Welcome back, home slices! Glad you decided to give this low-budget sequel a chance! I'm still rolling with the 2k14 sequence of events because I felt the turtles deserved better. But your imaginations are your own, so picture whatever turtles you want as you read. Enjoy, and as always, leave a comment!

}{}{March, 2015}{}{

"Why not a dog?" Emma insisted before popping a sixth egg roll in her mouth. "Man… this Thai sauce is AMAZING!"

"Knew you'd like it." April grinned. "And not in 10,000 years! You already pushed it by giving Mikey that cat."

"Klunk and Master Splinter get along just fine." Emma defended the tabby she had given the turtles for Christmas. April shook her head, stuffing greasy napkins into her Thai take-out box. "No, books are the way to go. Donnie loved that Stephan Hawking bio I found for him."

"Course he did." Emma swallowed. "He's Donnie. Now, I can see Leo or Splinter reading 'The Art of War'. And Mikey equals comic book. But Raph?"

He'd sooner use a book for target practice. April agreed. She'd have to think on that one, but it looked like Emma already had as she jumped up. "Two words, girlfriend; utility belt!"

April stared at her enthusiastic expression. The more time she spent with the 20-year-old college student, the more she saw why Emma and Mikey got along so well. They were both… goofy. It had taken her awhile to show her true dorky colors, but she had been going through a lot when April first met her. That had been almost five months ago; now her ribs were perfectly healed and her biggest worry was some research project on echolocation. That and getting the right gift for their 'special' friends.

"Emma…" April said slowly. "I don't think Raph is the Mr. Fix-it type."

"Oh, I'm not talking about any old utility belt here." Emma grinned, talking with her hands as much as her mouth. Another Mikey-like trait. "I'm talking shuiken, wazaikowa, the whole nine yards, all conveniently located in one belt. Seriously, the guy will die from pleasure."

And she thought this was a wise idea? Raphael was a skilled ninjustu artist, but way too impulsive to be trusted with so many weapons at once. April moved toward the trash can with their empty boxes. "Emma, I don't think…"

A scream interrupted her. Now, in NYC there were screams and then there were screams. They ranged from 'cockroach' to 'I can't believe you!' to 'I'm being murdered!'. This scream fell into the third category. April and Emma shot over to their living room window, looking down into the street below. They found a woman in her thirties wrestled against three robbers. Emma tsked at the the sight, pushing the window open. "Who mugs while it's still daylight?"

"Junkies." April suggested, eyeing the redhead. "What're you…"

"Yo!" Emma yelled out to the struggle below. She held out one of her take-out cartons and sent it free falling. It opened and dumped stringy, saucy noodles over the taller guy's head.

"Emma!" April cried. "I was going to save those for lunch tomorrow!"

"Hey!' the thug let go of the lady, shaking noodles off as he cursed them out. And drew out a gun! April yanked Emma back as three shots hit the side of the building. They laid down on the floor, April glaring at Emma.

Emma breathed out sheepishly. "Maybe that was a bit rash."

"Ya think." April exasperated.

"I'm already calling." Emma volunteered, her phone out. The shots stopped as she dialed and April dared a peek back over the sill. If she could get a glimpse of their faces…

"Whoa." April exclaimed in surprise. The woman had run off, purse clutched tightly and another third party had joined the fray. April's 6th journalist sense kicked in, watching this masked man that lugged a giant golf bag on his back. It was crammed with not only golf clubs, but a baseball bat, a hockey stick, and what looked like a cricket bat. The bulky masked figure had the skinner mugger in a headlock while mercilessly raining a golf club over the head of the other. "Let's see how good you do against someone who can fight back, scum!"

A vigilante. April sighed. That's so last year!

Course, this wasn't just any vigilante. This was the hockey-mask hoodlum that had been blowing up the police dashboards over the last few months. It wasn't so much the crimes that he had been stopping, but the gifts he was leaving behind. Broken and bruised Purple Dragons, car jackers, whatever, tied up and waiting for the police every time they showed up at the scene. Cops and reporters were going neck and neck with each other to find out who this guy was.

April scrambled for her phone as she processed what she was watching. Whoever Hockey Mask was, he certainly knew his way around a fight. He sent the muggers running- the one that still could anyway- inside of ten seconds. Emma whistled beside April. "Well, that was unexpected."

"Did you call?" April moved her phone in for a widescreen shot.

"They're en route." Emma leaned out the window again with peaked interest.

"Don't cha worry, fair maidens." Hockey Mask suddenly turned and yelled up at them, a boot in the mugger's back. "Let all of NYC know that Casey Jones has got our backs!"

"Anytime, El Macho." Emma saluted with a wink down at him. "And we thank you for your service."

April jabbed her arm. "You better quit Mr. Jones, before you get yourself killed."

Hockey Mask- eh, Casey Jones- stared at her a moment. "Tell you what Channel 6, you stick to tellin' the news and I'll keep creatin' it."

Great, another city psycho knew who she was. Why couldn't someone from TIME magazine or the CBS network recognize her? She opened her mouth for a sassy remark, but like that, he was gone. Disappearing to the south as police sirens beaconed from the north. April rolled her eyes, glaring at Emma. "Enabler, much?"

"It's not like I told him that he was smart." Emma rubbed her arm, pouting. "But he does put his life on the line."

"Through disillusionment." April got up. "Not that I don't want this story, but the news has been pumping up his ego. They glorify the same risks that our police force makes."

Emma got up and walked away from the window. "And when they get here, I'll be sure to extend the same thanks to them… Any more egg rolls?"

"Did no one feed you in the Navy?" April laughed.