Chapter 6: The Mutation Situation
Within the old building hidden by the walls of trash that encased their headquarters, The Shredder held the glowing mutagen canister in his gloved hands, glowering down at it with his bloodshot gaze. "And you are sure that this was the only one left?" he asked, looking over to the bowed forms of Bradford and Xever before him.
With smug satisfaction, Bradford nodded. "Yes, Master. Luckily, we were able to get it before those blasted turtle freaks could," he declared proudly. "They seemed to have forgotten the true power of the Foot Clan…but they will be reminded the hard way."
Shredder nodded in approval. "Indeed. Now that we have the mutagen on our arsenal, those turtles will watch as the Foot Clan grows once more," he affirmed with dark confidence. He turned to the emotionless man stood next to him, now joined by three others identical to him. "Can you generate more of this mutagen, creature?" he probed.
The man nodded, taking the canister of ooze as Shredder handed it over. "Kraang will be able to create more samples of mutagen at a time that is sooner rather than a time that is later," he spoke, "However, for now, a task that is known as a greater task is at hand. The ones that call themselves the turtles are dangerous to what Kraang and the one known as Shredder are doing in this place and other places. The turtles must be eliminated…from all places."
As The Shredder and the alien creatures moved out into the next room, Xever looked over to Bradford and nudged him with his elbow as they stood up. "What?" Bradford hissed.
"Pay up. They made it out."
"What makes you think that?"
"I asked the scout that stayed behind to watch out for them. They made it out. Pay up."
Rolling his eyes skyward, Bradford growled as he dug into his pocket and slapped thirty bucks into Xever's awaiting hand. "Easy money," Xever laughed as he counted his winnings. To the victor go the spoils.
This day was just getting better and better.
"What?! You guys are moving?!" April exclaimed.
Wincing a little bit at April's loud outburst, Leonardo nodded sadly with a soft sigh, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look April, it's not for good," he reassured, "it's only temporary. Splinter and the rest of us have already talked about it this morning, and we've decided to go through with it. It's just not safe for us to stay here right now. If the Foot are back, then they'll know where we live and they'll come for us again. The last thing we need is for a repeat of what happened three months ago..." he trailed off as he glanced behind him, watching his brothers and Sensei as they started collecting anything essential that they knew they would need for the trip.
April saw the forlorn look in his eyes, and she frowned in sympathy. She could almost see the fowl memory burning within his azure gaze as he stared at his family. More than anyone, April knew how much it almost killed them all to remember what they had been through; losing Splinter had been the worst thing that ever happened to them, and on top of that, they could've lost Raphael as well. She remembered how broken they'd been at the time…and how they had all risen once again to face their enemies as one, despite everything that happened.
"But guys," Casey protested next to her, gaining the other turtles' attention as they looked over to him. "Where else are you gonna go? This was your only home for fifteen years! You can't just leave it now!"
Heaving a tired sigh, Raphael carefully set down the sack he'd filled with food and crossed over to where the two humans and Leo stood at the turnstiles, reaching up and laying a hand on his human companions' shoulder. "I hear you, Casey. I feel the same way, and so do the rest of us," he said solemnly. "But this is something we've gotta do. And besides, it's not as if we're leaving the city again altogether, and like Leo said, the move ain't permanent. We're just gonna look around the sewer tunnels to see if we can find another bigger place for us to go for the time being."
"Going to your place is out of the question for us, April," Donatello said from the other side of the pit as he helped gather some essentials, as well as some of his lab equipment. "Not only because the Foot knows where you live too, and that would probably be the first place they would look, but it's also on the surface. It'll be more likely that we'll be discovered, as well as it being very inconvenient for you and your dad and aunt...and of course, Master Splinter."
Looking down at her feet, April bit her lip in thought. There had to be something she could do to help, instead of just sitting around and watching them wander aimlessly through the tunnels with those giant sacks…wait a minute…
"Well, you guys could stay in my apartment at least until you find another place to stay," she insisted hopefully. "My dad and my aunt won't mind, really they won't! And besides, wouldn't it be a good idea if Splinter went to look through the tunnels to check for any empty spaces? Come on, guys, let us help you. Isn't that what we're here for?"
Silently pondering over April's invitation, Leo looked to the side at Raph, who was still stood next to Casey. His younger brother gave him a shrug, which probably meant 'Whatever's good with you'. He turned to his two youngest brothers for their thoughts, but they only turned to their Sensei, waiting for his answer instead. The old rat stroked his beard, humming in thought. Then he looked over to April. "Your offer is most gracious, April," he began with a warm smile. "And I agree that it would be wise for me to look through the tunnels alone rather than taking all of us with our cargo."
The four turtles smiled and nodded in agreement, mirroring April's relieved one. Leo turned back to her. "Let us get Klunk and Spike, finish packing some stuff, and then we'll meet you guys back at you place," he said. And as she came forward and wrapped her arms around him in a short hug, Leo reflexively returned her embrace with a warm one of his own. "Thanks April…"
April held him a little tighter. "That's what families are for, Leo."
Two hours later, the turtles were now safely inside the newly rebuilt apartment, which was just as big as it had been before the entire Foot incident occurred, thanks to Casey and his uncle's building business. The ginger cat, Klunk, was skittering around playfully with a ball of yarn that April had given her, and the non-mutant turtle Spike resting comfortably on Raphael's lap, chewing on a strawberry. April's aunt and father were still working by this time, and wouldn't be back until later that evening, but April had called them beforehand to inform them of the circumstances. Just as she'd told the boys earlier, they didn't mind whatsoever. But it did not appease the concern she still held for her mutant family.
What if they couldn't find a place to stay? What if they really did have to leave New York again, and this time for good? That would mean that she, Casey or even Irma would never see them again. April couldn't bear the thought of that.
Sat on the couch, Raphael let out a sigh as he gently put Spike down next to Klunk on the floor. "Y'know, we should just go looking for them instead," he argued aloud as he stood up and moved to lean against the window. "I mean, they have that…'mutagen' thing, don't they? Why are we just sitting here whilst they're out there doing who-knows-what with that ooze?"
From where he stood leaning against the wall nearby, Leonardo sent him a flat look. "Raph, have a little patience, will you? First, we move. Then we look."
Raph only sighed in agitation, and crossed his arms angrily over his chest. "Whatever you say, 'Fearless Leader'," he muttered.
Leo rolled his eyes, thinking the best thing to do was to just ignore his hot tempered brother as he took out his T-Phone and typed in a number. As Leonardo walked away for some privacy, Raphael watched him go and scoffed. No doubt he was going to call his 'girlfriend' about the current circumstances.
Hearing a soft, repetitive thud against the floorboards, Raph then looked over to where Michelangelo sat on the couch. He held an old blue ball in his hand, and bounced it sadly on the floor. No doubt it was something he'd found in the old lair. Raph frowned as he looked at his gloomy little brother. When Splinter had told them his plans to move that morning, aside from Donnie, it was Mikey who took it the hardest. He'd always loved the old subway station; they all did, but when they'd first arrived all those years ago not long after their mutation, it'd taken the rest of them days to really warm up to the dark place, whilst Mikey had gone running in and exploring every inch of the main room before his brothers had decided it was safe to follow.
To move away now, even if it was only temporary, after all those years of happy memories, was going to be especially hard for the youngest turtle.
Sighing, Raph stood up and walked over to his little brother. It was Raph's job to be the dark and brooding one, not Mikey; the red clad turtle wasn't about to let his happiest, most positive brother take his place.
Mikey didn't even blink when Raph sat down next to him, and instead continued to stare at the ball on the floor, watching as Klunk pawed at it impishly. The two turtles sat there in silence for the longest time, with Raph unsure of what to do or say. He looked left and right in case anyone else was around, but Donnie was with April in her room discussing what they'd do next, and Casey was sat with his headphones on in the chair opposite them, his eyes closed and his foot tapping to the beat of his music. With a final nod to himself, Raph reached out and wrapped an arm around Mikey's shoulders, bringing him closer to his side.
"Don't worry, Mikey," he said softly. "We'll go back to the old lair once all of this is over. And I bet when we find a new place to hide, it'll be a bigger place for you to skateboard and do a bunch of other stuff, too. It'll be okay, I promise." He allowed himself to smile as he turned to Mikey.
Mikey continued to look down, but a smile was beginning to spread across his freckled face. "…you really think so, Raph?" he asked quietly.
Raph, despite himself, let out a chuckle. "Little bro, I know so."
Mikey finally looked up and grinned as he suddenly leapt forward and wrapped his arms completely around his older brother, making the two topple over to the other side of the couch. Raph let out a wince as Mikey hugged him tighter. "Oof! O-okay, okay, that's enough now Mikey, you can let go, Mikey, you're crushing my freaking ribs! Jeez, when did you get so strong?" he gasped as he patted Mikey's head awkwardly. It was good to see his baby bother smiling again, even if he was causing him immense discomfort.
Just before he was released from his grip, he heard him whisper into his ear, "…thanks Raphie…"
Raph rolled his eyes and smiled. He hated that nickname, but it was Mikey; little brothers often did things that annoyed him, but he loved him nonetheless. And at least he was his old self again.
Mikey gave his brother a final hard pat on the shoulder, before standing up to full height and stretching his limbs until he heard bones pop. Just as Donnie and April exited her room, they heard the sound of cracking bones and winced. "Mikey, you know you could mess up your back like that, right?" the purple clad turtle cautioned as he sat down next to Raphael on the couch, watching April as she went over to Casey, and plucked the headphones right out of his ears. They both snickered as they watched him fumble around in confusion to the sudden loss of music.
Mikey waved off Donnie's warning with a flick of his wrist. "Well," he announced happily just as Leo re-entered the room, "I dunno about you guys, but I could really go for a slice of –"
There was a sudden loud knock at the door.
"Pizza delivery!"
Everyone in the room froze as their eyes shot towards the front door in shock. "…whoa, dude, that's creepy," Mikey mumbled to himself. Did he just predict the future or something?
"Miss O'Neil?" called the voice again. The door knob began twisting urgently, as if the person was trying to force their way inside.
Near to the point of panicking, April spun and turned her wide eyed gaze to her turtle brothers. "Guys, hide!" she hissed urgently. Soundlessly, but somewhat ungracefully, the turtles scrambled about the apartment for a place to hide. Casey ushered Donnie under the dining table, Raph hid behind the curtain by the window, and Leo and Mikey jumped behind the couch.
"Um, I'm coming! Hold on!" April called as she turned around again, making sure the turtles were all hidden. Casey gave her a silent thumbs up, and April let out a sigh of relief and opened the door. "Yes?" she greeted politely, with Casey standing behind her, ready in case whoever this guy was supposed to be caused any trouble.
But Casey was surprised to find that it was a boy, probably no older than he was, stood at the door with a smile and a large pizza box in his hands. "Hi there, I'm Keno," he answered kindly as he smiled at the two of them.
April smiled back, but the nerves were still buzzing inside of her. "H-hi there Keno," she stammered, "Um, I didn't order a pizza this time…"
"Oh, I know, but the guy in 313 did, and now he doesn't seem to be there," he said as he let himself inside. His voice had an ominous edge to it, one that April didn't like in the least.
That boy knew something.
Casey eyed him suspiciously as he walked towards the kitchen counter, where he was getting uncomfortably close to where Donnie was hiding. Whilst the boys' back was turned, Casey sent Donnie a warning look, and the turtle nodded as he completely retreated into his shell, head and all. Casey blinked in surprise; he didn't know they could do that.
"I figured," Keno continued as he set the box down, idly glancing around the apartment as if he were looking for something, "that since you order so much anyways, that you'd probably – huh?" He stopped abruptly as he spotted a pair of nunchaku on the kitchen counter. A pair that looked oddly familiar to him. He turned to the two humans, who seemed to have also noticed the weapons with slightly widened eyes. "Where did those come from?" he asked suspiciously, picking them up and swinging it.
From behind the couch, Mikey let out a silent gasp. Leo glared at him.
"Those? Um…those are mine!" April fibbed as she took them from him and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I like to do a bit of…um…'chucking' every now and then!" she laughed as she began to spin the nunchaku around, albeit clumsily.
Mikey groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose at the pun.
Leo sighed and rolled his eyes.
Raph slapped a hand against his forehead from behind the curtain, as did Casey.
Under the table, Donnie shook his head from inside his shell.
Keno raised a brow, clearly not buying it as he watched her nearly hit herself in the face twice. "Yeah, I'd keep practicing if I were you," he said flatly. April shrugged with a little snicker as she put the nunchaku on the counter again, inwardly hitting herself in the face with embarrassment. She'd actually never used them before, since she didn't want to mess them up; Mikey loved them after all.
Casey cleared his throat to gain the other boys' attention. "Uh, y'know what, how about I pay for the pizzas instead? Because, y'know, we could always use some more!" he laughed tensely as he patted his pants pockets. "Uh, lemme get my wallet…"
As the older boy searched, Keno turned away vainly for a moment…and then his eyes widened when he'd spotted something big and green, just peeking from behind the curtain near the window. Furrowing his brows together, he started moving slowly towards the curtain. "No, that's okay…" he said as he drew closer. "…one more thing though…I think you need to know about THIS!"
April's eyes widened further as she moved to try and stop him, but she was too late as Keno stomped down hard on a green, three toed foot behind the curtain.
"YEEEAAAOOOWW!" screamed Raph as he leapt out from behind the curtains, snarling fiercely at Keno as he moved threateningly towards him with his fist raised to strike out at him. The other three turtles quickly leapt out of their hiding places to restrain him.
"It's you guys again!" Keno exclaimed, backing away from the suddenly hostile red turtle. He knew he'd seen them sneak into this building earlier, back when he was on his way to deliver the pizza to 313. Just before he entered the apartment building beside the bakery, he'd caught a glimpse of a large, green figure climbing through the window, and knew exactly what it was. He wanted to thank them properly for saving his life, but never got the chance to see them again, until now.
At least he knew why the April girl bought so many pizzas; she'd been hiding these guys in her home this whole time.
"Let me hurt him! Please!" growled Raph as Leo, Mikey and Donnie held him back as much as they could. "Let go of me! Tell me I can hurt him! Please!"
"No, Raph, you can't hurt him, or I'll hurt you!" Leo threatened as he held his left arm back. So much for stealth; at this rate, if they couldn't even hide from a normal kid, the Foot would end up finding them within seconds.
Keno backed away slowly, deciding it was best if he just left before he got pummeled. But before he could get anywhere near the exit, his back hit something solid, and he spun around and looked up to find a giant, white and brown furred humanoid rat, clothed in a Japanese robe, towering over him and looking down at him with curious amber eyes.
"…I think you had better sit down, young man," he said simply.
Keno let out a choked gasp. Then his eyes fluttered closed as he fell limp to the ground. The turtles were finally able to let Raph go as they watched him fall, wincing at the thump as his body hit the floor. "Oooh…that must have hurt," Mikey snickered.
Splinter looked back to his sons and regarded them curiously, raising a furry eyebrow. "Do you boys care to explain?"
Leonardo's shoulders sagged as he sighed.
Later that night, rain fell relentlessly from the darkened skies, and thunder crashed loudly in the distance. In the warmth of the apartment, the now wide awake Keno, the turtles and the other two human teenagers sat in the living room as they all sat around Master Splinter, with hot mugs of coco in their hands as he revealed their tale to the young boy, who listened intently to what the old rat had to say.
"…and so, it was with an old Renaissance Art book I had possessed in my earlier life that I gave them all names," he concluded as he turned to his sons expectantly.
The turtle in blue stood up, putting his now empty mug on the coffee table. "I'm Leonardo," he introduced with a polite smile as he bowed to the human boy.
"I'm Michelangelo!" the orange one said with a grin. Keno grinned back.
"Oh, um, I'm Donatello," the purple one said as he bowed and waved at him awkwardly. Next to him, April concealed a smile at the action.
"And I'm Raphael," the red one said, giving him a wry thumbs up despite his earlier grudge with him after stepping on his toe.
Snickering with blue eyes glinting mischievously, Mikey scooted toward Keno and put his arm around his shoulders. "Yeah, all the cool ones end in 'o'!" he laughed. The others, aside from Raph of course, started to laugh as well.
"Yame!" Splinter declared firmly, which completely silenced the turtles.
Keno stood up and rubbed a hand over his face, staring at them all in wonder. That story…it was just uncanny. To think that for fifteen years, this family of mutant ninjas had lived directly below them, and no one had ever discovered their existence until today. Well, for Keno at least; goodness knows what would happen to them if other humans found out about their existence. Still, there was one thing that he couldn't help but chortle at as he faced them again. "So basically, what you're telling me is that…you guys were all slimed?"
The mutants all raised a brow in united confusion at his statement. "It was not slime, it was mutagen!" Raph snapped, standing up and folding his arms in disapproval. "And there's more of it out there, too. And as long as that stays the same, a lot of people could be in danger, unless we put a stop to it."
Keno blinked in surprise. "Wait…there's more of that ooze stuff that turned you into this?" he asked. "Well, where are they?"
Donnie stood up, his mug still in hand as he ran his finger around the rim of it. "Well, we're not entirely certain about that," he explained as he paced the floor back and forth, "But we do know who currently has it. You see, there's this clan of Ninjas out there. They're a secret clan, or they were until recently, and they call themselves –"
"The Foot?" Keno interjected.
All heads turned to him in surprise. "You've heard of them?" Leo asked curiously. At the corner of his eye, he could see Raph tense.
"Yeah," Keno replied, "I think I've seen these guys in black sneaking through buildings and into that old city dump near the docks. I heard months ago in April's first news broadcast that they were thieves that called themselves the Foot Clan or something…"
The turtles shared a glance. This kid knew where the Foot were hiding? Well, what a convenient stroke of luck. Donnie turned back to the boy and smiled. "Well, at least we now know exactly where to find the new Foot hideout," he beamed, patting the human on the shoulder. "Thanks for the intel, Keno."
"Yeah, that's great," April mused, "but the real question is how do we get in there and get the mutagen out without being spotted and captured?"
"And before you guys say anything," Casey warned, standing up and planting his hands on his hips with a frown, "packing yourselves in a box and sending yourselves special delivery is not gonna work this time." Standing next to him, April folded her arms and nodded in agreement; she still couldn't fathom why they though that would work in the first place.
The turtles pouted in embarrassment at that. Yeah, this time, they would definitely need a different approach. But simply waltzing right into their hideout was suicide; they would stick out like green, sore thumbs. Sending April or Casey alone to spy on them was far too risky as well, and the last thing they wanted was to lose anyone due to unnecessary conflict…
"Hey," Keno offered with a raised hand, "I think I've got a plan. If I could somehow get myself recruited into their clan – "
"No way, Keno, Forget it." Leo said firmly before the boy could finish, folding his arms over his chest. "We know you just want to help, but the Foot are far too dangerous."
Frowning, Keno turned on the blue clad leader. "Hey, is this just because I'm a kid?" he barked, "because if you hadn't noticed, you're kids too! And I can fight! Didn't you see me take out those Purple Dragons before?"
Leonardo scoffed. "Yeah, we did. You took down only two of how many dozens of gang members that showed up after all the noise you made," he pointed out. He watched as Keno sighed and his shoulders slumped, and couldn't help but feel a little bad, but nevertheless he continued. "Look, you've already done enough by telling us where they're hiding. You're a good fighter, Keno, but this is our battle, not yours," he advised.
Raph had remained silent throughout the whole exchange, but after Leo's final word, he moved to stand next to Keno as he rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, uh, believe me when I say I hate to say this," he began, watching as Leo already prepared to interject, "but, the kid's got a – "
"No, Raphael," Splinter interrupted firmly before his son could go any further and give the human child any more ideas. From where he sat in the armchair opposite the arguing boys, the old ninja master shook his head. "You would be wise to listen to your brother."
Rolling his eyes skyward, Raph let out a heavy sigh. "But why, Sensei?!" he growled, "This is our chance to get inside the Foot HQ without being caught! Why pass it up?!"
"It is as Leonardo said; it is far too dangerous for a young one like him to get involved with The Foot Clan," Splinter told his temperamental son. "It is true, he may have knowledge in combat, but against an army of highly trained soldiers, it would be most unwise to let him plunge himself into something he knows very little about. And it would be our responsibility if any harm should come to him. The same goes for both April and Casey as well."
Biting his lip, Keno stepped towards the old rat. "But Master Splinter," he protested, even though the look he was given sent a shiver running down his spine, "I know more than enough about the Foot and the ooze to want to help you guys. Isn't that enough? They saved my life, so now I've gotta do something in return, no matter what! You can't expect me to just go home and forget this ever happened, can you?!"
"Uh, Sensei, if I may," Donnie piped up nervously, "it wouldn't be too bad if we sent him to just spy on them at the very least. I mean, we could get him in, then as soon as –"
"Chinmoku!" Splinter commanded, tapping his cane loudly on the floor. The turtles' blood froze as they immediately became silent, flinching slightly at the sound of the cane. Squeaking, Mikey shuffled behind Casey, who gulped nervously. A mad giant rat was a bad giant rat; he'd learned that first-hand.
"This is no longer up for discussion," he ordered as he rose from his seat. "I will not have this boy come into any contact whatsoever with the Foot. Is that understood?"
Raph sighed heavily, and Keno lowered his head. "Hai, Sensei," the turtles spoke in unison. With that, Raph stomped away. Donnie looked away, pressing his fingers together as he shifted awkwardly. Mikey remained hidden behind Casey, but stared after Raph as he climbed out of the window and up to the rooftops. Mikey frowned dejectedly as he watched him go, before lowering his eyes to his feet and unconsciously gripping Casey's arm a little tighter.
Sighing, Leo turned to Casey and April. They could only shrug their shoulders. In that moment, it was official.
Nobody knew what to do.
Meanwhile at 'The Dome', The Shredder stood before Bradford and Xever, who were bowed before him as they gazed at what he held out to them.
He now held a new canister of mutagen that the Kraang had successfully replicated in his gloved hand.
"You two have proven to be my finest and most powerful warriors," he spoke. "And for that, I promise you even greater power. These creatures tell me that this mutagen will enhance your abilities, but will ultimately change your entire physical being. Are you both willing to take this risk?"
Bradford and Xever stood up and nodded to their master. "I shall gladly accept, Master," Xever claimed.
"I shall do anything for the honor and victory of our clan, Sensei," Bradford declared. "We shall not fail you."
Shredder nodded. "Good. You have both made a very wise decision." He turned to face the emotionless Kraang standing behind him, waiting for his next command. "Have you brought the deadliest animals you could find?" he inquired.
"Yes." The Kraang replied, "Kraang has brought what is known as, 'the deadliest creatures' for the one known as Shredder. The two humans known as Bradford and Xever must come in contact with the ones known as 'dangerous animals' before the testing of the mutagen is to be carried out. However Kraang must give that which is known as a warning. The mutagen is unstable in this dimension. The results that are wanted by Shredder may not be the results that result with the testing of the mutagen."
"Is that so…Very well, then," Shredder replied with a nod, and then turned back to Bradford and Xever. He handed the mutagen canister to Bradford. "Go. Follow them. They will grant you the power you seek. With it, you shall bring great honor to the Foot Clan."
They both nodded firmly, and they moved to follow the single Kraang into another pitch black room. Another Kraang closed the door behind them.
With the two of them gone, Shredder turned and walked out towards the front door as a Kraang droid followed closely behind. Standing at the foot of the stairs that led to the outside, he gazed aloofly upon the many dozens of new Foot Soldiers that stood rigid and to attention to him. He narrowed his eyes at them. "Are you positive they work efficiently?" he asked the droid.
"Yes," replied Kraang. "Kraang has made sure that the demands of the one known as Shredder were met according to those demands. The ones known as the ones you wish s to call the turtles will not win against the Kraang or the one called The Foot Clan."
"Indeed. Those vile creatures will not stand a chance…" he chuckled darkly.
Shredder didn't even turn around as twin screams of pain echoed through the abandoned junk yard. Not even the crunching of bones or the scent of burning flesh could deter him, for he knew that now, his army would be unstoppable. He knew that now was the dawn of a new victory.
This time the Turtles would fall.
This time, The Foot Clan would rise again. And this city would belong to them once more.
A/N: Oh no guys. Looks like we got ourselves a problem...