Chapter 22: The Double Mutation.
I know I said this would be out before the end of May and I'm so sorry! Things have been hectic and I've been a little busier than normal ;; But! I should hopefully stick back to my monthly uploads now!
Also! I have a question for you guys.
Who is your favourite Villain in the 2k12 universe and why? I'm genuinely interested in what other people think!
And, I want to thank all the new favourites and followers of this fic! It means so much to me that people actually like this story!! 3
Now to the reviews:
Russian concrete: While I really and truly do appreciate your interest in my fic, I'm not feeling 100% on other people rewriting it or what not. But thank you for asking anyway! :3
SpaceSafeYo: Ahh! I'm glad you like the story so far! :333 And yes, we're putting Donnie through some shit in this fic lmao
i am a car: Thank you so much! ;v;
ProfessorYeti: Thanks again for another great review! And don't worry, you posted your review in time haha! But in all honesty I do like to read people's reviews before I upload my next chapter, as it's always fun what people think and feel about the previous one, but also what people think will happen in the next ones! Like how you had predicted somethings to come up, and they actually did! XD
Also, I'm sorry in advance if I miss or don't answer some of your points or questions? Sometimes my brain skips over things quickly and with all that writing my dyslexia likes to move everything about XD
BUT! Don't stop writing your big ass reviews because I love them to bits!! 3
I sort of like that Miwa's perspective is on her whole overall family, rather then just the one person? I feel it sort of shows that she's thinking more about the whole bigger picture rather than the details sort of thing? Which will hurt her alot if Saki were ever to say anything. But who knows...maybe there are more out there?
Also I didn't mean the Australia thing to be so specific xD it was just the first country that popped into my head lol
I can assure you of one thing tho, the feels will be coming up in the Slash and Destroy chapter ;v;b which is one I'm quite excited to share with you all! (The main one I'm absolutely hyped for tho, is definitely vengeance is mine. :3)
I can't remember if I had anyone in this chapter mention it or not, but this chapter is based about 3 or 4 days after Timothy's whole meltdown lol. So Mikey's surprise will be the next chapter! ;3
The biggest question of the century? Is how the f*k Timothy rolled his ass into that alleyway?? Honestly, I left it up to theories for the fun of it! My thoughts are maybe he just casually rolled around the city, scooping up hotdogs and trash as he went to stay alive. XDD
I DIDN'T KNOW TANG SHEN WAS A SRMFF FAN!! X'0
That's so cute man! I can totally see Splinter just chillin with his kids, watchin SRMFF and being all nostalgic and reminiscent!! :'3
MY MISTAKE! I meant to put that she became CLOSER FRIENDS with the new girl! They already knew each other as she transferred like 2 ish months ago?
In my head, April and Donnie went out alot during the 3 months they were dating, and with Irma being April's friend, she definitely introduced the two. Like a cute cinema trip or bowling alley sorta deal? And the two would of met?
Casey is such a wreck, and I love him for that XDDD and Donnie being jealous is still in this fic, but he's not like, stalker jealous like they made him in the show? *sigh* sometimes I think they went a little overboard with his love for April, it really did ruin what could of been great episodes! (Looking at you, fungus episode.)
Also, once again, my bad! XD
I meant to delete the 'totally' bit from the sentence, as it was part of another sentence I had in place before I changed it XD So thanks for pointing it out, totally missed that one lol
There are so many missed opportunities in the show, and I really do want to explore more into the emotional, angsty, family love side of things! Like with how Donnie blamed himself, even though it was an accident, April put the blame on him, and he then took that as his responsibility.
I want to flesh out Donnie's character more in this fic, I mean, it is a Donnie centred fic XD but still, there is so much more to him then just a geeky nerd that loves a human! And I will make you all feel for this boi! XDDD
I like how your thinking of more ways for Donnie to use his serum, like I never even considered Splinter as a candidate XD but some of the others you said were pretty good too...:), Maybe you even got one of them right?
Leo and Donnie need more bonding time dude! They would definitely have each others backs, like-
My own lil head canon for the 2k12 series was that Leo and Donnie would usually go to each other when the other is stressed or just needing to unwind, because I feel they both sort of have the same level of understanding about responsibilities and such or something? XD Does that make sense? But yeah, I agree they sorta drifted apart after the whole invasion, which sucked man :'c
But yeah! Thank you again for your review! And I can't wait to read this one!!
This is based on the 2k12 series.
WARNING: 'Dyslexic Writer lol'.
Chapter 22
Along the pebble path, a young boy continued to hop excitedly every now and then with his toy boat in hand, as he and his mother went about their journey home.
Any child his age could've been easily distracted by the colourful lanterns, or the astonishing sight of the darkening blue sky to a light purple twilight, but not this boy.
His small but brilliant mind was only focused on one thing, setting his little wooden boat sail on the lake. So much so, that he would occasionally trip on a rock, or knock into someone by accident, causing his mother a few seconds of worry before he would recover and go back to his stroll uphill.
Nothing in the world seemed like it would deter him from his path.
Except...
A small chirp caught his ears. For a moment he thought nothing of it, and went back to glancing at his own handy work. But the chirp sounded again, closer this time, and it stopped the boy completely.
His mahogany eyes shot up and scanned his surroundings for the chirping. He could see people with carts walking by him, and his mother just a few feet behind, but no birds?
Leaves at the bottom of a bush at the side of the path rustled, and the boy slowly approached it. Placing his boat down, he got on his hands and knees, and peered under the foliage and through the dark shadows to see...
A turtle!
A small turtle blinked up at him. It chirped, and sunk it's head into it's shell a little bit.
"What are you doing down there?" The little boy asked the small terrapin. He had always had a unique love for the shelled creatures, and even to this day, his favourite toy was a turtle his mother got for him when he was born. Which he had carefully called after much thought, Kame.
The child reached down gently into the bush to hold it. He placed his fingers under it's plastron, and his thumbs on top of it's shell, the same way his Sofu had taught him many months ago, and brought the small creature into the light. The boy examined the frightened animal with worry, but noticed no injuries on his little body.
"Why were you hiding, little guy?" The child questioned mainly to himself as he looked around for a reason. The small turtle pulled it's head slightly out, and blinked up at the human holding onto it, before looking back down to a bush on the opposite side of the path.
Mahogany eyes met the beady black ones and followed them swiftly to the bush, where two more larger turtles were quietly sat watching them both.
"Oh!" The boy shouts in realization, scaring the little turtle a bit. Just as he figured out the problem, his mother had joined his side. As well as a few carts, which continued on the path, spooking the two turtles under the bush further in, as the loud wheels bashed against the pebbles and stones.
The child saw how the carts had scared the other two, and understood the third ones fear to cross the path. "It's ok, the path is really scary." He sympathised with the terrapin, though he didn't actually think the path was scary. Before he then careful walked across the busy road himself.
The little turtle shrank further into it's shell as a cart passed closely by with some people, but the little boy gave it an encouraging pat on the carapace. "Don't worry, sometimes we just need some help." He smiled and bent down beside the bush, placing the turtle down. "And no one should ever be without their family!"
While the boy was helping out the little turtle, his mother had retrieved his boat, and stood by watching. She would catch glimpses of people staring at her son, or even making quiet comments about him touching such a dirty, and wild creature.
But one glare from her narrowed and dangerous amber eyes, had them quickly cowering and scurrying off in a different direction.
The small turtle pulled it's head out and sniffed at the floor once it was placed down, before being dog-piled by the two others. The turtles chirped and stayed like that for a moment. And after a while, they got up and turned to leave in the lake's direction. The two biggest ones started ahead, as the littlest one waited a second. It turned to the boy and chirped, before racing off with it's family.
"Be safe, little turtle!" The boy waved happily. He then got up, and turned to run back over to his mother.
The woman waited patiently with her son's boat for him to say goodbye to his new friend. And couldn't help the proud smile that graced her red lips, as she watched the fluffy haired boy grin back to her.
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Donatello awoke with a start, alarmed and confused as to his sudden rude awakening, he looked up to his door opening just a slither, as a sapphire eyed turtle stuck his head in tentatively.
The human teen frowned in further confusion and sat up on his futon.
Around this time on a usual weekday, the five teens would've been up and dressed, ready for their morning meditation and training with their Sensei.
But not today. Today was Sunday. Which meant, there was no training of any sort. Due to Splinter's weekly sunday meditation, which could sometimes last up to ten hours a day! So as such, the teens were usually left to their own business in the mornings.
Which led Leo's morning wake up call to be even more surprising, as the blue-clad turtle would normally allow him to get a few more minutes of sleep in before dragging him up for breakfast.
"Sorry to wake you, Don." Leo apologized awkwardly, looking alot like a young child at their parents doorway after being sick during the night. "I wanted to know if you wanna help out with breakfast?"
"Breakfast?" Donnie repeated dumbly, taking a moment to rub his eyes awake and look at his clock, "Why isn't Mikey making it?" He asked surprised. Michelangelo being the chef of the family, or rather, the only decent cook, he was normally the one to make the family breakfast.
"I tried getting him up, but he complained about having a headache? So I let him stay in bed." Leo explained, "I thought maybe we could make him something? I even managed to pull Raph out of bed to help."
"Oh! Yeah," Donnie said as he remembered the night before. "He mentioned a headache last night? So I gave him some aspirin and told him to head to bed."
"Even more reason to let him lie in then." Leo confirmed, putting on a cocky smile. "Besides, it shouldn't be that hard!" But his smirk soon faded, and was replaced with a hesitant chuckle. "Uh, you know how to cook, right?"
Donnie smirked back hopelessly, and rolled up his long PJ sleeves, "No clue."
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Nothing started off Miwa's Sunday quite like a breakfast courtesy of Mikey. Which normally consisted of a heaping stack of pancakes, which the younger turtle insisted on making any chance he got.
At least, that was her original thought when she got up that morning. But her quiet, early morning nap was interrupted by the abrupt and loud screams of her human brother. "Ahh!? It stings! It stings!!"
Still in her pyjama top and bottoms, and forgetting her slippers entirely, she shot out of bed and was already out of her bedroom in a matter of seconds. She clumsy tied her shoulder length black hair up into a messy bun atop her head, and skidded to a halt outside of the kitchen.
The smell of smoke was the first thing to hit her, followed soon by the sound of the firealarm going off. And in an instant her over-protective sister senses were at high alert. She threw back the curtain and charged in, ready for anything.
But the sight that met her was something she could prepare very little for...
The entire kitchen had been completely trashed! Messy pans and plates were thrown about everywhere, bits of toast and eggs and what looked like chunks of a brutally beat up orange were scattered across the floor and cupboards. And all together, the place looked like it had been blown up!
Leonardo could be seen shuffling awkwardly through the middle of the chaos, as he made his way over to Donatello with a wet cloth. And said human teen was still in his own pyjamas, rubbing at his tearful mahogany eyes, trying to get out the last bits of orange juice that still covered his face and t-shirt.
"Leo! I told you scrambled!" Raphael snapped in a huff, unaware of his sister's disgruntled look behind him, as two runny eggs fell off his head and began to slide slowly down his plastron.
Fighting the urge to completely breakdown laughing, Miwa snuck up from behind them all with a smirk. "What are you three doing?" The boys all jumped on the spot, turning with embarrassed red faces towards her.
"Ah! Miwa!" Donatello exclaimed, wiping at his red face with the cloth faster, as Raphael quickly patted away the eggs on his shell.
Leo rubbed the back of his head, as his green scaled cheeks turned a red hue. "Sis, W-we thought you were going to lie in for a while?"
The older girl's eyebrows snapped together as she scanned around the poor, destroyed room. She could only snort in response. "I was. Until you three decided to try and set the kitchen on fire."
"Hey, It was Donnie's fault!" Raph barked in defence, as he gestured to said human. "He knocked into the pan!"
"You shot orange juice into my eyes!" Donnie yelled back, pointing at his reddened eyes accusingly.
Miwa let out a short breath at her bickering brothers, "What are you guys even doing in here anyway?"
The three stared at their mess once again, until the two younger teens look to the oldest expectedly. Leo scowls at them, before replying with a wince, "Trying to make breakfast?"
"I can see that." Miwa sighs, shaking her head, "But why are you three making it?" She asked, before pointing towards each of her brothers in turn. "Leo, you set the toaster on fire everytime your within two inches of the damn thing. Raph's normally asleep until Father drags his shell out of bed. And Donnie, I don't think I've ever even seen you make breakfast for yourself!"
"Hey! I've had a chef prepare my meals for the past ten years?" The brunet defended himself in an offended tone. "So excuse me, if my cooking skills aren't up to standard."
"Your fifteen! How do you not know how to cook-" It only took Miwa a second to glance at her two other brothers in the room, one still covered in leftover eggs, and the other very noticeably death-glaring the toaster, for her to facepalm and sigh. "Nevermind."
"Ok...so we might of made a bit of a mess?" Leo admitted awkwardly.
Miwa raised a brow. "A bit?" At Leo's guilty wince she exhaled and pinched her nose bridge. "Where's Mikey? He usually makes breakfast?"
"He said he had a headache?" Donnie explained simply.
"Yeah, so we decided to let him sleep in." Leo added, "It just seemed like the nice thing to do."
"Yeah..." Raph acknowledged, drawing his answer out slightly. Which had his siblings immediately covering their ears in preparation for the oncoming "MIKEY!!! GET UP!!" Yell.
As soon as the echoing bellow had died down, the others waited for a short moment for the youngest turtle to reply. But after a few more minutes of waiting around with no answer, they eventually set themselves to work fixing the kitchen back up.
Cleaning up the mountain of mess they had made took away most of their time, as they threw away broken plates, and had to wash every surface in the kitchen. Donnie even had to grab the fire extinguisher at one point too put the toaster out, as Leo had accidentally knocked into it, setting the device alite.
And it was at that same time that Mikey finally made himself known, with a high pitched scream from his bedroom, "AAAHHHH!!! What the!? I'M A MUTANT!!"
To say the others were confused was an understatement, as they blinked blankly at each other.
"Uh, he's just realizing that now?" Leo felt the need to ask as he dropped a broken plate into the trash can.
Just as the fast approaching sound of Mikey's running feet got louder to his siblings, the orange-clad turtle practically fell through the curtain entrance of the kitchen, with a look of pure horror struck on his face.
The youngest turtle pointed shakily at his head, "Guys, look at me! I'm covered in turtle zits!"
Taking a closer look at Michelangelo's head, the others could clearly see the small pimples covering the entirety of his bald scalp. Leo and Raph physically recoiled at the sight, and Miwa tried to hold a brave face for her little brother, but was incredibly disgusted by the green looking boils. All while Donnie seemed to be scanning him over with a careful eye.
"Aw, gross!" Raph groaned loudly, quickly backing away as Mikey slowly crossed the kitchen toward them. "Talk about shellacne? You look like a green chimichanga!'
"Hey, don't be a jerk!" Miwa snapped, getting behind Raph to grab hold of his arms to push him more towards the freckled turtle. "It's perfectly normal."
"Y-yeah, don't worry, Mikey. It's just part of being a teenager." Leo assured his little brother confidently. Though he wasn't all to sure himself.
Mikey beamed slightly in hope, "Have you ever had 'em?"
Leo turned his head in disgust, and offense. "Heck no!" He shouted, shooting a glance towards his two human siblings. "But Miwa and Donnie have."
"Hey!" Miwa shot back, and gave him a slap around the head.
"Hold up, guys." Donnie interprets, reaching his hands up to Mikey's head and lowering the turtle's scalp for a better view. "I think this might be serious."
Miwa tilted her head at the pimply turtle. "What makes you say that?"
"How many turtles have you seen with zits?" Donnie said, jerking his head towards Mikey's.
"Fair point." Miwa shrugged in agreement.
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In Donatello's lab, the oldest siblings watched on as the closest thing they had to a doctor, examined Mikey's head over throughly.
Donnie hummed as he moved the turtles head around, eyeing the bumps carefully. A gentle tap on his arm from his robot had him turning, as the small turtle-bot handed him a device.
"Thanks, Metalhead." Donnie smiled, and took the ooze scanner from him. He then turned it on, and extended it above Mikey's head until a little 'bleep' told him it was ready.
The brunet checked over the results and with a reassuring smile, said, "Okay, Mikey. The good news is, these so-called 'zits', shouldn't hurt you." Mikey exhaled a held in breath and sank into his seat in relief. "And more importantly, they won't interfere with you making us breakfast."
Mikey frowned at his brothers comment, "That's a relief." He said uninterested.
"But." Donnie began carefully, and Mikey sat back upright with a new sense of fear.
"The bad news is, I have no idea what they are. And they'll only continue to spread all over your body." The genius then stood up slowly, and began moving closer to Mikey with a deepening voice. "Spreading and spreading and spreading and spreading...!"
The turtles head shrunk more and more into his shell, and with a nervous gulp, he whimpered out,"Uhhh, And then they disappear in a couple of hours, right?"
"No." Donnie's mahogany eyes narrowed dangerously, and with very expressive hand motions he stood up and said, "And then your entire body will mutate into one, single, huge, giant, gargantuan ZIT!!"
Donatello's final word echoed around inside Mikey's head like a horror movie on repeat. And the young turtle could only stare blankly ahead in terror as a nightmare played out in front of him. He had turned into one, singular, huge, giant and gargantuan zit, and was being chased around in the sewers by a giant hand, wanting only one thing...
The giant finger poked Mikey's giant head, and pushed down on him until he exploded into a gross mess.
And that nightmarish thought was all it took for Mikey to slam his hands to his head, and shriek in fear and despair. "NOOOOOO!!!!" And without a second to catch his breath, the turtle bolted out of the room still screaming, leaving the others to watch as he ran.
"Really?" Miwa peered at her human brother with a slight smirk.
"What?" Donnie asked, insulted, "It's important to be accurate!"
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THUD, THUD, THUD*
"Mikey, come on!" Leo ordered, banging on the locked door of his brothers room. "It's not as bad as you think." He tried to reassure him.
"It's not?" Miwa spoke up rhetorically, "Because I'm pretty sure Donnie just explained that-"
"Shh!" Leo shot round on her with narrowed eyes. "And Raph promises not to make fun of you anymore." He then turns his glare on his red-clad brother, before gesturing for him to come closer to the door.
With a begrudge sigh, Raph leant against the door, and with little sympathy said, "That's right, I'm sorry I called you crust muffin and fungus face and godzitla, king of the pus monsters." He then pounded loudly on the door. "Now come on out here!"
"No way! Not while I'm covered in gross, slime-filled zits!" Came the woeful reply behind Mikey's door.
Donnie step forward clearing his throat. "Technically, they're pustules filled with oil and sebum, which is even grosser than slime-"
Leo and Raph grow noticeably more disturbed as Donnie spouted out information. Until Miwa put a hand on his chest and pulled him backwards.
"Donnie, that's not helping." She scolded him.
Leo shook his head before resuming his attack on the locked door. "Mikey!"
"Forget it, guys!" Mikey cried aloud, as he stared at his pimply complexion in a small mirror. "I'm too hideous to be a ninja. I'll stay locked away in here forever!"
The others sighed in defeat on the other side of the door, and one by one left Mikey to be alone.
The youngest turtle gazed sadly at the door, then back to his zitty face in the mirror. "And even longer if I have to..." as the last word left his mouth, he felt how his tongue seemed different. More...bumpy. His eyes shot wide open as he held a shaky breath, and slowly stuck his tongue out.
Pimples had spread and covered the entirety of his once pink tongue, leaving it almost all green and lumpy. And Michelangelo was quick to pull his tongue back in, and cover his mouth in horror. Before slowly sinking back under the covers of his bed.
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Illuminated by the rising moon behind him, Tigerclaw stood patiently by the Shredder's throne, never daring to sit in his Master's place.
He watched the doorway with his one good eye, as two footfalls approached from behind, one metallic, and the other heavy and clumsy.
The large hand of the mutant Shiba grabbed hold of the door and swung it open, leaving himself and the snakehead mutant standing in the entrance.
Tigerclaw lifted his head in acknowledgement. "Bradford, Xever. You may enter."
Xever came through the door at once with no issues. It wasn't until Bradford came through, that the problems started.
As the giant dog began to crossed into the room, the automated doors slammed closed on his lingering tail. He let out a yelp of pain and fell to his knees, accidentally landing on the glass walkway, and cracking the glass underneath his weight. Sending him crashing into the water.
"Impressive." Xever sneered in delight at Bradford's embarrassment. "You went from stealthy ninja to idiot man-dog."
The giant mutant rose from the water and clawed his way onto the walkway with a scowl. "How I detest this clumsy body. What I wouldn't give to be human again."
"I do not have all day." The tiger called down to them with a raised lip, showing off his most terrifying feature.
Xever's irritation towards the cat grew, leading the mutant to snarl out, "You have certainly become comfortable, Tigerclaw." He said lowly. "But just remember, that the Shredder is the only one worthy of that throne."
"I am aware that the Shredder is the only one worthy. But while he is away, you will respect and obey me, Xever." Tigerclaw demanded dangerous, before resting his large paw on top of his gun. "Unless you need reminding as to why he put me in charge?" He said, scrutinizing the smaller mutant under his eye.
The fish scowled, and backed down. Wise enough to know when not to make a comment.
With the distractions out of his way, Tigerclaw raised his chin to look over the henchman. "Now listen well."
"I am in need of someone to help maintain the Foot-bots on a daily basis." The feline explained. "Someone whose loyalty can be brought, Someone who can easily be intimidated." He cast his sharp eye downwards, "Someone like-"
"Baxter Stockman." Xever filled in distastefully.
"Stinkman?!" Bradford growled furiously, "But that little creep tried to destroy us! Who knows what he-"
"Stockman will do." Tigerclaw snapped, "I assume you two will be able to handle it? Without any complications."
"Leave it to us, Boss." Xever spoke through gritted teeth, as he and Bradford made their way out of the throne.
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The sounds of SRMFF filled the pit, as Raph, Leo and Miwa chowed down on some pizza, watching the TV. And while Donnie hung around with them, he was completely drawn to his laptop rather than the badly dubbed anime. Gathering up useful information on turtles and acne, to see if he could somehow figure out what was happening to his turtle brother.
The four teens had opted to leave Mikey be for the time being, until Donnie came up with some sort of solution to his mysterious predicament that was, and came to the living area to relax.
However, with Michelangelo's short attention span always against him, he quickly became bored with just sitting around in his room. And the sounds of the cheesy anime he loved coming from the television was too much to ignore.
So grabbing a discarded pizza box, he hid his face and tried to sneak into the pit. But while slinking behind the pillars, and bolting to the pinball machine, Raphael happened to notice him lurking about.
"Cool! Mikey brought his own pizza. His face!" Raph joked and burst into a fit of laughter. Though his siblings pointed glares his way stopped him quickly.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop." Raph gave in, wiping away a tear. "Now come on and zit down." Michelangelo threw the pizza box down, and growled angrily towards Raphael. "'Zit' down!" Raph practically screamed out laughing, "I crack myself up!"
"Raphael!" The loud and commanding voice of his father shut his hysterics up quickly.
Raph winced as his Sensei approached him with an disappointed glance. "You should know better than to make fun of one's appearance. After all, how would the humans above react to yours?"
Raph slunk down slightly in his seat, "You're right, Master Splinter." He then turned to Mikey with actually empathy in his voice. "Sorry, Mikey."
With a groan of utter shame towards himself, Mikey rolled down onto the couch and let out a sad sigh, "Just kick me out, Master Splinter. I can't be a ninja when I look like a moldy pickle."
"And why not?" Splinter asked curiously, "I do not let my appearance affect me." He said with pride.
"Well, yeah?" Mikey moaned, "'cause old people never care how they look, or smell." Splinter stopped and glared back at Michelangelo offensively.
At first, the freckled turtle tried to play off the fact he just openly insulted his father by chuckling nervously before whistling innocently to himself.
But Splinter sensed a hidden secret within his youngest turtle."My son, I sense there is something you would like to tell us."
"W-what? No. Not at all!" Mikey laughed anxiously, waving his hands in a surrender. "Really, I didn't do anything."
Five glares fixed themselves onto the baby blue eyed turtle, as Splinter and the others eyed him in confusion, but also suspicion.
But it was enough to break him. "Okay, okay! You got me." Mikey cried and sprang up from the couch, rummaging around in his belt pocket or a second, "I kinda, um, sprinkled a little mutagen, on my skin?" He said and produced a jar full of a strange coloured mutagen out of thin air.
His siblings were obviously shocked and furious by this announcement. "WHAT?! Are you kidding? Why?!?!" All four of them screamed in his face, as Splinter stayed silent in observation at the back.
"To become better! Cooler, you know?" Mikey mused, before turning an accusing finger on his siblings. "You guys treat me like I'm a big goofball all the time." He then presented the jar with green ooze to his siblings, with his hand slightly over a sticker with the words 'super cool' written on it. Before saying proudly, "So I found this jar in Donnie's lab, and the label says it'll make you super cool!"
The others were speechless to say the least, looking over their brother like he had grown seven heads, or mutagenic zits to be more accurate.
All except Donnie, who felt like he was ten seconds away from exploding. "No. It says you're supposed to keep it super cooled. As in temperature!" He snapped, ripping the jar out of his turtle brothers hands with fury. "I purposefully wrote it in English!"
Donnie's growing frustration only multiplied at the seriousness of the situation, and he made sure to get into Mikey's face when he yelled, "This was a reject batch of retro mutagen, Mikey! It's dangerous!"
Getting up on his toes to make himself taller then his human brother, Mikey then yelled back, "Well, you could have made it a little more clear!"
Donatello gave him an annoyed glare and turned the jar around, revealing that the entire backside of the container was covered in all sorts of stickers, warning that it's contents was highly dangerous and part of a rejected batch.
"Still not that clear." Mikey declared moodily.
Donnie sighed wearily and grabbed hold of Mikey's wrist, dragging him into his lab with the others close on their tail. Once the six of them all arrived, Donnie lead Mikey to a spinning chair just beside his desk, and pointed at it with annoyance.
"Why were you even in my lab?" Donatello questioned with a huff, "You know not too come in here without my permission?"
Mikey shrugged awkwardly and started to spin form side to side on his chair, but when Donnie grabbed the arms of the chair firmly, halting the furniture from spinning, locking his mahogany eyes directly the turtle, Mikey gulped and rubbed his green arm. "To become cooler?"
"My son."
Splinter didn't have to say anything else to Michelangelo, he just rose an eyebrow and glanced over to his obviously lying son, but his look was not one of anger, but more concern.
Mikey had a slight frown pulling at his usually chipper expression, and looked nervously around the lab before settling his watery eyes on his twiddling green thumbs. "I just wanted to make myself better. And maybe even smarter?
"Smarter?" Miwa questioned, "Why would you need to be smarter?"
"To help D figure out the retro-mutagen." Mikey exclaimed, turning to said human brother, "You've been so stressed out recently, and I just wanna help. But I don't really understand any of the sciencey stuff you say half the time."
He sighed, resting his chin in his hands, and slouching over, "I just wanna be useful! Something more than the family idiot..."
"Mikey..." Miwa exhaled sadly, her two mutant brothers beside her also wore faces of slight guilt and shame. Knowing they had a part to play in their brother's feelings.
Being the closest, Donnie quickly leant forwards and wrapped his turtle brother in a hug, which was awkward, considering both teens sat on different chairs. "You are not an idiot."
Mikey chuckled and accepted the hug, though his mood was still down, "I totally am..." he muttered, "If I'm not the idiot, then what am I-"
"Your a true friend, and the best big brother I could ever ask for." Donnie added determinedly. Suddenly feeling another pair of arms lay over him and the turtle, he looked up to see Miwa had joined them.
"Your the glue that keeps this family together." The Kunoichi smiled, as she playfully grabbed Mikey into a headlock, releasing Donnie from the hug.
"Without you, we just wouldn't function right." Leo agreed aswell, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"So don't give us anymore of this needing to change yourself, garbage." Raph chipped in from the side. "You hear?"
"Aww, you guys." Mikey whined with a wobbling lip, as he launched himself forwards to wrap Miwa and Leo into a hug, before blinding reaching about for Donnie and Raph and pulling them in aswell.
"My son." Splinter smiled, meeting his youngest turtles gaze through the squirming crowd trying to get out of his hold. "Please never feel like you have to change yourself for our benefit."
"The only you we need, is this one." The rat said, and rested a gentle paw onto of his head, "Though, perhaps we shall not mess with Donatello's experiments anymore?"
"Yeah, I'm way over that!" He agreed wholeheartedly, before dropping his hold on his siblings, who were quick to scurry upright. "I'm sorry, guys. I didn't mean to cause all this mess..."
"It's fine Mikey, we'll figure out a way to fix this." Leo assured him.
"But from now on, you don't enter the lab unless I say so!" Donnie quickly piped up, suggesting, "and if you want to be my lab partner, just ask."
Mikey's eyes lit up with excited sparkles, "Really??"
"Yes, just as long as you promise not to mess with my experiments anymore!" Donnie warned him, before holding out his hand.
"Deal!" Mikey cheered, and gladly took his smaller human hand and shook it a mile a minute, "I'll be the best lab partner, D!"
"G-good to h-hear!" Donnie tried to say as he was frantically shook about. He took Mikey's hands, and pried them off of his own to stop the shaking before stepping backwards to his desk. "Now that that is all out of the way..." he began slowly, "Raph, pin him down."
"Huh?" Mikey questioned, kind of scared of the sudden change in tone in Donnie's voice.
"I gotta take a blood sample." The genius then revealed a large syringe from one of the drawers in his desk. And knowing that the orange-clad turtle had a massive fear of needles, he prepared Raph to hold him still, which, he looked a little too keen about.
Raph cracked his neck, and grabbed under Mikey's arms, pinning the freckled turtle's carapace to his own plastron to keep him steady, "Heh, no problem!"
"What?!" Mikey cried as Donnie came closer and closer with the dreadful instrument of torture. "NO! NOOOOOO!!!"
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In Donatello's lab, the resident genius was busy at work on the freckled turtles blood, and was currently typing away frantically on his laptop, trying to figure out what was happening with Michelangelo's mutagenic zits.
Metalhead stood by, wired into the laptop which allowed his creator to use his Kraang processor as extra help in diagnosing the mutagen pimples.
All while the others hung around the lab waiting nervously and on edge for the results, as Mikey sat sniffing and rubbing his arm beside Donnie, with a cherry lollipop in his mouth.
But the only news to come through, wasn't received well...
"Oh, no." Donnie sighed as his eyes scanned over the screen multiple times, hoping to read a different outcome from the test. Drawing the concerned attention of his older siblings, and Sensei immediately to him.
Mikey dropped his lollipop and turned to face Donnie pleadingly, but before he could speak, Miwa had thrown a hand over his mouth. "It's a terrible, 'Oh, no.'" She clarified for him.
Donnie unfortunately nodded with her, "According to these blood tests, the mutagen in your system had become unstable. You only have three hours until-"
"Until what?" Leo interpreted in panic, "What'll happen to him?"
Donnie wheeled round in his chair and gave him a serious face. "In scientific terms? Go boom."
Mikey gasped, and slapped the sides of his head with trembling hands. "I'm gonna explode?!"
"Like a massive zit!" Donnie concluded with a eerie voice. And Leo, Raph and Miwa could be heard groaning in disgust behind him.
"Nooo!" Mikey wailed out, taking a few steps back as he saw another nightmare play out in front of him. He was nothing more then a massive zit, which only continued to grow, and grow... Until it exploded into a giant pile of gunk and grossness! Michelangelo felt faint just at the thought, and slowly sank to the floor, five shades paler.
He laid there as the horror of the situation loomed over him, and he mentally beat himself up for not thinking through his plan once again. And for being a idiot once again...
Until he felt a hand grab hold of his wrist and hoist him to his unsteady feet. Miwa took hold of his shoulders and gripped him gently, but firm enough to comfort and support him. "Don't worry, Mikey. We won't let that happen."
The youngest turtle wanted to believe his older sister so much, but he was short on hope. "But how?" He whimpered and hugged his arms around his plastron.
"Well, now that I know what caused this, I think I can engineer an antidote from the remaining sample." Donnie spoke up from beside him, sparking newfound hope in the turtle.
And in an instant, Mikey went from being held by Miwa, to trying to bear hug Donnie. "Yes, yes, yes! I love you, man!"
Donnie grimaced as the pimply turtle tried to rub his head on him, and shoved against Mikey's plastron too keep him at bay. "Okay, come on." He huffed with one final push, sending him back into Miwa.
"Then you must start right away." Splinter informed him urgently.
And while Donnie understood the hurry in his Sensei's tone, he knew he couldn't start just yet. "I would, but I'm just missing one key instrument though." The genius declared after inspecting his other equipment, "A molecular centrifuge to mix the solution."
Miwa narrowed her eyes in thought, "I thought you stole that one from the Kraang lab we took down? You know, the one with the parasitic wasps?"
"I did," Donnie confirmed, before looking annoyed. "But Mikey knocked it into the algae tanks."
The orange-clad turtle laughed nervously at the reminder of his accident, "Uh, it's no problem. Money is no object!" Mikey chirped up, and ran straight towards his oldest brother, "Leo, can I borrow some cash?" Who sighed and rolled his eyes in return.
The brunet tapped his chin in thought for a moment, "The only place I've ever seen a molecular centrifuge was atTCRI."
Recalling the events of the Technodrome those five months ago, Raphael crossed his arms over his chest and said,"But we blew that place up when we took down the Kraang. What could be left?"
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Dropping down heavily onto the rooftops, the ungraceful mutant tore his way through the night in search of his prey. Stopping every once in a while to sniff at the warm spring air, trying to locate the afro man's scent of burnt metal and cheap aftershave.
But the night only seemed to drag on. He stop on the roof and began to sniff around again, and when no detectable scent jumped out at him, he gave a deep growl in the back of his throat. Mainly out of frustration, but also pure boredom of running around the city all night with no leads. He never realized just how slippery that lowly bug, Stinkman could be...
He slunk down low, or as low as he could possible get with his massive form, and sniffed the concrete below him, walking around on all fours. While doing so, he happened to look sideways to the glass rooftop. And in the reflection, was a man, or rather, a mutant, he had grown to strongly detest, staring back at him with red canine eyes.
"You were once a feared warrior." Bradford grumbled to himself, leering at the mutt in front of him. "Now you're a common dog, hunting squirrels like Stickman."
He stood upright and padded on forwards, and not for the first time since that night four months ago, he really wished he had kept the damn kid around. At least if Daiki were here, he would of been cured by now.
Sure, the kid had said he couldn't find a way to help Xever, even if he wanted too. But Bradford knew him well, he had learnt those many years ago when the Shredder had first dropped off the scrawny Asian kid into his dojo, that Daiki was different.
He was smart, and was more intelligent then Bradford could of ever prepared for. Hell, by the time the kid had turned seven, he had already invented tiny cockroach like spy-robots which he used too set loose around the headquarters back in Japan. It was definitely something to be impressed about, though he never openly expressed that.
But he was always weirdly intelligent for his age. So sooner or later, the kid would of figured something out, and he would of been first in line for that damn cure.
But it was too late for that now. The next time he saw the kid, he'd have to fight him as if he were one of the Hamatos, because he was.
Bradford halted in his tracks, as a thought entered his mind. He may not of had Daiki anymore, but he did have...
"Stickman." He murmured and looked down at his stone-like paw, flexing it, and forming a fist, "Maybe he could actually help me."
With a new sense of determination taking the lead, Bradford leapt to the edge of the rooftop and took in the air around him. Sniffing and waiting for the exact scent he was trying to find to hit him.
He took in a deep breath, and growled in satisfaction. "Gotcha." He said with a smile and jumped down from the rooftops. Heading straight towards TCRI.
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Inside the abandoned remains of the TCRI building, the Hamato siblings silently made their way towards the main control room, being cautious of any lingering Kraang. Miwa and Donnie now wore their dark maroon uniforms to blend in better with the shadows.
As the five teens arrived in the familiar, destroyed room, Donnie turned to address them all, "Everybody spread out and start looking." He ordered and made his way over to a pile of debris. And his siblings soon went to their own piles to search. Donnie crouched down and moved a fallen beam, and began shifting through the large pile of mess on the floor.
"Is this a centrifudge?" Mikey inquired behind him.
The brunet turned hopefully, only to see him holding a glass beaker instead. "Centrifuge." Donnie corrected him, "And no, that's a beaker."
Michelangelo groaned in annoyance and threw the beaker away before continuing his search. Donnie also started up his scavenge again.
"Is this a centrifudge?" Mikey calls out from his own pile nearby.
Donnie glances over and sighs, "That's a microscope." He hears Mikey's groan, and gets back to work searching. Until...
"Is this a centrifudge?" Mikey asked from behind him.
Donnie turned only to see Mikey holding the exact same beaker from a literal second ago. "That's the same beaker!" Donnie exclaimed in frustration, and ran a stressed hand through his hair, "Ugh! We're never gonna find it! This place is-"
"Shh, shh, shh!" Leo hushed from above Mikey and Donnie, silencing the two, "Listen? You hear that?" He asked the others, who all quieted down to listen. And there in the background, was a voice coming towards them from the tunnel entrance. Mikey and Donnie hid, as Miwa, Raph and Leo took cover from above.
Suddenly,the form of Baxter Stockman entered the destroyed facility, carrying a box filled to the brim of robotic items.
"Yes, Yes! Perfect. Bio-enhancers. DNA catalysts!" The scientists draw on in his own monologue, unaware of his watchers as he bent down near a bunch of abandoned Kraang-droids. "Soon, I'll be able to create my own mutant army. Powerful, unstoppable!"
"Dorkster Blockhead?" Leo exclaimed loudly.
The human man growled, and turned around annoyed. "It's Baxter Stockman!" He snapped, before shooting upwards in shock, as he saw Leo, Raph and Miwa above him. "Wha? The Hamatos?" He stuttered out, and began to back away from them quickly. "Here? Now?"
Donnie and Mikey then joined the others from the sides, cutting off Baxter's escape route to the sides.
Stockman clasped his box tighter, and backed himself into a corner. Which was when he finally set his sights on all of the teens surrounding him, or more specifically, one in particular.
"Hey, what a second." Baxter asked in confusion, directing his eyesight to Donnie, "Why are you here? Your with the Foot!"
Donnie ignored the man's question, and fixed his gaze completely on the object at the top of his stash. "He's got the centrifuge!" The brunet snapped, before taking a step forwards with a threatening demeanour towards the man. "Hand it over, Storkman!"
Baxter dropped his box of goodies and grabs hold of the centrifuge. "Stockman!" He corrected angrily, before putting on a pout. "And no. I found it first." He gives the device a good pat for safety, before pulling out a controller from his pocket. "Mousers!"
At his call, several M.O.U.S.E.R.S.appeared out of nowhere, and piled up behind him. "Attack!" Stockman commanded, and the robot rodents charged.
Mikey screamed, and covered his head in fear, "Don't let 'em pop me!" He cried as Leo jumped in front of him to slash one of the robots in half, and Miwa leapt over his shell to stab another attempting to jump him. All while Donnie took Mikey's other side to smack and bat away a few more.
But as was normal with these persistent little robots, the more you killed, the more would come seemingly out of nowhere to join the fight.
As the Hamato teens fought to keep Mikey safe, Raphael threw ashurikenat one very determined Mouser. The bot fell over and started to struggle back up, until it finally got to it's feet and squealed.
However, Just as Raphael went to continue, a giant slab of rubble appeared out of nowhere and crashed right on top of the Mouser. Until in one big 'CRASH' resonated around the room as Dogpound came smashing through the roof, landing on top of several other bots. And even slamming one into the floor with his oversized fist.
"Dogpound?!" Baxter squealed out a whimper of fear, and cowered away in the corner more.
The mutant dogs red eyes caught sight of the scared man, and his lips parted to show his fanged smile. "Well, if it isn't weasely little Stinkman."
As the mutant dog stood unaware of his company behind him, Donnie stood in shock.
After four months, seeing the mutant dog in front of him felt like a surreal experience, especially considering that the last time the two of them spoke, it was them parting ways.
His feet took a tentative step forwards, only for Miwa to gently take his arm and tug him backwards. It took him a moment to snap out of his head, before he steadied himself and gripped his bō staff tightly. He narrowed his eyes and told repeated to himself, 'He is your enemy. He works for the Saki.'
Bradford wheeled around to see the five Hamato teens behind him, the three oldest of the team members seemed to sense the human boy's sudden change in mood, and blocked him behind them, along with a very zitty looking Mikey.
Bradford growled deeply, just as Leonardo stepped out in front of his team, pointing the blade of his katana at the larger mutant. "Back off, Dogpound."he warned him seriously, "We found him first."
The dog smirked at the leader's attempt of a threat, before cracking his neck and bouncing his pecs casually, "Stinkman and the Hamatos? And I thought I was having a bad day."
Dogpound roared out a battle cry and charged the Hamatos straight on. And as the teens came at him, he smacked and battered them away with his massive hand, until all five were sent flying across the room.
The wimpy scientist held onto the centrifuge for dear life, long forgetting the rest of his stuff, as he tried to slither round the corner, narrating to himself as he went. "Time for Baxter Stockman, super villain, to make his narrow escape!" And with that, the man scrambled to make a hasty run for the tunnel entrance.
"Not with my centrifudge!" Mikey yelled, after bolting for the retreating man.
Meanwhile, the other Hamatos tried they're hardest to keep Dogpound at bay, and as far away from the zit covered turtle as possible. They rushed him over and over again, trying to cut him down bit by bit, and for the most part, it worked.
But all it took was one slip up.
Miwa and Leo charged him together. But Dogpound quickly side stepped as Leo swung his katana for his neck, and managed to grab hold of Miwa's arm as the girl darted forwards for his chest. He dug into her arm with his sharp, stoney paw, causing the girl to hiss in pain, before she was unceremoniously lifted up over his head.
She gulped, as she found herself suddenly sent flying forwards as he launched her. Knocking into Leo and Raph, sending all three of them crashing painfully into a pile of discarded Kraang-droids. The poor teens were momentarily disoriented, leaving them open to an attack...
And seeing said open window to pummel them to bits, Dogpound wasted no time in stalking toward the three, slamming his smaller fist into his larger one as a show of amusement. "Oh, I'm gunna enjoy this." He gloated. Yet as he took in his moment of victory, a quick gash to his back had him spinning round with a dog-like yelp, where he turned and glared downwards to his attacker.
Donatello stood steady with his bō staff in hand. He spun it round to get into a better fighting stance, one Bradford had taught him many years ago, and set his face to one of pure concentration and determination.
Bradford smirked, and let out a gruff laugh, cracking his neck as he lowered himself into a stance. "Morikawa." He addressed in a smug and familiar tone. "Let's see if Hamato Yoshi is a better Sensei than me." He joked casually, clearly undermining the ninja Masters skills.
"He is." Donnie answered back swiftly, bringing his bō up, and ejecting the naginata blade once more.
Where Bradford would only train Daiki to strike and kill his enemies, Splinter had been teaching Donnie how to overcome and knock them out. Something his peaceful mind, and pacifist heart was incredibly thankful for.
But as he watched the others lying in pain on top of the pile of Kraang exoskeletons, and he saw Michelangelo covered head to shoulder in dangerous pimples which would very well end his life without a cure, he turned his mind to one of Splinter's greatest lesson.
"The first rule of being a ninja is 'Do no harm.' Unless you mean to do harm, then do lots of harm."
He smirked as the words came to him. And the once familiar uncle-like figure of Chris Bradford, seemed to fade away and morph until it was nothing more then one of Saki's mutant henchmen, Dogpound. "And it's Hamato Donatello."
Dogpound's ears went back for a second, before he lurched forwards with a snarling bark to grab Donnie, but he was quick enough to duck under his arm, dragging his naginata blade deep across the dog's skin as he rolled underneath him. While also using his other hand to punch straight into his armpit, making the smaller, stone-like hand of the mutant go limp.
Donnie then rolled to a stop and punched the back of Dogpound's leg, bringing the larger mutant down to the floor in a pained crouch. Giving the young genius the opportunity to circle round him, and deliver a solid knee to his chin. Where Bradford's head dropped heavily onto the floor with a sickening thud.
"Dang, angry Donnie is going to town." Miwa added in scared amazement from the corner, as Leo pulled her to her feet and agreed with a nod.
Raph chuckled in amazement, "Oh yeah, he's definitely holding back on us."
Dogpound gruffed out a breath as he held his limp arm, "Your not usually that fast..." He growled with narrowed eyes on the boy. Yet inside, he was slightly impressed at the boy's improvement. He could never of gotten the kid to move that fast! And the pressure point under his arm? He didn't know a damn thing about pressure points.
Dogpound then thought bitterly to himself, 'But he still didn't have the guts to finish a job.' Before quickly thinking that for once, that was a good thing...
"Your not usually that clumsy." Donnie quipped back smugly, before jolting his bō forwards, and sending his blade beside the dog's head, cutting off a good chunk of fur from his cheek. Dogpound yelped, and shot a glare at the cocky boy.
"Now stay." Donnie smirked to himself proudly. He allowed himself an inward victory at having just fought his first Sensei and actually won. He was on cloud nine right now, but he kept up a straight face.
"Guys!! He's got the centerfudge!" Mikey cried, still running after Baxter, who was screaming like mad and fleeing as fast as he could to the exit.
Mikey's yell had brought everyone's attention off the fight to see the turtle taking off for the scientist.
However, it also provided someone with an opportunity...
Donnie had only looked away for one second, and blinked in another, before he realized his fatal error. His legs were knocked out from under him and he fell backwards, crashing head first to the floor.
He hissed and opened his dazed eyes long enough to see the giant shadow looming over him, and the massive fist coming quickly down onto his head. He clenched his eyes shut, and awaited the painful thud.
But when no pain followed, he peered up to see the hand had halted just inches from his face. As both the fist, and the mutant, got up, he heard the muffled voice of the dog saying, "Now stay", before charging off towards the doorway.
Donnie let out a long held in breath, and drop his head back down again with a groan.
As Michelangelo finally caught up to Baxter, he reached out to yank the man backwards, only for Dogpound to appear before them. "You're coming with me!" The dog barked and snatched Baxter up in his hand.
"No, no, please!" Stockman flailed around and yelled, "I'm extremely fragile! Help!"
At the sounds of Dogpound's escape, Leo, Raph and Miwa burst into action and ran for the entrance. Just as Dogpound punched the already crumbling walls and bolted down the tunnel.
Mikey gasped and ran for the tunnel screaming, "My centerfudge!" But the punch was strong enough that it caused the weak building to break apart.
Rubble from the ceiling began to fall over the entrance and Michelangelo's head, but Leonardo rushed in, and pushed him to safety, away from the rubble and rising debris buildup.
Once the smoke cleared from the room, Michelangelo shot up and ran to find his siblings coming out of the rubble, rushing over to help them.
"Guys, are you okay?" Mikey questioned as he pulled Miwa up from the floor, and went over to assist Leo.
"Yeah. Thanks, Mikey." Leo replied, as he coughed up some dust.
Mikey nodded thankfully and ran over to where he last saw Donnie, as Miwa and Leo went to help Raph up from underneath a metal beam.
"They're gone." Raph commented bitterly, spitting out the debris that collected in his mouth and hoisting himself up with no help and rolled his shoulders of relieve any tension.
"And they have the centerfudge." Mikey reminded them sourly, as he scanned over a pile of rubble for Donnie.
Said pile then moved and shifted as Donnie sat up out of the rubble and turned to him weakly. "Centrifuge..." He corrected, before falling backwards and passing out.
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Back at the lair, Michelangelo's situation only continued to worsen.
The television's static accompanied his whines of growing despair, as he aimlessly circled around in the pit. His zits, now the size of golf balls, only brought him more discomfort and pain as he waddled around. They covered his entire body by now, arms, legs, face, they even cracked open parts of his carapace to reveal large zits which had been growing underneath.
His three eldest siblings could only watch him wander around helplessly, as they sat clueless to their next move on the couch.
Donnie had taken another blood test from Mikey once they had returned, to see how badly the mutating zits had worsened. And promptly left for his lab afterwards, leaving the others to wait around in silence.
Full of frustration and anger, Raphael turned and punched the beanbag he was sitting on in rage. "I can't believe that fleabag beat us!" He snarled. "Then just when Donnie had em, he got away! I want a rematch!"
"Easy, Raph." Leo interpreted his brothers fit, "Focus on what's important."
"Yeah genius." Miwa sighed. "We need to get that centrifuge for Mikey."
"Yes, we do." Donnie agreed behind them in a hurried tone. He rushed into the living area, with an ice pack still being held with one hand to the back of his head, while pulling along a whiteboard with Metalhead's help, "And fast!"
"His zits are getting more unstable. And if any of them get popped, they could cause a chain reaction." He explained seriously, before tapping the board. "Ala my zit-popping diagram here."
"Trust you to make a diagram on mutagen zits." Miwa joked as her and the others gathered around the board.
On Donatello's board were hand drawn pictures of Michelangelo progressively growing more and more of the larger pimples, until he was basically more zit, then turtle!
And while the others felt disgusted just looking at these pictures, they weren't prepared for when Donnie turned the board around to a giant green explosion with the words 'boom' written inside. Indicating that soon, Michelangelo would be nothing more then a repulsive, puss filled mess.
Staring at the board with horrified eyes, Mikey screamed, "What!? So I pop either way?"
Donnie frowned and grab hold of Mikey's shoulder gently, avoiding any zits in the process. "We just have to keep you safe until I figure out a cure. It's too dangerous to leave the lair." He voiced his worry.
But that only made Mikey's sad pout grow even larger, "But I never got to visit a wax museum, or learn pig latin!" He started to stress. "Or open a mummy's tomb where the mummy comes alive, but he's so cool we form a hip-hop group and travel around the world together in a golden UFO!" He said all in one breath. "I wanna do that!"
His siblings blinked cluelessly at each other, before Raph cleared his throat and walked up to him. "Right... Listen, Mikey." He started and put a hand on his brothers shoulder, in the exact same place Donnie had put his. "We're gonna get that centrifuge. We'll do whatever it takes to fix you."
Mikey's eyes lit up in pure admiration for his big brother, "Wow, Raph! Thanks!" He tried to wrap Raph up in a hug, but the emerald eyed turtle backed away quickly with a look of sudden disgust on his face, leading Mikey to fall face first onto the floor.
The others circled around, and Donnie helped Mikey back up as Leo gets on with business. "Okay, Dogpound and Boxcar. Where could they be?" The leader mused aloud, "The old city dump?"
"Nah, they turned it into a retirement home." Raph said with a head shake.
Leo thought for a while, "The abandoned nuclear plant?"
"Now it's a nursery school." Miwa added.
Mikey shot his hand into the air, "Ooh! What about Baxter's old lab?"
Raph narrowed his eyes at Mikey, "Why would Dogpound capture Dexter and take him to his old lab?" He disagreed, "It makes no sense!"
"See? You guys never take me seriously!" Mikey accused them angrily.
"Yeah, 'cause you do stupid things like this?" Raph exclaimed by gesturing to his brothers pimply form.
Leo whacked Raph's hand away, and resumed his guessing, "Maybe they went to Bradford's Dojo?"
But an answer never came, as Miwa put her hand up to stop them, "Hold on a minute, guys. Mikey might be onto something there?"
Raph and Leo turn to her in shock, "He is?"
Donnie on the other hand seemed to be following her train of thought, "How so?" He asked for clarification.
"Think about it? Dogpound clearly wants Stackman for something, right?" She implied, "Don, what would you say the chances are he's looking for a cure?"
"It's a huge possibility." The genius agreed, "Especially since I was the closest thing the Foot had to a scientist in the American Headquarters, besides Speckman for like a month of course."
"But still, what if Mikey's wrong and Dogpound took him somewhere else?" Leo questioned with stress in his voice. "It's just too big a risk-"
"Leo, we got into this situation for not taking Mikey seriously, right?" Miwa reminded him, "Well I say, let's not repeat that mistake again."
"I say we check out Baxman's old lab." Donnie agreed, "It's the best chance we've got so far."
"But-" Leo began protesting again, he wanted to trust his team, his family, but he didn't know if they could afford such a high risk. If he as leader, could afford such a risk. That was, until he turned to his sister...
One hard glare of her narrowed amber eyes was all it took to convince him not to fight them anymore. "Alright fine then. We'll check out the lab." Leo gave in, and made his way to the Shellraiser, praying to Kami that they were right.
Raph sighed and knocked into Mikey's shoulder on the way to the turnstiles, "You better hope your right about this, Mikey." He snapped in frustration, but his remaining siblings knew that his anger was only from fear of losing his little brother.
Donnie smiled as Metalhead took his icepack and ran off to put his board away. He then gave the bot a thumbs up, before making his way over to the subway car aswell.
Miwa turned to follow, only to feel the bumpy arms of her zitty turtle brother wrapped around her torso, "Thanks Sis." Mikey sighed into her back.
She felt like cringing at the feel of the pimples against her, but her brother's bright, and welcoming affection was always a good distraction, "Of course, Otōto. 'Little Brother.'" She smiled back, patting him gently on the head.
Mikey released his hold on her and ran off towards the Shellraiser with new found determination. "Now let's go get back my centrifudge!"
"Centrifuge!" Donnie yelled in irritation.
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In a dimly lit abandoned warehouse Stockman used as his laboratory, Dogpound enter with said man nervously beside him.
The dog scanned over the giant glass vat in the centre of the room, filled to the brim with that unforgettable green liquid, with a sceptical eye, before growling out, "So a giant tank of mutagen, eh? Planning on making some mutants?"
Baxter wheeled around only to see the mutant had gained several feet in height as he practically breathed down the man's sweatshirt. The scientist scurried backwards, knocking into a few desks in an attempt to put distance between himself and the dog, all while clutching tightly onto the centrifuge. "Uh, yes! A whole army for us to command! Just me and you!" He chuckled out awkwardly and placed the device down on a desk. But Bradford continued to get closer, until Stockman was backed against a board with no escape.
Bradford huffed out a irritated breath, and growled at the scrawny man, knowing well enough what his true intentions for the mutagen were. He turned to face the desk beside him, and glanced over the equipment placed there, giving the human a bit of breathing room.
"Yeah... Um, now, not that I'm complaining, but why are you keeping me alive?" Baxter questioned quietly.
"Tigerclaw wants it this way." Bradford snarled, "Believe me, I still owe you big time for trapping us in your little maze of doom!-"
"So, You've beaten me to the punch and found Stockman, yes?" The Brazilian accent sounded from behind Stockman and Bradford, alerting them to the mutant snakehead fish that had just entered the room.
His robotic legs carried him over to the two men, where he scowled down at the human quivering against the board. "Why haven't you taken this traitorous lump of flesh to Tigerclaw?" He questioned with a scowl.
"I will, after he turns me human again." Bradford stated matter of factly.
The fish gasped in a snarling shocked breath, pivoting back to the human in anticipation. "What? You can turn us human again?"
"Uh, yes." Baxter stutter out, "Yes, of course. My intellect knows no bounds. None!" He chuckled nervously.
"Good. First order of business." Bradford says, grabbing out a large metal collar from his back pocket, and attaching it to the man's neck. And although this collar did not shock the wearer, it did however, contain multiple tiny vials filled with glowing green...
"Is this mutagen!?" Baxter squeaked out fearfully, gently tapping one of the glass vials.
"I call it insurance." Bradford assured him dangerously as he pulled out a tiny button which only just fit into his stoney paw. "Double-cross us and boom! We get to see what you turn into. Some kind of lowly bug, I bet."
While the two henchman cackled away at Baxter's misfortune, five silhouettes moved silently on the wooden rafters above. The heavier mutants of the team took extra care on some of the planks, which looked on the verge of snapping at any given moment.
They stopped above the giant tank of mutagen, and eyed the henchman, as well as the centrifuge keenly.
"Well colour me impressed, Mikey was actually right about something!" Raph chuckles out, and carefully pats Mikey a 'well done' on his shell.
The extra cautiousness in this action was needed, as Michelangelo's zits had doubled in size since they left the lair, to the point that the turtle's body was now covered with large zits on every part of his body.
"Yeah he was." Leo smiled with regret, before turning to his younger brother, "Mikey, I'm so sorry. We should have believed you. We almost made a huge mistake."
Mikey licks his thumb and sticks it into his belt smugly. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time. BUT! I totally called it, Bros." He brags with a grin, "I knew that Baxter and Dogpound would be here hatching a plan. And that Baxter would be wearing a dog collar."
"You knew that he'd be wearing a dog collar?" Miwa snorted out a laugh, as she looked upon said man, who was currently trying to work under the watchful eye of Dogpound.
"Well, maybe not the dog collar part." Mikey admitted and rubbed his head.
"Is that really the lesson here?" Raph asked abruptly, with a slightly afraid tone, "that Mikey's always right?"
"Nah." Donnie smirked, "Just that Mikey's smarter then we give him credit for."
The freckled turtle turns to him with big watery eyes, "Ohhh, Donnie!" He squealed out. Yet as Mikey's voice picked up in pitch, his zits began to pulsate, and the others could only stare in helpless horror.
"Ah! No, no, no, no, no! Please not yet!!" Mikey begged his aching body, and much to his relief, the zits stop pulsing. And everyone blew out a held in breath. "Phew!"
"We've got to hurry!" Donnie exclaimed fearfully, "His zits are becoming so unstable that even strong emotions could set off the chain reaction!"
Miwa nodded, "Agreed. The quicker we get that thing and leave, the better."
"So know we just need to figure out a way to get the centrifuge, without being seen." Leo deduced, thinking their best, and quickest option was to avoid a fight as much as possible. Much to Raph's disappointment.
"Any ideas, Mike?" Miwa nudged said turtle.
"Oh!" Mikey chirped, "Yeah!" He reached back and pulled out his kusarigama blade and chain, before lowering it incredibly slowly towards the ground.
Meanwhile, back on the ground, Fishface was deep in conversation with Baxter. Who for the most part, tried to ignore the ranting fish, as the giant dog's glare was alot more intimidating.
And all three remained clueless of Mikey's chain reaching the table. The blade even managed to accidentally poke Dogpound in the back a couple of times, but the henchman below stayed oblivious too the ninja above.
"If you're going to make him human, then I want to be a man as well!" Fishface demanded, "I want to live as a man, love as a man. Not as a fish. Do you hear?"
Michelangelo gulped nervously and goes to continue again after missing the centrifuge by mere inches. He let's his nunchaku down slowly, until the blade is reaching the device, and hooked under it.
Suddenly, Dogpound whipped round to see Mikey's blade clank quietly against the metal centrifuge, and in the blink of an eye, the enraged mutant forcefully pulled down against the chain. Aswell as Michelangelo still holding onto it.
"Mikey!!" His siblings yelled as he fell, and all four of them tried reaching for him, but missed.
Mikey spun round in the air, and landed down safely and unharmed. Yet while he had lost his element of surprise, it seemed as though Dogpound hadn't noticed the others stood above them. Which they too soon realized and slunk quietly away into the shadows.
"Fool!" Dogpound growled snarkily.
"Don't touch me! I'm highly contagious! See?" Mikey suddenly blurted out to keep the villains attention, and he even added a fake cough to his lie.
"Ugh." Baxter recoiled, earning looks from Fishface and Dogpound.
"So how about I take that gadget and get out of your fur?" Mikey suggested as he rounded the desk.
But just as he was about to take the centrifuge, Dogpound slapped his larger fist against the table, scaring Mikey enough to flinch away from the mutant dog. "I'd rather you stay." Dogpound sneered, "And people think I'm ugly"
He then chucked over the controller to Baxter's collar to Fishface, before slamming his fists together. "Watch Stinkman. I wanna tear this turtle apart myself."
In a single leap, Dogpound jumped onto the desk, and brought his fist down where Michelangelo stood. Luckily, said turtle flipped backwards out of the way, and to the wall. He pulled out his nunchaku ready, and pushed off against the wall and towards the henchman. But Dogpound curled his massive paw into a fist, and just as Mikey got close to him, he punched him in the stomach with such great force, that it sent the smaller mutant straight up towards the ceiling.
His shell hit the roof, before he dropped back down to the rafters with a loud thump. Mikey groaned as he tried to push himself back up, barely having time to realise that Dogpound had practically materialized on the other side of the support beams. And was slowly making his way toward him...
"Keep away from my brother!" Raph snapped as he and the others charged from opposite directions of the beams. Slashing and knocking the dog backwards away from Mikey, who was currently panicking over his agitated zits.
"Oh! Calm down, zits! Calm down!" Mikey pleaded with the gurgling pimples, until they decided to settle down again.
Down below, Fishface snarled, "Idiota! The Hamatos were here all along!" Before running to the wall and using his clawed metallic feet to scale upwards. Landing on the rafter boards and going straight for Raphael.
By this point, the young Hamato ninjas were in a full out fight with Dogpound and Fishface, with Miwa and Leo trying their best to keep The larger mutant away from Mikey, as Raph and Donnie took care of the fish. Leaving Baxter alone to watch anxiously from below, before the man sneakily tried to pry off the collar around his neck.
The mutant snakehead bolted forwards with a hissing intake of breath to take a chomp out of Raphael's shoulder, but was instead met with Raph's fist to his jaw, knocking him backwards into Donnie waiting with his staff. Don twirled the bō in his hand and slammed the hardened wood across Fishface's head, which sent the mutant crashing to the ground.
Raph and Donnie shared a quick momentary victory with a fist bump, before racing over to assist the others.
Meanwhile, Dogpound had knocked Miwa aside, where the girl now clung onto one of the rafter boards for dear life, and had now struck Leonardo in the plastron. Sending him bowling straight into Raph and Donnie, where all three teens fell to the floor with short lived screams. And now, Dogpound was rapidly approaching Mikey once again...
"Easy, D-pound!" Mikey yelled in alarm, taking out his knunchucks ready.
Dogpound swung his fist at Mikey, only to get slapped in the chin by a knunchuck, "Booyakasha!" The turtle cried as he continued his franti
Michelangelo jumped backwards onto one of the rafter boards, having to shift his weight as he felt the wood below him bend and begin to give way. His eyes shot upwards in fear to see Dogpound preparing to strike, and a look of horror crossed his face. "Dogpound, don't!" He screamed.
But it was too late.
Dogpound had leapt towards Mikey, who flinched and jumped aside onto another board, just when Dogpound's fists came down onto the decaying wood, shattering the board in half.
Michelangelo grabbed hold of a weak and loose board, and expected to hear the 'thump' of Dogpound hitting the concrete below, yet instead, as he looked down he only saw two villains, and his still recovering brothers.
A sudden hard stoney paw dug down deep into his shin, causing a little blood to dribble, as his scared eyes followed. Dogpound gripped hard onto Michelangelo's leg and stared down in horror at mutagen tank below.
"Mikey!"
The freckled turtle glimpsed upwards just in time to see his human sister arrive above him, safe on a stable plank nearby. She crouched down and grabbed hold of his wrist, before attempting to pull him up. But with Dogpound's added weight it was a near impossible act. She peered fearfully down as her brother only continued to lower with the board.
And Dogpound, not wanting to get himself mutated for a second time, desperately started to try and pull himself up, shifting the weight of the board, which lead to Michelangelo's fingers to slip, even with his sister clinging onto his arm.
With his grasp fading, and the power necessary to pull all of the added weight and himself upwards going just as quick, Mikey was left with no choice. Not wanting to fall victim to the mutagen, he pulled out his knunchuck and whacked at Dogpound's ginormous paw reaching for his head, knocking the dog backwards enough that his grip on Mikey's leg soon slipped...
His scream was fast, and over almost as soon as it began. Dogpound's blood-curdling bellow followed him straight into the mutagen tank as he plummeted down, sending large walls of mutagen outwards as his massive form fell in.
"Oh snap! Dogs hate getting wet!" Mikey exclaimed as his sister finally managed to pull him up.
"I think that's cats, Mike?" Miwa corrected tentatively, whilst giving the vat of mutagen a long glance.
Mikey and Miwa jumped downwards to join their brothers on the floor, as well as the two villains, who were currently staring in fear at the tanker.
Agonizing gargled screams could be heard inside the mutagen to the seven people watching, all with faces of dread, and horror. Some more so then others...
"Mikey, what did you do?" Donnie asked with wide shocked eyes.
Mikey turned to him blankly and stuttered out, "I, uh-"
A sudden dark, black shadow emerged from the top of the mutagen tank, and landed before the others, rearing it's head back in a deathen growl.
The secondary mutation of Chris Bradford was no longer a bulky dog-like figure, as his altered body now resembled more of a decaying black skeletal werewolf.
His fists were once again the same size, though still larger then a mutant turtle's plastron, and now displayed long boney claws. Incredibly sharp, and long claws.
His shiba patterned coat was now replaced by thick pitch black fur, with his spine and ribs now very visible. His eyes were a haunting blood red, and his fangs were elongated like sharp knives. And covering his head was a large wolf-like skull, clinging onto straps of skin and fur, keeping his jaw and head attached.
To say his appearance was that of a daunting nightmare, was a terrifying understatement...
The secondarily mutated Dogpound snarled ferociously, making everyone in the room on edge enough to back away, before he locked his piercing red eyes onto the pimply turtle. He placed his paw against the walls of the tank, and scraped against the metal with his boney claws, producing an awful screeching sound as he slowly walked over to Mikey, who fearfully took a few steps back.
"Uh, maybe you need a day or two to get to know the new you, Dogpound?" Mikey quipped anxiously, fearful of the approaching wolf who remained dead silent.
But his joke was cut short as Dogpound slashed out an arm and seized Michelangelo by the shell, his whole boney hand was large enough to firmly hold him in place and prevent any wiggle room.
"Mikey!" His siblings yelled and tried to get to him. But Fishface was soon blocking their path, flipping his switchblade around in his hands for show.
Dogpound looked up to the ceiling with a look of pure exhilaration, his jaw slightly agar and his elongated fangs shining in the dim light. "I feel the mutagen coursing through me. I'm faster, stronger, more powerful than ever! I feel like a ninja again!"
The turtle in his hand pouted, and looked at his pimply body. "Plus you don't have zits, which is a bonus." Mikey added sourly.
The wolf huffed out a breath in his face, turning his snarl into a malicious grin. "To thank you for this, I'll make your end swift!" Seconds later he launched Mikey straight toward a nearby wall, where the turtle only had moments to get his kusarigama blade out to save himself from exploding against the walls.
Luckily for him though, his brother had beat him too it, as Raph pulled out a smaller chain of his own and hooked it round Michelangelo's shell. Pulling on it with enough force to send Mikey tumbling to the floor in front of them.
"Gotcha!" Raph reassured him as Donnie rushed ahead to pull the chain off him, checking his zits were not aggravated.
"Thanks guys- Whoa!" Mikey yelped as his startled eyes drifted to his swelling zits. Raph and Donnie held in a breath as Mikey cried, "Steady!" And waited for them to calmed down. Although the pulsing did stop, Mikey could feel how the zits were agitated, and slightly shaking, making him gulp in dread.
Dogpound roared furiously at him, to which Mikey narrowed his blue eyes back in annoyance. "Rawr yourself, you razor-faced dog!"
"Don't ever call me dog!" Dogpound snarled dangerously at the cocky turtle and raised his claws higher, getting ready to pounce.
The corners of Mikey's mouth lifted into a mischievous grin, "You got it,Rahzar!"
To which the newly dubbed Rahzar, produced a deep growling in his throat, like thunder rolling in from above, and launched himself at the zitty turtle.
Yet, just mere seconds away from being torn into bite size pieces by razor blade claws, Raphael's sai came flying through the air, and knocked the wolf's hand backwards off course. Making the canine mutant yelp, and turn with a glare, giving Mikey the chance to scuttle backwards.
"Over my dead body, ugly!" Raph states in a low and warning tone, standing protectively in front of Mikey.
By now, poor Mikey was more zit than turtle. To the point that his eyelids were covered with massive zits and his entire body was hardly seen behind the pimples taking over.
"Oh yeah! Don't mess with the Hamatos, son!" Mikey teased childish.
"You're lucky Raph saved you in time, Mikey!" Leo was quick to scold him in worry, but before he could continue his argument his sister stepped between.
"Guys focus! Mikey's getting worse!" Miwa reminded them as they all looked to the pimply turtle with winces. At the same time, a deafening roar sounded in front of them as Rahzar got ready to charge. "We need a plan!" The Kunoichi stressed.
"I got one!" Raph suggested and slammed his fists together, making a move towards the decaying werewolf. "We smash and break stuff until we get that damn centri-" His words were abruptly cut off with a grunt of pain, as a flash of dark red and shining metal body slammed him to the floor.
"Fishface!" Donnie exclaimed, and ducked away to avoid Rahzar's incoming thrashing claws.
Mikey also had to roll underneath the wolf's arms to avoid him. He managed to avoid aggravating his zits further in the process, before taking off yelling, "Scatter!"
Leo watched as his two younger brothers retreated from the mutant wolf, while Raph struggled to get away from Fishface, who had the turtle pinned down by his shell.
"Miwa, go!" The leader ordered, pointing to the red-clad turtle, "I got Mikey and Donnie." The eldest teen nodded and sprinted toward her hotheaded brother.
Fishface started to press his mechanical foot down on Raphael's carapace, with such great force, that the turtle beneath him began to growl in pain.
Until, the Kunoichi of the group jumped up at the last second, delivering a spinning kick to the fish's head. Knocking him backwards off of Raph, who was now back up and swiping at his chin before he and his sister shared a quick nod and charged once again.
"Backoff, Dogpound!" Donnie warned dangerously with his bō staff already in hand.
"Donnie, his names Rahzar now." Mikey corrected smugly, "Since he got double mutated and all?"
The deep growl resounding behind Mikey and Donnie was enough to shut them up, as Rahzar prepared to slash down on them, only to get jumped at the last moment by Leonardo.
The leader in blue sprung into the air with his katana blades pointed down towards the unsuspecting wolf. But Rahzar's better and acute hearing picked up the exact moment the oldest turtle had headed his way, and the very second his feet had left the floor. Making it all too easy for him to simply pivot on the spot and deliver a swinging punch to the turtles gut. Sending Leo crashing against the furthest wall with a sickening thud, as his shell connected with the solid concrete surface.
"Leo!" The youngest two yelled in unison as they watched the leader get thrown away, as if he weighed the same as a bag of flour.
Seeing that Rahzar's attention was once again on them, Donnie was quick to take a protective stand infront of Mikey, with his bō staff pulled ready across his chest.
However, when the boney, blade-like claws dove down, they were aimed straight for him instead. Tugging the human teen painfully off his feet by his head and into the air, where he gripped the claws to try and loosen the crushing force on him.
"Donnie!" Mikey cried in alarm.
Donnie's eyes widened, but he knew it would only last a few moments before he was thrown or dropped away. He knew Bradford well enough to know he'd never hurt him, no more so then he would in training anyway.
His struggling mahogany eyes strayed upward expecting to see the familiar eyes of his former Sensei.
But the eyes that greeted him back where not ones he had known before...
Those blood red, and practically lifeless orbs held nothing more than cold hatred in them. No light was seen in them, and Donnie couldn't even make out his own reflection. And deep down, he felt something inside of him wilt.
"Donatello." The hoarse and unfamiliar voice of Rahzar breathed onto his breathless face, "I'm going to tear you into pieces, you traitor!"
"W-what?" The brunet gasped as the hand around him slowly tightened, as the other rose up with claws bared.
"Get offa him!" Raphael yelled from above, having climbed up the vat and dropped down, ready to stab at the wolf with his sai.
But Rahzar remained unfazed, with only a smirk on his face. As he used Donatello to smack Raphael away, throwing the human teen at the turtle and sending the two crashing to the floor unconscious.
"Donnie! Raph!" Mikey exclaimed and tried running towards them, but Rahzar was quick to hone in on him once more.
Making his way forwards, Rahzar stepped over a large cable connected to the electronic boards, knocking into the discarded device that the orange-clad turtle was desperately needing. "The centrifudge!" Mikey wailed, and chewed on his lip stressfully, knowing that just one hit to his pimply form could be his doom. But he had to risk it.
He ran for it just as Rahzar charged, sliding under his arm and stopping by the large cable. He managed to scoop up the device, only to get batted away by the back of Rahzar's paw.
The centrifuge clattered to the floor and rolled to a stop just a few meters away from where Miwa was currently assisting Raph back up. And for a second, the two thought they'd be able to nab the device, but Fishface had other plans.
Flying in from their right, he set his mechanical feet to smash into the two teens. But instead, he received Raphael's fist to his gut, knocking him backwards a few feet, where he looked up to see the cowardly scientist hiding in the corner.
"If I were you, I'd get my mousers out here now!" Fishface threatened the wimpy man, making good on his promise, he even flashed the remote to the man's collar clearly in the air.
Stockman nodded quickly and wasted no time in getting his own controller out, pressing it and sending multiple hoards of robots out of the surrounding walls.
Leonardo got Donatello back to his feet, only to shove him aside again as one of the bots launched a laser beam at them. "Great, Mousers!" Donnie exclaimed, and the two shot off the floor and into action.
Mikey screamed as the larger mutant chased him down. He tried to keep a good distance between his zitty shell and Rahzar's claws, but the mutant wolf only continued to gain on him. Eventually forcing Mikey to slink up the wall and hang from one of the rafters above to get away from him.
But the blood red eyes followed the retreating turtle, and a deep growl emitted from the back of Rahzar's throat.
"Guys?" Mikey whined helplessly, his eyes scanned around the room from his high advantage point for anyone able to save him. But Miwa and Raph were currently taking on Fishface, while Donnie and Leo were holding back the seemingly endless horde of Mousers. And Rahzar only continued to get closer, readying himself to pounce upwards. "I'm bursting at the seams. And Rahzar's gonna pop me!"
On cue, Rahzar leapt up and tried to grab hold of Mikey's ankle, only for the turtle to kick him in the jaw and shift up onto the rafter board. He jumped back to the floor, only to be followed uncomfortable close by the wolf, who slammed into the floor hard enough to leave a crack.
Mikey gulped as the canine set it's aim on him, "Not good, not good!" He muttered and backed away. Until his foot hit something behind him. The cable that connected Baxter's Kraang-like screens to the power outlet inside the wall.
Michelangelo gasped as a lightbulb lite up in his brain. "I just sorta had an idea!" He smirked and placed himself infront of the wall, before raising his arms up he began calling, "Here, boy! Good dog!"
Without any hesitation, Rahzar leapt at him with his claws bared, ready to impale the annoying turtle. But as he near him, Mikey took a dive to the side, leaving the wolf to drive his claws straight into the outlet.
It took only seconds before a strong and powerful surge of electricity shot through Rahzar's system. Filling the room with the sounds of his deafening screams and the electric crackles.
"Yeah! You just got shell-shocked, son!" Mikey exclaimed proudly.
"Everyone, to high ground, now!" Donnie shouted, and the teens wasted no time in doing so. Scaling the walls and the mutagen vat, they made their way to the rafters. Where Donnie pulled free his bō once more and hit one of the sprinklers, raining down water on the room below them.
With Rahzar's hand still trapped in the outlet, and his feet firmly planted on the ground, the electric fizzed back to life and shot through him once more. Though this time, the entire floor, now covered in water, conducted the electricity through Fishface, Baxter and the Mousers. The robots short circulated, and exploded, while the human and two mutants collapsed to the floor unconscious, letting off black smoke from having been fried.
"Good work team." Leo addressed them all proudly, placing a hand on Mikey's shoulder.
The youngest turtle groaned and looked at the mess beneath him, "Dude, I'm about to pop and I think we destroyed the centrifudge."
"Don't be so sure." Raph remarked beside him, and flashed the device under his arm smugly.
Michelangelo's eyes gleamed in awe at the sight of it, before he and his brothers and sister took off. Hurrying back to Donnie's lab, and praying they had been quick enough to fix Michelangelo.
Only moments after the teens had left, Stockman stirred in his unconscious sleep. That was until a firm and hard paw grabbed him roughly by the collar, yanking the man upwards and shaking him awake.
Groaning at the abrupt movement and sudden pain in his strangled throat, his frantic eyes shot open to see one piercing yellow eye staring back.
"Baxter Stockman. Your skills are needed once more by the Shredder." Tigerclaw informed him with a arrogant air about him. He looked around the room distastefully, seeing the fried fish and wolf looking mutant in the corner, presuming that was Bradford, he snarled in annoyance. Before producing his claws, and rising them to Baxter's face threateningly, "Do not disappoint him."
TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT
As the Hamatos arrived home, they were immediately met with Splinter, who had been waiting for them in the pit.
As the eldest three teens stayed behind to retell the events of the night to their father, Donnie made a beeline for the lab, dragging Mikey along with him as he went.
Once Leonardo had explained everything, including the new mutation of Bradford, the three were keen to get back to the others in the lab. However, just as they went to take their leave, Splinter stopped them, and told them to give Mikey and Donnie some time alone before joining them.
At first, the three were confused, but they respected their father's orders, and waited outside in the pit. Where Splinter decided to join them in their wait.
While, inside the lab, Donnie had finished adding the needed chemicals together, and was now making his way over to the newly acquired centrifuge.
"How much longer, D?" Mikey practically wept, walking in circles around the scientist, which was seriously ticking him off. But by this point, Mikey could barely be seen beneath all his massive pimples. "I think I'm about to pop!!"
"Then stop moving around so much?" Donnie suggested with a huff. He placed the vial into the slot and set the centrifuge to work. He then pulled up his chair as well as another, and grabbed Mikey by the wrists. Being cautious of his every growing zits, he sat the restless turtle down.
"It'll be finished in a moment, the chemicals just need time to mix together." Donnie reassured him with a smile.
Mikey groaned, but complied with his brothers wishes and stayed seated. Watching aimlessly as the vial spun around in the device.
The turtle glanced over to his human brother preparing some acne pads, and got what he could only describe as 'one of his feelings'.
Sensei had told him time and again that it was his intuition, and that Mikey had a very strong sense of empathy towards others, especially people he cared deeply about.
Meaning he could pick up on the little things quite easily. Like how Donnie seemed to be entirely in his head at the moment, and not in a good way.
"Hey, D?" Mikey asked aloud, but seeing no indication that his brother had heard him, or that he was going to answer, Mikey continued on in the hopes of being heard. "I'm sorry about what happened with Rahzar-"
"It's fine, Mikey." Donnie was quick to answer back, not looking up from his work. Though Mikey could pick up on the fact that he was purposefully keeping his voice steady. "You did what you had to do. And besides, I'm not with them anymore, so it doesn't affect me."
"It doesn't?" Mikey questioned, clearly not believe a word of it.
Donnie shook his head absent-mindedly.
"Don, dude, you know your allowed to be a little upset about what happened?" Mikey said sympathetically.
"What good will dwelling on it do, Mikey?" Donnie sighed and went over to stand near the centrifuge.
Mikey frowned, "Well, nothing I guess?" He answered truthfully, "But like, didn't Rad-Brad raise you?"
"I wouldn't call that raised?" Donnie mulled over the thought, "More like dragged to be completely honest."
"Well, wheather he was a bad dude or not, he was still there for you, D." Mikey declared firmly.
"Please, Mikey." Donnie scoffed with a eye roll to accompany, "He was more of a estranged uncle then a father figure. He was always putting me down in my studies, criticising my projects and overworking me in training. He was more of a strict teacher then anyone I'd ever call family."
"But, you still cared about him, D." Mikey pointed out, before frowning in concern. "I saw your eyes when Rahzar grabbed you. You were... scared." With a sad pout, he looked up to his human brother. "And you've never been scared around him before..."
The teen genius frown aswell, and went over to his chair. "He changed today."
"Yeah man," Mikey nodded in agreeance, "Double mutations will do that to a dog-"
"No. I mean he changed, Inside." Donnie explained carefully. "He always sorta looked at me the same, you know? This familiar look that I know, that I've always known." His mind wandered back to earlier, "But today, after he came out of the mutagen. It was gone." He sighed and sat down in his seat beside Mikey. "He, is gone."
"Was he someone you could go to when you had problems?" Mikey asked with genuine interest.
Donnie thought for a moment, and remembered the many times he had asked Bradford for help over the past ten years. Wheather it was to get supplies for his experiments and projects, or help with his reading and writing in English, or just someone he could talk too when he was struggling with his nightmares, or his eating disorder, or even when the Clan life just became too much, and he needed a break. Donnie then frowned slightly, "Yes..."
"Was he someone you could rely on?" Mikey asked again, and Donatello's thoughts immediately thought of all the times Bradford had bailed him out of trouble with Saki, or even how he had kept quiet about Donnie sneaking off every other night to either go to Murakami's with Mikey, or hangout with the Hamatos.
"Yeah..." Donnie admitted quietly.
"Was he someone who, even if he rarely showed it, cared for you?" Mikey mused with a sad smile. He knew the answer already, but waited anyway.
Donnie didn't need to think of examples for that one, though there were plenty of them. Bradford had always put Daiki before himself, even at the cost of the Shredder's punishments. But the truest act he ever showed, that truly proved his care for Donnie, was how he let him go, to save him...
"Oh god..." The genius muttered and sank slowly into his seat. All those years of feeling alone, and he actually had someone looking out for him this whole time. Someone who cared. And he had had it all along, but just didn't want to see it.
"Mikey...I've lost everything, all over again." Donnie whimpered, drawing his knees up to his chest. "He's gone. Like, truly gone now. And he'll never be the same again..."
"I didn't realise..." He muttered in a wavering voice, "I pushed him away so much!" By now, tears were threatening to fall from his mahogany eyes. "What if I push you away too? Am I going to end up alone-"
The zitty turtle was quick, but careful, to wrap his smaller human brother into a hug, "I won't leave you, D. Not for nothing!" Mikey reassured him with all the conviction in the world. "Not even if you want me to leave. I'll stick to you like gum on a shoe bro!" Donnie was careful when he accepted the much needed comfort, and sank his face into the crook of his neck.
"And you got Leo and Miwa too." Mikey added as an afterthought, before waiting another moment in silence. "And Sensei."
"And I suppose you have Raph too?" Mikey shrugged, "But I wouldn't really want him."
Donnie laughed at his brother's antics and felt the heavy weight on his shoulders and heart lift greatly. Mikey always knew what to say, and he truly considered himself blessed to have him as a brother. "Thanks, Mikey." He said, placing his hand on the turtles pimply arm wrapped around him. Though the thought of his brother, or more so his condition, quickly brought him out of his mind.
"But, please don't hug me." Donnie said with a chuckle, and slowly began to push the zitty mutant away, "I think I'll puke."
"Oh, my bad." Mikey smirked. He then paused and started to flail his arms in Donnie's face, coming closer and closer, while acting like a zombie. "But you took too long!" He whined, "If only I had the antidote!"
"Stop it!" Donnie yelled, and pushed him back into his chair. Where Mikey fell over onto said chair and pretended to die, including sounds of gagging and coughing, before he slumped over dead with his tongue out. The brunet shook his head, "Your so overdramattic! It'll done in a minute."
"But a minute too late!" Mikey muttered dramatically, and both teens let out a burst of pure laughter.
"A minute too later for what?" The two looked up to see Raphael stood by the door with his arms crossed, before he made his way in followed by Miwa and Leo.
"What are you two goobers laughing about?" Miwa smirked at her younger brothers.
"Uh, nothing." Donnie answered with a grin.
"Just messing around, Sis." Mikey added with his own smug smile.
Just then, the centrifuge chimed and slowed down it's spinning to a gradual stop. Donnie was quickly hovering over it and pulling free a vial of dark blue liquid. He separated three acne pads onto the desk and added just a splash to each, before turning round and calling, "Antidote's ready, Mikey."
The human barely a second to get out of the way as Mikey dove onto the desk with grateful tears in his eyes "AAH! Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme!" He hastily snatched them all up, and began vigorously scrubbing them all over his body.
As the others stood by and watched as the zits miraculously started to fade away, Leo couldn't help but grin at a sudden realization. "Did you have to put the antidote on those acne pads?" He asked with a chuckle.
To which Donnie gave him a gap-toothed grin back. "No, but it is hilarious!"
Mikey jumped up in amazement, now completely clear of all zits and bumps. "It worked! Look at me!" He cheered and began posing playfully, "Yeah, boy! I'm super cute again. Whoo! Unh!" He then joyfully ran to Donatello and picked him up effortlessly in a bear hug, leaving the teens legs dangling off the floor. "Thanks, Donnie! You're the best!"
The doors to the lab opened once more, as their father walked into the room, a pleased smile on his face when he saw his now cured son. He then approach his youngest mutant son, "I must commend you on your resolve, Michelangelo." He said warmly, "You thought you needed to improve yourself, but you had everything you already needed inside." He placed his paw onto his son's plastron, right above his heart. "In here."
Mikey beamed at his father's praise, before turning smugly to his siblings. "See, guys? Who was right about Baxter's secret hideout, huh?" He began, oblivious to his Sensei shaking his head with a smirk. "Me. Yup."
"Hah, you just got lucky." Leo replied smiling.
"Oh, no, Mikey!" Donnie suddenly exclaimed, "You- you have a zit forming on the end of your nose!"
Mikey's baby blue eyes went wide in fear, "Are you kidding me?? No!! WHY?!?!" He started to cry loudly. But as he quickly examined himself, and heard the laughter coming from his amused siblings, he realized he had been pranked.
Furious, Mikey let out an enraged growled."Donnie... I'm gonna-!" He yelled and lunged for his siblings, knocking all four of them over, and into a dog pile.
Their father shook his head with a smile, and not for the first time, took pride in seeing his young teenagers laughing and smiling together.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you did, please leave a review! I love to see people's thoughts and opinions on this fic!
Till next time! 3 \(•v•)/
