Randall found himself down in the new lair a lot of times more than ever now, helping his friends clean and organize their new home. He didn't like house cleaning, but knew it had to be done. He took dusters and took them up into the higher pipes to clean them up.
April and Casey got special vaccums for the guys to use.
Everyone had chosen their own rooms. Splinter got one that had water in it, and was probably the second largest one. Don had the biggest room because it was both his own room, his lab, and his workshop and infirmary. Though he kept the infirmary part closed off for sterile reasons for when any one of them could get hurt topside.
Raph liked having a bigger gym area close to where they had chosen for the dojo.
Leo had started setting up his room to be relatively simple, but it was big enough for him to train in there in there too should other spaces be occupied. He liked to train by himself as well as with his family.
Mikey wished Leo would trade rooms with him, because he ended up getting the smallest room of all.
Then there were a few other rooms that were guest rooms and one for Randall himself. As Randall explored and observed this reservoir lair, if this had been the lair before, he would have loved to stay in their home with them for sure, but then, this lair would have been the one destroyed instead. He was just glad they had it now. Now he could have a real room here when he decided to stay over and have more privacy. If he ever had to be forced out of April's place, this is where he would return to.
The guys went out every few nights to scavenge for parts they would need to make the new lair homey-like. Sure, they all loved the space of their new home, it just wasn't the old lair. But then, Splinter and the turtles had still been a little cramped in that lair too. But it had been bigger than the lair that the turtles had spent their first fifteen years in growing up. This was their third lair.
When the guys went to April's place, she always kept her living room curtains drawn. They came up from the basement as always. They just had to use the back stairs so ninjas wouldn't see them. April and Casey had their rights to privacy, as well as their friends.
And while the turtles and their friends were adjusting to their new life in the new lair, getting it ready to be a home, there were also other things at work too in the city. Something that no one had ever suspected would come about. Things that had started with Agent Bishop's fake alien invasion months ago.
The blue goo that had gotten washed down into the sewers after the fake alien invasion that the turtles and Randall had tried to stop, there were new kinds of creatures emerging from the sewers. Freaky creatures at that.
….
Out west, at Area 51, was where Bishop and Stockman were at the moment. Bishop's body was currently breaking down and in need of a new one. Having dealt with aliens clear back to the 1800s, Bishop had found ways to keep his life preserved for a long time, for a human, by having cloned bodies playing host to his mind.
With careful thoughts to the design of the new body, Stockman now had just moved Bishop's consciousness to a new cloned body. One that was stronger, faster, and showed no signs of rejection. Stockman felt he was a work of art, so to speak.
Stockman had started getting reports from New York about the appearance of strange, freaky creatures. He recognized signs of it, but he chose not to tell Bishop about it.
…
One night, the turtles and Randall were all out scavenging for more parts in a dumpster. Don and Mikey were taking their turns in it while Leo, Raph, and Randall were around, keeping on lookout. Randall had the highest point.
Don was getting a little noisy in there, as he was sure he could find a working transmitter.
Leo was down by the edge of a corner, and Raph was up on a fire escape. The noise was getting to Raph. Leo looked up at Randall. The lizard was looking around carefully.
"Hey, Don. Make a little more noise, why don't cha. I don't think they could hear ya in Jersey." Raph remarked, annoyed at the racket he was making.
Don stood up, just as annoyed at his brother. "Do you want to get in here and find me a salvageable transmitter? Please, be my guest!"
"Oh, someone's cranky." Raph mocked him.
"Cranky! Do you know how much work I put into the old lair?" Don questioned his older brother.
Randall knew what it was like to work on something so hard and then have it go down in flames, but a home was different and more important than one evil project, he knew now. But he got where Don's words were coming from. He continued to observe. Ever since the attack, the guys didn't feel safe going out alone at the moment.
Mikey then rose out of the other side. "I know how ya feel, Don. I lost my entire comic book collection."
"Comic books? I had specimens, schmatics, all my notes, all the theories April, Randall, and I were working on-" Don went on.
From above, Randall looked down at Leo. "Psst!" he motioned. Leo looked up at him. Randall pointed upward, meaning they had company coming.
"Shh!" Leo shushed the two youngest ones. "Disappear!" Leo ordered. He backed into the shadows. So did Raph. Don and Mikey went down into the dumpster. Randall vanished invisibly.
Some ninjas then jumped over the rooftops. One looked over the edge to see if there was anything in the alley. Nothing that he could see. He moved on with the rest of his fellow ninjas.
Randall reappeared. Leo tapped on the dumpster and Don and Mikey were able to lift the lid. Raph came forward on the fire escape.
"Aw, yuck! Next time, I'll take lookout duty." Mikey wiped some trash off of himself, complaining.
"Great! More of Yogami's ninjas. We should be the ones out there hunting them, not the other way around." Raph stated. He jumped down from the fire escape.
"I can agree there." Randall said, coming down.
"We'll handle Yogami, Raph. But on our terms, not his." Leo said. "We'll handle whatever comes our way." Then Leo heard a truck coming. "Company's coming. Let's keep moving."
Leo jumped up to the fire escape to get back to the roof, his brothers following. Randall climbed up the wall on all eights, keeping up pretty good. His tail was the last thing over the roof's edge before the truck coming came to a stop. Two sewer workmen got out.
One was more edgy than the other one. "I'm telling ya, it ain't safe. I've been hearing things." The younger, taller one said. He had a yellow suede jacket on. His name was Carl.
The older, shorter man with a blue suade jacket on laughed. His name was Todd.
"Go ahead, laugh." Carl said. "I'm just saying, the night shift freaks me out. Harry was out the other night. He said he saw something."
"I'll bet he did. Harry would say he saw a giant crocodile, or one of those giant turtles down there." Todd said.
"I'm not making this up." Carl pulled the lid off the sewer. "There's all kinds of stories floating around. There's things down there, man." he said in a fearful voice.
"You watch too many monster movies. Don't worry. I'll go." Todd said calmly. "Chicken! Bck! Bck!" he mimicked a chicken's sounds. Carl didn't care. He was glad he wasn't down in the sewer.
Todd went down to the sewer and found some wires that looked like they had been chewed up, thinking rats did it. He called up to Carl, "Carl, get down here and bring your splicing kit. We're going to be down here all night." He didn't see the freaky creature sneaking up on him.
Just as Carl was getting ready to bring down the splicing kit to his co-worker, he heard him scream, "What? No! AHHHH!" Then the pulling rope on the wheel started pulling and it got pulled all the way off and down into the sewer.
"Todd! Todd!" Carl called down to his coworker, and said his name in worry. Then he heard a monstrous roar from down in the sewer. It meant that one of these creatures had gotten Todd!
…
The turtles and Randall were coming back down to the sewer again. Mikey kicked a can. "This really stinks on ice! I miss my room. I had it just right." He was down first and the others were joining him. "All Fung Sheuied and everything. I miss my stuff. I miss my video games. I miss my blankie." Mikey complained.
"Don't worry, Mikey." Leo spoke up next to him. He put an arm around his shoulders to try to soothe him. "The new lair will be perfect. Central Park. Turtle pond. Change is good."
"Is that Ancient One wisdom?" Raph asked rhetorically.
"Hey, I need to make one more stop." Don said. "See what our favorite junkyard has to offer." The others walked past Mikey, when he angrily kicked the can into another tunnel. They knew he was frustrated that it had happened. He went with the others.
Down the other tunnel, a creature's foot hand picked up the can, testing it. It crushed it.
…
In Bishop's lab, just as Bishop himself was getting dressed again, an associate came up and told Stockman that a new report had just come in from New York again.
"Uh, this probably isn't the best time." Stockman said in a worried voice.
Bishop had to know what the man was talking about. "Stockman, what did he mean by 'another report?'"
"Well, while you were under the weather, shall we say, there were some minor reports that were coming in from New York about some strange creatures." Stockman explained.
"What strange creatures?" Bishop demanded.
Stockman showed him a few pictures. Overgrown, freaky looking creatures with multiple limbs and red eyes. One looked like a mutated fish, another looked like a mutated rat.
"There could be any number of causes for these creatures." Stockman said.
"Give me your favorite." Bishop ordered firmly.
"Look at the eyes." Stockman pointed out. "The DNA and accelerant was more potent than I thought. When you staged the alien invasion, some of the accelerant after cleanup got into the sewers and came into contact with animal life, thus mutating it." Stockman explained his best theory.
"My goal and research is to protect this planet from alien invasion, and now, you're telling me that I've unleashed this… this plague?!" Bishop snapped angrily.
Stockman really wanted a new body of his own. "Uh, yes." he replied reluctantly. "I would like to get started on my new body."
"This plague is now your number one agenda, Doctor. We have to contain this before word gets out and traces it back to my work. It has to to contained before it spreads! Only after it is contained will your new body be forth coming." Bishop exclaimed. "Pack your essentials, Stockman. You're going to New York."
Stockman was disappointed that Bishop wouldn't let him get his own body now. If he could have a new body, why couldn't he? But he did as he was told.
Stockman and a bunch of commandos packed up what could be used to eliminate the monstrous plague in New York. They couldn't let it get out of that city.
…..
Randall and the turtles crawled out of a large sewer pipe. Mikey was right behind him. Mikey had wanted to change rooms and kept on urging someone to change with him.
"I'm just saying, we shouldn't be hasty with the room assignments." Mikey said.
"Cause you got the smallest one." Raph joked at him.
"Some people don't like too much room. Come on, Leo, trade with me! How much room do you really need to meditate and be boring?" Mikey asked Leo, hoping to get a reaction from him.
Then Don pulled out his flashlight and held it close to his face. "Oooh!" he made a spooky voice.
"AH!" Mikey screamed in fear. The others all laughed at him.
"Ha! Ha! Very funny! You know I hate-" Mike started, but stopped when something dropped behind him. He looked behind him.
Don aimed his flashlight on the object, and it looked like a crushed tin can. Then he aimed it up to the ceiling and there were a few bug-like creatures up there. This was the guys' first encounter with these mutated creatures.
Mikey started shaking in fear. "Trying not to scream… again." he said, and looked up to see one right above him. He screamed again, in a girly voice.
The others knew this was something to worry about. They had never seen anything like this before. The one above Mikey started to drop on him, but not before Raph managed to get him out of the way. Randall jumped away with them. The bug was now on the ground.
"Look out!" Raph cried out.
"What is that thing?" Randall asked.
"Is this your nightmare, or mine?" Mikey asked Raph. They both took out their weapons. Mikey handed Randall his tonfas.
There were five creatures total. They all dropped down next. The first one charged at Raph, and his sais met it.
Don tried to analyze what they were.
The bug pushed Raph down to the floor. "Definitely… mine! It's bugs! Why'd it have to be bugs?!" Raph yelled out.
Everyone now had their weapons ready. Don saw what they looked like. "They're… ticks. Sort of." he said.
One was coming at Mikey and Randall, and Raph leaped over Mikey's shell, kicking the tick in the face. It forced it back. Then Mikey got a hit in. A third one came at Randall, and he too, got two good hits into the face.
Another came toward Leo and Don. Leo side stepped the tick.
"Well, Leo, you're all enlightened now. What do we do?" Mikey asked in fear.
"Simple, and uncomplicated. RUN!" Leo ordered.
They all turned tail and ran away from the ticks.
…
Elsewhere in the sewers, Bishop's commandoes were encountering hosts of different creatures that had been contaminated. They burnt the creatures alive so it would keep from spreading the infected DNA.
Stockman was with one of the groups. He wanted one of the creatures to study, to be able to later find a cure for the issue, other than burning everything. Of course, he was behind the group, and making sure the commandoes understood that his welfare had to come first too.
…
The turtles and Randall kept on running away from the ticks.
"Ya think we lost them?" Randall asked.
"I'm sure we're perfectly safe." Mikey replied.
Just as they thought they were getting away, a big, blue bug creature jumped in front of them, making them grind to a halt.
Their eyes all lit up in fear. Raph was the most afraid. "Bugs! Why'd it have to be bugs?!" he demanded to know.
There was a giant blue cockroach in front of them, but with Raph standing in front. The roach seemed to be taking that as rude. It punched Raph in the stomach, sending him flying back into another tunnel side. He was now on his hands and knees.
But he didn't stay down long. He snarled and got up and charged the bug, taking out his sais. He cut off one of its legs, making it scream in pain, then he kicked it hard in its abdomen, making it pop open, blue goo coming out.
"I hate bugs! And I hate ooze!" Raph exclaimed, getting covered in the goo. Then he jumped up and kicked it in the face, sending it onto its back. He jumped away. "Bishop's aliens were bad enough! And now we got this?! At least ninjas got a little more meat to 'em!"
Don came over and began examining the fallen bug. He rubbed his chin in thought. "Look at these tentacles. They're amazing! Gross, but amazing." The others looked over at his explanation. "Some kind of mutation."
The others walked over to him. "Whoa, hold it. We're the mutants in this town." Raph declared. "We don't need these butt uglies steppin' on our rep."
Then there was another noise. They looked up at the upper tunnels.
"Uh, what's that?" Randall asked fearfully. He still had his tonfas in his lower arms. The others were looking up fearfully too.
"I gotta tell ya. I've seen a lot of monster movies. And this sorta thing, isn't good." Mikey pointed out. They all had their weapons drawn again.
Three more roaches stepped out from the upper tunnels, but one of them had a human look to its upper half! He had disgusting, creepy tentacles. He also wore the same blue suede jacket as Todd, the sewer worker! It was him, only he was mutated as a roach/human cross.
The human roach was the freakiest mutated bug of all to the turtles and Randall. Randall had never, ever seen a human get crossed with another creature before. Boy, the monsters of his world would probably even be freaking out at this find!
The roach man began to approach the five reptiles. They all began to tense up, bracing to have another scuffle. Then he stood before them. "Splicing kit. Bring your splicing kit!" he made some raspy breathing and saying.
"Tell me that thing didn't just talk." Mikey said.
"It's intelligent!" Don declared.
"Mikey talks and we don't call him intelligent." Raph said.
Leo looked up and shouted, "Raph, watch out!" he warned.
Raph looked up and another roach jumped down on top of him. More roaches gathered around.
The man roach stepped toward Don, Mikey, and Randall. Randall was backing up. Mikey started to go toward it, ready to fight it off. Then Don stopped him, "Mikey, no! We should try to talk to it."
"It's a vicious, disgusting cockroach with a human sticking out of it! What do you want to talk about? Current events?" Mikey exclaimed.
The roach growled, and then he threw his tentacles out to try to stab one of them. Don pushed Mikey out of the way. That did it for Randall too. He climbed up onto the walls, keeping a hold of his tonfas. Another roach up there spotted him and started going after him.
Down below, the one that had attacked Raph had a hold of the red masked turtle by his right wrist. "Hey! Tentacles off!" Raph warned, then he snapped the tentacle. "I said, tentacles off!" Then he charged the roach and punched it a couple of times in the abdomen and finally kicked it.
The roach was sent was back toward the tunnels it came out of and it got up and went back up, knowing now this wasn't a meal to contend with. "Yeah, you better run!" Raph shouted after it.
Leo faced off with one too. He sliced it a couple of times with his katana, sending it off.
Don and Mikey were still dealing with the blue man roach. The tentacles were going everywhere. Mikey had just been knocked into the wall. Don knocked them aside and his bo was grabbed and flipped onto his shell. Then Raph came to his rescue. He kicked him back, allowing Donny to start to get up. Raph came up to him, "You alright, bro?" he asked Don. He helped him up.
"Thanks." Don said.
Then Mikey saw the roach man coming back. "Don, Raph! Watch out!" he called out to his brothers.
They both looked behind them and saw the roach coming at them and the tentacles were on the way out again. "Move!" Raph pushed Don to his left. Don tried to get away, but one of the tentacles managed to get into his right thigh.
Don cried out. Raph got a hold of a tentacle with his sai. Don rubbed the wound. "My leg."
"You okay?" Raph asked.
"Yeah. Just a nick. Thanks again." Don said.
On the ceiling, Randall tried to get away from the roach following him, but he knew he wasn't going to shake it. He vanished from its view. The roach was dumbfounded. Where did it go?
The floating tonfas on the other hand were moved up to the top hands and Randall went back and snarled as he gave the roach two blows to the face, knocking it back and it lost its footing on the ceiling, making it fall to the floor. It too got up and went back up the tunnel.
Randall was satisfied with his fight, but he watched from above what was happening with the turtles.
The roach man kept on attacking. Don whipped a leg out and Mikey jumped on him, making him back up. Leo came up from behind and kicked him, making him land on his front. He got up and realized these creatures were more formidable than they looked. He looked around for an escape. Then he ran for the tunnels.
When he was gone, the others turned to each other. "Who's for getting the shell outta here?!" Mikey asked.
Randall finally came down from the wall and joined them.
"We gotta go after, whatever the shell it is!" Raph demanded.
"Let the poor thing go." Don said.
"We need to regroup and figure out what's going on." Leo declared. "Somehow, I don't think we've seen the last of these things."
"You guys pulled off a better fight than I did against those bugs. I'm not looking forward to it." Randall said.
"We don't have much of a choice." Leo said.
"I can think up some ideas to come up with some armor and weapons to better deal with anymore of them." Don proclaimed. "Randall, you could help me. I still do have my tech tab that had the DNA of the alien invasion. We can go over those again. I saw the blue ooze that came out of the roach Raph broke open."
Don took a DNA sample for further analysis. They went back to the lair afterward.
Don ran the DNA sample through his analyzing equipment in his lab. While it ran through that, he also set about trying to get the new security system set up. He was going to make doubly sure they covered a lot more so they could be prepared. He wasn't about to let his family be attacked in their home a second time.
Randall went through some calculations on it. He was seeing results that looked like the same as from the aliens from the invasion months ago.
"Hey, Don. It's been a long night. Why don't you take it easy?" Mikey suggested.
"I'll rest easier when the new security system is finished." Don replied, finishing with a camera. He was up on a ladder. "Whatever those things are, I sure don't want 'em in here."
Then the computer gave off a sound. "Don, it's ready!" Randall told him.
Don came down and came over and looked at it. "Good. My analysis is finished." he said. The others all came over. "I got a sample from one of the roaches Raph took out. Something about the ooze was familiar. I compared it to data I had collected on my pda awhile back, and I was right!"
"Right about what?" Leo asked. "Your theory?"
"Bishop. DNA from Bishop's aliens has somehow mixed with these creatures. And it looks like its somehow spreading! If that's the case, it's going to get worse. A lot worse!" Don explained.
This definitely had them all concerned now. Randall also saw to Don's leg. It didn't look bad, just a gash. But it was still a worry. What if some DNA had got pumped into Don's system?
…..
Bishop demanded to know from Stockman if the plague was going to be containable, and he truthfully didn't know. Stockman was amazed at how many species of animals they had come across. But he still needed one of them to study.
Then, the roaches had come out of the lower tunnels. Stockman saw the blue man roach as the one that he wanted to study.
The commandos started to subdue the roach man. He didn't like what they were doing. The commandos started to fire electricity at him, getting him subdued to take back to their facility in Nevada. At least Stockman now had his sample to study.
And the freaky creatures were occurring above ground too. Something would have to be done about this. But would it be Bishop or the turtles to put a stop to it?