While I continue to work away on more chapters, here is another for those who have an interesting in continuing to read this story. I hope you're keeping count, because things are really going to start getting interesting from this point on! The die has been cast and Destiny is about to find herself in a shell of a lot more trouble than she originally anticipated. Leave me a review when you're done, and please feel free to share this story with anyone else you think might enjoy it!

Chapter 4

Man, if she wasn't undercover, she'd have wanted to be anywhere but here.

There were too many people milling about, all of them dressed in some form of costume as they moved between the booths and displays with all of the geeky paraphernalia that one could ever dream of being showcased to them. Everywhere she turned there was a Batman or a Poison Ivy walking around, or perhaps an anime character that someone had fallen in love with while watching their show. These kinds of conventions happened frequently in New York City and were never empty…but they also served as a great place for bad things to happen as well. The police and security guards are duty would be far more concerned with making such that the people in costumes didn't get out of hand that they barely paid attention to those who looked a little more "normal."

She had reason to believe that the Purple Dragons were meeting up with someone here to obtain new orders, having been successful in their last mission. Granted, most of that reason had been because she'd located and stalked the man called "Jackson" after her encounter with Leo a few days ago, but the man had led her to the convention and so into the throng of people she had gone.

There had been no room for her to go as the Hunter though. As soon as they spotted her costume in the crowd Destiny knew that the Purple Dragons would be alerted to her presence and bail before she could get the information she was looking for. So the black and purple costume that she had been mending had been left at home, and instead a different costume was worn. It was simple, something that would have people guessing at who it was she had decided to imitate that day, but taking recent events into account, she had thought the costume to be rather appropriate for her current location.

It was a dark green body suit that first caught the eye, one that stretched down her torso and legs until it tucked neatly into the black boots that she had taken from her vigilante persona for the day. Around her hips hung her sais, held in place by a thick belt of blue fabric that wrapped around her twice before she had knotted it firmly against her right hip. The same material was also on her face, creating a mask from which her eyes sparkled bright as she looked about her for signs of mischief. There were no sleeves to this body suit, leaving her arms and hands completely exposed to any attack that might come for her in time. But she had taken the time that morning to paint her nails a shade of blue that almost matched the material around her eyes and hips, smiling softly when she caught sight of her reflection in one of the display cases.

Maybe I should have put a shell on my back too, she thought to herself in amusement. Boy, if Leonardo saw her now she was pretty sure that he would know her without having to guess too hard. He had become the inspiration behind her look, albeit with a few changes, but she would not be able to blend into the crowd a little better than she would have if she had opted to simply show up with her Hunter persona on instead. Thankfully, not too many people in New York had yet seen her when she roamed the streets at night, which meant that there were no copycat looks to be seen within the walls of the convention center. Even as she made her way up and down the aisles, taking in the various costumes around her, Destiny couldn't see anything that really stood out as being reminiscent of her own personal look.

And thank goodness for that.

Up and down the crowded rows she went, dodging the shoulders of people who weren't really paying attention to their surroundings as they talked in excited tones about the people they planned on meeting, or the characters that they had already seen since walking in the door. It didn't really come as a shock when she had to step out of the way from getting trampled, but Destiny was a little annoyed by about the fifth time with the lack of manners being displayed by people. There were no apologies, no glanced backward to ensure that she was alright or anything. They just went on their way as if there was nothing more important in the world than having their lunchbox signed by the guy who played some random character in the sixties.

But as she stepped out of the way yet again, Destiny felt something crunch beneath her foot that immediately threw her off balance and sent her flying sideways into another line of traffic. Natural instinct said to just catch herself telepathically and make it look like more of a stumble, she'd done it before on the streets when people were pushing their way along the sidewalks and into the actual road. Just as she was about to do that, however, she felt someone place their hands around her shoulders to catch her before she could actually fall too far, landing instead against someone's chest.

"Whoa, dudette! Better watch your step in here or you'll get trampled!"

"No kidding. Thanks for the hand, I hope I didn't-"

She instantly froze as she looked up into the face of the person who held her, seeing them smile down at her as they released her shoulders from their grip. But he didn't seem to notice at all. "No problem-o!"

Destiny gave her head a bit of a shake and blinked several times, but there was no mistaking what she saw standing before her regardless of the costume pieces that he wore. Hell, it had been completely naive to imagine that there was only one of him running around in New York, but to run into another one right now? Not even fourty-eight hours had passed since she had encountered Leonardo at the jewellery store heist, and now she was being forced to come face to face with another of his kind. Yet it seemed that this one didn't have the same regard for stealth as Leo did, she mused.

"So…the Turtle Titan, huh?" she asked weakly, glancing up and down at the costume that he wore.

Instantly, his face lit up. "Dude, you know the Turtle Titan?!"

Destiny nodded. "Yeah, oddly enough."

"That's totally awesome!" he exclaimed, looking down at her with a wide grin. "He's only, like, the coolest super hero out there, man!"

"He's definitely something else," she agreed, smiling despite herself at the level of enthusiasm that he showed.

Movements over his shoulder caught her eye, causing them to flicker instantly in the direction of the hulking figures who moved back and forth along the far wall. Almost immediately the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, alerting her to the fact that there was danger afoot for her to deal with. Apparently her sources had been correct. There was going to be something happen at the convention that day.

"Uh…well, it was nice meeting you. Thanks again for your help."

Without giving him time to respond, Destiny stepped swiftly around him and headed back into the maze of people who seemed to swarm around her, nudging them gently to the side as she drew nearer her target. There were a few harsh glares, a couple of people moaning and groaning about the fact that she was going against the flow of traffic and could have torn their sleeves, but she ignored them all. She was so intently focused on the group of men who stood at the far end of the hall that everyone else was immediately shut out of her consciousness and practically ignored on the journey there.

Through a door on the far wall they went, disappearing from sight as Destiny struggled to get through the crowd and over toward them before they managed to get away. If they got too far ahead of her then she was bound to lose them entirely, and thus miss the opportunity to find out what it was that the Purple Dragons were next planning. Better still, she wanted the chance to find out who it was that they were working for, and to let them get away with such vital information was not acceptable. There was no way of knowing how many lives were at risk until she discovered what they were up to…

As carefully as possible, Destiny pressed her back against the wall and glanced about her before she twisted the handle of the door and pushed it aside, allowing her body to slip through the crack and into the slightly darker room that lay on the other side. There seemed to be no flow of traffic like there was in the room outside, but she knew immediately that there was something else going on, because she could hear voices in the distance. And just as she was able to venture a little further, she felt herself pulled back into a shadowed corner with her arms twisted upward a little to prevent her from moving away. Hissing in pain, Destiny turned her head, trying to see the face of her attacker.

"You'd better have a damn good reason for this," she growled, feeling a body press up against her back.

"Relax," said the male voice. "I don't want to hurt you. But I'd be totally down with you telling me what you think you're doing."

Damn it!

In her haste to get away from him and follow her prey, Destiny had disregarded the fact that he would likely have followed her much in the same way that Leo had followed the Hunter for weeks before he had finally confronted her. She had been all-too-willing to just ignore him and carry on with the initial plan…and apparently that had been the wrong choice. The turtle had chosen to follow her, somehow moving within the convention center so swiftly and silently that she hadn't even noticed how he had come to be in the room before her, hidden away in a corner that was not easily visible to anyone else in the room. The time for figuring that out, though, would come later. First, she needed to figure out how to get away from him and into the other room before the Purple Dragons got their orders and managed to get away again.

"Let me go," she warned darkly, her voice a low growl.

Apparently he didn't need to be told twice, for almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth he released her from his grip and allowed her body free control once again, watching unconcerned as she whirled around to face him and took in the changes to his appearance. Gone were the pieces of costume that had distinguished him as being the "Turtle Titan," most notably the large cape that had hidden the exterior of his shell from the eyes of others at the convention. All that remained was the cloth of orange around his eyes and waist, where a pair of nunchucks sat carefully on either of his hips. With raised hands that demonstrated how he didn't wish to threaten her any further, the turtle smirked a little.

"I know who you are," he said matter-of-factly. "You might be wearing a different costume and not have your hair all done up, but I've seen you before. You're the Hunter."

Destiny blinked up at him. "And you're a giant turtle. What's your point?"

"Well, you know I-" But then he stopped, looking down at her with a mix of confusion and wariness written across the forest-green colour of his face. "Wait, you know? And you're not freaked out?"

At this, the girl couldn't help but smile a little. "Unfortunately, you're not the strangest thing I've ever seen before."

"Dude…"

A sound at the door alerted Destiny to the presence of others, and she wasted no time in pushing the turtle as far back into the shadows as she could before pressing her own body firmly against his. Her hands held tightly to the muscles in his upper arms, her eyes glancing back for any sign that they might have been spotted…but the men simply continued on their way without a second glance in their direction. After a moment she allowed herself to breathe again, releasing him from her grasp and taking a small step backward to put a little distance between the two of them.

"Look, I wish I had the time to stop and chat with you, but I'm afraid that I have work to do."

As she turned away, she felt a hand quickly press against her shoulder and prevent her from leaving. "If you're following the Purple Dragons, you might want a little bit of help. There's a whole room of them back there, and no way are they just going to let you waltz in there without an invitation."

Well, he was definitely right about that. She had spotted only a handful of them heading into the room back there, but if he had seen more than just those few, Destiny knew she was going to have to be careful about how she went through with this plan. Barging in unannounced was clearly not an option anymore. Dressed as she was, people would surely make the connection of who she was, though she was grateful for the fact that she didn't have to worry about them linking her choice in wardrobe to Leonardo. After all, how many people could know about the giant turtle who roamed about New York City? Or turtles, she supposed, thinking of how she would need to make that a plural term now.

Tilting her head slightly, the brunette looked upward at him. "Do you have a name?"

"Mikey…it's short for Michelangelo."

"Nice name," she smiled softly. "Very…new age."

She couldn't resist the little dig. Though she knew that the chances of them not being affiliated with one another were slim, she couldn't ignore the connection that screamed at her through the choice of Renaissance names. Two of the greatest artists of the age, huh? Well, she'd deal with that later.

Removing her gaze from him, Destiny gently pried herself away from his hand and moved to the edge of the little corridor that they had stuffed themselves down, slowly positioning her body until she was able to see around the corner and confirm what she already knew. There was indeed another door at the far end of the room that would certainly lead her to the group that she hoped to infiltrate. If she could avoid any sort of confrontation she would happily do so – the idea of taking on an entire room of hired thugs certainly didn't meet with her approval. But if that was what was going to happen, at least she would be ready for them.

Silent hands reached down to remove her sais from her belt, sliding her fingers over the metal edges and readjusting her grip to ensure that she wouldn't lose them if she were to suddenly be confronted with company. But just as she moved to step around the corner and into the room, the door began to open and she was forced to shuffle back into the shadows to join Michelangelo. He was at her side almost instantly, pressing the back of his shell against the wall as he lifted one hand to lightly touch the tension she now bore in her hands. Without words, she knew it was a silent warning. He wanted her to wait before doing anything.

"Can you believe that guy?" demanded a male voice, coming through the door and a little further into the room. "We got that stupid rock he wanted and he still wasn't happy!"

"Yeah, it's not our fault the Hunter showed up!"

The second voice belonged to Jackson, one of the men who had been present that night during the robbery of the jewellery store. Destiny remembered him as the mousy looking fellow who had been hesitant to obey the orders given to him by his boss, as if he really hadn't wanted to be a part of the heist at all. The first one, however, was a voice that she didn't immediately recognize. It was gruff though, a low voice that seemed to rumble in the belly a little before it reached the surface and was heard by those around the speaker. Voices such as those usually came from people she needed to be concerned about, because in her experience they were almost always bigger than she was. And that meant that they hit harder too.

The first voice continued. "That guy in the trench boat certainly helped though," he said with a dark chuckle. "If he hadn't distracted her we might never have gotten away with it."

"Yeah, too bad you had to shoot him," agreed Jackson.

Her body stiffened in response to his words, and Michelangelo did his best to just keep her calm with the added pressure of his fingers closing around her wrist. The first voice belonged to the other man who had been present that night, the one who had pulled the gun and nearly killed Leo in his efforts to escape. Her teeth were grit tightly together, part of her lip curling back in a vicious snarl.

"Breathe," Mikey reminded her in a hushed tone.

Very slowly, the air began to move about in her lungs once more.

"As long as we don't run into those turtles again," the first man growled, clearly disgusted with the very mention of them. "The only reason they're worse than that damn vigilante is because there's more than one of them. I'd happily have shot all of them if I'd had the chance."

Both men shared a bout of laughter as Destiny continued to stand back in the shadows with Michelangelo, who flexed his fingers against her wrist as he grew bothered by their developing conversation. Evidently she wasn't the only one who was currently battling the urge to run out there and start interrogating the two men, wanting to pump them for further information about this new job that they had been given. Thus far, that was the only piece of information she really wanted but found herself to be lacking…

The sound of a hand clapping against a shoulder rang out in the silence that followed their moment of amusement. "Maybe we'll still get the chance, eh?"

"Yeah! Maybe!"

The first voice cleared his throat a little. "This next job should be a piece of cake. The shipment comes in at eleven and we'll be out of there before they even realize we've come."

"It'd be a lot easier if we didn't have to work with the Foot," Jackson complained, his feet shuffling a little against the floor. "They're just going to get in our way…or maybe they'll set us up to take the fall when the cops show up."

"Better the cops than the Hunter," reminded the first man. "They won't pick us up off the ground from twenty feet away."

With muttered agreement the two men moved further into the room and dangerously close to the doorway through which they had all originally come, forcing both Destiny and Michelangelo to shuffle back into the tiny space of shadow behind them. Again they resumed the position of having her body pressed tightly to his, though this time his one arm wrapped itself around her waist to help bring her as far back as the space would allow until the sound of the closing door reached them and they slowly released from their forced embrace. A few more seconds of silence passed as they waited to see if they would be joined by anyone else, but it seemed that whoever else had headed into the second room would not be leaving in the same manner as Jackson and his companion.

"Dude," Mikey muttered to himself. "This does not look good at all."

But Destiny's mind was already whirling around the information she had just overheard, struggling to piece together the bits that made little sense to her. The Purple Dragons she had heard of, having watched them over the past several months as she tried to bring an end to their crime spree. The Foot, however, was an entirely new thing that she had never heard of before. What was it? A street gang? Some type of machine they planned on using for this heist? And even better, what was it that they were after this time? Though they had highlighted the fact that some shipment was their new target there had been no discussion of a date, a place or even what it was that they planned on robbing.

It left a bitter taste in her mouth. Though she had learned few things by infiltrating the convention today, she still had more questions that needed to be answered before she could proceed any further. More digging was required. More nights of combing the streets endlessly until she was able to get her hands on someone who might talk if the right force was applied.

And boy was she willing to apply that force.

"Wait! Where you going?"

It was Michelangelo's voice that called her back when Destiny realized that she had drawn away from him without even realizing it. Instinct told her to get to the door and get out of the building as quickly as possible before she ran the risk of being discovered, but part of her knew that she couldn't just up and leave without a word to him. There are two of them, she reminded herself. Leo isn't the only one of his kind. Even the Purple Dragons had referenced the fact that there was more than one turtle…

"I have work to do," she said shortly.

"Yeah, but-"

"No," she said quickly, whirling around to look at him with a frown etched into her face. "There is no 'but' here, Mikey. There is too much at stake here for anyone else to get involved."

Now it was his turn to frown. "Too much at stake?" he asked her. "Do you know what they're planning?"

"No. But that doesn't mean I don't have any sort of idea."

"You can't-"

"I can, and I will," she responded firmly. "I don't need any kind of help with this. It's too dangerous for anyone else to be involved, and I won't have you getting in my way."

Turning on her heel, Destiny quickly deposited her sais back into her belt as she marched toward the door, eager to remove herself from the situation entirely and just get back to her apartment so she could begin planning her next move. She didn't have time to deal with other people, or perhaps in this case creatures, who wanted to butt into her affairs and make a complicated mess of things. Her life was already complicated – she didn't need any further help in that department.

It took no time at all for her to escape from the convention center, slipping her arms into a light jacket that had been left lying in a plastic chair so as to hide her weaponry and appearance from passersby on the street, a hand reaching up to remove the blue fabric of her mask. She tucked it away quickly within one of the pockets of her new jacket, rather thankful to note that the sun had begun to set and remove the brightness of the day from the sky. It meant she wouldn't need to worry about possibly having a headache from the sun when she returned home, as she was prone to have during moments of high anxiety. Just another wonderful thing about being a freak.

When she rounded the second corner, however, she stopped and lifted her head, glancing around her. There were no other people on the side street she had chosen to walk down, and yet she could feel a lingering presence that had been making the skin of her neck prickle ever since she had set foot on the pavement of the street. Destiny sighed softly to herself. She knew the feeling all too well from the many weeks that had preceded her meeting with Leonardo.

"I know you're there," she thought, her voice carrying the thoughts into the mind of her follower without the slightest move of her lips. "And you might as well give up now. We're done for the night."

There was no point in bothering to replace the mask. From where she stood, now motionless on the sidewalk, there was no way for him to really see her face. All he would know is that he had encountered the Hunter, a girl with no further identity than a street name given to her by locals who spoke of how the vigilante "hunted" down the criminals of the city relentlessly. Hell, half of them didn't even know she was a seventeen year old girl. They just assumed there was someone out there who had finally grown tired of being victimized and decided to do something about it. And they weren't far off in that thought.

"Good night, Michelangelo."

Exhaling slowly, she continued on her way until she was able to round yet another corner and disappear completely from sight. A soft breeze pushed the orange tail of his mask off to the side as he stared down at the spot where she had stood before her voice rang clearly in his head, giving the turtle pause. There was so much more to this mysterious girl than people realized, for clearly she possessed abilities that were far beyond his understanding. He still didn't know why she was paying attention to the Purple Dragons, but he did know one thing for certain. He'd met the Hunter.

How cool was that?