Author's Note: Hello, hello, hello, readers! :D Welcome to Chapter 4 of "Sugar, Spice, and a Splash of Mutagen"!
Whelp, the fact that I was able to post this chapter a few days early shows that my classes are going pretty well. :) Haven't hit that part in the semester yet where I'm swamped with a crap-ton of work and barely have any time for myself. Hopefully that moment doesn't come because I really do like updating for my stories, especially this one. :) You guys have been AWESOME letting me know what you think of this story and it really puts a smile on my face every time I get a new review for this story. Makes me feel all warm and bubbly inside. XD lmao
Alright, now before I get on with this chapter, I'd like to do my daily routine by giving my thanks to all the awesome readers that reviewed for this story. Thank you very, very, VERY much: NekoShard, MissCookiiie (who is constantly making me blush with her joyous love over this story lol), AsiraK-KarisA (really glad you gave this story a chance and love it so far :D), TheEquestrianIdiot 2.0 (you've got some kick-ass ideas, dude. Can't wait to see them in action!), Mewfem, tmntforever, SleepingSeeker, and Novus Ordo Seclorum (also loving some of the ideas you have, man. I'll be sure to put them somewhere in this story so keep a look out ;D). You guys are all truly amazing and I can't thank you enough for the wonderful reviews. :)
Now, without further adieu, here's the next chapter to "Sugar, Spice, and a Splash of Mutagen". And while you're at it, don't forget to head on over to the new Stealthy Stories site! The nomination period is still happening and won't close until February 19th, so get those ballots sent out! And if you're really, really nice, maybe send a ballot with one of my stories attached to it? lol Only stories written during 2013 can be eligible to enter and no M rated fics are allowed in this competition. Any other rules and regulations are posted on the Stealthy Stories website and remember, readers, you don't have to be an author to participate in the nominations. :D And while you're there, maybe stick around for a bit and chat with some of the coolest authors on that site. SleepingSeeker, TheIncredibleDancingBetty, BubblyShell22, Novus Ordo Seclorum, AlexHamato, and RachelErica are only a few of the many authors I see frequent that site. Stick around! We don't bite. :) It always puts a smile on our faces when we see new people. :)
Enjoy the fic!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
"Sugar, Spice, and a Splash of Mutagen"
Chapter 4
Do You Have This in Orange?
It had been a while since Master Splinter explored the bearings beyond what lay beneath the vacant sewer tunnels. Bright. Crowded. A suffocating aroma that burned his senses and made him want to retreat back into the tunnels where it was safe. Where he was hidden from society - a man no more.
While ninjas were trained in the art of adaptation - a practice he had bestowed upon his sons at a young age, teaching them how to familiarize themselves in a diverse situation - the wizened rat couldn't help but feel like an outcast shunned away to be forgotten. A reprobate forbidden to walk amongst such an ordinary multitude of standard commoners. An outsider.
The irreversible effects of the mutagen that had transformed both he and his family was a painful reminder. An embroidered scar stitched tight to conceal, but could never quell the dynamic realization that humans would never be able to accept them for what they were. To see past their differences and look for what was on the inside rather than focus on what made up their outer appearances. Master Splinter had been well aware of this fact since the day of his transformation, raising his sons in such a lifestyle that would withhold them from ever wanting to explore the surface. He had managed to keep them disinterested for a span of fifteen years, but over time, his sons grew inquisitive and had it not been for their unwarranted curiosity, they would not be in the predicament they found themselves facing right at this very moment.
"We're almost there, sensei. Just a few more blocks," Leonardo reassured him. He was falling behind a few steps in the wake of his brothers, making sure he was keeping up okay hurdling from rooftop to rooftop. While he admired his son's diligence, Master Splinter couldn't help but feel as though his honor had been bruised formidably, taking notice of the salvaged beakers and test tubes they all managed to carry with them as they trudged quickly to April's apartment.
Because of the explosion that had generated in Donatello's lab, there home had been reduced to shambles, making it unsafe and hazardous for both he and his sons to remain dormant. With this in mind, they gathered as many remaining materials as they could carry, informing April via text messaging that they were on their way to her apartment and should arrive at her window shortly. It was a simple task, but in the back of his mind, Master Splinter felt a twinge of guilt. Not informing Ms. O'Neil of his sons' sudden transformation seemed like a dishonorable approach. An unforeseen line of attack that would surely catch their human friend off guard. However, the wizened rat knew that this was something his sons had to deal with face-to-face and delaying the inevitable would surely invoke unnecessary consequences.
His son, Donatello, however, was not aware of this fact at all.
Standing on the creaky iron platform of April's fire escape, Donnie stared at the shuttered windows before turning abruptly and shaking his head. "I've changed my mind. I don't want to do this. Time to head back—hggh!"
He was yanked back forcefully by the scruff of his blanket. A pair of mossy green eyes glared back at him while Raph bore his teeth in a tightly ground snarl. "You're the one who did this to us, genius so you're going to be the one to tell April what happened."
"I can't," Donnie whined in the high-pitched tone that had been altered by the effects of the mutagen. "What if we freak her out?"
"She's already accepted the fact that we're giant, walking, talking turtles. I doubt she's going to go running off screaming when she's sees four half naked girls," Raph pointed out harshly, the not so gentle breeze snapping back the ends of his blanket in a series of waves that mimicked the blackened sea. He shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "Besides, it's nothing she hasn't seen already, right? If anything she'd freak out over Mikey's huge rack."
"Hey!" Mikey blushed profusely. He immediately tightened the blanket around his petite frame, his cheeks stained a bright crimson despite the rather frigid temperatures. "They're not that big. You're just jealous 'cuz you're flat as a board!"
"Why would I be jealous? You think I want to look any more like a chick than I already do? At least my hair is short and I can cover all this up with baggy clothes. What're you gonna do? Tuck those things under your armpits?"
"Raphael, that is enough." Master Splinter snapped, making Donnie flinch at the constant realization that they now had similar feminine qualities as April. It did not help in the slightest bit and Don could already feel his stomach churning in that oh-so familiar feeling of having to turn over and upchuck. He had no problem facing April when they first met, giving her time to take in his form before she relaxed and allowed her brain to accept what was standing in front of her. But this? This was all so new. New body, new voice, new everything! Where did he even begin? How did he explain that this was all just a horrible accident caused by the mutagen he created to turn her father back into the human he was? Would she be angry? Hurt? Disgusted at both him and his brothers for what they had done and what they have become? He didn't want to find out. Didn't want to go through the anguish and dejection that he already went through when Mr. O'Neil had first come in contact with the mutagen that had transformed him into a bat. He wanted to run. Wanted to curl up and hide until he felt an unfamiliar touch of gentle fingers drape over his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts and grasping his attention.
Leo stared at him with stern, yet gentle doe-like eyes; eyes that still held their ocean blue pigment, yet looked far more softer. Gentle. Like the eyes of a mother who lived solely for the protection of her young. He nudged in the direction of April's window. "Just take a deep breath and get it over with, Donnie. The sooner you explain, the sooner we can focus on trying to find a way to change us back."
"Leonardo is right, my son," Master Splinter entailed. "A ninja remains focused on the task at hand and carries out his endeavors no matter how difficult or challenging the obstacle. You must clear your mind and trust that April will find your hardships simple to amend."
The purple-banded ninja looked at his father with worried, muddy brown eyes. Nerves wracking and limbs shaking, he slid his gaze back to the shuttered window him and his brothers stood in front of. His mouth felt dry, though he was still able to swallow the suffocating lump in his throat as he reached over to tap on April's window, each rap matching the stilled beating of his anxiously worried heart.
Time felt as though it had slowed to a crawl as Donnie and his family stood before the window and waited patiently. He could just make out the darkened silhouette that outlined April's body as she got up from her bed and walked casually toward the double balcony window. She reached for the shutters and in that moment Donnie felt his breath catch dangerously inside his throat, blocking the airway to his lungs and causing him to panic. He couldn't do this. What would April say? What would she do? Would she act differently around him now that he was a girl? He couldn't do this. He didn't want to do this, but before he could even put together a plan of escape, the blinds swished open and in that moment, everything slowed to a stifling standstill.
Her eyebrow quirked in utter confusion at the sight presented before her. The bewildered gesture was strong enough to make Donnie's shoulder tense up rigidly, his heart racing and slamming dangerously inside his chest. Straightening himself up to look a little more presentable - which wasn't easy seeing as he was standing on her fire escape with nothing but a blanket covering his naked body - he held up his hand and gave it a small, friendly wave while his lips quirked into a nervous, quivering smile.
"Uhm ... h-hi ... April," he stuttered miserably, the gentle winds brushing a few loose strands of his soft, almost wavy brown hair. Absentmindedly, he brushed the strands out of his eyes and tucked them securely behind his ear. It was an act that was so foreign and unnatural, yet he had seen April do it so many times whenever her deep, amber bangs hung precariously over her eyes; eyes that held a deep misconstruction of what her mind was trying to process.
"Donnie?" She spoke with uncertainty lining her words, her face awash with curiosity as she took a careful step toward the purple-banded ninja.
"Y-Yep, it's ... it's me." The words tripped over his tongue in a rather clumsy manner, his fingers interlocking with each other while he forced himself to continue looking straight into April's eyes.
"What ... what happened to you? To all of you? Why are you—"
"—It's a long story," Don interrupted her, his shoulders sinking before glancing behind him where his brothers stood. "We had a little accident with the mutagen and now the lair is in shambles and—"
"The lair? What happened to the lair?"
Raphael rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. The wind played joyfully with his short wisps of russet-toned hair, causing the red-banded ninja to shiver where he stood, glaring at the two. "Can we just take this conversation inside? If I stand here any longer my nipples are gonna tear through this blanket."
"That's what bras are for, dude," Mikey pointed out, his eyes lighting up with a sudden idea. "Maybe April will lend you one! April, got any spare bras we could borrow? Maybe some from Victoria's Secret? Their bras always look really nice."
"How would you know that?" Leo asked, completely knocked for six.
"Catalogs," Mikey chirruped. "Raph's always got a pile stored underneath his bed. I think he gets them from the messiest dumpsters he can find 'cuz the pages are always super sticky and—hmmph!"
"Say another word and I'll punch you so hard your boobs will knock you in the face," Raphael growled, his hands clasped over his baby brother's mouth before he crawled through April's window and inside her apartment.
Closing the shutters behind her with haste, she turned to face both Master Splinter and the ... guys, while she shook her head and tried to compose her thoughts. "Okay, so this all happened because of the mutagen?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Donatello nodded. He set down the salvaged beakers and chem. equipment him, his brothers, and his sensei had carried with them on their way to April's apartment. Aligning them neatly on the desk that held April's school books and homework, he gazed at the very few tools that managed to survive the fire, his shoulders sinking before turning his attention back to April. "Due to the explosion caused by accidental fire that destroyed our home, we were only able to save a few standardized pieces, but no mutagen. The vile that I had knocked over spread all over mine and Mikey's bodies and when Leo and Raph managed to pull us out of the burning laboratory, the substance got on them as well."
"And it transformed you, only in reverse effect," April pointed out, the cogs in her brain beginning to turn until her eyes widened in sudden realization. "So, the mutagen that you were going to use on my dad—"
"—Is what turned us into what we are right now," he droned almost miserably. His shoulders sank and his gaze focused on his bare, feminine feet, trying desperately to avoid April's gaze as best he could. He didn't want to see the dejection in her eyes; the anger that boiled inside her veins when she realized the cure he had found for her father had been wasted on both his brothers and himself. And for what purpose? To make them human? Well that would've been fine and dandy had it turned them into the correct gender. He was selfish to put his own needs before attending to April's wish. After all, it was their fault her dad had been mutated in the first place, now it was their fault that the cure he had found for him was wasted on such a useless transformation. He felt horrible. Sickened, even and he only wished he could take everything back just to see April smile at him for doing something right again.
"So what did you guys manage to save from the fire?" April asked. She walked toward her desk to examine all the equipment, catching Donnie off guard before he pointed out a few things he had set down.
"A few beakers and some notes. They're a little charred, but still decipherable. We also managed to save a Bunsen burner and some tongs and forceps. Here are a few micropipettes as well."
"What about any of your inventions? The Mutagen Scanner, was that salvaged?"
Don looked over the crowded desk and reached for the what was once an old Gameboy system with rotating whisks attached at the top. While it had a few blackened marks on the edges and the buttons, it still functioned to some degree, going as far as turning on and picking up a single. Even before it was torched in the fire, it still wasn't very reliable due to the magnetic currents interfering with the scanner's homing signal. However, with a few modifications, he should be able to get it to function properly. Maybe even implanting a viral firewall that would shield it against any incoming electromagnetic frequencies. Yes, that could work.
"How many canisters of mutagen did you say were still spread throughout the city?" Leo asked, snapping Donnie out of his thoughts.
"Uhm, about fifteen, give or take. Most of the canisters we retrieved were either used for experimentation or accidentally spilt on innocent bystanders and animals. As far as I'm concerned, the Kraang don't have any of the mutagen canisters they lost across the city, mostly due to the fact that we're always the ones who manage to grab hold of them before they're able to pinpoint their locations."
"So that's a good thing, right?" Raph asked, leaning against the wall closest to April's dresser. "At least if we go out looking for more canisters, we won't have setbacks with the Kraang."
"Only problem is how am I going to come up with an antidote with such limited equipment?" Don asked. "Most of the key instruments I used to create the retro-mutagen got destroyed in the fire. How am I going to come up with a cure now when we have such little equipment?"
"Maybe we can all find jobs?" Mikey suggested with a smile. "We're human now so at least we've got that going for us. Shouldn't be that hard to find work here in the big city."
"That'll take too long, Mikey," Leo interjected. "Besides, we have no idea how the mutagen will keep us in the state. We need to come up with a cure as soon as possible before something irreversible happens."
Raphael flicked his attention to his brainiac brother, hopefulness swimming in his sea green eyes. "Any chance this stuff'll just wear off and turn us back to normal after a couple of days?"
"After analyzing the effects of Mikey's monstrous zits, I highly doubt that," Donnie indicated. Raph only replied with a frustrated growl, cursing under his breath and running his fingers through his short, auburn hair. This couldn't be happening. What if they didn't find a cure in time? Would he be stuck in this body forever?
With April's room carrying an ambiance of silence, Michelangelo's eyes lit up as he hopped off of April's bed and voiced his idea. "What about her school? April, you have a science lab at your school, don't you? I'm sure they're bound to have some fancy sciency equipment that Donnie could use."
"Great plan, genius, but how do you propose we sneak inside?" Raph asked. "I'm pretty sure they got their fancy science equipment all bordered up so people can't steal it."
"Not only that but security is pretty tight after dark," April informed them.
Donnie shook his head solemnly, going over the equipment laid out on April's desk. "I don't have any tools that would help me disable the alarm system at her school, so even if we did manage to sneak past security, I wouldn't be able to get past the security systems being used to hold the equipment."
"So what do we do?" Mikey asked, his baby blue eyes mirrored with uncertainty as he stared at the three of his brothers, waiting for them to say anything.
"I guess we have no choice," Leo spoke, his tone serious and rather authoritative. "We're going to have to attend April's school as regular students. It's the only way Donnie will be able to get close enough to the equipment he needs without it being pad locked. We get in, grab what we can, and get out. Plain and simple."
"An infiltration mission," Master Splinter spoke while stroking his thin beard. "It will be difficult performing such a task in a crowded setting. Are you sure you and your brothers will be up for the challenge, Leonardo?"
"It won't be easy, but I'm sure we can handle it, sensei." Leonardo smiled. He gazed down upon his appearance, giving himself a once-over before looking back up at his sensei. "Blending in won't be such a problem, that's for sure."
April couldn't help but chuckle. "Uhh, not in tattered blankets and bare feet, if that's what you're thinking. If you're to blend in, might I suggest throwing on some actual clothes? It may be the style now for girls to dress half-naked when they go out in public, but that doesn't mean you guys have to follow the trend."
She walked towards her closet and pushed the door opening, revealing a straightforward variety of colorful clothes and simple outfits that worked for any season over the year. Sorting through the hangers, she pick and chose a few shirts and a couple of blouses, giving them once overs before turning toward the guys. "I'm sure I'll find something you four will like, so feel free to—"
"—I call first dibs!" Mikey shouted, practically shoving April out of the way to sort through her closet. His baby blue eyes lit up like the lights decorating a Christmas tree and it didn't take him long before he pulled out a Easter yellow off-the-shoulder crop top. "Sweeeeeet. You got anything like this in orange?"