(Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT; just my OC.)
(Authors Note: Greetings dear readers and fellow writers! I am delighted to present to you my first Bayverse TMNT FF. Now, I just want to be clear that our boys are at least 20 years old in this story. Regardless, I'll be posting another chapter soon, but I'll also be working on my 2012 TMNT story, as well as my Transformers stories. So my updates will vary in consistency from time to time. If you enjoy this story, feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading :).)
"English/Speaking"
"YELLING"
'Mental thoughts/speech'
*TV/Media*
*:Phone Calls:*
Chapter 1
"Aw yeEeah! Gather round, my bros: it's pizza time," Mikey's voice rang out as he skateboarded into the lair carrying three boxes of savory pie. Within seconds, his brother's filed into the kitchen/dining area, followed by their Father, Master Splinter.
"Yo, Mikey, what's the occasion," Raphael asked as he, Leo and Donnie began setting the table.
"Okay, first off: pizza doesn't require an occasion to be eaten. However, in this case, it's the three year anniversary of us saving the world from Krang and the Shredder, so I figured we'd celebrate."
"Wow, I can't believe it's been three years already," Leonardo remarked.
"Well, technically it's been three years, fifteen hours and forty three minutes," Donatello corrected as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
"NeEerd," Mikey smirked before placing the pizza boxes on the table and opening them to reveal their deliciously savory contents.
While the turtles helped themselves to dinner, Splinter casually folded his hands in his lap and addressed them in a fatherly/wise tone, "My sons, while today is indeed a day to celebrate, let us not forget that there are still many dangers that walk the streets. You must always be vigilant and expect the unexpected."
Before any of them could respond, the TV show that was playing in the background suddenly cut to a breaking news coverage, which piqued their interests:
*We're now live in the upper east side of Manhattan, where authorities are investigating a brutal attack that took place within ML Genetics, leaving twenty seven injured; nine of which are in critical condition. It happened shortly after 5pm, when one of the facility's test subjects broke free of its fortified enclosure and attacked the scientists. Eyewitnesses stated that after the creature began attacking, several onsite security officers rushed in to try and subdue it; however, they too were injured in the confrontation. District authorities were called onto the scene shortly after the attack started, and we want to warn viewers that the following audio is rather disturbing and may be unsuitable for children_*
The screen then cut from the news reporter to an audio clip. **(phone rings)** *:911, what's your emergency?:*
There were screams and guttural/animalistic noises in the background as a panicked voice screamed through the line: :*OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! HE'S BEING ATTACKED!:*
*:Who's being attacked, ma'am?:*
*:DR. ROCKWELL! HIS ARM WAS JUST BITTEN OFF! HE'S BLEEDING EVERYWHERE!:*
*:You say it was 'bitten' off?:*
*:YES!:*
*:Okay, where are you calling from, ma'am?:*
*:ML GENETICS! PLEASE SEND HELP!:* There was a bloodcurdling roar (like something out of Jurassic Park) in the background, followed by a loud banging/cracking noise and multiple cries for help. *:IT'S BREAKING THROUGH THE GLASS!:*
The sounds of screaming and gunshots was then heard before the line went dead and the screen returned to the reporter: *Police and paramedics arrived shortly after that terrifying call was made, but the mystery creature had already escaped and fled the scene. At this time, the N.Y.P.D has issued a mandatory curfew in hopes to prevent civilian attacks. We ask residents to remain indoors for their own safety while authorities work to locate and capture the beast_*
"Woah, dudes, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"How many pizza slices you can fit in your mouth," Raphael smirked, to which Leonardo rolled his eyes.
"Good guess, but no. I'm thinking that we should go out and look for that mystery creature."
"Are you serious?! We don't even know what it is or what it's capable of."
"Come on, Leo. What if it's a mutant like us? Who knows what sort of tests and experiments those scientists were performing on it. For all we know, it's probably running around scared and confused."
"And hungry," Raph added before taking a bite of pepperoni pizza while Splinter casually stroked his beard in thought:
"Your heart is in the right place, Michelangelo. But until we know more about this creature, I suggest avoiding any sort of direct confrontation, unless the situation proves otherwise."
"Oh, I can hack into the city's surveillance systems and check out possible locations of interest," Donatello suggested as he then pulled up a holographic aerial map of Manhattan. "If we figure out which direction it was heading when it escaped, I can triangulate its estimated location based on the time of the attack and the distance from the genetics lab."
"Bro, I don't know what you just said, but I like your idea," Mikey stated as he grabbed himself a couple slices of cheese pizza and sandwiched them together.
"Well then, if we're going monster hunting, we better head out while the night is still young," Leo answered as he and his brothers then grabbed some pizza to go and headed off to begin their search.
XXXXX
-Meanwhile-
Emerging from the cold, murky/polluted depths of the East River, a large, prehistoric/reptilian-looking mutant slowly swam over to an old wooden dock and hoisted itself atop the weathered planks and rusty nails, to which it then took a moment to survey and analyze its surroundings: There was an abandoned-looking warehouse across from its location, but no humans to be seen.
Good.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, the creature allowed itself to mentally and physically relax, causing its beastly form to shrink and shift into her normal appearance, which consisted of smooth ivory and pearl scales with thin black markings all along her her slender body (except her face and front/underside), clawed fingers and toes, a long prehensile tail (that was both lizard-like and crocodilian in appearance), and a stunning pair of pale gray eyes. While lacking in nipples, she also had a pair of medium-sized breasts and thick ebony hair that was currently drenched and disheveled from her long swim through the frigid East River.
Of course, now that she was in her standard form and no longer had a surge of adrenaline distracting her from the elements and her injuries, she felt waves of pain ripple throughout her body as well as a burning chill that mercilessly stung her face.
Standing up to her full 6ft (1.8288m) height, the young female limped towards the crumbling warehouse, hoping to use it as a temporary cover so she could access the alleys beyond. Sure, she could just walk around said building, but then she'd risk being spotted by humans. No. She didn't want anything to do with humans, despite having some human DNA in her genetic makeup.
Upon squeezing herself through a hole in the side of the building, the female cautiously began exploring the area to see if there was anything she could salvage and make use of. The first thing she noticed was that the building had obviously been stripped of its mechanical components and wiring. There were also bits of trash, fabric, glass and debris littering the floor as she silently made her way through the decrepit structure while trying to ignore the throbbing pain and stinging chill she felt throughout her thin, cold-blooded body.
Spotting an old, cloth tarp draped across an iron railing, she quickly grabbed it and wrapped it around her frame as a makeshift cloak/disguise while also hoping that it would provide her with a little bit of warmth. Yes, it reeked of mildew, dust and dirt, but she didn't exactly smell like a basket of wildflowers either, especially after her swim through the East River. Regardless, she ignored the off-putting smell and stepped over towards the back of the building where the manager's office was located.
Stepping into the dark, dusty room, she began to rummage around for anything of use. Opening the first aid kit on the wall, she emitted a sigh of relief upon seeing a couple packs of alcohol wipes and a roll of bandages. Yes, they were old, but right now it was better than nothing. Tearing open one of the wipes, she dabbed it across the large cut on her right cheek where a bullet had grazed her scaly skin. A surge of pain rolled over her frame as she noticed a bullet wound along the side of her upper right thigh. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the bullet was actually still inside her as there wasn't an exit wound to be seen or felt.
'At least it's not near any major arteries,' she mentally told herself as she then cleaned the wound, compressed it, and bandaged it up before doing the same to the rest of her injuries. Sure, these were obviously temporary fixes as she'd have to remove the bullet and find a way to stitch herself up, but at least it was better than not doing anything about it. The last thing she wanted was to leave a blood trail for someone to find. Granted, she wasn't bleeding too badly, but still, she didn't want to risk being tracked.
Once she was finished tending to her injuries, the female slowly made her way towards the other side of the building where she discovered that the door was ajar. Upon stepping out into the freezing cold, she hobbled across the empty street until she reached another warehouse; however, unlike the previous building, this one was still in use. Thankfully, there weren't any humans around to see her.
Good.
Keeping to the shadows, the female silently moved further away from the docks and closer towards the city. Yes, it was extremely risky, but she needed to find a safe place to lay low until she felt it was safe enough to resume her escape. Staying inside the abandoned warehouse wasn't an option as it was frequented by humans and located too close to the docks.
No! The authorities were already doing an aerial search of the rivers, and if it wasn't for the fact that it was dark and heavily snowing outside, she likely would have been spotted by now. As much as she wanted to use the waterways to escape, she knew better than to risk prolonged exposure to such frigid temperatures. With that thought in mind, she needed to find someplace warm to lay low and recover, but it had to be somewhere no one would ever think to look.
Surveying her current surroundings, the young female spotted a manhole nearby, which gave her an idea: the sewers! They'd make the perfect hideout! Or, if nothing else, she could use them to travel beneath the city, unseen by humans. Regardless, it was her best option at this point as the temperature was dropping by the hour.
Silently moving towards the manhole, the female cautiously looked around to make sure there weren't any witnesses before lifting up the metal cover and descending down into the dark bowels of NYC.
XXXXX
After nearly two hours of silently wandering through the enormous labyrinth of underground tunnels, the female mutant came across an abandoned subway train and saw that two of the five cars were derailed and lying on their sides. Curious, she approached the metal structures and found them to be empty and completely devoid of human activity and scents. Good. Stepping into the least-damaged car, she immediately felt a wave of exhaustion hit her as she hadn't slept in almost two days prior to her escape from ML Genetics. While the floor of this old subway train wasn't her ideal choice for a bed, it was certainly better than sleeping in a storm drain. Besides, at least down here she was safe, warm and dry, and not under constant surveillance. In other words, it was perfect.
Closing her pale gray eyes, the young female covered up with the tarp she grabbed from the warehouse and tightly curling in on herself, allowing the quiet darkness to envelope her as she drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.