BANG, BANG, BANG!
The glass outside the container vibrated and rang with each blow. Inside, sister Kraang slammed her tentacles against it again.
"You'll never stop us! Kraang Prime is escaping the prison dimension as we speak!"
The man standing in front of her didn't flinch, even as her blows intensified.
He was a tall, well-built man wearing a long black suit and tie. A pair of sunglasses sat on his face, although the room had no windows.
"Commander Bishop, sir."
He turned toward the new arrival. "Report."
"The laboratory has requested your presence."
He nodded, turning on his heels and entering a nearby elevator. Lights flashed as floors passed, before the door opened into a large laboratory several levels up. He strode forward, toward a woman in a lab-coat with her back turned to him.
She turned, eyes widening at his arrival. "Commander Bishop!"
"Report."
"Our beta test results came back negative. We ask permission to begin testing on human subjects."
"Granted." Bishop waved a hand toward a camera in the ceiling. "Send down the specimen."
A few moments later, the elevator dinged again and out stepped two guards. Behind them, a figure remained in the shadows.
The figure shifted his feet. "Are you… sure this will work?"
Bishop turned to the woman as she held a clipboard.
She nodded. "All tests thus far have come back negative. We proceed to phase 2."
The figure stepped forward, a man with large pink tentacles wrapped around his arms, crawling down his legs, yellow eyes peeking out from beneath the pulsating pink growth. Tiny pink tentacles covered his face, resembling the remains of a beard. He took a deep breath, nodding. "I- I'm ready."
The scientist stepped forward, writing on her clipboard. "Please follow me to the extraction chamber."
He did as told, the two guards following behind. Bishop watched each person.
The guards walked, stiff, watching the infected man closely. Good. Once, anyone with the parasite would attack like a rabid animal, infecting all it touched. Technology, animals, other humans - nothing was safe, nothing sacred. Parents had attacked their children, and vice versa; the oldest of friends had turned in an instant. Who knew if there was any residual instinct left implanted by the aliens.
The infected man arched his back slightly, gaze darting about the laboratory anxiously. A cornered animal was a dangerous animal, and this man felt cornered. The prospect of being cured was perhaps the only thing keeping him complacent enough to handle.
The lead scientist jotted a few more things on her clipboard. Brilliant as she was, the woman has a tendency to forget the dangers of this type of science.
She stopped in front of a large glass chamber with a berth sitting in the middle. "Many of the animals we tested on seemed to be in discomfort during and sometimes after the process."
"Will it get rid of… of this monstrosity?" The man gestured at the parasite.
She nodded. "All animal DNA came back Kraang-free."
"Then I don't care what it takes!" He stepped into the chamber. "I can't even see my granddaughter without scaring her half to death… I can't live like this."
"We will find a cure, sir. Thank you for volunteering."
He shook his head, putting his head in his hands. "Whatever it takes… I want this off. Even if it kills me." He laid on the berth, the guards strapping down his arms and legs.
The scientist's eyebrows lowered. "Ready the injection."
One of the guards fixated a breathing apparatus over his nose and mouth. The guards exited, the chamber doors closed, and a thick cloud of gas filling the chamber. The man coughed a bit. "Whatever it takes… Whatever it takes…"
As the gas cloud thickened, the man let out a shriek, his body trembling as the parasite contorted and shifted, oozing and squeezing as it attempted to get away.
The scientist flinched, hiding her face behind her clipboard.
One of the guards let out a small gasp, the other let his gaze fall to the ground as he shut his eyes.
Bishop raised an eyebrow. "How long does the process take?"
As if to answer, the parasite itself let out a spine-chilling screech, ripping itself from the man's body and hurling itself at the glass. Its skin bubbled and dripped from the gas, leaving a trail of pink slime in its wake. With every second, every moment of being in the chamber, its body dripped more and shrunk, until the last glop of itself finally melted and drained into the vents.
Bishop turned toward the scientist.
She caught his disapproving glare and cleared her throat. "The vents are directly connected to flasks and other such sample holders. We'll use whatever's left for further testing."
Bishop nodded.
A groan came from the chamber, and the scientist pressed a button so all the gas was sucked out. The guards hurries inside, helping the man sit up. The scientist stepped forward, a stethoscope in hand as she checked his vitals.
Dazed and groggy, the man glanced over his arm. His face brightened as he held it up, moving his fingers slightly. "It's… gone. All of it."
Once she issues a clean bill of health, the scientist turned back to Bishop. "Sir, I believe this was a success."
Bishop gave a small nod. "Instruct your crew to begin mass production as soon as possible. I will organize a team to disperse it."
He turned on his heels, heading back toward the elevator. As the doors closed, Bishop's eye caught the man hugging the guards and scientist, a chorus of garbled thank yous choking out between sobs.
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
This was a truly incredible day for humanity.
A few days later…
"Yo, Donnie! How much longer is this gonna take?"
Donnie glanced over from where he hovered, noting the expressions of his brothers; Leo's usual boredom, Mikey's "low on blood sugar" face, and Raph vaguely zoned out as they hopped along the rooftops.
"Depends on if Hueso knows where I can find tantalum."
Mikey rolled his eyes. "What are the odds of a restaurant manager knowing where to find a rare metal?"
Leo jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at Mikey, though his gaze remained on Don. "Yeah, what's wrong with just using… titanium or something?"
Donnie rolled his eyes. "The properties with which tantalum is known for are far more in line with what I am attempting to create than mere titanium. I could see where a mind as simple as yours might not comprehend exactly what-"
"Shut up with the technical jargon! You dragged us along for two hours so far and we've learned squat!" Mikey sent a glare toward the brother in purple as he swung his nunchuck and used it to grapple and propel himself forward. "Tell me why it's so important or I'm going home."
Donnie sighed. "It's the stuff they prefer to use when making rocket ships, so it's got a high melting point and density. It's also heavily resistant to acid, which would be perfect for chemistry experiments." Donnie crossed his arms. "Plus, it's highly valuable. I should be allowed to splurge once in a while."
"Highly valuable?" Leo perked an eyebrow. "How are we gonna afford enough for your… experiments?"
Donnie's gaze swept left to right and back. "Uh… Don't worry about that just yet. First we need to find a provider."
Mikey let out a groan, moving a hand to his stomach as he felt it growl. His gaze soon fell to the oddly quiet Raph-still keeping up with them, but his gaze remained… unfocused.
"Hey, Raph, can we just ditch Donnie's little expedition for tantalum and enjoy a slice at Run of the Mill?"
Raph shook his head to clear his thoughts, meeting the expectant gaze of Mikey. "Huh?"
"Boy, you really are out of it." Leo raised an eyebrow, motioning them all to slow down. "What's with you? You've been like this all day."
Raph shook his head again. "I'm… I'm fine. Just a little tired."
Mikey's eyebrows lowered as his gaze fell to the ground.
Leo tilted his head. "Uh huh…"
Raph waved a hand, dismissing it. "I'm fine! Really! Raph just wants to find this, uh…" His gaze swept to Donnie, hand motioning the softshell to finish for him.
Donnie perked an eyebrow. "Tantalum."
"Y-yeah, that!"
Mikey's stomach growled once more. He covered it up, heat rising to his cheeks as they all turned to him.
"And get Mikey some food, asap." Raph nodded, a small smile sprouting on his face.
"Preferably before he goes full Dr. Delicate Touch." Leo motioned the others to continue. "C'mon, we're almost there." He and Donnie took a few strides ahead.
Mikey sent Raph a glare, raising his index finger and giving the snapper an aggressive point. "Something's bothering you. Don't think that I'll forget that after I've refilled my blood sugies." He hopped ahead toward the others.
Raph sighed before continuing, though a small smile still played on his face.
Leo stood at the alley wall, furiously waving his hand as Donnie and Mikey watched. "Come on… Why does this never work for me?"
Donnie let out a dramatic sigh, making the hand motion with little enthusiasm.
The wall remained shut.
Donnie tried more vigorously, to no avail.
Mikey watched the two of them, tapping his foot impatiently before he let out a groan and pushed them aside, making the motion himself.
It remained closed.
Raph tilted his head. "Run of the Mill, closed? At this hour?"
"It's not closed! They're open all night!" Mikey pushed at the wall. "Open up! I want pizza! I want potato chips! I want cereal-anything!" He let out an angry battle cry before whipping out his nunchucks and slamming them against the wall.
Raph pulled Mikey away from the wall, the box turtle still furiously kicking at it, and studied it. "Hm… Hey, Don, can you tell if the portal is even active right now?"
"'CAn yOu tELl iF tHe pORtAl is aCTivE-' Of course I can tell if the portal is active." Donnie slipped his goggles onto his face, his determined expression immediately replaced with surprise. "Wow… Raph's right. The portal isn't active."
Mikey, still held in Raph's arm, wriggled and let out a grunt. "So what's that mean? They closed for good?"
Raph rubbed his chin. "I'm not sure. Let's case the joint and-"
His gaze lifted and landed right on Senor Hueso as the skeleton slipped out the back door.
"THERE!" Raph pointed, the others following his gaze.
Hueso gasped, slipping a mask over his face before he turned on his coattails and fled.
The turtles gave chase, all yelling at Hueso to stop.
Leo slipped through a portal, cutting the skeleton off and causing him to go left down an alley.
Donnie hovered along the rooftops, following from above.
Raph pursued him into the alley.
Hueso skidded on his heels before hitting the dead end. He turned back, only to find Raph blocking the exit. Above, Donnie stood on his right, and Leo 'ported in on his left.
Hueso glanced around before raising his arms in the air. "I surrender, just… keep your distance."
"Distance?" Raph tilted his head.
Hueso leapt up onto a garbage dumpster, gripping a fire escape ladder and swinging right over Raph's head. He bolted out of the alley, panting as the exclamation of the turtles faded slightly.
"Hey!"
Around the skeleton's arms and torso, a chain looped and tightened. He gasped as it yanked him back, only to come face to face with a scowling Mikey.
"What's a guy gotta do to get a little service around here?"
Hueso winced, turning his head away. "We're closed, sorry! C-come back another time!"
Mikey squinted as the other three caught up. "Closed? Run of the Mill doesn't close. You got some 'splaining to do." Mikey pulled him closer, glare intensifying.
"P-please! Keep your distance! I have a wife and son!" Hueso flinched.
"Duh, we know. Why so skittish, amigo?" Leo crossed his arms.
"I cannot risk being afflicted by the virus!"
"Virus?" The four turtles chimed in unison.
Hueso wriggled in the chains a bit, turning to Mikey with a glare. "I promise not to run of you simply release me."
Mikey did so, but pointed two fingers to his eyes and then to Hueso. "Don't try anything funny, bone man."
Hueso fixed his coat, stepping a few feet away before he cleared his throat. "Gracias. Now," he clasped his hands together, "you haven't even heard of the virus, where have you been? It's practically impossible to stay on the surface without running into it. All the portals have been sealed to protect those in the Hidden City."
"Wait, wait, wait, back up…" Donnie waved a hand. "What's this-this virus you speak of?"
"The virus, have you not…?" Hueso sighed, slapping a hand to his face. "Dios mio, the virus! It is nearly fatal to any yokai who catches it, and a cure has not been found."
"Yokai? Does it affect humans?" Raph's brows lowered.
Hueso let out a mocking chuckle. "Why would I know or care? It originated from the humans' city, perhaps this is their attempt to keep us off their turf." He readjusted his tie and tipped his hat. "Unfortunately, some of us have a business to run here."
"What human could hate us so much that they wanna infect us with a deadly virus?" Mikey turned to the others, worry etched into his brows.
Hueso sighed, crossing his arms. "I don't know, I have told you everything I know. Now will you please leave me be?"
Leo pat the skeleton man on the shoulder, and he let out an oof! "Thanks, Hueso, we'll get out of your hair, or bones, or… something." Leo motioned the others as they strode away.
"Well… guess we can't go into the Hidden City to find you a supplier, D." Leo crossed his arms behind his head. "Man, I was lookin' forward to some Run of the Mill tonight…"
Mikey's stomach let out a low growl. "Uh oh. Second stage, guys." Eyes wide, he turned to the others. "Isn't there a convenience store we can swing by on the way home?"
"What do we need that for? We got food at home." Raph raised an eyebrow.
The other three groaned in unison.
"Not since you finished off that entire rotisserie chicken!" Mikey swung his arms wide. "I was gonna turn it into a whole meal with all the trimmings, but you just couldn't wait, huh?"
"Hey! Raph gets hungry." He crossed his arms, scowling. "Ok, fine, we visit the store. But no contact. Don't wanna bring anything home."
"When have we ever made contact in a grocery store?" Leo chuckled.
Donnie listed on his fingers. "The time the clerk didn't take our coupons and dad got into a fight, the time you and that kid both wanted the last candy bar, that time Mikey got stuck in the walk-in freezer, Raph eating the display of-"
"Ok, ok, I get it. We'll be careful." Leo threw his hands up in surrender.
The four hopped along the rooftops.
Leaping over the top of an alley, Mikey glanced down and noted the two humans laughing and enjoying themselves as they leaned against the walls. He frowned, thinking back to Hueso's words. He seemed so certain it was the humans trying to drive them out… But could the divide really be that bad?
"Hey! Why the long face, hermano?"
Pulled from his thoughts, Mikey caught Leo giving him that signature older brother look.
"Ah, it's nothin'. Just hungry." Mikey pat his stomach and gave a small smile.
Leo raised an eyebrow, jaw shifting to the right. "Are we at Stage Three?"
Mikey shook his head and chuckled. "Not yet."
Leo let out a small sigh of relief. "Phew, ok. Hey Don, you should start carrying snacks on you."
Donnie rolled his eyes. "Why do I have to be the one to carry everything? You have a pouch right on your sash! Make use of it rather than bothering me with insignificant problems."
"Oh, ok, I guess my emergency glitter means nothing to you, huh?" Leo narrowed his eyes, reaching into the pouch.
"Emergency…? Don't you dare-!"
POOF! Donatello sneezed as the glitter cloud enveloped him. The only view left: his sparkly silhouette.
Donnie shook off a bit, wiping it from his eyes. He sent a glare toward Leo, though a smile spread across his face. "That's it, 'Nardo! I need a test subject for my putty cannon and you've just been volunteered!"
"Putty? No! I take it back! Donnie!" Leo darted ahead, followed closely by the inventor, now wielding his apparent putty cannon.
Raph chuckled, cupping a hand to his mouth. "Meet us back home!" He stopped, turning to Mikey. "Looks like we're here, hungry man."
Mikey let out a small groan, clutching his stomach. "Ugh… Stage Three."
Raph's eyes widened. "Uh oh. You wanna stay up here?"
"No! Too hungry to wait…" Mikey leapt down from the rooftop, landing in the alley next to the store.
Raph followed, putting a hand on Mikey's shoulder. The small turtle turned, giving him a death glare.
Raph held his hands up. "We're cosplayers, ok bud?"
Mikey relaxed, giving a quick nod before the two entered the store.
The bell above the door dinged, and the clerk at the counter glanced up from her phone. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you-?"
"Just a couple hungry cosplayers, heh." Raph gave a polite wave.
Her eyes widened. "Wow, there must be a convention nearby. You're the second group today."
Raph raised an eyebrow. "Huh… Interesting. Hey, Mikey," he turned around, finding his brother nowhere in sight. "Mikey? Ugh…"
Mikey, stiff as a board, made a beeline for the snacks isle. Not even noticing or caring about the other customers, he brushed past them and reached for a bag of chips.
"Hey, watch it!"
Mikey turned, eyes widening and lip curling up in disgust at the two standing in front of him. One, a tall, green skinned ogre with jet black hair held back by a blue sweatband, the other a tan rat in a purple fedora and suit.
"I didn't even touch you." Mikey shrugged, eyebrows lowering.
The ogre rolled his eyes. "Whatever. C'mon, Dastardly Danny."
Dastardly Danny let out a small cough, clearing his throat.
"Mikey!"
Mikey turned, finding Raph at the end of the isle. Raph's eyes widened as he spotted the two customers.
"It's you!" The ogre clenched his fists. "I've been itching for some payback!"
Mikey blinked in surprise. "What?"
The ogre tossed his shopping basket aside, lunging toward Raph. Raph let out a yell, turning on his heels and darting toward the back of the store. "Why does this always happen?"
Mikey watched, hand instinctively reaching for a bag of snacks. He pulled, only to have the bag resist. Turning to see the issue, Mikey's gaze met that of the rat-Danny.
"That's mine." Danny let out a huff through his nose, gaze hardening.
Mikey gripped tighter, tugging it toward himself once more. "Nuh uh. My hand was here first!"
Danny clenched his teeth, letting out a hiss. "Let go."
"Make me!" Mikey tugged as hard as he could, splitting the bag in two and scattering the cheese curds all over the floor.
Danny's eyes widened, glancing at the empty shelf. He turned, glaring at Mikey as he pulled a baton out of his suit sleeve. "Oh, you're gonna pay for that…" He slammed the baton into his open palm.
Mikey's eyes narrowed. "Oh, if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" Nunchuck in his hand, Mikey sent the weapon straight for Danny's face.
The rat blocked it with his baton, the nunchuck curling around it. He grinned, yanking it back.
Mikey, grip still tight, fell forward, where the rat sent a sharp claw straight across his left arm. He yelped in pain before gritting his teeth and kicking his knee into the rat's chest.
Dastardly Danny gasped for air, taking a step back before taking another swing at Mikey.
Across the counter, the clerk let out a gasp, frantically reaching for the phone. "H-hello? I've got a fight in my store, corner of Eastman Avenue and Laird Street… Yeah, they're, um… I don't think they're human…"
Raph's gaze flew to the clerk. "Uh oh…"
Loathsome Leonard took another swipe at Raph, barely managing to skim the ends of Raph's bandana. "Because of you, Malicious Mickey is still in prison! We fled the Hidden City to avoid being caught and got stuck on the surface! Why'd you do it? Why'd you help us pull off the heist of the century and then turn us in?"
Raph squeaked and dodged every swipe before pulling out his sai and blocking one. "I didn't mean to help you! I was trying to get you arrested!" Raph twisted his sai around, flicking Leonard's switchcomb across the room.
Loathsome Leonard let out a low growl, sending a swift kick to the snapper's shin.
Raph yelled in pain. "Mikey! We gotta get outta here!"
Across the store, Danny smacked his baton straight for Mikey. Mikey leapt up, and it crashed into the shelf, knocking the entire contents onto the floor.
"No kiddin'." Mikey let out a grunt, leaning back and sending his feet straight into the rat's chest. Dastardly Danny flew back, straight into a soda can display, the cans topping down and bursting, a sizzling sticky mess engulfing him.
Loathsome Leonard shoved Raph back, surprisingly strong for his size, and made a mad dash for his comb.
Raph let out a grunt, steadying himself and turning toward the door as the sound of sirens grew louder.
Picking up his comb, Leonard glanced around. "Danny! We'll finish this another time."
The soaked rat shook some soda off himself, sending a death glare toward Mikey before following the ogre out the back door, snagging a few items as they left.
Raph let out a sigh of relief before making his way toward Mikey, who sat on the floor with an open bag of chips and had at least two handfuls in his mouth already. "Time to go, little man." He offered Mikey a hand.
Mikey took it, standing and swallowing. He let out a cough and smacked a fist into his plastron. "Dry…"
Raph hoisted Mikey onto his shoulder fireman-style, booking it for the back door. "No time! I'm not goin' back to jail!"
Outside in the alley, Raph tossed his brother up, Mikey landing on the roof safely. He whipped out his nunchuck, slinging it around Raph and swinging the snapper up to join him. They leapt across the gap, keeping pace as they headed home.
Once in the safety of the lair, Raph shook his head. "We just can't have an uneventful night, can we?" He turned to Mikey, eyes widening as he spotted the box turtle's arm-with a small, shallow gash running across it. "Mikey, what happened?"
Mikey glanced down at it, raising an eyebrow. "Oh. I got nicked, I guess."
"You guess?" Raph trotted off to grab the first aid kit. "Mikey, why didn't you say something sooner, we coulda-"
"We were kinda preoccupied with, oh I don't know, running from the cops." Mikey waved his hand, wincing as pain shot up his arm. "Ugh, I don't remember it being this… puffy."
Leo poked his head out of his room. "Running from cops?" He stepped into the main area, eyes immediately falling to Mikey's wound. "Whoa, what happened?"
"We just got into a little tussle with some old friends of Raph's." Mikey rolled his eyes. "And I'm still hungry." He let out a short cough. "Dry chips don't fill this turtle's sugies very long." He coughed again as Raph applied the disinfectant and wrapped a bandage around his arm.
"Old friends?" Leo turned to Raph.
"They mistook me for a fellow criminal, I tried to get them caught… It was a long day." Raph waved his hand, dismissing the thought. "Leo, can you grab the Bottomless Pit some grub?"
Leo shrugged, heading into the kitchen.
The door to the lair opened, and April and Donnie walked in.
April's eyes lit up. "Raph, good you're here! I need to chat with you and Leo about somethin'."
Raph didn't look up from tending to Mikey. "Can it wait? I got an injured turtle here."
Donnie and April exchanged worried glances as Leo returned, passing a burrito to Mikey who scarfed it down in one bite. This sent him into a coughing fit and sent Leo to fetch water.
Once Mikey stopped coughing and sat down, April beckoned the four around the table.
"Donnie mentioned this virus that's affectin' the yokai, so I did a little digging." April waved a manilla folder in her hand before setting it down, its contents spilling out. "Hueso said it started in New York, right? Well, this guy came up with a cure for all the kraangified humans." April pointed at the same picture of the dark haired man in a suit and shades.
Raph swallowed a lump in his throat, staring at the picture of Sister Kraang in the tank. "Is… is that…?"
April's eyes softened. "Easy, big guy. She got taken into custody." April turned to Mikey. "Didn't you tell them any of this?"
Mikey, leaning back in his chair, shook his head slowly as he let out a loud cough. "No… Forgot to…"
April turned back to the others. "Anyway, point is, his cure comes out right around the time that the yokai all start gettin' sick? Sounds like a pretty big coincidence."
Donnie tapped his chin. "While correlation does not lead to causation, this is our only lead."
"Where would we even start investigatin' something like this?" Raph let his chin rest on his fist. "We can't just barge into this guy's lab and ask for a sample."
Donnie held a hand up to Raph. "Au contraire, my brother. You forget that, amongst your closest circle, you have a scientist able to garner vast amounts of information with only the tiniest of samples." He grinned widely.
Leo rubbed his chin. "I mean, I guess we could ask him. It still feels weird to count Draxum in our closest circle, Don."
Donnie's eyes widened. "I was talking about myself!"
"Donnie, I love your willingness to help, but you do machines." Raph pat Donnie's shoulder. "Leo's right, we should check in with-"
A thump! sounded to their right, and they all turned to find Mikey had fallen from his chair, breathing shallow and groaning in pain.
They all jumped up, letting out various cries of surprise. The closest, Raph reached for Mikey and winced as he touched the turtle. "He's burnin' up!"
"Did Hueso mention any symptoms for that infection goin' ' round?" Leo clenched his teeth, brow furrowing as Raph gently cradled Mikey.
Hueso's voice seemed to echo back through their minds. "It is nearly fatal to any yokai who catches it, and a cure has not been found."
The others turned toward the sound, finding Donnie with a small speaker sticking out of his battle shell. Donnie tapped away at his gauntlet. "I can't find anything else he said about it…"
"At least the recordings finally came in handy." April let out a sigh as she rested a hand on her hip. "Too bad he didn't say anythin', though."
Leo pulled out his phone. "I'm calling Draxum. Maybe he can figure out if this is the-the virus Hueso mentioned."
"For Mikey's sake… I hope not." Raph turned back to his youngest brother, his worry chasm spreading across his forehead.