Disclaimer: I do not own Tin Man, Gargoyles, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I make no money off this work.
The characters Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Splinter, Oroku Saki, April O'Neil, Dan Pennington, Charles Pennington, Chief Sterns, Hamato Yoshi, Tang Shen, and Casey Jones as used in this novel come from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the first movie. The character Keno as used in this novel comes from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.
The characters Lotus Blossom and Mona Lisa originated with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, The Purple Dragon Gang originated in the original Eastman and Laird comics, Oroku Nagi was mentioned in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Storybook by Katharine Ross. I revised their origins to fit these novels.
The characters DG, Wyatt Cain, Glitch, Raw, Longcoats, Jeb Cain, Azkadellia, (Thaddeus) the Vy-Sor, (Akio) Zero, Queen Galinda, Ahamo, Dorothy Gale, and Ozma as used in this novel come from Tin Man and L. Frank Baum's classic Wizard of Oz series.
The characters Zack Baker, Allie Baker, Karen, Xaturina, Taro, Amanda Keene Baker, Sammie Yutang, James Baker, and Billy Baker were created for my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fanfics and belong to me. Lord Gayelette, Oran, Adsaluta, Halvard, Chelsea, Sigvat, Ichiro, and Yowl were created for my Tin Man fanfics. Please don't use them in your stories. But feel free to draw them and send me a copy.
The lyrics from "Home" by Breaking Benjamin are used without permission.
This story contains cussing, graphic depictions of violence, drinking of alcoholic beverages, and sexual situations. If you're not mature enough to handle it, go read something else.
This story takes place after Biker Mice From Mars/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Family, Friends, and Foes.
Chapter One
DG decided to erase the phrase what’s the worst that could happen from her mental vocabulary. She thought it before speeding to work and got a ticket. She thought it before jumping into the travel storm with her roboparents. She thought it before leaving the Central City Palace for this adventure. Now working her going-numb fingers to fish his razor out of Cain’s vest pocket with tied hands, she vowed never to think it again.
Cain’s chest contracted as she wobbled and jabbed her fingernails into his shirt. “Ouch,” he said.
“Quit squirming then.” She scooted a little to her right. Hopefully, that would line up her tied hands better with Cain’s chest. “I’m not a contortionist and my hands are going numb.”
“DG stay calm.” Raw rumbled from the corner behind her. If her magic spiked because she panicked, they’d be surrounded by an explosion crater instead of the Longcoat van. Had they just left the Royal Army at Lord Gayelette’s fortress this morning? Why had anyone listened to her?
“What does she possibly have to be nervous about? We’re captured by Longcoats in the midst of a delusional countryside.”
She aimed a glare in Glitch’s direction catty corner from her, despite being too dark for him to see it. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”
“We had a plan? I must have glitched and missed it.”
Raw growled deep in his chest before speaking. “Glitch didn’t know Longcoats ambush either.”
“All I’m suggesting is that we shouldn’t be in such a hurry to escape until after we know who has the Longcoats’ leash.”
Cain pushed his chest against DG’s hands and back. Now it was okay to touch her, under these impossible circumstances; she choked back her frustration. “They’ll keep DG alive,” he answered. “We don’t have any guarantees. Try again, DG.”
She let out a deep breath as she bent forward to get more leverage for her arms. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and the dragon will come eat the Longcoats.” Her pinky grazed a button on his vest.
“Dragons are extinct.”
She remembered the other forty-nine times Glitch told her too. “I don’t care. I have the image of a talking dragon that sounds like Sean Connery gobbling Longcoats and it’s a happy image. Stop ruining it for me.”
“Just don’t tell me what you visualize when you get depressed, doll.”
As if it was that hard for him to figure out since he got all his marbles back. Take your pick for the issue of the day: in love with a man whose life I destroyed, exiled into a palace, or my birth parents hate me. DG hunched her shoulders and a middle fingertip brushed against the pocket seam. Cain held his breath.
The doors at the end of the van jerked open. Cain rolled from her, but the Longcoat saw them with the moonlight streaming inside. “What’s going on here?” The commander of the unit lumbered inside and kicked Cain, flipping the Tin Man onto his back. His gloved hand plucked the razor free with a grunt. “The boys need better training if they missed this.” The fist curled around the razor and backhanded Cain across the jaw.
“Leave him alone!” DG pivoted on her butt and kicked out with her tied legs. Her feet made a solid connection with his calf, but the commander didn’t stumble.
“That’s no way for a Princess to act.” The commander yanked her ankles. She lost her balance and slammed back on the van floor. Raw and Glitch protested, but she could barely hear them through the daze in her head. The kick to her side woke her up. She rolled across the van floor, stopping face down on the ground outside. She craned her neck up to suck air back into her lungs. The ground vibrated when the commander jumped down beside her. Before she could yell, he wrapped material around her mouth between her teeth and knotted it behind her head.
The commander set her on her feet to face him. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. “You stay quiet. Unless you want to entertain the whole unit.” Her skin crawled under his chuckle.
DG looked away from his leering face to stare into the van. Cain’s icy blue eyes locked with hers. He sat upright, he was coming, and he was pissed.
The van’s doors slammed shut on the vision. The commander locked a padlock as big as her fist on them. But I didn’t think it this time! she wailed silently.
