The Shells
During his career as an Ace the Turtle employs a variety of shells, typically one right after another, the newer, more high-tech models replacing their older, outmoded counterparts. Occasionally, most often upon the loss or destruction of his latest shell, Turtle must fall back upon an earlier model until a new one can be constructed, usually assisted by his childhood friend, Joey, an accomplished mechanic.
| Shell # | Description |
|---|---|
| Shell I | Turtle's first shell very clearly resembles the Volkswagen Beetle frame around which it is constructed. Protected by heavy steel plate salvaged from World War II battleships, it housed a swiveling chair and banks of TV monitors connected to external cameras. Hot, stuffy, cramped, and having more than one blindspot in its monitor system, Tudbury looks back on the old shell with fondness, but obviously prefers the later models. This shell, along with two others, was among the three sold to the Wild Card Dime Museum. |
| Shell II | Slightly larger and more advanced than its predecessor, the second shell is a memento of Turtle's "Summer of Love" phase when he and other Wild Cards, both Aces and Jokers, became part of the Civil Rights and counter-culture movements. Spray painted with flowers, peace symbols, and slogans such as "Make Love Not War", this shell was used by Turtle to accompany various student marches and immediately quell any outbreaks of violence with his massive telekinetic powers. Tudbury vividly recalls the march when a beautiful young college girl lay atop his shell, seductively whispering that she loved him and didn't care what he looked like, if he was white or black, an Ace or a Joker. During one of his sporadic fits of self-pity and depression, Turtle wonders what his life would have been like if he had been brave enough to open his shell and invite her in. |
| Shell III | The third shell was retired due to battle damage and the impending construction of the fourth, much more advanced shell. Slightly battered, this shell bears two significant dents acquired during Turtle's early career as a crimefighter. One is a caved in plate of armor caused by a cannonball hurled at Turtle by a super-strong ace criminal. The second, much more distinctive mark is a woman's handprint in the bottom of the shell, left by an Ace bank-robber called the Sculptress, who could make stone and metal flow like wax. Captured by Turtle, she avoided prosecution by agreeing to work for the FBI as one of several government Aces. |
| Shell IV | Little is known of this shell other than it was not the most advanced to date. After Shell V jettisoned by the Takisians, Tudbury reverted to using his last intact model. In retaliation for the Cloisters raid described below, this shell was destroyed by Imp. Imp succeeded an attack on the seemingly-impregnable turtle, using his electromagnetic powers to jam its cameras and then attaching a napalm explosive to its side while another ace attacked Tudbury's blood sugar levels, leaving him incapable of concentrating on his telekinesis. On fire and out of control, Turtle crashed into the East River, completing the destruction of his own shell by smashing free from it with his telekinesis. The loss of this shell and Shell V put Tudbury in severe financial straits, leaving him without the means to build a new one. |
| Shell V | The fifth shell possessed a high-tech camera/monitor system, an air conditioner, expensive recliner chair, and a small cooler for beer and sandwiches. The vacuum tubes, transistors, and stationary cameras of the older models have been replaced by computerized circuitry and remote operated cameras. Larger and more comfortable, this shell was Tudbury's most expensive one to date. Used during the Great Cloisters Raid, wherein The Astronomer's cult of Aces involved in human sacrifice was broken up by one of the earliest large gatherings of "heroic" Wild Carders, including Turtle, Dr. Tachyon, Fortunato, Peregrine, Jumpin' Jack Flash, the Howler, Kid Dinosaur, Mr. Magnet and various other unnamed participants. When he is captured by the Takisian ship checking on the progress of their experiment with the "Enhancer" (as they called the Wild Card), this shell is jettisoned as unnecessary cargo for the journey back to Takis. When informed of the loss of his shell, Turtle flies into a rage. Deprived of his powers, he threatens to physically attack the leader of the Takisian expedition, but is warned off by Dr. Tachyon. The Takisian captain would not think twice about killing Turtle (an unimpressive physical specimen outside his armored transport) if assaulted. |
| Shell VI | Constructed shortly after Thomas Tudbury faked his own death, this shell was funded by money generated from the sale of shells I - III to the Famous Bowery Wild Card Dime Museum in addition to his life insurance settlement. Meant to be Turtle's largest, toughest, and most advanced shell ever, this is the only shell to ever experience catastrophic reentry. Pulled to the upper edges of the atmosphere while trying to telekinetically restrain Dr. Tachyon's stolen spaceship, Turtle gets unexpectedly cut loose when the ship shifts into "ghost-drive" and disappears. Tumbling through the air, Turtle temporarily loses control and can not slow the shell's descent back to earth. Heating up dangerously, several cameras burn out and computer components begin to overheat. One of the monitors is shattered by Dr. Tachyon's elbow after the alien brings Turtle back to his senses and the shell suddenly slows to a stop. This shell was his first and only airtight, self contained unit with many human comforts as well as advanced circuit boards controlling camera movement, screen control, and interior atmosphere controls. |
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Famous quotes containing the word shells:
“It was the most wild and desolate region we had camped in, where, if anywhere, one might expect to meet with befitting inhabitants, but I heard only the squeak of a nighthawk flitting over. The moon in her first quarter, in the fore part of the night, setting over the bare rocky hills garnished with tall, charred, and hollow stumps or shells of trees, served to reveal the desolation.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Words today are like the shells and rope of seaweed which a child brings home glistening from the beach and which in an hour have lost their lustre.”
—Cyril Connolly (1903–1974)