Chapter 1: Irma Meets the Turtles

Part 4

"I don't understand. We're going in the sewer? Isn't that dangerous?" Irma asked as they walked down the city streets. Police cars whizzed by them as they headed in the direction of the zoo. Donatello was nowhere to be seen, but Irma was quickly learning that didn't mean he wasn't there.

"Actually, it's probably the only safe place." April told her. The red-headed girl's forehead was creased with worry. "Are you sure about this, Donnie? I mean… I can't think of any other option but…"

Irma heard Donnie sigh from somewhere above them. "I know, but like you said, we don't have another choice. If either of you stay topside they will be able to find you in no time. Don't worry, I'll explain everything to Splinter."

"Are we doing something wrong?" Irma asked, glancing at her friend.

"It's just… we don't usually have guests in the lair. That's where Donnie and his brothers live," April clarified.

"But aren't you a guest?" Irma asked her friend.

A light laugh from Donnie came from above. "April hasn't been considered a guest in a long time."

"Here we are," April announced as they turned down a shaded ally.

"We should hurry," Donatello said as he appeared beside Irma. "They'll come after us soon."

Irma jumped at Donatello's sudden arrival, just barely managing to suppress a scream. Her hand flew to her heart as it beat widely in her chest.

Donatello didn't seem to notice as he bent down and lifted up the manhole on the ground.

Once her heartbeat slowed, Irma let out a groan. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

The sewer was dark and wet and smelt like decomposing leaves. April and Donatello walked with purpose; both knowing exactly where they were going.

Irma tried to stay as close. She would probably have a panic attack if she got lost down here by herself.

"You lived down here all your life?" Irma asked.

"Well, yeah. It's not like we could live on the surface without being discovered. The sewers were the only safe place for us."

"How did you learn to fight?"

"Master Splinter taught my brothers and I."

"Master Splinter is training me too," April explained. "You'll meet him too along with the other guys."

Irma did her best not to look too nervous. She could probably handle more mutant turtles without screaming, but she wouldn't know until she met them. It wasn't that she thought Donnie looked necessarily scary (at least not anymore) but he was still one of the strangest things she had ever seen. Irma didn't know how many more mutants she could handle.

April suddenly went tense between them. Donatello had noticed and he was suddenly on high alert; glancing around and griping his bō tightly.

Then, Irma heard it. It sounded like a large animal was making its way towards them, its claws making a scraping sound each time they hit the concrete ground.

"April, Irma stay behind me," Donatello order, twirling his bō in his hands as he stepped in front of them.

His comment earned a glare from April, which made even the tall mutant turtle shrink in fear.

"I-I mean, Irma stay behind us. We'll protect you."

April had her metal fan out, which Irma believed was called a tessen, and held a fighting stance.

A growl echoed through the sewers and Irma swore it had originated from the direction they had been heading towards, but that didn't make sense. If the wolves had followed them they should be coming from behind them, not in front of them.

Unless…

Irma's breath caught in her throat as April twisted around a hundred and eighty degrees, her eyes wide with fear as she stared down the second tunnel. She then glanced down the tunnel behind them, torn between which way to face.

Irma didn't even have time to scream as multiple wolves bounded into view, all coming from different tunnels.

…they were surrounded.

The wolves leaped at them; loud snarls echoing through the tunnels. April and Donatello fought back with a furry Irma hadn't realized either of them possessed. There were at least four wolves and Irma had recognized none of them. One wolf had been easy for Donatello to beat at the zoo, but as a pack they seemed to have grown exponentially in strength.

There was a pattern to their attacks as they continuingly snapped at Irma and dodged the strikes of both April and Donatello. It didn't take long for Irma to figure out why. They were going for the weakest target and they were trying to separate Irma from the rest of the group.

It wasn't working, but Irma quickly realized that protecting her was taking a toll on the other two. Donatello especially couldn't get in a good strike when he was constantly worried about defending Irma (Especially because he was defending April as well, but she required much less effort to protect since she was managing to hold her own) .

And then it happened. A wolf manage to lunge in between them, separating Irma from her protectors before she even knew what happened. Irma backed up to avoid the wolf's claws and teeth but this only managed to separated her further.

The wolf yelped in pain as a six foot stick came down on the top of its head, making a loud cracking sound on the wolf's skill. Donatello was once again in front of Irma, holding out his hand defensively.

"Irma, you have to run," April yelled above the snarls as she dodged a set of jagged teeth.

"But-"

"Just run! We'll catch up!"

Irma knew what April meant without her having to say it. Irma was just in the way here. If she left then it would be much easier for April and Donatello to focus on their opponents.

Irma didn't want to stay and risk getting eaten, but she was terrified that if she left this would be the last time she would see her friend alive.

Irma tried to shake that thought from her head. Donatello was with April and if there was one thing Irma had learned for certain in this unbelievable, crazy day it was that Donatello would protect April no matter what.

Still, Irma hesitated, continuing to watch the fight in horror.

"Go!" Donatello demanded. "Down the tunnel. The lair is not far. You'll be safe there."

That was the last bit of encouragement she needed. Irma nodded to herself and ran. The initial plan had been to find Donatello's brothers and that's exactly what she was going to do. If they were anywhere near as good as Donnie was, then Irma could send them to assist Donatello and April. That was… if she could find them.

The sounds of the battle behind her faded away as the tunnels grew darker the further Irma ran. She had no idea if she was heading in the right direction, but the sensation of dread squeezing her heart pushed her on. As she turned down another tunnel, blindly choosing her course, a stitch in her side forced Irma to slow down.

Tears stung at her eyes guiltily. She had run away when her friends had been in danger. Even though April and Donatello had told her to it, that didn't make Irma feel any better. She had no idea how to find Donnie's brothers and if a wolf had managed to break away from the fight and come after her there was no way she could defend herself.

The thought made Irma run faster, her hand clenched over the stitch in her side. In the dim light, she didn't notice the slippery patch on the tunnel floor. Irma let out a startled cry as her foot slipped out beneath her and she held out her hands, barely managing to catch herself before her head hit the concrete floor. Irma felt her glasses drop from her face and she heard them skid across the concrete into the dark.

Irma held back a strangled scream of frustration and fear as the world went blurry before her. Her eyesight was terrible without her glasses, and with how far they sounded like they had fallen away from her, Irma knew she would never find them in the dim light.

Irma curled into herself, bringing her legs up to her chest. Her breath was ragged and she could feel a panic attack coming on. Her eyes stung and she wiped away the tears stubbornly.

Who would find her here? She doubted many people came down to the sewers. The only people who knew she was here were Donatello and April, but if they had lost their fight…

Irma squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to think about that.

It was completely silent in the tunnel, so when Irma heard a small scraping noise to her right, she jumped up in terror; stumbling to her feet as her heart pounded in her ears. Had the wolves found her?

Dead silence.

If it was the wolves, wouldn't they have attacked already?

Another small noise came from Irma's left, and this one sounded a bit like a footstep.

"Who's there?" Irma called, squinting into the darkness, but with her blurry vision she saw no one.

"April is that you?" she asked, but there was no response.

There was someone there, Irma knew it and she wasn't sure how. Whoever it was, they were too silent to be April. Maybe…

"Hello? I know someone's there," she called again. "Please… I need your help. I… I lost my glasses. I can't see anything without them.

There was no response, but Irma could hear movement in the shadows. The sound of footsteps surrounded her, and Irma's breath caught in her throat as she realized there was more than one other person in the tunnel with her.

There was a scraping sound and Irma guessed someone, or something, had picked her glasses up off the floor.

"H-hello?" Irma asked her voice breaking as wrapped her arms around herself for comfort.

More footsteps and Irma could make out a hulking figure approaching her slowly.

Fear gripped her heart and then…

"Hello?" it said, and Irma let out a breath. Whoever he was, his voice sounded so normal, and actually, a tiny bit shy. Irma knew this didn't necessarily mean the person standing in front of her was normal, but at least he wasn't one of those mutant wolves.

Irma had a suspicion about who this was. After all, who else would be in the sewers?

"Who are you?" Irma asked, her voice rising in pitch.

"It's okay. We're not going to hurt you." His voice was calm and actually quite soothing to listen to. "I'm Leonardo. What's your name?"

"Irma," she managed to reply as he took another step towards her.

Irma felt her heart skip in her chest as her nervousness returned. She felt completely defenseless and if it wasn't for the kindness in his voice, Irma probably wouldn't have been able to speak.

"Can you… can you see me?" Leonardo asked hesitantly, and Irma realized he used the same cautious tone Donatello had in the dark cage when the turtle had warned her not to come any closer.

Irma shook her head. "I can't see much without my glasses."

"Well, that explains why she's not freaking out," came a gruffer voice behind Leonardo.

Irma scowled at the second voice. "Can I have them back, please?" Mentally, she was trying to figure out how many people were in the tunnel with her. Two had spoken so far.

"I… I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Leonardo hedged.

Irma sighed; both relief and annoyance flooding her at the same time. She now had no doubt about who these people were. "You're Donatello's brothers, aren't you?"

There was a long silence before anyone answered her, and when he did, Leonardo's response was slow, careful, and absolutely stunned. "…yes."

"I'm April's friend. Donatello saved us from these mutant wolves and brought us down here to stay safe from them."

"Oh yeah! Irma! April's mentioned you before!" came another voice, bringing the count up to three. This voice sounded much younger and much less serious than the other two.

"Can I have my glasses?" Irma tried again. "I… I won't freak out, I promise."

Leonardo hesitated for a second longer before reaching out to give them to her. Irma saw the faintest of movements and reached out her hand as well, but she had fumbled and missed his hand.

To her surprise, a scaly hand wrapped around her own as she felt a pair of glasses being placed into her palm. He quickly dropped her hand as if he had done something wrong.

Taking a second to collect herself, Irma placed the glasses on her face.

Irma's breath caught in her throat as the world came into focus once again. Staring back at her were the very green faces of three mutants that looked similar to Donatello. The one in front, Leonardo, was watching her with a wary expression. He had a blue mask and kind eyes, but his mouth was set in a serious expression. However, Irma could see a hint of nervousness flicker across his face.

The one behind Leonardo, who was wearing a red mask, didn't have the soft expression his brother had. He was glaring at her, his arms crossed with a scowl on his face. Irma's eyes didn't dare linger on him for long.

The third one, who was smaller than his brothers, was wearing an orange mask. He was standing right beside Leonardo and was staring up at her with an eager, excited expression. Under his gaze, Irma felt like she was a shining new toy.

"Are you okay?" Leonardo asked worriedly. "…you look a little pale."

Irma took another steadying breath. She didn't scream this time, and the mutants were roughly what she expected, so she actually felt a lot better now that she could see their faces.

"Yeah…" she breathed. "Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry… I'm just… trying to get used to this."

Leonardo nodded understandingly, and he actually seemed slightly impressed with her, which made Irma feel a bit better. "This is probably a lot for you."

"Okay, enough with the sappy stuff!" the turtle in red demanded suddenly. "Where are April and my brother?"

"In the tunnels somewhere." She glanced behind her. "We went underground to escape the wolves but we weren't fast enough. They were able to find us and April and Donatello told me to run… so I ran. I was hoping to find you guys."

"So you just left them to fight the wolves by themselves?" the turtle in red accused with a scowl.

Irma glanced at the ground, her cheeks burning with shame.

"Enough, Raph," Leonardo snapped. "We have to go make sure they're okay. Mikey, you get Irma to the lair. Me and Raph will help April and Donnie."

Before Irma could speak, two of the turtles vanished, leaving Irma to shift uncomfortably under the stare of the youngest mutant.

He beamed up at her and she waved uncomfortably at him.

"Hi!" he chirped happily.