"This training is to practice the arts of balance and invisibility." Splinter said, clapping and shutting the lights off.
Cat didn't wobble on the pole she stood on, her mind clear as she tried to make out the elderly rat's movements. She ducked below his walking stick, jumping silently to another pole to dodge a second strike, when Mikey clapped, turning the lights on.
He was nearly hit off the pole he was standing on, and Cat giggled.
"Better luck next time, Mikey."
She jumped easily to the one beside him, helping him up.
"Why is this always so easy for you?" He asked as he fought for balance.
"It just comes naturally to me." She said mildly, shrugging.
She heard the door open as Leo and Raph tried dodging the walking stick, and steadied herself as Casey accidentally knocked over the poles. Hers was still standing, luckily, and she clapped the lights on when she noticed Splinter tackle him.
"Sensei! He's that vigi-I mean, guy we told you about! Remember?" Don intervened, and Splinter got off, apologizing for his rash actions.
"Why'd you come down, anyhow?" Cat asked, moving to her guitars.
"There's graffiti everywhere!"
"…Casey, this is NEW YORK…there's ALWAYS been graffiti…" She answered, looking at him like he was crazy.
"Not like this."
He held up a picture of graffiti showing a sword skewering five turtles.
"…Well, DAMN…" She muttered, hands on her hips.
"Are there more like these?" Leo asked, taking the picture.
"Yep, and they're more graphic."
Cat sighed.
"Well…you should probably head home…we've got training to do…"
"Aren't ya gonna go get back the guys who did this?"
"No. They're just trying to get under our shells. Why let them?" Don answered.
Casey was about to argue when he saw the 'magic' sword they'd gotten, and tried to touch it, getting shot back into a bookshelf.
"Man…he makes Mikey look smart!"
"HEY!!!" Mikey whined as Cat smiled teasingly.
It was when Casey headed to her Les Paul guitar that her smile fell.
"NO!!!!!"
She dove, shielding her guitars.
"You touch my babies and yer dead, Jones!!"
"What? I just wanna see 'em!!"
"Stay back or I'll skewer you, ya nutjob!!"
"Okay, okay! Jeez!"
He turned to Raph.
"Is she always like that with those things?"
"Only if YOU'RE around, bub."
Casey went to their TV set, and got more obnoxious as the hours passed. They kept hinting for him to head home, but he was too hard-headed to get the message, and headed to their player.
It didn't start working, and he smashed his foot on it.
"THAT'S why I won't let you touch my guitars." Cat stated, still holding the guitars so that Casey wouldn't get any ideas.
Casey got bored pretty fast, and tackled Raph. As they fought, Cat put her guitars in her room and came out to hear Splinter tell Raph to take the vigilante topside.
"Caterina will accompany you, just in case."
She groaned lightly.
'Yeah, torture ME…'
She followed the two out of the lair, grabbing her weapons on the way, and endured their trash talk until Casey stopped.
"Spray paint."
She gave him a quizzical look.
"Is that a stupid insult or has your brain finally broke down?"
"No, I hear spray cans."
She moved silently, and saw the Purple Dragons making more graffiti, this one of a dragon eating five turtles.
She jumped down, twirling her blades.
"If you Purple Lizards are so great, why do I keep kicking your asses?"
She smirked, punching one that came at her as Raph and Casey came down.
"Boss, we've got some." She heard one whisper, and kicked him in the face, catching the cell phone and breaking it as Raph and Casey finished the others.
"This guy called for back up, guys."
She turned to the mouth of the alley, seeing two ninja land there.
'These guys are different…are they even human?'
Her eyes widened as they seemed to disappear, and she tried to follow them, getting punched into a wall.
"Ow…"
She sat up, shaking her head before closing her eyes.
'Don't rely on your eyes…they'll only deceive you…'
She stood up, sliding into a fighting stance. Her other senses pricked, ready for even the slightest noise.
'…Left!'
She lashed out with her blade, cutting at the head, and a lens fell to the ground. She tried to dodge a punch, but it got her in the stomach, and she fell to the ground.
"Ow…you guys are fast…"
She ground her teeth before trying to do a sweep kick, but an invisible foot on the chest made her gasp for breath.
'MAN, these guys are heavy!'
She was lucky to have a plastron, or some ribs would've snapped by now.
Raph tried to come to her aid, but the other one hit him and Casey into the metal platform behind them, breaking it down and knocking them both unconscious.
"Raph!!"
She struggled, grabbing the ankle connected to the foot on her chest. She twisted it as hard as she could, kicking at the chest area. They flew back, and she tried to move out of the way as she reached for her blades.
A kick to the side sent her shell into a wall, and she cried out in pain. She glared as the other one became visible and grabbed Raph.
"When my side stops hurting, you're gonna be sorry." She growled, getting up on hands and knees.
She felt a pain in her neck, and cursed as darkness clouded her mind and ate away at her vision.
'Raph…'
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'Whoa…where am I?'
Cat groaned as she opened her eyes blearily.
'Torture chamber? Oh, come ON…I need a break, Lord!'
She looked around, shaking the darkness from her mind as she looked at the strange instruments and the table she was strapped to.
"Maybe if I stopped hitting Mikey, God would stop punishing me…" She muttered.
"So you're awake."
She glared at the large man before her, seeing as he was holding one of her blades.
"What are you doing with that? If ya hadn't noticed, that's mine."
"And if you hadn't noticed, I'M the one asking the questions."
"Right, and I'm gonna answer." She retorted sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"Don't back talk, or there's gonna be trouble."
"Don't mess with me, or my foot's gonna go up your ass!" Cat shot back.
She didn't flinch when her own blade embedded itself into the table by her head, her eyes hard as it was ripped out.
"You've got a big mouth, so why not use it to answer some questions?"
"Nah, I don't feel like it."
She jumped slightly when a huge fist slammed next to her head, but kept her face void of surprise or fear.
"Don't push me."
"Same to you."
She didn't break eye contact, knowing it would just signal weakness and defeat. A moment of tense silence, her muscles constricting, tensing, ready to move.
Confusion flashed in her eyes when he smirked, and her muscles started to hurt from tensing them so much.
"What?"
"Didn't think I'd meet a girl that would stand up to me…"
"Not like most girls, if you hadn't noticed."
She didn't notice her red-banded brother was in the same room, and waking up from unconsciousness.
"True…"
What happened next was NOT what she expected.
When she felt lips on her own, shock froze her body for a moment before anger took over. She struggled, and became more violent only when a hand settled on her chest.
'Oh-SHELL-No!!!'
Her foot was soon free, and she put all the strength she had into the free limb before kicking him where the sun don't shine. She freed one hand, untying herself before looking around.
"Raph?"
"Cat…I…"
"Let's not talk now." She said sternly, taking her blades and cutting him free.
"Grab your stuff and lets go!"
She grabbed her own Shell Cell, and was at the door already.
"Hurry up already!" She urged, gripping her blades tighter, and kept going once he followed her.
"Great…we're on a boat…" Cat muttered, soon crouching on the railing.
"Come on, then!"
She jumped into the water, Raph close behind.
They moved to the sewers, Cat trying to keep her mind focused on getting home.
"…Cat…"
She slowed down slightly, looking back at her brother.
"Yeah?"
"I…I'm sorry…"
She skidded to a stop, looking at him curiously.
"Sorry? For what?"
"I…I couldn't do anything…"
She tried to smile reassuringly, but it faltered.
"It's okay, Raph…I'm fine…"
"But there was the chance that you WOULDN'T be fine, Cat!"
She shook her head slightly, and grabbed his hand.
"I'm fine, Raph. I can take care of myself."
She squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"Now let's head back before the others worry anymore."
She led him through the tunnels, ending up in a large cylindrical room.
'Bloody shell…'
She felt like they were being followed, and her muscles tensed.
'If its that muscle-bound idiot, I'm gonna hit him so hard-!'
She looked up, seeing Leo and Don wearing goggles as they jumped down, holding their weapons out.
'So we WERE followed…'
She grabbed one blade, and lashed out at someone to her left. As Don and Leo are smacked back, Mikey and Casey ran in from another tunnel, and Cat pulled out her other blade, attacking and dodging as best she could.
Her side and shell still hurt, and the pounding headache didn't help much as it hammered against her temples.
Casey covered a couple with muck, and Cat was happy enough to knock them out. She cut at the chests of two others, disabling the cloaking devices, and kicked them both in the face at the same time.
She stretched her arms over her head, when she heard Casey cry out. She turned to see one holding said vigilante over the raging water below, and grimaced.
"Drop your weapons."
Cat did so hesitantly, as well as three of her brothers, when she noticed something.
'Where's Mikey?'
She looked around, seeing them get surrounded, and looked up.
'Mikey?'
The orange-banded turtle jumped from an overhead pipe onto the ninja, who released his hold on Casey. She moved forward fast, grabbing her weapons before jumping on a metal pole in the water and catching the vigilante.
"Whoa! Thanks, Cat!"
"You owe me! So NO touching the Les Paul!" She joked, trying to pull him up.
She ducked as a ninja flew over her head, and looked up at her brothers with fake anger.
"Hey!! Watch where you're throwing your trash!!"
She jumped up to the ground above, and did a sweeping kick to knock one ninja into the water.
"Man, I'm beat…maybe I should just crash at yer guys place tonight-."
"NO!!!!!!"
Cat was in front of him, saying, "You should go home! I mean, all this excitement would be easier in your own house!"
"Yeah! Nothing like sleeping in your own bed!" Leo added in.
"We'll drive you back! We'll be there in no time!" Don joined in, helping them push him towards the Battle Shell.
"Yeah! We'll even bring you up the stairs and tuck you in!" Mikey added.
'We've gotten pretty desperate, haven't we?'
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"Hun, what have you learned from the female?"
"She is strong-willed and fiery. But I don't believe they even know your enemies, let alone work for them."
"Then they may be of use when it comes to fighting those enemies…"
The thoughtful look on his face lasted for only a few moments before he continued.
"Break the girl, and the others will be easier to bend to my will."
"As you wish, Master…"