Complete Turtle Overload (TMNT Book 5)

Just Acting Natural (Naomi POV)

Believe it or not, I wasn’t infected. I was just using the others as references so they would all think I was. Raph took the egg, and I was with him, trying to find an opening to take it quickly and smash it.

Mikey and Donnie had stupidly nailed themselves in the lab and Raph and I were waiting on the top of the twirly hanging thing above the TV and main room. He held the egg and I was eyeing him curiously.

Everyone’s eyes were black, all their minds were focused on one thing: the egg. It sounded like me when I was with Shredder and trying to keep Melanie safe… It scared me a little, looking down as the lab doors finally opened and Leo and Donnie walked out.

From a few dark corners, Mikito and Sophie appeared, looking up at Raph. They were waiting for anybody to come out that wasn’t infected. Like me, but they couldn’t tell. My eyes were black and I was “protecting” the egg. You couldn’t control a mind reader, controller, or a psychic…

“What about Michelangelo?” Raph’s possessed voice said beside me. I couldn’t help but grit my teeth. I really wanted to shudder, but then he’d notice and know something was up. The wasp’s virus had made the possessed smart. But not smart enough.

“He is no longer a threat to the egg,” Donnie’s own weird-sounding voice said, looking up at us.

Raph jumped down and I followed, looking at everyone carefully. I was trying to pinpoint Mikey’s mind, but it’s hard… Barely thinks. Too many blank spaces. As I was about to give up, I heard footsteps at the lab entry and we all looked up.

“Michelangelo,” Mikito’s creepy voice said. It sounded monotone, yet like her. It gave a hint of pain, but it might’ve just been my imagination.

“You’ve come to join us,” Leo said, his black eyes, watching the orange masked Turtle carefully.

“Yeeees,” Mikey brought it out. “I finally understand what is so awesome about this eeeegg.”

I wasn’t buying it. One, his eyes were normal, but there was also the virus goop hanging from his mouth. But when I double-checked, his mind was clear, and I could read he was holding the antibody syringe behind his back.

For once, I had to admit he was being smart. I smirked.

“Here it comes,” Sophie said, turning to the egg.

That’s when I heard the egg move. Inwardly, I gulped, turning to the egg. It started moving ad the others dropped their weapons by their feet. Going with the flow, I did the same.

“It is… glorious..!” Leo said, spreading his arms and lifting his head to the ceiling. Everyone else did the same, and so did I.

Until I felt Mikey coming over and sticking that needle in us all. I was the last one he came to and I kept jumping back, trying to avoid getting healed for something I didn’t even have.

“Mikey!” I cried, making my eyes go back to normal. “I’m fine!”

“What?” he asked, looking at me confused.

“What have you done?!” Raph growled at Mikey.

Mikito was backing up, looking at Mikey in shock. Mikey finally gave up his chase for me and smiled, pointing at all of them, “Booyakasha!”

Everyone paused in complete confusion as their brains tossled over in their heads thinking if they were Turtle or an animal protecting a parasitic wasp egg. I reached into to all their minds to push the protecting the egg away. All of them had a hurt expression, but they relaxed, their eyes turning normal.

“I thought Donnie turned him…?” Sophie asked, looking at us.

“Did he? Did he really?” Mikey grinned. He thought about it then said, “He did, buuuut, when he first bit me I was totally wigging out. But I kept everything together and remembered what you said. I put the stuff in the things you told me to and I finally cured myself!”

All of us were stumped, me and the boys the most. I blinked. Mikey couldn’t be that smart, could he? I mean, I could understand Mikito since she had more common sense than him, but him being smarter than Mikito? Ha… Yeah right…

“You finished the antibody yourself?” Donnie asked.

“And you were just pretending to be one of us?” Sophie asked as Leo was starting the sentence, staring at her shocked like she had read his mind.

“But that’s… smart…” Raph finished.

“Yeah it is,” Mikey grinned.

“He is smart,” Mikito beamed.

“Don’t butter him up now,” I glared at her, rolling my eyes.

“So just call me Dr. Einstein… Einstein…” Mikey finished, his eyes glittering with the happy fact that he saved us all. The others groaned and looked a little sick. “Oh,” Mikey continued, “it may cause drowsiness.” And at that, everyone who had been given the vaccine fell down in sleeping masses.

“Nice going, Mikey,” I snapped, crossing my arms. And just as I was about to snap something else, the yellow egg moved. Mikey whimpered and I growled, grabbing my staff. The egg burst and four wasps came out.

“Four wasps?!” Mikey cried, completely and utterly shocked.

“Even I wasn’t expecting that,” I admitted, gulping. For once, I wanted Donnie awake to explain this.

The wasps jittered and screeched, flying up. One came up to me and I gripped my staff and swung at it. It flew right above my striking range, jabbing at the metal with its stinger. Thankfully, it was metal and not wooden.

“No!” I heard Mikey cry, whacking the wasps away from the others passed out with a skateboard. “Bad wasps!”

The wasp in front of me jittered, flying at Mikey. I growled and ran up, jumping at it and kicked the wasp away before Mikey could get stung. No. Instead I do. It got lodged into my leg and I gritted my teeth as I fell down.

“Naomi!” Mikey screamed at me while running to the Shell Raiser.

“I’m coming!” I snapped, trying to ignore the pain. The wasps were gathering around me and I grabbed my staff, which was nearby and got up with the help of it before striking out at the flying insects. They backed up. I limped backward to the Shell Raiser, collapsing in the doorway.

Mikey quickly slammed the door and got in the driver seat, trying to turn it on. I was in pain and I grabbed the end of the stinger, pulling it out.

“I might go this time, Mikey…!” I ground my teeth. I looked at him and he looked at me back, his eyes full of fear. The Raiser rocked as the wasps rammed into it and I fell back against the far wall, my head hitting something and my world going black.