The Crime Fighter Collection

by Matthew J Gilbert (retail)

  Adapted by Matthew J. Gilbert

  © 2015 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

  Based on characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman

  CONTENTS

  Mutant Mayhem!

  Showdown with Shredder

  Friend or Foe?

  April O’Neil couldn’t quite explain it, but for the past few days, she’d felt like she was being followed.

  Her walk home was never this quiet. On a normal day, she would have seen her neighborhood shopkeepers out sweeping their sidewalks. She would have yelled hello to Mr. Murakami at the noodle shop. She would have seen some kids from school killing time before curfew. But this was no normal day.

  A dark shadow suddenly passed over her.

  Something IS following me! she realized in a panic.

  Soaring high above her was a huge birdlike creature with deformed wings. It swooped down at her, its razor-sharp talons ready to tear through any obstacle in its way.

  April started running. Trying to throw the creature off her trail, she changed course and ducked into a side street.

  If I can just find a place to hide, she told herself, I’ll be safe. . . .

  But she could feel the creature getting closer, its wild shrieks echoing off the buildings.

  As April rounded a corner, a streak of sun lit up the building ahead. It was a bank, and its doors were wide open! April sprinted inside past the crowd of customers and took cover behind the building’s bulletproof windows. She braced for the worst. . . .

  But nothing happened. April slowly peeked outside. There was no sign of the monster. Just an empty street. Had she imagined the whole thing?

  She sighed with relief, but then—

  Wham! Something smacked into the window. It slid down the glass, stunned. The bank customers rushed over to see what the commotion was.

  April just stood there, completely shocked—the creature, her winged stalker, was very real. It appeared to be a giant pigeon with grimy feathers and a hooked beak. But this wasn’t an ordinary bird. It was a scientifically engineered combination of pigeon and man, a mutant unlike any she’d seen before. And for a girl whose best friends were four mutant turtles, that was definitely saying something!

  Looking back into April’s eyes, the strange mutant hesitated and then flew away.

  As he disappeared into the sky, April watched in disbelief. “My life has gotten really weird.”

  Meanwhile, deep down in the sewers that ran underneath the city, it was just a typical day for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Leonardo and Raphael were busy practicing some new moves on each other when Donatello emerged from his high-tech laboratory with a wild look on his face. He could barely contain himself.

  “Check it out, guys!” Donnie exclaimed. “We are about to take our ninjutsu to a whole new level!”

  That took Raph’s attention away from sparring. Leo used the opportunity to knock him back on his shell with a swift leg-sweep.

  “Cool, Donnie,” Leo casually replied, dusting off his hands and crossing his arms.

  Donnie opened his palm to reveal a mysterious egg-shaped object. “Last night, I figured out how to make . . . ninja smoke bombs!” he said cheerfully, throwing one to the floor.

  As soon as it landed, Donnie disappeared in a puff of purple-black smoke and reappeared on the other side of the dojo!

  “Whoa . . . ,” Leo and Raph said in amazement.

  Knowing he had his brothers’ complete attention, Donnie revealed his secret ninja-smoke-bomb recipe. “To make them, I carefully drill two holes in an eggshell without cracking it,” he explained as he displayed another bomb. “Then I slowly blow out the contents, wait for the inside to dry, pour in flash powder, and seal both holes with wax.”

  But all Raph heard was “Blah, blah, science, blah.” He stared at Donnie’s tiny homemade explosive like it was a shiny new toy. “Do it again!” he demanded.

  Donnie carefully guarded his creation from Raph. “What I’m trying to tell you,” he clarified, “is they take a long time to make, so only use them sparingly.”

  Suddenly, Michelangelo piped up from the kitchen. “I’m making breakfast!” he announced. “Who wants omelets?”

  “Omelets?” A look of concern came over Donnie’s face.

  “Mikey, don’t!” he cried—a second before an explosion shook the kitchen. Once the smoke cleared, Mikey stumbled out to the others in a state of confusion.

  “I think that was a rotten egg,” Mikey said. He eyed all the eggs in the bowl he was carrying. They looked normal enough to him.

  “Those aren’t eggs, Mikey,” Donnie corrected him. “They’re ninja smoke bombs.”

  Mikey grinned from ear to ear. “No way!” he said, mesmerized.

  Raph, Leo, and Donnie watched in nervous anticipation as Mikey grabbed another smoke bomb from the top of the pile. He threw three of them down in rapid succession, using them to camouflage his movements as he zipped around the lair.

  Disappearing and reappearing around the room, Mikey declared, “THIS . . . is the best day . . . of my life!”

  “Stop!” Donnie pleaded.

  And in a puff of purple smoke, Mikey ma-terialized right beside him. “I love you, man. Seriously,” he gushed, giving Donnie a huge bro-hug.

  Before Donnie could reply, the sound of footsteps startled them to attention. Someone was barging into the lair. . . .

  It was April. And she looked terrified.

  “Guys! Guys!” she started, trying to catch her breath. “You’ll never believe what happened to me!”

  “I am being hunted,” April said.

  The Turtles hung on her every word.

  “By”—she paused for dramatic effect—“a giant pigeon.”

  Raph couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing. It was only after getting death stares from everyone that he asked, “What? I can’t be the only one who finds that funny.”

  “It’s not funny, Raph!” Donnie scolded. “There’s a creature out there trying to hurt my April. . . .”

  Realizing what he’d just said in front of his secret crush, Donnie quickly tried to save face. “Our April!”

  That was awkward! Donnie could feel the blush rising in his cheeks.

  Thankfully, Mikey chimed in. “This is serious. I’d better get Splinter,” he decided, readying a fresh smoke bomb in his hand.

  Leo tried to stop him. “We don’t really need—”

  POOF! Mikey vanished in a cloud of ninja smoke to retrieve their wise sensei.

  The other Turtles rolled their eyes. Another smoke bomb wasted.

  Later, the Turtles and Splinter listened as April described the hideous pigeon-man. “His talons were razor sharp! He would have torn me to pieces if he hadn’t slammed into the glass!”

  Raph started laughing again. “A giant pigeon,” he mumbled. “That’s hilarious, right?” He looked up from the monster-movie magazine he was reading to see that, still, no one else found it funny.

  “Really?” he asked. “Just me.”

  “Raphael!” Splinter snapped, swatting Raph with his cane. “Clearly April is upset.”

  “Yeah, dude. That’s so insensitive,” Mikey agreed. “Do you need a tissue?” he asked April gently.

  “I think I’m okay,” she answered.

  “I’ll get you a tissue.” Mikey vanished via smoke bomb. After a moment he emerged from the purple fog right beside April. “We don’t have any tissues. Can I make you some soup?”

  Frustrated, Donnie grabbed Mikey’s arm before he could throw down another smoke bomb. “Stop it!�
�� Donnie yelled. He then turned his attention back to April. “Don’t worry,” he assured her. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Donnie’s right,” Leo said. And like any good leader, he already had a plan. “We’re going to set a trap for this pigeon-man and make sure he never bothers you again.”

  “Well, I know what we can use as bait,” Donnie added.

  “Bread crumbs!” Mikey suggested.

  Donnie didn’t even dignify that with a response.

  “Pigeons eat bread crumbs,” Mikey muttered.

  “I meant April.”

  “You’re going to let him eat April?!” Mikey shrieked, rushing to her defense. “I thought you liked her!”

  “Yeah!” April exclaimed indignantly. She wanted no part of this so-called plan. “I’m trying to avoid this mutant bird-man, not volunteer to be his prey!”

  “Don’t sweat it,” Donnie said coolly. “We’ve got your back.”

  Leo could understand April’s concern, but he was sure they could protect her. How much trouble could one bird-man cause?

  In his most heroic voice, Leo commanded, “All right, Mighty Mutants, let’s do this!”

  “Mighty Mutants?” Raph repeated in a mocking tone. “What, Dancing Dorks was already taken?”

  Leo ignored him. “Let’s just go.”

  “Wait! We do not yet know what you are facing,” Splinter warned, entering the room. “You should study your enemy before confronting him.”

  “With all due respect, Sensei, it’s a pigeon,” Leo said.

  As a wise ninja master, Splinter knew that even the greatest of warriors could sometimes confuse arrogance with confidence. “What you know is dangerous to your enemy,” Splinter told him. “What you think you know is dangerous to you. I fear you are all becoming overconfident.”

  “Sensei, in the past few months, we’ve taken down giant spiders, plant creatures, alien robots, and an army of ninjas,” Leo said, reassuring his master. “Maybe we’re not overconfident. Maybe we’re just that good.”

  Leo led them all out of the dojo and up to the streets. It was time for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to shell shock this mystery mutant and keep their winning streak alive!

  Meanwhile, at the Shredder’s secret lair, Chris Bradford—martial arts celebrity and top ninja assassin—found himself staring into the jaws of an angry Akita Inu guard dog. The beast, named Hachiko, was vicious, bloodthirsty, and very hungry. And it was snarling at Bradford as though he was its dinner.

  Trying to calm the dog, Bradford slowly reached out his hand. “It’s okay, Hachiko. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

  But Hachiko could feel his fear. And that made Bradford an easy target. The beast clamped its jaws down on Bradford’s hand. Hard.

  Sharp pain shot through Bradford’s arm, and he yanked his hand back, but the damage was already done: Hachiko had punctured the skin and drawn blood.

  At that moment, a frightening yet familiar voice came booming from the shadows. “Hachiko is not pleased with you. . . .”

  Bradford lowered his head in shame as the man behind that voice came closer.

  “Nor am I,” the voice continued. It was Shredder! The armored ninja warlord stepped forward into the shafts of moonlight that illuminated the lair. He looked down on Bradford with great disappointment.

  Fortunately for Bradford, he wasn’t the only one in the hot seat. Xever, Shredder’s other top assassin, was also on his knees being scolded.

  “I entrusted you both with the task of destroying Splinter and his loathsome Turtles,” Shredder went on, marching toward his throne. He took a moment to savor his anger, then turned his attention to Bradford. “I spent years molding you in my image, teaching you my darkest secrets. And you shame me with your incompetence.”

  The look of humiliation on Bradford’s face told Shredder that his words had hurt the man deeply. But Xever found it amusing. Seeing the

  so-called Golden Boy of the Foot Clan get disciplined made him chuckle with glee.

  “And you!” Shredder yelled, getting in Xever’s face.

  “I should have left you to rot in that prison where I found

  you.”

  This startled Xever into silence.

  Before Shredder could say another word, Bradford spoke. “The Turtles have been lucky so far, but it won’t last forever.”

  Trying to save face, Xever added, “The next time we meet, I promise you—”

  “Enough!” interrupted Shredder. “I am weary of your excuses.”

  The ruthless lord of the Foot Clan finally took his seat on the throne, his purple cape spilling around him. Behind his metallic face mask, he glowered at Bradford and Xever. He had already given them two chances to eliminate the Turtles—and they’d failed miserably.

  The time had come for him to take matters into his own hands.

  “I will now destroy the Turtles myself,” snarled Shredder.

  Later that night, April wandered the city’s abandoned streets and alleys in an attempt to lure the pigeon-man. She knew the Turtles were waiting in the shadows, ready to protect her, but she was still mad about this whole bait thing. And she let everyone know it.

  “Here I am walking around in the big city,” she announced loudly, “all alone. I sure hope no crazy pigeon-man sneaks up on me. That would be the last thing I’d want.”

  Donnie, impatient, popped up from his hiding place. “What are you doing?” he barked.

  “You wanted me to be bait,” she said. “I’m bait.”

  “That’s not how bait talks.”

  “How do you know how bait talks?” she asked.

  “I know bait doesn’t talk back,” he answered.

  “Ohhhhhh!” the other Turtles teased, momentarily popping their heads up from the darkness.

  “Oh, no you didn’t!” Mikey added.

  Donnie pleaded with April. “Just act natural,” he insisted. He gave her a supportive smile before returning to the shadows with the other Turtles.

  April was alone again.

  “Here I am, acting natural,” she sighed. “Totally defenseless against any hideous mutant pigeons that might happen upon me.”

  April was beginning to think this was a giant waste of time—until she heard a loud shriek coming from the sky. She looked up and screamed.

  “Now!” Leo shouted.

  Donnie activated a strange device that looked like a kitchen mixer. It was an extremely powerful electroshock weapon.

  The jolt froze the pigeon-man in midair, his talons just inches away from April’s face! With the help of a few thousand volts, the Turtles were able to wrestle the stunned mutant to the ground.

  April turned her attention to Donnie. “And you said I wasn’t good bait,” she bragged.

  Certain their captive was no longer a threat, Leo signaled for his brothers to let the bird-man up. And that was when they all got a good look at it under the streetlights: the blue jeans, the way it stood on two legs, the vulnerability behind its eyes—it was the most human mutant they’d ever seen.

  “Start talking, pigeon-man,” Leo demanded.

  “I have a name,” the bird-man squawked.

  “Yeah, we just don’t care what it is,” Raph taunted.

  “It’s Pete,” the bird-man grumbled.

  “Why were you trying to hurt April, Pete?” Leo asked.

  “I don’t want to hurt her,” Pigeon Pete explained. “I was just bringing her a message . . . from her father.”

  “My father?” April said, her voice trembling. She hadn’t seen him in weeks, and his whereabouts had been a mystery ever since the Kraang, a race of evil, extradimensional aliens, abducted him without explanation.

  “How do you know my father?” she asked.

  “We were both ‘guests’ of the Kraang,” Pigeon Pete replied, looking serious. “They poured some ooze on me and turned me into this.”

  April gasped. “That must have been horrible, being turned into a . . . pigeon.”

  “Actual
ly,” Pigeon Pete corrected her, “I started out as a pigeon.”

  “Told you the bread crumbs would have worked,” Mikey said.

  “You’ve got bread crumbs?!” Pigeon Pete clucked excitedly. Unable to control his inner- animal urges, he grabbed Mikey and started searching his shell for any sign of food.

  “Um . . . my father?” April reminded him.

  “Right!” Pigeon Pete let go of Mikey and pulled a videophone from his pants pocket. April took it from him as a recorded message from her father began to play on its screen.

  “Something terrible is about to happen,” her father warned. “I don’t know what, but it’s extremely important that you get out of the city as soon as you can.”

  Then, as if that might be the last time he’d ever speak to her, her father looked into the camera and said, “I love you, April.”

  And with that, his video message ended.

  “I love you, too, Daddy,” April said with tears in her eyes.

  Leo shared a look of concern with his brothers. It was clear the Kraang were plotting something catastrophic, but what?

  “Pete, do you have any idea what he’s talking about?” Leo asked.

  “I’m just the messenger,” Pigeon Pete replied.

  “Well, whatever it is,” Donnie said, turning to April, “we’ve got to get you out of the city.”

  “I’m not going anywhere without my dad,” April announced.

  Donnie tried to reason with her. “But you heard him. Something terrible is going to happen.”

  “Then we’d better hurry,” she stubbornly replied.

  The Turtles had been around April long enough to know when she wasn’t going to budge on something. It was time for a rescue mission—whether the Turtles liked it or not!

  “Pete, can you tell us where the Kraang are holding him?” Leo asked.

  “I can,” Pigeon Pete answered. “But it’s gonna cost you a lot of bread.”

  For a split second, Leo worried about how much cash they’d need to buy Pigeon Pete off, until he remembered. “We’re talking about actual bread, right?”