Chapter 28: A Fearful Device
Donatello was working on the Turtle Comms as Ash and Brock walked into the lab. "How are the updates to the Turtle Comms going?" asked Brock.
"I'm almost done with the installation of the new antennae and camera features," Donatello mentioned. "I'm believing that when they're ready to go, we could be reaching each other from the other side of the city."
"And Manhattan's not a small one," Ash added.
"From the range and using Pete's map of Wisconsin," Donatello explained as he reached a map of Wisconsin and pointing in to a land below a U-shaped body of water. "I'm hoping that the range can go from Brown County here…" He dragged his finger across the water a smidgen to a peninsula. "…To Door County here." Studying the map, Brock had a feeling of how to approach the idea.
"Not as distant as say Saffron City in Kanto to Goldenrod City in Johto," he studied.
"You'll have to provide me maps for that, Brock," Donatello shrugged before working on the finishing touches. "That should do it." However, it picked up something else.
"Are you trying to tell me that the aliens from these UFOs aren't in contact with the squirrels?" one voice spoke out.
"No man!" another voice denied. "They, like, want to raise our consciousness."
"You fool!" the first man shouted. "Those squirrels are going to take over the world! They're using thought control!" Everyone blinked in confusion, including Pikachu who came in to see what was going on.
"What did you link up?" asked Brock.
"I'm not sure," Donatello shrugged. "It could be a radio show that I managed to hack."
"Yeah, one of make-believe," Ash scoffed.
"The squirrels have infiltrated the government!" the first man shouted. "It's a conspiracy to steal all of the Earth's walnuts!"
("A bad comedy show,") Pikachu realized. Donatello continued to work on the Turtle Comms.
"Luckily, yours are up to date," he clarified. "If April gets in trouble, you two might be able to help out." He returned Ash and Brock their Turtle Comms.
"Ever since her job's back, it could come in handy," Brock believed. "Anyway, Ash and I'll go topside and get some fresh air."
"Okay," Donatello allowed. "I'll let you guys know if anything comes up." Brock, Ash and Pikachu nodded before emerging out of the sewers. As they emerged, Pikachu spotted something at the park.
("Trouble!") he squeaked. Ash and Brock heard Pikachu and saw him point to a blond boy in a yellow shirt and green track pants being thrown around by a rotund brunette boy in a gray t-shirt and a darkly tanned raven-haired in a green jacket over an orange shirt and denim pants. Ash and Brock saw the occurrence.
"Bullies…" mulled Brock.
"Beat it, or I'll take away your teddy bear, you big baby!" the rotund boy mocked as the raven-haired held the blond.
"If the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were here," he yelped. "You wouldn't talk to me like that!" the rotund boy scoffed at the blond's attempt to brave face.
"The big baby knows the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!" he mocked more.
"But I do!" the blond tried to claim. "They're my friends!" The rotund boy lifted his fist over his head.
"Don't toy with me, you little liar!" he shouted before swinging down his fist… or tried to when it was grabbed by Ash. The bully turned to Ash and Brock.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size," Ash scowled. The bully broke from Ash's grip.
"What's it to you?" he dismissed. "Are you two friends of his?"
"And what if we are?" questioned Brock. "What are you going to do about it?" The bully swung his fist, but Ash caught it and threw him to the ground. Ash's hip bounced the bully from his feet to where Ash used the momentum to throw the bully to the dirt. The raven-haired partner saw and released the blond before running scared.
"Do you want to try that again?" sneered Ash. The bully got to his feet and not wanting another hip-toss, dashed with his tail between his legs. His accomplice released the blond before joining the rotund. Brock reached the blond.
"Let me help you up," he offered as the blond clasped his hand.
"Thanks, you two," he praised. "And I'm sorry, I wish I could've done something about those two."
"Hey, we're lucky that we came here as soon as we did," Ash shrugged.
"I know," the blond agreed as he pulled a Turtle Comm from his pocket. "I didn't want to use the Turtle Comm unless it was an emergency." Ash and Brock were shocked to see someone else holding a Turtle Comm.
("You have one too!?") gasped Pikachu. The blond gasped to the sight of Ash's Pokémon.
"Wait a second," he gulped. "You wouldn't be the Pikachu Miss O'Neil interviewed, right?"
("That's me, alright,") Pikachu replied.
"Let me see that Turtle Comm for a second," Brock pondered.
"Sure," the blond allowed as he handed Brock his Turtle Comm. "But… how would you-" He stopped as he saw Brock pull out his Turtle Comm and compared the two. "You have a Turtle Comm, too?" Checking the functions, Brock realized the comparison.
"It's legit!" he discovered. Ash and Pikachu, who the blond held after the Mouse Pokémon jumped into his arms, seemed rather surprised.
"You mean that's an actual Turtle Comm?" guessed Ash.
"No question," Brock confirmed. "Considering the stories from the Turtles, I'm guessing you're Zach." The blond gasped to the guess.
"Yeah, that's me!" he confirmed.
"The fifth Turtle," Ash snickered. "How about that." Zach now realized about Ash and Brock.
"So that means you're also Turtles!" he figured.
"That's right," Ash confirmed. "I'm number seven and Brock's eight."
"I thought I was the seventh," Brock called out. "Anyway, I'm Brock… and that's Ash." Zach shook both of their hands. That's when Pikachu picked up a sound and turned. The boys saw the ears perk up. "Pikachu?"
("Over there!") pointed Pikachu. Seeing where Pikachu looked, the three boys came over to an alley. A portal had opened.
"Shredder?" guessed Ash.
"It's possible," Brock cautioned. Bebop and Rocksteady fell from the portal and into a large dumpster. The boys seemed surprised with who dropped in, literally.
"It's Bebop and Rocksteady!" realized Zach.
"I wonder what they're after this time," Ash whispered. Bebop got on the communicator with Shredder.
"We're here, boss," he announced. "Where did ya want us to go?"
"You need to get over to Unbridled Technologies and steal the Anxietron Ray!" ordered Shredder.
"And be quick about it!" added Krang. "We can't wait around all day for conquest!" Bebop put his communicator away.
"Boy, da boss sure has been pushing us around a lot lately," Rocksteady spoke.
"It's a high-stress job, lemme tell ya," Bebop shrugged as they moved on, walking pass the boys.
"Unbridled Technologies?" repeated Ash.
"What do you think they want over there?" wondered Brock.
"I think we need to call the Turtles over," Zach suggested. Ash and Brock realized Donatello hadn't fixed their Turtle Comms.
"Donatello's working on the other Turtle Comms," Brock pointed out.
"But we can't just go in all gung-ho," Zach pondered.
"Let's follow and see what they want," Ash suggested. The boys agreed and followed Bebop and Rocksteady to a large building with a sign that read "UT BUILDING" in the front.
"Unbridled Technologies," Zach read. They entered and stayed close to the targets when they heard groveling.
"Take it!" a gray-haired man in a lab coat pleaded. "P-Please, it's all yours!" Bebop and Rocksteady tore off borrowed lab coats as the boys saw Bebop holding a rifle-like device.
"Dis is great!" grinned Rocksteady. "A ray dat makes people scared! Lemme try it!" He took the device and left the building with Bebop trailing. They reached a buffed up candy vendor handing cotton candy out.
"Hey, what are your sweet teeth begging for?" he asked.
"Your cotton candy!" demanded Rocksteady. The vendor balled up his fists, knuckles cracking.
"Oh yeah!?" he disagreed. "Well, you can-" Before he could rant, Bebop used the rifle-like device that emitted soundwaves, enveloping the candy man. Quickly, his mood changed. "Have it with my compliments!" He handed the candy to the mutants while the boys watched.
"Boy, with dis ting," Bebop started. "Everyone will be scared of us!" The notion made Rocksteady grin.
"Dare I say it!?" he urged. "We could rule da woild!" The boys watching didn't like the sound of Bebop and Rocksteady's plans.
"And they're going to use that ray gun to do it?" questioned Brock.
"But you saw what they did to the candy man," Zach whispered.
"And that kind of confidence has gone to their little heads," Ash finished. "We need to-" Rocksteady's device beeped. He answered.
"Have you two idiots found the Anxietron Ray?" asked Shredder. Rocksteady decided to use his newfound confidence against Shredder.
"Not if yer gonna be so nasty about it!" he retaliated.
"I'll talk to you any way I like!"
"Ya ain't gonna do nothin'! We's da ones given orders from now on!" The retort made Shredder aghast.
"This is treason! Open the portal, Krang! I'll deal with these turncoats personally!" The portal opened, but Rocksteady took the Anxietron Ray from Bebop and aimed it at the entrance.
"Dat's what you tink!" He fired the ray and the sound-waves rippled into the portal. In the Technodrome, Shredder was about to go through with Krang and Jessie nearby.
"I've wanted to bash those Numskulls in for all of their failures!" she wished. That's when the sound-waves entered and caught the three. They felt the sound-waves and soon became disoriented. When Shredder and Jessie looked to the portal that began to fluctuate in their eyes.
"I can't get through!" cried Shredder.
"What's with the fire!?" cried Jessie. "Put it out!" Foot Soldiers entered, but they looked mutated from Jessie's and Shredder's eyes.
"Mutant Foot Soldiers!" shrieked Shredder. He, Jessie and Krang hid behind a random machine.
"Where's James and Meowth!?" whined Jessie. "I need them!"
"Those… punks… used… the Anxietron… Ray on us!" stuttered Krang.
"You're… the… b-brain!" trembled Jessie. "Undo this!"
"I'm too sc-scared to think!" cried Krang. The portal closed. Bebop and Rocksteady seemed satisfied with their action.
"With dis Anxietron gizmo," Rocksteady pondered. "We can take just about anyting we want!" Bebop had an idea.
"I know!" he voiced. "Let's take over dis whole stinkin' town." They left while the boys huddled for a plan.
"We'll need someone to keep an eye on those two while the others go back and tell the Turtles the situation," Brock pointed out.
"On top of that, we need to warn April of the trouble," Ash added.
"Brock, can you get in contact with Miss O'Neil?" requested Zach.
"I can," Brock nodded.
"Ash, you and Pikachu can get close to see where Bebop and Rocksteady are going," Zach planned. "I'll go to the Lair and find the Turtles." Ash nodded.
"Brock, you stay with Zach and make sure he's safe," Ash added.
"Leave it to me," Brock promised. Ash accepted as he and Pikachu trailed Bebop and Rocksteady while Brock and Zach retreated to the Lair. Back in the Lair, Donatello seemed to have fixed the Turtle Comms with the other Turtles around.
"Can't you hurry it up, Donatello?" groaned Raphael.
"Yeah, I wanna go sneak a peek at the filming of the new Gorgonzola movie!" urged Michelangelo. Donatello seemed surprised.
"They're shooting Gorgonzola in Manhattan?" he believed.
"Yeah dude!" confirmed Michelangelo. "They've got a hundred-foot-high model of him and everything! I just got to see it!" After applying the last screw in, Donatello believed the Turtle Comms were fixed.
"That should do it," he sighed in relief.
"I hope it's good to go," Leonardo muttered. "I just wonder what happened to Ash and Brock."
"Relax, Leonardo," Donatello eased. "What could happen in two hours?" A beep came through. Donatello picked it up.
"Guys, we have trouble!" voiced Ash. Raphael shrugged his shoulders.
"Does that answer your question?" he questioned.
"Ash, talk to us," Donatello replied.
"Bebop and Rocksteady have taken over City Hall with the Anxietron Ray they stole from Unbridled Technologies," Ash informed. "They've also appeared to have used the Ray on Shredder." The Turtles blinked to the news.
"The Anxietron Ray?" repeated Leonardo.
"I heard about it," Donatello realized. "The Anxietron Ray can turn anyone into a scaredy cat."
"But if those two are in possession of the Ray," Leonardo spoke. "We need to stop them."
"Don't worry, dude!" urged Michelangelo. "We're coming!"
"Heed caution, guys!" warned Ash. The Turtles left the Lair as April was on his way out of the station with the camera equipment. She reached the news van and opened the door.
"And just where do you think you're going?" wondered Vernon. Turning, April saw Vernon approaching.
"Unbridled Technologies," she replied. "There's been a robbery there and I'm covering it!"
"That's what you think! Your assignment is covering the filming of the Gorgonzola movie." The news made April blink.
"The what?"
"You know… Gorgonzola! Big green lizard… likes to eat Tokyo?"
"Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." The denial made Vernon scoff.
"Boy, aren't you a cultural illiterate."
"Then why not cover that one?" offered Pete as he appeared upside down on the van. Vernon jumped at the sight of the cameraman.
"Don't you do that!" he complained. "And what are you doing upside down like a monkey?" Pete did a backflip onto the floor.
"I was repairing the dish on the van, and I needed to loosen my back a little," he admitted. April was tickled at Pete's reply. "On a side note, Burne cleared April to cover the Unbridled Technologies incident while I get Gorgonzola… unless you want to come along. It's a giant robotic lizard, nothing like the little yellow mouse." Vernon irked at the suggestion.
"I-I'd rather cover something else!" he stuttered before running.
"Are you serious about covering some rubber lizard?" doubted April.
"Someone has to," Pete shrugged. "And that someone is not Vernon." At City Hall, Ash and Pikachu were reunited with the Turtles.
"I was hoping you got to meet Zach before long," Leonardo sighed. "But at least it's nice that you became friends pretty fast."
"And that we contacted them when the Turtle Comms were fixed," Donatello added. They entered the Hall and saw people quivering in fear, hiding under desks and tables.
"I wonder if they got a good look at the gruesome two-some," Raphael joked.
"If that's true, we need to keep our guard up," Ash warned.
"Right, Bebop and Rocksteady could be anywhere," Leonardo advised. Just then, a door was kicked off its hinges and Bebop and Rocksteady stood.
"Surprise!" shouted Rocksteady. He fired the Ray at the Turtles, but Ash and Pikachu leaped clear. The Turtles weren't so lucky.
"Now I know why I hate surprise parties!" gulped Raphael. Bebop and Rocksteady approached.
"Now we's got ya, Toitles!" mocked Rocksteady. The Turtles saw Bebop and Rocksteady but more mutated and fearsome, causing them to panic.
"Come on, dudes!" shrieked Michelangelo. "Let's boogie!" They ran with Bebop and Rocksteady starting to tail them.
"Hurry!" cried Raphael. "They're gonna get us!" They dashed into another room, shutting the door and leaving Ash and Pikachu with Bebop and Rocksteady.
"Hey!" voiced Bebop. "Come back here, you toitles!"
"Wait, Bebop!" halted Rocksteady. "Dere's still dem!" Ash and Pikachu groaned at being stuck facing Bebop and Rocksteady.
"What a time to show your bravery," Ash mulled. With the Anxietron Ray aimed at them, how can Ash and Pikachu escape?
TO BE CONTINUED...