Sailor Moon X Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles and the Hare

ACT V: SEWER SURFIN'

ACT V: SEWER SURFIN'

Chapter 102:

April O'Neil and her intern scrambled for higher ground, gasping at the sight of a rising wall of harbor water. They abandoned their production equipment, running deeper into the park before the giant wave came crashing down on them and hundreds of park goers. Screams of panic filled the air as the surge obliterated the chess tournament, knocking over chairs, tables, and game boards set up on the grassy field.

The fleeing women became separated, swallowed up by the strong current. Rei swung her arms in a mad panic, unable to see a foot past her face in the murky seawater. Her friend... or perhaps former friend... Ami Mizuno was a skilled swimmer, but she never had a talent for it. The riptide pulled on her body and she was losing the battle, no matter how hard she fought against it. She was in danger of getting swept out to sea and would soon drown. A fitting death, considering the way she had treated Ami earlier today.

The disgusting water filled her lungs. Her flailing arms weakened until she felt a violent tug, forcing her head to break the surface. Rei half expected to find herself in the grasp of the handsome war veteran that she had interviewed earlier, but much to her surprise, it was April O'Neil who held her, bracing against a tree trunk for support.

"Are you alright?" April asked after enough of the harbor water receded.

"I... am... okay..." the distressed Rei hunched over. Her long black hair dripped while she coughed up more water. A disgusting aftertaste lingered in her mouth, and she shuddered at the thought of all the pollutants she had inadvertently ingested into her system. "You saved me from drowning. Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me!" April pointed her hands at the orange ferry boat drifting upstream. Dozens of police and coastguard ships with blaring sirens surrounded the vessel. Helicopters hovered over the park as a tug boat dragged the ferry closer to the dock where medical personnel and other officials rushed to render first-aid. "Did you see those two girls on the ferry? They threw some kind of flash-bomb into the water and diverted the course of the boat. Had they not done so, the ferry would have crashed and killed everyone onboard!"

"Yes, I noticed them too." Rei was hesitant to reveal anything about her fellow Sailor Senshi to her yellow clad mentor. "I wonder who they are."

"Me too, let's investigate!" The excited April nodded. "What a great story it will be for the network! Imagine if we can get footage of those mysterious heroes!"

"But we lost all of our equipment!" Rei gestured to the ruined staging area. Their cameras and other tools remained trapped underneath a pile of metal and wood from the collapsed stage. Even if they could recover some items, she doubted they would work after being submerged.

"Don't worry about that!" April reassured with a smile as they made their way down the muddy path. "I keep a backup camcorder in the news van just in case a situation like this arises. Lesson number one: always have a contingency plan!"

"That won't be necessary!" Vernon Fenwick interrupted with his intern Freida alongside him, struggling to wheel a large case loaded with production gear along the slippery pavement. "It looks like the authorities have canceled the concert due to this foul attack. Mr. Thompson has informed me that we are to cover this top story and investigate those despicable criminals that nearly drowned you."

"Those girls weren't criminals!" Rei barked back at the obnoxious reporter.

"Hmmph. How do you know? Are you in league with them or something?" Vern snorted. "Such disrespect and blind ignorance from today's youth."