The past week had been eventful for Setsuko to say the very least. She had sent Kazuko to New York, and she had wiped out the antiquated old fools of the High Council. Setsuko had invited them all to a dinner and poisoned them. Then she sent assassins to deal with any and all dissenters. Afterwards, she had killed the assassins herself. This left her free to build the foot clan as she saw fit, but it also left her with the dilemma of gathering new members. Her private jet landed on a small airfield just outside the city. Opting to drive herself, she headed straight for Saki Tower, the base of all operations now.
Since the facility in Brooklyn had been bombed, all important assets had been moved to the sub-levels of the tower. When she arrived, Kazuko was waiting for her. After they greeted each other, she was led to a sub-basement where the strange Kraang portal was housed. It was guarded by the kraang droids, the aliens themselves visible inside the robots.
Two droids flanked Setsuko and Kazuko as they exited the elevators onto a floor that was a long hall, with doors lining either side. At the end of the hall was a large double door, where two more droids stood watch.
"Kraang greets the one who is called Setsuko, from the clan known as the foot. Kraang Prime is waiting," one of them stated. Setsuko brushed past them and entered the darkened room. On the far wall was a very large wall mounted monitor. A comfortable chair sat facing the blank screen and there was nothing else in the room.
Setsuko felt a bit tense for the first time since violently assuming authority over the clan. She had never been invited into a meeting such as this and had no idea what to expect from this Kraang Prime. Setsuko took a seat in the chair, and the screen came to life. The image of the enormous Kraang Prime filled the monitor completely. The alien leader seemed surprised to be seeing someone other than Shredder.
"Kraang Prime speaks only to the Shredder," it said, trying to peer around the room. Its lips were like small frills and they wiggled and moved with each word it spoke.
"The Shredder is no more, Kraang Prime. You will deal with Setsuko," she said proudly tapping her own chest. The Kraang did not seem pleased, but nevertheless resigned itself to deal with this new insolent worm of a human.
"Kraang Prime trusts that the deal we have made with the one called Shredder still stands," it said eyeing her with skepticism. Setsuko had no idea what deal the alien was referring to, and doubted anyone else did.
"When will you deliver the next batch of mutagen?" Setsuko asked, much to the surprise of the alien on the screen. It momentarily looked shocked, then its eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Setsuko does not know the terms of the deal Kraang Prime has made with the one called Shredder. There will be no more mutagen. You will provide Kraang Prime and all kraang what we need to enter your world," it said, managing to sound annoyed and smug at the same time.
It said 'enter your world' as if it were a field trip, but it really meant invade. They had already begun to infiltrate into the population. The droids were in the city and may have been linked to the spike in abductions. Now they want something that helps them invade, New York? No, you don't invade a city, you invade….. What had Shredder agreed to with these things? Setsuko thought to herself, no small amount of anger now raising its head at having been left almost completely out of the loop on this. Setsuko took a deep breath, determined not to show that she had been rattled by what this alien was saying to her.
"What is it that the kraang need in order to 'enter' our world?" Setsuko had to ask directly. It bothered her greatly that she had no recourse other than to ask and then believe what Kraang Prime was saying.
"The mutant known as Leatherhead entered our dimension and took from kraang what is known to us as a power cell. Kraang Prime demands it. In return, Kraang will help capture and destroy the ones known as the turtles," Kraang Prime said.
Setsuko smiled slightly. Shredder had been obsessed with destroying the turtles for the last couple of years. She however had no use for the vendetta. The turtles were of no consequence to her. If they interfered with her plans she would kill them, if not they may be allowed to live. She also had no immediate use for a steady supply of mutagen. In short Kraang Prime was useless to her and the foot as it stood. Whoever this Leatherhead was, was also inconsequential as far as she was concerned, but she needed to make a show of recovering this power cell for the aliens. However, she would stall as long as possible until she could figure out how to destroy the portal. The kraang were not beneficent creatures, and they would only attempt to subjugate the foot clan the same as everyone else. How Shredder had not anticipated their betrayal, or how he planned to counter it once it became apparent she didn't know. She did know that there had been one other mutant that Shredder entrusted with this knowledge, and she needed to send out someone to find him.
"Of course, the foot clan with honor its arrangement with you Kraang Prime. We will recover the power cell so that you may operate the portal. Now, if that will be all I have other matters to attend," Setsuko said as she rose from her seat.
"Kraang Prime will contact you soon," it said as the screen once again went blank.
Setsuko came out of the room to find her clan sister waiting patiently for her. Without a word they made their way out of the sub-basement and into the building proper where Shredder's office was. Once inside Setsuko allowed herself to relax a little.
"Setsuko, how have things gone?" Kazuko asked her. They were sitting on either side of a small coffee table facing the large windows that overlooked the Hudson.
"It had gone well, but now I need you to oversee another task for me. We are in need of recruits. I don't care what method you use to gather them, but make sure they're the dregs of society. I need people that will not be missed by anyone," Setsuko said. Kazuko nodded and got out of her seat.
"Is Xever still alive?" Setsuko asked.
"Yes he is, onesan (big sister)" Kazuko replied. She wrinkled her nose a little. Xever had been handsome before he turned into a mutant. Now he just reeked of that fishy smell.
"Find him. He will know exactly how to get new members. Also, send in those soldiers that were waiting." Setsuko said. Kazuko bowed then left to find Xever. The small group of soldiers entered the room and knelt before her.
"Find Tiger Claw and the mutant Leatherhead and bring them to me alive."
"Yes Master," they choruses and left immediately.
"Again!" Karai shouted to a very sweaty, tired, and agitated April. It had only been a week and she was already regretting her decision. April rolled her eyes and then prepared to do her thirtieth army pushup.
"Two more for rolling your eyes," Karai instructed as she stood over April.
"What?!" April started to complain.
"Four more for talking back. Now you either shut up and continue, or I can keep adding more, your choice princess," Karai said sternly. April closed her mouth and completed this portion of her workout.
April hadn't ever thought of herself as out of shape, but the workout regimen that Karai laid out for her was nearly killing her. Mikey was watching in the doorway as he has been for each and every session. He never interrupted, but he would cringe or scowl depending on how rough he thought Karai was being. He understood April wasn't used to this, but this was no more than what he and his brothers endured before they started actual ninja training. Besides, he was proud of April for hanging in there and keeping to her word.
Leo stood next to Mikey as they both watched in silence. Leo looked at his brother, the concern for April knitting his brows.
"April is proving strong. I know it's just strength and endurance, but still," Leo said in an attempt to assuage Mikey.
"It's not April I'm concerned about," Mikey said, his tone much darker than Leo was comfortable with. He looked at Mikey a moment longer before turning to watch the two women. They had moved on to crunches.
"Karai won't hurt April. None of us would allow that to happen Mikey. We love her just as much as you do. She's our sister," Leo said. Mikey turned to him briefly before turning his head again. His expression was softer.
"I know. It's just so, weird to have Karai here doing this instead of us. At least it should be sensei ya know?" Mikey said. Leo nodded. It was kind of weird, but in a way befitting. He thought it would help soften his family's heart where Karai was concerned if she could do this the right way. He knew that it would help build the broken trust between them. Not to mention that in spite of the emotional dynamic, Karai was nothing if not an exceptional kunoich, and she was beginning to prove she was a competent teacher as well. She was tougher than a drill sergeant, but then what else was expected from a daughter of the foot clan?
April let out a terrific sigh and fell back on the mat, a picture of pure exhaustion.
"Get up cream puff, it was only a two hour workout," Karai said, rolling her eyes a little and extending a hand to help April up. April swatted at the hand weakly and lay there panting.
"You're…trying to….kill me," April managed to say between gasps for breath. After a few moments she managed to get into an upright position. Mikey came over with a towel and big bottle of cold water. April accepted it graciously as she mopped her forehead, and took several huge gulps of water.
"I'll go get the shower ready okay angel cakes?" Mikey said soothingly. April managed a nod and a smile before Mikey got up to get it ready.
Karai walked towards Leo whom she saw had a little smile playing at his lips.
"So what are we going to do about this whole spying thing? Have you thought of the fact that April is not quite a celebrity but she is recognizable?" Leo asked. Karai thought about it.
"I figured with a haircut and a little dye she could get by. Dye her hair a brighter red, cut it to a pixie cut, maybe change her makeup and style of dress so she can look the part a little more," Karai said. Leo smiled a little brighter and nodded as they both looked back at April who was trying to get to her feet. He tried to imagine April as Karai described and thought it wouldn't look too bad.
"I remember having these types of days when me and the guys were kids. Since we had so much energy sensei would sometimes make us run for miles in the sewer directly afterwards, and only then would we be truly tired," he said as Karai sidled up to him. She thought of having similar training days, and was surprised by the amount of emotion that simple memory triggered. She suppressed it by forcing a smile of her own. Thinking of her rigorous upbringing both saddened her and filled her with the satisfaction of knowing Shredder was dead.
"I know your training had to be similar," Leo asked in the interest of good conversation. Karai's featured hardened.
"Not entirely." She said stiffly. She was watching April get up off the floor finally and amble towards them on sore legs.
"Oh? How is that?" He asked good-naturedly.
"We trained hard like this, but your sensei didn't pit you against your training mates in a fight to the death to determine who was strongest. I was ten when I made my first kill." Karai said, her face a mask of unreadable emotion. Leo was shocked. Only a monster would do that, and to a young child no less.
"There were twelve of us. We had come to what we thought was the end of our training, ready to become full members of the foot clan, but it was not to end as we assumed it would. To everyone's surprise he paired us off telling us to stand next to who we felt were our best friends in the group. In our naiveté we thought it was to celebrate, so I chose my friend Suki. When we were all settled he then told us of a final test," Karai continued as she thought back to that fateful day.
"A ninja must be prepared to carry out any mission. A true ninja must detach themselves of all useless emotion and harden their hearts. Only then will you have proven your worth and loyalty to the foot clan," Oroku Saki said as he eyed each student before him. Their jubilation just a moment ago, dissolving into a more somber mood. None of them knew what was coming, but they were starting to realize that it would not be celebratory.
"A ninja must not hesitate in his or her duties. There is no mission that must go unfulfilled, lest you have died trying to complete it. With that said, I give you your first mission," he continued in the silence of the room. The children were giving unsure sideways glances to each other. Some of them were trying to get eye-contact with Karai in the hopes that she knew what her adoptive father was going to do, but it became evident that she was just as surprised as they all were.
"Your first mission as ninja of the foot clan, is to kill the person standing next to you," a collective gasp went into the air as the children stood there shocked. One or two of them began to shake their heads and cry, the gravity of the words sinking in quickly.
Karai and Suki looked at each other in horror. Suki was clearly in denial and was about to refuse when she saw Karai's face go from disbelief to reluctant determination. It was a look of sorrow, and unspoken apology but it was obvious to Suki that Karai meant ultimately to carry out the deed. However, it was a boy named Nagi who struck first, cutting the head off his friend Hiroyuki.
"There was hardly any blood when he did it," Karai continued much to the horror of a very disturbed Leonardo. Mikey had rejoined them in time to hear the tale.
"Hiroyuki was afraid, fight-or-flight had taken root. When you're in that state the body pumps oxygenated blood to the muscles for more strength to do either one. So, when his head was severed from his body there was almost no blood, not like in the movies where there's a geyser of it," Karai said, her expression blank as she was deep in the throes of the memory now.
"Suki and I faced off against one another. She was highly skilled, but I knew all her moves and I knew that she was weakest to the left. I tried to make it fast, and I succeeded. I feinted to her left and raised my tanto, slicing her carotid artery. It was a fine cut, you could almost hear the whistle of the blood as it sprayed from her throat. I didn't want to turn around to watch her die. Suki grasped at my leg and held it tightly, urging me to face her and finally I did. Shredder was watching me, and seemed pleased that I was able to look upon the work of my own hands. When I looked into her face she was trying to smile. I expected hatred, but instead I found forgiveness. That hurt worst of all. I decided at that moment that I would not love anything or anyone else for the rest of my life, which was of course the point of the test."
Mikey and Leo exchanged a quick glance, both conveying a sadness at the thought of that. Karai remained seemingly unphased by the telling of her story. She turned to Leo, switching the subject completely.
"Are we going out for patrols tonight? We should be gathering information. If they are going to start recruiting we need to know where. Typically there's more than one place and more than one way we do that. The most popular way is underground street fighting to determine toughness, but the venues change day to day and could be anywhere in the city. If we talk to some thugs and lowlifes, we should be able to come up with a few spots to check out and then go from there," she stated. Although it was abrupt, Leo was quite happy to change the subject.
"Sure we're going on patrol and we'll do what you suggest. It seems the best way to get information as of now," he stepped into the dojo and prepared to do some meditation. Karai also came in intending to join him. He allowed it, even lighting an incense for her as well as a candle.
She sat next to him wordlessly and crossed her legs. Karai was hoping that Leo didn't want to discuss what she'd shared with them a few minutes ago. Although she could tell he wanted to, something inside him must have just known. He didn't speak, but instead closed his eyes and slipped quickly into a trance-like state. She watched him for a moment, marveling at how good of a ninja he had become without the cruel tutelage. Karai then closed her own eyes and followed his example.
They had split up not long after their escape from the Brooklyn facility. They had all chosen Leatherhead to safeguard the power cell. Rockwell was too tempted to use it, Pigeon Pete was too careless, and Slash had no interest in it at all. That left the mutant alligator to handle it.
He went into their dimension that night and took it, knowing that it wouldn't delay the invasion for long, but hoping to buy at least a little time. The crystal it was made from was in abundance in Dimension X, but it took time for the kraang to refine it. He knew they were either near to perfecting the mutagen, or had already done so but they had to try something. After all, only he and his friends were privy to the invasion plot outside of Shredder and the kraang themselves.
Leatherhead took to the sewers so that he would not be easily found, and so that the kraang would have a hard time tracing the power cell's signature. He had no personal use for it which made it easier to keep hidden, but now he had started to encounter kraang droids. Leatherhead needed assistance, but did not want to leave the sewers to go to his friends. He thought about the four turtles that had escaped with them that night. Just before parting ways completely, he saw them enter the sewers. He decided to come looking for them. Perhaps if they knew of the plot and understood how dire the situation was, they would be willing to help out. It was a chance he would have to take. Leatherhead sighed and set out in search of the turtles.
A/N: It may seem strange that a disguise for April includes dying her hair a brighter red. I'll remind readers that I am working with the 2k14 April, and strangely enough in the movie April is more a brunette than a red head. I also thought a pixie cut would have been cute and edgy for April.