A Turtle's Heart

Part 1

Shredder was in a sour mood.

He sat at one of the Technodrome’s large monitors, watching as footage played from his various defeats at the hands of the Turtles. He had hoped that by studying the video he might learn something; figure out what he was doing wrong and adapt his future plans accordingly. But instead he just found himself growing increasingly frustrated with each defeat that played out before him.

“Hey look, Bebop! We’re on TV!”

Oh great. As if my headache wasn’t bad enough…

His loyal henchmen approached his chair, looking up at the monitor.

“Gee”, said Bebop, “I hope they got my good side”.

“You don’t have a good side”, Shredder growled, narrowing his eyes at the mutant warthog.

As Rocksteady pointed and laughed at his companion, Shredder turned his gaze back to the monitor. As annoyed as he was, he couldn’t help feeling that he was on the cusp of something. He watched as the Turtles took down everything he threw at them and mentally he lamented not having henchmen as competent as that.

Wait.

Wait.

“That’s it!”

Shredder rose to his feet, fists raised triumphantly into the air. How did that old saying go again? Fight fire with fire? Or in this case…

“Bebop, Rocksteady! Prepare to head to the surface! I need to find a pet store immediately!”

“Oh boy, are we getting a pet?!” Bebop exclaimed.

“Can I name it, Boss? Please?!” Rocksteady asked, clasping his hands together.

“Hey, I wanna name it!” Bebop snapped.

“Well I asked first!” Rocksteady snarled.

“But the Boss likes me best!”

“No way, he likes me best!”

Rocksteady had Bebop in a headlock now while Bebop had one hand pushing against Rocksteady’s face. Shredder fought back the urge to knock both of their useless heads together.

“Silence, you fools!” He yelled. “And go prepare the transport module!”

“Yes, Boss!”

Both mutants instantly snapped to attention and scuttled away. Shredder let out a heavy sigh. At least if all went well he wouldn’t have to put up with this for much longer.

*** 

One week.

It had been one whole week since they’d had to stop any of Shredder and Krang’s plans. At first the respite had been welcomed, then it had grown concerning. Now the Turtles were just bored. There were still regular everyday crimes to deal with, of course, but those were easy. Monotonous. Lacking in Shredder’s dramatic flair.

“I never thought I’d say this”, said Michelangelo, leaning against the wall and swinging a yo-yo to practice a trick he already knew by heart, “but I kinda miss ol’ Chrome Dome”.

“Don’t jinx it, Michelangelo”, Raphael replied, sprawled out on the couch and aimlessly flicking through the television channels. “Enjoy your early retirement while it lasts”.

“Aw c’mon, like you’re not bored too!”

Raphael shrugged noncommittally just as the tell-tale sound of a turtlecom beeping echoed through the lair. As they listened to Leonardo greet April, Raphael shot Michelangelo a glare.

“What did I just say?” He asked huffily.

Michelangelo blew a raspberry at him in response.

At that moment Leonardo walked into the room, Donatello following close behind. The blue banded turtle had a serious look on his face, while Donatello appeared puzzled.

“Guys, you’re going to want to hear this”, Leonardo said, holding out the turtlecom.

April was on the screen, her eyes wide.

“You’re not going to believe it!” She exclaimed. “Bebop and Rocksteady are up here causing trouble and there’s a turtle fighting them!”

“You’re right”, said Raphael dryly. “I don’t believe you”.

“Just hang tight, April! We’ll be right there!” Leonardo quickly added, snapping the turtlecom shut.

“Another turtle?” Michelangelo questioned.

“Well, it’s not outside the realm of possibility”, said Donatello, looking somewhat unconvinced by his own words. “Still, it could be a trap”.

“I don’t think anyone’s doubting that, Donatello”, Raphael muttered sarcastically.

“We’ll find out soon enough, let’s go guys!”

Leonardo gestured for everyone to follow him and they took off out of the lair.

***

Bebop and Rocksteady were having a blast – literally.

Both were armed with a large laser gun and chortling with mirth as they fired off shots at the road and the cars that frantically swerved out of the way. People were running and screaming in all directions while April tried to film it all with her camera and, nimbly dodging every shot that was fired at her, there was indeed a turtle.

She was accessorized almost identically to the boys, with yellow bands on her arms and knees and a belt bearing the initial ‘A’ around her waist. A yellow face mask was secured around her head, the tails of which were long and drooping down her back. Finally, she had a smattering of light green freckles on her cheeks and shoulders and was clutching a kunai in each hand.

“Stop tryin' to hit me and hit me!” She taunted as she jumped out of the way of another blast.

Rocksteady’s reply was cut off by Michelangelo’s amazed voice.

“Whoa, far out! There is another turtle!” He gasped.

The girl whipped around as he spoke, her eyes lighting up in delight.

“Oh wow, it’s really you!” She exclaimed. “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in the flesh!”

“Yeah”, said Donatello, gripping his bo staff, “but who are you?”

“Introductions later!” The girl replied, quickly dodging another shot from Bebop. “Let’s deal with these bozos first!”

April shot the Turtles, particularly Raphael, a smug look.

“Told you so”, she said with a grin.

“I hope you weren’t expecting a prize”, Raphael replied, shaking his head.

Ignoring them, Leonardo swung one of his katanas, pointing it at Bebop and Rocksteady.

“Turtle Power!” He yelled as he ran at them.

The female turtle let out an ecstatic bark of laughter.

“I was hopin’ he’d say that!”

Bebop fired frantically at the approaching turtle but Leonardo was too quick for him. His blade slammed into the gun and sent it flying, arcing neatly through the air before clattering to the ground and skidding across the road.

“Stupid toitle!” Bebop raged.

He swung a punch at Leonardo, only to find his wrists suddenly tied together by the looping coils of Michelangelo’s grappling hook.

“Not so fast, compadre!” He said with a grin, yanking on the hook and knocking Bebop off his feet.

Meanwhile Rocksteady had given up firing his gun and was now throwing it about it like a bat, trying to fend off both Donatello and Raphael.

“Argh, stand still!” He roared.

“Now where’s the fun in that?” Raphael asked with a smirk.

He suddenly thrust one of his sai forward, stabbing it into the gun. The weapon sparked and crackled dangerously and Rocksteady dropped it surprise. Donatello was quick to jam his bo into it and the gun detonated in a small explosion of fire and metal.

“Rocksteady! Get the other gun!” Bebop shouted.

“Right!”

Rocksteady turned to run only to find his path blocked by Donatello’s bo.

“And who said you were going anywhere?” The purple clad turtle asked with a frown.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get it!”

The girl quickly secured her kunai in her belt and ran over to the gun. As she stooped to pick it up she suddenly became aware of a rumbling sensation on the road, a horn blaring loudly, and realized far too late that she’d made a huge mistake.

“Watch out!”

Something slammed into her and she fell to the ground, the bus that sped by barely missing her. Her eyes had been clamped shut but now she dared to open them and found herself looking up at Raphael’s concerned face.

“Sheesh, did nobody ever teach you about road safety?” He asked.

She took a moment to respond. Her mind was racing and she was basically pinned beneath him against the sidewalk. She hadn’t meant for this to happen but she could work with it, everything would be okay. Hopefully.

“Sorry”, she said at length, gesturing to the gun gripped in her hands. “I didn’t think. Just wanted to help, yanno?”

A soft giggle escaped her lips.

“You guys are my heroes, so I was kinda hopin’ to impress. Guess that backfired, huh?”

“Ya think?” Raphael snorted, but there was a faint smile on his face.

His breath caught in his throat, however, when the girl leaned up to plant a quick kiss on his cheek.

“Well thanks anyways”, she said with a grin. “I owe ya one~”

Raphael blushed and looked away, letting out a nervous laugh. Across the street Bebop suddenly rose to his feet, flexing his arms and flinging them upwards to escape the grappling hook’s cord. At the same time Rocksteady managed to knock Donatello aside and glanced at his warthog companion.

“Let’s get outta here!” He yelped.

“Good idea!”

The two turned and fled, dodging the Turtles and clambering into a nearby transport module that quickly activated and disappeared into the earth from whence it came. Leonardo sighed as he and the others put away their weapons, then turned to watch Raphael help the girl to her feet. They could see now that she was a little shorter than they were, her head reaching Raphael’s chin.

“Okay, time for an explanation”, said Leonardo as the pair walked over to regroup with them. “Just who are you?”

“The name’s Antoinette”, the girl informed them proudly with a beaming smile. “But you can call me Nettie! I can’t believe I finally get to meet you guys, I’ve been dreamin’ about this for so long!”

“You have?” said Michelangelo.

“But where did you even come from?” Donatello asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“That’s what I’d like to know too”, said April. She was fiddling with her camera and let out an exasperated groan when she flipped it open only to find there was no film inside. Yet another great story lost.

“Well”, said Antoinette, “I used ta’ be just a normal little turtle, then I came onto the beach one day and there was this broken cannister of weird glowing goop. I didn’t mean to, but I got it all over me! Next thing I know there’s this guy trying to wipe it off me and then suddenly BAM! There I was,  looking like this”.

She gestured broadly to herself. Donatello nodded thoughtfully.

“Mutagen”, he said. “Perhaps some got left behind after one of Shredder’s schemes”.

“The guy who cleaned me, he was a real nice fella”, Antoinette continued. “He tried ta’ look after me for a while but….eh. Turned out he had a wife who weren’t too keen on havin’ mutants around. So I was wanderin’ the city on my own for a while, yanno? Tryin’ ta’ stay outta sight an’ all. Then one night I saw you fellas!”

Her eyes were practically sparkling now.

“You were takin’ down some criminals and I just thought wow! That’s what I wanna be! It was like I’d finally found my way in life. So I got my costume and a weapon and I practised for a bit and then…heh. I go and flunk it in my first real fight”.

She shrugged, shoulders slumping as her expression fell.

“Maybe I ain’t cut out to be a Ninja Turtle after all”.

“Aww, it wasn’t that bad, Dudette!” Michelangelo enthused.

Raphael nodded.

“Yeah, I mean you were holding your own before we got here, right?”

“You just need more training”, Donatello mused. “Proper training, I mean. Not the self-taught kind”.

“Gee, ya really think so?”

Antoinette was smiling again now. Leonardo watched the others encourage her with his arms crossed and a thoughtful look on his face. April moved to stand next to him.

“Something wrong?” She asked.

Leonardo shook his head.

“I’m not sure”, he admitted. “I mean, it’s great to meet another turtle but…ah, I don’t know. Maybe I’m being too cynical but something’s not sitting right with me”.

“You think she’s lying? She seems nice enough to me”.

“Right now I’m not sure what I think”. He looked at the other turtles laughing and smiling and his expression softened. “But if they’re happy then that’s good enough for me. I’ll just talk to Master Splinter about it later”.

And April just placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

***

 Later, Antoinette found herself sat at the table in the lair as Michelangelo served up a large helping of marshmallow, peanut and pineapple pizza. She licked her lips as she took in the smell, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

“Oh boy, my first pizza!” she exclaimed. “I’ve never had any before!”

Michelangelo dropped into his seat, wide eyed.

“You’ve never had pizza before?!” His tone was one of utter despair.

“Nope”. Antoinette grabbed a slice and took a big bite, letting out a delighted sound. “But I’ll sure be havin’ it again! This is delicious!”

The pizza did not last long. Nor did the one after that. Afterwards, while Donatello busied himself in his lab, Michelangelo and Raphael took Antoinette to the training room to show her some moves. Leonardo and Splinter watched them for a while before moving to the rat’s own personal chambers.

“What do you think, Master?” Leonardo asked.

“She seems sincere”, Splinter observed, rubbing his chin, “and yet, I must side with you. Something does not seem quite right, but I cannot place my finger on it. I suppose we shall just have to wait and see what comes”.

“You think it could be Shredder? I know she was fighting Bebop and Rocksteady but still…”

“Perhaps”, said Splinter, “we are simply too used to expecting the worst. For all our doubts, she could prove to be a useful ally”.

“Maybe”, said Leonardo doubtfully. “But haven’t you always taught us to trust our instincts?”

Splinter smiled and nodded.

“That I have”, he replied. “And while we shall treat her as a friend we shall also keep our wits about us. These feelings of doubt would not surface for no reason, after all. Be welcoming but be cautious, my son”.

Eased by his sensei’s words, Leonardo smiled back at him.

“Yes, Master”, he said. “If anything happens we’ll be ready!”

***

 As the credits for ‘Giant Zombie Weevils from Outer Space’ began to play, Antoinette rose from the couch and stretched. It had been a pleasant evening but all good things must come to an end.

“It’s been a blast, guys, but I’d be best be off”, she said.

“What? You got more busses to run in front of?” Raphael asked.

“You’re a riot, you know that?”

“It has been said”.

Antoinette rolled her eyes and chuckled.

“Look, as great as you fellas are, I’m sure I’m overstayin’ my welcome. I got my own places to be. But…you think we could meet up again tomorrow? I’d love to get some more trainin’ done!”

“Absomundo!” Michelangelo replied with a grin.

“Here, take this with you”, said Donatello.

He approached Antoinette and handed her a turtlecom. She stared down at the device and for a brief moment her expression was unreadable. Then she smiled and clutched it to her chest.

“Awesome! Thank you!”

She approached the exit to the lair and then turned and winked at Raphael.

“And don’t you worry none, I ain’t gonna be makin’ a habit of this damsel in distress stuff. Though, it’s kinda nice havin’ such a cutie lookin’ out for me~”

She blew a kiss at the general room and waved.

“Toodles~!”

And then she was gone. For a moment nobody moved, then Michelangelo sidled up to Raphael and nudged him in the arm with a toothy grin.

“Dude, she totally digs you”, he laughed.

Raphael flushed and shoved the orange banded turtle away.

“So she’s got good taste, what of it?” He demanded.

“Why Raphael, you’re getting awfully defensive all of a sudden”, said Donatello placidly.

“Don’t you start, Brain Boy!”

Tucked around a corner, Antoinette listened to them for a moment before giggling and running off. Leaving the sewers, she returned to the surface and slipped into the shadows as she made her way through the city, heading towards an abandoned warehouse in one of the more run down, seedier districts. Inside, three figures were waiting for her.

“Finally!” Shredder snapped. “What took you so long?!”

“Sorry, Master Shredder”, Antoinette replied, not sounding very sorry at all, “but you can’t rush these things. Gotta play it natural, yanno?”

Shredder narrowed his eyes at her.

“So did you find their lair?”

“Course I did!”

“Excellent! We attack at once!”

“Ehh….hold on to your helmet, Master”, Antoinette drawled. “I ain’t so sure I could lead you back. Not yet anyway”.

“And why not?!”

“It’s like a maze down there!” She protested. “There’s more twists and turns than those dumb soap operas Krang likes to watch! Lemme visit a few more times and I’ll get it memorized”.

Plus more visits meant more pizzas and training sessions. She didn’t dare admit how much she’d enjoyed herself. And as long as nobody questioned how she’d got out of the sewers so easily when she apparently didn’t know the way, then everything was fine.

Bebop snorted.

“I bet we’d remember the way foist time”, he said, glancing at Rocksteady who folded his arms and nodded smugly.

“Yeah!” The rhino agreed. “We’re way smarter than some dumb toitle!”

“All of you just shut up!” Shredder snarled. He jabbed a finger at Antoinette. “For your sake I hope your memory improves very soon”.

“Hey no prob, I got this!”

“You’d better”, Shredder hissed. “Or returning to the pet store will be the least of your worries”.

Looking in his eyes, Antoinette didn’t doubt that for a second.