Change is Constant, part 4/Transcript

YOU'RE NOT ON   NICKTOONS   ANYMORE!

Some TMNT stuff really isn't for little kids.

• IDW Chronology
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[Present day.] Old Hob "What's wrong, little turtle?" Casey Jones "Okay, meetin' you was crazy enough, man, but a giant walkin', talkin' cat? C'mon!" Hob "Don't tell me you went and forgot your pal, Old Hob..." Hob "...Did ya?"

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Casey "You know this weirdo?" Raphael "He..." Raph "No."

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Raph "No!" Hob "No?!" Hob "Well, I'm offended as hell, I tell ya! You got the nerve to forget me after all we shared together?" Hob "You losin' that family of yours..." Hob "...Me losin' my damn eye!" Hob "Sorry, that just ain't gonna cut it. You're gonna remember even if me and my boys here gotta beat the memory into ya, or outta ya—" Hob "—I ain't picky." Hob "Boys, no guns. I wanna make sure this forgetful reptile and bat boy remember every bit of the last ass-kickin' they're ever gonna get." Casey "Dude... This ain't good."

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Hob "Rip 'em to shreds!" Casey "Ain't good at all!"

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[Fifteen months earlier.] Baxter Stockman "This is not good, Mr. Allen. Not good at all." Chet Allen "Y-Yes, Doctor Stockman, I... I know, sir." Baxter "Well, then, do you also know the extent of the damages—of the losses we suffered? Because, if you do, I'd sincerely like you to share that particular bit of information with me sometime tonight." Baxter "That is, if you don't mind?" Chet "Um, yes, doctor... Um, I m-mean, no, sir... I don't mind." Baxter "Well? I'm waiting." Chet "Umm... Okay, well, the terrapin exo-armor samples are intact for the m-most part, but the psychotropic s-serum was a complete loss, as was Splinter." Baxter "Splinter?" Chet "Y-Yes... Splinter was the, um... Rat we were using to t-test the serum. We lost the turtle specimens, too." Baxter "I see—quite the tragedy, that. Remind me to have my secretary allocate the funds necessary to replace these poor lost creatures. I'm guessing twenty dollars and a trip to the pet store should suffice." Baxter "The mutagen, Mr. Allen! Never mind this inane talk of mising rodents and reptiles! Tell me what happened to the bloody super soldier mutagen!" Chet "Y-Yes, sir, doctor... S-Sorry, sir." Chet "We've only been able to, um, salvage s-small amounts of the mutagen from the alley so far." Chet "But with extended exposure to oxygen, and with all the different formulae being mixed together, it's most likely t-tainted beyond, um... Repair." Baxter "Damn it all."

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Baxter "Losing the psychotropic serum is bad enough news, considering we'll have to start from scratch in its development. But the mutagen?" Baxter "The basic components for that were supplied to use by General Krang, and at great personal risk if our client is to be believed. Now I'm forced to inform him we require even more?!" Baxter "Do you realize how infuriated the general will be when he learns of this disaster? Especially if it's true that ninja soldiers were behind the break-in. What if it turns out his competitor has gotten his hands on the missing samples?" Baxter "This could ruin me." Chet "I understand, doctor, but, um... Th-There may be a way to get the psychotropic compound back without having to start over." Baxter "How?" Chet "Well, if we're able to, um, recapture Splin—er, the test rat, we should be able to extract w-workable samples from his... Um, its blood." Baxter "Ha! Really, Mr. Allen? And pray tell how, in a massive city infested with millions upon millions of rats, do you propose we find this "Splinter" of yours?" Hob "I can help with that." Hob "I just wanna know one thing—" Hob "—Does that filthy rat gotta be alive when I bring him to you?"

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April O'Neil "I'm telling you, guys, I'm lucky to be alive!" Cop A "But ninja warriors? C'mon, Miss O'Neil, that's a pretty big pill to swallow. You sure it wasn't normal burglars all dressed in black and you just got so scared that they looked like ninjas to you?" Cop B "Yeah, there's a lot of whatchamacallit goin' on these days..." Cop A "Corporate espionage." Cop B "Yeah, that. Coulda just been some other company tryin' to steal some science secrets or somethin'." April "That's just it—they were stealing stuff. And they were carrying swords and knives, too, and had masks on just like... Like..." April "...Like the ninjas you see in movies." April "God, it even sounds crazy to me." Cop A "And you say one of them tried to kill you with his sword. How'd you get away?" April "I don't know—just luck, I guess. He barely missed me, and then the fire alarm went off and I was able to hit him in the face with a glass beaker and run." Cop "And who set off the fire alarm?" April "It... It..." April "...It was Splinter. I'm pretty sure it was Splinter." Cop B "Splinter? Who's that?" April "Not who. What..."

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"...Splinter's a lab rat." Splinter "Quick, my sons! We must not stop until we have put a safe distance between the laboratory and ourselves." Leonardo "Safe?" Splinter "Yes, my son, safe. Fate and destiny have provided for our reunion, and we will not forfeit that gift by allowing ourselves to be easily captured." Splinter "We will vanish into the shadows, as has always been our way." Donatello "Our way?" Splinter "I understand there is much you do not recall, all of you. In time you will remember, but for now I only ask for your trust and obedience as we escape to our new life together." Splinter "And with a new life, we will take new names... Ones now familiar to us all—" Leonardo "Leonardo." Michelangelo "Michelangelo." Donatello "Donatello." Splinter "And I am Splinter—as before, your sensei and father." Splinter "There is much we must do, my sons. We have little time and there are many things I must teach you—many things for you to learn once again." Splinter "We will find a new home, and then we will find your brother..."

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"...Raphael." [Present day.] "Ragh!" Casey "Bro, this is nuts! Who are these punks?" "Unff" Raph "Them, I don't know. The cat, thought...?" Raph "He's a bad memory I didn't know I had." Casey "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

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Raph "Means I've got a serious score to settl—erk!" KRAK Hob "That's it, boys! Soften that green freak up for me!" Casey "Get offa him, punk!" Raph "I'm okay, Casey—" Raph "—Good enough to take out a couple more!" KE-RACK Raph "Gah!" Hob "Nice and tender..."

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Raph "You're gonna regret that, man." Casey "Watch out, bro! Behind y—" FWAP Raph "Casey!" Hob "Down, boy!" KRAK

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Raph "Sonuva—" Hob "I said, down!" KRAK Raph "Nguh!" Hob "Hold on to 'im, boys. Time for Old Hob to take care of business." Hob "You know, I did say no guns earlier, but somethin' about seein' you again changed my mind. No offense." Raph "Go to hell." Hob "Already there."

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Hob "See, the thing is, you got away before, freak..." Hob "...It ain't happenin' again." Hob "YAAAAGH!" Leo "You're the only thing not happening tonight, Hob..." Leo "...You're done."

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Mikey "Banzai, bros!"

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Raph "Offa me!" Raph "Who...?" Donnie "Do you think it's him?!" Leo "Raphael? It's got to be, Donnie!" Mikey "I told you, Leo! This was gonna be win..." Mikey "...Win!"

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Hob "No." Hob "No!" Raph "Urf!"

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Mikey "Dudes, look! Hob's punkin' out on Raphael!" Donnie "Hob's gonna kill him!" Leo "No, wait..." "...No way Hob's taking out our brother that easy!" Hob "Don't fool yourself, freak. You think these other puke-green idiots give a damn about you? Ha! Them and that grimy rat left you to die once before—they'll do it again, you'll see." Hob "You ain't nothin' but a lab experiment that got away. Hell, you ain't even worth the needle they're gonna use to suck the blood outta all you freaks—includin' that damn rat—soon as I drag your carcasses back to StockGen." Hob "Those eggheads got big plans for you, yeah, but none that need you alive. You're better off dead, see? Dead and gone." Raph "Shut up!"

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Raph "I'll kill you!" Raph "Raagh!" Hob "Mraaawr!" "Agck!" Hob "Urrgk!" Raph "Grnf!" Hob "Nyraah!"

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Raph "No more!" KRAK Raph "I want you dead!" Raph "Do you hear me?!" Raph "D—" Leo "No, Raphael..." Leo "...Not like that. He's beaten." Leo "Let it go, man." Donnie "But, Leo, Hob's just gonna do this again. We—" Leo "No, Donnie. We've already disobeyed Father enough tonight." Donnie "But—" Leo "I said, no." Mikey "We gotta bolt anyways—cops are comin'!"

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Raph "Who...?" Leo "Whoa... Take it easy. It's okay, bro." Raph "B... Bro?" Donnie "Yeah, Raph..." Donnie "...Brothers." Casey "Aw, man. That dude musta hit me harder than I thought..." Casey "I'm seein' like four of youse right now."

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[Eventually, the tempest subsides.] Leo "Sensei, we're back. And we've brought someone with us." [And what began with a ferocious roar...] Splinter "Raphael." [...Ends in uncertain silence.] Splinter "Welcome home." [It is simply the calm before the next storm...] Splinter "Now, my sons, the circle is complete." Splinter "At last, we can truly begin."