New York City - September 29, 2012
"Clear your minds my sons," The strong fatherly voice sounded as a candle was lit illuminating the figure of a large bi-pedal rat with dark grey and brown fur clad in a black men's kimono and hakama. He boasted the fur on his head in a traditional Japanese top knot while the fur on his lower jaw hung down along with the whiskers around his nose giving the appearance of chest length mustache and beard. It was also revealed that he was holding an ornately carved walking stick in his right hand which the candle stood upon. "This exercise is about stealth and invisibility as a ninja must be one with the shadows. Now, let's see which of you can snuff out the flame on this candle, without revealing yourself." As he stopped speaking the rat flipped the candle in the air and caught it just as a large shadowy figure growled and dove passed him missing the candle completely. "Too noisy, Donatello." Smirking as he dropped flat on his back using the stick to trip another large figure sending it crashing into the first. "Too clumsy, Michelangelo." Leaping into the air as he avoided another figure that tried to grab him from behind, he used his tail and slapped the figure in the back of the head sending it crashing into the first two. "Poor choice, Raphael"
What happened next caught the rat by surprise as a final figure dropped down from the roof pulling one of its katanas and sliced the top half of the candle off as it landed a few feet from the rat. Catching the candle on the side of the blade, the figure brought it towards its face revealing that it was a large turtle as it blew the candle out shrouding the room in darkness once more. The sound of a breaker flipping filled the darkness as the light fixtures hummed to life showing off the room they were in. The room was done in a style similar to that of a traditional Japanese Dojo. The key factor of this dojo was the large tree which stood to the back off the room in the center of the wall beneath a skylight grate. The floor was covered with large rugs while the walls were littered with an entire ninja arsenal.
"Well done Leonardo." The rat stated proudly as he took in the turtles' appearance. Leonardo was a humanoid red-eared slider turtle that sported an athletic, muscular frame which boasted lime green skin. He had a faded scar running from the right side of his forehead to his right cheek with sapphire blue eyes wearing a dark blue hakama and a blue bandana on his head while his hands, left forearm and feet were bound with blue bandaging. Across his golden mustard-yellow plastron he sported a leather harness which slipped over his shoulder and was secured by three buckles down the front of it. This harness held his blue handled katana on his blue-green carapace, which had a bright teal design on it.
"Teacher's pet." A deep, Brooklyn-accented male voice sounded in frustration as the largest of the three figures that were now getting off the ground muttered under his breath revealing himself to be a humanoid snapping turtle with a large, muscular body that was bright green in color. He boasted a yellow-orange plastron with a jagged top edge and a spiked dark green carapace. He had green eyes and a red bandana on his head that resembled a do-rag with a scar across the right side of his upper lip where a sharp tooth rose up from behind his bottom lip. He had thick layers of red bandaging on his hands, arms and legs while sporting black and red camouflage pants which had a red martial arts belt around its waist holding two metallic silver sai with red wrapping around the handles on either of his hips.
"Ninja dropout." Leonardo shot back causing the red clad turtle to rush at him ready for a fight only to be stopped by the rat who had raised its walking stick between them and let out a deep sigh.
"My sons if you are to be true Shinobi, you must work harder." As he spoke the group fell in line in front of him on their knees and listened attentively as he began a speech about the skills they needed to learn in order to live among this world without being discovered, but was soon cut off as a deep rumbling rocked the room. "What is that noise?"
"It's Mikey's stomach sensei." The answer came from the taller of the last two figures, who were turtles as well. He was a humanoid softshell turtle that had jade green skin and a tall slender muscular body. His plastron was light brown in color while his carapace was a curious mixture of dark brown and green. He sported a purple, square-cut bandana over his head and a pair of purple framed glasses over his reddish brown eyes. He wore dark purple sweat pants that cut off at his knees with a utility belt connected to a pair of suspenders, a wrist-mounted keypad sat on his left arm along with what looked like a metallic, armored carapace that was painted purple strapped to his normal one with purple bandaging on his arms up to his elbows and on his feet up to his knees.
"What? Training with Master Splinter makes me hungry." The response earned a chuckle from the rat as he looked at the one called Mikey. He was a humanoid box turtle that had a medium muscular, teal green build that had a bright yellow plastron, and a navy teal carapace that boasted yellow-orange designs. He had baby blue eyes with freckles on his face and sported an orange bandana around his head. He had orange bandaging on his hands, forearms and legs while also wearing a pair of black wetsuit pants with a wide orange stripe on the outer legs down to his knees. These pants had a double loop on either side of his waist holding a pair orange and black nunchaku in place.
"Very well my son. Let us go eat." On a normal occasion this would have seen the orange clad turtle out of the dojo and already in the kitchen making their evening meal. But this time around he was still rooted to his spot along with his siblings.
"Father, I believe you recall what today is." When Leonardo's voice sounded, the rat looked at him and saw the determined look on the faces of all his sons. The nod he gave ushered the blue clad turtle on. "And since today is our sixteenth birthday, I… We, all believe it is time you allowed us to go to the surface. Don't you?"
"Yes." His answer saw cheers erupting from the turtles before he silenced them. "And no. While I will admit you boys have grown powerful, you are still young."
"That may be true master, but didn't you say that in the teachings from your master, that once a boy turns sixteen he is allowed to go on missions for his clan?" When the turtle in red spoke up the rat looked at him.
"Yes Raphael that may be true. But you and your brothers lack the maturity to use the skills I have taught you wisely, and are therefore inexperienced." His words saw them looking a bit downtrodden.
"Master Splinter, you once told us that wisdom comes from experience and experience comes from making mistakes. So allow us to make our mistakes." When the purple clad turtle spoke up, the look on the rats' face was one that Leonardo recognized immediately.
"Sensei… Father, I know you're trying to protect us. And we will always love and respect you as our father and sensei, but we can't spend the rest of our lives down here." Hearing his son's voice, Splinter looked at the blue clad turtle before turning away to think.
"Fine, you may go. Tonight. But do not let yourselves be seen." Almost instantly, the turtles moved as one while they headed out of the dojo. Mikey headed for the kitchen to make dinner as his brothers went about getting themselves ready for the night ahead.
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Once topside the turtle siblings were entranced by the sights and sounds all around them. None of them had ever been to the surface before, and it was all so strange and new to them. The strange designed on the walls, the rumble of the train tracks overhead, the wail of police sirens in the distance.
"This is sooooo totally awesome." Mikey's excitement saw him take off towards the end of the alley they were in with reckless abandon. He was going so fast that he had missed the end of the alley and ran straight into the middle of the street.
In that moment a car was closing in on Mikey, but it missed him as Leo and Donnie launched Raph into the street to tackle Mikey down into the alley. The force of the tackle saw then roll down the alley before coming to stop outside a building with a sign for a pizza shop on the side of it.
"Are you brain-dead Mikey?" Grabbing his brother Raph yanked him to his feet. His anger and concern evident in his voice. "Your first night on the surface and you almost got your shell waxed?" As Raph was about to further lay into his brother verbally, Mikey hugged him trailing off his rant.
"Thanks bro." The words from his brother caused Raph to forget his anger and just be glad Mikey was fine.
"It's ok little brother. Just don't scare me like that every again." Releasing Raph as he spoke Mikey was about to say something when they heard the confrontation taking place nearby.
"No, please. Don't!" The voice was that a young man who had just been punched in the face and landed in the middle of the alley.
"Shut Up!" Another blow sounded as his assailant walked into view. "Get up ya good fa nothing bum. I said, get up!"
"C'mon… Just stop! You're wasted again!" The sadness in the young mans' voice saw Raph glare at the scene.
"Raph, I know what you're thinking, bro." Mikey's voice sounded bringing the muscle-bound turtle out of his daze. "But we can't get involved with this." That was when things took a turn for the worst when the young man spoke up.
"Lemme go Dad, stop." The sound of the blows that followed saw Mikey go wide-eyed as Raph took off.
"Raph, NO!" It was too late. Raph was off and had leapt into a flying kick to the mans' back sending him crashing into the dumpster nearby.
"Hell nah. A father is supposed to protect and nurture his kids." Raph's voice was cold and angry as he landed and slowly rose to his full height allowing the older man to see him. "Not beat up on them for now fucking reason!"
"I don't know who in the hell you think you are freak," The man snapped at Raph as he glared violently at him. "But nobody, and I fucking mean, NOBODY! Protects this stinking piece of shit garbage. Not even freaky weirdo wearing a stupid turtle costume!"
"You're wrong." Raph spoke as the man rushed him and threw a punch at him. Blocking it easily, Raph hooked the mans' arm and arched it causing him pain. "I ain't wearing no stinking costume." The punch to the face was followed up by another. "Not so tough now, are ya big man?" The punch that followed saw the mans' legs give out. "Ain't fun when someone's doing it to you ain't it?" Raph was primed to deliver another when he heard a voice that stopped it.
"Enough, Raphael!" Leo was there in time to stop the mayhem that may have ensued. He knew how Raph was when it came to bullies and fathers who abused their kids. Watching as his brother released the man who took off immediately, Leo walked over to Raph and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm fine Leo, how's the kid?" Raph shrugged the hand off his shoulder as he walked over to Donnie who had been checking on the young man. He was a young man who looked to be about seventeen years old, with a slender, yet muscular build, black shoulder-length hair, and brown eyes dressed in black t-shirt, jeans with a black bandana, fingerless gloves and combat boots.
"He seems ok. Unconscious with a few bruises and a black eye, but ok." Donnie replied as he examined the young man.
"Yeah, I noticed that too." Leo commented looking at the young man who was now laying there.
"What's the play here Leo?" Donnie asked as he looked at the young man then his brother.
"We bring him with us, that's the play here." Raph snapped as he scooped the teen up and heaved him onto his shoulder.
"What? Hell no Raph. Splinter would freak." Leo protested as he stepped in front of his brother.
"I'll deal with Splinter. Unless you wanna leave the kid here and have that old prick come back and beat on him again. Or worse." The response from his brother irked Leo, but he knew his was right. Without another word, the turtle brothers were on the move again. This time, their collective thought was hope that their father would not lose his mind about this.
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A soft groan left his lips as consciousness slowly returned to him. He felt warm and comfortable. Something that wasn't supposed to be as he recalled her last few hours and suddenly sat bolt upright in the old couch he was laying in. As he sat up on the couch he began looking around while he slowly remembered everything that had happened to him. Taking in his surroundings he realized he was in the middle of an abandoned subway relay station. This was confusing for him, but what really struck him as completely unbelievable, was the sight that greeted him from the lone arm chair across from him.
"Good evening young man. Are you alright?" The voice that sounded was one that fatherly and strong. But the one it came from was not a man. "You seem to be calmer than expected for one waking up in a strange place."
"Yeah, well that's cause I figured, either I got a concussion and I'm hallucinating the five of youse." Hearing him speak, they looked at each other before nodding at him to continue. "Or ya'll are real," His eyes fixed upon the red clad creature in front of him. "And you just stopped my old man from wailing on me again. Something no one has ever done since…. Well let's just say I'm loyal to youse. Whoever, or whatever you are."
"Young man, we have something most pressing to discuss." The voice of the rat saw the teen look at him directly. "For sixteen years my sons and I have lived here unknown of by the surface world, and you have put us all in great danger."
"But dad, his old man was wailing on him. And I couldn't just let that slide" The red clad turtle spoke up, but seeing the rat raise its hand, he trailed off.
"While I understand your reasons Raphael, we are at this young mans' mercy." The concerned from the rat caused the young man to speak up.
"Listen, sir. Your son got involved when my dad was wailing on me. Something no one has ever done. He saved me from a bitter old drunk, who could have killed me. Besides, ain't no one gonna believe his drunken ass even if he does tell anyone about your sons. And I'm loyal to your son for defending me. You got my word as a Jones, ain't nobody gonna find out about you guys from me." The reassurance from the young man was enough to set the rat's mind at ease. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I'm Casey, Casey Jones."
"Very well Casey. I will trust your words as truth." The nod of approval from the rat saw him offer a kind smile. "I am Splinter Hamato, and these are my sons. The one who saved you, Raphael, and the others, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello."
"The renaissance artists, huh? Sweet. Nice to meet you guys." Smiling he offered a hand to Leonardo who shook it with a smile as well before he did it with the others.
"Casey, there's something I need to talk to you about." Leo's voice was serious as he looked at the young man. "I know it may not be my place, but does what happened tonight happen often with your father?"
"C'mon Leo, lay off." Raph chimed in with a sigh. "He shouldn't have to talk about something like this."
"Nah Raph, it's cool. But before I get into that," Casey replied bringing the attention to him. "Mind if I ask, where the heck did you guys come from?" The silence that spread about him for a few moments saw the turtles look at their father who looked deep in thought.
"The story of my sons and I, Casey, began many years ago. Back when I was what you would consider, normal." His voice was soft and filled with pain as he spoke. Splinter soon regaled the young man with the story of his life in the lab, along with how he and the turtles were transformed into what they were now.
"That's crazy yo." Casey's voice sounded as he looked at them all. "To think something like that happened in this city." Shaking his head in disbelief he chuckled softly. "Kinda makes the shit with my old man seem meaningless…" His voice trailed off as a sort of tension filled the room. "Anyways…. To answer your question Leo. My old mans' been like that for about a year now. Ever since my mom died. I know he misses her, and him wailing on him is just his way of dealing with it."
"Be that as it may, Casey." Splinter's voice sounded causing all the attention around the room to fall on him. "Fathers must nurture and groom their sons to be men of tomorrow and better than they were today." He had a point and Casey knew it, and that was when something dawned on the old rat. "Are you trained in any sort of self-defense?"
"Nah." The question, though unexpected saw the young man smirk as he flexed his right bicep. "But I been in plenty of fights and I done played a lot of sports, so I'm plenty tough."
"Then if you wish, would you like to train with me and my sons?" This question caught the young man completely off guard as he looked at the rat then at the others.
"Hells yes. That would be awesome…." That was when his voice trailed off as something clicked in his mind. "But wait, how do you know martial arts?" This caused the old rat to chuckle as he looked at his sons and got up.
"That, is a story for another time Casey. Now come, it is getting rather late and I suspect, as violent as your father is. He is worried about where you are."
"Does this mean what I think it means sensei?" Michelangelo asked as he rushed to his father side, a look of complete hope on his face.
"Yes, Michelangelo." The old rat chuckled at his sons' reaction. "You and your brothers may return to the surface to escort Casey home." The excitement the orange clad turtle displayed as he ran off annoyed Raphael, who headed after him as the others followed. Watching them leave, Splinter stood by the door of the dojo and smiled; knowing that from this day forward his life as well as his sons' lives, would never be the same.