rid of all rat, huh?" Asked the man as he stepped out the door.
"What are you crazy?, you wanna drive me out of business?" Asked the man as he slammed the door.
The blonde then picked up the Mouser as Shredder walked closer to him.
"The short sighted fool, doesn't know what he's missing." Said Shredder.
"W-W-Who are you?" Asked the blonde in fear.
"Someone who wants to produce your Mousers, on a vast scale." Replied Shredder.
"Well it's about time, someone discovered me." Said the blonde as he walked with the Shredder.
The turtles were surrounded by pipes.
"Man, we are lostolla." Said Michelangelo.
"This stinks, we haven't seen a trace of the Technodrome all day." Said Raphael.
"We've got to keep searching, while we still have the upper hand." Said Donatello.
"You call this the upper hand?" Asked Raphael as he looked around their surroundings.
"We got the Shredder on the run, Raphael." Replied Donatello.
"And he's the key to returning Master Splinter to his Human form." Said Leonardo as he began crawling through the huge crack in the wall.
The blonde then looked around.
"What a dump, I thought you said you had a big business?" Asked the blonde.
"I do, in fact it's enormous." Replied Shredder.
A module came up to the surface with Bebop and Rocksteady on it while carrying bags with parts inside.
"With this, you can start a Master Control for the Mousers." Said Shredder.
"Master Control?, what's wrong with this?" Asked the blonde.
"By dawn, I will have constructed hundreds of these robots, it will take massive amount of Computer power to run them all." Replied Shredder.
Rocksteady nodded and snorted.
"So get to work." Said Rocksteady.
Bebop and Rocksteady then dropped the computer parts at the blonde's feet.
"In a few hours Baxter Stockman, your will rule the city, not a single rodent will survive." Said Shredder as he entered the module.
The module closed the door and went down.
"Hmm, that guy must have A Thing About Rats." Said Baxter as he puts his hands to his hips.
The turtles then stopped at a ladder.
"Let's check up there." Said Donatello.
"Donatello, the Technodrome isn't up, it's down." Said Michelangelo.
"At this point, anything's worth a try." Said Leonardo.
Raphael then began to climb up.
"I hope this leads to someplace interesting." Said Raphael as he looks down.
He then opened a hatchet to reveal some kind of subway station.
"Nope I thought not." Said Raphael as he looked around.
Michelangelo came up.
"Uh, Raphael?" Asked Michelangelo.
A train was heading towards them.
"Duck!" Yelled Michelangelo.
He pushed Raphael down.
The train went past them.
Michelangelo and Raphael crashed into Leonardo and Donatello to the ground.
"This is not my idea of a good time." Said Raphael.
Shredder was then working on the Mousers.
"Analysis of Mouser complete." Said a computer voice.
"Ready to complete replication progress." Said the computer.
Shredder looks at Bebop and Rocksteady.
"Bebop, Rocksteady, activate the machinery." Said Shredder.
Soon Krang's voice came on the radio
"Shredder, I want to talk to you." Said Krang.
Shredder then banged his fist on the counsel and went to see Krang.
"What is it this time?" Asked Shredder impatiently.
Krang groaned.
"Why are you wasting time building mousetraps?, when you have yet to provide me with a body?!" Asked/Yelled Krang.
"My problem is more urgent, Hamato Yoshi and his accursed turtles and those boys will ruin us if there not-" Replied Shredder but was cut off by Kyle.
"Bah, there would be no problem if I had a body." Said Krang as he croaked.
"This is my fight, I must have the honour of defeating them." Said Shredder as he crossed his arms and walked away.
"Saki, come back here!" Yelled Krang.
But Shredder didn't.
"Twice those turtles defeated you Saki, I hope you keep defeating again and again, and keep failing, until at last you have no choice but to give me a body!" Yelled Krang through his lungs, if he had any.
Soon more Mousers were made.
Bebop then picked one up and gave it to Shredder.
"Excellent, an exact reproduction, perfect down to the last detail." Said Shredder as a machine arm began putting Stockman's logo on the Mousers' feet.
Shredder then walked over to Rocksteady.
"We got twelve done already." Said Rocksteady.
"I should wait 'till the first batch is done but no, I can't wait to try them out." Said Shredder as he activated a computer.
"They will succeeded where you mutants have failed me." Said Shredder.
Rocksteady gulped.
"Seek out Hamato Yoshi, and destroy him." Said Shredder as an image of Splinter came and Shredder then laughed.
The Mousers then left the Technodrome.
The turtles was still looking for the Technodrome and was walking on a pipe.
"I don't get it, we toured this whole burg, and no Technodrome." Said Michelangelo.
A pipe then began to broke as Raphael stands on it and he fell down while yelling.
"Raphael!" Yelled Leonardo in worry.
"Somebody toss me a rope?" Asked Raphael.
A pipe that Raphael was holding onto then broke and water soon splashed on Raphael's face.
"There not paying me enough to take this kind of abuse." Said Raphael. (A/N: There will be breaking the forth wall moments in the fanfiction as well.)
Kairu had a nightmare on Splinter as a human and his mother and the Shredder.
Kairu bolted upright, breathing hard and gripping the mattress of the bed he used as a pillow.
"Dad." Said Kairu as he breathed in and out.
"Are you all right, Kairu?" Asked Splinter in worry.
Kairu looked up and noticed that Splinter finally woke up, now sitting on the edge of the bed and staring at him worriedly.
Kairu felt an involuntary shudder when he remembered the dream.
"I'm okay." Replied Kairu as he lied.
"Just a nightmare." Said Kairu as he closed his eyes.
"Well, look who's finally up." Said April as she smiled as she walked in, carrying her purse.
"How are you feeling?" Asked April.
"A little better." Replied Splinter as he was stretching his stiff muscles.
"Oroku Saki gave me quite a going over." Said Splinter.
"Listen, I gotta go." Said April as she was looking around in her purse.
"I haven't been home since I met you guys. I gotta check my mail; get girled up; see if I still have a job." Said April.
"Of course." Said Splinter as he nodded.
"I hope we haven't interfered too much with your life, April." Said Splinter.
"Oh, only totally." Said April as she giggled.
"Tell those four turtle boys I'll be back soon!" Yelled April as she walked from the lair, humming as she did.
Adam went to the others while looking at April leaving.
"She has only been with us for a few days, but I know April is a very good friend." Said Splinter.
Adam went silent for a moment.
He bowed to Splinter, keeping his eyes to the floor.
"I apologize for not doing more to help you, I don't know what Shredder did to hurt you, but I know I should've been there to help, I failed you, and I am sorry for that." Said Dylan.
"Adam, you did nothing of the sort." Said Splinter as he assured, and gently coaxing him to stand up straight.
"You managed to get the turtles help me and Kairu, your devotion is commendable." Said Splinter with a smile.
Adam frowned, not looking into Splinter's eyes.
Splinter sighed and closed his eyes.
"Adam, I sense much darkness and pain within you." Said Splinter as he gently took his shoulders in his paws and steered him towards a couple tatami mats.
He lifted two pieces of white cloth and tied one of them around his forehead.
He tied the second one around Adam's forehead.
"Meditate with me, perhaps some peacefulness will calm you." Said Splinter as he sat down and crossed his arms.
Adam then notices a picture of a beautiful woman wearing a Japanese dress. (Just image 2003 Tang Shen in the 87 version)
"Is that Tang Shen?" Asked Adam as he pointed at the picture.
Splinter then looks at the picture and sighs.
"Yes." Said Splinter as he picked up the photo.
He looks at the picture and then sighed through his nose.
Kairu looks over Splinter's shoulder.
"You still miss her, don't you?" Asked Kyle.
"Since that day." Replied Splinter with anger.
But he then puts down the picture and hugs Kairu.
"But you are my main priority." Said Splinter as he closed his eyes.
"But dad, I'm-" Said Kairu but was cut off by Splinter.
"I know, 'your old enough to defend yourself', but as a father I still get worried about you, no matter how old you are." Said Splinter as he lets go of Kairu.
Soon Splinter and Kairu sat down and meditated.
Adam sighed through his nose and sat cross-legged a few feet in front of Splinter.
He rested his hands in her lap and closed his eyes.
He kept wondering what his parents were like, were they kind, were they cruel and for some reason this burning debris,
"Wait, that's not burning debris." Thought Dylan as he realized.
"That's something in the walls." Thought Dylan as he opened her eyes and looked around, listening to the scratches and the rumbles coming from the stones.
Splinter and Kairu opened their eyes as well, and they both listened closely to unfamiliar sounds.
"What is that?" Asked Kairu as he muttered.
"I'm not sure." Replied Splinter as he also murmured.
Adam's eyes widened when a section of the wall collapsed and the Mousers emerged from the hole.
The robots barely stood as tall as Kairu's knee, but their sleek white and black bodies made her nervous for some reason.
"What they heck are those things?" Asked Adam as he was pulling out a scythe from the wall.
"I do not know." Said Splinter as he was grabbing his walking stick and raising it like a bat.
"But it cannot be good." Said Splinter.
Adam jumped when one of the robots snapped at his foot.
He swiftly kicked it like a soccer ball, sending the robot flying into the wall and causing it to explode.
"Ouch, why are all your enemies made of metal?!" Asked/Yelled Adam.
Where'd these guys come from anyway?" Asked Kairu as more kept coming.
"I would imagine only one person who would outwardly attack my home." Replied Splinter as he growled.
"Oh why am I not surprised?" Asked Adam as he groaned.
"So, Oroku Saki is reduced to sending machines after me?" Asked Splinter to himself as he growled, whacking one of the robots aside with his staff.
Kairu flung his shuriken, but it did nothing to stop the robots from coming.
He stabbed his Tanto into them, a much more effective method of shutting them down, but whenever he destroyed one two more took its place.
One soon bit Kairu on the arm.
Kairu yelled.
Splinter looks and ran towards him.
"GET OFF HIM!" Yelled Splinter as he wacked the Mouser off Kairu.
Kairu soon clutched his arm.
"You all right?" Asked Adam as he swiped more Mousers with the scythe.
"I'm fine." Replied Kairu as he picked up his Tanto.
Splinter swung his staff, knocking more robots aside, but had to jump to a clear spot when the robots closed in.
One robot, however, jumped up and hit Splinter's foot, causing him to hit the ground hard.
Adam kicked a robot away, only to wince when his foot started throbbing.
"Man, I'm going to have such bruises after this!" Yelled Adam.
"Where are the guys when you need them?" Asked Kairu.
Splinter didn't have time to answer; he was too busy punching robots aside when they jumped towards his face and throat.
Suddenly, a bō staff smashed a robot to pieces.
A katana sliced one in half and a nunchaku whacked a robot to cause it to explode.
"Hang on, Master Splinter!" Yelled Leonardo, jumping up and swinging on a pipe.
"Somebody call for a turtle?" Asked Raphael as he laughed as he followed Leonardo's lead.
"It's about time!" Yelled/Replied Adam as he snapped, leaping up to Raphael.
The red-banded turtle wrapped an arm around his waist and held him close while he swung back to join his brothers.
He drew his sais and stabbed two robots in the head, knocking them together and causing them to fall to pieces.
Kairu unsheathed the scythe and sliced a few robots to pieces.
"Get off of my bō!" Yelled Donatello as he snapped at a couple robots when they bit onto his staff.
"Rock and roll!" Yelled Michelangelo as he laughed, swinging a couple robots around and smashing them.
"Would you focus?!" Asked/Yelled Kairu as he snapped, drop kicking a robot into the ceiling.
Within seconds, the robots became nothing more than piles of wire, metal, and a little motor oil.
"All right, who's gonna clean up this mess?" Asked Raphael as he complained as the guys sheathed their weapons.
"Where'd these metal maniacs come from?" Asked Michelangelo wondered, looking over a destroyed robot head.
"Where do you think, Michelangelo?" Asked/Replied Raphael as he scoffed.
Donatello picked up a broken foot and looked at the stamp on the bottom.
" 'Trademark Baxter Stockman Inventions'." Said Donatello as he read.
"What kind of idiot puts his name on a death machine?" Asked Donatello.
"An idiot with an ego problem?" Asked/Replied Raphael as he was looking over the Mouser's head.
"I don't know who Baxter Stockman is, but I can practically smell the Shredder behind all this." Said Donatello as he looked through the Mousers.
"Oh great!" Yelled Raphael as he groaned.
"The guy we haven't seen any sign of all day!" Yelled Raphael in annoyance.
Leonardo knelt to the robots, analyzing the pieces of the Mousers that tried to kill Splinter, Kairu and Adam.
He started digging through the broken pieces for clues.
"We must find this Baxter Stockman first,through him, we find the Shredder." Said Leonardo.
"Guys, if Shredder is really behind this, do we really want to go looking for him?" Asked Kairu.
"No doubt he has plenty more of these robot things ready to use." Said Adam.
"We can take them down easy." Said Raphael as he assured.
"Finding Shredder is our top priority." Said Raphael.
"I hope he's easier to scope out than the Technodrome was." Said Michelangelo.
"Yeah, all we've got on him is a name." Said Donatello as he agreed.
"I feel we need April's skills as a reporter for this." Said Splinter as he was leaning heavily on his walking stick.
"I suggest you pay her a visit at her apartment." Said Splinter.
"You better come with us, Master Splinter." Said Leonardo as he suggested.
"Yeah, we don't want any of those bigmouths putting the bite on you again." Said Michelangelo as he agreed.
"Don't you think we should track these things back to their source?" Asked Kairu.
"That's what we're doing." Said Donatello as they left the lair.
"We find Stockman, the creator of these robots, we find Shredder." Said Donatello.
Adam sighed.
"I still think it's a bad idea; if Shredder's sending robots after Splinter, he'll send them after us too, and those things give me bruises." Said Adam as he rubbed his feet.
"It could be worse." Said Michelangelo as he shrugged.
"How?" Asked Adam.
"From what I've seen, most of your enemies are made of metal, I have bruises on my knuckles and my feet from fighting them, Which brings up another question: why is it that every time I hit something metal in this dimension it explodes so easily?" Asked Adam.
The Turtles exchanged looks before shrugging.
In the Technodrome the Shredder then got a message on his computer.
"Non-functioning?!" Asked/Yelled Shredder as he walked towards to the computer.
"All twelve Mousers are out of commission?!" Asked/Yelled Shredder.
"Those turtles!" Yelled Shredder as he slammed his fist into the counsel.
"No matter, they maybe be able to take on twelve Mousers, but they'll never be able to defeat twelve hundred!" Yelled Shredder as he laughed.
April sighed as she walked from the bathroom, brushing out her damp hair.
"I've been hanging out in the sewers too long. Running around with mutant turtles; chasing killers under the city; I had almost forgotten what real life was like." Said April as she dried her hair.
The doorbell then rang.
April raised an eyebrow.
"Who in the world could that be?" Asked April as she walked over to the door.
She pulled the door open and her eyes widened when she saw seven familiar figures: four turtles in ninja gear, a rat in magenta kimono, a young Japanese boy and their new friend.
"Could we interest you in a subscription to 'Turtles Home Companion'?" Asked Raphael as he teased as the others waved.
"Oh no!" Yelled April as she groaned and covered her eyes.
She hurriedly pushed the door open to let in the ninjas.
"What are you guys doing here? How did you get here? Did anyone see you come in?" Asked April hurriedly as she close the door before anyone can see.
"Any special order you want those questions answer in?" Asked Raphael.
"Yes, quickly!" Replied April as she snapped.
"Looking for Baxter Stockman, by the sewers, and no, does that clear things up?" Asked Donatello as he was ticking off the points on his fingers
"I can't remember what I asked." Replied April as she was plopping down on her couch.
"We're looking for the genius who built this." Said Michelangelo as he was holding up the Mouser's head.
"His name is Baxter Stockman." Said Leonardo.
"That's all you've got to go on?" Asked April in confusion.
"A name?" Asked April.
"We think he's working with the Shredder." Replied Leonardo as he was bouncing the Mouser's head off his arm a few times.
"He's our only key to tracking down the Technodrome." Said Leonardo as he stopped bouncing the Mouser's head
"Well, I can see what my computer turns up." Said April as she saw Raphael picking up a painting of a toaster.
"Put that back, Raphael!" Yelled April.
Raphael looked over the picture of the toaster.
"Where do you plug this thing in?" Asked Raphael as he looks at her.
April sighed and led Splinter to her guest room.
"Splinter, why don't you rest in the bedroom?" Asked April as she kept the door open.
Splinter went inside.
"The rest of you try to stay out of trouble!" Yelled April before she went into her office.
"Roger, April!" Yelled Raphael.
"You promise?" Asked April from the other side of the door.
"We promise, April." Replied The Turtles.
"Why is it I don't quite believe you guys?" Asked April in nervousness as she sighed.
She disappeared into what they assumed was an office while Splinter shut the door to the bedroom.
"You guys heard her." Said Kairu.
"No trouble." Said Adam.
"Guys, we'll be fine." Said Donatello as he started messing with April's phone.
Adam groaned while Kairu rolled his eyes and saw Adam moved to April's balcony, jumping up and sitting on the railing.
Kairu ran up to him.
"Mind telling me what your doing?" Asked Kairu.
"I can't wait for April to find something on this Baxter Stockman." Replied Adam he looked down.
"If he is the key to find the Technodrome, I have to find him." Said Adam.
Adam looks at Kairu.
"And don't think about trying to stop me." Said Adam.
"I'm not going to try to stop you." Said Kairu.
Adam was about to jump as he got a surprise answer.
"I'm going with you." Said Kairu.
"What?" Asked Adam in shock.
"Well obviously you were brought to this dimension for a reason, and that's by stopping these enemies." Said Kairu as he crossed his arms.
"But Kairu, you heard your dad, Shredder is a dangerous and cunning man." Said Adam.
"So, do you see me running in fear?" Countered Kairu.
Adam looks at him and closes his eyes.
"All right then, let's find the Shredder." Said Adam as Kairu silently cheered.
Michelangelo ran to a fridge.
"Wonder if there's anything eat in this joint?" Asked Michelangelo as he opened the fridge.
He then sees a lot of frozen Pizzas.
"Rock, instant Pizza!" Yelled Michelangelo in excitement.
He then took one out and tried to take a bite but failed and looks at it.
April walked to her computer.
"Let's see if the news room files have anything on this guy." Said April as she browed around.
Donatello was then messing with her phone.
"April, this is Burne in the studio, where are you, your due in ten minutes for the Broadcast." Said/Asked Burne as Donatello was messing with the dials.
April found something on Baxter Stockman.
"Got him!" Yelled April.
"April, this is Burne, where are you, what's happening with your story, call me." Said Burne.
Raphael was inside the bathroom holding a bottle.
"Essene of Jelly Bean bubble bath, add one capful to running water." Said Raphael as he rubbed his chin.
"Hmm, one capful, huh?" Asked Raphael as he took April's hat.
April soon printed Baxter's picture.
She soon leaves her office.
"Hey team, I'm-" Said April as she was shocked at what she saw.
"Aye, aye, aye!" Yelled April in shock.
"Leonardo, what are you doing?!" Asked/Yelled April as she saw Leonardo throwing things at her toaster painting.
"Target Practice." Replied Leonardo as he looks at her.
Smoke began to came as April yelled.
Michelangelo then back to the living room with a burned Pizza in his hand.
"Uh, Pizza's ready." Said Michelangelo.
Water then came through the door with Raphael in it.
"Ye haw!" Yelled Raphael.
April soon fell down with the water.
She soon stood up while gasping for air while coughing.
"I thought I told you guys to stay out of trouble!" Yelled April as she snapped with suds and bath water dripping from her hair and bathrobe.
"We aren't in any trouble." Said Donatello.
"That's what you think!" Yelled April as she growled and stood up.
She held up the information she got on Baxter Stockman.
"Here, I found Baxter Stockman's address, why don't you go there and do some damage?" Asked April.
"Hey come on, we weren't doin' anything bad." Replied Michelangelo.
"Yeah, Kairu and Adamwill vouch for us." Said Raphael.
"Right Kairu? Adam?" Asked Leonardo.
Everyone turned to the balcony, but only saw the open night air.
"Where'd they go?" Asked Leonardo wondered aloud.
Baxter was then putting the finishing touches on the Master Control with the Foot Solders.
"There, it's done, and I'm leaving." Said Baxter.
Shredder then came up to the surface and stopped Baxter from leaving.
"Don't you wish to see the fruits of your labor?" Asked Shredder.
"No, I'm tired, I haven't slept all night." Replied Baxter.
"Oh, very well, go." Said Shredder as he pointed to the exit.
Baxter then left.
Shredder looks over at two of the Foot Soldiers.
"He knows too much, put him out of the way, take the Turtle Seeking Cycle." Said Shredder as the Foot Solders left
Kairu and Adam continued to find Shredder until they arrived at an old, run-down mansion downtown, standing on a hill and surrounded by a stone and iron fence.
They watched as Baxter disappeared appeared outside and went to a van and drove off.
They hurried up the hill and ducked down below the steps.
They crawled up the stairs to the front door, looking all around to see if anyone saw them.
They slowly took the door handle and twisted it; the door opened easily.
They carefully stepped inside, closing the door behind them, and snuck through the house.
They winced a little as the floorboards creaked beneath their feet, wishing the house wasn't so old.
They soon heard a computer whirling somewhere.
They darted down the hall and to the stairs.
They hurried up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and stayed close to the wall to avoid detection.
The Foot Soldiers seemed to disappear, but they focused more on the lights coming from the room down the hall.
They carefully peered through the doorway.
The room, however, looked mostly empty and run-down like the rest of the house, save for the giant machine in the corner, a large metal structure pushed right through the floor, and Shredder at the controls of the machine.
The turtles were then walking down the streets.
"Man, April sure was mad." Said Michelangelo.
"Oh well, you know woman." Said Donatello.
"No we don't, she's the first one we ever met." Said Raphael.
Leonardo stood on a fence.
"Stick to business, we gotta find this Baxter Stockman person." Said Leonardo.
"I hope he hasn't had time to build any more of those little machines." Said Donatello.
Shredder was then looking at the Mousers.
"Now, my children!" Yelled Shredder as he laughed evilly as he worked the controls.
"Seek out Hamato Yoshi, the four turtles, and that newswoman April O'Neil! Destroy them all!" Yelled Shredder.
He sighed in content.
"It feels so good to be so bad." Said Shredder as the Mousers left the Technodrome.
"Why does that sound familiar?" Asked Kairu with a finger in his chin.
Adam rolled his eyes.
Kairu pulled out two shuriken and flung them.
Shredder jumped when they pierced the machine, dangerously close to his hand.
He spun around just as Adam roundhouse kicked his head hard enough to send him flying to one side.
Kairu quickly examined the controls, staring at the blinking lights and the screens that made no sense to him.
He turned when Shredder charged for him, and he blocked a couple of his attacks before sweeping his legs and forcing him to the ground.
Shredder, however, jumped back up to his feet and swung his foot around to kick Kairu's head.
He ducked down, causing Shredder to kick the machine instead.
"Ouch!" Yelled Shredder growled, holding his now-throbbing foot.
"Why you little pests!" Yelled Shredder as he pointed at Kairu and Adam.
"We're pests?" Asked Adamas he scoffed.
"Look in the mirror, Shredhead." Said Adam.
Shredder narrowed his eyes, but suddenly dropped his stance and stood straight and tall, crossing his arms.
"Your tongue is quite sharp for someone so young, exactly who are you?" Asked Shredder.
"Someone from another dimension." Replied Adam.
Shredder nodded musing over the information.
"I see, how interesting, why are you here?" Asked Shredder.
Kairu narrowed his eyes in curiosity.
"Why do you care?" Asked Kairu.
"Just curious." Replied Shredder.
"You are both very interesting, more importantly, I happen to be stalling." Said Shredder
Both their eyes widened.
They felt a presence behind them and turned to face a Foot Ninja sneaking up behind them.
Kairu decapitated the robot ninja in one swift motion, but then something hard collided with his head and he collapsed to the ground, his vision going dark.
Baxter then stopped at a apartment and left the van.
He was about to enter the door when he saw a shadow and turned around.
He soon saw the four Foot Soldiers.
He then sighed.
"What do you want, now?" Asked Baxter.
The Foot Soldiers then walked closer to him while holding guns.
"Time to take out the garbage!" Yelled Donatello as he jumped from a lamp post with a trashcan and placed it one of the Foot Soldiers.
He later kicked one from behind.
Michelangelo threw a grappling hook to the other two and tied them up.
"Your no match for Michelangelo, master of the manreeke kasseri." Said Michelangelo.
One Foot Soldier walked slowly to him.
Michelangelo laughed.
"And your no match for Raphael, master of the manhole cover." Said Raphael as he placed the manhole to the Foot Soldier's chest.
It later fell into the sewer.
"What a sucker." Said Raphael.
He later placed the manhole cover to the sewer.
Baxter then widen his eyes.
"Okay bub, let's chat." Said Raphael.
They soon tied Baxter to a lamp post.
Michelangelo checked him.
He then found his remote.
"You wanna clue us in on what this is?" Asked Michelangelo.
"It's the remote control for my Mousers." Replied Baxter.
"Do you have anymore of these Mousers?" Asked Leonardo as he walked over.
"No, but the Shredder has, hundreds of them." Replied Baxter.
"And where is the Shredder now?" Asked Leonardo.
"I'll never talk." Replied Baxter as he shook his head.
Raphael walked over.
"Yeah, well you better, or else I'm gonna get sarcastic." Said Raphael as he held his Sai to Baxter's throat and showed his teeth.
"He's in an old mansion, on Breen street near tenth, he's got a Master Control for all the Mousers there." Said Baxter quickly as he sighed when Raphael took away the Sai.
"See nothing beats cutting whipped." Said Raphael as he puts the Sai away.
"Breen Streets all the way downtown." Said Leonardo.
"Yeah, how are we gonna get there in time?" Asked Michelangelo.
They soon saw Baxter's van.
"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Asked Raphael.
Raphael opened the back door and went inside.
The rest soon followed.
"Field Generator, Frequency tracers." Said Donatello as he looked around the gadgets inside the van.
"You know, we could use some of this junk." Said Michelangelo.
Michelangelo went to Driver Side while Raphael went to the Passenger side.
"Gee Michelangelo, I didn't know you could drive." Said Raphael.
Michelangelo started the van.
"I can't!" Yelled Michelangelo as he was driving the van clumsily.
"Cowabunga!" Yelled Michelangelo.
"Uh, guys, has it occurred to you just how easy those Mousers found Splinter?" Asked Donatello.
"So what?" Asked/Replied Raphael.
"So if there are hundreds of them now." Donatello.
They soon looked at each other and realized.
"April and Splinter!" Yelled all of them.
Michelangelo soon turned the van around.
"Hurry, Michelangelo, hurry!" Yelled Leonardo as he urged.
"If Shredder's got hundreds of those mousers, they're probably already at April's by now!" Yelled Leonardo in worry.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Yelled Michelangelo as he insisted.
"This thing isn't as fast as it looks!" Yelled Michelangelo as he pressed on the gas.
"Raphael, any sign of Kairu or Adam?" Asked Leonardo.
Raphael looked all around as he leaned out the window.
He pulled himself back in the van and sat on the seat.
"Nothing, I just don't get it; how does someone just disappear out of thin air?" Asked Raphael as he looks out again.
"Kairu's not like any ninja and Adam isn't someone we've met." Replied Leonardo as he reminded them.
"And that's saying something considering how few ninjas we've met, I think it would be pretty easy for them to blend with the shadows."
"I got a bad feeling about Adam and Kairu." Said Donatello worriedly.
"They've been gone for too long." Said Donatello as he also looked out the window.
"You don't think they'd go after Shredder, do you?" Asked Michelangelo.
"Splinter told us not to run into battle so quickly." Said Raphael as he pointed out.
"I bet you anything they did some digging and they found something we didn't." Said Raphael.
"But now I bet their in trouble." Said Leonardo as he sighed.
"We gotta find them." Said Leonardo.
"Come on, this is Kairu and Adam we're talking about." Said Raphael as he assured.
"If I know Kairu, he's kicking butt and not even breaking a sweat." Said Raphael with a smile.
April was then mopping up what was left of the mess the turtles left.
"There, it's nice to have a little peace and quiet." Said April.
She soon heard something rumbling on her wall and looks at it and saw it was getting chewed.
She soon ran towards Splinter in bed.
"Uh, Splinter, Splinter, wake up." Said April as she shook him.
Splinter woke up.
"What's the matter, April?" Asked Splinter.
"I think's somethings trying to eat this apartment." Replied April.
She soon ran towards the main door, only to be filled with Mousers.
"Sorry, you must have the wrong Apartment!" Yelled April as she slammed the door in their faces.
"We must arm ourselves." Said Splinter as he catches up.
The Mousers came through the wall.
Splinter then raised his arms while April raised a frying pan and rolling pin.
More soon came through the wall.
April managed to take down four coming towards her.
Splinter manages to slap two of them away while yelling.
More was soon coming as they kept taking down more.
"I fear, we're about to join our ancestors, April!" Yelled Splinter.
"It's been swell knowing ya Splinter." Said April.
The turtles burst through the glass door.
"Outta my way, big mouth!" Yelled Raphael as he kicked one.
Donatello soon wacked away three with his bo.
"Four!" Yelled Donatello.
Michelangelo came through the door and wacked away many with his Nunchucks.
Soon while the turtles were destroying the Mousers, the apartment was starting to collapse.
"I don't like the sound of that, one bit!" Yelled Donatello.
They soon saw the glass door.
"The ropes!" Yelled Leonardo.
They soon grabbed the ropes while Splinter held onto Michelangelo while April held onto Raphael.
The Apartment soon collapsed to the ground.
"Boy, they sure don't build 'em like they used too." Said April.
"Where's Kairu and Adam?" Asked Splinter as he does not see his son or friend.
"We think they may have gone after the Shredder." Replied Leonardo in nervousness.
"What?!" Asked/Yelled Splinter.
"We, what are we hangin' around here for?, let's go find the Shredder." Said Raphael as he and the others moved.
They soon found the abandoned mansion Baxter mentioned.
"Here's the mansion, like Stockman said." Said Donatello.
"So what do we do now?" Asked Raphael as he shrugged his shoulders.
Donatello soon left the van.
"With the equipment in the van, I can make this thing powerful enough to control all the Mousers." Said Donatello.
"But it won't do any good, unless we shut down the Master Control in that old dump." Said Donatello as April let Splinter out of the van.
"Somebody's gonna have to get in there and put it out of commission." Said Donatello.
"C'mon troops, let's do it." Said Raphael as he and Leonardo left the van.
Michelangelo then walked over to Raphael.
"Hang on, one turtle will have a better chance then three." Said Michelangelo.
Raphael then puts his arm around Michelangelo.
"Well have fun, drops us along if anything interesting happens." Said Raphael.
"You could've have tried to talk me out of it ya know." Said Michelangelo as Raphael rolled his eyes.
Michelangelo crawled to a gate on the ground.
He later opened it and went inside.
He continued to crawl 'till he found a vent.
He soon opened it and went inside.
He later pushed open a vent from a wall and got out, with a little struggle.
"Now to find the Master Control." Said Michelangelo
Kairu and Adam wearily blinked their eyes open and shook their head to rid the dizziness.
They tried to sit up when they found her arms pinned behind them and their legs refused to move.
When their vision cleared, they found their arms chains behind them to the backrest of a wooden chair and their ankles chained to the chair legs.
They looked all around, finding themselves in the same room that the machine rested.
Kairu felt a cloth over his and Adam's mouth, indicating Shredder gagged them.
"Good evening, boys." Said the Shredder.
If Adam could speak, he would let loose a string of words that would compel his father to wash his mouth out with soap, twice, if he had one that is.
"Oh do relax." Said Shredder as he waved him off.
"I won't kill you, you seem to have quite the interesting story, I would love to hear more when I'm finished with Hamato Yoshi and the Turtles." Said Shredder
Kairu growled, glaring harshly at Shredder when he turned his back to him.
He struggled against his bonds, but he remained stuck tight.
Either Shredder had good knot tying skills or about two or three padlocks kept the chains in place.
He desperately wished he could somehow cut through the chains, but soon realized his Tantos disappeared.
Suddenly, his sharp ears picked up soft squeaking of floorboards, and he remained still to listen.
"Someone's coming up the stairs." Thought Kairu as he realized.
They're sneaking….the guys!" Thought Kairu.
Shredder must've heard the speaking as well; he grabbed a gun from the corner and slowly made his way to the door.
The wood swung open, and both Kairu and Adam's eyes widened when Michelangelo stepped inside.
Shredder quickly leaped forward and pressed the gun barrel to the turtle's nose, halting him in his tracks.
"Not so fast, Turtle Boy." Said Shredder as he growled.
Michelangelo looked past Shredder and noticed both Kyle and Dylan chained to the chair in the corner.
"Kairu, Adam, you two are here!" Yelled Michelangelo.
They both tried to speak, but the gag over their mouth only allowed muffled shouts.
"Don't worry, you two, I'll get you out of there in no time!" Yelled Michelangelo.
"I don't think so." Said Shredder as he chuckled evilly.
He jerked the gun forward, pressing it threateningly against Michelangelo's beak.
"Move." Said Shredder as he pointed towards the chair.
Michelangelo gulped, but obeyed Shredder's orders.
Shredder pushed the turtle out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
Kairu struggled against his bonds, but his efforts remained futile.
He struggled so hard the chair tipped and he fell to one side.
He groaned and bonked his head against the floor in frustration.
Meanwhile everyone was still waiting.
April looked at her watch.
Splinter looks at April as she shrugs.
Minutes later, Shredder returned and went right back to work on the machine.
"So, they're all here." Said Shredder as he was staring at a screen on the machine.
He laughed evilly.
"Time to give my Mousers new orders." Said Shredder as he started typing numbers and pushing buttons, ignoring Kairu and Adam's constant struggling.
"What kind of idiot am I that I had to get captured like this?" Thought Adam as he berated himself.
"You called for us, Master Shredder?" Asked Rocksteady as he and Bebop went through the room.
Kairu and Adam jumped a little when Rocksteady's voice brought his from his thoughts.
He was focused so much on her thinking he never noticed Shredder's mutant henchmen enter the room.
"Yes." Said Shredder as he pointed to Kairu and Adam.
"Take them back to the Technodrome and put them in a holding cell. I have some questions only they can answer." Said Shredder.
"Yes Master Shredder." Said Bebop as he snorted.
"Come along little boys." Said Bebop as they walked towards them.
Adam struggled furiously, but the mutant rhino and warthog effortlessly picked them up and carried them to the metal tube-like structure.
A door slid open, and the two mutants carried Kairu and Adam (still chained to the chair) inside.
The door slid shut and the floor suddenly dropped.
"Oh this just got really, really bad." Thought Kairu as he groaned.
Michelangelo was then struggling to get out the chair he was tied to.
"This is stupid, there's gotta be someway out of these ropes." Said Michelangelo.
He then tired to get out but failed.
He then fell to the ground on his back.
"'Course I could be wrong." Said Michelangelo as he was gasping for breath.
Meanwhile outside more Mousers began coming towards everyone.
"Oh swell, another thousand mouths to feed." Said Raphael.
Donatello then tried pushing the button.
"I just hope Michelangelo managed to shut down the Master Control." Said Donatello.
Meanwhile Michelangelo then managed to lift himself.
"There now all I have to do is-" Said Michelangelo but was cut off.
"Don't move." Said a familiar voice as pink tentacle went to the ropes.
Michelangelo then jumped.
"Don't move!" Yelled Michelangelo.
"Huh." Said Michelangelo as he went to see where the voice came from.
Meanwhile the turtles were then struggling to hold off the Mousers.
"That Michelangelo, remind me to give him a stern talking to." Said Raphael as he wagged his finger.
"If we survive this." Said Raphael as he saw more Mousers coming.
Soon Michelangelo was free and saw Krang!.
"Whoa, I've heard of going out of your skull, but you take the cake." Said Michelangelo.
"Listen to me, the room with the Master Control is one flight up, go there and destroy it." Said Krang.
"Wait a minute, why should I believe a talking brain?" Asked Michelangelo.
"Brain?, wait a minute, you're the brain Kairu mentioned." Said Michelangelo.
"There's no time to argue, your friends are in danger, hurry!" Yelled Krang.
Michelangelo ran off.
Meanwhile the turtles were standing on top of the van.
"I say this was hopeless, but that's too optimistic." Said Raphael.
Shredder was watching them through the computer.
"Farewell accursed Hamato Yoshi." Said Shredder as he waved.
Michelangelo burst through the door, twirling his nunchakus.
"Heads up, Shredder!" Yelled Michelangelo as he laughed.
Shredder then picked up a ray gun and started blasting.
But he moved quickly to avoid the blasts from Shredder's ray gun.
"Oh, big man with a gun!" Yelled Michelangelo as he tossed one of his nunchakus, but it bounced harmlessly off one of Shredder's shoulder pads.
"Come on, fight like a turtle!" Yelled Michelangelo.
Shredder kept firing his gun, but the ninja turtle continued to effortlessly dodge the blasts.
"Missed me by a mile!" Yelled Michelangelo as he taunted, making silly faces to further anger Shredder.
"You impudent idiot!" Yelled Shredder as he snapped angrily, firing blast after blast.
"Come on, Chrome Dome!" Yelled Michelangelo as he taunted again.
"Hit me with your best shot!" Yelled Michelangelo as he was in front of the Mater Control.
"You bet I will!" Yelled Shredder assured, firing one last blast.
But Michelangelo jumped aside just in time, and the blast hit the machine instead.
The machine exploded, now utterly useless, while outside the Mousers then stopped and Shredder shouted in frustration.
"No, No, You'll pay for that!" Yelled Shredder as he started blasting at Michelangelo again, only to miss again and again.
"Will you take an IOU?" Asked Michelangelo as he laughed as he punched through a wall and escaped.
Meanwhile outside the turtles then saw the Mousers stopped.
"Michelangelo did it!" Yelled April in relief.
"All right, let's give those little creeps some new marching orders." Said Donatello as he pushed the buttons on his remote.
The Mousers then walked over to the mansion and started chewing through the walls.
Shredder growled in frustration, but soon the ceiling began to crumble and fall around him.
"Oh no!" Yelled Shredder as he was realizing the building would collapse any minute.
Shredder darted for the tube to the Technodrome.
He dropped the tube/drill down to the Technodrome and stomped out the door to the control room.
"Get this thing moving now!" Yelled Shredder to the two mutants.
"Right, Master Shredder!" Yelled Rocksteady as he nodded.
"And good news: the boys is all locked up!" Yelled Rocksteady.
"Good." Said Shredder as he nodded, monitoring the screens as the Technodrome moved.
"Did you deliver the package as I ordered?" Asked Shredder to Bebop.
"Sure thing, boss." Said Bebop.
"We just dropped it off, just like you said." Said Bebop.
"What's so important about it?" Asked Rocksteady.
Shredder smiled evilly under his mask.
"It is a clear message to an old enemy." Replied Shredder as he laughed.
The Technodrome then moved.
Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, April, and Splinter watched as the mansion exploded a little bit and then collapsed to rubble and debris.
"Guess they must've hit a gas main." Said Donatello as he shrugged.
"That's the end of the mousers." Said Raphael as he sighed with relief.
"Yes, but what about Michelangelo?" Asked Leonardo worriedly.
The three brothers suddenly rushed to the rubble, calling for the orange-banded turtle as they pushed wood and rocks around to find him.
"If anything's happened to that little twerp I'll—" Said Raphael as he cut himself and his eyes widened when he saw a green foot and hand, sticking out from under a door.
"Oh no!" Yelled Raphael.
He rushed to the door, worried etched across his face.
"Michelangelo, say something! Say something!" Yelled Raphael.
He pushed aside the door…to find a completely unharmed turtle.
"I just love hide-and-seek." Said Michelangelo casually.
"Don't you?" Asked Michelangelo.
Leonardo and Donatello shared a look, but only shrugged it off.
Raphael looked ready to pound his brother, but his attention was drawn to the large, out-of-place hole in the ground.
He stuck his head inside and looked down.
"Well, guess what? The Technodrome's long gone." Said Raphael.
"That Shredder's getting to be a real pain in the tail." Said Donatello as he groaned.
"We need some way to track him." Said Leonardo.
"That van's full of all sorts of surveillance gear." Said Donatello as he pointed out as they headed back to the van.
"If we can rig it up somehow." Said Donatello.
"You know what I saw in that old house?" Asked Michelangelo.
"It was this humongous brain! And it had a mouth and eyes and it talked to me, like Kyle told us!" Yelled Michelangelo as they went inside the van.
"A talking brain, huh?" Asked Raphael disbelievingly.
"Yeah!" Yelled Michelangelo as he insisted.
"Weird, huh?" Asked Michelangelo.
"Michelangelo, I do believe you've finally had one pizza too many." Said Donatello as he sighed.
Michelangelo opened his mouth to snap at his brothers when his eyes widened.
"Wait!" Yelled Michelangelo as he slammed on the brakes, throwing everyone forward a little and then to the floor.
"Michelangelo!" Yelled Everyone.
"Sorry!" Yelled Michelangelo hurriedly.
"I just remembered something! Kairu and Adam was in the house too!" Yelled Michelangelo.
"Kairu?" Asked Splinter as he repeated worriedly.
"Well, I saw them in the control room with Shredder, chained to a chair." Said Michelangelo as he explained.
"But the last time I went in, they wasn't there." Said Michelangelo sadly.
"They must've gotten out." Said Raphael.
"Or Shredder…" Said Donatello as he gulped at the thought.
"No, I bet you anything they got out." Said Leonardo as he assured.
"He must have a had a device that lets him travel dimensions, he must've gotten out and used it to travel to another dimension." Said Donatello.
"With Kairu?" Asked Donatello.
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
April's phone broke the silence, and she quickly answered it.
"Hello?, hey Irma, working the night shift again? what?, a package for me? from who? uh, okay I'll be there in a sec." Said April as she hung up.
"Can we stop by the newsroom?" Asked April.
"My friend Irma says a package was left for me." Asked April.
Michelangelo nodded and turned to April's directions.
Thankfully, the station was close to the mansion, and they reached it in minutes.
April ran inside and came out a few minutes later with a brown package in her hands.
She joined the Turtles and Splinter inside the van and Michelangelo started driving back towards the lair.
"There's a note here." Said April as she held up the envelope.
" 'Deliver to April O'Neil immediately'." Said April as she read.
"What's in the package?" Asked Raphael.
April opened the brown paper and stared at its contents. She showed everyone the two Tantos and a piece of Dylan's shirt.
"Those are Kairu's." Said Leonardo as he realized.
"Those are the Tantos he uses." Said Leonardo.
"And that's Adam's part of his shirt." Said Donatello as he added.
April stared at the contents of the mysterious package.
"So…that means…." Said April slowly.
"It is very likely that both Kairu and Adam is no longer with us." Said Splinter as he sighed.
"I doubt Shredder would send us this if he didn't dispose of the owner to these items." Said Splinter with an anger look in his eyes.
Everyone went silent, solemnly staring at the last things they had to remember their friends.
Michelangelo started up the van and started driving back towards the lair so they could rest.
But nobody said a word, all of them too depressed over what they just received.
Splinter held the package in his hands, gently rubbing Kairu's Tanto with his thumb.
He felt tears well up in his eyes, but he blinked them away.
The other Turtles didn't have it much easier; Michelangelo managed to keep his eyes dry so he could drive, but Donatello cried silently, tears sliding down his cheeks.
Leonardo put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.
Raphael curled into a ball, stabbing his sai blade into his seat in anger.
"Shredder will pay." Thought Raphael as he was determined.