Forward And Back Again
Disclaimer: I do not own the 2003 TMNT series or its characters.
Unwanted Guests
"Whoa, cool down, Raph!" Leonardo was forced to hold Raph back.
"This is the last straw, Mikey!" Raphael snarled.
Donatello looked up from what he was doing at the computer mainframe in their home and shook his head. Raphael and Michelangelo were having yet another dispute. Somehow, some way, he figured it had something to do with Mikey "disrespecting" Raph yet again.
"Oh come on, what was I supposed to do?" Mikey smiled. "It was in the family fridge. And that means all of us can take a sip!"
"Mikey!" Raph raised a fist as Leo held him back. "I marked those Zipline Energy drinks with a written note saying 'Raph's drinks. Do not touch.' And I know you're not old enough to go blind!"
"Enough Raph, it's just a drink," Leo told him.
"Except those drinks were mine!" Raph pointed a finger at his younger brother. "Everyone else respects my boundaries, except you!"
"Whatever happened to mi case es su casa?" Mikey shrugged tauntingly.
"That's not how it works!" Raph growled. "The policy is do not touch Raph's favorite energy drinks… or mi puno en tu cara!"
Donatello raised an eye ridge as he observed the scene. Raph knew a bit more Spanish than he let on. But after some consideration, Donatello realized it was plausible that Raphael would pick up some international languages. After all, they did live in New York City where people from all over the world converged. It made sense that Raphael would eventually learn a thing or two from all their nights out together fighting different ethnic gangs every other night.
"Raph, you gotta learn the early worm gets the worm," Mikey smiled. "I always wake up earlier than you and a growing boy like me needs something to give him energy!"
"That's what the coffee machine is for, doofus!" Raph told him angrily.
"Listen Mikey," Leo told the orange bandana-wearing turtle. "Maybe you should respect Raph's boundaries a little more. He doesn't like other people touching his stuff."
"Yeah!" Raph finally got free of Leo. "Do it again and your butt's gonna get kicked from here to Uranus!"
"You mean like that time you kicked my butt during the Battle Nexus?" asked Mikey. "Oh wait…"
"That's it!" Raph snarled and lunged at Mikey again. "I'm teaching you a lesson in respect!"
Again, Leo had to grab Raph before he could get to their obnoxious brother.
"Guys," Donatello finally got up from his observation monitor. "I don't want to spoil this feud but there's something we need to take care of."
"Raph, when I let you go, do you promise to cool it?" asked Leo.
"Fine," Raph grumbled.
"What's the situation, Don?" asked Leo as the three other turtles gathered around Donatello.
"There's a factory in Queens where the Purple Dragons are gathering," Donatello informed them. "They're joined by two other guys I've never seen before."
Mikey stared at the screen capture that Donatello got.
"Hey, I recognize them," Michelangelo declared. "They're Touch and Go! Leo and I fought them before."
"Remember that time you and Raph stayed up all night playing video games?" Leo looked at Don. "That's when we met them. Out on patrol."
"Yeah, I never pulled another all-nighter with video games after that," Donatello shuddered. "Those morning exercises Master Splinter had us do left me stiff for a week!"
"So what are Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum doing with the Purple Dragons?" demanded Raphael.
"Based on what my cameras caught, they're there for some kind of new drug deal," Donatello pointed out.
"Well, what're we waiting for then?" Raph took out his sai. "I'm really itching to hit someone right now."
"Why?" Mikey said tauntingly, pointing at himself. "Because you know you can't touch this even if you tried?"
"Don't tempt me, Mikey!" Raph pointed his sai at his brother.
"Guys!" Leo got in between the two again. "Can we continue this rivalry another time?"
"Yeah, you know how they say not to drive angry?" Donatello said to Raph. "Well, same goes for missions."
"You'll get to blow off some steam," Leo promised. "Just try not to break too many bones."
"Alright, let's go," Donatello turned around. "I'll start up the Battle Shell."
Raphael grumbled and shook his head before following his brothers.
oooo
Touch and Go stood by Hun's side as he and the Purple Dragons were working out a deal with Ruffington, a former arms dealer now turned drug dealer and another criminal associate of Hun's.
"Fallen on hard times?" Hun asked.
Ruffington grimaced at being reminded of how hard he had fallen. Before he always had access to high tech weapons. But nowadays, many of his former manufacturing partners had turned against him, leaving him no choice but to deal in drugs.
"This isn't my favorite vocation in the world," Ruffington frowned. "But all the times Nobody or those accursed Turtles ruined my operations have finally made many of my former partners turn against me."
"You're lucky I'm not the Shredder," Hun grinned. "Be thankful you always had to deal with me instead of him."
"Yes, yes," Ruffington crossed his arms. "Say, is the Shredder even around anymore?"
"He came back for a while," admitted Hun. "I even served him again briefly. But then he tried to destroy reality and after that, I vowed never to work for him again, if he's still even alive that is."
"Sounds like working for the Shredder is an occupational hazard," Ruffington grimaced.
"You don't know the half of it," Hun told him. "But enough about him. Show me your new shipment."
"Of course," Ruffington led Hun, Touch, and Go towards the suitcases in the center of the room.
One of Ruffington's servants opened up a suitcase for them. Inside were several blue patches.
"Eh, that is interesting," Mr. Go looked at it. "What does it do exactly?"
"It's a new type of drug called the Jolly Roger," Ruffington informed his associates. "You put it on your arm like a patch. It's highly addictive and in just four years, it can completely drain someone and leave them catatonic."
Hun crossed his arms.
"However, before they're left as a twitching mess," Ruffington continued. "Users will become so addicted that they'll pay a fortune to get their hands on more. So you're looking at a steady supply of monthly payment."
"Man Ruffington," Hun told him. "You really have fallen."
"I do what I need to get by when the high tech arms black market is closed to me," Ruffington straightened his sunglasses.
"Fair enough," Hun shrugged. "Besides, it's not like I can judge when I run a freakin' gang and worked for some reality-destroying alien slug!"
"So you're in?" asked Ruffington.
"I'll take in these shipments," Hun affirmed. "I want my Purple Dragons selling these on the streets first thing tomorrow!"
"I'm glad we have a deal!" Ruffington smiled.
"Gotta bring in the dough one way or another," Hun picked up one of the patches of Jolly Roger and held it before his face.
"That's what you think, fatso!"
Immediately, a ninja star struck the patch neatly, knocking it out of Hun's hand and pinning it to the floor.
"Hun, you really don't stop sinking to new lows!"
Hun raised his head.
"They're here!"
Raphael leaped down from the top of the building and kicked Hun to the floor. Soon he was joined by his brothers.
"Get them!" Hun cried as some of his Purple Dragons helped him up.
Leo spun his sword, fending off some blaster fire from the Purple Dragons to give cover to his brothers.
Seeing the gravity of the situation, Mr. Touch and Mr. Go bumped their fists together to power up.
"Mikey and I will handle Touch and Go along with the other Purple Dragons" Leo commanded. "Pick a target and incapacitate!"
"I call dibs on Hun," Raph twirled his sai's.
"I'll take care of Ruffington," Donatello spun his staff around.
Before Ruffington could get to the exit, Donatello leaped in front of him.
"Back off you freak!" Ruffington pulled out a blaster and fired.
Donny dodged the blast and swung his staff, knocking it out of the former arms dealer's hand.
"Agh!" Ruffington cried.
"Sorry," Donatello informed him. "But today's shipment has been declared unfit for public consumption!"
"It has been such a long time, Michelangelo," Mr. Go appeared in front of Mikey. "I hope you are ready to be processed into turtle soup!"
"Charming as always," Mikey spun his nunchucks. "I thought you and Touch bailed town after Leo and I whupped your butts."
"And now we are back and we have been training for this moment!" Mr. Go declared.
In a blur, Mr. Go punched Mikey across the face, sending him staggering back.
"Omph!" Mikey cried.
Mr. Go sped around Michelangelo with his super speed, punching the kicking the mutant multiple times. During a brief pause, Mikey thought he had Mr. Go and launched a kick at him.
"Too slow!" Mr. Go dodged the blow and punched Mikey in the stomach multiple times.
He knocked Michelangelo on his back with an uppercut that sent the Turtle flying back against a shipment of the drugs.
"Ouch," Mikey rubbed his chin as he looked at the fallen drug patches all around him. "Why do I suddenly feel like I'm an after school special mascot right about now?"
It had been a long time since Michelangelo had last fought Mr. Go and he'd forgotten just how fast the superpowered gangster could be. Both Splinter and Leonardo could both attest to just how dangerous Mr. Go could be when he was going at full speed. However, he realized even someone with super speed relied upon his legs when all is said and done and Mikey suddenly remembered a move he pulled off against the female warrior Ia back in the Battle Nexus.
"C'mon then!" Mikey got up, taunting Mr. Go.
Mr. Go took the bait, coming in with multiple punches and kicks as Mikey raised his arms to block as many of the punches to his head as he could.
"Omph!" Mikey cried as a blitzkrieg of punches connected.
The only thing saving him being totally knocked out cold was the fact that he had a hard carapace and frontal plastron which gave him more defense than what even human martial artists were afforded.
After timing Mr. Go's attacks carefully, Mikey dropped down on his shell just as Mr. Go came in again, spinning his shell around while also swinging his nunchucks around with centrifugal force built up from his shell spin.
The superpowered gangster ran towards Mikey at just the right moment. One of the swinging chucks struck Mr. Go in the lower leg.
"Aaaahhh!" Mr. Go cried.
The nunchuck strike also had the added effect of sending Mr. Go, through his own momentum, crashing into a crate full of the Jolly Roger drug.
oooo
Raphael punched Hun across the face with all his might. Hun's head snapped back in anger but regained his bearings. In anger, he punched Raph back, sending the smaller fighter staggering back.
"You just had to come in and ruin everything!" Hun cried.
Hun grabbed a steel pipe and brought it down on the mutant turtle. Raph, however, side-stepped it and kicked Hun in the stomach with a roundhouse. Hun, however, did not let that stop him and swung the pipe at Raph from the side. Raph blocked the pipe with both sai's as the two fighters struggled against each other.
"Every time I go for a big score, you blasted turtles are always there to ruin things for me!" Hun accused.
"Then maybe you should get a new hobby instead of criminal activity!" Raph growled.
Hun slammed his head into Raph's face, causing the turtle to see stars.
"Agh!" Raph cried.
Hun kneed Raph in the stomach, causing the turtle to drop his weapons. He grabbed Raph and hurled him across the room. Hun grabbed both of Raph's sai's and leaped up into the air, intending to skewer Raph with his own weapons.
Thinking quickly, Raph grabbed a fallen suitcase of Jolly Roger drugs and held it up just in time, causing Hun to stab the suitcase with the sai's instead as Raph held it in place.
"Why can't you freaks just go away… forever!" Hun cried, still trying to stab the sai's through the suitcase, aiming for Raphael's throat.
"Now where's the fun in that?" Raph held back Hun's monstrous strength with the suitcase.
The ninja turtle then raised his leg, striking Hun in the groin.
"C-C-Crud," Hun's eyes went wide in excruciating pain.
Raph threw the sai-embedded suitcase aside and kicked Hun with a spinning wheel kick, knocking him to the floor. In his anger, Raph got on top of Hun, punching him in the face a few times.
Soon a groan escaped Hun's lips. It was clear to Raph that Hun was pretty close to being pummeled unconscious. He clenched his fist, still frustrated from Mikey's antics earlier in the day, wondering if he should just deliver one more hit to even the score.
In his moment of hesitation, a massive frame crashed into Raph from behind, knocking him off of Hun.
"Agh!" Raph rolled across the floor.
"You're good, little turtle man," Mr. Touch said to him, walking towards him with two fists being powered up by kinetic energy. "But Mr. Hun is still the man who writes my checks."
"Bring it, bozo!" Raph cried, still eager to fight.
Unfortunately for Raph, he didn't have the same experience fighting Touch and Go that Mikey and Leo had. Mr. Touch slammed his hand into the floor, unleashing a wave of energy that knocked Raph back again.
"Ow!" Raph rubbed his head. "What was that?"
Raph got up but Mr. Touch was onto him. The first punch to his solar plexus informed Raph that whereas Hun at times had borderline super strength, Mr. Touch legitimately had genuine super strength.
Without a word, Raph felt the wind being knocked out of him. A second punch across the face then sent Raph flying against the wall.
In that moment, Raph began cursing himself for playing video games all night instead of going out on patrol and getting valuable experience against Touch and Go's fighting style.
Electricity crackled around Mr. Touch's fist as he stood before the fallen Raph.
"Now it ends, turtle man!" Mr. Touch promised, raising his hand.
Without warning, hundreds of volts of electricity coursed through Mr. Touch's body.
"Aaaaaahhhh!" Mr. Touch cried.
Raph looked up in disbelief. Mr. Touch twitched spastically before falling down on his knees. Behind Mr. Touch was a hooded Purple Dragon holding a taser. His face was covered by the shadows so Raph couldn't fully see who it was under the hood.
"What the?!" Raph shook his head.
"Now is that any way to greet the man who just saved your green keister?" the mysterious stranger tilted his face under a light so Raph could get a better look at him.
"Aw jeez!" Raph groaned. "Not you again!"
To be continued.