Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Day of the Rat (A 90s Movies Story)

Chapter 18: Ratsurrection

2 minutes earlier...

Todd sat on the bike, helmet on, fidgeting impatiently. Irma hurried over, laden with a number of objects begged, borrowed or stolen.

"We can't leave it much longer..." Todd warned.

"I know, I know, I know..." Irma draped a large sheet around him and wrapped it as securely as she could while leaving his arms free. "But you can't get so much as a drop of that stuff on you." She experienced a giddy moment of self-awareness, and a surge of panic at the realization of what she was doing. Namely, assisting a minor to do something extremely dangerous in possession of a vehicle he wasn't even supposed to drive! "Todd, are you sure about this? I don't think this is a good idea..." she said nervously.

"I can do this!" he said, determined. "Look, we're the only ones out here who even know what's going on. We have to try!" He looked round, irritated, as they were joined by several other people. Irma noticed them only when it was too late, and realized with a start it was Jim McNaughton and his crew from Channel 3. Broadcasting live.

"So, what have we here, huh...?" he asked, laughing-voiced. "Well, young man, I hope you're not going to perform any stunts here tonight. Don't go jumping over any rats. Seriously, though, what's this about...? I'll ask your mom here."

Irma was becoming increasingly annoyed as he spoke, and that just about did it. His mom? I'm only twenty-three! Plus, they'd met at Channel 3 and now he didn't even recognize her! Why, that-! All she ended up saying was "Excuse me? I'm not his mother!"

"Aunt, whatever," Jim replied, only half-listening. "What's this all about?"

"Now or never...!" interrupted Todd, revving up the bike's engine. He had been watching the space where there used to be a window above, and seen the figure looming up. He shifted inside the hastily-donned makeshift cape, adjusted the helmet one last time and judged the distance across the square carefully...

Looking sidelong at them, bemused, Jim turned to go and addressed the camera again. "Well, folks, as we leave this young would-be Evel Knievel to do whatever he's gotta do, you have to wonder where our city's police are at this moment. Makes you wonder, indeed." Jim looked back at the rat-infested square. "Like, maybe they know something we don't."

Irma stood back and put her hands over her face, too terrified to look, as Todd set off and accelerated across the square toward the foot of the pipe. As he hoped they would the rats scattered from his path, self-preservation overriding the Rat King's control, however briefly...

Todd turned the bike as he approached the wall of the building, twisting gradually sideways and jumping off right before impact...

The bike hit the wall and broke apart, leaking fuel, just as the first drops of mutagen issued from above. No rats were there to receive it, but some of the liquid got on Todd's protective gear as he crawled urgently away. He saw the rats starting to come back and speeded up as much as his injured knee would allow. After all that, was this even going to work...?

The bike caught fire and a few seconds later it exploded, damaging the bottom of the pipe and driving away the rats. Todd threw off the protective gear and quickly limped the last few paces to safety helped by Irma. "We did it!" he announced triumphantly. "Uh, I hope April's not too angry about the bike."

***

April was pacing back and forth a few steps, using what little freedom she had, and looked up, startled, at the sound of the explosion. "What was that...?!"

The Rat King was facing out, away from her, but she saw his shoulders slump a little.

***