Wrath of the Rat King
Written by: David Wise
MWS #9062-9402
GROUP W #171
CAST OF CHARACTERS: THE TMNT, APRIL O’NEIL, VERNON, BURNE THOMPSON, SHREDDER, KRANG, BEBOP, ROCKSTEADY
GUEST STARS: RAT KING, GENERAL TRAAG, ROCK SOLDIERS, CITY POLICE OFFICER, WETMORE RESEARCH CENTER SECURITY GUARDS, WESTMORE RESEARCH CENTER SCIENTISTS, ARMORED TRUCK GUARDS
LOCATIONS: TURTLE’S LAIR, HALL OF SCIENCE, TECHNODROME, TEMPORARY CHANNEL SIX NEWS STATION, WESTMORE RESEARCH CENTER
SYNOPSIS:
Believing that Shredder and Krang have taken over the Hall of Science, now that Berserko is out of commission, the Turtles set out to investigate, only to be repelled by Bebop and Rocksteady. April was able to capture the battle on tape, but she is afraid that it will not convince Burne of the Turtles’ innocence.
Meanwhile, Burne has created a hot line for callers to use should they spot those “evil” Turtles… the ones responsible for the destruction of the Channel Six News Building.
Inside the Hall of Science, Shredder is fearful that the Turtles will eventually find a way into the building and must be stopped now, at any cost. Krang suggests that Shredder not worry with the equipment that Berserko left behind, as he believes that he will be able to restore communications with the Technodrome (which is still in Dimension X) and have it at their disposal once more.
However, Shredder is not convinced and decides to seek out an old friend in the sewers. The Rat King!
Meanwhile, Channel Six continues to run editorials denouncing the Turtles. Raphael is ready to storm down to the new Channel Six Station and “have a chat” with Vernon and Burne, when Donatello suggest that maybe Vernon is right! Maybe the more they try to help, the more they become the problem.
The other Turtles cannot believe their ears! How can Donatello be saying this! But before they finish their debate, the Rat King breaks into the lair with laser guns blasting. Believing that he has dispatched the Turtles to the hereafter, the rodent liege seeks to obtain his reward from Shredder: a new strain of Mutagen!
Meanwhile, Krang has made contact with General Tragg aboard the Technodrome in Dimension X and requests that his last and final unused weapon, the Shock Wave, be sent (via the Dimensional Portal) to Krang on Earth. Unfortunately, rather than being teleported to the Hall of Science it is sent into a busy intersection in the City, and now the police have taken custody of it. Krang sends Bebop and Rocksteady out to try and retrieve it, only for them to discover that it is at the Westmore Research Center.
Over at the temporary Channel Six News Station, April is unable to convince Burne not to run his expose denouncing the Turtles and threatens to get her own story, proving the Turtles’ innocence.
April returns to the Hall of Science in time to see the Rat King enter. When she contacts the Turtles, they shrug it off and say there is nothing they can do. When Splinter hears this, he threatens to go take care of ãthis menace himself, so the TMNT join forces with their Sensei. Only when the heroes arrive at the Hall of Science, the last thing they expect to see was giant mutant rats!
Krang used his new strain of mutagen on the Rat King’s pet rats. The Turtles and Splinter retreat. Shredder, the Rat King and his giant mutant rats head for the Westmore Research Center with April and her mini-cam in pursuit.
The Turtles get Shredder’s retro-mutagen ray and they blast the giant mutant rats, which succeeds in cutting them down to size. Afterwards the TMNT capture the rat King and destroy Krang’s Shock wave.
