Wow! I've seen the TMNT Mutant Mayhem movie and it was amazing!
Sorry for the long wait, been dealing with some mental issues and other personal stuff. Everything's all good now. I may need even more time away before I can get back to fanfic stories.
Ever since I first heard about it, I was anxious to see how the first teaser would pan out and I was not disappointed.
Definitely a step up from the Bay movies, even though there were a few things I liked about them.
It gave me a lot of Spider-Verse vibes and even though some fans may not like certain aspects, I'm still waiting until seeing to give a final judgment. Presently, it looks to be a promising addition to the TMNT franchise. Meanwhile, the Gargoyles new comic series has been going strong and it's nice to see that the Gargoyles universe made a triumphant return. It gives me a lot of ideas for potential future plots of my story and with this chapter, it won't be a rendition of The Pack. I will get to it, but there are also a lot of TMNT episodes that are a good basis for chapters as well.
Enjoy!
"Failures! Unforgivable failures!"
In the halls of the Shredder's throne room, the armored ninja master's furious shouting echoed.
The gathered Foot Clan Ninjas flinched behind their masks as their leader and master, the Shredder, kept roaring at them. Reporting a failed mission to him was always a risk, for the Shredder was intolerable of failure. Especially when it was his own men who failed. Hun stood stoically at the entrance with his arms crossed, acting as a roadblock for any fool hoping to escape. "M-Master Shredder! Please! We did our best-"
One of the Shredder's gauntlet claws extended and he cruelly slashed the ninja who spoke out of turn's shoulder. "Silence!" He barked at the whimpering ninja, finding his clutching of his wound shameful. "I put each of you in command of separate squads for separate missions! And each mission was a failure! Not only did you lose your chance to capture the gargoyle and turtle creatures, but you also failed in procuring the Cyberbiotics disks!"
"Master, we tried!" Another ninja stated. "The gargoyle had help! There was one woman! A cop! And the others! The strength they had was greater than we anticipated! And the turtles were trained in Ninjutsu!"
"Did I not give you better training?!" Shredder's fists clenched.
"That's not what I meant!"
"Enough! Get out of my sight while you still can!" The ninjas obeyed. One knelt and attempted to support the injured one. "No!" The ninja flinched at the Shredder halting him. "Leave him. If he wishes to still prove competent, he can help himself."
The ninja hesitated, but complied.
The sole injured ninja limped his way out a condescendingly smirking Hun. "Master Shredder. Will there be more?"
"No, Hun. Leave me."
The scarred muscle bound thug bowed and left the armored warrior alone on his throne.
Saying that he was furious would be too kind.
In the time that he lived on Earth, Ch'rell has met many humans with a penchant for rage. Yet, none ever matched the Shredder's. It was a quality that he understood well. "For a moment, I believed you were about to execute them, Saki." The alien being piloting his robot body stepped out of the shadows.
"They're fortunate I didn't." The Shredder spat. "Because of them, Hamato Yoshi and our enemies continue to live! Even your own forces couldn't succeed!"
"While the losses of those disks was costly, I wouldn't call their mission a complete failure." Ch'rell countered. "The secondary objective was achieved. For a human, Renard is certainly a man of vision. His air base had a chance of interfering with my plans. Although, admittedly, that was thanks to a third party."
He showed the Shredder a hologram from the robot's eyes.
It was a red haired female gargoyle.
"Is that….?"
"Subject G." Ch'rell confirmed, gazing with intrigue. "Hamato Yoshi is not the only one with an uncanny survival rate."
"You told me the last time you encountered her was before my own birth."
"Indeed, she has not aged a day." Ch'rell observed. "While gargoyles do age differently than humans, her longevity has no explanation. Had I known she was in New York, I would have made it paramount that she be captured as well. The presence of the other gargoyles is also peculiar. Speaking of, do you suppose they are from Ishimura?"
"If they were, Hattori Tatsu would have informed me." The Shredder confidently said. "He has been handling my operations in Japan since I left for America. Our stalemate with that clan has remained unchanged and no Gargoyles have left Japan. But, their origins don't matter! From both our reports, it seems they are allies with Hamato Yoshi's mutant disciples! That alone marks them for death! If I could, I'd find their slumbering stone forms myself! And we have yet to find our...other enemies."
"New York is a big city." Ch'rell mused. "And we're already preoccupied enough with our current affairs. But, perhaps we can leave that mission to one of our other resources. In fact, he should be expecting a call from you very soon."
The Shredder instantly understood and made a direct communication to Stockgentronics.
This was nice.
No ninjas.
No brain aliens.
No robot gargoyles.
Just acting like a regular teenager at her usual internship.
April was glad to know that even though her life took an opposite turn from normal street, there was still at least some normalcy in it. She and Donnie had a similar opinion of working on technology to be very therapeutic. The auto functions were still acting buggy, but it wasn't anything she couldn't fix. The other workers were at the assembly line, detailing and adding the final components to the most important inventions of the lab. The only ones in the room where she was were the scientists working on chemical mixes.
Until her phone rang.
Only, it wasn't her regular phone, but the one made to look like a turtle shell, a special present from her new friends. The other employees stopped to look at her in annoyance, making her laugh, sputtering out apologies.
"Sorry! I, uh, forgot to put it on vibrate!" Even though it did stop their important work, one of them couldn't resist tapping her foot to the rhythm of the ringtone. The music was very catchy. "Mikey, what is it?!"
"Yo, April! Is it time to clock out, yet?"
"I told you, my shift doesn't end until after five!"
"Come on, I can hardly wait anymore! Me and the bros have everything ready!"
Sighing, April checked the time on her regular phone. "I should be done in about a few more minutes or so. Can't you just wait?!"
"But, I can't!"
"Give me that!"
She heard Leo's understanding voice. "Hey, April. Sorry about Mikey. Take however long you need, we won't rush you. Right, Mikey?"
"Fine, fine. Yeesh."
The connection ended and April sighed to herself. It truly amazed her how despite being mutants, her new terrapin friends acted like what she'd expect from four teenage brothers annoying one another. At the end of the day, though, she couldn't just tell her current friends that her new ones were actual mutated turtles.
Master Splinter was also very adamant on the secrecy.
Pocketing her shell phone, April got back to her intern work.
Even though she wasn't a full time worker at Dr. Stockman's, she worked at his science company long enough to be granted into the really advanced laboratories. Her understanding of circuitry made her a valuable asset. She found a computer and searched for the latest blueprints. "Okay. Time to check what needs updating and-huh?"
"Ah. Ms. O'Neil!"
"Dr. Stockman!"
"Hard at work, I see?" It did make Stockman somewhat glad that the youth of today have some investment on advanced modern science like the cutting edge stuff his company makes.
"I was, sir. But, there's something you need to see." The redhead pointed at the screen on the console. "There's a missing file here . Last time I checked, all files were accounted for in the mainframe."
"Oh, that?" Stockman snorted, dismissing the issue as unimportant. "That was an outdated file that had no use anymore. So, naturally, I disposed of it."
"Really? It was in your personal files, and you always said that those were valuable." April recalled. "In fact, each one includes your important projects. Why get rid of even just one of them."
Questions. So many questions. The kind that Stock did not want to answer at the moment, not when his wristwatch was buzzing, that meant it was a call that should he ignore it, it would mean the very end of his life. A life he very much preferred to live out without an abrupt end. "Yes, well. I've come across a new concept that was a vast improvement. You know what? We can discuss this further at a later date. Go and uh, tell everyone else the work hour's over prematurely."
April blinked.
It looked like Mikey's wish was granted.
"Just like that?"
"Of course!" From April's perspective, it appeared as if Stockman was forced to say that. "See, I have an important call from some potential new investors and I can't leave them waiting. I'm sure you have important business of your own to conduct. Rung along, now!" After ushering her out, Stockman slammed the doors shut and ran a hand down his exhausted face. "Ugh, why must he call so earlier than expected?" He walked quickly past all his employees, eventually going straight to his main office where he was the only person allowed access. In a show of very concerning paranoia, he even installed an eye scanner, fingerprint verification, and even a saliva check for the doors to slide open.
"Welcome, Dr. Stockman." The computerized voice in his office greeted.
"Doors. Close and seal every exit. Blinders deploy." He observed the windows of his office darkening until nothing could be seen outside and vice versa on the other end of the reflection. He takes out what was making a light noise in his lab coat pocket. A disk-like device that he placed on his work desk and there came a blueish hologram showing the Shredder in all his menacing glory.
"Stockman." The armored man seethed.
"Master Shredder. Sir." Stockman fixed his tie and bowed in his presence. "To what do I owe this unexpected call?"
"It is time for you to finally make good on our arrangement, my men shall deploy your machines."
"What?!" Stockman roared, but shrank back at the Shredder's narrowed glare, a silent warning to the scientist that he should watch his indignant tone. "I mean, I strongly advise against that, sir. See, I've yet to even unveil them to the public. So, you see, a field test now of all times may not yield the results that you expect."
The Shredder crossed his arms, unimpressed by the excuse. "Do you mean to say that you are stalling?" He challenged.
"No, no!" Stockman denied. Even through a hologram, the Shredder radiated a fear inducing air to him. "Listen, the simple fact is that you can't rush to perfection. Especially when it's being designed by me."
The Shredder growled.
How this whelp's impertinence aggravated him to no end.
It made him want to properly coerce the scientist, but alas, he wasn't really there at the office.
On the other hand, there were other ways to coerce Stockman. "If I recall correctly, was it not you who claimed that your inventions easily surpassed that of other experts in your field? Do you mean to tell me that your so-called brilliant creations are, in fact, faulty?"
Faulty.
That was the magic word.
Or in this case, the accursed word.
One that invoked offense for Stockman. "Faulty? Faulty?!" To Stockman, the very notion was taken as an affront. "My machines are superior to every second rate wind-up toy that all those peons like Renard and that hack, Xanatos! Hell, the former is currently sitting in a prison cell even as we speak! I bet my whole company that he couldn't even program an army of functioning automatons!"
"Bold words. Yet, I still remain skeptical. Despite his fate, perhaps Xanatos would have been a more preferable partner."
"We'll just see about that!" Stockman pressed key codes on his phone. "There! You want results? Then just sit and watch! You'll have your precious results! My darlings are on the move even as we speak!"
"Pray that I will, Stockman. Pray that I will." Shredder warned before he deactivated the hologram from his location inside his headquarters. "Arrogant fool." He snorted. For someone who constantly boasts about his intelligence, Stockman can be easily manipulated. When the Shredder isn't able to threaten someone by grabbing their throat, he resorts to using their own weaknesses against them to receive their coercion.
"Nicely played, Saki." Ch'rell clapped, smirking. "With that, the precious cargo your men already dropped mere hours ago can finally activate now."
"Stockman thought just because only he could activate those machines, that meant he was truly in control. That fool's intelligence is outweighed by his own ego." Both stood in front of a screen showing an underground map where several blips appeared. "If our foes are anywhere underground, then they shall be forced out." The Shredder declared in a deep growl.
The events of the past nights weighed heavily on the Gargoyles. When they awakened from their stone slumber that lasted centuries, many surprises welcomed them into the new modern era. New technology. New concepts. New allies, and with that, new enemies. But, what they never expected was a betrayal by one of their own. Demona's role in the massacre of their clan, their race, it was a cruel truth that was hard to process. Out of all of them, Goliath took it considerably hard. Even in stone form, his grief could be seen. He won on one knee, head hanging low so that none can see his mournful frown.
"Afternoon, fellas." From inside the castle, Detective Elisa Maza stepped out. "Well, I guess I should be saying evening any minute now." She observed the darkening skies.
Over Manhattan, the sun came down and the city of New York welcomed the night.
Ellisa was startled by the sounds of cracking.
The gargoyle started moving and in a glorious fashion, their stone prisons broke apart, scattering to the winds. The trio, Hudson, and Bronx gave out deep growls and roars, stretching their bodies. "Rawrf!" The Gargoyle beast shook off some stone still on him and scratched behind the ear.
"That will never get old..." Elisa shook her head after snapping out of her stupor.
"Elisa!" Hudson was the first to greet her. "Good to see you, lass!"
"You boys look refreshed." She noted. "That whole stone sleep must really work. It's like you weren't spending hours last night gliding over the city."
"Nothing to heal the body than a good stone sleep." Brooklyn said, stretching out his wings. "Kinda thought April was with you."
"She said she'll meet up with us." Elisa replied and pointed inside the castle. "Since you got enough energy, you must be ready to leave. I can lead you guys in my car."
Hudson and the trio nodded, but the only one yet to greet Elisa was a notably silent Goliath. He hadn't moved from the kneeling stance he took while in stone sleep, he stayed where he was. "Hey, Goliath!" Brooklyn called his despondent leader. "Elisa's here and we're still waiting for April. Are you ready?"
"...Hm..." Goliath only gave a hollow grunt in response, his back turned.
The trio glanced at each other, confused with a mix of concern. Hudson sighed tiredly and motioned them to leave their leader be, despite that, Bronx lingered and whimpered at Goliath who refused to budge. "Come, boy. We must make preparations." Bronx made a whine and walked slowly with his ears flopped down. Elisa was still outside, casting a worrisome frown.
"What? No hello?" Elisa remarked, trying to use humor to lighten the mood. It didn't work. "I missed you at our meeting spot last night. And the night before that. Getting the feeling that you're starting to avoid me."
Goliath sighed, it was clear that she wasn't gonna stop until he at least said something to her. "I apologize, Elisa. Wait with the others, I will be there shortly." She knew he just wished to be alone, but did so nonetheless.
Hopefully, his clan could provide some insight. "How long has he been like that?"
"Far too long for my liking." Hudson answered, arms crossed. "While the trio have taken to exploring, Goliath decided to stay behind in the castle despite my insistence that I can watch over the castle in his absence."
"We've tried talking to him, but he keeps shutting us out." Broadway added. "We're really starting to get worried."
"This is all that traitor's fault!" Lexington angrily declared. "I can't believe she'd turn on her own clan! Even Goliath! She even helped cause the massacre!"
Brooklyn growled. "If she survived that fall, she better pray we won't see her again."
"Stow that talk, all of you." Hudson ordered. "Unforgivable as Demona's actions were, whining about it like overgrown hatchlings won't help. Let Goliath mourn for now. We must be there for him when he needs us. Despite our recent loss, we are still a clan with a castle, so you cannae act as if it's the end times."
"Still not sold on you guys sticking around here." Elisa frowned, looking around warily. "Xanatos may be in prison, but his board of directors keeps his company running and as long as that's the case, this castle still belongs to Xanatos Enterprises. It's a miracle his man, Owen, hasn't sent out a hit squad on you guys when you're asleep in the daytime so far."
"This castle is still our home and it seems Owen doesn't act unless his master orders it so." Hudson rubbed his chin. "But, you do raise a fine argument. Xanatos wanted us dead because we served no purpose, perhaps he changed his mind after we disposed of his steel clan abominations."
"Mecha-Goliaths." Broadway corrected, getting a blank glare from the veteran gargoyle. "What? That's what Mikey called them."
The elevator made a chime and it opened to let in April. "Hey, everyone."
"April!" Brooklyn greeted their only other human friend warmly. "I thought you still had to work at-what did you call it? Internship?"
"Got let off early. So, I'm good to go." She gave them a thumbs up.
Goliath didn't react when his ears picked up the familiar voice of April, and he also heard the earlier conversation about his now former second-in-command. Demona. His mind wandered to an event of the past. One where she was doing battle with the invading vikings like many times before. They surrounded her, but she alone threw them off the castle's keep. A single viking charged with a roar, wielding an ax, but his wrist was caught by Goliath who disarmed and back handed him to the pavement. All of the vikings retreated as their brothers and sisters screeched victoriously. The two gazed lovingly at each other as Goliath approached his love, until Demona's smile twisted into a bitter scowl. Looking down, he saw the blaster in her hands and then only saw a flash of light.
"Goliath?"
"Huh?!" Goliath's night-dreaming was interrupted.
"Goliath, can you hear me?"
Rubbing his eyes, Goliath saw Elisa in front of him. "W-What is it?"
"April's here. We're ready to go. Are you?"
Right.
Everyone was present now.
"Of-Of course. Broadway, you take Elisa. Hudson will carry April."
The gargoyles opened their wings wide and jumped off their pedestals and let the winds carry them.
"How are ye faring lass?" Hudson asked his passenger.
"This is amazing!" April screamed back in excitement. Her hair was flowing behind her head. "It's better than free-falling from a helicopter!"
"Just mind your mouth. Don't want any bugs in there, now do we?"
"Wait, bugs-ECH!" April coughed a few times. She spat out in disgust. "That was a bug! Blech! Disgusting! The guys owe me big time for this!"
This had to be the second time the Hamato Clan consisting of a mutant rat and his four mutant turtles were expecting guests at their underground abode. Before now Splinter always assumed he and his sons would forever have each other as their sole confidants, cut off from the world above. Fate gifted them with new friends who do not fear nor hate them for what they are. Helps that a majority of them are also as unusual as they were. "Make way, dudes!" Mikey took it upon himself to make his already perfect home presentable. "Party planner's coming through!" He was on his skateboard and in both his hands were two spray cans of orange paint that he was unleashing on anything he saw.
The lair needed a special Hamato Michelangelo artistic aspect to look epic enough for their friends.
Raphael was sitting comfortably near all the TVs until his younger brother skated past him, spraying his motorcycle magazine in the same color as Mikey's mask.
"Hey! Mikey, what did I say about keeping the graffiti only in your room?!" Raph threw the ruined book to the ground.
"I'm decorating, Raph!" Mikey skate-boarded to the walls and unleashed more of the spray cans. "We're having a whole party in our lair for the first time! Gotta make our pad look like the most epic-est pad around! Show them the beauty of the sewers!"
Leo was practicing sword battle stances until he heard Raph voicing his opinion on the matter. "I'm still not sold on this. How are we supposed to be freaking ninjas hiding in secret if we're gonna roll out the welcome mat? And do we really have time to just goof off while alien creeps are running around topside?"
"The Kraang bozos have been a no-show, big bro!" Mikey moved erratically in his painting. "It's never a bad time to chill, and we can chill with our wicked new peeps!"
"The gargoyles did let us in their home, Raph." Leo supplied. "It's only fair that we give them a tour of our home. We are supposed to be a team now."
"A team?" Raph made a retching sound. "You're making us sound like Mikey's cheesy comic books."
"Raphael, hospitality between friends is only natural." Splinter told his cynical son. "This is a time of reprieve, let us enjoy it."
Raph grumbled, but said no more.
They heard a beeping sound in Donnie's room/laboratory. "I got movement from my sensors." The brainy turtle announced. "Our guests are nearing the lair."
"Our cue to welcome them. Come on, Mikey!"
"Finishing touches, bro! Finishing touches!" Mikey stressed, there needs to be more pizza art on the lair walls to reach maximum artistry.
"Donnie?"
"I would Leo, but no sane turtle would leave the converters near critical without lessening the power relays!"
"...What?"
"I'm busy, okay?!"
Sighing, Leo looked at Raph who immediately shook his head. "Oh, shell no! No way! Like shell am I gonna-"
Minutes later, he and Leo are walking through the sewers, his grumpy voice echoing. "There are times where I really hate you, Leo."
"Likewise." Leo casually replied. "Now, they should be around this corner. It's underneath that place near Laird street. There's an Antonio's there."
"Since when do we let Mikey make the maps? You know he just marks the places with a pizza place nearby."
"Yeah, but that does make it easier, honestly." Raph then heard something and grabbed his brother's shoulder, motioning him to be quiet. There was no one signaling who they were, so it could very well be some trespassers or random sewer workers lost in their way. The two ninja turtles were against the wall, their weapons were ready to be deployed and face down against whatever was creeping around their neck of the concrete jungle.
"Stay low and wait for my signal." Leo whispered. "I have a plan of attack."
"I got my own plan. Attack!"
"Wait, Raph!"
The red-clad turtle ran out, sais out and ready for action. "Alright, what wise guy's tresspassin' on private-AGH!" Raph was tackled, his sais dropping and was helpless in the gargoyle beast barking happily and licking his face. "Ugh! Get offa me, ya mutt!"
"Bronx?" Leo heard his name.
"Leonardo!" He saw Goliath, April, Elisa, and all the other gargoyles arriving.
Bronx was still greeting Raph through licks to the face, continuing aggravating him.
"I assume you boys are supposed to be our welcome wagon?" Elisa teased.
"Er, yeah." Leo let go of the hilt of the weapons strapped to his shell. "Sorry, we honestly have no clue on how to properly welcome guests when we literally never had guests before."
"Can someone call off the mutt?! Anytime now!"
Brooklyn ignored Raph's pleas to speak to Leo instead. "Think you can lead us through down here? Can't say my nose can stand the stench any longer."
"It's a sewer, Beak Nose! What did you expect?! Also, mutt! Off! Now!"
"Sure thing." Leo gestured to them to follow his footsteps...and Raph was still on the ground getting licked by Bronx.
"Okay, now I'm really starting to get pissed off here!"
Hudson whistled for the animal. "Bronx! Come, boy! Leave the lad be!"
"Whuff!" Bronx obeyed the veteran's command, but the damage had already been done.
"Ugh, this is why I'm a turtle person and not a dog...gargoyle...thing person." Raph complained, getting up and wiping the slobber off his face. Raph walked mostly behind, but the weirdest thing was that so did Goliath. He and Leo bonded pretty well, so Raph figured he'd be up ahead catching up in a conversation between the respective leaders of the two groups. Goliath was of the stoic sort, this Raph already knew, but one look at his face and he noticed a more somberness added to his usual dour visage. "Okay, we're here." Leo made the group stop at a seemingly dead end.
He placed his three fingered hand on a block that was pushed further into the wall. An eerie light blue colored symbol shone on the role and it opened up in front of them, surprising the non-turtles. "What sorcery is this?" Hudson asked in wonder.
"We don't have a clue." Leo admitted. "Father always told us that it's always been able to do that."
Everyone stepped through the opening and once doing so, the door closed automatically behind them. For the non-occupants of the Hamato Clan lair they haven't previously visited, they took in the place around them. It was everything one would expect from a pad meant for four teenagers. Empty pizza boxes, music flaring, and one of them doing graffiti art.
Turning around, Mikey grinned widely. "Dudes! You made it!" He skated across and hopped off his board to kick it upwards and caught it easily. "Welcome to our Sewer Sweet Sewer! Says so right over there!" He pointed his skateboard at the plate plaque which displayed those very words.
The doors to the dojo suddenly slid and out walked Master Splinter with a welcoming expression. "Irasshaimase. Everyone, I am pleased to see you again."
"Bah, the pleasure's all ours, my friend." Hudson clasped the rat's arm. "Let me be first to assure you that we will make sure ya won't regret allowing us in, ain't that right?" He knowingly looked at the trio who gulped and nodded. "Must say, for a dwelling hidden underground, it's much more cozier than I imagined." He commented.
"I'll say." Elisa agreed, taking a seat on a refurbished old couch. "Only downside is the smell."
"Don't worry!" Donnie yelled, still at work in his lab. "A new venting system is number thirty-two on my list!" They all heard static and electricity along with objects falling to the ground. "Agh! Okay, that was the wrong circuit."
"Donnie?" Lexington opened the door and gasped in awe at the inside of Donnie's room.
Raph rolled his eyes. "Ladies and gents, behold the mad scientist's lab."
Mechanical arm lifters.
Refitted television screens.
Blueprints rolled up in boxes.
The purple color scheme was also very fitting.
Donnatello, turtle scientist and frequent cause of the small explosions in the lair. "Hi, guys." Donnie waved, face and goggles covered in smoke. He was at his work table, examining various souvenirs that used to be part of Kraangdroids.
"Wow!" Lexington gazed at the disassembled robotics in intrigue. "What are you doing, Donnie?"
"Well, I may have visited the wreckage of the air fortress crash where miraculously, a few Kraang android pieces were more or less intact. Figured this was my chance to study them up close and the upside, they can't fire back...I couldn't salvage any of their weapons."
Elisa hummed, placing a hand on her hip. "Hmm, wouldn't that count as stealing from a crime scene?"
Donnie tapped his fingers together. "Well, uh, if you wanna be technical about it."
"You always want to be technical." Raph pointed out, nearly missing one of Donnie's pencils thrown at him.
Hudson looked at the parts, not finding anything fascinating about them. "Ye best be wary of these contraptions, laddie. From what I've experienced so far, technology is nothing but trouble. I'd rather take my chances with sorcerers."
"Ah, but technology itself is just a tool." Donnie calmly contradicted. "It all depends on the kind of people utilizing it. In the case of these robot bodies and those robot knockoff of Goliath-"
"Mecha-Goliaths!"
Donnie's eye twitched, yet ignored Mikey. "My point is, in the right hands, technology isn't all bad."
Raph surprisingly walked over and patted Donnie's shoulder. "He's got a point, guys...we just need to find those right hands that aren't his." Raph chuckled after Donnie shoved his hand away.
"My hands are at least better than a conniving billionaire!"
"Yo, dudes and dudettes! Check it! The guy's on TV!" Mikey couldn't figure out which of the televisions he should use to show all his friends, so he went with just about all of them.
The newscaster was a hispanic man with very stylized hair. "Good evening, this Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe." He capped the introduction off by clicking his tongue and winking. "Continuing an ongoing story, people are still talking about the surprising arrest of David Xanatos, CEO of Xanatos Enterprises and more expensive than my car!" He laughed at his own joke. "It was a mere days ago when New York's finest apprehended Xanatos on grounds of corporate espionage, theft, and staging an attack on his own premises. Since his arrest, Xanatos Enterprises' stock has been in a complete freeze, as if waiting for its rightful master to take back control!" Next to him was a gray photo of Xanatos behind bars. "In a surprise twist, the big man himself agreed to an interview. Our own Travis Marshall was lucky enough to get an interview while the man of the hour is serving his sentence out in Rikers Island."
"An interview I should've gotten!"
Carlos nearly dropped his papers at that loud indignant cry.
He fixed his tie and chuckled nervously before reaching his head out of the camera's view. "Warren! Will you keep it down?!"
"My voice will not be silenced by hacks like you!"
"This is why you lost your shift!" Carlos went back to anchoring the news. "Sorry about that, technical difficulties. Take it away, Travis!"
Inside a visiting room at Rikers Island, Travis Marshall stood across an oddly calm looking David Xanatos. "So, Mr. Xanatos. How does it feel going from expensive black tie suits to orange jumpers? Far cry from being at the top of the world." His line of questioning was meant to rile up Xanatos into throwing a fit, but the man himself was hardly affected and actually laughed off his current condition.
"What are you gonna do, Travis? Minor bumps in the road are to be expected." Xanatos shrugged.
"I'd hardly call this a minor bump." Travis argued. "I mean, the charges against me are very damning."
"But, as I hoped, the courts gave me an appropriate punishment for receiving stolen property." Xanatos stated. "While I will be staying here a while, it won't be a long while."
Raph glared, glowering at his smug visage. "Someone turn this crap off! It's making me want to lose my lunch, and I haven't even eaten yet!"
Splinter hummed, troubled. "Detective Maza, does this mean Xanatos will be free soon?" As another human who know of their existence, what separated him from Elisa and April was that he was a threat to the turtles' lives.
"It depends on how fast his lawyers can work, and word is, he got the best kind." Elisa regretfully answered.
"Oh, well that's just great! Can always count on our justice system working wonders. Am I right?" Raph sardonically said, taking his anger out on a punching dummy. "If that arrogant rich a-hole knows what's good for him, he better hope he doesn't try gunnin' for us again."
"Careful, Raph. Your Joisey's showing." Mikey chuckled.
"It look like I'm jokin', Mikey?!"
Raph wasn't the only one angered by the sight of a confident Xanatos. Goliath looked at the modern witchcraft they call television hatefully because of the man it displayed, the same man that used him and his charges as pawns, that they blindly listened to. What's more, he was the same man who Demona betrayed him to. From what the others shared, the story his former ally and lost love told him about was just another lie added on to the list of many others. He just couldn't believe his former mate would ever help anyone kill her own kind. Xanatos found the Magus' book of spells. Surely, he used such magic to force Demona into betraying him. That had to be it.
Then again, she wasn't under any enchantment when she betrayed their clan even in the past.
Her actions that night when she nearly took his life, a life she once cherished, also appeared too coherent for it to be mind control.
She truly did try to kill him.
Seeing Xanatos reminded him of that and it further angered him.
Mikey was the first to notice. "Yo, big G. You good, dude?"
"I-I am fine, Michelangelo, I prefer to be alone at the moment."
Golaith retreated to one of the more secular areas of the lair. "Making an educated guess here, but I take it he's still dealing with...you know..." Donnie didn't want to say it out loud in case the other gargoyles were also taking it personal.
"Aye, lad. A broken heart can sting more than a sword to the chest." Hudson somberly said.
"I get that she was his girl and all, but you ask, she ain't that special to make a fuss about." Raph himself would rather make sure she was gone for good after her free fall. "The big man should just move on or something."
"The bond Goliath and Demona had was a special one, Raphael." Hudson sternly told him. "Gargoyle courtships are much different than what you may be used to. To be mates is to always be at each other's side now and forever. When she betrayed us, she might as well have taken a piece of Goliath's heart and now, he doesn't feel whole. That would still be the case if she truly is dead."
Splinter closed his eyes. "Grief does things to a man. That much can be said."
Mikey looked at the silent Goliath and felt that he needed some cheering up.
"Alright! I just got a Mikey idea!"
Leo, Raph, and Donnie grimaced. "Oh, no..."
"Mikey idea?" Elisa laughed. "I'm a little afraid to ask."
"Good instinct." The three turtle brothers deadpanned.
"I propose we show our pads more of our rocking pad, by showing them our rooms!" Mikey's big brothers paled at his so-called rocking idea. "First, let's start with the Mikey-cave!" Mikey dragged everyone to his own personal dwelling in the lair. It was...unique. Dry spray paint was on the walls, all made to look like Mikey sitting on a throne of pizza boxes. Stacks of comic books were all over the place, and video game cases, too. "Welcome to civilization!"
His family, embarrassed beyond measure.
Everyone else, holding in their noses to keep out the putrid odor.
"Smells like how my brother's old room was like when we were young." Elisa fanned away at the empty air.
Broadway noticed one of the books and picked it up. "Hm...Justice Force? What are these, Mikey?"
"Hallowed items, my robust compadre." Mikey replied, hugging the comics close to them in the utmost care. "They are chronicles of awesome butt kicking heroes straight from the mind of geniuses."
"Just call them what they are. Food for nerds."
Mikey gasped, holding his chest. "You bite your tongue!"
Brooklyn observed one of Mikey's graffiti on a white board. "What exactly am I looking at?"
"Just some decorations I added when I first learned how to spray paint, pretty rad, am I right?"
"Hmm...rad's good, right?" Mikey nodded. "Then, yeah, it really is. You can just make things into a different color?" Brooklyn picked up one of the cans littering the floor and inspected it closely to his eyeball. "Whoa!" He ducked before he could spray it in his own eyes. The red gargoyle saw the neon colors paint a canvas and he looked at the can, smiling. "Is that what humans today use to make those colorful things on the walls?"
"That and more, my dude, that and more."
Lexington found one of Mikey's handheld gaming consoles and was mesmerized by the screen graphics. "Wow, is this like those TVs?"
"Better, Lex! That is a video game!" Mikey was enjoying introducing all his favorite concepts to his new friends stuck out of time.
But, Goliath was still gloomy.
"This is ridiculous." Raph spat, spurring Mikey.
"In that case, it's your turn, bro-migo!"
Raph blinked and in an instant was blocking his room door with steel resolve. Mikey tried pushing him out of the way, but he didn't budge. In times like this, some gargoyle super strength was required. "Come on, Raph, afraid we'll see something?" Brooklyn joked.
Posters of motorcycles were plastered everywhere and in the middle was a lifting bench for his weights and neaby were speakers connected to an electric guitar surrounded by record labels. It didn't occur to him until now, but Raph had left his speaker on where it blared loud rock and roll music that was murder on Hudson's ears. "Ach! Do banshees plague this era?!"
The trio, on the other hand, found themselves transfixed by the loud rambunctious force of rock music.
"I've never heard minstrels like this before!" Brooklyn tried figuring out the volume settings.
"What instruments are they playing? Is it like this one?" Lexington went to pick up the guitar.
"Are these disk things related? Can I eat them?" Broadway saw the records as some form of snack.
Raph got a vein on his head as these guys kept mucking up his private room, and things only got worse when Elisa found a special little roommate of his. "Who's this?" He panicked upon seeing his faithful pet, Spike, being picked up after he was done eating his recent leaf. "Raph, you have a pet turtle?"
"Put him down!"
Soon, the gargoyles decided to see the little non-mutant turtle for themselves. "This little one doesn't appear to be like you a lot." Hudson noted. "Is he not another one of these...mutants?"
Splinter shook his head, chuckling. "Oh, no. This is just Spike, Raphael's pet turtle. Some time ago, my son found him and practically begged me if he could keep him. I never imagined I'd see him so driven over something besides mortal kombat." He chuckled at remembering.
Raph sputtered. "Th-That's not how it happened!" he vehemently denied.
Raph tapped his finger on his chin, always game for some Raph teasing. "I don't know, Raph. You looked about ready to cry when sensei almost said no."
"You shut your damn trap, Leo!"
Mikey laughed. "He's got your number, dude! I didn't think you even knew how to cry!"
"That's because I didn't cry!"
Donnie stifled a laugh. "My recorded footage says otherwise, Raph!"
"Wha-?! Donnie, you sneak! You recorded!" Raph's head almost looked as if it grew to super size and his eyes had fire in them. "And don't disturb Spike! He was resting peacefully before you all came barging in here!"
Elisa chuckled, tickling the little turtle's chin. "Hey, you were the ones who let us in your room and the little guy doesn't seem to mind."
"Gah! Forget this! I'm gonna go find that footage in Donnie's lab!"
Raph stormed out, with Donnie grabbing onto his easily angered brother's leg. "Wait, hang on! Raph! I was just joking! Raph!"
April, Elisa, and the gargoyles chuckled at this display. When off the battlefield, the turtles were a very amusing bunch, and they wondered exactly how Splinter managed to live with this kind of nonsense for fifteen years underground. Despite himself, Goliath's lips pointed upward into a small, yet meaningful smile. It was one of the rare ones so far, and Mikey beamed that his mood was changing. The next room to check out was Leo's room and he was pretty nervous about them looking at it. "Raph keeps saying I went overboard, but I think he's exaggerating."
In a way, that wasn't untrue.
Out of all the ninja turtles, Leo was the most receptive of martial arts culture and it showed in his room. Decorative katana blades contained in scabbards were mounted above his bed. An entire book shelf of books and a wooden training dummy at the far off side. There was even a meditation mat on the floor to top it all off. There were also martial arts DVDs. "You're right, Leo? This just doesn't scream 'hello, world, I am an uber ninja geek'." If Leo wasn't going to be embarrassed, Raph would do it for him. "While you're at it, maybe you can convince sensei into letting you bunk in the dojo."
"Laugh all you want, Raph. I just feel that it's important to respect our way of life." Leo crossed his arms. "At least my room isn't full of needless distractions."
Bronx tilted his head a little at seeing something poking out from under the blue-clad turtle's bed.
Curious, he picked up what turned out to be a book with his teeth.
Leo's eyes bugged out once he saw it and quickly grabbed it. "Oh! I was looking for that!" He hid it behind his shell, backing up to the drawers. "You'd be surprised how many valuable martial arts instruction manuals people just throw out into the sewer!" The book was anything but that. It was in fact a comic book titled Space Heroes, The First Trek, one of his most prized possessions and something he didn't want anyone to see.
He was Hamato Leonardo, a ninjutsu student.
Not a sci-fi enthusiast...but it was difficult to resist.
Goliath, thankfully, didn't pry any further and was instead interested in the other books Leo kept stored.
The more samurai-oriented ones. "Hmm, these warriors, they wield weapons like you? But, they do not look like ninjas."
"Because, Goliath, they are samurai." Splinter informed. "Perhaps it is now time for my own dwelling." Out of all the rooms in the lair, Splinter's was the most sacred as it also served as the training dojo. The rat master sat in front of anyone in a meditating position. In front of him, incense was burning and explained the purpose of this room. "Here is where I train my sons in ancient ninjutsu arts and techniques. Following my transformation, I gathered as much as I can from my old apartment. These are all mementos I took with me when I first left for America."
"Dare I ask how you got the weapons through customs?"
"Heh, heh, heh. All ninjas have their secrets, Detective Maza. Now, please, my sons, show them around. Just be careful, please. Michelangelo."
Mikey scoffed. "Why is it always me he looks at?" Now that the grand tour was finally done, the turtles led their friends out so that they could finally just sit back, relax, and goof off until it was time for the gargoyles to return to their castle. Goliath stayed behind in the dojo. He walked towards past Splinter to gaze up at the entrancing tree that was illuminated by the moon light that shone through the skylight grate. He smiled at the beauty that only nature was capable of having, it brought him some well needed serenity when he was suffering from so much turmoil. The corner of his eye then spotted something on the nearby shelf. He picked it up, making sure not to drop it. It carried great significance.
A man, a woman, their infant daughter.
"Splinter." Goliath addressed the meditating rat master. "Is this..."
Splinter had both eyes closed, but he knew what Goliath was referring to. "A reminder of a past life...a happy life..." He sighed somberly after a deep silence. "We're not so different, my friend. I, too, know the unbearable pain of loss."
"...What were their names?"
"My wife, Tang Shen, and our daughter, Miwa." Every time he utters their names, anguish threatens to consume him. "I felt incomplete without them. I never thought I'd feel the joy of having a family, having children again, until now. It goes to show how mercyful fate can be. No matter how much you may lose, Goliath, you either receive something new or take solace in what you still have. Be thankful that in your case, it is the latter."
Goliath looked downwards. "I still think of her. She betrayed me, but she still fills my thoughts."
"She meant a great deal to you. But, she made her choice. As for you, it is natural to still have lingering feelings. To heal is your choice, I only give this advice, do not take too long. You still have more family."
That Goliath did.
He just wondered if he'll have to lose them as well down the line.
Before the two could continue their discussion, both of their ears picked up on a sound.
It was a light rumbling that shook the candles Splinter lit a little.
Then, another tremor came, only this time, it was a bigger one. Splinter and Goliath were rocked to the ground as the entire dojo around them, leaves fell from Splinter's tree and they weren't the only ones. Out in the living room, everybody else got blindsided by the sudden earthquakes. Elisa, acting by pure instinct, grabbed April and went under a table. "What the shell?!" Raph clutched Spike close as the turtle retracted.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Hudson tripped over a fallen Broadway and Bronx barked endlessly while the chaos unfolded.
"An Earthquake?!" Leo suggested.
"In New York?!" Donnie ran the numbers in his head. "Possible, but not likely!"
"Everyone, just find cover and stay down!" Elisa ordered.
Various photos and objects fell over and this carried on for a few more minutes before the rumbling finally stopped. "Is anyone hurt?!" Goliath alarmingly asked. He and Splinter ran out the dojo as soon as the rumbling stopped.
"We're fine, Goliath." Eliza was still a little shook, though. "What the hell was all that?! The big apple's not exactly known for quakes."
"It could be a threat! Demona?! The Kraang?! Xanatos!" Goliath was already to fight, a part of him was hoping it was the rich man.
"For option A, she's otherwise presumed...out of the picture. Option C is in bars, which leaves B the only possible explanation." Donnie activated his hand-made laptop covered in equation stickers. "Just let me see if my seismograph app can pick up anything."
April blinked. "You made a seismograph app?"
"...Yes. Why? Is that weird?"
"It's...convenient."
"I'll take it." Donnie's screen displayed a map of New York's sewer system and they all saw a red sonar-like wave washing over the place. "Huh, okay this definitely isn't natural. The tremors just now, weren't a result of any shift in the tectonic plates. It looks like there was some disturbance. What it was, I have no idea-whoa!" Another tremor occurred and the laptop nearly fell. "Aftershocks! Should've accounted for aftershocks!" This one lasted much shorter than the previous rumbling.
"It's the end of days, dudes! The end of days!" Mikey waved his arms.
"Michelangelo, calm yourself!" Splinter, soothing his youngest son's panicking. "Leonardo, turn on the news."
The TV showed them a lone female reporter in the streets. "Multiple reports are coming in where mere seconds ago, residents out at night suddenly felt a shake that came out of nowhere. It is unknown where the source came from, only that they were short and completely random."
"Kraang. It's gotta be." Raph noticed the questionable looks. "Hey, we're talking about aliens here! If they can turn a thug like Snake into a giant weed, then they can do this, too!"
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but Raph's right." Leo nodded, determination in his eyes. "We should gear up! But, April, you need to stay behind."
"What?! Why?!"
"Kid, if this is the Kraang, then I'd feel better if you were holding down the fort here." Elisa already had her firearm out. "Splinter, can you watch over her?"
"You have my word." Splinter raised his emerald cane. "Go!"
Seeing as the turtles knew every inch of New York City's underground sewer system, it was a given that they'd be the ones to guide Elisa and the gargoyles to whatever was causing the quakes. Donnie took the lead, using his shell phone which also featured a seismograph for him to track the source. "I have to admit, I'm a little curious about what's causing these quakes." Donnie voiced. "I mean, if it is the Kraang, then their technological capabilities are more advanced than I initially expected. It's just a shame it's being used for chaos."
"You manna poke their brains about geek doomsday crap? Go right ahead, Donnie." Raph spun his sais. "I'll be sure to jam these babies in their brains after you're done."
"Ugh, class as always, Raph." Donnie cringed.
"Stay focused, both of you!" Goliath ordered. "This is no time for jokes!"
Leonardo and Hudson shared a concerning glance. "I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but will we have to worry about Goliath? He still seems...not okay." Leo told the veteran.
"For the longest time, many humans decreed Goliath as an uncaring monster, when they couldn't be farther from the truth. Goliath cares far more than anyone's capable of, making any betrayal weigh heavily on him."
Before more was spoken, another rumbling occurred. "Guys! We got movement!" Donnie stashed his phone away. They prepared to encounter something up ahead and from the back, except there was nothing. "That's strange, according to my shell phone, it should be right next to us!" He tried knocking on the device to make sure it wasn't glitching, but his phone was correct.
Another rumbling occurred, in the wall right next to them crumbled downwards upon them.
To avoid getting crushed under the falling debris, the group separated into two. More walls were broken down all around them and they saw the perpetrators, and they certainly expected bigger enemies. They were small robots that walked on only two metal feet, their heads were bulbous, about as large as their silver bodies and their most defining feature were their large metal teeth that opened up to reveal red glowing circuitry in their mouths.
"More metal abominations?!" Hudson glared.
The little robots' metal jaws tore through every inch of the corridor as if the metal and stone were made of tissue paper. The legions stopped in their feast to feast their single red robotic eye on the band of surprised individuals.
Eating through New York's sewers was their primary directive, but after scanning the turtles and gargoyles, a second objective activated.
They all charged, roaring mechanically.
"Here they come!" Mikey screamed.
"Form up!" Leo ordered. "Take out as many as you can!"
His dual Katana swords cut cleanly through a group of them that nearly tried biting his feet. Three of the Mouser machines leapt down at him, but in mid-air, they were shot by bullets fired by Elisa's marksmanship. Raph roared, stabbing his two sais through the heads of two mousers and used them to swat away jumping ones, Hudson was behind him as old age may have slowed him down, he still gave a flurry of slashes. One of them managed to bite down on his left arm guard. "Ach! Infernal contraptions!" He hissed, throwing it away.
Needless to say, this was lessening his nonexistent love for technology.
Donnie ran while swatting his bo-staff at the Mousers until stopping at a dead end. The Mousers would've ended him, had it not been for Bronx arriving from behind, he had one in his own teeth, crushing the head before head-launching the rest up. "Good boy." Donnie patted Bronx's head in thanks.
Brooklyn, Lexington, and Broadway got a contagion of Mousers on their backs that they tried prying off while also fighting off the rest through backhanding, tail-whipping, and so on. Mikey assisted through several nunchuck attacks, though his buds did have scratches. "Dudes, this is crazy! The more we smash up, even more just keep coming!"
Leo jumped up to meet one Mouser in the air and swung down both his blades on it.
Upon landing, the Mouser was diced in three.
But, that didn't stop additional Mousers replacing it, just as Mikey said. "We need to pull back!" Leo shouted over.
"No!" Golaith roared back. "These monstrosities threaten your home! They must all be destroyed!" His mighty fists and feet crushed the Mouser drones standing in his path and ran to destroy more of them.
"Goliath, we can't! We have to-" Elisa stopped firing her gun once she saw the ceiling above them begin to cave in on all of them due to the Mousers eating their way through the entire area. "Everyone, get clear!" It rained debris and stone pillars. Brooklyn grabbed Bronx as everyone scrambled to get to safety, in the scuffle, they ended up getting separated into two groups.
Goliath grunted as a stone fragment struck the back of his head and collapsed as darkness overtook his vision.
April hated being treated like a kid. Sure, she was a teenager and all, but she felt she had as much reason to get herself involved in whatever was going on out there, she was already neck deep in enough dangerous matters. She understood why, but she still felt helpless just sitting around while all her friends were risking their lives. She felt like doing much more.
It'd be better than pacing around the lair.
"April." She stopped walking to see what Splinter wanted. "Do not stress yourself. You must have faith that they'll return safely. Come. Sit. My upcoming stories have always been a great comfort."
"No offense, Master Splinter, but how can you think about soaps at a time like this?! Aren't you worried about your sons?!"
"My sons may be..." Splinter searched endlessly for the right word. "...Overeager. But, I have confidence in them. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let them venture up to the surface. What's more, they have experienced warriors aiding them. But, it is not my inaction that disturbs you. It is your own."
Splinter's deduction was on point, given April's slumped shoulders. "Is that some ancient ninja perception skill?" She deadpanned.
The mutant rat sipped on his tea, smirking. "No. Just a lucky guess. That, and a parent's intuition of a teenager being 'moody' as Michelangelo would put it."
"Wha-I-I'm not being moody, I just think it's unfair that I'm being left out...okay, that does sound like I'm being moody." April blushed bashfully.
"If it bothers you so much, then don't think of it as 'being left out'. All of us merely prefer for you to not be put into harm's way."
"Well, maybe I want to be in harm's way! If it means saving my dad!"
Splinter spoke more seriously. "I may not know him that well, but I like to think your father would wish otherwise." He understood her frustration, though, and there were other ways to help. "If you wish to assist, perhaps you can do so that doesn't entail participating in open combat. Donatello, while skilled in the bo-staff, uses his brain rather than his fists. That alone can be a powerful weapon."
Brainpower.
Now that, April can definitely use.
There on the table was Donnie's computer and it was still on the seismograph app. "Hmm..." April then saw other utilities, including one that looked like the Shell Phones when closed. Clicking on it, she saw about four blips which were colored-coded to match the turtles' ninja masks. The blue and purple blips were together, but the red and orange blips were far away and the seismograph reported more disturbances much to her alarm. "Master Splinter, I think we have a problem..."
"Goliath...Goliath..."
The sewers.
The Mousers.
Golitah vaguely remembered the fight. There was a cave-in and he needed to get up, but he now realized that instead of being in the sewers, he was outside on Castle Wyvern, his head lying on the lap of Demona. "My angel..." He said in a daze. Was everything a dream? Did she truly betray him? In the sky, he saw familiar faces, their fallen gargoyle brethren. "You're here...everyone's here..."
"Where else would I be?" Demona sweetly asked rhetorically.
Goliath smiled and closed his eyes, this was how it was supposed to be. "Goliath...Goliath!" His content expression frowned, he opened his eyes up again to see Demona's face change into Elisa's own visage. She looked concerned for Goliath. "Goliath! Can you hear me?!"
"Elisa?" It wasn't Demona's lap he was resting his head on, but Elisa's. The castle was gone and he found that he lied in the middle of a cave in part of the sewer. Goliath pulled himself up, groaning as he felt his sides sting just by moving. There was heavy bruising on his chest, face and some cuts near his tail. Elisa similarly looked no worse for wear herself. Her jacket was torn a little and some dust was on her face. "What-What happened?!"
"Robo-chickens. Eating the sewer. Roof came down on us." Raph was the one who did the recap. He was nursing a head wound while Brooklyn was helped up by Mikey. Bronx was pawing at the debris blocking their way.
Goliath noticed a number of their group were unaccounted for. "The others! Where are the others?!"
"We got separated when those annoying little machines tore through the roof." Brooklyn grunted, leaning on a wall. "We were just waiting on you to wake up."
"Then, why are we just sitting! We must find them!" Goliath implored.
"Whoa, cool it, Big G." Mkey patted the gargoyle leader's big arm. "There were way too many of those rust buckets, us, and-"
"And what, Michelangelo?! Allow them to destroy everything underground?! Including your home?! Your family?!" Goliath roared in ferocity that made Mikey shrink back, even gulping in fright.
"Goliath, no one wants that!" Brooklyn argued, he's no stranger to Goliath when he was stern, but this was taking it to a whole new level. "But, these aren't vikings, destroying them one by one will get us nowhere!"
Raph grumbled. "Brook's got a point and yes, it did hurt saying that more than those little trash cans."
"We surely can't fight them all before the sun rises. Maybe we need-"
"What you need to do is not question my authority!" Goliath forcibly cuts Brooklyn's suggestion off.
Raph finally had enough and decided to take a stand. "Okay, you know what?! I've heard Leo go on and on about how you're some great honorable warrior! But all I see is a big angsty jerk who's too hung up on some bitch who backstabbed him to focus on what really matters! Shell, if you miss her that badly, why not go looking for her! You never know, she may not try to shoot you again!" His harsh words stirred up a lot of repressed anger that Goliath would only let out on rare occurrences and the gargoyle leader glared with glowing eyes and a threatening growl at the impudent turtle. What right did Raphael have to judge him in such a manner? Demona was his love! She meant everything to him...but he no longer meant anything to her. When given the chance, she chose to end his life because he wouldn't follow her ideology. In the end, she hated more than she loved.
...And he's been pointlessly trying to deny that it was true.
At the same, he's also been closing himself off from everyone else and taking his rage out at anything that could sate it.
Like the mousers when he should be thinking more proactively.
This realization made his eyes stop glowing and the growling ceased. He averted the judgmental glare of Raphael out of shame and disappointment in himself, not even saying anything in rebuttal. Elisa stepped up to clear the air of any residual tension. "Okay, let's all just take a breather. Hot heads won't get us out of this mess."
"Hello? Can anyone hear me? Hello?"
Everyone present thought the cave-in caused them to hallucinate hearing April's voice.
But, it was coming from Raph's belt. Specifically, his Shell phone. "I'll be damned. The thing still works. Yo, April! It's Raph!"
"Raph! Oh, thank god! I've been trying to reach you guys! Hang on! Let me try Leo!"
"I'm here, April." Mikey and Raph were relieved to now hear their big brother's voice. "Donnie and I are okay, so is everyone else." Over at a separate collapsed area, Leo stood while Donnie and Lexington helped keep Broadway on his feet. Hudson kept one good eye out for any of the Mousers, sword still drawn. "The cave-in damaged the Shell Phones a little, though."
"True, but they still have enough juice for calls." Donnie proudly stated before rubbing his head. "Unfortunately, that's the only thing they can do now. There's too much damage to make the seismograph app active, and I don't have enough tools to fix them."
"Don't worry, Donnie. I'm tracking you guys through your laptop." April informed them.
"You're using my laptop?" It would take a mind as exceptional as Donatello's to use his personally crafted computer. "Huh. Nice."
"So, what happened? Did you find what caused the quakes?"
Raph grumpily answered April. "Oh, we found them, alright. They were all these freaking little metal monsters with huge teeth. The sewers are like a buffet to them."
"And if we don't stop them, they may end up finding your home, lads." Hudson added.
"But, there are too many of them!" Broadway pointed to some scrapes on his tail. "Stomp on one and another's already biting you."
In the lair, April listened and contemplated the difficult situation her friends found themselves in. Against such an enemy, fighting them one at a time was not the way to go, but after looking through the underground sewer maps, she started formulating her own plan. "Guys, put your phones on speakers. I think I can help you out..."
Everything went off as the Mouser robots were programmed to do.
Dig and eat through the entire sewer system until the creator was satisfied.
Those unknown lifeforms tried to be hindrances to their mission, but they were pushed back.
Presently, an entire army of Mouser robots were munching through metal pipes, raring to go for their next meal. Until completely out of nowhere, Michelangelo shouted at the top of his lungs to get their undivided attention. "Hey! Tiny little robo-duds! Betcha can't catch this shell!" Mikey tauntingly laughed, waving his hands like a maniac. "Come and get me!"
The Mousers looked quizzically at him, tilting their heads and the like, until one of them opened up its mouth, revealing red circuit lines and unleashing an inhuman roar that made Mikey shriek and ran off, the horde of Mousers engaging in pursuit. Mikey led all the robots to an area full of connected pipes, the orange-clad turtle stopped at a wall as the Mouser horde growled menacingly.
"Now!"
From the shadowy tops, jumped three figures.
Leo, Goliath, and Hudson sliced and smashed apart several of them.
A trio of Mousers stopped and observed the damage done before Brooklyn, Raph, and Broadway rendered them skewered and smashed bits. Bullet rounds herded them to a waiting Elisa and a growling Bronx that gave the Mousers a taste of their own medicine by biting them apart when the gargoyle beast caught several in his mouth. The Mousers chomped to make the walls come down once more, only for them to dodge out of the way, leaving only the robots to get crushed instead. Raph launched one Mouser up and kicked it over to Brooklyn whose claws dragged across its body. Mikey converted his nunchaku to a chain sickle and flung the blunt end for Broadway to catch so that he could fling Mikey across, kicking many Mousers repeatedly. The Mousers charged once more and instead of fighting back, they actually ran.
All the more east for the Mousers.
The group ran while destroying a contagion of them until they were systematically cornered and it looked like it was the end of them.
"Donnie! Lexington!" Leo shouted.
Nearby, the brainy turtle and shortest gargoyle had hidden themselves where they both nodded at each other and tipped over a single pillar which launched a chain reaction.
A cave-in was what nearly did the heroes in.
Seemed only right that it be their cause of destruction. The Mousers scurried among themselves, but none could escape rain of stones and with them distracted, everyone made a bee-line to witness the carnage unfolded. "Ah. Now there be a beautiful sight, lads and lass." Hudson hummed, quite pleased. First time all evening that he felt a semblance of peace.
The last remaining Mousers were now the ones retreating.
Back at the lair, Splinter calmly sipped his tea.
Spike chomped on his leaf.
As for April, she sat in front of the laptop screen, tapping her finger on the keyboard on loop.
After what seemed like eternity, the entrance was opened and out jumped Mikey, sliding on the ground on his knees. "We went! We kicked metal butt! And it was awesome! Cowabunga!"
His brothers and their friends entered and Raph immediately went to pick up Spike. "They never stood a chance, buddy." Raph smirked, tickling his pet turtle under his chin.
Splinter stood up, smiling proudly at Leo. "Well done, Leonardo. You not only triumphed, but you defended our home."
"Thank you, father." Leo bowed bashfully. "But, if I'm being honest, it was a whole team effort. Especially April." The redhead found everyone giving her appreciative smiles, grateful for her assistance. "We wouldn't have known about the area where those robots were if you weren't tracking the nearest quakes. We could've been gone for hours."
"Aye, lass." Hudson nodded in agreement. "You may not have fought, but you helped plenty enough. For that, we owe you our gratitude."
April scratched her hair with a blush. "It's no big deal. I just felt like helping somehow. I don't wanna be the useless one."
Goliath surprised her by placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You were hardly useless tonight, April. Not only that, but Leonardo and Donatello formulated the plan that led to our success. Whereas I..." He sighed regretfully and addressed all present. "I must apologize. Michelangelo, I am sorry for yelling and to all of you. I have...not been myself lately and because of that, I not only acted thoughtlessly, I was also a poor guest in your home, Splinter. I just...miss her so much." he bemoaned.
Elisa frowned sympathetically. "You and Demona really loved each other, didn't you?"
Goliath turned away to conceal his sorrow. "She was a traitor. Her actions brought about the end of our entire race, and yet, I still long for the days when she and I would fight together, defending our home. I'm sorry, I just can't find it in me to accept what's happened. Not now." Imagining Xanatos' face when he destroyed multiple Mousers was only a fleeting sense of relief.
"Then don't." Elisa earnestly told him, taking his hand. "Goliath, it's okay to take time to handle grief, there are just better ways to go through it. For starters, don't be afraid to open up and remind yourself that you're not alone."
"The lass speaks the truth, Goliath. Ye still have us and of course, new allies." Hudson motioned to the turtles. "It may not be the same as it was, but I feel this is a change that should be welcomed. Grieve how you wish, lad. At least take comfort in knowing that the rest of us would rather have Demona be with us once more." He spoke mostly for the Gargoyles.
Mikey elbowed Raph whose shoulders dropped. "Yeah, and uh, sorry about...you know. I mean, I've only seen Demona the psycho she-devil. But, I guess she must have been a pretty special lady back in the day. So, yeah..."
Making apologies was a lot less easier than cracking skulls, but Goliath appreciated the effort. "You spoke your mind, Raphael and perhaps it was something I needed to hear." The gargoyle leader held his hand up and smirking, Raph grasped it.
Mikey brought them in for a three-person group hug. "Alright! Bad vibes are gone! Robos are all scrap, and it's still a long way before the sun, dudes and dudettes! I say we pick up where we left off! Which reminds me!" He zipped over to the kitchen and returned in record time. "Pizza partay!" He cheered, opening the box and the pizza's scent attracted Broadway's nose. He immediately helped himself, his rookery brothers not long after.
Goliath blinked at their rambunctiousness before shaking his head, smiling amusingly. Mikey then held up a pizza slice in front of his face, the youngest turtle smiled hopefully, eyeing him then the pizza. Goliath slowly took it away, making Mikey slap his shoulder in congratulations before leaving him to feast uppn more pizza. Goliath looked at the food cautiously and shrugged, he took only one bite. "Hm..." He took slow munches before a smile crept on his face. "Hm. Not that bad." Somehow, his spirits were finally being lifted.
April noticed Donnie and Lexington near the kitchen where they littered a table full of robotic circuitry and parts. "Are those the robots that attacked?" she asked.
"What's left of them, anyway." Donnie corrected. "Lex and I are hoping there's something inside them that pinpoints who made them in the first place."
"That and we really wanna see their inner-workings." Lexington added.
"Okay, yeah. That, too." Donnie and Lexington shared excited grins.
April chuckled, but after gazing at the robot parts for herself, she squinted her eyes a bit.
Something about them seemed awfully familiar...
