- Chapter 62 -
Battle for New York, Part 1
Late one night, Mikey was messing around in Donnie's lab, adding different things into a beaker, while humming.
"Hmmm…" he said in a faux British accent, "I do believe this is the reaction that you were seeking. What do you think, Dr. Cluckingsworth?"
"Indeed it is," Dr. Cluckingsworth typed out. "Excellent work, lab assistant. Now, follow my precise instructions, and do not question the ingredients. Donatello always does."
At her direction, Mikey began adding various ingredients to the concoction. This included random chemicals, a half-drunk soda, and a slice of pizza crust.
"Alright, anything else?"
"No, that should-"
"MIKEY?!" They spun around to see a half-asleep Donnie glaring at them, visibly angry. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Mikey turned to him with a smile. "Oh, Dr. Cluckingsworth needed a lab assistant, so I came to-"
"That's my retro-mutagen!" Donnie cut in. "I have been brewing it for months! If you ruin it, I swear to God I'm gonna-!"
Before he could even finish talking, Mikey poured the concoction in. Donnie froze up, staring at it. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, the retro-mutagen began rapidly bubbling and foaming, beginning to glow. Donnie and Mikey backed up in fear, their arms around each other.
"It's gonna EXPLODE!" Donnie shrieked.
They ducked under the table, Mikey pulling Cluckingsworth in after him. After a minute, it stopped, the retro-mutagen becoming a bright orange. They slowly came out.
"That was it?" Mikey asked. "Weak."
Donnie immediately whirled on Mikey and jumped on him, the two wrestling on the ground as Cluckingsworth fluttered away, squawking.
"You brain-dead monkey!" Donnie shouted. "How many times do I have to tell you to STAY OUT OF MY LAB?!"
"I was just trying to help!" Mikey objected.
After a minute, Splinter entered, hitting them both with pressure points before prying them apart.
"What is going on in here?" the rat sensei demanded as the others came in, none of them looking too happy.
"Will you two shut up?!" Jade snapped. "People are trying to sleep!"
"Mikey was screwing around with my retro-mutagen!" Donnie pointed out.
"I was helping Dr. Cluckingsworth!" Mikey insisted.
"Why would she ask you for help and not me?!"
"Because when I tried to tell you my recipe for a quick transition retro-mutagen, you declared that I was, and I quote, 'a bird-brain' and suggested that I had eaten some rotten grains," Cluckingsworth chimed in. "So, I sought aid from someone who would listen. As he is the most... detached from reality of all of you, Michelangelo was my best bet."
"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted," Mikey deadpanned.
"Just know that you did well, dear boy. And that's all that matters."
"Dr. Cluck, that's crazy!" Donnie objected. "There's no way stuff like pizza and soda could actually work!"
"Oh, no?" Cluckingsworth jerked her head in the direction of the beaker. Everyone looked, seeing it was glowing brightly and sparkling.
"This… this is… I…" Donnie stammered.
"Go on, try it." Somehow, through the Mr. Spell, Cluckingsworth managed to sound smug.
-X-
Later, everyone was in the lab as Donnie examined the retro-mutagen under a microscope.
"Wow!" he exclaimed. "Its bonding rate is phenomenal! This'll save me months of lab work!"
"So Mikey screwing around in your lab did some good," Vee mused. "That's something I never saw coming."
"Okay, lemme see." Donnie took an eye dropper, dripping some of the retro-mutagen into a canister of normal mutagen. They watched as it turned orange almost immediately. "One small drop... and I can turn an entire canister of mutagen into retro-mutagen! Mikey actually did something right for a change!"
"Wait, wait. Hold it. You're saying that Mikey cracked the retro-mutagen?" Makoto questioned, pointing at the turtle in question. "Mikey? What freaky Bizarro World did we wake up in?"
"Actually, it was Dr. Cluckingsworth's recipe," Mikey cut in. "I was just her lab assistant."
"Oh good," Makoto perked. "Wait... does that mean the chicken is smarter than Donnie?"
"Make no mistake. Donatello is a genius," Cluckingsworth cut in. "He's simply too logical-minded."
"Doc, you have to tell me that recipe!" Donnie insisted.
Cluckingsworth shook her head. "No. Honestly, the only reason I even made this batch was to aid in the restoration of the city. Otherwise, I would have taken it to my grave."
"Are you kidding me?" Donnie demanded. "You whip up an easy way to mass produce retro-mutagen, and you won't tell me?!"
"Why would you appreciate such an illogical idea from a bird-brained barnfowl?"
Donnie winced at that. "Oh…"
"Ha!" Mikey taunted. "Open mouth, insert foot, Donnie!"
"For now, Donatello, be thankful Cluckingsworth was willing to tell Michelangelo how to do it, and make do with what you have," Splinter cut in.
"Right…" Donnie nodded.
"Imagine if we dumped this in Krang's mutagen supply," Karai suggested, chuckling at the idea. "That'd be fun to watch."
"Yeah," Leo agreed. "But first things first. We need to find where Krang took the rest of the New Yorkers, so we can change them back."
"We already know," April piped up.
"You think the two of us have just been lounging around during our healing time?" Hisako asked. "We've been meditating almost non-stop, trying to figure out where all of the mutated citizens are, and we found them."
Everyone turned to them.
"As it turns out, Krang has been rounding them up and transporting them to Dimension X," April said.
"He's making them work like slaves," Hisako added. "Unable to fight back or even express their pain."
"It's like being trapped in the body of a mindless puppet," April finished, both girls shuddering.
"They…" Tai began in horror, "they know what's going on?"
"They know everything, Tai," Hisako confirmed. "But they can't do anything about it."
"Just when I thought he couldn't sink any lower…" Kagome began before stopping herself. "Oh, who am I kidding? There's no low that slimewad won't stoop to."
"Then we need to get to Dimension X and free them," Leo declared.
"Just one problem," Vee cut in. "How the heck do we get there?"
Donnie turned to Seiko. "Don't suppose any of you have managed to make contact with TCRI, have you?"
"No," Seiko shook her head. "But not for lack of trying."
"Shit…" Raph cursed. "You don't think Krang got Mortu, do you?"
"Considering Krang has been trying for centuries and failed, I highly doubt that is the case," Kasumi said. "More than likely, he has limited contact to protect us, and the refugees we house here."
"Kasumi's right," Leo realized. "Mortu is pretty high on Krang's hit list. And if he knew where the clan was…"
"Still, there's no way in hell he's just sitting on the sidelines," Raph insisted. "He's gotta have agents out in the field fighting the good fight, like the Guardians."
"Regardless of what's going on, TCRI's our best bet at getting to those prisoners," Leo said.
Donnie grinned. "And I've got the perfect new invention to storm Dimension X!"
-X-
On the roof of the safehouse, the group stood staring blankly at a water tower.
"Um… Don?" Tai asked. "This is a water tower."
"D, what's going on here?" Raph questioned. "Seriously."
"It's not exactly what it appears to be," Donnie replied.
"Get down!" Leo shouted suddenly.
They all hid as one of Krang's stealth ships flew overhead. As it did, they cautiously peeked out.
"They've gotta be looking for more survivors," Tai mused. "Damn it... there must be some we missed."
"You did what you could," Kagome assured him. "Besides, we can help them now."
"Agreed," said Hisako. "No more trapped puppets. And it's high time Midnight got a chance to introduce herself to these brain blobs."
Midnight barked in agreement.
They followed the stealth ship, seeing it, as well as a small legion of Krangdroids, lurking outside a warehouse.
"We know you're in there, humans!" their leader shouted. "Resistance is futile!"
The door was kicked open and two people were dragged out. Just as they were about to be mutated, Mizuki drew an explosive arrow and fired at the stealth ship. The explosion rocked the ship, causing the startled Krangdroids to release the civilians.
"Get away!" Mizuki shouted at them. "HURRY!"
The people scrambled to escape, giving the Hamato Clan a chance to jump into the fray.
"It's those damn ninjas again," one of them cursed.
"Not just any damn ninjas!" Mikey declared, the Hamato/Lee siblings jumping in as well.
"Miss us?" Kagome quipped.
Several Krangdroids gasped, before the leader scowled.
"Turtle scum! I don't know how you survived, but you've interfered with General Krang for the last time!"
"Ooh, scary," Vee said sarcastically. "If I was wearing pants, I'd be peeing them right now."
"I'm wearing 'em," Hisako cut in. "Not peeing 'em."
And with that, the fight began. Shuriken embedded themselves in the head of the Krangdroid and Hisako charged at one of them, using her tessens to slice off its arms, and then its head.
"Forgot how much fun this is," she said with a grin.
"You're telling me!" Raph said as he stabbed two in the face at the same time. "Don't get fights like these in Northampton!"
"Good to see the farmboy lifestyle hasn't made you soft!" Tai declared, holding one in a headlock. "Leo! Heads up!"
He tossed the Krangdroid through the air, and Leo jumped at it, stabbing it in mid-air.
"Soft?" Vee repeated. "We don't know the meaning of the word!"
Jade twirled her staff, knocking one Krangdroid's head off as she stood in the fallen bodies of multiple robots.
"That all you got?!" she taunted.
At that moment, a massive squadron of Krangdroids emerged from the darkness of a nearby alley, blasters on her.
"Guess not!" Jade let out, retreating.
"Anyone have a plan?" April demanded.
"We could blow them away," Hisako suggested. "But that would tire us out and leave us vulnerable."
Eventually, the group found themselves surrounded.
"Leo!" Hana shouted. "What're we gonna do?!"
"Fight, obviously!" Jade shot back. "If I'm going out, I'm gonna take as many of these sons of bitches as I can down with me!"
The leader held his blaster up, preparing to fire. "Oh, the promotion I'll get when I bring General Krang your heads."
Before he could fire, a crust of bread hit him in the head. Everyone stared at it in confusion, before Hisako recognized it.
"Sourdough?" she let out.
"Oooh, bread!"
Out of the blue, a familiar figure charged at the bread, tackling several Krangdroids as he did.
"What the…" Hisako's jaw dropped. "Pete?!"
Indeed, it was Pigeon Pete, his feathers and plumage fully grown back. He now wore a pair of tiger-print shorts with blue flip-flops on his talons (1).
"Oh, hey guys!" Pete greeted cheerily. "Just a sec."
"What's he doing out here by himself?" Mikey asked.
"He's not by himself!" a familiar voice cut in.
At that very moment, Leatherhead charged in from the left, tackling several of them and ripping them to shreds.
"Leatherhead?!" Mikey and Hisako shouted in unison.
"Reunion later!" Leatherhead told them.
Hisako was barely able to restrain herself from jumping on Leatherhead, grinning in excitement and delight, but held off since there was a battle going on. After a minute, several more Utroms' eyes glowed blue, and they suddenly turned their blasters on each other. April turned to Hisako in confusion.
"Did you do that?" she asked, getting a head shake in response.
"That would be my handiwork." At that moment, Dr. Rockwell floated down.
"Dr. Rockwell?" Donnie asked. "Since when were you psychic?"
"A story for another time, my boy," Rockwell replied. "Now, where is the rest of our party?"
At that moment, a sewer lid flew open, and Bludgeon and Man Ray jumped out, firing spearguns into the Krangdroids.
"Bludgeon and Man Ray?!" Tai shouted.
"Good to see you again," Man Ray greeted.
"Happy you're all still breathing," Bludgeon added.
Eventually, only three Krangdroids were left standing. One was suddenly squashed by a mace, before another was shot through the head and the last was blasted apart by a shotgun. Slash, Hob, and Ace Duck emerged from the shadows, Hob holding a smoking shotgun and Ace holding a .45 pistol.
"Hey, Raphael," Slash greeted. "Was wondering when you'd turn up again."
Herman scuttled out last of all.
"Sir, we got 'em all!" he reported. "No sign of any more Krangdroids!"
"Good work, soldier," Hob replied, lighting up a cigarette.
Seeing that Krang's men were down, the ninjas all gathered around the Mutanimals.
"Well, well, glad to see you lot are still kicking," Raph fist-bumped Slash. "How've you been?"
"Been worse," Slash replied. "But been better too."
"Dr. Rockwell," Donnie greeted. "This is a surprise."
"Yes, well, when the city fell, these fellows came to my aid," Rockwell replied. "They were looking for a scientific officer, so I offered my services."
"Best decision we ever made," Hob added.
"But... since when are you psychic?" Kagome asked.
"As it turns out, I apparently had latent psychic abilities. My headset allows me to augment them. While I'm not nearly as powerful as your sister or Miss O'Neil, I can hold my own."
Hisako, meanwhile, had happily leapt onto Leatherhead, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "LH! You're okay!"
"I'm happy to see you're safe as well, Oracle," Leatherhead replied, nuzzling her gently.
A lone bark made the massive croc look down, seeing the puppy wagging her tail and looking up at him.
"Oh, this is Midnight," Hisako introduced. "My new emotional support dog. She's been taking good care of me."
He gently scooped up the puppy, who licked his snout happily.
"I hate to interrupt this reunion," Tai cut in, "but we might wanna get outta the open before more of Krang's thugs show up."
"Right," Hob agreed. "Let's get back to base. The boss will be happy to know you guys are alive."
"I thought you were the boss, Slash," Raph spoke up.
"He means Mortu," Slash explained.
"As it just so happens, we need to talk to Mortu," Leo said. "It's about the missing citizens."
Hob nodded. "All the more reason for us to get back there."
They made it to TCRI, where Hob did his own version of a secret knock on the door. Seconds later, Zephyr opened it.
"Welcome ba-" he began before seeing the Hamato Clan there. His jaw dropped as Kagome waved.
"Been a long time, Sam," she greeted.
"You're alive…" Zephyr let out, before grinning. "You're all alive!"
"Yeah, kid," Hob cut in. "Now let us in."
"Right." Zephyr snapped to attention, ushering them inside. As they entered, he caught a glance of Hisako on Leatherhead's back, the two nuzzling one another. Zephyr scowled briefly, but shook his head, managing to hide it. "We saw that emblem on Channel 6, but to actually see you here with my own eyes…" He smiled. "You don't know what a relief that is."
"Yeah, that was my idea," Mikey declared. "You're welcome."
"As was your radio station, I assume," Samson mused. "Mortu kept a channel open simply for your Sewer Hour."
"Indeed I did," Mortu cut in at that, exiting the elevator. "After your little emblem stunt, I assumed you'd be here before long."
"Yeah," Tai nodded, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Thanks for the help with all the refugees, by the way."
"What, did you think we were just sitting around with our thumbs up our butts?" Slash asked. "We've got a couple civvies laying low here too."
"Speaking of which, I apologize for not keeping in contact with the rest of you," Morti said. "But after the Hamato family disappeared, I was next on Krang's hit list. It was too risky."
"Looks like Kasumi called it," Vee mused.
Tai sighed. "Yeah, that makes sense."
"Now to the task at hand," Leo began. "Mortu, we need to get back into Dimension X."
Everyone was stunned speechless.
"Again with that?!" Zephyr demanded.
"Haven't you figured out where Krang took most of the New Yorkers after he changed them?" Leo demanded.
"Well…" Zephyr began.
"Dimension X," April and Hisako piped up in unison.
"Hisako and I sensed them out there. He's using them as slave labor," April explained. "They know what's going on and everything that's happening around them, but they can't do anything about it."
"Whatever Krang did to them, they're basically trapped in their own bodies," Hisako added. "So we need to get back there and save them."
Zephyr rubbed his eyes. "Look, going to Dimension X on a sabotage mission is one thing, but this?! You'll be taking on every member of his army, and thousands upon thousands of brainwashed citizens! You might as well go into a nuclear reactor and lick the core!"
"Look, Sam, millions of people are suffering there," Leo insisted. "One way or another, we're going."
"Trust me, kid," Slash said, "when Blue gets like that, ain't no one who can talk him down."
"So… can we use your transmat?" Donnie asked.
"Yes," Mortu nodded. "I don't like it, but Leonardo is right. We don't have a choice."
At that very moment, the secret knock opened again. Samson opened the door to reveal Jack Kurtzman, quickly ushering him inside.
"Mortu, it's bad. It's even worse than we-" he stopped in his tracks. Mikey waved.
"Hi, Mr. Kurtzman!" Mikey greeted.
"You're back…" Kurtzman managed. "I can't believe it."
"Focus, Jack," Samson cut in. "How was your recon mission?"
Kurtzman snapped to attention. "Right. It seems that word of the Turtles' return has sped up Krang's time table. He's launching his final offensive tonight."
Hana gulped nervously. "I don't like the sound of that.
"You shouldn't," Kurtzman said. "His forces are preparing a mutagen missile in Times Square. The payload is enough to contaminate Earth's atmosphere and terraform it completely."
"Oh, fuck…" Raph cursed.
"If that thing goes off, it'll turn our world into a mutagenic Mad Max nightmare!" Donnie exclaimed.
"Dimension X can wait, then," Leo decided. "We've gotta stop that missile."
"Huh," Jade mused. "Guess it's true what they say. Genetic engineering is the new nuke."
"This ain't a joke, kid," Hob pointed out. "So unless you want all your human friends to be as pretty as us, I suggest we get our asses in gear and stop that missile."
Jade glared at him. "Well, excuse me, Sylvester, but sarcasm is how I deal with stress!"
"What'd you call me?" Hob hissed.
Before things could escalate, their heads glowed green before Hisako clapped her hands, bashing their foreheads together. "Stay focused, people! The city is at stake and we can't afford to be fighting each other!"
"Hisako's right," Leo added. "In a few hours, Krang's gonna fire that missile at Earth, and turn the planet into a new Dimension X. So if any of you wanna fight, do it after the world ends, okay?"
Hob shot Jade a glare. "Fine."
"Okay," said Donnie. "What's the plan?"
"We ninja in from above, then drop down and disarm the missile," Leo said.
"I say ground attack," Slash piped up. "They won't even know what hit 'em!"
"That's way too risky!" Leo insisted.
"Why don't we do both?" Ace cut in before the argument could get any more heated. "The Mutanimals pull off a ground attack, and the Turtles drop in from above."
"Ace may be onto something," Donnie said.
Hob thought it over, and nodded. "Considering we're pressed for time, I say let's do it." he allowed.
Donnie grinned. "Looks like I get to use my new invention after all!"
"You mean the water tower?" Makoto asked. "Seriously, it's just a water tower."
"As I said, it's not what it appears to be. It's easier to show than to tell."
"What, are we gonna flood the place?" Mikey asked as they found themselves back in front of the water tower from before.
"Not exactly," Donnie replied before jumping onto the tower. He pressed a few buttons and turned a valve, and the water tower opened up, revealing an inflating balloon. Everyone gaped up at it as Donnie grinned triumphantly. "I give you the Turtle Blimp!"
"Normally, I'd tease you for making a giant balloon," Vee began, "but it's perfect for the mission at hand."
"Okay," Mizuki scratched her head in confusion. "He converted the water tower on our building into a blimp right under our noses. How did we miss this?"
Donnie smirked. "Oh, I have my ways."
"C'mon, we're wasting time," Leo said. "We've gotta stop that missile."
At Times Square, numerous Krangdroids stood around the missile silo they had set up. Nearby, a Kraathatrogon was hooked up to the device and being milked to fill the payload. As the missile slowly ascended from the silo, Ch'rell approached them, scowling.
"What is taking you so long?!" he demanded. "It's been three months!"
"Colonel, most of our mutagen supply was spent during the initial invasion of New York," one Krangdroid told him. "And the Kraathatrogon is still a juvenile, so-"
"I don't want to hear excuses!" Ch'rell snapped. "Those miserable reptiles have returned, and it's only a matter of time before they interfere!" He loomed over them as he went on. "Now, if this missile is not ready within the hour, I will introduce all of you to new forms of pain."
They only had a minute to tremble in fear before a shotgun blast hit the Krangdroid he was talking to, knocking him down. Hob emerged from the shadows, gun in hand.
"Well," he said flatly, "I'm glad I don't work for you, pal."
Ch'rell turned to him, then noticed all of his men just standing there, staring blankly.
"I'm surrounded by incompetence! Must I do everything myself?!" He pointed at Hob. "GET HIM, YOU IDIOTS!"
"Finally, some excitement," Hob smirked.
Man Ray and Bludgeon burst from the sewers as Ace and Pete swooped in from the skies. Slash and Leatherhead charged out of the streets, tearing through the Krangdroids as Rockwell floated down next to Hob. Above them, the Turtle Blimp floated in. They all looked down, seeing Ch'rell and the Krangdroids distracted by the Mutanimals.
"I love it when a plan comes together!" Leo boasted.
"Brag later, Leo," Vee cut in. "We still gotta stop that missile."
"Just get me close enough that I can work on the guidance system," Donnie instructed.
They continued floating in, while on the ground, Leatherhead grappled with Ch'rell.
"It ends here!" the croc shouted. "We will rid the world of your evil!"
"We'll see about that, you miserable mutation," Ch'rell hissed. "You've been a thorn in our side for far too long!" He shoved Leatherhead back. "I should've just euthanized you and Oracle in the lab when I had the chance! But allow me to rectify that right now!"
That was the wrong thing to say. Leatherhead's eyes clouded over and he roared. Immediately, he was grabbing Ch'rell by his exo-suit, tearing it to pieces. Ch'rell was eventually thrown into a wall, taken aback. He looked around, scared for probably the first time in his life.
"This can't be happening!" he shouted. "I… can't… LOSE!"
"Ya just did!" Slash taunted, punting him with his mace. Ch'rell pulled himself up, using the last of his exosuit's power reserves to lift up the arm and aim it at the control panel.
"For the glory of General Krang!" he declared. The arm fired off rocket-style, and slammed into the missile's launch button. The thrusters powered up, and the missile began to launch.
"No!" Donnie screamed, jumping onto the missile as it ascended, his siblings following.
"What do we do?!" Leo demanded.
"We've gotta redirect it somewhere!" Donnie yelled.
"The sun!" Mikey offered. "No way this stuff could survive a trip to the sun!"
Donnie ripped open a panel and began rapidly pressing buttons before getting the result he wanted. "Alright! It's set for the heart of the sun!"
"That's nice," Vee began, "but what do we do now?!"
"What else?" Kagome piped up. "JUMP!"
They all did so, green halos surrounding them as Hisako tried to cushion their fall. They landed safely on the Turtle Blimp's balloon.
"Whew…" Raph let out. "What a rush!"
"My whole life flashed before my eyes, man!" Mikey exclaimed.
"What'd you see?" Leo questioned.
Mikey shrugged. "Mostly a lot of pizza."
"Hisako?"
The girl shakily gave a thumbs up, blood running down her face. The blimp landed, and they all jumped out to handle crowd control. Ch'rell scowled, pounding his tentacles on the remnants of his mech.
"Damn you…" he growled, glaring at the Turtles. "Damn… YOU…!"
Leo just gave him a mock salute before they all vanished into the night
"Well, the plan worked like a charm," Leo said, turning to Slash. "Couldn't have done it without your team."
"Don't celebrate just yet, kid," Hob told him. "We still gotta get you jokers to Dimension X."
"Yeah, someone's gotta watch your backs," Slash added.
"He's right," Kagome added. "Ch'rell's probably on his way back to Krang right now. He's gonna put two and two together and storm TCRI."
Leo nodded. "Then we better move fast."
Author's Note:
(1) His IDW appearance.
Yep. Gonna split this chapter into two parts.
Next chapter, the gang storms Dimension X to save the people, and the final showdown begins.
Please R&R. Until next time!