The Final Episode (TMNT 1987)

Ties That Bind

(Shedder...Cont)

We started walking.

"I can't believe somebody would be stupid enough to steal a news van... I mean it's the most easily identifiable ride out there, how could anybody be so stupid?" She shook her head.

A season 3 Flashback quickly played out in my mind.

"You'd be surprised. I once told Bebop to go steal a car, He came back with a police car."

I could laugh about it now, though back then it didn't seem at all funny.

"Your kidding?" She laughed.

"No, and that doesn't even rank high on the list of stupid things my mutant henchmen have done." I answered honestly.

"Here's something I've always wondered about you Shredder, Why do you still keep them around? I mean, their brains don't exactly match their brawn, most of your plans usually come apart the second you ask them to do something." The reporter interrogated.

I laughed at her question.

"Miss O'Neal , I used to wonder the same thing almost day everyday. But you see, Krang and I created them, so we are responsible for them. I took something from them, their humanity, made them Into monsters, and yet they still serve me. In Japan we have saying: 'Never Punish Loyalty'. Let me tell you miss O'Neal, they are loyal to a fault."

The Lady seemed slightly taken back by my honesty.

"I'm a horrible boss, and Krangs worse. Yet we can't seem to shake them. We've been tossed around from place to place in that technodrome, The bottom of sea, an asteroid, the jungle, the earths core... and we've been trapped in dimension X more times then I care to count. When we were broke and I couldn't pay them for months on end... Still they stayed. We even fired them once and they came back to save our lives. "

We paced briskly as I explained this to her, it felt nice to actually talk about it.

"I couldn't fire them anyways, Unless you know of any live in henchmen for hire, who are willing to put up with Krangs mood swings and who except food and comic books as payment?" I said sarcastically.

"I'll let you know." She laughed.

It was nice to see her laugh, Miss O'Neal was actually quite pretty, I'd always thought so. You know, when she wasn't being all snoopy and plot ruining.

We continued talking as we walked, reminiscing about previous episodes for a while, the sun now completely gone from the city skyline.

"But how did you know I wasn't princess Mallory, even the turtles couldn't tell us apart!" Curiosity sparkled her eyes.

"Easy, Your eyes." I replied.

"But we have the same color eyes!" She argued, crossing her arms.

"Ahh but only yours betray that look of a nosey reporter, plus I've thrown you over my shoulders more times then I can remember, I think I'd know when I'm carrying April O'Neal."

We passed an alleyway, and she suddenly stopped walking.Putting her hand against my chest she pushed me against the wall.

What the...

"That's my Van!" She whispered, peaking into the alley.

I leaned in front of her and sure enough, the channel 6 news van was parked right in the back, empty, nobody around it.

An instinct deep in my core told me something was not right.

She started to walk towards it and I grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Be careful, My ninja senses are telling me somethings wrong."

Letting go of her wrist I slowly crept to the van.

Circling it once and checking under it for any trace of explosives.

"Happy now?" She rolled her eyes and climbed into the drivers seat.

"Everything seems to be in order..."

But before I could finish a loud metallic voice announced.

"Target found." Then the car started to fade away into thin air.

"Miss O'Neal!" I called out in panic, but she was gone.

Slowly the air molecules started to vibrate around me, and before I knew it I was surrounded by a horde of large white robots, all armed with laser guns.

"Target acquired: Humans of earth." They all said together, voices eerily sounding a bit like Dreggs.

I fought them off, reflection laser blasts with my metal wrist armour.  I jumped over them, to many to fight cornered in an alleyway.

But once out in the street I was met by hundreds more. All chasing and targeting humans.

There was nothing I could do here alone, I needed backup. I slipped into the nearest manhole and ran like crazy.