CHAPTER TWO
Deep beneath the Earth's core, at the heart of the colossal war machine The Technodrome, the Turtles' formidable enemies were salivating at the prospect of their plans succeeding.
"As soon as the Turtles consume those cookies, they will be transformed into meek, timid human beings with uncontrollable levels of tension and anxiety" Shredder boasted.
"Yeah, it's a good thing Krang added that little touch to the formula, otherwise it would'nt have made much difference to how dem Toitles usually act" Rocksteady revealed.
"Until I heard that part, I was fully prepared to call this the least thought-out plan hatched by that brain bag" Shredder remarked.
"What makes you think the Turtles will eat the cookies boss?" asked Bebop.
"I have a feeling they already have their suspicions, but even if they piece together the puzzle and realize what the retro mutagen is capable of, they are still Teenagers, constantly conflicted about their place in society, they may still be tempted by the prospect of living a life free of scorn and ridicule, a chance to be normal" revealed Shredder.
The group were soon interupted by Krang, who was keen to carry out the second phase of thier plan.
Krang turned their attention to the central monitor, operating a few control panels and bringing up the image of a cargo ship docked in New York's central harbor.
"This ship has a cargoe of electronic caches we need to make the neccersary repairs to the Technodrome. Rocksteady and Bebop, you will infiltrate the vessel and steal them for us" Krang instructed.
"Just us? No help?" Bebop inquired.
"Don't be ridiculous, we need people who look like the kind you find on the waterfront, surely you two still know where to find your old gang?" Shredder asked.
Rocksteady teared up at the notion of reuniting with old friends
"Gee, our old gang, I haven't given them a moment's thought since I grew a horn" he said.
"I wonder if they'll even recognize us?" added Bebop.
"If you two botch this assignment, you won't be able to recognize yourselves in a reflection" Krang replied. "Now scramble"
An unnerved Bebop and Rocksteady nodded in acknowledgment of the threat and dashed towards the transport modules.
Topside at the Channel Six News Building, Burne Thompson was in a state of panic as he glanced at the latest batch of ratings coming in for the daily evening news bulletins.
"If we don't stop this slide soon, our collapse will be what makes our next big story" he vented to Vernon Fenwick and his star reporter, the Turtles' best human friend April O'Neil.
"How about a show all about matchstick collecting?" Vernon replied.
"Next" Thompson said, turning immediatly to April for a suggestion without giving Fenwick's option a second thought.
"I've got just the ticket...an expose on city gangs" April suggested.
Burne found the prospect tantilsiing.
"You may very well have something there April. A typical New York family audience craves crime and violence in the evening. I can schedule your story for the Tuesday time slot, peak viewing hours, get on it"
"Right chief" said April, hastly retreating to her office where her co-worker Irma was waiting.
"Did he like your pitch?" she asked.
"He went one better Irma, he gave me the green light" April revealed, hastily looking through her drawers and pulling out a dusty black jacket as well as a headband, she quickly changed into the fresh pair of clothes, and ruffled up her hair ever so slightly so she looked a little rougher.
"Wow, you really planned ahead" Irma observed as April checked herself out in a mirror.
"Not too bad, I think I definitely qualify as gangland material" she said.
"So you want me to cancel your 3: 30 for today?" Irma asked.
"What? That blind date you arrnaged for me? You know me Irma, I don't have much time for anything outside of a story" replied April.
"You sure? He knows where the best parks in town are, and he's a Turtle lover just like the pair of us" Irma added.
"That's sweet of you to recommend him Irma, but this girl is only interested in one kind of date...one with danger, mean streets, here I come"
Some hours later, back at the Turtles' lair, Michelangelo was making preperations for his own date with destiny, as he snuck into Donatello's lab dressed in a hawaian shirt, sporting blue shorts, clutching a skateboard.
With the Turtles due to awaken from their afternoon siessta, Michelangelo knew he had to act fast.
He scoured the trash can, managing to locate the box Donatello had discarded, and within that box, the forbidden contents.
He took a bit out of the first cookie he grabbed, and waited paitently for a few minutes for the changes, if any, to kick in. Nothing seemed to be happening.
He checked a digital wrist watch he was wearing, and let out a sollem sigh.
Time's almost up he thought.
He reached for his Turtle-Com, intending to contact someone he trusted and update them on what had been happening when a strange sensation coursed through his body. His eyes rolled over, he found himself in a dizzying daze and the room's contents began to form into a shapeless blur.
The physical contortions became too much to bear, and, collapsing to the ground, the young Turtle soon slipped into a state of unconsciousness.
This state of being did not last long, and before long, he regained a sense of awareness. He steady reached out with his hands to grab hold of something, he eventually latched on to Donatello's desk.
Michelangelo steadily rose to his feet, and as soon as he could grasp his surroundings, he found himself struggling to grasp with a new found identity.
His hands were no longer green, but white, pasty, fleshly. Very much human.
Excited, Michelangelo walked over to a nearby mirror to check if his features were in any way the same. He was in seventh heaven when he discovered this was the case.
"I look bodacious", he said as he glanced at the reflection, "Now we'll see if I can score a touchdown" he remarked.
Grabbing his skateboard, Michelangelo stepped out of the lab and towards the nearest manhole exit that he knew. It was time to put his new found humanity to the test.