Beyond the Sewers || TMNT

Chapter Eight

"You did this to me! Now you're going to pay!" the weed said angrily, as the turtles nervously backed away, their weapons in their hands.

"It's Snake!" Leo realized. "He mutated into a... Giant weed!"

"Can I just be the first to say that we have terrible luck?" Mari said.

The thing screeched and growled.

"That's weird," Mikey said, facing Raph and Cat. "You'd think he'd get mutated into a snake."

"Yeah, you would," Raph said, "if you were an idiot!"

"But his name is Snake," Mikey said.

"So?"

"You don't understand science," Mikey told him.

"Well, I do, and him turning into a weed hardly makes sense," Cat says, her finger to her chin. "Maybe he was lying about his name?"

Raph merely facepalmed.

The plant mutant that was previously a human man named Snake, screeched, as his feet rose up. "I'll crush you turtles!" Snake said, looming over them. If they were able to, the turtles would have paled at the sight.

"Uh, would it help if we said it was an accident?" Donnie questioned nervously. His fly trap hands began chomping on thin air in a threatening manner.

"I think that's a no," Mari said, holding up her tanto.

One of the weed arms came down and the turtles jumped up to dodge. Except for Cat — she was tripped by it and fell to the floor with a groan. Leo jumped up and sliced off the weed's arm, causing purple stuff to spew out of it.

"Eww! Eww!" Mikey said, who was on the ground, quickly backed away. "Don't let it touch me! Don't let it touch me!" Some of the purple stuff fell on his leg. "AAH! IT TOUCHED ME!"

The vine that Leo had cut off grew back, impressing Sn

"What?" Mari demanded. "I don't suppose our arms would grow back too, huh?" she questioned sarcastically.

"Let's not try it." Cat looked nauseated at the mere thought of it.

The Kraang took the humans aboard the helicopter, April throwing one last scared look in their direction.

"Donnie! Go!" Leo yelled.

Determined, Donnie ran forward and jumped on Leo's our reached hands. Leo gave him a bust stop of a higher rooftop, and Donnie ran toward the helicopter as his siblings continued the fight with Snake.

"And Yuck," Raph muttered as he was sprayed with some of the purple stuff, after cutting through Snake, but that didn't have any effect. Snake threw Raph into his siblings, and Mikey and Leo managed to catch him.

"Snakeweed is really powerful!" Mikey commented.

"Snakeweed?" Raph questioned.

"Yeah! His name was Snake, and now he's a weed, so..."

"We get it!" Raph snapped

"I call naming the next one," Cat said.

"Let's hope there's not a next one," Mari grumbled.

"We just have to hold it off until Donnie gets back," Leo said, holding one of his swords in front of his chest. The the door bangs open and the kraang came out. "While not getting shot by alien robots."

"With brains!" Mikey and Cat said in unison.

"Let it go, guys," Raoh said.

"And talking like that is unsettling," Mari said.

All five of them were on the ground, not able to keep up with Snakeweed and the kraang. "What's the plan again, chief?" Raph questioned.

"I'm working on it." Leo said, as Snake grabbed him by the legs and started swinging him around

"If the plan is getting our butts kicked, it's going accordingly!" Mari yelled up at her brother.

"Whoa! The power conduits," Leo said.

"Are we really gonna start talking about that again?" Raph questioned.

"Perfect. Raph! Mari! Mikey! Cat!" Leo used hand gestures and his siblings nodded.

Raph, Mari, Mikey and Cat made silly faces to grab the kraangs attention. The Kraang began shooting at them so they took off running, which caused the kraang's shooting to hit Snakeweed and for him to back up right in an power generator.

Donnie had managed to save April and the both of them found the turtles still fighting Snakeweed and the droids. "What are they doing?" Donnie questioned to himself and April. "They're leading him straight toward that power generator! That's incredibly stupid! Or brilliant. Or—or both!"

"Hey, come and get me, stinkweed!" Leo called.

The kraang still attack just as Snakeweed gets hit by the generator and he explodes into flesh. They succeed and they left along with April.

After the battle and making sure April was okay — with promises to help her save her father — the turtles were back under the sewers in their lair. Leo was sitting in front of Splinter.

"I am impressed, Leonardo," Splinter said. "You proved to be an effective leader under the most difficult of circumstances."

"Thank you, sensei," Leo said. And I think I figured out why you made me leader.

"Oh? Why is that?" Splinter questioned.

"Because you sensed inside me a true warrior's spirit that could forge us all into the heroes we are destined to become," Leo said, so sure that he was correct.

"No," Splinter said bluntly, only confusing his oldest son.

"Then why did you make me leader?" Leo asked.

"Because you asked," Splinter said.

"That's it?" Leo questioned. "But you seemed so certain you were right."

"As a leader, you will learn that there is no right and wrong, only choices," Splinter said.

"So you could have chosen any of us?"

"Yes."

"Even Mikey?" Leo questioned in disbelief. "Or Cat?!"

Splinter placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. "No," he said. "That would have been wrong."

"Everybody! Come here! We made the news!" Mikey yelled from the living room, so Splinter and Leo joined Mikey, Cat, Mari, Donnie and Raph in the living room who were eagerly listening to the news onTV.

Carlos Chang, the news person was saying: A report of get this ninjas in New York. Don't believe me? After residents reported a disturbance, the police recovered this." It showed a symbol. "For channel six news, this is Carlos Chang O'Brien Gambe saying, "Hi-ya!"

"This is awesome!" Mikey said, high threeing Cat . We're gonna be famous!"

"I hope I look cute enough," Cat squealed.

"You never do," Mari said, which only offended Cat... again.

"You must be more careful," Splinter told them gravely. "The ninja's most powerful weapon is the shadows. Being brought out into the light is a dangerous thing."

"Relax, sensei," Raph said. "It's one little news story. What's the worst that can happen?"

"Yeah," Cat agreed. "It's not like because of this we're going to have to fight someone who is destined to be our worst enemy."