Total Turtle Transformation (TMNT Book 4)

With Baxter Stockman

I woke up the next night by Reiley moving a little. It caused a chain reaction because I sat up, then Reiley flipped out, throwing a ninja star at me, then me catching it and throwing the same one back.

“Whoa! Whoa!” Reiley yelled, dodging the star. “Naomi!”

“Reiley….” I breathed, laying back down, holding my chest, then looking at her. “Don’t throw a ninja star!”

“I’m kinda not used to someone in my room…” she pointed out.

“Get used to it,” I snapped, getting out of bed.

Dogpound walked in, glaring and growling at me. “Shredder wants to see us.”

“We always go to him first thing when we wake up, Bradford,” Reiley growled.

“But she don’t know that,” Dogpound said, looking at me.

“I do know.” I said, tapping my temple. “Mind reader.”

“What am I thinking of?” he growled at me. His mind just kept screaming at me, ‘Tell Shredder the truth you freaking Turtle!’

“Well that’s not very nice,” I sighed, crossing my arms. “I have been telling Shredder the truth.”

His red eyes widened a bit, then his ears lowered as he glared at me. “Fine… But he needs you now…”

Reiley and I followed Dogpound to the main room of the chapel. My stomach felt funky and I casually looked down before looking back up as I heard Shredder’s metal boots coming up to us.

Baxter was following behind Shredder as he turned to us mutants. He looked at each of us as he spoke, “You’re going to get something the Kraang have. You will retrieve it and bring it back.”

All of us bowed and said simultaneously, “Yes, Master Shredder.” It was weird for me because I was so used to saying Sensei and Master Splinter….

As I stood back up, a sharp pain in my stomach made me pause as the others turned around. Shredder looked at me and I looked at him, looked casual and turned around, following the others.

The only one who noticed was Reiley. She came up to me and asked, “You okay?”

I shook my head, “No…”

She looked worried, “You can wait with Baxter while the rest of us fight if you’d like.”

“I have to wait with her?” Baxter asked, overhearing us talk.

Again, I shook my head, “I’ll think about fighting….”

Reiley nodded and jumped to the roof. Baxter and I took the stairs. I didn’t feel like jumping currently. We followed the others onto one roof and I felt eight familiar minds in the distance.

Baxter got out his binoculars and looked down, explaining the Fishface and Dogpound about the Disrupter. I sat down near the back of the roof, trying to calm down. Eight minds thought and two thought about me, which meant they could see me.

After a little bit, Dogpound threw Baxter by me, Baxter slamming into the glass of the building. It didn’t shatter, which was surprising. He muttered something against Dogpound, then Fishface came up and stomped on him, snapping at him.

“You should thank us for letting you live,” Fishface growled.

Baxter glared at Fishface before clapping his hands together, “Thank you for letting me live.”

Fishface nodded and went back to the edge with Dogpound and Reiley along with a dozen other FootClan soldiers. I stayed where I was, closing my eyes and concentrating. Even though my stomach was doing flips and other things, I controlled it enough for later. Not now… Not now…

“Why aren’t you joining them?” Baxter asked me. I opened my eyes and saw the others gone.

I shook my head, “Friends are down there and I’m not wanting to go back…”

“You were the nice Turtle, right?” he asked. “Naomi, correct?”

Nodding, I looked at the edge, hearing the fighting taking place. It echoed in my ears for some reason. My senses were heightened… Why? I didn’t see the battle, but I can tell where everyone was.

As I searched through the minds, I saw through Leo’s eyes a Kraang point the Disrupter at Mikey. Without thinking, I found Mikito and made her tackle Mikey out of the way.

Coming back to the roof, Baxter’s mind was thinking of an evil and excellent plan. Excellent because it involved perhaps getting rid of Dogpound and Fishface, but evil for getting rid of the Turtles.

“I’ll help with your plan,” I said casually.

He jumped, turning to me. “You are a mind reader….”

“It’s not that hard,” I admitted. “You get used to it after a while.”

“So, you’re not going to be tricked?”

Chuckling, I got up as I heard sirens coming. “I’m never tricked.”

Baxter got up as well and looked down, seeing nobody, and looked at me for help. “Now what?”

“They don’t call me Ninja Naomi for nothing,” I shook my head.

“They call you Ninja Naomi?”

“No…” I muttered. “I just made that up. They call me a Fortune Cookie instead.”

Then with quick movements, I lunged at Baxter and grabbed him, jumping across roofs back to the chapel before Reiley and them could beat us. We made it as they were opening the doors to the place.

I jumped down and set Baxter down. He wobbled to his footing before he walked in. My stomach was playing with me again, and I knew this time I couldn’t stop it. A little scared, I ran into Reiley’s room and closed the door, laying on the bed and taking deep breaths.

That’s when I started screaming in pain.