- Chapter 109 -
One Shredder Too Many
Kumo's water tower home was coming along nicely. It was properly insulated, had a hammock, some storage for toys and books, and even some windows for him to look through. A door was installed, along with an emergency hatch on the roof. There were string lights and some small pictures. All in all, it looked like home. The Hamato Clan all looked it over.
"What do you think, Kumo?" Tai asked.
Kumo grinned. "It's great!"
"If you need to go potty, just come inside," Airi told him. "And you have to eat dinner with us."
Kumo nodded. "Okay, Airi."
"It came along well," Jade mused. "Don even got the electricity hooked up."
"Not bad," Tai remarked.
As Kumo got settled, the group dispersed.
Just outside the bay of Manhattan Island, an ominous shark fin cut through the water, and headed for a nearby sewer opening. It had just one thought on its mind; the Turtles themselves…
Across town, Leo entered Chief Vincent's office, pulling back his hood and beanie, placing a pair of sunglasses in his collar, and removing his face mask.
"Thanks for agreeing to see me," he said as he took a seat.
"You said over the phone there's a good reason why your and Robyn O'Neil's sisters traumatized a sales clerk and leveled Masamune Industries?" Rebecca asked.
"There is. They were possessed," Leo pulled out his phone, showing a video of what happened when the girls were purged. "They're called Aeons, a race of aliens with psychic powers. Both April and Hisako were given crystals from this artifact of theirs. We initially thought it was just giving them a power boost, but it soon became clear that they weren't themselves. What happened with the sales clerk and Masamune Industries was... when the Aeons took full control. They were able to fight the control and destroy the crystals. They're fine now."
Silence filled the room as Rebecca took that in before she simply nodded. "...Yeah, that sounds just crazy enough to be true."
"I can send you the video for your records."
"I appreciate that, Leonardo. Still, this will need to be addressed publicly."
Leo nodded. "Had a feeling."
"Sadly, I don't think a radio interview on the Sewer Hour will be sufficient."
"You wanna do a televised event, then."
"A press conference," Rebecca clarified. "To explain what happened, and for the girls to apologize."
Leo nodded. "Right. I'll let them know."
"I also recommend getting in touch with the sales clerk and the store, to make sure they aren't pressing charges. So far, nothing's been filed, but better safe than sorry."
"Okay. I'll be sure to reach out."
"On the bright side, Masamune Industries has already released a statement that they will not be seeking reparations for what happened."
Leo put on a forced smile. "Wow, that's... great."
"Mostly because I doubt Shredder wants anyone digging too deep and finding out about the Foot," was what he was thinking, though he kept it to himself.
"I was also told to inform you that their CEO hopes the girls have a speedy recovery."
"I'll be sure to let them know. Anything else you need?"
Rebecca shook her head. "No, not for the moment. Just see to that conference sooner rather than later. The last thing you need is more bad press."
"Agreed." Replacing his hoodie, hat, and mask, Leo headed back out into the night.
Meanwhile, at Foot HQ, Shredder sat on his throne before his subordinates.
"With all due respect, Master, why give Hisako and the O'Neil girl a slap on the wrist?" Rahzar asked.
"This was a golden opportunity."
"You had the perfect chance to ruin Kasumi," Tokka added. "Sue Kohaku Enterprises for everything she's got. Most of the Turtles' resources and good publicity come from her company. It'd be a crushing blow to-"
Shredder slammed his fist on the arm of his throne, silencing her.
"Imbeciles," he growled. "If I sue them, an investigation will be launched, meaning all of our assets and deals will be scrutinized"
"Yeah, that's a good point," Fishface conceded. "Well made."
"So what are we gonna do?" Rahzar questioned. "We can't just let them walk all over us, right?"
"I have no intention to," Shredder declared. "but I have another means to achieve retribution."
He gestured with his chin toward Stockman, who buzzed his way over.
"Thizzz was taken earlier thizzz morning," A holographic image displayed the massive shark fin from earlier. "Inizzzial scans detect mutagen. Lotzzz of mutagen, as well as trazzzezzz of Mazzzter Shredder'zzz DNA."
"Perhaps you recall the clones that two of you fools destroyed," Shredder remarked. "Leaving them in the bay."
"You can blame Steranko and Zeck for that," Tokka pointed out.
Bebop and Rocksteady whistled nervously in the corner
"A-are you saying the Shredder Elite survived?" Rahzar stammered.
"In some capacity at least. And given its size…" Shredder chuckled darkly. "I doubt even those psychics will be able to do much to stop it."
Meanwhile, at the mall, April and Hisako explained what happened to the still-nervous clerk and her manager.
"We wanted to apologize for the scene we caused, and any emotional distress we may have caused," April began.
"And while we technically paid for the stuff we took…" Hisako held out some cash in an envelope, "we wanted to make sure we repaid you, and let you know just how sorry we are."
The clerk slowly reached out, taking the offered money. "T-thank you."
"While your apology is appreciated, I think it would be best if you vacated the store for a while," the manager said politely.
"We understand completely," April said as the two bowed. "We'll just be going now."
Together, they walked out.
"Well, at least they weren't yelling at us," Hisako mused.
"Helps that the Aeons didn't do much aside from make a mess and scare people. Still…" April put her face in her hands. "I just... feel like everyone's staring now, waiting for one of us to..."
"Snap?" Hisako pulled her hood up, sliding on a medical mask. "Yeah…."
April pulled up her own hood, shrinking into her coat. "Think it'll go away?"
Hisako shook her head. "People always remember your fuck ups, and we fucked up hard."
April sighed. "Well... let's go talk about organizing that conference."
"That's gonna be fun..." Hisako pulled her hood down harder
"Best to get it outta the way now so we don't have to do it later."
"I suppose..."
Out on the pier, a father was out fishing with his son. The boy, about thirteen years old, looked bored out of his mind.
"Dad... I don't think they're biting."
"You need to be patient, son." the father replied.
"You said this would be fun, but we're just sitting here."
"Patience is the key to success here. We'll get one eventually."
Just then, the boy got a bite on his line.
"I got something!" He frantically grabbed his reel, feeling a powerful tug. "Whoa! I must've snagged Moby Dick!"
His father grabbed the pole, the two tugging. As they pulled on the line, something massive emerged from the water. It was so big that it dwarfed both of them. As the beast's shadow loomed over them, a low growl escaping it, all they could do was scream…
Before Kohaku Enterprises, a crowd had assembled before a podium, with Robyn covering the event for Channel 6. April and Hisako looked out the door, seeing everyone there. Both girls were in flattering dresses, a little make-up on their faces. However, neither of them looked comfortable. Hisako turned to her family in the back, tugging at her collar nervously.
"I don't like this," she insisted. "The air feels heavy and my head hurts."
"Yeah, mine too," April agreed.
"Just relax." Kasumi soothed.
"Relax?!" Hisako repeated incredulously. "Do you see all of the people out there?! My anxiety's through the roof as it is, Kasumi!"
Midnight barked, jumping up and putting her paws on Hisako's chest. Hisako hugged the dog, taking a breath.
"I'm trying, girl. But it's hard.
"You just gotta go out there, explain what happened, and say you're sorry." Mikey reminded them.
"Right…" April held out her hand. "Ready?"
Hisako swallowed hard, slowly taking her hand. "As I'll ever be."
-X-
Outside, Robyn was facing the camera, manned by Vernon Fenwick as she spoke.
"This is Robyn O'Neil, reporting live from Kohaku Enterprises. In the wake of the incident involving the Hamato Clan's psychic duo, the pair have decided to release a statement about what happened."
April slowly approached the podium, Hisako hanging back and trying to blend into her shadow. Tapping the microphone, April cleared her throat before speaking.
"Thank you all for coming. To start, the two of us would like to issue a public apology for our actions and the damages that we caused. While this does not excuse how we acted, we feel you should know the full story of what happened." April took a deep breath. "A few months before the Triceraton invasion, the Ninja turtles and several of their allies ventured into space, hoping to stop them. I and Hisako were among those allies. Along our journey, we came to a planet filled with creatures of great psychic power. After aiding them in restoring their home, we were gifted powerful crystals that boosted our power. However, what we didn't know was that those crystals contained the souls of two Aeons, and those souls took us over, wreaking havoc on this city. The... clothing store raid and attack on Masamune Industries was the result."
Slowly, Hisako stepped forward. "We're sorry, truly sorry that we allowed ourselves to be overtaken and to turn on the city we love."
"The crystals are gone. We're ourselves again. This incident won't repeat itself, we assure you. And we hope that one day, this city will see fit to forgive us."
A member of the crowd raised their hand. "What exactly is stopping this from happening again?"
The girls were taken aback
"Um... well, the crystals are destroyed now," April pointed out.
"How do we know this isn't an excuse for your actions?" another asked.
"We're not excusing what we did," Hisalo clarified. "We're explaining what happened, and why we did it. There's a difference."
More questions came flooding in.
"Has something like this happened before?"
"Just how powerful are you two?"
"How do we know this is true?"
As the crowd continued to fire questions at Hisako and April, the Hamato/Lee family watched nervously. Raph growled in irritation.
"This is a press conference and apology, not a goddamn trial."
Hisako was shrinking on stage, covering her ears, looking ready to cry… then, she gasped, straightening up. "Everyone get away! Something's-!"
A manhole exploded outward. From it emerged a monstrous creature resembling a horrifying cross between a great white and the Shredder himself, complete with head ridges/horns resembling the Kuro Kabuto on its head and bladed protrusions on its arms and shoulders. Additionally, four octopus tentacles sprouted from its back, adding to the gruesome and horrifying display.
"I have returned…" the beast growled, its voice a deeper and more monstrous version of Shredder's own. "Oroku Saki has returned... with an insatiable hunger for your SOULS!"
Everyone gaped, reeling back in shock.
"What the hell is that?!" Leo demanded.
Hisako rubbed her temples, wincing. "It's those damn worms."
"How's that possible?!" Kagome questioned. "We dumped the Mega Shredder in the sea months ago!" Her eyes widened in realization. "The sea! The worms must've gotten into a shark!"
"Creating a Shark Shredder!" Mikey exclaimed.
The crowd immediately went into a panic, fleeing
"Not good," Leo muttered. "Not good at all!"
"Good thing we brought our weapons!" Vee declared.
They hurried out, standing before Hisako and April. Hearing the shark's thoughts, April's eyes widened "The worms… they've become sentient," she realized. "That shark thing actually believes it's the real Shredder."
"All his thoughts, all his desires…" Hisako's gaze slowly turned to Splinter. "All his hatred."
The Shark Shredder's eyes fell on Splinter at that moment. Its pupils dilated until they eclipsed its irises, taking on the soulless, doll-like look of a normal shark's
"Hamato Yoshi…"
Splinter tightened his grip on his cane, all of his children getting between him and it
"Don't even think about it, you horror movie reject!" Raph spat.
The Shark Shredder stood upright, and its chest cavity opened up as the worms in its body came out in a swarm.
"The fuck?!" Vee cried out.
"Yes, my worms! Which will bring you to me... inside of me... make you a part of me!"
"I'm gonna be sick!" Mikey cried.
As they watched, the worms constricted several unfortunate passersby, the people letting out a scream as the worms pulled them into the Shark Shredder's body, its chest cavity sealing up.
"No, no, no!" April perked, seeing the clerk from the store running from the worms. "Get away from her!"
The girl rolled across the pavement, stopping as April was caught by the worms instead.
"APRIL!" Donnie shrieked as April was absorbed, Leo and Raph holding her back.
"I can still feel her," Hisako reported. "Her and everyone else! They're still alive!"
Kagome drew her tanto. "Then let's cut 'em out!"
"Wait," Kasumi cut in. "This thing is made of worms. Cutting it won't help. We need to destroy the worms."
"We're open to suggestions, Kasumi!" Raph snapped.
Hisako looked down at her hands, then she clenched her fists, running toward the creature.
"Keep it busy! I'm going to find April!
"You're gonna what?!" Leo exclaimed.
Hisako threw her tessen, slicing a worm.
"Hey! Over here, you Jaws ripoff!" It slowly turned to her. "You're no Shredder You're just some freak of nature, you slimy, gut-sucking, intestinal parasite! Eat me! EAT ME!"
Shark Shredder obliged, worms coming out of his stomach and pulling her in.
"Ick…" Mikey shuddered.
"She had a plan!" Leo cut in. "Let's do it! C'mon!"
They charged in, attacking, but they were unable to do much damage to the beast. Any cuts made by blades were quickly pulled back together by the worms, and bashing attacks didn't even leave a bruise.
"Utter fools!" Shark Shredder taunted. "You think you can stop me!"
He laughed evilly, preparing to strike, when suddenly he began convulsing. His body began to get green and yellow burn marks across his skin, his blades breaking down.
"What…" it wheezed. "What is happening to me?!"
"April and Hisako!" Donnie deduced.
"Guess their plan is working," Vee mused.
Mikey blinked. "Um... is he... swelling?"
Indeed, the Shark Shredder was engorging, swelling up like a balloon.
"It's gonna blow!" Raph screamed. "HIT THE DECK!"
The Shark Shredder let out one last roar of rage and pain before it exploded, sending guts and dead worms all over the place. All of the people it consumed fell into a big pile, Hisako and April on the top. April wiped gunk off of her face, trembling.
"Ugh…" she groaned. "It was even grosser on the inside."
"At least it worked," Hisako shook out her hands. "Everyone okay?"
A chorus of groans, both relieved and disgusted, reached her ears.
-X-
Sometime later, EMTs were looking over everything as clean-up crews hosed down the mess. Hisako and April were sitting on the curb, both wrapped in shock blankets after being hosed down. As they sat there, the clerk from the store approached.
"Um…" she began, "thank you for saving me, Miss O'Neil."
"Hey, it's what we do," April replied.
"Um... I'm Anna. And... I believe you. What you said during the conference. It may not be much, but... I'll talk with my manager. See what I can do about your ban."
Both girls smiled.
"Thanks," Hisako told her.
Anna smiled back, then walked off
"Worth it?" April asked.
"Ask me after a shower," Hisako replied. "A very long, very thorough shower with every bottle of shampoo and body wash the lair has to offer."
Both of them laughed at that.
Author's Note:
Yep, that's what happened to the worms way back in Attack of the Mega Shredder. It's adapted from a storyline in the original Mirage comics called "The Worms of Madness."
Next chapter begins one arc I've been looking forward to: the Battle Nexus!
Please R&R. Until next time!