The Next Day
Inside the T.V. room, Leo and Julian play a game of Street Fighters while sitting on the couch and pushing the game console buttons. Behind the sofa, watching are Judi and Ginny; they are focused on the screen. After yesterday, Ginny has managed to leave her room and try to be more open. Leo was proud of her, despite her being a little tense that he lied to her family.
Raph came in and saw the four. He let out a smirk and a chuckle. "Who do you think is gonna win?" He asked the two girls.
"Leo is getting close, and Julian is almost close to knocking him out," Judi answered him, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"My money is on Julian." Ginny chimed in.
Leo let out a surprised gasp, hearing her. He turns around and faces her while not stopping pushing the console buttons. "What? After I was sure that your family won't think you're dead?" He asked dramatically. "You turned to Julian?"
"He's not a liar." Ginny assumed.
Julian softly chuckled nervously, hearing Ginny say he's not a lair. He refused to tell Judi about the talk he had with Mikey about her condition and her art, fearing it could trigger her memories back and her illness, too. While he was a little distracted in his own mind, his character got beaten, and a K.O. was shown on screen.
"Are you kidding me?!" He shouted; he was so close to beating Leo, and he got beaten without noticing.
"You got much to learn from the master, young student," Leo spoke with an old man's voice like an old sensei. It causes Judi to giggle, and Ginny rolls her eyes. Julian let out a groan of this.
Inside Donnie's lab, Donnie has his goggles down as he looks down on his tech while using a small flame torch tool. It was only a project of his, a purple hoverboard with his trademark symbol on the top. He looks at the monitor screen to look at his notes before nodding and working the wires together. His goggles are playing loud techno music while he is working; it helps keep him focused and not get too distracted. He glued the cables together, causing a tiny spark between them.
As he worked, his computer let out an alarm. Causing him to stop working, put the torch down, and pull his goggles back on his head. He clicked on the notice, and video footage showed the Foot Ninjas taking out boxes that were inside a van parked near the TCRI building. "Great..." he huffed out in annoyance. Them again. He gets up from his chair and leaves his lab.
Donnie enters the T.V. room as he sees the scene of Leo having beaten Julian, Judi giggling, and Ginny rolling her eyes. Even saw Raph with his arms crossed and a smirk as well too.
He cleared his throat, getting their attention. "Hey. Hate to break the moment, but we got Foot sight stealing valuable packages from TCRI." He informed them.
"Seriously!?" Leo jumped up from his seat and glared at Donnie. "Those guys never learned!!"
Raph huffed out. "Well, time for some action." He pounds his fist into his palm. The three masked turtles nodded with him. Leo jumped off over the couch, and the other three followed suit.
On the wall are the turtle's weapons that were placed. One by one, they grab their weapons. Leo set his katanas behind his shell, Raph hooked his sai on his belt, Donnie put his Bo staff on the back of his battle shell, and Mikey placed his nunchucks on his sash. Once they are ready and armed, it is time for them to head to battle.
Then Ginny walked to them; behind her were Judi and Julian. "Is there anything we can do to help?" She asked them.
"No, sorry." Leo shook his head. "The Foot are bad news and you don't have any experience with fighting. So you need to stay put and stay out of danger." He told them.
"But we want to help!" Judi protested.
Raph frowned. He knows they want to help them, and they can use some allies for backup. But they lack the skills they need to defend themself, and it can be very dangerous, too. "We know, but those guys will beat you without mercy." He told them. "So please stay put, and we'll be back." With that last sentence, the turtles all run out of the lair.
Judi pouted, Ginny crossed her arms, and Julian glared in their direction. If they are going to stay here, the least they could have done is be helpful to the team.
On the back alley of TCRI, one by one, the Foot ninjas grab each package as they hand them over and place them in their truck. It seems that after the invasion that took their masters and a large number of Foot ninjas, only a few have survived from being possessed and are on their own as of now. Only eight ninjas were left, not a lot, but enough to know they were survivors.
As they are about to load the next package, the truck has been pulled away from the Foot Ninja into the shadows. After a minute, the truck was thrown toward them, and they ran out of the way just as it hit the ground. The packages got crashed and something inside got broken as well.
The turtles stands on top of the building as Mikey swings his nunchucks. "Don't you foot creeps ever learn your lessons?" Mikey smirked.
"Grab the rest and head back to the base!!" One of the ninjas yelled at the five ninjas behind him. "We need them!!"
The five ninjas then grabbed the remaining package from the van and ran off to the road.
"Great…" Leo groaned. These Foot ninjas were starting to get really cowardly.
Donnie activates his jet pack. "I got this. Take care of the rest." Before Leo can try to reason with him, Donnie takes off and flies after the ninjas.
The three turtles faced the remaining three ninjas as they pulled out their weapons and were ready to fight them off. Soon, the six started fighting each other. Leo used the end of his katana's handles to knock one ninja unconscious, Raph hooked one ninja with his sai through the top clothes and tossed him away while Mikey used his nunchucks to wrap the three, trapping them as they were dizzy and unconscious. The turtles have gotten much stronger the last time they faced them.
With Donnie, he dodges buildings and streetlights on his way. He looks down and watches the five ninjas run off with the packages. He looked ahead and saw they were heading to the docks, where a boat was waiting for them. He can't let them escape that easily with something very valuable inside them.
With his ninpo power, he turns his Bo staff into a rocket launcher, aiming it and releasing it to hit the boat, destroying it into pieces. They are trapped with no means to escape and get away.
Donnie landed behind them; his Bo staff returned to its original form. He fought them off one by one, blocking their attack and dodging their kicks and punches. Each punch he delivers had the ninjas drop the packages flew right into the water. Donnie then swung one ninja that was holding a package, causing him to let it go as it flew up and it opened.
Inside, a chemical container flew out of the box. It was a sickly white color and a faint glow like a nightlight. The box has dropped in the dock, causing it to explode and destroy the dock. Donnie managed to grab the container before it hit the ground.
He turned his head to the one ninja who was trying to catch up to his fellow ninjas, but Donnie's staff formed a hammer, and he swung it, hitting the ninja and watching him fly off and land on the water. Donnie turned back to the destroyed dock as fire emerged and burned it. He looked down at the container.
Just then, a portal appeared, and stepping out were the turtles. They look at the scene before them. A destroyed dock, Donnie holding the container, four unconscious ninjas and one lone Foot ninja swimming away.
"Is it just me, or have they gotten too easy since their so-called masters got taken away?" Mikey asked a rhetorical question. Without their Lieutenant and his Brute friend, the clan is falling apart.
"Meaning less trouble for us." Leo smugly replied back. "Right, D?" He looked at his brother, still staring at the container. "Donnie?" His smugness faded away and was replaced with concern.
Donnie stares at the white liquid inside, his face reflecting the glass texture. "Why were they trying to steal from TCRI? And what's important about these chemicals?" He questioned, whatever the Foot wants with these can mean serious danger.
Back inside the lair. While the turtles are out, Ginny and the twins watch a Jupiter Jim film to pass the time. Ginny was sitting on the couch while the twins were on the floor. Judi was frowning, and Ginny was smiling. The movie tells of Jupiter, Jim, and Red Fox fighting against the Robo-vampires on their planet.
Judi let out a disappointing hum. "I don't get the plot." She huffed.
"Hmmmf! You're not a true fan until you see the rest." Ginny scoffed with her arms crossed and nose up. Thanks to Jacob's special interest in space and Jupiter Jim, it rubs off on his family, who take it very seriously.
Behind the couch, the portal appeared, and the turtles walked out of the portal as it disappeared. They sat back on the sofa while Donnie only walked past them as he headed to his lab with the container in his hands still.
"So? How did it go?" Ginny asked them.
Leo gives off a shrug. "They wren's trying hard enough." He explains.
That answer caused Judi to spin around fast to face them, almost making her dizzy from the speed. "Really?! We could have helped if it was so easy!!" She fumed.
"I suppose." Raph rubbed the back of his neck. "But if you get caught, you will get hurt." He added, trying to explain the consequences of getting involved.
It only made Judi pout as she spun back to her position and crossed her arms, acting like a kid getting a scolding from a parent.
Mikey sat by her side, legs crossed. "Hey. It's cool." He tried to cheer her up. "Maybe one day you can fight along." That makes Judi smile a bit at him, hearing they could have a chance. Then he heard a growl, and his stomach hurt a bit, hinting that he was in need of food. "Oo, I am hungry!"
"Hehe…same." Judi nodded with him. It seemed it was time for a lunch break.
Meanwhile, inside Donnie's lab, his goggles are down as he does a full body scan of the chemicals inside. He let out a slight hum as he wrote them the formula and ingredients it held inside; some were found on the Periodic table, while others were not well known to beginners. Once he was done, he put the goggles back on top of his head.
He opened a website and looked up what the ingredients contained and the danger of them. He read them over while rubbing his chin.
While Donnie is looking over the answer, Mikey comes out of the kitchen with a tray holding a ham sandwich and a glass of milk. His hands were shaking, and he looked very nervous, heading to his destination—Nina's room. Mikey tries to give her food since she refuses to leave her room and speak to anyone else, resulting in her throwing any food and drinks. It was like she thought he was trying to poison her.
Mikey opens her door, quickly slides the tray inside, and closes it back up. "Please don't throw the tray away…" he waited for the throw, but it didn't come. He let out a sigh of relief.
But his relief shattered as the tray was thrown out of the open window and landed on the floor, shattering it.
Mikey quickly left the area and headed back to the kitchen. It was no use; she still refused to eat. He needs help from someone who got close to her, or else that girl will keep starving herself.
During this, Donnie had looked through the information and the cause of it. He did a few calculations on them, and after he got the results, he could feel his heart stopped and his stomach dropped dead. He stares at the information with fear in his eyes.
"So that's why the Foot was stealing this; this chemical can change the genetics of a being's cells," Donnie whispered. "Like the teens changed to a mutant." This would explain why. The Foot thought it would help change their leaders back to human. "Wait…Oh no.." he started to see why the Foot came to TCRI and what the scientists planned to do with it.
But his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud shattering noise outside his lab. He turned around to face the door and spotted Mikey slowly peeking his head through the lab's entrance.
"Hi, D. Sorry to interrupt your research." Mikey looks nervous. "But…I need your help." He smiled nervously.
Donnie was face to face with Nina's door; in his hand was a tray holding a bowl of lettuce and a glass of milk. His face showed an expression of annoyance and anger. "You gotta be crazy if you think I am gonna go in there and give it to her." He turned his head facing the corner.
Mikey hides behind the wall. "Please. You're the only one out of the seven of us that ever contacted her and…" He gulped as he hid deeper behind the wall. ".. she's scary too.."
"Last time I talked to her, she almost gave me a splitting headache." Donnie snarled. Last week, Donnie and Raph got her in the bath to have her clean again, and she was trying to get away from them. They won't let her go till she is clean and smelling clean, too.
"Just put the food close to her and leave; that's all you need to do," Mikey told him. "You don't have to talk to her."
Donnie let out an irritating groan. He really doesn't want to get close to her again because of her stubborn and childish ways, but he would rather have her be fed and clean.
He entered her room. And as always, she is sitting in her bed with her back facing the door. She looked relatively thin and a little weak too, lacking proper nutrition. But at least the bruises are gone, and the scars look invisible.
"Hello, Nina. I got food for you." He tried to sound friendly to her. But she didn't reply back or look at him; she remained still as a statue with Bello looking at him. Donnie let out a sigh. "Here." He sat the tray down by her side. "Mikey made this for you, seeing how you refuse to eat the ham sandwich." He added. "Try eating it; you could die from starvation if you don't eat." But she didn't move from her spot. So he just left her room.
Once the door was closed, Nina grabbed the tray and was ready to throw it away, but Bello's chirping stopped her. She looked down at him and saw a pleading look on his face. Three months here, and she never left her room, only at night to use the bathroom when everyone is asleep and she can avoid them.
"I'm not eating it." Nina spatted. She doesn't trust the turtles enough to take their cooking, even if they try giving her any food that she can eat. But the look on Bello's face didn't change. So she gave in. "Fine, if it will make you happy." She sat down as she placed the tray down.
She grabs the bowl, uses the fork to get the lettuce, and eats it. Her eyes water, feeling the relief of getting a full meal. Usually, she sneaks out at night, grabbing little food she can get for herself and Bello to not go to bed with a strave, hurting stomach. She ate the salad till it was empty and gone. The last meal she ever had was with her father before his death.
She let out a quiet sob, thinking about her father and having a full stomach at last. Bello gently rubs his head against her ankle in a comforting way as she wipes her tears away.
In the T.V. room, the turtles all sat on the couch and the floor as a show appeared. It was an anime show about Lady Luna, the same character Judi found in a comic, and now learning there was a show about it too. Judi was smiling huge while the boys stared at the screen.
Leo crossed his arms and leaned back against the couch cushions. "Can't believe they made an anime based on a girly manga." He hissed.
"I like it." Mikey smiled.
Raph crossed his arms as he watched the show. "I don't know. I think it's adorable." He chimed in. "And the way she fought off the Meteor Goblins is pretty cool. It's like Jupiter Jim but in a drawing." He smiled and seemed to enjoy it.
Leo let out a groan, defected that his brothers enjoyed it. He sank back against the cushions and watched with them. Ginny smirked at his pouting.
Donnie kneels by her side, close to the side of her head. "Hey. Can we talk in my lab?"
Ginny got confused by this request, but she nodded and stood up. She followed Donnie as he led her to his lab.
Once he was sure no one was near the lab and close to the area, Donnie closed the lab door and locked it. He turned around and faced Ginny, standing close to his work table.
"Ginny, you were a worker at TCRI." Donnie began. "Right?"
Ginny nodded to him. "Yeah. Why?"
"And you knew about everything they are working on, right?" He continued.
Ginny blinked at this question. "I don't, really. What are you trying to ask?"
Donnie grabs the chemical container from his desk and shows it to her. "The Foot Ninjas were stealing this. This thing is made to change a genetic body's code," he explained to her. "The same chemical that was put in TCRI's mutagen. And the same mutagen that changed you and the rest."
Ginny's face reflects on the container's glass, showing a shocking expression, and Donnie can see that she doesn't know of her boss's plans.
She looked up at him, showing fear in her eyes and voice. "Donnie, you got to believe me." Her voice cracked. "I never know of this or what Eric is working on. I started working for them in August when I lost my last job." She explained her side. "Rockwell told me that only professional scientists and chemists are allowed to be in Eric's project. I was following what my supervisor told me." She continued. "I never knew that they were working on that ooze thing."
Donnie set the container back on his deck. "Professional scientists? Who would they be?" He asked her.
"There is Jordan Perry, Victor Falco, Tyler Rockwell, Kirby Lane, and Eric Sacks." She answered his question. "Those five are the ones who started TCRI and the ones who began their project."
"What project?" He asked again.
Ginny breathed. "They call it 'Project Humana." She told him. "They never explain what it was about, just the name of it." She finished.
Donnie's eyes widened at this information. He reached into his belt pocket and pulled out the card Rockwell gave him from the field trip. He couldn't believe that they used this to create the mutagen. If they try to recreate it again, TRCI will also threaten them and New York. They could try to do the same thing Draxum was trying to do.
"Ginny, you can't tell anyone this." He told her.
"What? Why?" Ginny blinked. "Leo and-"
"No. The last thing I want is for my brothers to go through any more danger." Donnie interrupted her. "If we fought against humans, we could expose ourselves more, and TRCI is full of them. They have more power than we do." He added. "So please, for my family's sake."
Ginny can see the fear in his eyes. As much as she wants to tell everyone the information that they have, she can tell that they are still healing from their last huge battle and their trauma. Leo was full proof enough. So she sighed and nodded. She really hopes that Rockwell can try to reason with Eric enough to prove his theories are wrong.