[Panda_Kahn_fan]

Chapter Four

The Salvadorian village of Bien Esperanza was normally a quaint, tranquil little place. Like something out of one of those folk paintings in a museum, it would almost seem to any visitor that one has stepped back in time. Small houses with straw roofs gathered all clustered together in a large group, with an old colonial Spanish church (Now a Pentecostal church, thanks to American missionaries) standing at the very center. An old crumbling Pipl pyramid, covered in grass and tree growth, stood at the edge of the village, while endless fields of corn stretched out on every direction, covering the land like a golden sea.

At the village taberna, two old men watched the children in the village play, as they slowly sipped at their drinks, talking about the same topics they usually did.

"Hey Pedro, you think we got a good harvest in this year?" The first asked in Spanish, scratching his nose under his mustache.

"Si' Gonzales. There gonna be a lotta good food at this years fiesta." Pedro replied, lowering his hat over his eyes. "Though mi daughter, she not gonna let me eat too much and get sick again this year, I think."

His old friend chuckled at the other's comment, until they both began to hear a strange noise filling the air. It came out of the forest beyond the cornfields, starting as a low humming sound, then gradually getting louder and louder.

"Wht is day noise, senior?" Pedro asked, listening to the approaching sounds. "Maybe it some new el coche the village kids picked up in Santa Ana, and decided to drive back here."

"No, man, it no car." Gonzales assured him. "It sound more like... the croaking of frogs..."

Those were the last words out of The poor old man's mouth, as an arrow went straight though the side of his neck, killing him instantly.

"GONZALES!" The older old man cried out. Pedro turned to look, and saw to his horror a whole army of humanoid frogs swarming out of the forest, and hoping into the village "Madre di Dios!"

The invaders swept over the whole town, cutting down the villagers with arrows, and then raiding the houses and barns for whatever food and supplies they could find. Pedro saw a terrified man trying to escape into the woods, when another frog hopped into his path, chopping the young man's head of with the swing of an ax.

"Oh no! I gotta get outta here!" The old man cried, making a run for the forest beyond the village. But a large bullfrog saw Pedro, and launched his long tongue at the fleeing human.

"No! It can't end like this!" Pedro called out in terror, as the frog's sticky tongue caught and reeled him back in. "Somebody, help me-!"

"GULP!"

The bullfrog swallowed him, and Pedro was gone.

The frogs finished looting all the houses, and set fire to the entire village. As they gathered up all the bodies and loot, they vanished back into the forest, from which they had originally come.
----

"Sacre Bleu!" Leatherhead exclaimed, as the punk frogs left their tribute in front of the gator man's throne. "You frogs made quite de haul you brought back from tonight's raid, you betcha!"

"Not only that, they totally wiped the village of San Esperanza off thew map!" Buzzkill added gleefully, the giant fly man zipping around the pyramid where Leatherhead's throne sat. "Now, all of the other villages will know to fear us, and will gladly pay tribute to save their own skin!"

"Yeah, but the frogs would have done much better if Genghis and his rebellious little brigade had joined in de attack!" Leatherhead grumbled. "That punk frog and his conscience are a becoming a real annoyance!"

"Yes, such good combat skills, wasted on a frog with an honor code." Buzkill noted. "He's not useful for much else besides guard duty."

"Well, we don't have time to worry about dat right now." Leatherhead got up from his throne, and began to march out of the Pyramid with Buzzkill in tow. "The rat King has summoned us to his temple, and it's high time we went to make a report."

"OH, no! I really don't like going to see him, Leatherhead!" The whiny fly buzzed, flapping nervously around the much larger gator man. "Do we really have to come there?"

"Quiet yourself down, Buzzkill! There's no way outta this unpleasant task!" Letherhead snapped back, as they crossed the ruins of Taziumal. "You know we need his help to make more of the magic voodoo water, so we gotta come when he calls, you betcha!"

The two mutants proceeded to cross the ruined plaza, and approached the dark obsidian form of the templo de La Rata. Buzzkill and Leatherhead slowly ascended the long row of stairs, as the frighted insect warily averted his eyes from the carved skulls and rats that decorated the sides of the Pyramid.

"Why cant' he live someplace less creepy?" Buzzkill whined. "Every second I'm afraid something's going to jump out of the shadows and eat me!"

"Quiet you pesky bug." Leatrherhead hissed, as the pair entered the temple on top of the Pyramid. Raising his voice, the gator man called out. "Oh, mighty Rat King, we have come to answer your summons! Speak, that we may carry out your commands!"

Several rats and mice of every kind came swarming out of the darkness, and the two mutants kneeled as a pair of glowing eyes appeared before them.

"Welcome, my friends! I have a little task for you." A raspy voice whispered from the darkness. "I have five friends coming down here to the jungle... four turtle ninjas, and their rat master. Greet them warmly, and bring them before me."

"Que? Four... turtle ninjas?" Leatherhead asked in surprise. "These tortue must be mutants like us, no?"

Buzzkill seemed to react with anger at the mention of the four turtles, as if he knew what the Rat King was talking about. But he said nothing.

"Do not underestimate them, Leatherhead." The Rat King hissed. "These creatures are the ones who ruined my plans in New York. I spent years in the guise of Eric Sachs, manipulating Shredder and his foot clan into poisoning the city's water supply. And those four freaks ruined my plans." The glowing eyes narrowed. "I can't believe I provided the mutagen that allowed them to be transformed in the first place."

"So, you want us to capture these mutants for you?" The fly man buzzed. "It will be a pleasure to terminate those annoying pests!"

"Do what you wish with the turtles, but the rat is mine." The voice hissed. "He shall make a fine addition to my loyal subjects."

"Hmm, I could have them fight in the arena of fire... I have the perfect four frogs who been questioning my orders, who would make the perfect opponents. It would be an entertaining way to get rid of all of them." Leatherhead gave a crocodile grin. "But... if we are going to carry out your orders, tres bien, I will need some more frog soldiers for my army..."

"So, you desire more mutagen, do you? Hm, very well." A canister of the green ooze came bouncing out of the darkness, and Buzzkill picked it up. "Have your little fly scientist there synthesize this ooze, to make the substance you need."

"Making mutants is so difficult, I need to mix up the ooze, add the animal DNA... it's not like that nonsense I told shredder about 'animal ancestor genes' was true." The fly complained. "If only Leatherhead didn't didn't go through punk frog soldiers so fast!"

"Hey, it's not my fault the villagers in the towns we raid have become better shots." Leatherhead protested. "My army's strength is in numbers, I guarantee."

"Quit your whining, the both of you!" The voice yelled at the two of them. "If it weren't for my mutagen, you imbeciles would still be the useless animal poacher and worthless scientist you were when you tried to rob my temple!" The two glowing eyes disappeared back into the shadows. "Now go, and carry out my commands without delay!"

"Four turtles and a rat..." The two left the Pyramid with Leatherhead shaking his head in frustration. "Why do I have to waste my frog troops on hunting them down?"

"You may not have to, Leatherhead." Buzzkill reached into his tattered lab coat, and pulled out a two legged metal monstrosity with a big jaw. "Check out this mechanic marvel! A completely clockwork gear device, based on Pipil Mayan technology I found in the Pyramid!" He wound up a key on the metal creature's back, and set it on the ground. The Little metal terror began to hop forward, chomping at the air. "No computer parts on chips in it whatsoever, and it's intelligence is provided by The rat king's mutagen I incorporated into it's body."

"So this little wind up terror will seek out the rat and the turtles for us, hm?" Leatherhead mused, looking down at the metal creature. "How many of these little creatures can you send out, tres bien?"

"I have about three dozen, ready to wind up, and go seek out those annoying pests!" The fly man rubbed his mandibles together."And since these things are hunting a rat, I decided to call them mousers."