Always a Turtle (TMNT Book 6)

The Rise of the Bloodsucker

Everyone besides the bio-droid and Kraang cried out, "No!" As the last canister of mutagen fell out of the Stealth Ship and into the city, my eyes widened in complete shock, wondering what different kinds of trouble we'll be running into from that experience. I shook my head, not even wanting to think of how many mutants would be running around the streets of New York now.

"Mikito!" I paused then looked over to Mikey, Soph, Julie, Raph, Donnie, and Leo struggling with the bio-droid again. I lunged forward while trying to get one cord away from Leo's face that had the saw. Turns out it was the one Sophie slashed earlier and it finally fell off with a dull thud.

Leo nodded at me and looked behind us. Donnie was hopping everywhere swinging his Bo staff while Julie was finally done with her bow and now using a knife to defend herself. I tried to get the other saw chord cut but it kept dodging my swings. It finally wrapped around my arm and swung me away, making sure that I wouldn't try for it again.

As I was getting up I heard Donnie shout, "It has butt-cannons?! It has butt cannons!"

"Look out!" Sophie cried, rolling backward and out of the way.

As soon as I saw a pink laser go past my head my eyes widened. This wouldn't end very well. Naomi wouldn't like this new invention at all. Within seconds all of us Turtles and single fluff ball were hopping around to avoid getting hit.

Julie got hit on one of her scaled arms. All that there was from her injury was a smoking arm but nothing serious. She was angry at getting hit so she growled and dodged all the cannons and made it to the front of the bio-droid where she slammed the knife blade she was holding in the chest of the droid. Nothing happened with the droid but Julie was grabbed and tossed to the still open compartment the Mutagen canisters fell from. "Little help!" she huffed as the same foot that hold me down did the same to her.

Sophie, Donnie, and I went to her rescue. Raph, Mikey, and Leo were still trying to distract the bio-droid's butt-cannons. It was an interesting experience to say the least. Kraang were starting to have a better sense of amusement. Butt-cannons. Who would have thought? But Donnie was trying to raise the ape's foot while Sophie and I were kicking and jabbing our swords and trying anything else that would make the droid move over. Donnie finally swung his Bo staff at the other foot, making it loose balance and hobbling off Julie. We all helped her up, Julie dusting her fur off.

As soon as we got her off and the bio-droid nearly tripped, Donnie pointed at the two Kraang that weren't on the ape's head and growled, "Mikey! Drop those Kraang!"

"Done and done!" Mikey grinned, putting his nunchucks away. He grabbed a few ninja stars and threw them at the Kraang. The stars hit the floating Kraang and their equipment started to short circuit a little, making them fly everywhere. I had to duck and Julie hissed as one hit the back of her shoulder. She grabbed it and threw it out the still open compartment hole on the floor. Sophie kicked the other out as well.

When both Kraang were out of our skin, the Bio-droid started to get up again. Donnie went to the control center while the rest of us continued to fight off the blue ape. A stab here, a dodge there, and then a sudden fall when the Stealth Ship maneuvered too quickly. We were all thrown on one side of the Stealth Ship and then to the other. I looked over to see Donnie having his staff jabbed into the console of the ship and yanking his staff side to side as we were thrown across the ship. So that's why.

"Donnie!" Sophie hissed at him as she tried to find her footing. But again she fell as Donnie turned his staff. "Would you pick a side!"

"Fine!" He shouted. "New course then! To the moon!" He pushed his staff down toward him.

My eyes widened as he did so because the bio-droid was right in front of Mikey. We all fell, but I slammed my feet into the now vertical floor and pushed out to push Mikey out of the way of the blue ape. We fell in the place where the Mutagen was, clinging to the holders that were meant for the canisters.

When the floor wouldn't move anymore, we all lunged at the bio-droid again, focused this time. Julie and Mikey distracted the droid from the front, making sure to hit the Kraang brain head. Raph and Sophie went toward the back to keep it from turning around or get its footing. Leo and I were running up from behind Mikey and Julie, done with the mess this mechanical invention has been causing us. I hopped over Mikey, using his shell as a higher place to jump from, and grabbed the Kraang brain, pulling it out a little. Leo came up from behind me and slammed his Katana blade into the control section of the bio-droid that was under the Kraang brain. The droid short circuited and we all stood back.

"We gotta go!" Leo shouted. We all hopped out of the floor unit the Mutagen canisters fell from and when we got close to the ground, we each grabbed grappling hooks and swung ourselves safely to the rooftops.

When we landed, I took a deep breath and relaxed a bit but then remembered all the Mutagen canisters were lost to the city and looked around. That's when I saw a giant mutant that was completely new to me. It had wings and some green veins showing through the skull of the creature. It looked like a bat almost.

In front of the bat was April, standing almost calmly. But I could tell she was a little tense still nonetheless. The bat screeched at her and flew up. The rest of us soon grabbed our weapons again and started toward April to protect her. Whatever this new mutant was, it was probably our fault it was like this. I'm not entirely sure if it would be pleased to see us... But we had to protect April.

When we were lunging at the bat, I heard April scream behind us, "No! Don't hurt him!" Being me, I paused and looked at April confused. Everyone else did the same but a large bat mutant few past us, knocking us out of the sky and landing in bad landing strips. I grunted and looked up as April was being whisked away.

"April!" Donnie shouted.

"What was that?" Julie hissed, tail flicking. "It looked like a bat..."

A few seconds of silence went by. Leo called out to us a few seconds later and ushered us over to a broken canister of Mutagen. "I think that mutant was April's dad..."