Chapter 13: Freddy's Revenge

Jake halted at the doors of the workshop as the sentry turned to look at him. His gaze faltered as he spoke to his comrade. "Uh... I just need to... I forgot something in there, OK..." After a suspicious moment, the other ninja nodded him past.

As he went in, hurriedly pulling the mask over his face, Jake became aware of a creaking sound which abruptly stopped as April looked up to watch him warily. A sound like... well, like a wooden chair and rope under stress. He was strangely pleased that she wasn't accepting her captivity meekly, though he still felt bad about his part in putting her in this situation.

Jake moved over to a work bench, and started awkwardly moving objects around, trying to look busy. He could feel April's eyes on him, glaring at him accusingly. Or was that just his imagination? Eventually, when he finally had the nerve, he moved over to her.

"Uh... You OK?" he asked hesitantly.

Her eyes wide with surprise, April glanced to either side. He was talking to her. Wasn't he?

"No, no, sorry," Jake continued. "Of course not. Look... I'm sorry about this, OK? I didn't want to bring you here."

April considered this Foot ninja carefully - He was one of the two bogus cops turned angle grinder operators... What was going on here? Was this some weird interrogation technique? Bad cop, good cop, nervous conflicted cop? Only without the good cop part? And the really being a cop at all part? Well, if the Foot wanted to interrogate her that might at least mean-

-"I wish I could do something..."

"Mmm-mmmmmm-mfff...?" A horizontal crease formed in the shiny silver strip as April mumbled pleadingly through her gag, and Jake looked troubled by the kidnapped reporter's plaintive suggestion.

"Uh, I'm sorry, I really can't do that," he said regretfully. "But if it was up to me, you wouldn't be all..." Jake broke off. "Yeah, so, I'm sorry. Just thought you should, um, know..."

April continued to look at him blankly, and Jake wished he could take the tape off her mouth, but Matt hadn't been wrong about the consequences of that - A Foot ninja did not take Master Tatsu's commands lightly, even when he wasn't around. "No, you're right," he continued, "That's no help at all. Look, uh... Just forget I was here, OK?"

Pulling the mask over his face again, Jake hurried out of the workshop, leaving April more than a little confused... Was it something I said…?

Nice apartment. It wasn't the first time that thought had crossed Irma's mind, since she and Donatello had arrived at April's, but if a truth is worth expressing it's probably worth expressing again. She looked round the large open-plan space and tried not to compare it with her own tiny lodgings.

Also, when it came to her place, she spared not a thought for the regular teeth-rattling tremors caused by passing trains. Or the damp patch. Or the neighbors shrieking at 3am. Or... No. She didn't think about any of those things at all.

"I think, uh..." Turning to Donatello, she wondered just how to say what had to be said. There was no need. It looked like he was on the same page.

"Yeah, I know," he said, downcast. "They're not coming, are they? Something's gone wrong..." He hopped down from the tall chair he had settled on when Irma had finally persuaded him to stop pacing. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"I, uh, I'll think about that on the way..."

As Irma followed him toward the window, she heard the quiet murmur of the switched-on TV back there in the sitting area. Hey, it might not be that important in the big scheme of things, but it would be a waste of electricity to leave it switched on. She scampered down the couple of steps, poised to switch it off, and stayed there for several seconds, mouth open in surprise at what she saw.

"Donny...?"

"Come on, will ya…? The guys might be counting on me..."

"You might want to have a look at this..."

"Uh... I don't know how clearly you can see this at home... but this is truly bizarre... I've never seen... Oh my God..."

Jim McNaughton looked over his shoulder at the streaming ranks of rats hurrying along the road and sidewalk just a few feet away from him and his crew. He turned back to the camera, and leaned in so close the lens distorted his face. "I, uh, don't know what to say... This was odd to begin with. But this is remarkable, folks. They say that no New Yorker is ever more than a few feet away from a rat. Well, think about that one and look at what's happening here. This isn't just weird behavior..."

"...This is an invasion."

Donatello switched off the TV and leaned back in quiet contemplation. Irma stared at him. "What's happening? This day is just getting weirder and weirder."

"Yeah," he replied. Then he ran back up the steps to the level of the window leading to the fire escape, grabbing his staff on the way. "Let's get going."

"Going where?" Irma sounded lost. Her keenness had its limits. She was out of her depth.

He turned, treating her to a wide grin. "Looks like those rats are the key to whatever is going on in this city. So, we'd better find out some more about them. We're going to consult some experts."

A shadow momentarily blocked the light coming through the window, and April looked up - What now...? When one of the large doors to the workshop creaked open and Freddy came in, she looked away again - Cool indifference was tricky to pull off while tied to a chair and gagged, but she was definitely going to give it a try... A hint of nonchalance at the very least.

"Hello, April. Sorry to keep you waiting." Despite the warmth of his tone, his eyes were as cold as ever. "Looks like we have a chance to catch up."

"Mmm-mmm, mmm-mmmmmmfff!" Although April's response was stifled by duct-tape, it was clear enough that what she had to say wasn't anything complimentary. Ah well, she thought. So much for nonchalant...

He walked round behind her and, trying to turn to follow him and being prevented by the ropes, she glared angrily at him as he came back into view. Wasn't all this bad enough without having to deal with him coming to taunt her as well...? "Glad I got this chance to talk to you," he said. "You know, I had fun at Channel 3, much more fun than the guy I... replaced at the last second would've had. I'm sure you've figured by now, I was moonlighting... We had fun, didn't we...? I know... I wasn't much of an assistant." He leaned over her. "But then, I did have other stuff on my mind."

"M-mmmmmmfff..." said April scornfully.

"I never thanked you for your help. I mean, it would have been a lot more difficult if you hadn't made me so welcome as part of your team."

"Mmm-mmm-mmmmff..." said April impatiently.

"So, I think it's time I did something for you in return."

"Mmm-mff?" inquired April skeptically. Her eyes widened as Freddy pulled out a knife.

Having more or less recovered their strength, the other three Turtles had decided not to investigate the Rat King's lair right away. In their weakened state, they were in no shape to face him if he returned. So, they made their way back to where they had been captured. "Cowabunga!" Michelangelo headed straight for their discarded weapons.

"Cowa-what?" Raphael said, incredulously. And, for once, Leonardo and Raphael were on the same page.

"This is most definitely not a cowabunga situation, Mikey," Leonardo gently berated him. "At best, we've got some grounds for optimism." He leaned against the wall and sighed, dispirited. "We've got our work cut out. Master Splinter..." He didn't continue with that train of thought. "April needs our help," he said, knowing that was just the thing to say to get the others back in the game, and accepted his swords from Michelangelo with a nod.

He knew they had all glimpsed her in the Rat King's vision, or whatever that was... April was suffering just because she was their friend, and he hated to think of that. Or worse, what would happen to her if they failed to reach her...

"That's right. April's in the hands of the Foot," Michelangelo agreed. "Better than being in the foot of the hands."

"Sheesh!" Raphael slapped his hand over his eyes.

"All right, so feet don't have hands, hands don't have feet. Clutches?" No one was fooled by the levity - he was worried about April. They all were.

"Mmmmfff...?" Confused, April shrugged off the ropes as Freddy cut through them. "Mmfff-mmmmmm-mmmmm...?!"

He crouched in front of her. "If I free your feet, will you promise not to kick me?"

"Mmmff..." said April noncommittally. After cutting the rope binding her ankles, Freddy stood and pulled the tape from her mouth. "Ooooow!"

"Sorry."

He sounded anything but sorry, and she shot a brief hostile glance at him. "What are you doing?" she asked again as he moved round and untied her hands.

"You're welcome. I should just have left you tied up, huh?" Freddy held out a hand.

"Maybe. I don't know." April slid off the chair and backed away. Free - Well, not tied up any more, but still a prisoner. She threw a glance at the doorway. "Where's the scary bald guy?"

"Don't worry, Tatsu won't be in charge around here for much longer." He looked sly, even slyer than normal. "There's things about to happen. Big things, too big for Tatsu to cope with. It's time he made way for a worthy successor to Master Shredder." Freddy's eyes were wide with his fanaticism.

"And that's you, huh? Yeeeahhh... The Foot are revolting. You know, I always thought so."

"It's war out there, April. I can bring peace to the streets, with your and your friends' help."

She nodded, like she was humoring a lunatic, backing away as he approached. "Yeah... I'd love to try and help you with all that. It sounds real important..."

"I'd say very important, yeah."

She decided to throw him a bit of a curve ball. Sitting back in the chair, she nodded toward the spare coils of rope hanging on the wall. "But, y'know, I've already got plans."

"Uh... What are you doing?" it was Freddy's turn to ask, nonplussed.

"I'm just gonna stay here. I guess you better tie me up again." April clasped her hands behind her. "I dunno why you had to untie me, I was finally getting comfortable." She held still and waited - Whatever Freddy's plan was, she wasn't going to be helping.

Freddy shook his head, his faint smile seeming genuine for the first time. "I'm not so sure that's a good plan for you. Trust me, mine's better."

"Trust you?" she asked incredulously. "I'd rather take my chances with Tatsu. At least he's honest." Again, she looked pointedly at the rope. "Listen, could you just tape my mouth again, please? 'Cause I got nothing else to say to you."

"Really?" Freddy asked, one eyebrow arched. "You'd rather stay here, stay a prisoner, than hear what I have to say...?"

"I'm a prisoner either way, aren't I...?" April looked for a moment like she couldn't quite believe what she was arguing herself into, but she was angry and in no mood to cooperate with this guy. "Hurry up, OK...?"

After a moment, shaking his head again, Freddy abruptly left the workshop, confusing and annoying her even more. Exasperated, April unclasped her hands and slapped them down onto her lap to drum agitatedly.

"Big things, huh?" she said scathingly. "Yeah, right. What a worthy successor you are, Freddy. I bet you'll look real nice in that armor." She looked behind her, at the still-open door. "Freddy?" Determined, April put her hands behind her again, prepared to wait.

She did not feel silly sitting there... No. Not remotely silly.

"So what's this gotta do with me?" April hurried to catch up with Freddy out in the yard. The few loitering Foot ninja watched curiously, but made no move to stop her.

Matt and Jake, hidden beneath their masks, were two such onlookers. "What's he doing?" Jake inquired warily. Matt shrugged.

"The Turtles will trust you...?" Freddy asked April. "Won't they?"

That caught her off guard, and she thought carefully before replying. "Yeah..." she said, finally. "Yeah, they trust me. But I won't be leading them into any trap. If you think that's what'll happen, you just think again, 'cause I'd..." She set her jaw determinedly. "I'll die before I let you harm them," she continued, with just the faintest quaver of fear in her voice.

"That was Tatsu's plan," Freddy said abruptly. "Simple, unsubtle and flawed, just like him. But the Turtles aren't coming for you. Seems like they've had more important things to do."

April didn't know what to make of that. What came next, however, was even more unexpected.

"I don't know how much the Turtles and their teacher have told you of the history of the feud. You know, between the Oroku and Hamato clans, way back, back in Japan. The hatred, it was so strong. It was such a waste. A waste of time, resources... A waste of lives. The feud even survived when all that was left of the Hamato clan was a pet rat!" Freddy laughed. "It has to stop." He took a breath. "I want a treaty between the Oroku and Hamato clans... I want an end to the war."

April just stared at him for a moment, then away for another. "OK," she said at last. "That'd be nice. So, just supposing I did believe you, what am I supposed to do?"

"You'll be my envoy, April. You're the only one who can make this happen."

She laughed. "Oh... OK, yeah... I mean, that's quite an honor. Yeah, honor, I think that's the word I'm looking for... Uh, suppose I just, um, don't...?"

Freddy looked at her steadily. "Well, there's always Master Tatsu's plan... Back to the workshop...?" April's expression gave away her severe lack of enthusiasm for that option, and he smiled. "So, it's a deal."

"Great!" she said, face lighting up, and she started walking away. "That means I get outta here. Expect to hear from us soon, OK? Now, where do I get a cab around here...?"

"Um, in a word, no."

April had actually stopped walking even before Freddy replied, and she turned to him despondently. "Sorry, April," said Freddy. "I need you here. Don't worry, we'll find a way for a dialog to start, but till then we're not letting go of our key bargaining chip." He leaned a little closer. "Hey, you didn't think I was stupid, did you…?"

She also leaned closer. "Hey, I'm keeping an open mind about that."

Matt was smiling under his mask, glad Freddy couldn't see him. He turned toward Jake and spoke quietly. "OK, starting to see why you like her."

A yell was heard from one of the guards at the yard gate, and Freddy snapped to alertness. Running over, he looked where the man was pointing. April went over to have a look too, since it seemed like she now had the run of the place.

Climbing up, she was stopped by one of the Foot ninja grabbing her arm, but at a nod from Freddy he let go. April looked out at the dark street outside and saw what looked like a tide of shallow water streaming along the ground. Then she realized. It wasn't water. She might have got over her musophobia, but this was a sight that would give anyone the heebie-jeebies.

Rats. An uncountable, unstoppable horde. Coming straight for them.

Next: Tatsu gets the upper hand, April lets the rat out of the bag and the Turtles avoid giant mutant fish...