Hun was livid. Someone has been stealing from him but he couldn’t figure out who it was. At first he thought it was an inside job and that one of his men was skimming from the top. He had interrogated each of them, accidently killing a few. Once his own men were cleared, he started going after the thugs on the streets. He quickly discovered that they were all too stupid to break into his warehouses undetected. Rival gangs were his next target. Every one of them claimed that they wouldn’t dare cross him.
At one point, one of his men suggested that it might simply be a clerical error. The thugs that made up the Purple Dragons were mostly high school dropouts. Math wasn’t their strong suit. But only one drug ever came up short, the rest were always properly done. It was no clerical error. Hun was certain that someone was stealing from him and he was determined to find out who it was.
He personally stayed in the warehouse every night for a month, waiting for whoever it was to strike again. He made sure to get the word out that he had a large supply of high quality of the particular item that was stolen.
His patience paid off. He remained hidden as he heard someone enter the warehouse. The supply of the drug was in clear view of Hun’s hiding spot. The plan wasn’t to capture the thief, just to find out who it was. He had his own plan working on how to get revenge.
The thief took their time. Whoever it was, was no fool. They managed to avoid the cameras and took a few pills from several bottles instead of one whole bottle. After several minutes the thief jumped down into view and got to work.
Hun couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Once the shock wore off it took all of his self-control to keep from laughing out loud. This was better than he had intended back when he beat him nearly to death. Raphael was the thief. The fact that he was stealing pain pills with doses so high that they were strictly for hospital use led Hun to believe that he had an addiction, an addiction that he kept hidden from his family.
This was too good to be true. Oh the possibilities. He could simply let Raphael continue to steal from him. The addiction would eventually be his downfall. He could lace the pills with something even more addicting that would mess with Raphael’s mind, maybe even result in Raphael killing one of his brothers in a blind rage. Or he could poison them, but that would not make Raphael’s suffering last and Hun wanted him to suffer.
He would let Raphael go, for now. Hun knew how addiction worked, he had seen enough people succumb to it. Raphael had a hard addiction. There was time to enact his revenge.
……
Once a week, Leonardo visited with Karai in the Foot headquarters. As always he brought at least one of his brothers with him. This time all but one came. Mikey had joined him so that he could get some ice cream and chat with the other mutants. Donnie and Tello came along so that they could share notes of their research of the mutagen with Dr. Chaplin and run a few tests. Raphael refused to join them, choosing instead to lock himself up in his collection room. He still hated the Foot and trusted them as far as he could spit.
Leonardo believed that if it hadn’t been for Raphael, they would have been moved into the Foot headquarters months ago. The Foot Clan was a respectable organization under the leadership of Karai. They had opened up a training dojo for children and they competed on a national level. They had quickly made a name for themselves, winning several championships.
The Foot also worked closely with the Justice Force. They used their skills and technology to fight against various villains, including the Purple Dragons.
Leonardo sat with Silver Sentry and Karai as they went over various reports. Hun was active in drugs and weapons distribution. He was on the news every day and was the most wanted man in New York. But he was also the most powerful and managed to stay hidden from the authorities. His network was huge.
“I fear what he is capable of doing,” Karai stated. “He could destroy the city on a whim if he so desired.”
Silver Sentry nodded his head in agreement. “He is like a cancer that has spread throughout the body and he will be just as difficult to remove. We know where some of his warehouses are,” he said as he pointed to a map of New York. “He is hardly ever at them. We have cleaned him out and he has managed to resupply himself the next day.”
“Maybe the ones we know of are the ones he wants us to know about,” Leo suggested. “It keeps our focus where he wants it to be while he hides something bigger somewhere else.” Leo shook his head as he stared at the map. “He desires revenge for being mutated. What he did to my brother was only the beginning.” He looked up at Karai. “I’m sure he is also out for you.”
“Oh, he is,” Karai replied. “He does not like the direction I have taken the Foot. Though, to be honest, I don’t think we would be allies even if I had chosen to follow in my father’s footsteps.”
“Right now he’s keeping the addicts happy,” Silver Sentry sighed. He circled a wide area of the map. “Hun distributes high end prescription drugs to this area. We believe he uses the ninja who defected to the Purple Dragons to sell them. They operate in the shadows and the lesser skilled dealers on the lower end know better than to give up any information. If they ever do, they are found dead despite around the clock security or even if they are in prison.”
Leo let out a humorless chuckle. “I hate to say this but he is worse than Saki.”
Karai shook her head. “Saki was just better at hiding it. Hun seems to like the attention.”
…..
Chaplin guided Donny and Tello into an exam room that contained an MRI machine. Donatello wanted to get an inside look at Tello while he was tucked into his shell. The Foot clan had some of the best research equipment and he knew he would be able to get a clear image.
He first took a few scans, front and back of Tello while he was out of his shell so that they would have something to compare the scans of him tucked inside.
“Don’t take too long. Though I can do it, it’s hard to breathe when I do.” Tello lied down on the bed and tucked into his shell. He was on his carapace so he rocked back and forth a little. To hold him steady, Donny strapped him down.
Donatello was amazed at the fact that Tello could tuck up into his shell at all. It was an ability that he and his brothers had lost when they were mutated. He had to know how he was able to do it.
“This won’t take long.” Donatello moved behind a protective barrier with Dr. Chaplin and turned the machine on. “When I tell you, I need you to hold your breath,” Donatello instructed. Tello’s arm emerged and gave him a thumbs up before disappearing back inside his shell.
The Machine whirled as the magnets inside spun through the circular scanner. Don set his hand on the button to send Tello through. “Take a deep breath and hold it.” He pressed the button and the bed moved to pass through the scanner.
As soon as the scan was complete, Don told Tello that he could breathe again. Tello popped his head out of his shell and took a few deep breaths. Don then unstrapped Tello from the table and flipped him over to get a scan from the other side. Tello kept his head out, breathing shallowly as he waited.
When Don was ready to start the scan, Tello pulled his head back in. Once again he was asked to hold his breath as the bed passed through the scanner. As the scan was completed, Donny looked that the results.
No wonder it was hard for him to breathe. The act of pulling into his shell compressed everything inside. It couldn’t have been comfortable. Tello’s mutation created a human like skeleton, much like the way Donny and his brothers had changed. If they had maintained the skeletal structure of a turtle, they would not have been able to move around on two legs, much less do ninjutsu.
However, where Don’s shell was small and completely fused to his back, Tello’s had space and was held on mostly by the bridges. The empty area under his larger, rounder carapace provided the space needed for Tello to be able to tuck inside. That, and he was double jointed. It was like a svelte person contorting themselves to fit inside a suitcase. It was quite fascinating.
Donny continued to run tests on Tello to find the differences between them. And, to find all that was the same. Tello had human DNA fused with his mutated turtle DNA, with the Turtle DNA dominating the human. Donatello comparted those results to the DNA sample he had taken from the pelt of Tello’s father before it was cremated. The human DNA was the dominant one over the rat, showing that Tello’s father had been human first. Donatello could even see the markers that showed Splinter’s Japanese heritage and the breed of rat that fused with him.
It was all fascinating.
“I have some interesting news for you,” Donny stated as he read over his read outs. “As you know, I took some samples from your brothers’ shells as well. The four of you are biologically brothers. The only difference is the human DNA. It appears that someone else was the last one to handle your brothers but your father was the one who had handled you.”
“Are you saying that Splinter’s DNA is part of me?” Tello asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.
Donny handed him the readout. “It appears so.”
“Thank you,” Tello said in a small voice. It must have been a comfort to know that he still carried a little part of his father with him.
Dr. Chaplin and Donatello also wanted to run a few tests on Miwa. They had sent for her. When she arrived, she looked hesitant as she sat down to have her blood drawn. “I have very steady hands,” Donatello tried to reassure her.
Sighing, Miwa looked up into his eyes. “There is something I haven’t told you.” Tello moved to her side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Donny and Dr. Chaplin shared a look before Donny asked, “What?”
“Shredder had mutated me at one point,” she replied, rubbing her arm. “It was a different kind of mutation. It messed with my mind. I had lost myself to it. Donatello…, I mean Tello was able to create a retro mutagen, but… there is still some lingering… side effects.”
“Like what,” Dr. Chaplin prompted as Donny drew some blood for testing.
Miwa hesitated for a moment. “I’m more flexible than I was before the mutation and I think that I am still… venomous.”
“Really?” Donny leaned forward with a tongue depressor to look inside of Miwa’s mouth. “Do you think I can get a sample? I would like to have anti-venom for it, just in case.”
“We can try,” Miwa answered, opening her mouth. Donny could see that her canine teeth were a little sharper than normal and looked like they could extend.
“Fascinating,” Donny mumbled. He looked up at Dr. Chaplin. “Do you have anything I can use to extract a sample?”
“Yes,” Chaplin nodded and turned to retrieve the needed items.
While Dr. Chaplin was gone, Donny continued with is physical exam of Miwa. “Why were you so afraid to tell us this?” he asked while he tested her eyes with a small light. Her pupils reacted to the light as they should but Donny noticed that they had a slight oval shape to them.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Part of me was afraid that they wouldn’t let me stay if they knew.”
“We wouldn’t make you leave,” Dr. Chaplin said as he returned with a canister for Donny. “Karai has come to value you and the fact that you have a slight mutation isn’t going to change that.”
Donny accepted the canister from Dr. Chaplin and prompted Miwa to open her mouth again. “Bite down on the lid and we’ll see if any venom comes out.”
She did as she was told and as soon as she punctured the lid her top fangs emerged from her canines and started to drip. Donny held the canister against Miwa’s fangs until he was satisfied with the amount of venom he had collected.
Tello leaned down to quietly ask Miwa, “Can you still spit venom?”
Donny looked up at Miwa to see her shake her head. “That skill is thankfully gone. I know that for sure. When I was being held prisoner, I tried several time to do it. The only reason I wasn’t sure if I was venomous or not is because I didn’t get to see the result after I had bitten Bradford. All I knew is that everyone kept a safe distance after that.”
“I’ll run your DAN and test the sample of venom. I should have your results in a few hours.” Donny said as he walked towards the lab. “Everything else looked fine. You’re in good health.” Donny placed the samples on the table and turned to look at Miwa. “You will have to get a more extensive exam later, including a gynecological one. I understand that Dr. Chaplin has a few female assistants who could do that particular exam id you are not comfortable with either of us doing it.”
“I’ll schedule an appointment,” Miwa agreed.
“Until then, you are free to go,” Donny said with a slight smile. “I’ll make sure you will get the results of my findings as soon as I get them.”
“Thank you,” Miwa said with a slight bow before she left.
Tello stayed to help run the tests and together they got the test underway in less than an hour. As they waited for the results they all decided to break for lunch. They found Mikey in the cafeteria, eating ice cream and telling stories to anyone who would listen.
As they ate, they listened to Mikey boast about his Battle Nexus championship. Donny laughed as Mikey embellished on some details and left others out altogether. Tello, however, listened with rapt attention. Donny nudged him to get his attention. “You will be able to fight in the Battle Nexus next year.”
“I will?” Surprised, Tello looked at him. “Do you really think I could compete?”
Donny shrugged. “I don’t see why not. You have skills greater than some of the fighters I’ve seen. I’m not saying that you are a shoe-in to win the whole tournament but you are skilled enough to compete.” He chuckled and looked down at his plate. “I was eliminated in the first round last time but that’s not going to stop me from trying again next year. You never know. Some of the other fighters might be having an off day.”
“I guess there’s no harm in trying,” Tello said, not sounding all that enthusiastic. But then he decided to change the subject. “How many different dimensions have you been too?”
Donatello leaned back in his chair as he thought about his answer. There was the Nexus and the apocalyptic world he was sent to by the Ultimate Drako. He figured that world had to have been a part of the multiverse and not his own future. The fact that Raphael had come to him the night before the fight with Shredder was one major clue. The way that Raphael acted it was like they were picking up where they had left off. And as much as he wanted to, Don had never had that kind of relationship with his own brother. It didn’t, however, stop him from enjoying that night.
Then there was the world the puzzle box sent him to. Finally there were the dimensions they visited within the multiverse. “If you are only asking about different dimensions then I have been to five or six. I’ve also traveled through time and space so it’s hard to keep track. I wasn’t always sure if I was on a different planet in the same dimension or not.”
“That’s a lot more than I’ve been to,” Tello said before taking his last bite of food. He looked at his plate as he chewed and Donny could tell that he was thinking. “I’ve been to Dimension X and I’ve been locked in a dream realm. I have also traveled through time, thanks to a girl named Renet.”
Donny perked up. “You have a Renet too? I wonder if it’s the same Renet or if there are more than one. Was your Renet from the seventy ninth dimension of null-time?”
Tello shook his head. “I believe she said that she was from the future.” Tello had a distant look in his eyes. “She said we were well known in the future. She didn’t tell us that we reached that fandom after our deaths.”
“Different girl then,” Donny stated and then stood up. He didn’t want to let Tello go down a road of sorrow. “Our results should be finished by now.”
They cleaned up their mess and then headed back to the lab. By the time they got back, the computer analysis of the venom and Miwa’s blood was completed. “Miwa’s venom is very similar to a rattle snake,” Don stated. “According to this, the anti-venom we have should work.”
“That’s good to know,” Tello said.
Donny moved on to the readout of her blood. “She is mostly human but there is some residual snake DNA. I would need to do a full exam to determine the full extent of how the DNA has affected her. As far as I can tell, it will only benefit her.”
“I’ll let her know,” Tello said, accepting the read out from Don. “I think I will tell her that some of our father’s DNA is in me as well.” Donny nodded in agreement, not really knowing what else to say. He watched as Tello left to go find his sister. He knew Tello was going through a lot but at least the test results were able to give him a little comfort.