Three teenagers leapt from roof to roof, illuminated for brief milliseconds by neon signs, as they silently started to create new patrol routes for themselves. They have had a relatively quiet night, no injuries, no serious confrontations. As routine as they could get as vigilantes. Quite boring, really.
They and their other missing member had just moved to New York from Jersey City, ,and they were eager to return to their illicit activity.
"Cherry to Bear, We're on our way back to base."
"Ronna, as much as I like the code names, you can just say 'Hey Nat, We're on our way home.' It's not like there are any others out doing this shit this late at night. " The two oldest bickered over their headsets.
"Okay, guys shut up, and we don't know the area well enough to know when we can talk normally." The third oldest ninja spoke up, and adjusted her high ponytail under her full mask. Her blue eyes shined in the dim lighting as she stood guard, peeking around corners and over dumpsters.
"Ally! Look what I can do!" The youngest and only boy spoke up, as he climbed an illuminated hotel sign and back flipped onto the roof they stopped on.
"I can't see him, but Robbie don't do that!" Natasha hollered at her brother over their radio, making her cousins flinch. Even over the in-ear radio her voice boomed when she spoke.
Ally grabbed Robbie by the collar, herding them all along. "10 blocks and inbound, leave the door unlocked"
Natasha's eyes rolled at the small joke. They could break in even if it was locked.
"Roger roger."
Ally huffed and followed Ronna, as she bounded off the fire escape and leapt through New York towards their new home.
-Not too far away-
New York's four veteran protectors were bored on patrol, again. They had eradicated Aliens, and the foot clan, and the purple dragons, and to be honest, all they did was help with an occasional purse snatch or assault. The turtles were just plain bored.
Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo at this point could barely call themselves teenagers. Leo and Raph turned 23 this past mutation day, Donnie not far behind at 21 and Mikey at 19.
A few things had changed at the lair: Donatello was dating April, who moved into the lair. Master Splinter had taken to training April and the guys less, now that he was getting older.
On this particular night the four were doing their rounds quicker than usual, so they stopped for a break on a dimmer rooftop.
Stretching his arms above his head Raphael looked around, bored as hell, and ready to pick a fight. Nothing new there. He adjusted his Sais in his belt and pulled a little at the bandaging on his fists.
Mikey was hanging upside-down from some old scaffolding, playing some game on his T-phone. Mikey had barely changed with age, and although he was a more skilled ninja, he still had his skater vernacular and incessant hunger for pizza.
Leo had taken to dangling his legs over the side while Donnie had pulled out his Bo staff to balance it on his hand.
Suddenly Mikey pointed to another building "Dudes look!" He could make out three shadows, one as tall as his own brothers the other two shorter, but all leaping and flipping with ninja grace and finesse. They seemed to be taking their time, almost jogging along like they did this all the time
Leo squinted and pulled himself off the building's edge. "I see it Mikey, SHH!" Raphael grabbed his younger brother by the shell and yanked him off the scaffolding.
All four brothers looked at each other and with a few silent nods decided to follow these three new ninjas.
They tailed them for a few blocks; the black-garbed trio were oblivious to their presence. (Or so the turtles thought)
Raphael could make out some sheathed weapons not unlike their own. The tallest sported a Bo Staff, and at least one of the smaller ones had a fan. They all stopped when they reached an old warehouse near the harbor.
These new ninja had disappeared inside said warehouse, and the turtles had to admit, they were pretty good. They slid into a vent, it was planned and they knew exactly which one to use. 'Not as good as us, but good' Raphael thought.
Leo was torn between his natural curiosity and apprehension. If these people were a part of the foot clan or the purple dragons he would have been able to tell, but the thought of another new group terrified him.
The turtles barely made it out alive after their last fight with Shredder, and he didn't want to put his family in danger like that again.
Light-footed and silent, they had almost slipped away from the turtles on several occasions in their pursuit. Even Raph had commented on how even the largest of the three had moved so precisely. Well-trained.
The smallest was quite obviously the leader and had called the shots, but other than that they had no information on the trio. She used small hand signals and nods to issue commands and the other two followed obediently.
Donnie hypothesized that the tallest ninja with the staff was the least experienced, and the smaller two women, but they couldn't know for sure. They did know, however, that these ninjas were not from any organization they had seen before.
They were far too small a group to be foot clan and they were obviously too well trained to be purple dragon. By default, they were not to be trusted.
That was how the turtles found themselves arguing on the building across the street from the seemingly abandoned shipping warehouse in the wee hours of the morning. It was close to sunrise, and this area was far too busy to be in during the day.
Raphael and Mikey were all for going in, but Donnie and Leo had their doubts. "There's three on patrol, but we don't know how many are in there." Leo mused out loud, Donnie nodding in agreement.
"We don't even know if this is base or if they're breaking and entering." Donnie adjusted his glasses, ever the pragmatist.
Raph was ready to pick a fight with anything that moved: hands wringing his drawn weapons, his annoyance was present even in his voice. "Wouldn't it be nice to know if there was a ninja threat in the city before they caused trouble."
Mikey just blabbered on about finding some ninja friends that didn't want to kill him, but his brothers ignored him. His optimism never changed as they all grew. He forever saw the best in everyone, but he was reasonable, and knew that most likely these ninja were not friendly.
After some time arguing they made a compromise, they would simply spy in, no action taken unless they had to. Simple recon. The plan was to start on the roof and pair off to different parts of the warehouse without going in.
Mikey somehow convinced everyone they should introduce themselves before they left with as he put it "A whooping or a hug, you know depending on the ninjas"
What the brothers did not expect was to have the seemingly normal ceiling cave in on them the second they all landed on it, just to watch it close again. They'd been trapped.
