Bad Day/Transcript

This is a transcript for Bad Day, the eighth episode of season four of TMNT (2003 series).

	VOICE-OVER INTRO
Donatello	Okay, pop quiz: If a dozen of Agent Bishop's deadly commandos are chasing you at ninety miles an hour from points A, B, and C, what are the odds you're gonna survive the next five minutes?

{Opening sequence; title song}

	The episode begins inside the turtle’s lair. The turtles and Master Splinter sit on a square rug which has been placed near the tide pool. Lit candles line all four sides of the rug and Splinter leads his sons in a meditation exercise.
Splinter	Let your minds become pools of stillness, my sons. Break the surface. Explore the depths. For that is where the true wonders lie.
	Michelangelo opens one of his eyes.
Michelangelo	I wonder if you could combine burgers and nachos into one tasty treat. [He licks his lips and closes his eye.] Burchos.
Splinter	Michelangelo!
Raphael	We been at this for hours.
Michelangelo	Yeah, I’m starving. Why’s it gotta be all minds all the time?
Splinter	Because you have not been using them enough. Your behavior has become increasingly sloppy. [All of the turtles are looking at him.] A symptom of unfocused minds. This lair is a reflection of those who live within it. What does its current state say about us?
	Pan around the lair. Food, food boxes and drink containers are scattered everywhere, weapons, books and remote controllers have been left lying wherever they were dropped. Donatello’s work space has liquid spilled on it and left to drip on the floor.
Michelangelo	We really like casual Fridays?
Splinter	Our safety depends on keeping our presence a secret. Yet you roam the city recklessly as if no threat existed! And, Leonardo, your behavior is most troubling of all. There is a new hardness to you. One that strays from the true path of ninjutsu.
Leonardo	I do what I have to, to protect this family.
	His brothers gasp.
Splinter	As do I. Back to meditation.
	All close their eyes. A moment later, bubbles rise to disturb the surface of the tide pool. Splinter begins to groan and then grimaces in pain as he rises to his feet. He falls, but Leonardo jumps up to catch him before he can hit the floor.
Leonardo	Master Splinter!
	He sets his father down and Donatello rushes over to examine Splinter.
Donatello	His breathing’s shallow. He needs medical attention!
Leonardo	Get the Battle Shell ready. Mikey, get April on the phone. Tell her we need a doctor now!
Raphael	And what? Take a sixty-five pound talking rat to the hospital?
Michelangelo	Anybody know a veterinarian who can keep his mouth shut? [He picks up a shell cell but then pauses as he hears a bubbling sound.] Huh? [He looks down to see water under his feet.] Guys, I think something’s going funny with the...
	Suddenly a huge geyser of water shoots up from the tide pool and water begins flooding the lair.
Raphael	What the shell?
	Water rises and sweeps Leonardo, who is clutching Splinter, and Raphael off their feet. The water reaches Donatello and knocks him down.
Donatello	Ah!
	The water floods the living area and Donatello’s work station. The tide pool has become a swirling mass in the center of the lair. As they are swept along, Raphael and Leonardo grab hold of the metal stairs mounted to a pillar. Raphael swings onto a platform and Leonardo hands Splinter up to him.
Leonardo	Hang on, Master Splinter!
	Donatello catches hold of a thick pipe and climbs up to the second level. Reaching up, Michelangelo grabs a low hanging wire and pulls himself up. He and Donatello run over to where Leonardo and Raphael are bringing Splinter up on the ladder.
Michelangelo	So, I think we got a little clog in the drain.
Raphael	Yeah, we got that part.
Donatello	We’ll have to ride the current out. Hope the whole system isn’t like this.
Leonardo	We’ll swim you out, Master. Can you hold your breath?
Splinter	Yes.
	Leonardo drapes one of Splinter’s arms across his shoulders and Raphael takes the other side.
Leonardo	Now!
	All three inhale, hold their breath, and jump into the water. Michelangelo hears Klunk meowing. He looks into the swirling section of water and sees his cat struggling in the current.
Michelangelo	Klunk!
	Michelangelo dives into the water.
Donatello	Mikey, wait! The current! [Michelangelo swims frantically and then dives.] Oh, Mikey, no.
	He dives into the water as well. A geyser shoots up, taking some dislodged debris with it. As the debris comes down, a large stone hits Michelangelo and knocks him out. Donatello swims to him and pulls him to the surface.
Donatello	Mikey!
	Raphael and Leonardo swim with Splinter to the main entrance. While Raphael holds Splinter, Leonardo goes to the door and manages to get it open. The current pulls all three into the tunnel. Donatello is still in the swirling current, keeping Michelangelo’s head above the water.
Donatello	Mikey, don’t worry. I’ll get us out of here.
	He takes a deep breath and dives, swimming as fast as he can while holding onto his brother. Before he can reach safety, he starts to fade and then passes out. When he comes to, he’s out of the water and Leonardo is standing in front of him.
Donatello	Mikey, is he…
	Raphael walks over with his arm around Michelangelo.
Raphael	Waterlogged, but otherwise okay. Thanks to you, Donny.
	He sets Michelangelo down.
Michelangelo	Klunk! I-I couldn’t save him!
Raphael	No one could have got through that crazy whirlpool, Mikey. This whole thing’s gotta be some kind of freak accident.
Splinter	No accident. [Splinter stands up.] My sons, we are under attack. We must seek a safer haven.
	At a ladder to the surface, Leonardo climbs with Splinter clinging to his back. Leonardo speaks to April on his shell cell.
April O’Neil	Is everyone all right, Leo?
Leonardo	We’ve been better.
April	Casey and I are on our way.
Leonardo	Thanks, April. We’re almost to the surface. We’ll look for you and Casey in the van.
	The group exits the sewers to come up in the center of a quiet street. Suddenly lights flash on to illuminate them. Dozens of murmuring voices can be heard. They look around to see soldiers, and armored vehicles, and helicopters. Nearby, a group of reporters are filming the group. People are commenting, calling them creatures, giant turtles and drawing attention to their weapons. The turtles draw their weapons.
Michelangelo	What’s the shell is going on?
Donatello	How did they even know we’d be here?
Agent John Bishop	Because this is right where I wanted you to be.
	He walks towards them.
Splinter	Agent Bishop!
Bishop	Say hello to the world. [In the streets throughout New York City, people stop to look at TV screens and monitors, including the ones in Times Square, which show a live feed of the turtles and Splinter.] The whole wide world.
Leonardo	This isn’t like you, Bishop. I thought you black ops thugs liked to keep to the shadows.
Bishop	Extreme cases require extreme measures. The world is now my ally. There’s nowhere you can hide that some responsible citizen won’t rat you out. Pardon the expression. And now, let’s get down to business.
	The soldiers rush the group and the turtles begin fighting. Suddenly they hear a loud whistle.
Casey Jones	Hey! Fellas!
	Casey stands atop April’s van, waving his arms.
Leonardo	There! In the alley.
	The mutant family runs towards Casey as soldiers fire at them. Casey hops down when they reach the van.
Casey	Come on, come on, let’s go!
	They all jump into the van as the soldiers run towards them, continuing to fire their weapons. April, at the wheel, speeds away.
Soldier	Attention all units. Target is mobile. Initiate response code black sky.
	Helicopters zip overhead. April drives quickly through the streets.
Leonardo	Thanks for the save.
April	Oh, you guys are far from saved. You’re all over the news.
Casey	We should head upstate. You could crash at Grandma’s for a while, if you want.
Splinter	Perhaps that would be best for…
	Missiles begin hitting the street and the van careens wildly as April tries to dodge them. Armored vehicles and helicopters are in pursuit.
Donatello	Any chance you could step on it, April?
April	It’s floored right now! This isn’t exactly the Battle Shell!
Raphael	She’s right. We don’t got the juice or the punch to make this a chase.
	Leonardo opens the passenger door, draws a sword, and leaps.
Splinter	Leonardo!
	Leonardo stabs his katana through the windshield of the armored car that is directly behind the van. It veers to one side and Leonardo punches a fist through the windshield, grabs the driver, and flings him out onto the street. Leonardo climbs into the driver’s seat and adjust the side view mirror, but the armored vehicle behind him shoots out the glass. Leonardo turns down a narrow alley and loses the pursuit vehicle. Meanwhile, the van is still taking fire. April speeds past her shop, 2nd Time Around. One of the helicopters deploys a cargo hook with four sharp spikes which punch through the top of the van, nearly stabbing Raphael and Michelangelo.
Raphael	Ah!
Michelangelo	Look out!
Casey	Ah. Ha, ha! He missed.
	Small prongs open on each of the spikes and the cable lifts. On of the spikes catches Casey’s mask and pulls him up to the top of the van where he strikes his head. The helicopter begins lifting the van.
Helicopter	Black Sky leader to all units. [Leonardo sees the action on his monitor.] Target acquired, prepare for air lift.
	Leonardo turns down a street and drives towards the van. He yanks the steering wheel to the side and drives on top of a parked car, launching the armored vehicle into the air. He leaps out just before the vehicle crashes into the helicopter. The van drops back down onto all four wheels and Leonardo reenters the van.
Raphael	Show off.
	They drive away. A newspaper flips through the air. Its headline reads “Green Menace” and has a picture of the four turtles, their teeth exaggerated to look like fangs. As helicopters with search lights fly over the city, April drives the van slowly, coming to a stop behind some parked cars. Ahead is a view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Splinter	Still they search for us.
Donatello	They have every bridge covered. We’ll never make it out to the farmhouse.
Leonardo	We’ll have to hide in the city. I’ll call Angel and see if she has any…
	His shell cell makes a high, squealing noise. Immediately, several helicopters hone in on them and open fire.
Michelangelo	Uh, what exactly just happened?
Donatello	They’re tracking us through the shell cell. They must have locked onto its signature.
	April zigzags as they are fired upon.
Leonardo	April, let us out of the van.
April	What?
Leonardo	There’s a tunnel ahead. We’ll get out and take the shell cell with us, and you double back while we lead the copters away.
April	Uh-uh. No way.
Casey	We ain’t leaving you guys behind.
Donatello	Either they get some of us or they get all of us.
Michelangelo	And then who’d call in the rescue posse.
	April whips the van down a ramp and slides to a stop inside the tunnel. The turtles and Splinter all climb out.
April	Be careful, guys.
Michelangelo	You be careful. I’m not kidding about that posse. I want a mondo huge one.
Leonardo	Go, while we draw them off!
	April speeds away.
Splinter	The copters will be on us as soon as we—
	As soon as the van drives out of the tunnel, a missile slams into it, followed by another. The van flips into the air, lands on its side, and explodes. The mutant family all gasp.
Donatello	No~o!
Michelangelo	April! Casey!
Donatello	No! No~o!
Raphael	This ain’t happening!
Splinter	You may speak truer than you know, Raphael. Come, my sons, we must go.
	He approaches a maintenance shaft on the side of the tunnel and opens the cover.
Raphael	But Sensei…
Splinter	We must go now.
	They all enter the shaft. Later, they hide in an alleyway near the docks.
Donatello	I should have changed the signature on the shell cells. I should have known they were traceable.
Raphael	Nobody thinks it’s your fault, Donny. You couldn’t have known.
Donatello	But I led Bishop right to the lair.
Splinter	It was not Bishop who found us at the lair, Donatello. I cannot sense the source, but there has been a great evil in our presence all evening.
Donatello	But it doesn’t make any sense, Master. Who would even have that kind of power?
	A voice reaches them from the shadows.
Shredder	Come, Donatello, surely you realize there is only one who could bring this level of vengeance down upon you.
Leonardo	It can’t be.
Raphael	There ain’t no way.
	Smokes rises and then Shredder appears. The turtles draw their weapons.
Michelangelo	How many times do we have to get rid of this guy?
Shredder	Did you think my loyal servants would abandon me? You and the cursed Utroms thought you could send me to my doom. Instead, you have sealed yours!
	Splinter sniffs at the air and then backs against a wall, deep in thought. Leonardo leaps at Shredder, but he steps to the side, grabs Leonardo’s wrist and disarms him. He throws Leonardo onto the ground and catches the katana before it can fall. Shredder laughs.
Shredder	Quaint.
Raphael	Come on!
	The rest of the turtles charge.
Splinter	My sons, no! There is—
Raphael	This is for April!
Donatello	Casey!
Michelangelo	And Klunk!
	The turtles attack Shredder, but Splinter sits cross-legged on the ground. As each of the turtles attempts to strike Shredder, he defeats them, using their own weapons against them or against one of their brothers.
Shredder	A shame about your friends, but you won’t have to miss them for very long.
	Raphael growls and sits up as Shredder looms over him. Shredder lifts his gauntlet to strike and Raphael throws his sais.
Raphael	Don’t you talk about our friends!
	Shredder bats the sais aside. One of them spins upwards and slices through a cable holding a pallet above the dock. The pallet falls, landing on Raphael, and canned food rolls everywhere. Leonardo charges Shredder with his remaining katana, as helicopters fly overhead. Shredder blocks several of Leonardo blows, but the turtle manages to hit him and send him sliding back. On Leonardo’s next attack, Shredder knocks the blade from his hand and then lifts Leonardo by his weapon strap. He slams a fist down on Leonardo’s shell and then kicks him when he falls. Helicopters land as Shredder stands over the fallen turtles. Bishop and his soldiers walk up behind the Shredder.
Shredder	As promised, I give you the turtles. You may take whatever pieces are left, when I have finished.
Splinter	No! Enough! [He walks out of the shadows into the light.] No one touches my sons while there is breath in this body.
Shredder	I do not think you appreciate the forces I haven united against you.
	As he says those words, Karai, Hun, Stockman, the Foot Elite, a Foot Mech, and Purple Dragons all appear.
Bishop	This should be entertaining.
Shredder	You can not hope to defeat me. [He approaches Splinter.] The powers aligned against you are too great. Even you must see that now.
Splinter	I see many things clearly now. [He closes his eyes and visualizes the evening’s occurrences.] You have sought to cloud my senses with pain and loss and anguish, but there is something in the hollowness of its sounds, the emptiness of its scent, [He opens his eyes.] the shallowness of its soul that tells me this day’s events are not as they seem.
Shredder	You speak as a fool.
Splinter	Perhaps. But I am not speaking to you. [He sits down.] I wait for my true foes to reveal themselves. [Shredder draws back his fist.] You cannot touch me!
	Shredder strikes, but his fist goes through Splinter, who is suddenly suffused in a bluish glow. Swirling light surrounds him, the background fades and then reappears as the lair. The turtles and Splinter are where they began the evening, in meditation on the rug near the tide pool.
Splinter	My sons, hear my voice. [A mist sweeps over them and then all five are seated in an empty space, surrounded by swirls of white light.] You are not injured, you are not battered, and most importantly, you are not beaten.
	The turtles’ eyes open.
Leonardo	Master Splinter.
Donatello	Where are we?
	All five mutants are suffused in the bluish light. From around them appear different colored forms, each topped by a symbol representing Wind, Water, Fire, Earth, and Metal.
Fire Mystic	This one is more powerful than we imagined.
	The Foot Mystics take shape, floating in the air around the meditating mutant family.
Water Mystic	No matter, he is but one to our five.
	They all fire their mystic staffs at Splinter, who leaps to his feet and avoids each strike. The turtles have also risen to their feet.
Splinter	This entire nightmare has been nothing but an astral dream. A tainted projection conjured by an enemy.
Michelangelo	Master Splinter!
Raphael	Come on, Mikey!
	The turtles all run towards their father. The Foot Mystics change shape again and join into a vortex above the group.
Splinter	No! They attack our minds; we must respond in kind. [He sits.] Focus your minds in meditation!
Raphael	What is it with him and meditation? Come on, we gotta save him!
Leonardo	Raph, do what he says.
	The turtles put away their weapons, walk around Splinter, and sit down to face him. Wind whips all around them.
Splinter	Concentrate. You have power as great as theirs. You need only to find it, channel it. [Fire rises behind them, but then a bubble starts to form around the turtles.] Good, my sons, now focus. Strike back.
	The energy from the turtles force shield rises in a spike and pierces the vortex created by the Mystics. It shatters and the Mystics fall, each ripping apart until they vanish. The wind dies and the family is back in the lair.
Raphael	What the shell was that?
Donatello	Back in the lair? And how is it…?
Splinter	We have not left the lair all evening. What we experienced tonight was the work of dark magic. An attempt to destroy us from the inside out.
Donatello	It’s not that I don’t believe you, Master, but…
Splinter	I understand, Donatello. If it will ease your mind, you should call April and Casey.
	Donatello stands up and walks away. There is a ‘meow’ from the upper level.
Michelangelo	Klunk! You’re okay!
	He runs towards his cat.
Leonardo	Master, how was this even possible?
Splinter	Pain is a blinding force, Leonardo. Physical and emotional. They distracted us with illusions of that which would hurt us most.
	Donatello sits on the arm of the couch, talking on his shell cell.
Donatello	You’re sure you’re all right, April? And Casey’s over there with you? No, I guess it was nothing.
Splinter	But more troubling questions remain. If they can attack us on a mystic plane, what will be next? We must be on our guard.
	Cut to Foot headquarters, the chamber occupied by the Foot Mystics. They watch the mutant family through a portal formed of the combined powers of their staffs. The door behind them opens and the Mystics turn to see Karai.
Karai	Fools! Another failure.
Earth Mystic	Mistress Karai, we were unable to destroy the turtles and their sensei.
Water Mystic	But we have gained valuable knowledge for our next assault.
Karai	And you recklessly revealed your presence to the rodent.
Earth Mystic	The Shredder had a greater respect for our powers.
Karai	I do not respect you, and I do not fear you. As long as I possess the Heart of Tengu, your so-called powers are mine to command.
Mystics	Yes, Mistress Karai. We serve evermore the Heart of Tengu.
Karai	I have had enough of your parlor tricks. The next time I attack, I assure you it will be no illusion. I will crush the turtles with my own hands, once and for all!

{Roll end credits}