Author's note: *awkwardly emerges* Heh heh...hey, guys. Long time no see, eh? Aha...

Anyway, I have come with some...news:

I am going to restart this story. A lot of you who have been here since the beginning are probably not going to be too happy, and I get that. But to be honest, this story was started out on a whim with almost no thought to it at all, and at the time, my writing skills were a bit...lacking. And the main reason I kind of abandoned this story is because I hated the way this story had turned out. I hadn't really developed the OC too well, there were a lot of mistakes, and just overall, I kind of hated the direction it went in.

Of course, I also had personal issues to deal with as well. I won't go into those issues too much, seeing as they're, you know, personal, but the point is: There were a lot of issues that caused me to come to this decision, and I hope you all can understand that.

Now, in regards to the newer version of the story, it will be a mixture of rewritten chapters and different events in the story; in other words, the newer version will not just be edited chapters - there will be some events from the original that won't be in the rewrite, and there will be some that will, in addition to new events that were not in the original story.

And as for updates...it all depends on the personal issues, really. Some days I just feel completely unmotivated to do anything, let alone even log onto this site (this was also one of the main reasons I abandoned this story), so it kind of hinges on that, really. I will try to see if I can get out another update before Thanksgiving break is over, but from then on, expect an update every other week.*

*This is only a tentative guess. I do not know if I will actually stick to this schedule.

Thank you all so much for reading this, and I completely understand if you decide you do not want to read the rewritten version after coming so far in the original story. However, for those of you who are willing to go through Friend or Foe? a second time - or just happened to stumble upon this just now - the first chapter (which is actually the prologue) is just below the rest of this author's note. :)

Stay awesome, all of you, and let's give three cheers to a new beginning of my first ever fan fiction: Friend or Foe? or as it as now known as: Friend or Foe? - The Rewrite.

Prologue: The Mission

It was a cold, stormy night in New York City. Rain pattered the windows, and a fearsome wind howled through the air, screaming wildly.

A lone figure watched the storm from a large window, its eyes narrowed as it stared down at the city below itself. Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the figure, its metal helmet reflecting the flash with a great intensity.

Soft footsteps sounded behind him, accompanied by a quiet, "Master."

The figure turned around to see a young teenage girl, around fourteen or fifteen years of age, kneeling before it, her head bowed low to the ground.

"Rise, Samantha." The girl rose, her eyes meeting the figure's own as a new order escaped its mouth. "Report."

Samantha nodded once before launching into a summary of her mission. "Our patrol found no sign of any unusual activity in the area, however we did stumble across a group of teenage boys causing a mild ruckus near a small noodle shop. They appeared not to pose a threat, though, and the scouting patrol proceeded as planned."

The figure stared down at the girl. "Is that all?" it asked in its deep, rumbling voice.

"Yes, Master Shredder," she confirmed, dipping her head. "Nothing else of interest occurred on the patrol."

Shredder nodded once before turning back to the window. "You may go," he said without glancing over his shoulder.

Samantha stayed put, however. "Master Shredder?" she asked suddenly.

Grunting irritably, the Shredder turned to face Samantha again. "What is it now?"

Samantha stood up, her eyes meeting Shredder's own once again. "With all due respect, Master, shouldn't I be working on the more complex missions? Scouting missions are just a waste of my skills! I should be out there fighting the turtles with the rest of the Foot Clan!"

Shredder scowled down at the girl. "What part of you thinks you are ready for such a task?" he snapped. "You are not as experienced as the others! You are fully aware of that fact, Samantha." Metal claws slid out, glinting as a bolt of lightning appeared outside. "Unless I need to remind you again?"

Without warning, a man dressed in the clothes of an average foot soldier ran in and bowed before Shredder, keeping his head facing the ground as he waited for permission to rise.

"What is it?" Shredder growled after noticing the ninja.

The ninja gulped and stood up, bowing low before announcing, "Master Shredder, sir, w-we've just returned from a skirmish with the turtles..."

"And?" demanded Shredder, narrowing his eyes at the man.

The man trembled like a leaf under Shredder's piercing gaze. "T-they got away, sir..."

Shredder growled in anger. "You incompetent fool! They're turtles!"

The ninja bowed his head, mumbling apologies as the Shredder stepped towards him. "Failure is not an option. Those turtles must be destroyed!"

The ninja nodded meekly as a fourth voice cut in. "To be fair, we have no idea what the turtles are planning, let alone where they're going to strike next."

Shredder glanced over as another girl - this one being about sixteen years of age - sauntered into the room, leaning against the door frame and absently looking at her left hand as she spoke.

Shredder stared at the girl. "And just what do you mean by that, Karai?" he rumbled, his tone full of displeasure at her attitude.

Karai stood straight, stepping forward. "I mean that we have no way to know what the turtles are going to do in advance." Her eyes glittered. "Perhaps we could send a spy - someone to gain their trust and report their secrets back to us. Then for once, we'd have the advantage! We could launch an attack on them - they'd never know until it was too late!"

Shredder gave a low "hmmm" as he turned back to the window, deep in thought. After a moment, he gave a brisk nod. "Very well, Karai. We shall send a spy to infiltrate the Turtles' lair."

Karai bowed, a triumphant grin on her face. "Excellent, Father. Shall I prepare myself?"

Shredder turned around again. "No, you will not. I want you to remain here, Karai."

Karai stared up at her father, eyes wide with shock. "What? But that's not-" She clamped her mouth shut at Shredder's fierce glare. "As you wish," she grumbled reluctantly.

"But Master," piped up Samantha, "if Karai isn't the spy, then who is?"

Shredder glanced down at her. "You wanted a non-scouting mission, did you not?"

Samantha blinked in shock. "M-me?"

Her master nodded briskly. "While you are inexperienced in battle, you can deceive others with ease. This mission requires the highest amount of deception necessary, with little to no combat skills required."

Samantha nodded, while Karai stared at her in shock as Shredder continued. "I want you ready in two nights' time. Use that time to prepare yourself for this mission - a believable back story , some civilian clothes, whatever you will need to make your mission easier. After this time is up, you are to meet me here to receive the final details of your mission. Am I clear?"

Samantha swallowed the lump in her throat. If she failed this mission, the punishment was unimaginable.

"Crystal."

Author's note: Alright guys, that was the first chapter of the FoF rewrite! Let me know what you guys think of this, all right? :D I'll hopefully have the next part up sometime soon! See you guys!

~Danish Pastries