"Bzz..."
Baxter Stockman soars down towards his desk, past a giant spherical orb of glowing mutagen hanging the centre of the room like a dangerous chandelier. The fly scientist lands next to his work station, his pixelated eyes examining a tiny vial of pink liquid in his claw.
"A little more arthropod DNA and thizz might create a pozzible retro-mutagen," he buzzes, his antennae twitching.
"Stockman."
"Ah!" He jumps, nearly dropping the vial.
He snatches it back to his chest and spins around just in time to watch Foot soldiers throw Master Splinter into a large cage, Shredder watching without a word. The rat growls and snaps, clawing at the glass. Stockman flutters over to his master and touches down, still clutching the vial.
"I want you to restore Hamato Yoshi's mind," Shredder tells the once-human scientist. He pauses to watch his enemy glare at him. "I want him fully aware of who and where he is before I finish him off."
Shredder tosses the fly a chocolate bar before turning and stalking away, cape swishing. Splinter scurries away to the corner of the cage.
"Yezz, mazzter," Stockman buzzes. He turns and retches acid onto the food and starts to slurp away at it hungrily.
----------
The turtles and their friends dash through the sewers, eyes focused on the path ahead. They slow to a stop and peek into a tunnel, where two Foot soldiers stand at attention near a metal hatch that will lead them down to Stockman's new laboratory.
Raphael takes out a smoke bomb, nodding to Leonardo. He returns the gesture and slowly readies his katanas.
Raphael leaps out and chucks the bomb, sending a cloud of purple smoke up in the bots' faces. Leonardo rushes forward and disappears into the cloud, metal ringing in the air. When the smoke clears, Leonardo crouches behind them, katanas still held in attack position. After a second, the robotic ninjas crumble to pieces. Destiny's eyes sparkle with admiration as the blue-masked turtle straightens up and sheathes his katanas. Diaval rolls his eyes.
The rest of the group emerges from hiding and goes to join Leonardo. Donatello pulls out his t-phone and kneels next to the secret hatch, tapping away with a pensive look on his lean face.
"I'll have this baby open in no time," he promises. On cue, the door beeps and pops open with a slight hissing sound. He looks to his companions and smiles proudly. "Like a turtle do."
"Pat yourself on the back later," Raphael says. "Let's move."
Destiny tenses and sniffs the air, her ears swivelling. "Is that...seafood?"
"You smell seafood? Where?" Michelangelo asks, bouncing in place.
Casey notices a menacing shadow approaching from before them and points. "Um...there, maybe?" he asks.
The shape gets closer. The clanking footsteps get louder and the silhouette gains more definition. Michelangelo gasps and crouches into a defence position.
"It's Shredhead," he whispers.
The Shredder comes into the light, but the moment is ruined when they realize that it isn't Oroku Saki. It's a tiny, armoured mutant with pink skin and glowing red eyes. It looks like Shredder, but the antennae and tiny stature deny it the joy of being intimidating.
YOU ARE READING
Forest Mutation (Book Two)
Fanfiction"In Saskatchewan, when I couldn't fall asleep, I'd watch the moon and think about how across the country and over the border, you were probably out on a rooftop beneath the same moon. You were the first person I enjoyed the moon with. Every other ti...
