***
Day one
Everyone is gathered in the Turtles’ large, central room, luggage at their feet.
"What now?" April asks.
Leo looks around. "Unpacking, I guess." A piece of paper appears in Leo’s hand. "Girls sleep in the subway car. Turtles and Casey get the dojo. The bad guys get the garage," he reads.
"Not with my bike!" Raph exclaims. Another piece of paper appears in Raph's hand. "I borrowed it for awhile, hotstuff. Love Kali," he reads. "That bitch!"
"There goes the rating," Venus sighs. She grabs her baggage. "Come on, April, let’s go get to know each other. It’ll be nice to have someone around not controlled by testosterone."
"Hey, I resent that remark!" Raph yells.
"I refuse to live in these conditions!" Dragon Lord complains.
"Maybe you should have volunteered your place," Casey chuckles. He reads the piece of paper that appears in his hand. He laughs. "Our author’s holed up there."
"What!" Dragon Lord grabs the paper. "That little…"
"Brat?" Leo suggests.
"Bitch?" Raph says.
"Human?" Wick adds his two cents.
"They haven’t created a word obscene enough!" Dragon Lord yells.
Donatello frowns at his empty workspace. "Agreed."
Mike picks up his luggage. "I like her. She looks like Renet."
"Really?" Casey asks.
"Yeah, but with longer, darker hair."
Raphael rolls his eyes. "Can I bribe my way out of here?" Another paper. "Damn."
***
In the subway car, April is unpacking her things. Venus is straightening up her bed.
"I am so pissed at being excluded from your show," April says.
Venus snorts. "At least you officially exist." She throws down the book she’s holding. "I can’t even use my powers!"
April sits on her bed and pulls her knees up to her chest. "Maybe she’ll give them back if you’re good."
"She hates me!" Venus yells. A paper falls at her feet. "'I don't hate you. I think you’re pathetic.' I am not!" Venus sobs.
Leo walks in and sees Venus crying. "Venus, what’s wrong?"
"The author thinks I’m pathetic. I’m not pathetic!"
Leo and April exchange glances. "Of course not," Leo says, hugging her.
***
Day Two
"Breakfast!"
Casey looks at his plate. "What is it?"
Mike, wearing an apron with a bikinied torso on it, smiles. "Peanut butter and banana pancakes."
Donatello makes a face. "Where the hell did you get the recipe?"
"Kali gave it to me. She says it goes great with honey."
"Suck up," Wick snaps.
A piece of paper appears in Mike’s hand. "Don’t read this out loud. Oops." He goes on to read the rest in silence. He smiles and stuffs the note in his pocket. "I'll have to look into that."
Shredder, sans helmet, looks curiously at Mike. "If this is Reality TV, why are we getting notes?"
Donatello swallows his mouthful of pancake. "They’re the author’s way of communicating. You know, these aren't too bad."
Venus smirks. "You just complimented the author’s taste."
Don drops his fork. "It just slipped. I didn’t mean it!"
Mike bounces around. "Donnie loves Kali! Donnie loves Kali!"
Don reaches out and punches Mike in the face. Mike falls to the floor unconscious. April gasps and runs to check him.
***
Day Three
"Where’s Leo?" Casey asks.
"Like we care," Dragon Lord grumbles.
"He’s meditating," April tells him.
"Why?"
"Probably trying to escape," Dragon Lord replies.
Casey blinks and looks from Dragon Lord to April. "What are you two doing in here?"
April blushes. "I – I wasn’t on the show! I was trying to catch up. I was interviewing him!"
"Why not ask Venus?" Casey asks, eyeing Dragon Lord. He tries to blow fire, then remembers that his powers have been taken.
"She’s meditating, too."
***
Mike rummages through the kitchen cabinets. Raphael looks up from his raid on the fridge. "What cha lookin’ for?"
"Paprika. Kal says dragons are allergic."
Raph snickers. "Cool, I knew I liked her for a reason."
***
Day Four
"Look you little shit, I don’t have to take this!" Leo yells at the ground.
Shredder looks over. Not the ground, but Wick.
"Listen, shell-back, I can say whatever I want. You aren’t in charge of me!"
Leonardo takes a deep breath. "I am in control of myself. I am in control."
"You control nothing!" Wick yells gleefully.
"That’s it!" Leo pulls back and kicks Wick across the room.
Shredder smiles. "I knew you weren’t that good."
Leo glares at him.
Shredder leans back on the couch. "Say, is Venus single?"
"Huh?"
"Just curious."
***
Day Five
Venus strolls out of the subway car. "Finally, the fifth day!"
"So?" Raphael asks.
Dragon Lord rolls his eyes. "The author has decided to have five days between votes, you imbecile. Tonight, one of you gets voted off."
Leo jumps in. "One of us? What makes you think you won’t get voted out?"
"Oh, please, no!" April cries. All eyes are on her. "Umm…"
Casey jumps up. "I vote Dragon bum out!"
Shredder snickers. "We don’t vote. This isn’t Survivor. The readers vote."
Donatello frowns. "I wonder who’ll go?"
Venus waves her hands over her head. "We’ll find out sooner of later. Where's Mike and Wick?"
Dragon Lord looks at her. "Mike snuck in a Playboy, and Wick is hiding from your Fearless Leader."
Raphael gets in his face. "I’m the only one allowed to call him that!"
"So sue me."
***
Kali walks out onto the stage.
"Welcome to our first vote. I hope it’s been interesting, it certainly has for our vic – I mean, players. Thank you to those few who reviewed the first chapter. Your suggestions have been noted and some even incorporated. Who will stay, who will go? Only you can decide by voting. Vote for who you want to leave and I’ll start writing out the next installment."
***