Woot, here's some more almost action!! More coming soon, guys, just as fast as I can type it up…my muse finally got back from her vacation (I guess).
50 reviews!!! Woot!!! Thanks sooo much you guys, that really means a lot to me, and makes me want to get crackin' on the next chapter. Who out there can't wait for Karai to get her come-upins!! Me, too!
On to the story…
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Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged; crimes are avenged. ~ Samuel Johnson
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After assuring themselves that Donatello was not in any danger of slipping into a coma again the first time he fell back asleep, the turtle family gathered in the dojo for a much needed family meeting, leaving April and Casey to watch over Don as he got some much needed rest.
"With Donny on da mend, we need ta get real about findin' those responsible fer getting' him sick in da first place." Raphael stated with fists clenched, eyes daring any to dispute him on the issue.
"Raph, we know it was Foot-goons," Mikey said, not at all fazed by Raph's dangerous looks. "What more do ya need to know?"
"My students," Splinter spoke up before a fight could break out. "As we are well aware, the Foot clan is now under new leadership. Perhaps it would be best to approach this issue as we would a new enemy. We cannot assume that Karai's intentions shall be the same as Saki's were. To do so will blind us to the truth."
All three looked down at this, Leo most ashamed that he had been guilty of underestimating an enemy. Not to mention the fact that his brother had been suffering because of it.
"Splinter's right," Leo added, pushing aside his feelings of failure so that he could focus on the task at hand. "We can't keep fighting the Foot the way we did when Shredder was in charge. If nothing else, this whole mess just proves that she is not going to fight us honorably, not that the Shredder was any better."
"Yeah, at least Tin-Head didn't try to poison us, or nothin' like that." Mikey looked at his brothers, wishing now, more than ever, that Donny could be here, beside them, where he belonged.
"Well, what are we gonna do 'bout it?" Raph demanded. "We can't stay down here like this foreva. Donny deserves retribution for his sufferin', don't he?"
"First things, first, Raph," Leo interrupted. "We need to gather some intel about this new incarnation of the Foot clan. Even though they are wearing the same dogi, they sure aren't fighting the same as they did under Shredder's leadership. It wouldn't do Don any good for us to get shot with those darts, which is what could happen if we rushed into things."
"So let's get ta gatherin' then," Raph argued back. "Just sittin' 'round here ain't cuttin' it fer me anymore. We need ta get out 'a here and start fightin' back."
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Revenge is a confession of pain.
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EAST SIDE DOCKS
Dark shadows moved like wisps of smoke over the roofs of the many abandoned buildings alongside the docks. The full moon's light was hidden behind the many clouds in the overcast night sky, making for the perfect ninja playground.
Foot ninja moved silently across the parking lot of an old fish packing factory, loading large boxes from the building into the back of a non-descript box truck. They worked quickly, while several of their brethren stood guard, watching the surrounding rooftops, like they expected something to appear out of the sky to threaten them.
But no sign of movement was detected and no one approached them. The Foot completed their work loading the truck and disappeared into the night as the truck was driven away, the only trace left from their presence was the disturbed dust on the old factory floor.
Karai leaned back into the leather seat of her stretch limo, contemplating these new developments. Now that she was able to do as she pleased, without the turtles showing up and ruining things like they did to her father, she was ready to step up her operations to the next phase.
For all appearances, the Foot clan could now operate in New York City without interference, for the first time in over 20 years. Karai was very pleased with this turn of events. Even though she knew that her ninja had only hit one of the turtles with her deadly darts, it looks as if the rest of the turtle clan had abandoned the city. No one had seen or heard from the turtles in over a month. Karai was starting to get bolder with her operations, as she continued to go unchallenged.
She jotted down some additional instructions in the notebook in her lap, as her driver took her back to her penthouse from the docks. Although she was the jonin of the American branch of the Foot clan, she had to make things look good to her superiors in Japan. The last thing she wanted was to draw attention to her non-clan sanctioned dealings, the least of which was her plans to take revenge on the turtle clan for destroying her father.
Her superiors in Japan would not be pleased to find out that she was using clan assets to get revenge for her adopted father. The less they knew the better things would go for her. Being able to get the American branch of the Foot clan back on its feet, financially, helped her cause tremendously. She no longer had to justify her budget with the accountants in Japan, giving her a lot of freedom, to do as she pleased.
As her driver pulled up in front of the high-rise that housed her penthouse, Karai schooled her face from all expression, giving nothing away as she exited the limo and made her way into the building, not even taking a moment to acknowledge the doorman as he held open the glass doors for her. She had an image to maintain as one of the city's business elite, and she would not let anything slip at this point that could put her plans in danger.
After she entered her penthouse, she made a few business calls and checked her messages. Everything seemed to be going according to her plans, but she had learned a valuable lesson from her father's failures. Never let your guard down, even when everything is going right. After she finished the tedious tasks required of her for the business front the Foot clan was using, she called her second in command to relay her new instructions that she had decided on during the ride back. Nothing would stand in her way, not even those freaks of nature that were able, by some stroke of luck, to bring down her father.
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