Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Half Heart Hero Spiritbound

Chapter 5

Eric Sack's estate was a few miles north of New York City. It was an imposing compound nested in the mountains. April was telling Vern everything as they drive to the road across the mountains. She told him that she had been researching about the experiments her father worked for Eric Sacks, the Kanji symbol and the turtles that saved her and Shirahara's life. She told Thompson about the turtles, but her boss did not beleive her. "And that's what I told Thompson and she fired me," she finished.

"So they're aliens?" asked Vern, raising an eyebrow.

"No, that's stupid. They're reptiles. They help people, I guess," April sighed.

"Come on. It's not that crazy. I... The animal kingdom is full of... I used to have a dog that could moonwalk," said Vern. He dropped in April to a nice mansion. It was huge, plenty of nice stuff, colored peachy yellow in the paint.

"Thanks for the ride, Vern," said April.

"Yeah. No problem. Nothing better than dropping off a pretty girl at a rich guy's house," said Vern as he drove off.

Though spring had warmed the city, snow and ice still clung to this area. April shivered in her yellow jacket as she approached the front gate. She gave her name to the guard at the security booth, and eventually, the gate slid open. April followed the winding path to the front door.

She was surprised when Eric Sacks opened the door himself. "April's arrived early this year."

"I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, Mr. Sacks," said April as she entered inside.  "I've been working on a story. And I have this theory that there are these vigilantes that are fighting back against the Foot and this girl, Shirahara Hamato woke from her coma after a car accident six years ago. I think you and my father may have created them," she told Sacks.

"Uh, I'm not sure I..."

"Can you please tell me everything that you know about Project Renaissance?" she asked.

"Well, um, it was a dream. A dream that died with your father," replied Sacks.

"What if it isn't dead?" April asked again.

"That's impossible," said Sacks. "We lost all our research in the fire, all our specimens, everything. I've spent the last fifteen years trying to replicate the results."

"You didn't lose everything in the fire," April told him. She took her cell phone out of her pocket. On the screen was a blurry picture. Sacks starred in surprise, his eyes widened in recognition. He'd spent the past fifteen years trying and failing to duplicate Dr. O'Neil's experiments. Now the results of that experiment were right before his eyes. All four experiments alive all this time. 

"This can't be real."

"It is real. I saw all four of them," said April.

"Do you really want to know about Project Renaissance and the story of the magical warriors?" asked Sacks.

April nodded her head. He pushed her into a spacious room softly lit with candles. The walls were decorated with beautiful Japanese folding screens. The artwork of the screens illustrated a terrible time in the history of Japan.

"I was born in Japan, at a military base in Okinawa. My father went to Vietnam. Didn't come back. I was an outsider in a foreign land. A freak. I was a powerless and helpless boy. Until a local sensei took me under his wing. And he saved me. Taught me lessons that I later shared with your father. Ninth-century Japan. An evil warlord ruled the land. He poisoned the water supply, bringing on the dark ages. Death and disease and suffering ran rampant. Not unlike the Foot Clan and what they'd like to do to our city. Then one day, a hero arose. A great alchemist discovered the antidote to the warlord's poison and it came from four people with brilliant powers. They are all female, born with a gift with special blood in their veins, and taught the way of the warrior. The cure-all for his evil. Your father and I were trying to recreate that cure-all. We developed a mutagen capable of stimulating self-repair on a cellular level."

"What were you going to do with it?" April asked. 

"Imagine New York City being victim to a chemical attack. This mutagen would be able to reverse its effects. It would save the city, it would save the people. Those test subjects, those turtles, running in their blood is the last of this precious mutagen along with their souls, heart essences capable of their powers. And up until a few moments ago, I thought we failed. I thought they died in the fire. How... How could they have lived?" he said to her with amazement.

"Because I saved them," she said, trying to hold back her tears.

"Of course you did. April, the mutagen possesses powers beyond our wildest hopes. Whatever resources you need, I'm here," replied Sacks. "Let's work together. We'll find them. The course of human history may depend on it. I'll show you out."

After that, Sacks guided April to the front door of his mansion. He pressed a card into her hand. "Please contact me if you need any help or you think of anything I can do for you," Sacks said, "Together, we will find those turtles and complete your father's work."

Sacks descended into the winding tunnels beneath his mansion. They led to a secret room and laboratory. He knew the passages by heart.

In one dark corner, he located a panel and slid it open. He stepped into a hidden dojo and addressed the powerful figure that knelt at the center of the room. "Why are you here, student?" the voice of Shredder spoke.

"There's been a miracle. The vigilantes who've been causing us so much trouble? They're the test subjects. Those itty-bitty box turtles that we thought we lost in the fire? They're alive, Master Shredder. And they've grown into something powerful. It won't be easy to capture them, but if we can, we can finally carry out the plan that we had all those years ago."

Shredder turned around. "She told you where they are?"

"Not exactly," Sacks said, "but she will be. I'm preparing a squad to capture them. Soon, we shall have everything we need to proceed with our plan."

The master nodded. "My Foot Clan will have unlimited power. And you will have your money," he said.

He did not impress easily, so this slight motion of approval was massive. Sacks was deeply pleased that he had satisfied his sensei, the teacher who had guided him since he was a boy in Japan. "The city will be ours. Find them. O'Neil's daughter was the one who found them and she will be the one who will take us right to them," Sacks spoke. "Fortunately, our engineers have been making great progress in refining the robotics in your armor. We're taking it to the next level, bridging the gap between ancient tradition and modern warfare."

Again, the Shredder nodded. He was ready to lead his army, the Foot Clan, against the Turtles and to destroy New York City. Shredder would be unstoppable.  Once the army is being led, Sacks headed to the main lab to talk to his lab workers. "Prepare the containment units. Inside those turtles is the most precious compounds on Earth, mutagen and their souls. And we will drain every last ounce of their blood to get it."