They finally left the absolute stench of the sewer behind and entered the open expanse that was their home. Leo made the girls rinse as much of the purple gunk off as they could in a large shower stall in the entryway before he handed them thick long towels and told them he'd find them some clean clothes. He went ahead to warn Splinter they had company and find the clothes and left Donnie, Mikey and Raph to show the girls around. "And here's where we were recording our hiphop Christmas Album but we're kinda not finishing it cause we've been too busy saving the City and stuff." Mikey finished.
"This place is awesome! It's off that chain!" Tracey exclaimed, rotating herself three hundred and sixty degrees to take in everything at once. "Do tell. It must be time consuming keeping things in this city safe and protected." She shivered a little bit from the cold and damp sewer and wrapped her arms around her body, but it would be tolerable until they got some dry clothes. Running her hands through her hair to push it back out of her face, Tracey's expression suddenly turned to one of shock and she looked over to Arty, wondering if she had noticed too. She started clasping at her ears and much to her shock they were no longer pointed like they had been in Greece.
'What the hell is going on?!' She thought to herself, trying very hard not to freak out. 'Our clothes are different, I don't have my elf ears anymore... does that mean I don't have my powers anymore?!' She gave Artemis a look of great concern, but she couldn't ask her anything yet because they were still accompanied by the turtles.
"Oh, we forgot to ask what your names were. I'm sorry, what are they?"
"I think you already know them." Splinter said walking out of a tunnel. "I sensed something in the air. You do not flow with the energy of this world and Leonardo says you behave with familiarity. As though none of this is unusual to you. So tell me the truth. Where are you from?"
Artemis exchanged a look with Tracey and sighed. She used the end of the towel to rub water from her hair to give her a chance to gather her thoughts. "Whatcha think Tracey? Shall we spill the beans?"
With a sigh, she nodded and let her hands fall from her ears and crossed them over her chest. "We don't have any reason to deceive you and anyone here and this story might make us look and sound crazy but I assure you neither is true." Tracey started, standing up straighter and bowing respectfully to the rat master. "But it will sound a little out of the ordinary... though you might be able to handle it seeing as you all have defended New York successfully, twice."
She took a breath and continued. "We're originally from Tennessee. We were on our way out of the convention center during a rain storm when lightning flash three times and the thunder rolled soon after that and the next thing we know we've been transported to Ancient Greece. We were stuck for about three months before we were able to take care of a big problem there. Artemis and I were hoping to be sent home by Zeus, but that didn't quite go according to our plan. Any questions so far?"
The blank stares were enough of an answer and Artemis took up the narrative. "Somehow we ended up here in your universe. I think we're supposed to help you guys solve some kind of problem. Whoever hijacked us seems to think were useful so odds are we'll be able to help you with whatever problem you're about to face."
"Ok wait a minute. You guys are from another Universe?" Raphael asked incredulously.
"Theoretically it is possible." Donatello cut in. "Especially since Krangs machine worked by opening a portal between his dimension and ours. It stands to reason that that might have caused a weakness in the fabric of reality and allowed these two to pass through."
"So the Interdimensional Portal Opening Thingamabob brought chicks here instead of creepy bubblegum looking aliens?" Mikey asked trying to clear things up for himself.
"Looks like." Donnie replied and brought out his wrist device to scan them. Artemis grabbed his arm pushing it down. "Hey! Interdimensional travel does not equal consent." She snapped. "Do not scan us without permission. We're trying really hard not to upend the cosmic order of your universe. Gods know we probably fucked up the last one we were in and our own is probably royally screwed."
Leonardo frowned. "She's right Donnie, we don't know what impact their being here could have on our universe." He handed Tracey a pile of clothing. "Some of this should fit you two."
For a moment Tracey just stared at the size of his green, three fingered hand, studying him from head to toe as if she was seeing him in the flesh for the first time. Granted it was the first time they had come across the turtles and it was a little different from watching them on T.V. but it wasn't any less cool that she and Artemis were actually meeting them in person. All the turtles were well sculpted for their size and they were by far the most interesting creatures they'd met so far on their little adventure. Tracey then blinked and looked up into his light blue eyes and smiled kindly. "Oh thank you Leonardo, I'm sure we'll find something suitable to wear." She said, giving him a slight bow of her head. "Artemis, do you think we still have our special abilities now that we're here?"
Artemis shook her head looking through the clothes. "I can't use fire anymore which means you don't have your abilities either. Which on the one hand…" She stopped suddenly with a hitch then kept talking. "Is a good thing because damn were those powers…" She stopped again and a strange look crossed her face.
Tracey was about to ask what was wrong when she felt a sharp pain in her gut. She bent over gasping and felt her skin rippling. She could see the skin and muscles of her forearms writhing like snakes. She watched in painful astonishment as feathers began to push up through her skin. She vaguely heard the Turtles milling around and raised voices but she couldn't focus on anything but the utter agony of her body remaking itself. She was down on her knees as her face started changing. She caught sight of her transformation in a polished sheet of metal, he face was becoming birdlike, eyes growing huge and golden. Her face was a mass of hot pain as a wickedly curved beak grew outward from her face and she blacked out for a few minutes. When she came to she was approximately 4 times her original size and a huge pair of golden wings spread out from a feathered leonine body. She felt a tingle along her body and when she shook a spear of lightning crackled outward and hit a pile of pizza boxes.
The boxes were instantly engulfed in flames and Tracey wanted to speak words in protest but all that came out from her beak were high pitched squawks and screeches. She moved her great head around and tried to find Artemis, even bending her head all the way under her chest feathers to see if she was underneath her, if that was the case she stopped moving, not wanting to accidentally squish her. Tracey looked at her talons and then along her backside, traveling her sight all the way down to her feathered tail, two longer, ribbon-like feathers trailing behind her. Shaking a sudden chill from her spine and extending her wings outward, Tracey made the mistake of giving them an experimental flap, thunder rolling outward, but thankfully no more lightning. She screeched again, trying to find Artemis.
While she didn't immediately see Artemis she did see a smaller than average Dragon sitting on top of the Garbage truck the brothers used as covert transportation. It regarded her calmly while the Turtles and Splinter emerged from various places they taken cover. Donatello had his scanner out and was scanning both of them,
Leonardo was helping Splinter up out of a pile of junk. "Donnie, what the hell is going on?"
He winced when Splinter swatted him with his walking stick for swearing but the question still stood. "Uh… It looks as if the mutagenic ooze reverted the girls into mythological creatures… I think this has something to do with their being from a different universe. Its unusual that they aren't in a more humanoid form but are the full creatures but it looks like the mutagenic ooze is a different formula than the original batch."
Swinging her head from side to side, Tracey wasn't so sure she was comfortable with this situation. Her feathers shimmered as she swayed on her massive, taloned feet. She eyed the Dragon with her luminous golden orbs and carefully made her way to it, being careful not to step on anyone or anything, and nuzzled it with her beak carefully. Chirping at it softly, as if to ask if she was alright, Tracey looked over her shoulder at the turtles and master Splinter, surprising herself that she could rotate her head a hundred and ninety degrees, kind of like an owl. She squawked at them, hoping that they might have a solution to this problem.
The Dragon chittered reassuringly and hunkered down like a cat flipping her wings into a more comfortable position. She blinked large Green eyes and seemed calm for all the pain they'd both just been through, Splinter stepped carefully forward and looked up at them. "I am sorry this has happened."
Donnie was muttering something technical as he made his way towards his lab while the other three looked at the Thunderbird and Dragon in their livingroom. "So… we have the coolest housepets ever." Mikey said trying to break the tension.
Tracey shuffled her feathers almost aggressively and tucked in her own wings close to her body, straightening her posture so she stood tall and proud. Shaking her great head until her golden tipped crown feathers stood up on her head, Tracey chirped in Mikey's direction and then swept her long tail around from behind her and a small streak of lightning jutted out and crackled along the ground under his feet, causing him to dance in his place. She looked over to Master Splinter and bowed her head, the tip of her beak nearly brushing the ground in respect for him and the apology he gave them. Both Tracey and Artemis knew that it wasn't their fault and that the turtles would try to help them the best they could, but until they could speak, if there was even a way for them to speak, communication would be very limited. A low rumble in her chest made the rest of her body ripple, it almost sounded like laughter. Tracey had just thought of something, how was April O'Neil going to react to their appearance. She also wondered how and when she and Artemis were going to learn how to use their new bodies and learn to fly.
Artemis in her Dragon form watched the Turtles and Splinter as they discussed what to do or how to help, she still had all her faculties and was trying to think her way around this issue but at the moment she just felt exhausted emotionally and physically. She rested her chin on her front claws and closed her eyes letting her mind wander. She thought about Iolaus and while it hurt it was also one of her best memories. His smile, his laugh and the way his eyes lit up when he saw her. She fell asleep thinking of him but woke up a few minutes later when Donnie came running in. "It's not permanent! They can can change back. There are markers with their human DNA."
Tracey had circled several times in the Turtles' living room and extended her wings in a wide circumference around her, pushing a few things out of her way so she didn't flatten anything. She made herself comfortable on the floor and watched them all for a time before tucking her head under her wing and dozing for a little while, her breathing becoming rhythmic and slow. When Donnie came rushing in, making a lot of noise, she chirped and shuffled her wings, getting to her feet. She could only take a few small steps toward them because of her size, but she heard that their conditions weren't permanent. If they could at least figure out how to go from their mythical form to a more humanistic form and perhaps retain some of their mythical characteristics, that would be amazing. She chirped louder, hoping that Donnie would explain how he came to this conclusion.
Artemis slide down off the garbage truck and slide her whole body along Donnie's like a large cat staggering him before she hopped up onto Traceys back and curled up watching him. He gave a nervous giggle and cleared his throat. "I uh… think it might be mental…"
Extending her wings out to her sides and swatting her tail feathers out, chirping at him for a little more elaboration. She looked over her shoulder at Artemis, her eyes sparkling with hope. Artemis tilted her head and closed her eyes. After several minutes her form blurred and her human form melted out of a pile of shimmering black scales. She slid to the ground crouching to hide the fact that she was completely naked. "Oh son of a bitch that hurts."
Squawking loudly, Tracey shifted her wings and blocked Artemis from sight. She tried to keep her hidden while scavenging around for the clothes that Leonardo had brought for them to pick through for their dry clothes. After she found them she dropped them behind her wing and chirped at the rest of them frantically, trying to tell them to turn away. Tilting her head from side to side, Tracey inspected Artemis to make sure she was okay and looking for an explanation. Artemis dragged on a pair of pants, a bra and a shirt before standing up with a groan. "Ok Tracey… all ya have to do is concentrate on your physical form. Picture yourself as clearly as you can and make it your whole reality. Uh guys, please either turn around or leave so she can transform."
The guys all turned around with various expressions of embarrassment on their faces. And Artemis tugged Traceys head down and stroked between her large eyes. "Come on, just close your eyes and think about who you are."
She gave her a soft, series of chirps that made her chest rumble and did as she was bidden to do. Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind of everything until nothing was left except for darkness. In the middle of all that darkness, a disk of light appeared and standing in its center was her human form. The Thunderbird version of herself swooped down, lightning following behind her as she flew straight for the disk of light and disappeared into human Tracey's chest, vanishing completely. With an anguished cry of pain, Tracey opened her eyes and realized she was on the floor again, her body curled in on itself and her hair hiding her face. She shivered and looked up at Artemis with a slight smile at her success before she grabbed around for some clothes too. "Damn that hurts." She breathed, snagging underwear and a bra before taking a pair of BDU pants and a black tank top.
She laced up a pair combat boots and tried to stretch out her sore muscles before they hurt too horrible. "Well that was a clusterfuck of fun... If we could find a way to revert to our human so that it doesn't entail a lot of pain, than I could get used to this."
"Honey we went from being human to a completely alien physical form back to human in less than 24 hours. On top of being spun out of one universe into another. We should be unconscious right now." Artemis wrapped an arm around her waist and sighed.
"You are speaking my language Artemis... What time is it now guys? Don't worry, you can turn around now, the coast is clear now." Tracey said, putting her head in her hand before combing her fingernails through her hair to untangle it.
"We should probably see what the rest of these clothes can do for us and clean up our purpley oozed ones so we can use those again." She blinked tiredly and her stomach growled a little in protest and Tracey placed a hand there to try and silence it. A sigh escaped her lips and she looked at Artemis, rolling her eyes.
Artemis smiled slightly and chuckled as the guys turned around. She eased them both down onto a couch and Splinter hobbled over to look at them he touched Artemis's shoulder gently and she flinched but didn't shy away. He pressed carefully on a few points on her shoulders and neck and she relaxed as the pain seeped away. He did the same for Tracey and told the boys to find them something to eat. "You two will need rest." He said sitting down on a footstool across from them.
"Thank you Master Splinter, you are most kind. I can honestly say the kindest, talking rat that we've ever encountered." Tracey said, giving him a lopsided grin and scratching the back of her head with a sigh. "We greatly appreciate everything you're doing for us, though you don't know us very well." She knew that the pain had only temporarily subsided and it would come back, but hopefully without a vengeance. "If you guys don't mind Master Splinter, we'll probably just commandeer the couch if you have blankets we'll be fine with those."
He chuckled and waved a long fingered hand. "Don't be foolish child. We will find you a bed."
Leonardo brought over a plate of sandwiches and a couple of sodas, he gave them both a hesitant smile as he set them down. "April is always trying to get us to understand that girls don't always want to eat Pizza." He said.
Artemis smiled. "Tracey would eat cardboard if you covered it in mayo and cheese. I on the other hand have a stomach issue that means I can't eat pizza." She took a sandwich gratefully.
"You can't eat it… like ever?" Mikey asked looking shocked and a little horrified as he sat down cross legged on the floor.
Artemis shook her head. "Never ever."
Donnie drifted over and started to ask a question but stopped when he saw they were eating. Raph was trying to appear as if he weren't paying attention but Splinter could tell his that his hot tempered son was very curious. All of them were, aside from April and Casey Jones they had few friends, it was something he mourned for his children. Mikey was looking like he wanted to cry at the thought of never eating pizza again and Artemis patted his shoulder. "It's alright bud, I don't care if everyone else eats it around me so enjoy."
He looked a little surprised at the physical contact from a relative stranger but smiled his sweet sunny smile at her. "Thanks Arti!" He paused and ducked his head. "Artemis."
She laughed and patted his shoulder again. "Most of my friends call me Arti. I'm ok with it."
He grinned and got up to find something to do while Leo and Donnie sat down with Splinter. Leo looked at Tracey and tilted his head. "So you know a lot about us, are there versions of us in your world?"
"Maybe not cardboard so much my dear." She laughed, opening her soda and wetting her lips, thankful that the soda was cold and refreshing. "But I guess I have to get my fiber somehow." Tracey smiled and moved to sit cross-legged on the couch and proceeded to brush a few crumbs from her lips and take another small sip of her orange crush soda to wash down the sandwich before she spoke, nodding to his question. "We know a lot about you, your brothers, Master Splinter, April, Casey and the villains you all have fought so far." She answered with a smile, she looked at Artemis before continuing. "We can't give you a lot of details but we can tell you a little about our world... We don't want to screw with the timeline very much or things could only get worse. You and the other turtles are actually shows that we watch in our world, but believe me when I say that that doesn't make you guys any less amazing now... You all have some pretty sweet moves. It could come in handy too. I don't suppose you would be willing to train us up a little, I could use the teaching. Artemis not so much because she's got several black belts in a few martial art styles. I'm more of a mediator and first aid type of specialist, she's the butt kicker and sometimes a lot like Raphael..."
Tracey looked over at the largest, macho turtle decked out in red and muscle with a smile. "No offense meant, I do speak the truth though."
He shrugged. "I kick ass." He confirmed and sized Artemis up.
He knew it was stupid to assume that because she was a girl and human that she wasn't a strong fighter, a few of the Foot Clan were women and they were good fighters but she just didn't look like she'd be able. All the women he'd met who were ass kicking fighters were lean and hard looking. Artemis was… he flushed a little thinking it but he let the thought finish. She was sexy, all soft curves from breasts to hips and ass. She had long legs so he supposed she'd be a kicker but she just didn't look like a fighter to him and Tracey made him think of Donnie, she was more slender, more delicate looking. He glanced at Leo and saw that his more strategic brother was coming to some of the same conclusions. Mikey just seemed happy to have someone new to talk to and try out his lame pick up lines on and Donnie hadn't looked up from his displays long enough to realize they were really girls. Raph snorted and shook his head before looking at Master Splinter. Of all of them their dad could spot a skilled fighter and he was wondering what he was seeing. He realized his brothers were asking the girls questions and a lively conversation was happening around him, it wasn't like him to be so lost in thought. Leo had taken the plates and empty cans into the kitchen and Raph followed him in, since the Technodrone incident Raph had been trying to learn more strategy, it had bothered him that Leo had told him he was all muscles no brain so he was trying to prove his brother wrong. He leaned against the counter and looked at Leo. "So you think they're full of it or is it legit?"
Leo looked out into the living room and shook his head. "They know too many details, and Artemis is editing a lot of what she says. It kinda freaks me out how much they both know."
Raph nodded and crossed his arms. "Think we can trust them?"
"I want to say no, we've never seen them before and they did just appear out of nowhere but my instincts keep telling me yes." Leo rinsed the plates and set them aside to dry, of his brothers he was the tidiest. "We need to figure out how to reverse the new ooze. Them being able to turn into a giant bird and a dragon can't be good for the city… and it won't be much good for them either if the government gets involved."
"I dunno, maybe we should see if either of them is any good in a fight. Could be useful to have them fight with us against the Foot Clan and then turn into a big ass bird that spits lightning." Raph cracked trying to make a joke.
Leo snorted and headed back to the living room. "Yeah maybe."
Artemis had stopped answering questions and was staring off into space looking exhausted, Tracey kept yawning in between answers and Splinter stood. He looked at Leo. "Leonardo, do you mind if the girls use your bed for the moment. Yours is the only room I feel certain is clean enough for guests."
It was a mild reproof to his other three sons but he knew that it was the way of teenagers to be generally messy. Leonardo had always been a very orderly boy though and he knew his Eldest son kept his room clean. Leo nodded and motioned for the girls to follow him. "I don't mind."
When he opened the door Artemis's first impression was that Leonardo should have joined the military, everything was so clean and in a precise order. The bed was even made with military corners, he grabbed a couple of things off the desk and shoved them into a drawer and gave them an awkward smile. "We'll try to keep the noise down." He promised.
Artemis gave a half smile. "At this point you could drive a tank through and I'd sleep through it. Thanks Leo."
She patted his arm as she passed him and he felt a little strange. Up to now physical affection had been limited to his brothers who stopped hugging when they were five and the very seldom occasions when April gave him a brief hug. April wasn't really a physical toucher and since she'd started dating Casey they'd been firmly relegated to the Brother Box. He almost wished Artemis would pat his arm again but he pushed it aside and left the room. Artemis flopped down on the huge bed and sighed. "Gods I'm so tired." She groaned.
"Yeah, thank you Leo." Tracey yawned, trying to hide it behind her hand while trying to pull off an upward stretch at the same time. "You said it Arty. I think we both could sleep through an atomic bomb going off without batting an eyelash." She closed the door behind them and then inspected Leonardo's room, a slight smirk on her lips. It reminded her a little of her own room at home, all neat and tidy.
Everything had a place and everything in its place. She noted to two katana blades pegged above his desk, polished until they gleamed. Beautiful and well kept as they were, she could see her reflection in the blades and she nodded her approval. Looking over her shoulder at Artemis, Tracey laughed and kicked off her shoes, putting them neatly next to the wall along with her socks and glasses, those she laid on top of the socks so as not to break them.
"Scoot your tired ass all the way over." She yawned again, poking her gently in the side for some encouragement. "If you even think about hogging those covers, you're going to wake up a pancake in the morning... see if I'm not joking."
Artemis snorted and rolled over to the far side of the bed. "There's more than enough blanket for the both of us." She wiggled under the blankets not even bothering to undress aside from taking off her shoes and glasses. She sighed and relaxed letting her mind wander as she fell asleep.
Splinter watched Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello wander one by one to their bedrooms and looked at Leonardo sitting on the couch with a book. His sons had all had a shock and they were handling it as well as could be expected. These women, for that's what they were, grown women with the confidence of adulthood were here at a critical time in his son's lives. The boys were about to turn 18, and had already faced challenges that most adults would have been unable to handle but they had no other adults besides April O'Neil and Casey Jones to draw experience from, Casey Jones was still as much a teenager in mind as his sons and April was still struggling to find her own place. These two women had grown into themselves and knew who and where they were in the world. He hoped that they could be the example his sons needed.