So this will be another longer story and will probably take me a few weeks to complete. Chapters will be about 2,500 words long so I will most likely be uploading every other day. Almost all of my TMNT stories will always take place in the 2003 universe but just in case, I'll let you know. I'm actually pretty excited for this story and it took me forever to come up with the idea and the plot so I hope it goes well! Enjoy
Oh and just in case you didn't know, I use this symbol :: to represent a jump in perspective or time.
: Chapter 1: (Splinter's POV)
The story of how I came to be is one most humans wish to never hear. The story of how my four sons came to be is even harder to tell. After the death of my protective owner and Sensei, Hamato Yoshi, I found myself alone beneath the crowded streets of New York City. For years I scavenged what I could and tried my best to stay alive while training myself in the Master's ways of Bushido. But one night, when I was out looking for food to bring back to my den, something happened that would change my life forever.
Four baby turtles fell through the grate and along with them fell a canister of glowing ooze that shattered on the concrete ground. The youngsters were instantly drenched in its sticky grasp and I tried my best to free them. Sadly, I too found myself covered with the mysterious liquid but at that time, I thought nothing of it.
I brought the boys back to my den and decided I would take care of them until they were old enough to go out on their own. Little did I know, the green ooze was a rare type of mutagen, brought to us from space, and it had powers that not even my Master Yoshi could have imagined. The next morning the baby turtles and I had nearly doubled in size and I could feel myself becoming intellectually intelligent by the hour. Within the first week of the accident, all five of us were walking on two legs.
I decided to adopt the baby turtles and raise them as my own. I found a safe place for us to live and a decent junkyard above ground provided enough materials for me to begin training them in the art of Bushido. After the first year, I decided to give them all names according to famous Renaissance artists. Raphael, he was certainly the trouble maker of the bunch. Always causing mischief and getting on all of our nerves. Michelangelo, I call him the free spirit, though there is much work to be done with his motivational skills. Donatello, in only one year he had already figured out how to take apart the television and put it together again. And then there was Leonardo, a born leader, and a tragic story is burdened behind him.
Another year past and the boys were finally figuring out that they had the ability to speak. At first they used small words, then small sentences until they were putting together complete phrases and holding normal conversations, toddler conversations.
One night, I decided to take them out of our cramped lair and into the sewer tunnels for some exercises. Little did I know, an old foe of mine had been watching my every move for the last few years and managed to somehow find our location. We intersected at the tunnels where he had an entire army of foot ninja waiting for us. My sons, having very little training, could not help me fight off the intruders and I failed alone. He said he was not here to kill us, but to collect a trophy. While I was being pinned down by numerous amounts of ninja, he walked up to my terrified sons and grabbed ahold of Leonardo. My poor son, he had no idea what was going on, and didn't resist. I still remembered the terrified look on his face as the Shredder walked off with him and there was nothing my then battered body could do to save him.
I searched and searched for hours trying to find them after Shredder and his foot fled the sewers. Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks but there was still no sign of my eldest son. I had no idea if the Shredder had tortured him or worse, killed him in order to get revenge on me and my Master Yoshi who was already terminated by his hand.
Eventually, I had to come to a final decision in order to save the minds of my remaining sons. I decided to quit searching and focus on training the other three. Within one year, it seemed like they had completely forgotten about him and never asked where he was or who he was. I had nothing to remember my son by, so I kept a blue bandana in a small box in my room. That garment would have been his color if he hadn't been taken from us so soon.
I moved the family to a new location, not for my son's sake but for mine. I could not handle the memories and could not risk breaking down in front of the others or they would have grown suspicious of my obscure behavior.
15 years past very slowly and Leonardo was nothing but a distant memory in my mind and a complete stranger to my sons. Sometimes I would catch myself wondering about him and his whereabouts but I refused to believe he was killed because I could still feel his spirit, drifting over top of mine.
I had always intended on Leonardo leading the group of brothers because he was the most obedient child even at only two years old. So a few years later I decided that Donatello would lead the team when the time was right. At first he didn't accept the position like I expected him too. He said he was much too focused on his work to lead his brothers but I insisted on him doing so. He was nothing amazing at first, but eventually his brother's started to listen and he became more and more like a leader instead of a scientist.
:: (Don's POV)
"I swear Mikey yah better knock it off!" Raph slapped his baby brother's hand away as he tried to poke his nose.
"Ooh someone's grouchy." He giggled.
"That's it!" Raph jumped up and started to chase the orange clad turtle around and around the living room.
"Guys really?" I pulled my safety goggles off my eyes and gave the both of them my best death stare. "I'm trying to work here."
"Mikey started it." Raph folded his arms, his long red bandana strings getting tangled up in his pose.
"Come on Raph, Mikey's just bored. Why don't you two go topside or something?" I suggested. Oh how I wanted them out of the lair.
"Aint happenin." Raph plopped back down on the couch and grabbed the remote to our small television set. The next time Mikey disturbed him, he flipped the little turtle over his shoulder and dropped kicked him onto the floor. Mike didn't disturb Raph for the rest of the night.
Once I began to get a breakthrough in my research a few hours later, Raphael decided to pay me a little visit at my lab table.
"What now?" I sighed and leaned my head against my wrist.
"Yah know…we could wait till Mikey goes to bed and then go topside ourselves." He grinned and sat down on my table, making the beakers of liquid shake.
"How about, you go by yourself and I stay here and finish my work?"
"Just cuz yah leader doesn't mean yah gotta be so uptight." He frowned and rolled his eyes. That was the stupid guilt trip face he always sent me on whenever I said no to him. What was funny was, I didn't look at myself as any higher up than him. I know for sure I wasn't born to lead this team and it always baffled me whenever I thought about it. Raph was the hothead and the muscle of the team, so he definitely wasn't supposed to lead he was meant to follow. Mike was a bit on the young and wild side so he's out of the question. Up to a few years ago I was the main brain here but then all of a sudden my Master asked me to be something else! I mean what a wakeup call! I hate being the leader and I mostly let my brothers do whatever they want, but I don't tell Master Splinter because I long to please him.
"I'm not leader." I made sure our Sensei wasn't around before I said that.
"Donnie, I know how yah feel. But you're pretty good at it yah know?"
"Really?" I smiled and looked up at him.
"No." He smirked and walked away into the living room. Some brothers I have. "If yah change yah mind yah know where to find me."
"Where? The couch?" I smirked.
"I'll be in the dojo Donnie boy."
"Good to know but I'm not changing my mind."
"Not even to go say hi to April O'Neil?" He slowly strolled back over to me and placed both his hands on the table.
"Not even to say hi to April O'Neil." I interlocked my three fingered hands and tried not to look to desperate. April was a friend of the family; we met her not to long ago when she was almost eaten alive by a bunch of attack mousers (long story). So now Raph and Mikey think I have some huge crush on her just because we talk a lot. It's true…but you think I'm actually ganna tell them that?
"I heard she's goin to the grand opening of the new museum on the lower east side. It's supposed to be a formal." He awkwardly swayed to the side with this hungry look on his face.
"I'm not going to some dumb grand opening just to see April in a dress." I lied.
"Yah sure? I'm goin no matter what and if things get heated up I aint makin any promises." If he didn't wipe that smirk off his face I was about to do it for him and I'm not even a violent person!
"You know what!" I stood up out of my chair and pointed my finger in his face. "I don't like you. I'll go, but only to keep you out of trouble mister."
"Atta boy Donnie!" he slapped the back of my head and stood up straight. "Oh and…it's tonight…so yah better pick out summthin to wear. I asked Casey to bring over some of his old stuff so maybe yah could try on some of that."
"Use Casey Jones' clothing? Yuck." I stuck my tongue out in disgust. Casey was mainly Raphael's friend but my primary competition over April O'Neil. I'll be 100% honest with you, I don't like him one bit but only because he's trying to win April's heart.
"Well if yah wanna impress the girl I suggest you suck it up and do it."
"I don't need to impress anybody!"
"Sure yah don't brainiac."
:: (Third Person POV)
"Perfect. The plan is all ready to be executed. Those fools won't even see us coming!" A tall man in a silver, platted metal suit raised both his fists into the air and laughed devilishly. He swung his arms around, nearly chopping off the heads of his assistants with the sharp blades that were at the end of his wrists. He wore a samurai helmet with a special mask over his mouth to conceal his identity but most of his enemies knew him as the Shredder.
"Summon to me Karai and Erasmus!" He commanded his foot ninja's, highly trained warriors he recruited violently by force. Several of them were even killed taking his initiation test but he only wanted the best to fight for him and he refused to tolerate embarrassments. Anyone who failed the test was eliminated on the spot.
He sat down in his seat that looked out across his dojo. Two huge pits of fire stood on either side of him, making him look even more terrifying and horrific. Down the middle of the room was a long red carpet that only people of interest were allowed to walk on and the rest had to stand on the sides and wait. The two doors at the far end of the room opened and two figures walked down the carpet. Once they reached the throne, they bowed to the Shredder and waited for instruction.
"Karai, Erasmus, I hope everything I told you to prepare has been done like I commanded." He stood up and approached the figures.
"Yes my lord, all has been set. We are ready for the heist." The girl on the left who was called Karai, bowed once again to her Master. She had short cropped hair and a rather petite body which was outlined by a tight black uniform.
"Erasmus…" Shredder placed one hand on the shoulder of the other figure. His body was draped in a snug black uniform with the symbol of the foot proudly displayed on his left arm. He wore a stark black mask around his head and the strings that were gently falling down his shoulders, flowed once and awhile in the wind. His eyes were were glowing with a bright red hue, giving him a mysterious yet terrifying appearance. The only obscure details about the warrior were his sea green skin and a large bulk on his back.
"My lord." He responded in a moderate pitched but strict tone.
"This is your chance to show me who you truly are. You have not failed me yet, but make this your mark." The Shredder's voice was deep and threatening to his foot ninja but to these two, it was nothing more than the friendly voice of their Master, the one they grew up obeying.
"Yes…Father." Erasmus nodded.
"I will have my foot clan be on alert if anything is to go wrong but as long as you eliminate the problems and do as I said, you should be 100% flawless. It's time for the world to know who you are!" He raised his fists into the air and stirred the voices of his ninja's. They cheered, swung their weapons in the air, and swore obedience to the Shredder.
"Master Shredder." An extremely muscular, tall, blonde man with his hair tied back into a ponytail, walked down the carpet and approached the Shredder. He bowed and then stepped in front of Karai and Erasmus. "I assure you my dragons and I could do a better job than these…" he turned around and faced the growling Erasmus. "Amateurs…"
"Hun enough! I did not ask for you to present yourself to me! Leave before I let my son and daughter do away with you!" Shredder pointed to the door and ordered him out.
"Yes Master Shredder." He bowed again and when he turned around, Erasmus and Karai were smirking as they watched him walk out the door.
"I kind of wish he stayed. I've wanted to kick his ass for years." Erasmus smirked at Karai who smiled back in agreement.
"Soon enough my young ones. Soon enough. Hun's obedience to me has been… unsatisfying lately. If you are successful tonight, I will see to it you deal with Hun whatever way you wish." He promised them.
Erasmus reached behind his back and pulled out two sharp katana and spun them in small circles in front of him. "With pleasure." He growled.