HEROES IN A HARD-SHELL, Part 2 of 2:
"Out of the Shadows"
Previously...the Turtles ventured to the surface for the first time ever, did some sightseeing...and ended up in their first real battle, where they saved some people who were in danger. But now the people they were saved from are looking for some payback...
The next morning, Zach was feeling better than he had yesterday. He'd gotten up an hour earlier to take care of something...namely, making his own bandana, like those turtle guys had!
"Hey, how you feeling?" April asked while she was getting ready.
"To sum it up...better than I did before," Zach responded as he finished putting the eyeholes in.
"That's good," April replied while putting breakfast together.
Zach rolled up his new mask and stuck it in his pocket. "And I am ready for breakfast!" he added as he came into the kitchen.
"I managed to make toaster waffles and bacon," April revealed.
"You can have the bacon," said Zach as he snagged some of the waffles.
"Okay," April agreed as she took the bacon and put it on a sandwich with peanut butter and jelly.
Zach winced. "Honestly, I don't know HOW you can eat that," he mused.
"Oh it's actually not bad." April assured him. "The peanut butter is just extra protein and has been proven by food critics to work well with bacon and I've had jelly on bacon biscuits before, so it works."
Zach shrugged before he ate his waffles, and after that, they headed off to school.
Oh-kay...this time, things change, Zach told himself on the way there. Today is a new day.
As they went inside to get to their lockers, Zach decided to be cautious—after all, he didn't know if his was booby-trapped again or not. So, pulling out his ruler, he slid it inside and prodded around a few times to check if anything was set inside.
Fortunately, there was nothing there. With that, Zach turned the dial a few times until he got the locker open.
As he did, he was able to get everything he needed peacefully. "Hm...looks like I got lucky today," he mused.
"He's planning to get you later," Angel revealed as she stood off to the side.
"Hm?" asked Zach. "Is that right, then?"
"Yeah," Angel confirmed.
"What, did you overhear him or something?" Zach asked.
"Yes..." Angel replied. "Since he likes to keep me close most of the time, I hear everything."
Zach fumed. "...did he let slip where?" he inquired.
"Your locker at the end of school," Angel revealed. "Said that morning and lunchtime were too predictable now."
"If that's the case, I'll just bring everything with me," Zach decided.
"Or set a trap for him instead?" Angel suggested.
"Alright, that works too," nodded Zach. "But what?"
"We'll expose him," Angel said as she held up a flashdrive.
"Now THAT'D be great," riposted Zach.
"I have videos and recordings of all of his plans and whenever he made the pranks," Angel explained. "I even included evidence of his blackmail against me."
"Way to keep on your toes," complimented Zach. "In a situation like this, it's called for."
"Exactly," Angel agreed.
"Anyways, I guess I'll get to class now," said Zach.
"See you later," Angel said while heading to class as well.
MEANWHILE, IN THE SEWERS...
The Turtles were in a class of their own. And by class, I mean they were in a training session.
"Today, we are focusing on balance," explained Splinter. "A true warrior finds it in all things."
The turtles all nodded as they prepared for balancing. They each chose a position, what they would be balancing on, and got ready to begin.
Each of them got into position, as Splinter set the timer. "And...hajime!" he exclaimed as he started the clock.
So as the countdown began, the turtles all did their best to focus on their task and remain balanced. However, a few minutes later, they all had growling stomachs.
"Sounds like you're kinda hungry, Leon," smiled Raph. "Wanna call it quits?"
"Nah," Leon replied. "Besides, I hear YOUR stomach growling!"
"We're all hungry, since Splinter had us start before breakfast." Don pointed out as they smelled food being cooked in the kitchen.
"Yup," said Mike.
"Can confirm!" Kahlo chimed in.
"You may eat once everyone has fallen, but for now remain as you are." Splinter advised.
"Hai, sensei," the turtles responded as they continued to sweat it out.
It was a difficult time as they continued to balance. Sadly it didn't help that Splinter was tempting them by bringing in a few pieces of food.
Mike swallowed heavily, and tried to maintain his focus...but it was really hard—especially since it was breakfast pizza fresh out of the oven for breakfast. Usually pizza wouldn't be enough to tempt him, but breakfast pizza was something else entirely and it was driving Mike crazy.
Cheese...scrambled eggs...is that hash browns I smell?! Mike groaned inwardly as he began grinding his teeth together.
"Croissant crust, eggs, cheese, bacon, tater tots to fit the place of hash browns on the pizza, and plenty of ham slices." Splinter listed off the ingredients on the pizza. "And not all of them are the exact same."
"Damn it..." groaned Raph. I freakin' LOVE ham! "Shell, I forfeit!"
So he dropped off and went to snag a piece, but Splinter pulled it away. "You may partake...when the others are finished," he informed him.
"UUUUUGH...!" Raph groaned. "Fine."
"That was just cruel," Don said before he received a notification informing him that he needed to download something important within the next five minutes. "Oh, no."
Do I stay the course? Or do I diverge?! Don thought. Keep going, or forfeit?...ah, nuts.
"Forget this!" Don exclaimed as he jumped off and scurried away.
"Two down." Splinter declared.
"And then there were three~" Whiskers smiled, intrigued by who else would be next to drop.
The senseis watched the remaining students closely as they were struggling. Leon managed to center himself as well as Mike and Venus, but they were starting to feel it.
Sweat was beading on their brows, and it was getting harder to stay upright.
"Oh! I must not forget the freshly-squeezed orange juice." Whiskers mentioned and made both Mike and Venus fall over.
"Blame thirst?" Mike asked.
"Exactly." Kahlo agreed.
Last down was Leon, who jumped down from the perch.
"Giving up?" Splinter asked as he stopped the stopwatch. "10 minutes and 37 seconds."
Leon shrugged. "Everyone else was done," he replied.
"Maybe so, but the task was to see how long you lasted," Splinter reminded him. "So even though the others were done, you could have continued for until you were done on your own."
"...oh," nodded Leon, a bit embarrassed.
"Well, we all make mistakes, so we'll try again later," Splinter assured him. "For now, breakfast time."
Leon bowed, and left the room as quickly as he could.
MEANWHILE, AT CHANNEL 6 NEWS...
Ronnie O'Neil was in her dressing room, taking a break between news reports. She was clad in a full yellow-skirted suit with a skirt that reached mid-thigh. Her jacket was open to reveal a tucked white blouse and black belt for holding up her skirt. As she rested on the couch in her dressing room, she took her heels off to relax her feet.
"Only a few minutes, but it's a few minutes I can use." Ronnie said.
Granted, delivering the news was rewarding, but it really took a lot out of her.
Of course, she didn't get long to enjoy it—because she received some very unwanted company knocking on her door.
"Who's there?" she called.
"Uh...fanmail from some flounder!" responded the individual behind the door.
"Coming!" Ronnie called as she got up, put her heels back on, then she went over and opened the door.
Of course, the second she opened the door, she was immediately assuaged by a few of the Purple Dragons, and in disguise, no less.
Two of them tied, gagged and bagged her, while one left a disk on the dresser, marked PLAY ME before leaving with their cohorts.
Zach was on his way to lunch in the cafeteria. He was still on his guard, but his confidence hadn't wavered.
"Hey," Angel said as she was nearby.
"Heya," replied Zach. "...anything happen so far?"
"He's waiting for the end of the day," Angel revealed.
"Figures," said Zach. "...you wanna sit with me and the others?"
"Well, I guess I could." Angel ended up agreeing.
"It'll go a long way in smoothing things over," said Zach as he led her over to the table, where Caitlyn and Tim were seated.
"Hey, Zach!" Tim greeted.
"What's she doing here?" Caitlyn asked, noticing Angel.
"Look...I'm trying to smooth things over with her," said Zach. "I know, it sounds crazy."
"I was just checking," Caitlyn replied. "I had a feeling that she might try to make amends eventually."
"Yeah...she was responsible for some of them, not all the pranks," said Zach. "But we're going to work on resolving it."
"Good to know," Tim responded.
"It'd be better if it works out," Zach replied as he sat down and started eating.
"Absolutely," Caitlyn said as she secretly knew something important about this moment.
While they ate, an announcement came over the intercom. "April and Zach O'Neil, please report to the front office."
Zach raised a brow. "...I didn't even do anything!" he remarked.
"That's not her "you're in trouble" tone," Tim pointed out.
"For the sake of this mission...I hope not," responded Zach as he got up. "I'm ready to plead innocent, if the case calls for it."
And with that, he left. Soon he and April made it to the Principal's office.
"Hey, Principal Campbell," greeted April. "So...what seems to be the problem?"
"You had better sit down," Principal Campbell advised. Both siblings heeded her advice and took a seat. "This isn't easy to say, but something's happened to your mother."
April looked shocked, and Zach was one step ahead: mortified.
"...what do you mean?" April asked.
"Apparently your mother has been kidnapped," Principal Campbell explained. "There was a message left behind."
Perhaps if sensing her brother's distress, April put a hand on his shoulder. "...could we see the message?" she asked.
"I was sent a copy," Principal Campbell said as she pulled out the disc. "Are you sure you want to see it?"
April gave a firm nod in response. "May as well know who we're dealing with," she added.
"Very well." Principal Campbell agreed as she played the video.
On the video were a few of the Purple Dragons, flanked by a big, bulky blonde guy with a buzz cut and a dragon tattoo on his right arm.
"This one goes out to the punks who decided to play hero and challenge the Purple Dragons," he said. "Well, you're gonna learn what that gets you. Either come to the Kuan Ti Cookie Factory tonight, or Veronica O'Neil will be signing off for the last time."
Zach and April watched the whole thing and were shocked. Principal Campbell turned it off and sighed.
"In light of this, I am sending the both of you home early," Principal Campbell explained. "I'll send word to your teachers and write up your excuses."
"...thank you," replied April. "C'mon, Zach."
She took her brother's hand and left the office.
Over with the turtles, they were doing their own things, when suddenly a breaking news bulletin came up.
"For those of you tuning in, we regret to inform you that our regular roving reporter, Ronnie O'Neil, has been kidnapped, for lack of a better term," the reporter explained. "She's been missing for two hours, and this message was left in her dressing room."
As the turtles suddenly gathered around the sofa, they saw the same video message from earlier.
"Those stinkin' creeps!" Mike fumed. "Why is it that scumbags always want payback for being put in their place?!"
"Does it matter?" asked Raph. "Any suggestions on what we should do, fearless leader?"
"First, we focus on what this guy did," said Leon. "Why would he want to kidnap a reporter for our actions?"
"...maybe she's connected to those other teens we saved yesterday?" Mike suggested.
"I'll look into it," Don said as he got out his personally made laptop.
"How do you know that lady, Mike?" asked Kahlo.
"I ran into her yesterday at the Channel 6 building," replied Mike. "She kinda looked like that April girl."
"The chances of them being related are high," Don said as he found some information. "Veronica O'Neil does have three children, two biological and one adopted."
"So, maybe we could try and find them again?" asked Raph.
"They're currently in school, but we can wait outside," Don advised. "No doubt they'll be let out early due to the situation at hand."
"Sounds like that's what we'll have to do," Leon advised.
"...alright, but let's make it—how do I put this?—not creepy," Mike stated.
"Yeah, guys, let's not embarrass Mikey in front of his girlfriend," Raph smirked.
"I know what you're doing, and first, quit it," Mike replied. "Second, don't be dumb. I barely even know her."
"Don't fight during a crisis," Leon advised. "If they're getting out early, then we'll be able to find them on the way over."
"Fine, fine," said Raph and Mike.
"Let's go ahead and get the disguises on," said Kahlo. "What're we going with this time?"
"Basic hats, jackets, and pants will do," Leon advised. "We're traveling via rooftops."
"Fine by me," nodded Venus. "Got a location on the school, D?"
"Yup!" Don replied.
"Then send it to the phones, and let's haul shell," Venus replied.
Don nodded, and sent the information to everyone's shell cells and then they got ready to go. Once they were dressed, they left the lair and headed towards the surface. Next, they got to a rooftop and began venturing towards Roosevelt High.
Back at school, Zach was heading towards his locker. And once again, he pulled out his ruler and checked around by waving it through the door vents.
So far nothing happened. He was beginning to doubt that it was booby trapped.
Maybe things didn't go off, he thought as he started opening his lock.
Once the door was opened a small metal bucket, that was being held up by a magnet, dumped the water it was holding.
The contents poured out, splashing all over Zach and his things.
"...well, there it goes," he said, incensed.
"Ohh, yeah!" Johnny exclaimed, laughing his ass off. "Talk about being 'washed up'!"
At that time, lunging at Johnny would've felt like the right thing. Punching him right in the mouth would've felt like the proper thing. Pummeling him would've felt like the smart thing.
.
.
.
...but it wasn't.
Sometimes being the bigger man tended to stink.
Zach just sighed and turned to leave, discarding his drenched things as he did.
However, Angel stopped him. "Wait," she said before they suddenly he heard a familiar voice.
"Johnny Phillips, I have been shown evidence of your constant pranking and blackmailing!" Principal Campbell said as she approached Johnny. "You're coming with me!" she declared as she grabbed Johnny and took him with her.
"Ah! Hey!" Johnny shouted. "You can't do this to me!"
Angel waved smugly as she watched him get taken off into the office. "I sent in the evidence." she revealed.
"...so I see," Zach responded.
"I heard about what happened to your mom," Angel mentioned. "Apparently Johnny knew something about it."
Zach raised a brow. "...is that right?" he asked, his fists tightening. As if I didn't have enough of a reason to bash his face in...
"Once he heard about the revenge plan, I overheard him mention knowing the mother of two of the kids that were saved," Angel explained. "That's how they found out about your mom."
"That stinking piece of—" Zach fumed, his face turning red.
"We'll get him later." Angel assured him. "I owe him for years of blackmail."
"And I owe him a fist in the mouth!" Zach added, still sore.
"I also got a pass to leave school," Angel revealed.
"Yeah?" Zach asked. "...how so?"
"After revealing what I had, I was technically suspended for a week for doing the pranks to begin with." Angel admitted. "However, it's only one week because of how I was willing to turn myself and Johnny in."
"...thanks," replied Zach, after some hesitation. "Let's go."
Angel nodded as they left.
Once they exited the school, they met up with April. "So, what exactly do we do about this?" asked Zach.
"I don't know..." April admitted. "I kinda wish we could find the heroes from yesterday."
"You're not the only one," replied Zach. "If only there was some way to contact them."
Suddenly a note fell down on top of his head. He picked it up and unfolded it.
Come to the rooftops if you want our help, we can't be seen in the open.
"Looks like we have a destination," said Zach. "To the rooftops."
"Sounds reasonable." April agreed.
"Huh?" Angel asked.
"C'mon!" Zach said, as they headed off to the nearest rooftop.
Soon, all three of the humans had reached the top of the roof, and looked around.
"So this is the place?" asked Angel. "Hopefully whoever invited you shows up soon."
"Behind you." Leon's voice said.
"Alright, let's see who—" Angel said, before she turned around. "HOLY EMPANADAS!" she exclaimed, bewildered, as she fell down.
Zach was surprised to say the least. "...and here I thought nothing could shake her!" he commented, almost looking like he was stifling a laugh. Sure, they were on tumultuously better terms now...but that had felt a tiny bit satisfying.
"Sorry if we startled you," said Leon.
"Yeah," added Mike. "We know we're not exactly pleasant to look at!"
"Are you kiddin'?" asked Zach. "You guys are great! Personally, I've never felt a bigger sense of vindication until now."
"We're talking about your mom and the fact that we have to meet like this." Raph explained.
"Ahhh, right," nodded April. "OK, yeah—that is a problem."
"So, who's your friend?" asked Venus.
"Oh, her?" asked Zach. "That is my former-enemy-turned-working-on-friend, Angel."
"Hiya!/Greetings./Hello./Hey."
"So, who are you guys, anyway?" asked Zach.
"It's a long story, but to sum it up?" replied Leon. "We're five siblings who hate bullies, and love this city."
"And if we get to kick some ass while doin' so?" Raph shrugged. "Then that's just fine."
"We can help get your mother back." Leon declared. "But we need help."
"What sort?" asked Zach.
"For starters, we don't know where the cookie factory is," Don admitted. "Its address has been reassigned."
"I guess we could take a look online and see?" suggested Zach. "...unless you already tried that."
"I did, actually," Don confirmed.
"I know where it is, and that there's a secret way in." Angel revealed.
"...how?" asked April. "And that's to both."
"It was one of Johnny's hangouts and the front door is usually locked, so he revealed a hole in the back wall," Angel revealed. "I was forced to visit a couple of times."
"OK, but they said to come tonight," said Zach. "Whaddo we do until then?"
"It's actually a long way from here," Angel mentioned. "We'll be able to get there by tonight on foot unless someone has a ride."
"...I might," replied Don. "Something I've been working on for a little while, actually."
"Then you'd better go get it." Venus advised.
"It's better if I show you," explained Don. "Not exactly something I can 'go and get'."
They all shrugged and had him lead the way.
So, Don led the group to a shed. Once they were all there, he opened the door to reveal...an old, six-wheeled military van.
"Oh...this is awesome!" gushed Mike.
"Well, I needed something to occupy my time before we got to go out," said Don. "And luckily, yesterday I got the last component I needed."
"So, does it run?" Leon asked.
"Let's find out," said Don as he climbed into the driver's seat, and put the key inside. The engine roared to life, and was humming gently.
"Looks like we officially have a ride!" Leon declared.
"Shotgun!" Venus declared as she got into the front passenger seat when nobody noticed.
"Admittedly, we're definitely gonna need more info," said April as she got in the back. "Like, what to call you guys."
Mike scrambled in next to the redhead. "I got this one covered!" he declared.
"Okay," Zach replied as he followed suit. "Who are you?"
"Well, for one, guy in blue is Leonardo, Leon to his friends. King o'the katanas, first to hatch," said Mike.
"I was given the position as leader, so I don't take the "first to the hatch" title." Leon pointed out.
"Hey, according to Dad, you hatched first," said Mike. "Next up, the purple powerhouse, Donatello. One smart cookie who knows his way around machines!"
"More or less." Don replied.
"Up next, the hothead in red, Raphael," Mike continued. "This turtle's got a temper, and an attitude to match. If there's a fight, he's ready to throw down! But on the whole, he's a total teddy bear!...if teddy bears had claws."
"They do in horror movies," Raph pointed out.
"Next is my twin, Venus, aka Kahlo," responded Mike. "Silver bandana, rocking the tonfas and pretty cool."
"Call me whichever you want," Venus advised. "Not a problem, honest!"
"And finally...I am Michelangelo, but just call me Mike!" finished Mike. "The artist, the dreamer, the party dude! Someday, master of the whirling nunchaku...and pretty good with a manriki-gusari, too!"
"Now let's go." Leon said as Don started driving.
"Alright, feel free to start guiding," said Don while he drove off.
"Just follow my directions." Angel advised as she wrote them down and gave Venus the paper.
So Venus read from the paper while Don followed the instructions to the letter.
Eventually, they made it and saw the factory half a mile away. "Let's stop here and sneak over," Leon advised.
After the van was parked, the group disembarked and made the rest of the way over to the factory.
Once there, they saw that the front door was left unlocked.
"Definitely a trap," Leon noted before looking at Angel. "Besides the secret way in you mentioned, is there any other way to enter?"
"There's an old air duct on the side of the building you should be able to get into," Angel revealed.
"Hmm...maybe that could work," mused Mike.
"Sounds better than going through the front door," Raph declared.
"Where they were obviously expecting us," Don added.
"We can pat ourselves on the back later," said Leon. "First, let's get inside."
They all nodded in agreement before heading their separate ways, with the turtles going to the air duct while the humans went to the back entrance.
"Alright...so how far is Mom?" wondered Zach as he and April followed Angel inside.
"Once inside we need to get to the control station, that's where she should be." Angel explained.
Zach nodded, before he grabbed a nearby discarded pipe. After all, he'd definitely need a weapon of some kind.
Then they went inside through a hole in the wall. Angel was first, then Zach, then April and the space was only crawl access. Zach got quite a view of what Angel was born with from behind.
...whoa... he thought to himself as he kept up his pace, though he could feel his face growing warmer.
Soon they got through the vent, although Zach accidentally bumped into Angel. "Careful, it's a bit cramped," she said with a blush.
"...y-yeah...I've noticed," said Zach, clearing his throat as they noticed they were inside a locker room.
After a few minutes, Angel opened the door to look around. She, April and Zach spotted a couple of Purple Dragons walking by before quietly closing the door.
"We'll wait for the turtles to distract them," Angel advised.
"Right," nodded Zach.
Meanwhile, the turtles were still making their way through the air ducts.
"How much further?" asked Raph. "Not that this ain't cozy, but I'm not exactly enjoyin' the sight of turtle tush in my face."
"I think we're over the main area," Leon replied as he looked through a vent.
"Great," said Don. "Now let's get it open."
They opened it up, got out of the air ducts, and hopped down to the floor.
"Good," said Leon. "We made it in."
"Nice to see you were able to make it on time," boomed Hun's voice over the intercom. "Here we were starting to worry Ms. O'Neil wouldn't be getting any company tonight."
"Alright, whatever beef you have is with us!" called Leon. "Why get Ms. O'Neil involved at all?"
"Simple. You chose to interfere with one of my packs," explained Hun. "And I just didn't appreciate that one bit. Every action, you see, has a consequence."
"Yeah, and the consequence of this is your stupid flunkies getting their ugly asses kicked!" Raph shouted.
"I'm gonna level with ya," said Hun. "I didn't expect anything as crazy as this. Martial artist turtles with ninja weapons. Still, I could probably make some serious bank selling you freaks for dissection."
"No way, dude!" Mike shouted. "We're bringin' you down, and bringin' you in!"
"Nice attempt at a joke, pipsqueak," replied Hun as some doors opened. "But let's see if you can back it up."
"Weapons out, guys," Leon said as he drew his swords.
Raph readied his sai, Don unsheathed his bo, Venus pulled up her tonfa, and Mike drew forth his nunchaku.
And from all around them, came dozens upon dozens of Purple Dragon thugs and punks.
"Well...looks like we might have our hands a little full," said Raph. "...okay, big cheese, got a plan for us?" he asked Leon.
"Mainly to go for the nerves and maybe their empty heads." Leon suggested with a shrug. "They might have the numbers, but they're still street punks, while we're ninja."
"...alright," shrugged Raph. "But I'm definitely gonna make the most of this."
"DRAGONS!" bellowed Hun. "...rip 'em apart."
With a collective shout, the Purple Dragons all attacked the Turtles in waves, and the quintet sprang into action! They immediately fought in defense as they blocked whatever the Purple Dragons were using. The turtles even managed to knock a few down in the first wave.
Leon moved with precision, disarming a thug with a swift slash before spinning to deflect a pipe aimed at his head. With a powerful kick, he sent another thug crashing into a rusty conveyor belt. Twirling his staff this way and that, Don managed to disarm a few other Dragons and tripped some of them up as well.
Raph was practically on a warpath as he knocked a few thigs down and even managed to slash their belts and dropped their pants, thus causing them to trip over their own feet. Still, he couldn't have been happier. Here he was, getting to go as close as he could to all-out as possible!
Mike was deflecting attacks with his chucks as the Purple Dragons surrounding him kept trying to punch him. "Ooh, nope! Dat's-a no good! Sorry, Charlies, but no dice! Ever heard of 'three strikes, you're out'?"
As that happened Venus ended up fighting the female members. "Is this rigged just because I'm a girl?" she asked.
Three of them just shrugged in response.
"What a stupid question!" Kahlo relented. "A fight's a fight."
And so, she knocked each of them down.
As the fighting happened, Angel led the O'Neils to the control room. "Right this way," she said, beckoning them further ahead.
Zach and April continued forward, moving closer.
"It's probably locked," noted April.
Angel pulled out a bobby pin and picked the lock. "Problem solved," she declared, stepping back as she got the door open.
So Zach and April went inside the control room. There was their mother tied up, but unharmed.
"Mom!" April exclaimed.
"Hang on, we'll get you out," said Zach as he moved towards his mother.
"Zach?" Ronnie asked. "April?"
"Yeah, it's us," said April as she started untying the rope. "You're probably wondering how we found you."
"That is on my mind, yes." Ronnie admitted.
"We had some help," said Zach, gesturing to Angel. "...this is Angel. Not quite friends yet, but we're working on it."
"I think I know about her," Ronnie mentioned. "Yes, I remember now, her father is a foreman going through a transition into womanhood. I did a story on it and everything."
"Ah, cool," Angel replied. "Nice to meet you."
"Honestly, it's quite impressive you made it here," said Ronnie. "But what about the Purple Dragons?"
"Actually, we didn't come alone," Zach smirked.
"We have other help," April pointed out. "Some unusual help, but help nonetheless."
"Once we make it outta this...I'll introduce you," Zach added.
"Sounds fair to me," Ronnie agreed as they started to leave.
As they left the room, back on the ground floor, the Turtles had finished their confrontation with the Purple Dragons.
"Well!" Raph commented. "That wasn't such a chore, now was it?"
"Just wait," Leon advised. "The real grunt work is about to come."
"Very impressive," boomed Hun as he made his way down to the ground floor. "I see you've really put my crew through their paces."
As the Turtles got a good look at him, they could very clearly see that Hun was at least seven feet tall, towering above them.
"...anyone else feeling stunningly less confident than they did five miinutes ago?" asked Mike.
"Not really/Nope/No chance/I'm still good." The others admitted.
"It's all about strategy from this point on," Don declared.
"Just gotta find the right one," Leon pointed out.
"...so it's just me feeling it, then!" Mike shrugged. "...greeeat."
"We're just focusing on our objective," Raph pointed out. "Do that and you won't be too worried about anything else."
"If you won't make the first move—I will!" Hun declared, as he swung, and smacked Mike, sending him flying across the room into a bunch of crates.
"What are the odds?" Raph asked.
"I'd rather not think about that..." Don admitted as they got into defensive positions.
Hun turned around, a sadistic smile on his face. "Alright...who's next?" he asked, shaking his wrists and getting ready for another go-around.
"Gonna have to go by the numbers against him." Don advised.
"Attack at all directions." Leon said as they split up.
Hun smirked as he watched them go. "OK, then...come at me one by one," he declared. "It'll be more fun that way."
Suddenly, Leon led the charge while Don attacked from behind. Hun grabbed a discarded pipe and used it to block Leon's swords, but took a hit from Don's staff.
"One on one is only for honorable fights, thugs get the numbers," Leon declared as he kicked Hun in the shin before backing away. "You alright, Mike?"
"Yeah, big bro..." Mike grunted as he pulled himself out of the crates. "...I'm fine! All good!"
"It's attack by numbers." Leon advised. "We can't let up on him."
"Right...I can do that," said Mike as he got his manriki chain. "...and maybe hold him back, too!"
They charged back out as Raph and Venus distracted Hun for an attack from Don and then from Mike.
Don jabbed and swiped at Hun, while Mike swung his chain and lashed it around Hun's left arm, then secured the other end to a girder. Venus managed to kick Hun in the gut before Raph socked him in the chin. Then Leon kicked Hun in the chest.
"Cowabunga!" Mike exclaimed as he got his nunchuks out, and brought them down on Hun's head when he doubled over.
"Keep it up!" Leon said as he hit Hun's gut again to keep him down. As he did, Hun strained and began to pull his trapped arm free.
"Back up!" Leon called out as he pulled back from the attack.
The other Turtles withdrew as Hun got his arm free, bursting the chain like it was made of paperclips.
"Aw, bogus!" Mike exclaimed, wincing.
"Gonna have to alter our strategy a bit." Don advised.
"Yeah, good luck with that," said Hun. "Too bad I won't give you a chance."
And so, he charged at them like a wrecking ball. The turtles had to be quick on their feet as they moved around and even ducked into their shells a few times.
They managed to avoid Hun, but they had to put him down for the count.
"I'm gonna try something!" Mike said as he stood firm and put his shell out.
"Is he nuts?" asked Venus.
As the fist swung, Mike held his breath and braced himself for impact.
Please—let this work...
K-K-K-KRUNCH!
"GGGGAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Hun exclaimed, clutching his broken hand.
"Hey! Sweet, I lived!" Mike exclaimed as he opened his eyes.
"Of course!" Don exclaimed. "Our mutated shells are much harder than that of a normal turtle's!"
"Which means that we're literally heroes in hard shells!" Raph stated.
"Well, okay then!" Mike said as he got to his feet. "Let's take down Goliath!"
"Let's put a shell on this lizard!" Leon said as they charged at Hun.
"GO, GREEN MACHINE!" they exclaimed.
Hun roared and charged at them in return, but as he did, they turned around and let him hit their shells.
CRRRUNCH!
Hun howled in agony once more, as he felt his other hand break. As he did, Venus and Mike went for his knees. Two more crunches, and Hun went down for the count, writhing in pain.
"So, did we win yet?" Mike asked.
"Considering that he can't get up, yeah," Leon replied. "Flip him over."
Don and Raph pushed Hun over onto his back.
"This is your one warning," Leon told Hun. "If you ever go near the O'Neils again then not only will we bust you up again, but we'll make sure you never fight again."
"You stinkin' freaks..." grunted Hun. "...who the hell do you think...you are?!"
"We're the ones who just handed you your ASS on a silver platter, that's who!" Raph retorted.
"And we'll do it again, if you don't stay away," Venus added.
Hun groaned in agony as he passed out from the pain.
"Let's take off," said Leon. "But make sure the boys in blue know that they're here."
"Already sent an anonymous tip." Don revealed.
"Good work, Don," Leon responded as he led the others out a window and up to the rooftop.
A while later the cops arrived and the turtles were watching from afar.
Soon, Hun and the Purple Dragons were carted off, in cuffs... although Hun was on a stretcher as he was taken away.
As the turtles were watching, the O'Neils and Angel arrived on the roof and joined them.
"Oh, hey!" Mike waved. "How's it going?"
"Alright for us, but I think my mom might need a moment." April admitted.
"Turtles?" Ronnie asked.
"...naturally!" Mike responded.
"We ain't toads, by the way," said Raph. "Note the shells!"
"How did you end up like this?" Ronnie asked as she examined them.
"That's a long story," said Venus. "You sure we have the time?"
"Actually, I might have an idea about how it happened, but I need to find some notes." Ronnie admitted. "For now, thank you for your help."
"You're welcome," said Leon. "We were glad to help."
"And kick some butt while we were at it," Raph chimed in.
"So I see," Ronnie replied. "If you ever need anything, please let me know."
"Noted," said Leon.
Don gave Ronnie a small, shell-like device. "Just in case you need to contact us," he explained.
"We'll send more once Don makes more, so each of you can have one of your own." Mike assured them.
"Whoa, really?" Zach asked. "Awesome!"
"It'll be more helpful if you all have one." Leon advised before he checked the time. "We'd better get going now."
"Yep!" Venus added. "It's just about time for dinner!"
"Any chance we'll see you again?" Angel asked.
"I do believe so," Leon assured her. "Since you know all about us, I'm sure we can all hang out."
"I'd be so down for that!" exclaimed Zach.
"Me too, little dude!" Mike responded.
"We'd better get going," Raph advised. "See ya later."
And with that, the Turtles took off, heading back to their van via the rooftops.
Then the O'Neils and Angel headed back to their own homes.
"Maybe I don't have reporter skill," shrugged Zach. "But...that's okay, I guess. You and Mom already have that covered. Just need to find out my thing."
"Everyone has their own thing," Ronnie assured him. "So don't worry if you can't do what we do."
"...sure, Mom," Zach replied after some hesitation.
"On one positive note, you have six new friends." April mentioned.
Zach perked up a little. "Yeah...I guess I do," he replied. "And so do you!"
"Yeah..." April agreed. "And maybe you'll get to enjoy more views of Angel."
Zach coughed, his face going a bit red. "...yeah, I guess that wouldn't be so bad," he responded.
April and Ronnie both noticed and smiled at one another.
BACK IN THE LAIR...
The Turtles returned to their train-station lair.
"We came, we saw, we totally thrashed!" Mike exclaimed as he did a somersault over the turnstile.
"And we kept a family together," Leon pointed out.
"Plus, we put some scumbags away for a long time!" Raph chimed in. "...ah, what the hell. I feel like celebratin'!"
"Then it's a good thing that we prepared for it," Whiskers declared.
Curious, the Turtles made their way further inside to take a look. To their amazement, they found a bunch of mini pizzas of various flavors, and Splinter was waiting for them at the table.
"When we first came to New York, one thing that caught our eye was the various pizzas they could make," Splinter revealed. "So we spent all afternoon and evening making homemade mini pizzas to celebrate not only you all going to the surface, but also all the good that you are doing there."
"Gosh...we don't know what to say," commented Leon.
"I can think of two words," suggested Don. "Dig in!"
"Now THERE is a brilliant idea," Whiskers smiled.
And so, the Turtles began to partake in their little feast to celebrate their triumph that night.
"I think I can figure out one other word," said Mike as he swallowed. "COWABUNGA!"
ELSEWHERE...
Hun was stuck in the prison medical ward as he was in casts for his broken bones.
Well, this is just great... he glowered. I'm stuck here, cooling my heels...and all because of those freaks!
From a nearby window, a cat seemed to be watching him. After a while, it grew bored and strolled off into the shadows nearby.
Then, a young woman emerged from the shadows, giggling in anticipation at eventually meeting the ones responsible for Hun's condition.
For the time being, Hun decided to rest and bide his time. After all, he wasn't exactly flush with options. He'd have to wait for his revenge...but he'd have enough time to plan for it.
Alright! I finally got Part 2 done. Let's hope it takes only half as long for me to finish the next chapter. I just wanted to make sure it was ready for visual consumption, you know.
This time, I'm gonna finish up my TMNT series and I won't let anything happen to it—who knows? I might have it pitched as a new series someday.
Next time, our good guys in green receive some new roommates—and discover something that might relate to their past.
See you in the sewers!