Chapter 34: Hackenbrush-ed Off
New trouble brewed in the sewers. The Turtles, Trainers and Pikachu journeyed through the underworld of New York City. "I'm telling you that I saw some guys down here!" exclaimed Michelangelo.
"Let's calm down a second, Michelangelo," Brock whispered.
"They're probably maintenance replacing a rusty portion of pipe," Donatello shrugged.
"Not from what I've see!" argued Michelangelo. "They looked like businessmen!"
"Now, let's check it out before we can blame it on whatever the heck Michelangelo had last night," Brock eased.
"The jellybean and sausage pizza?" guessed Raphael. Pikachu's ears perked up. Everyone saw it. "Did you find it, Pikachu?"
("That way!") squeaked Pikachu. He led the rest to finding a construction crew in yellow hard hats with a rotund brunette in a business suit watching.
"Let's get that jackhammer working, boys!" the brunette ordered. One man revved the jackhammer. They started chiseling the walls.
"Ash, you and Brock stay back," Leonardo whispered. Ash and Brock accepted before the Turtles attacked the workers, stopping the jackhammers and disarming other tools from the workers.
"Just what do you think you're doing!?" the brunette argued. "These aren't your sewers!"
"Oh yeah!?" snapped Raphael. "Well, it ain't yours either, fatso!" Leonardo pointed his katana at the brunette.
"And unless you can show us credentials to tear down the sewers," he warned. "I suggest you leave here!" The brunette seemed upset at the attack.
"I've heard about you Turtles!" he scorned. "You're nothing but some troublemakers… and by the end of the week, all of this will belong to Donald J. Lofty." Ash, Brock and Pikachu gasped to who the brunette referred to.
"Not the old man who opened Lofty Tower?" whispered Ash.
"If so, why would he want the sewers?" wondered Brock. The brunette led the workers out, but turned to the Turtles once more.
"You green pests haven't seen the last of me!" he warned before walking out.
"He doesn't sound like he's being reasonable," Ash muttered.
"And that means he'll be a problem for us to deal with," Leonardo feared. "Let's return to the Lair and figure out what we need to do." As they left, back in the Technodrome, Krang was concocting a liquid. Bebop and Rocksteady were wearing aprons and forced to clean the Technodrome. They were curious to what Krang was doing with Shredder supervising and Team Rocket observing.
"What are ya doin', boss?" asked Rocksteady.
"None of your business!" argued Shredder.
"Gee, we just wanna help," Bebop offered.
"Yeah, after the mess you two made on that movie set," Jessie billowed. "Not to mention using that fearmongering ray to turn us chickens, you're going to clean this place as punishment!" Krang snickered to Jessie's rant.
"Aptly put, Jessie," he agreed. "Besides, with this new super-charged mutagen, we can create an army of super-mutants!"
"Not even those Turtles can stop this rampage!" sneered Shredder.
"Oh goody…" muttered Bebop as he excitedly swung his broom around, striking a machine that connected to a ray device, breaking it from the anchor. Everyone took cover. A few seconds later, Krang gasped to the destruction.
"You Numskull!" roared Jessie. "Look what you did!" Shredder was also miffed at Bebop and Rocksteady's mischief.
"Just for that, you'll clean the entire lower decks!" snapped Shredder.
"All of dem?" worried Rocksteady.
"Yes!" snapped Jessie. "All of them!" She huffed a sigh. "Honestly, I think they were restored way too soon from the exposure to the Anxietron Ray."
"Meanwhile, we have to repair the electrode before we can proceed with experimentations," Krang mumbled. In the lower decks, Meowth came in to see Bebop and Rocksteady cleaning.
"Boy, it's gonna take us weeks ta get dis place cleaned," Bebop groaned. "It sure would be quicker with some help." Rocksteady had a feeling of Bebop's take.
"What we need is someone ta do all of dis work," he suggested.
"But da boss has a pair of…" started Bebop before the two realized something similar.
"MUTANTS!" they agreed. It gave Rocksteady an idea.
"If we could get our hands on a little of dat new mutagen," he started.
"We could have our own mutants!" concluded Bebop. "And we'd neva have ta work again!"
"Dat's what youse tink!" snapped Meowth. Bebop and Rocksteady turned to the Alley Cat Pokémon.
"Da cat!" gawked Rocksteady. "And what's do you want!?"
"I just wanna say dat I was listening to youse in wanting ta steal dat mutagen," Meowth noticed. "Before youse tink about it, dere's no way ya're gonna use it on Meowth or Jessie's or James's Pokémon!"
"Ah, dat's notin' ta worry about," Bebop dismissed. "Although, could ya imagine what dey'ed look like if we did? Dat Dustox would be a beast fer Jessie."
"Oh, or maybe dat walking cactus!" offered Rocksteady. While the mutants dreamed of seeing Team Rocket's Pokémon mutated, Meowth shook his head.
"Fer two mutated morons, youse have plenty of imagination," he murmured.
"But don't worry, catty," Bebop eased. "I can have my pet Slash take a pot shot." Rocksteady and Meowth became curious.
"You got a pet!?" gasped Meowth.
"Dis is new to me, too!" added Rocksteady. "How come yer bringing dis up now?" Bebop seemed hesitant to share.
"Let me show you," he prepared. Rocksteady and Meowth were curious to Bebop's pet. Back in the Lair, the Turtles, Trainers and Mona Lisa holding Pikachu watched April on TV. The screen had a title card reading "Face the Issues."
"Welcome to another edition of Face the Issues; the show that puts the issues right in your face," April introduced. She appeared with the rotund brunette from before. They stood in front of a rocket stationed for launch. "My guest on location is Fenton Q. Hackenbrush, developer for Donald J. Lofty Enterprises." She turned to the brunette, known as Hackenbrush. "Mr. Hackenbrush, since you took charge, Lofty Enterprises has begun some rather unique projects, such as the controversial Space Scow, designed to carry millions of tons of trash into space."
"There's no real controversy about it, Miss O'Neil," Hackenbrush denied. "This is our solution to the city's increasing garbage problem."
"And what about the mysterious sewer project Lofty Enterprises is involved with?"
"Oh, no mystery… We've offered to refurbish the city's entire sewer system in exhange for the rights to develop a small portion of the sewers for commercial use." To Raphael, the compensation wasn't enough.
"Huh, a 'small portion'?" he reiterated.
"But what would Lofty want with this 'refurbishing of the sewers?" questioned Mona Lisa.
"Probably not as wanting to know why you're still hanging around," Raphael redirected. "I thought you were a one-offed characher!"
"Hey, tell that to my newfound fans," Mona Lisa shrugged. Hackenbrush had more.
"In addition, it will help flush out the worst menace to this society: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," he implied. "They're a buch of reptilian delinquents who need to be put behind bars… or at least in a really big glass bowl." The infuriated Raphael.
"That tears it!" he yelled as he turned the TV off.
"Hackenbrush has no consideration for what you've done to keep the peace," Brock mulled. "Still, Lofty was kind to us after we saved everyone at Lofty Tower."
"And I met Lofty when he visted the university to do a speech about his success," Mona Lisa added. Splinter emerged with Torkoal by his side.
"Even a small influence can cause a major recollection of one being's conscious beliefs," Splinter regarded. "However, I fear this may not be the influence of Lofty Enterprises." The Turtles and Trainers started to believe Splinter's words.
"Are you saying that Lofty doesn't know what this Hackenbrush guy's doing?" wondered Michelangelo.
"That's what Master Splinter is implying… I think," Leonardo guessed. "What we need to do is find out what Hackenbrush is really after." Ash and Brock smiled at the idea.
"This sounds like a good enough time to bring out our newest tools," Brock mentioned as he and Ash brought out cameras. There was black tape on the side of the cameras.
"Whoa, how can you afford cameras!?" gasped Donatello.
"Actually, April and Pete gave us these to try recording any action we come across," Ash clarified. "We wanted to try it on our Pokémon Training as practice and April was a big help in setting it up." Leonardo shook his laughing face.
"What are the odds of that?" he chuckled. "We can use you to get the dirt of Hackenbrush and Lofty Enterprises to know what they're after." Ash and Brock bumped fists. Back in the Technodrome, Bebopknelt to under the bed in a bedroom.
"Here, Slash!" he called while Rocksteady and Meowth waited. Bebop reached in. "Daddy has a couple of friends for you to meet." He pulled out a glass bowl where a tiny turtle lied among an oasis that includes a miniature palm tree. Meowth and Rocksteady were surprised to see Bebop with a little turtle.
"Boy, now I see why you never told nobody," Rocksteady awed.
"It is ironic dat ya're dealing with dem Mutant Toitles while ya're raising a toitle in here," Meowth pointed out.
"It wouldn't surprise us if da boss got mad fer having a pet toitle," Rocksteady believed. With Slash in his palm, Bebop turned to his partner.
"Ya got da goop?" he asked. Rocksteady retrieved the super mutagen. With the mutagen ready, Bebop was ready to pour it on Slash… but the turtle vanished. "Slash? Where'd ya go!?" Quickly, he grabbed the plastic palm tree from the bowl. "This'll work. He loves dis." He put the palm tree near comic books. The tiny turtle emerged and reached it. "See? It's his favoritest ting in da woild."
"Probably what gives him comfort," Meowth muttered. Rocksteady reached for the mutagen, but he knocked the content onto Slash.
"Whoops!" he gulped. "I didn't mean ta do dat!" Suddenly, Slash mutated, growing and becoming something similar to the enemy Turtles. He had buck teeth from each side of his and spikes from his shoulders. There were also spikes protruding from the shell that formed in a "T."
"Whoa!" gulped Meowth.
"Daddy?" spoke Slash with a gruff voice. "What happened to me?"
"It's all good, Slash," Bebop assured.
"But we need yer help cleaning dis home!" ordered Rocksteady. Slash didn't want to work after his mutation.
"Why should I work for you?" he argued. Meowth gulped to what Slash would do to him. Bebop plucked the plastic palm tree from Slash's bowl.
"Over here, Slash!" he teased. Slash gasped to the palm tree.
"My b-binky!" he urged. "I can't live without it!" Bebop taunted Slash to chase, which he complied.
"Here I am, tinkin' he'd use dat toitle on dem otha toitles," Meowth pondered.
"Not without da right stuff," Rocksteady advised. Back in the sewers, Hackenbrush addressed some men in business suits as the Turtles, Trainers and Pikachu listened in while viewing from behind a corner. Brock trained his camera on the crew.
"We're going to turn this whole area into a series of luxury condominiums," Hackenbrush plotted. Hearing, Leonardo became worried.
"The city will be without a sewer system," he whispered.
"And we'll be out of a home," Donatello added. Hackenbrush proceeded on.
"Manhattan's so overcrowded, there's no place to build anything," he pointed out. "Here, we can provide the finest in subterranean living." Brock growled to the plan.
"That maniac!" he mulled. "Doesn't he realize what could happen if there's no sewers!?"
"And who in their right mind would want to live underground anyway!?" questioned Ash. "Well… he definitely won't get away with this, not with the footage we're getting." He pulled out a piece of chalk and reached the far wall.
"Now, here's where we will build the parking lot." He drew an "X" on the wall. A sai appeared, darting into the X drawn. Emerging were the Turtles.
"Park your ideas somewhere else, bub!" yelled Raphael. Hackenbrush scowled at the Turtles arriving.
"Didn't I tell you these Turtles were a menace!?" he pointed while telling the crew.
"Oh yeah!?" yelled Michelangelo. "You're trying to rip off the city, dude!"
"And when they find out about it," Donatello added. "Your little plan will be sunk!" Raphael brought out his other sai.
"Yeah, now beat it!" he snapped. "The sewer's too good for the likes of you!" Terrified, the businessmen left with their tails between their legs.
"Oh, it's time to do something about those Turtles!" scowled Hackenbrush as he ran off. Ash and Brock came out of hiding with the cameras.
"Brock and I'll follow Hackenbrush and see what he'll plan next!" plotted Ash.
"A guy like him isn't going to give up without a fight, that's for sure," Brock agreed.
"And we'll get even more dirt on him with our cameras," Ash added.
"Okay, you two," Leonardo allowed. "But be careful. If anything comes up, contact us."
"Meanwhile, we'll contact April and tell her the news," Donatello informed. The Turtles and Trainers split with Pikachu's joining his partner. Back in the Technodrome, Bebop fitted Slash with armor for his shoulders, knees and hands.
"Dere!" announced Bebop. "You look beau-ti-ful!" Slash wasn't worried about his new gear.
"What about my binky?" he cried.
"Relax, Slash…" assured Bebop with the plastic tree. As Slash reached for the tree, Rocksteady gave Slash a broom.
"But foist," he voiced. "Ya're cleanin' da cobwebs." Meowth thought the treatment of Slash was unnecessary.
"Ain't ya being a little tough on him?" he voiced. "He's still new to having a new body."
"I know," Bebop acknowledged. "But da boss was tough with us afta we was mutated ourselves." Meowth seemed baffled to the reply.
"How does dat make sense!?" he shrugged. "I would've done a betta job takin' care of a twoipette's Togepi dan youse do about Slash here!"
"Well, how dat saying go?" recalled Bebop. "'Like fatha, like mutant'?" Bebop and Rocksteady watched Slash do housework, though Meowth was getting pretty worried about the turnout. "Okay, it's time to sweep da floors." The work made Slash agitated.
"You guys not letting me have my binky is making me mad!" he complained. "I want my binky!" He took a deep breath and blew dust into Bebop and Rocksteady's faces. They started to cough uncontrollably to which Bebop dropped the tree. The dust clouded where the tree fell to. Bebop realized he didn't have it.
"Uh-oh…" he gulped.
"Where's my binky!?" yelled Slash.
"I tink I lost it," Bebop gulped.
"Gimme my binky!" yelled Slash before throwing a table in which it missed Bebop and Rocksteady and broke after hitting the wall. Bebop and Rocksteady ran, fearful of Slash's new rage. Slash chased, grabbing a pair of swords. Bebop irked at what Slash picked up.
"Dem's da boss's Shaolin Swords!" he recognized.
"We gotta stop him before he wrecks da whole joint!" warned Rocksteady. They ran into the room with the trans-dimensional portal. Seeing it, Rocksteady had an idea. "Get dat portal fired up!" Bebop turned the machine on as Slash arrived with Meowth just behind him.
"Where's my binky!?" he continued to demand. "I want it!" Bebop opened the portal.
"It went dat-a-way!" he pointed.
"It better be!" warned Slash before he used the swords to lift and fling Bebop toward Meowth who dodged the mutant warthog. Slash entered the portal before Rocksteady closed it. He took a deep breath.
"At least we got rid of him," he sighed.
"And dat's only part of da problem," Meowth pointed out. "Look at dis mess!" Bebop realized their effort to have a mutant slave didn't work.
"We'd betta clean dis mess up before da boss knows what happened," he pondered. Slash appeared in Times Square, still mad at losing his tree.
"Where's my binky!?" he cried out some more. Armed with swords, Slash was about to become a menace to Manhattan.
TO BE CONTINUED...