April and the Ninja turtles
Chapter 4
"No… My son, what have they done to you?"
Splinter's cries were unbearable for April O'Neil, who stood there, witness to her own massacre after the explosion of her fragmentation bomb in the mutants' lair. In her chest, her heart clenched uncomfortably in the face of this disturbing and almost sickening situation. She was the one who had caused their suffering, and yet she stayed, helping them as if to atone for the unforgivable, just to ease her conscience.
But she had to pull herself together and set aside her guilt for now—there was a mutant turtle to treat. Taking a deep breath, she laid Donatello on several blankets and cushions, then helped Splinter back onto the sofa, closely watching his injuries.
The rat had grown quiet, simply observing the human as she stitched the multiple wounds on the right arm of his unconscious son with the purple bandana.
Unlike what she had imagined when Splinter had first told her about mutant turtles, the one before her was very different. A shell on his back, a plastron, green skin, scales—yet he was in no way frightening or repulsive, unlike what such a description might suggest. A slender humanoid body, his musculature harmonized with his frame, showing he could protect those he loved with his staff. Even though, right now, it was hard to imagine given his condition…
Silently, April gently wiped the blood from his wounds with a cotton pad, disinfected them, and then bandaged them. His entire right arm was shredded and broken—he would need a sling to immobilize it while his bone healed on its own. She moved on to his sleeping face, where a large scar ran from his temple down to his cheek, his purple bandana soaked in blood at that spot.
To avoid waking him, she carefully removed his glasses and placed them to the side to better access the wound. His breathing was irregular, though less agitated than when she had bandaged his broken plastron.
April couldn't stop her scientific instincts from analyzing him in detail, wondering how his body functioned, what kind of mutation he had undergone, and so on.
She grabbed an old piece of cloth lying nearby and gently tied it around his injured arm to support it, making sure it didn't rest under its own weight. She was then pulled from her thoughts when Splinter broke the silence.
"Thank you, April, for saving the both of us," said the old rat sincerely, placing a paw on his injured abdomen now that Donatello's condition had stabilized.
April tossed the soiled cotton and bandaged the mutant's head before getting up to wash her blood-covered hands in the sink.
"I couldn't just leave you like that," she replied while scrubbing her hands, the water in the sink turning red. Sensing a certain tension in her voice, Master Splinter's tone shifted into something more serious.
"How did you find us?"
Narrowing his eyes, he waited for her answer, suspicious.
It was true—how could a young human be in this abandoned district at the exact moment their hideout exploded?
Her throat tight and hands trembling, April froze mid-motion and turned off the tap. She still didn't know what these mutants were capable of—or if they were even friendly. After all, they had always been mistreated by humans since arriving here, especially with the experiments they'd endured in Stockman's lab. If they found out she worked for that very man and had built the bomb…
She didn't even want to imagine what they might do to her.
But… I don't want to lie to them, she thought as she closed her eyes.
"I…" she began, turning toward the rat lying on the couch, her gaze falling to the floor as she searched for the right words.
"Argh…"
Donatello suddenly groaned, breaking the heavy atmosphere.
"Donatello, my son, you're awake!" exclaimed Splinter with joy, his face lighting up with a relieved smile. The conversation with April was put aside for now.
On the ground, the mutant turtle emerged from an uncomfortable sleep, pain acting like a sharp reminder of what had just happened.
Hissing through his teeth and placing a hand on his broken plastron, he looked around, as if searching for something. Then, his golden, suspicious eyes settled on the human who had saved their lives. He propped himself up on one elbow to feel less vulnerable.
"Master, are you okay?" he asked his father, turning to him and placing a hand on his paw, checking the bandages he'd been given.
April was surprised that this Donatello had such a pleasant voice, even if his suspicious stares sent chills down her spine…
"I'm fine, my son. Now that you're here, I feel better," Splinter assured him tenderly, patting the back of his hand before looking toward April with gratitude. Donatello followed his gaze.
"Who are you? Why are you helping us?" he asked, looking her straight in the eyes, his furrowed brows making it impossible for her to remain indifferent.
"I-I'm April!" she replied in surprise, taking a step forward, but instantly regretted it when she saw the turtle tense up.
He's… afraid of me? she thought in disbelief.
A large, muscular mutant like him, afraid of a frail human?
That realization made April feel uneasy.
What did I expect? I'm a stranger to them, she thought, averting her eyes with a sad expression.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you…" she said sincerely, then continued,
"I'll leave you alone, and I won't tell anyone. But if you ever need me again, I left you my number. Call me, and I'll come."
She smiled, hoping it looked convincing, despite the questioning looks from both mutants. Then she left, carefully avoiding debris in her path.
She could feel their eyes burning into her back but didn't turn around.
Looking defeated, she entered her tiny apartment and flopped face-first onto her bed with a sigh.
This day had been strange and exhausting.
She had blown up a sewer junction, met a mutant rat and turtle, treated them… and then left without a second glance, as if it were all normal.
I should've done more… she thought with another sigh, just as her phone buzzed in her pocket.
Springing upright, she sat up and eagerly checked the notification, hoping it was from the mutants. But her expression changed completely when she read a message from Baxter Stockman asking about her progress in the enemy's makeshift lab.
"Our enemies…"
April frowned before tossing her phone onto the bed. She fell back and stared intensely at the ceiling as if it were that despicable man.
"Stockman…" she growled, clenching her fists as she imagined all the horrible things she wanted to tell him.
That she didn't agree with how he funded his experiments.
That he had used her to create a weapon.
That he had discarded his own "problematic" test subjects like trash.
With a sudden gasp, April sat up again, frantically looking around.
"The mutants!" she said aloud, grabbing her phone in panic and quickly replying to the twisted scientist.
If I don't bring anything from the lab, Baxter will get suspicious and might come look himself. He could find them and lock them up again. I have to find an excuse, she thought while typing rapidly before he noticed anything.
"I'll bring you everything I found tomorrow evening," she wrote and sent, then sighed to release the stress, hoping it would be enough.
Don't disappoint me.
That was the only message she got in response—a terrible threat hidden behind just a few words.
She was just an ordinary young woman, freshly graduated from Brooklyn's science university, full of hope for her future at T.C.R.I., led by her idol.
But her dreams collapsed when she discovered that the man she admired so much was, in fact, corrupted—driven by dark, malevolent goals.
Without realizing it, she had been dragged into this dark path.
Now, she had mistakes to fix and a truth to reveal to the world.
The road ahead would be long and full of obstacles—but now she had a purpose, and nothing would stop her from doing what was right.
But first, she needed a good night's sleep.
Within seconds, she drifted off under the weight of all the stress and the overwhelming discoveries of the day.
…
The next day, April returned to the sewers where she had left Splinter and Donatello.
But when she arrived, they were completely gone, leaving only a blood-stained bandage behind.
Her chest tightened with fear—had they been captured too?
The thought added to the heavy guilt she was already carrying.
If they had been imprisoned because of her… she'd never forgive herself.
Scanning the area, April decided to search for them, getting lost in New York's vast sewer system.
Using her phone's flashlight, she illuminated the grey water, pinching her nose as she waded through water up to her knees.
A faint hope that they were still out there, somewhere, kept her going until the end of the day.
No sign of them. No sound. Nothing.
Was it all a dream?
…
Back at the T.C.R.I. tower, April O'Neil was determined to uncover the truth.
Splinter had mentioned three other mutant turtles imprisoned in the same building—she intended to find their cells and free them.
The problem was, she had just started at the company and only had limited access.
So, for now, she could only scout.
Walking through a spotless hallway, she ran her hand along the right wall, inspecting the security system.
She tried a random code on a keypad, and to her surprise, a green light blinked—the door unlocked.
Shocked that it was so easy, she cautiously opened the door, glanced around, then peeked inside the windowless room.
April gasped when her eyes fell on a figure at the back of the room.
Donatello was there, curled up on the floor, and slowly raised his head to give her an accusing stare.
At that moment, an alarm blared.
Stockman and a group of scientists stormed in, catching her red-handed.
"O'Neil, I knew I couldn't trust you. Your father would be very disappointed," Baxter sneered with disdain before ordering his men to grab her and throw her into the sixth empty cell—one that had been waiting just for her.
"No! Let me go!" she cried, struggling violently—but it was no use.
Two men held her firmly as the scientist approached with a syringe containing green serum.
"You're just in time. I needed a human test subject."
With a wicked laugh, Stockman injected the mutagen into her neck and stepped back cautiously.
Screaming in pain, April transformed into a mutant turtle under her boss's cruel gaze as he relished her suffering.
Then—
April woke up.
Lifting her head off her desk with a small snort, her mind was still foggy from the strange dream.
Her hair messy, she looked up at her coworker who had just brought her a hot cup of coffee and was now staring at her.
"Sleep well, sleeping beauty?"
The man in front of her looked to be in his thirties, with a short beard, piercing blue eyes, and shoulder-length dark hair.
He wore a burgundy tank top under his white lab coat like all the others, his badge reading: Jones, DNA researcher.
Running a hand across her sleepy face, April sat up and placed her palms flat on her cluttered desk, then took a big sip of the coffee her colleague had set down.
"Thanks. I really needed that," she said with a deep breath, her dazed eyes searching for something in the piles of scattered papers.
"Partied last night or what?" teased her scientist colleague, placing a hand on his hip while savoring his own coffee.
No, I just spent my evening walking through the sewers looking for two injured mutants who are being hunted by our boss, she thought sarcastically, finally getting her hand on her damned phone hidden under a pile of paperwork.
"Yeah, something like that," she replied vaguely, checking the latest notifications on her screen, hoping that an unknown number might be asking for her help—but nothing, to her great dismay. She let out an exaggerated sigh and ran her hands through her hair, pushing it back.
"Mr. Stockman still not back?" she asked, lifting her green eyes toward the man who was still standing there, as if waiting for something. Baxter had been gone on a trip for two days without notifying anyone. April was beginning to worry that he might be suspecting something.
"Nope." His answer was short, but it was enough for April, who drifted into her thoughts, the fatigue carving dark circles under her eyes.
"Say, O'Neil," the thirty-something began, exaggerating his tone as he said her name, slowly looking her up and down. He leaned closer, resting a hand on the desk so only she could hear what he had to say. This bold approach made the young woman nervous—her mind jumped to the worst-case scenarios. Did he know about the fragmentation bomb? Or the mutants? After all, he worked here too—how could he not be aware?
"How about grabbing a coffee with me tonight, just the two of us?" he asked in a flirtatious voice, raising his eyebrows and giving his best charming half-smile. April bit her lips, resisting the urge to burst out laughing at this completely unexpected request. She had never seen anyone flirt with her so bluntly, with so little restraint.
"Uhm…" she began, lowering her gaze to the hand resting on her desk—right on top of a file she had stolen from Stockman's office. If he saw it, she'd be in serious trouble if he told their boss, and then her whole plan to rescue the three turtles would be ruined.
"Alright!" she said quickly, placing her hands over his in a rush, successfully covering the file underneath and redirecting his attention back to her.
Surprised by her overreaction, he assumed he had underestimated the power of his charm. Taking one of her hands in his, he allowed himself to plant a kiss on the back of it before winking at her and leaving the small office.
"Six o'clock, I'll be here!" he called out with a charming smile, pointing his index finger in her direction before shaking his silky hair and disappearing down the hallway.
"Phew!" she sighed with relief, collapsing onto her desk with her arms sprawled out in front of her. She really needed to be more careful with what she was doing—this was a matter of life and death. And yet, now she had one more problem to deal with on top of everything else.
Jones, she thought, annoyed that she now had to keep an eye on him and pretend like everything was normal.
…
To be continued…