Trust in the Shadows

The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman

Alyssa's POV:

It's pretty quiet tonight here in the lair until Donnie cheers in excitement from his lab.

Donnie: "I did it! I really did it!"

Leo: "Did what?"

Mikey: "Invent pizza that doesn't get soggy in milk?"

Donnie: "I finally made it. Retro-mutagen, you guys! The key to turning Mr. O'Neil human again. And you, too, Sensei."

Splinter: "Human once more? Save April's father first, and then I will consider it."

Splinter walks off to the dojo while Mikey grabs the beaker of retro-mutagen.

Mikey: "Ooh! What if I turned myself human again? I wonder what I'd look like."

Raph: "We were never human to begin with, genius. We'd just turn back into turtles."

Donnie: "Plus, I've only got enough for 2 doses. One for April's dad and one for Master Splinter."

Leo: "Can you make more of this stuff?"

Donnie: "Yeah, but it takes 10 canisters of mutagen to refine just 1 tiny dose of retro-mutagen. And I don't have any left. But at least we can find your dad and change him back, April."

April: "I'm just speechless! Thank you! Thank you so much, Donnie! You're the best!"

April pulls him in for a kiss on the cheek, to which he responds with a goofy grin and crashes into his desk.

{Time skip}

We've managed to track Mr. O'Neil and are standing atop a rooftop across the street from him.

April: "Dad."

Leo: "Alright, April. Hang back. We don't wanna rile up your dad like last time."

April: "But I can help. I can calm him down."

Raph: "Last time you tried that, he took you to his nest and tried to feed you dead rats."

April: "Good point."

The turtles and I deploy our grappling hooks and cautiously approach Mr. O'Neil.

Leo: "Alright, we gotta do this quick. Raph & Mikey, we can't let him escape. Donnie, spray him fast."

Donnie is about to spray the retro-mutagen when something from behind startles him, alerting Mr. O'Neil of our presence. As a mutant fly approaches us from above, he flies off into the night.

April: "Dad, no!"

Stockman-Fly: "Sentimental human! Give me the retro-mutagen now!"

Leo: "Another mutant?"

The fly lunges for the vial, but Donnie leaps onto him simultaneously.

Donnie: "No! Get your claws off that vial!"

The turtles and I leap into action, but the fly drops the vial, and it breaks over the hood of a parked car. Then, Stockman-Fly takes April as a hostage.

April: "Let me go, you ugly germ farm!"

Stockman-Fly: "Silence!"