Eleven:

She sat in silence, phone pressed to her ear, listening to April apologize over and over again. The reporter begged her to come back, or she could come over to hers, keep her company for a while. Olivia declined. She just wanted to be on her own. The Foot Clan had no need for her now and they never would again. Their mission was complete and she had been hurt in the most devastating way possible. Things would never be the same again. She would never get to see her husband again - tell him she was sorry - tell him it was all her fault... Had he suffered? At the hands of those fiends the answer would most probably be yes.

As everything had unfolded, Leonardo had been in a deep meditation. They would soon be heading out and he always liked to bring himself into focus first. The indication that something was wrong came originally from Raphael; Leonardo could hear him shouting from his softly-lit haven inside the dojo:

"The Foot! How is that even possible? They've been gone for months!"

"Technically not gone..." Donatello interrupted. Leonardo could just picture him holding up a finger. "Perhaps in hiding... obviously I.."

"But they don't got a LEADER!? Without that they're going circles! An' we know Shred-heads in space, Stockman's in the clink with the Rhino and the Warthog so that only leaves..."

"Karai hasn't been seen since the whole Krang incident" Leonardo positioned himself next to Donatello "And she was hardly of Leadership quality"

"Not like you, you mean?" retorted Raphael as he barged through the middle of them "A real Leader eh Leo?"

Sensing that the largest brother was still up for a fight, Leonardo turned to the brains of the family: "So, what's happened?"

"April's phoned" began Donatello "Remember the long lost friend Olivia?"

"The Museum girl who you two scared to death..." added Michelangelo whilst snickering to himself. Raphael flicked his head with a finger. "Ow! No fair!" The youngest rubbed his skin, sticking out a tongue once his brother's back was turned.

"Well, seems she's had a few little visits from our old friends" Donatello put the last two words in air quotes.

Leonardo frowned: "What.., wait a minute, the Foot Clan? Wait. Why would they?"

"She had something they wanted and it turns out they also knocked off the husband"

Her husband was dead?

"I thought he was abroad..?"

"He was. In Japan as it happens at some archaeological site named Oyu, that was where they found the Spear, hence the name... Anyways, according to April he had sent his wife another object and that was the thing they took"

"You know all this just from April?" Leonardo folded his arms.

"What can I say? She's a reporter" answered Donatello wistfully "She did try to convince Olivia to accept company but the girl insisted on being alone"

"That's sad. We should do something..." whined Michelangelo. He jumped up and bounced round to Raphael: "Thought you were coming up with a plan to make peace?"

Raphael turned his head: "That's officially Leo's job, not mine. He was the one in the wrong, I was merely following orders"

"For once" snapped Leonardo.

The larger turtle squared his shoulders and snarled: "Meaning what? I always follow orders!"

"What is all this yelling about?" Splinter emerged from his room "I had been attempting to find some peace only to have it broken by my sons behaving like children and not the grown men I remember" He glanced from Raphael to Leonardo "Will someone care to explain?"

Raphael huffed and turned to the side so Leonardo took it upon himself to answer: "We have just found out some news that's all and we are working out how we deal with it"

"And what news is this?"

"Well.." Donatello recounted the story again whilst Splinter listened with interest.

"We have to talk to the girl obviously" interjected Leonardo seriously "Confirm that it really is the Foot and not just some make-shift copy-cat" He remembered those traditionally dressed Ninjas he had seen on the rooftops. They were a far cry from the ones which Shredder had made use of but they were decorated the way a Shadow Warrior used be, the same as the ones he had studied in books. He hadn't been able to see the markings on their bands but knew that the red colouring was a symbol of power.

"Hey Leo, you're spacing" Donatello was inches away from him with a questionable look on his face "Are you okay?"

"Yeh, I'm good"

Splinter was watching him intently: "A word if you wouldn't mind Leonardo"

The eldest followed his father back to his room. He heard Raphael mutter something inaudible and Michelangelo laugh - it had been a long time since Splinter had pulled him aside for one of his little 'chats'. All of a sudden he felt like he was 12 years old again.

"Please, sit" Splinter indicated to an empty chair and gently closed the door behind them "As the oldest and as team leader I expect at least two things of you Leonardo" He did a sharp intake of breath "Number one - that you have the maturity to resolve problems, not create them; and number two - that you are open and honest in things which concern us all" And then he sighed, the biggest and heaviest sigh that Leonardo had heard him do in a while "We all know Raphael has a temper, we all know that he loves nothing more than to compete but underneath that do you ever stop to think why he acts in this way?"

The silence was deafening - Leonardo had no answer to give, he lowered his head, feeling a sense of shame.

"It is because he wants to be where you are. He wants the position that you hold and has done ever since you were children. If only you could get over this petty jealousy and work together. Teams cannot keep working in conflict. I have tried to make you see bigger than yourself but it seems impossible. Now, is there anything you want to tell me?"

He knew exactly what his father was hoping for. Leonardo had never been able to figure out how, but Splinter always just 'knew' things. When he was younger he used to think his dad was a magical powers. Hell, he still thought that really.

"Master, I think I may have seen Foot Soldiers on the night of the Museum theft. I didn't say anything because I wasn't a hundred per cent. They weren't dressed in the modern clothes they were dressed like the Ninja's in the books you have shown me"

Splinter stroked his beard as he mulled over the words.

"I'm sorry sensei, I should have said something to you at least. I just thought I was doing the right thing" His father placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not fret my son. What is done is done. If the Foot are back in a new guise then they must have a new Leader and it must be one who works with the old ways. You have to locate the girl and see what she knows. Any detail - however small - could be of great use to us" He collected a book up from the table "I fear that there will be war. Go. Gather your brothers. I shall be out shortly"

Leonardo nodded. If a war was coming then he wanted to be prepared. He would also have to do whatever he could to get his hot head brother back on side and give his father a team to be proud of.