Chapter 2: Welcome to Ribofunk

"You're on the cover of every magazine/You show your private life behind the silver screen! I'm your find, I'm the moving target/on the town it's hit and run! After shot, I thought you'd come undone!" the speakers blared.

"C'mon, Irma- sing it!" April said, her voice indicating she'd had a fair few drinks.

"Um…"

"Caught in a photoplay! Living in masquerade! Flash in the night— photoplay!" April belted out.

Irma looked around the decor of the club. The place looked like it had come out of an '80s cyberpunk flick, while the patrons consisted of a motley mass of scientists, technicians, and tourists with more money than they knew what to do with. Just then, her gaze wandered towards the booth where her roommate had been sitting mere minutes ago.

"April? Where-"

"Whoo hoo! Look at me go!"

Irma turned around to face Ribofunk's dance floor and saw April on it, her "dancing" bearing an uncanny resemblance to the flailings of an epileptic giraffe.

Oh God…this is going to make for awkward times for her at work tomorrow.

"Don't stop yet, ladies and gents! Here's another track- Guns N' Roses, courtesy of DJ Venus D. Milo, performing live at Ribofunk!"

A familiar set of opening notes began to play.

"April, please don't-"

"Welcome to the jungle! We got fun 'n games!"

"…sing."

STOCKTRONICS OFFICES:

"Doctor Stockman? Call for you."

Baxter Stockman looked up from the papers on his desk.

"Who is it?"

"It's Mr. Saki."

"Patch him through."

Stockman picked up the phone.

"Yes?"

"Doctor Stockman, we need to discuss the Mousers."

"What about them?"

"I need you to run a field test for me tonight. I'll fax you the coordinates of where they need to go."

"Irma, I've been thinking…" April began.

"About what?"

"Think about all the underground stuff that keeps our city running smoothly. You ever wonder if there're things living down there?"

"Rats and cockroaches."

"Besides those. You ever wonder if there's anything intelligent that lives full-time down there?"

"Not particularly, April. Now let's go home. You've got a big day at work tomorrow."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

"DJ Venus D. Milo" is a reference to the character Venus De Milo from the TMNT: The Next Mutation. In that program, Venus was the fifth and female member of the Ninja Turtles. Neither the character nor the show is fondly remembered, and Venus has been pretty much consigned to the memory hole ever since. Remember this connection- it'll be important later in this fic.