Author's notes- I don't own the boy ninja turtles or the rat sensei, just my little girl ninja.
A blast from the past. The chapter where Karma is saved from drowning from Karma Is A Funny Thing rewritten in third person. You'll see why.
The flutter of the butterfly's wings.
"Hey guys, what took you?"
A grinning Michelangelo pipes up, casually leaning against an obviously annoyed Donatello and swinging his nunchucks around. Leonardo grimaces in his youngest brother's direction, wondering how on earth he could be so calm.
'Our brother was captured, our lives were endangered, Karm was terrified… and all he can do is grin.'
"Mikey, I've missed ya bro'… missed kickin' the shell outta ya."
Dipping his head, the orange banded turtle grins sheepishly whilst his amber eyed brother gives him an evil smile.
"What's this? A family reunion? How lovely."
Baxter Stockman appears at the steps leading from the lower deck causing Karma to back up between Leonardo and Donatello, eyes widening in terror. Meanwhile, Raphael finally realises who the man standing in front of him is and shivers with the anger beginning to course through his veins.
"You…" The red banded turtle swallows hard to keep calm, "You're the scumbag that broke Karm's arm."
"Did I?" The scientist's brown eyes drift to the sky, his mind caught in thought. "Oh yes, she was being so insolent, a shame really… the metal pipe coming into contact with her bones was VERY satisfying…"
As an evil smile spreads across his face, the angry turtle finally snaps.
"I'm gunna make ya wish ya were dead!"
As his three fingered hands twitch for his belt, the man speaks to him again, in that same condescending tone.
"Why? Do you care about her…? Oh? How sweet! This angry, freak has a soft spot… how sweet." He plays off the expression on Raphael's face. "A soft spot for a pathetic, little assassin. Ha, oh yes, some of you don't know that Karma was an experiment, a creation for your demise! And I bet you let her right into your home…"
"Yer dead."
The sai wielding turtle lunges forward but Stockman stands confidently, smirking and sneering.
Eight Foot ninja appear out of thin air leaving Raphael no choice but to screech to a stop in front of them.
"The Foot Tech ninja… do you like? I made them myself."
The two youngest brothers draw their weapons along with their human friend Casey Jones whilst the eldest brother stands, fighting a moral dilemma in his mind.
'I need to help my family… but Karm will be left vulnerable.'
Seeming to read his mind, Donatello moves to stand protectively in front of the scared turtle girl leaving Leonardo no choice but to draw his katana.
"Karm, just stay back here with me, okay?" The purple banded brother says before attacking an oncoming ninja.
Trying her hardest to be brave, Karma takes out her wakizashi only to be grabbed by unseen hands. One hand scrabbles for her mouth, causing her to drop her weapons and bite out at the clawing appendage. Her assailant yelps in pain whilst the other pulls at a kicking leg and brings the turtle crashing down onto her shell. Too shocked to move fast enough, Karma is pinned down and her wrists then ankles are tied. As she gets pulled to her feet, her family stand triumphant in their battle, unaware of what's happening behind them.
The two attackers uncloak themselves, and only a small smile from Stockman causes Michelangelo to glance back at his bound sister.
"Karm!"
Alarmed, his friend and family members twist back to see Karma struggling against her bonds.
"Let go of her Stockman!"
The leader of the four brothers orders, his brown eyes narrowing fiercely at the scientist.
"Hmm… No. She is mine. I'm giving you a break! You can go, just walk away, but she is staying, she will be the one to kill you, to kill all of you, and it will be brilliant. She will be my assassin, whether you, or she, likes it or not!"
He cackles evilly, only to be leapt on by an extremely angry and terrifying Raphael.
"Let her go, or I will kill you, in the slowest, most painful way possible. Every pain you've ever caused her, I will cause you. Every bruise, every broken bone, every cut you have given her, I will give you three times over. Let her go."
"W-want her?" He swallows hard and looks in the turtle's eyes. "Go get her."
As the he motions in the air to his remaining two Foot Tech ninja, hell breaks loose.
Karma goes hurtling overboard whilst her family and friend stand frozen.
"I know she'll come crawling back to me."
With his last sneering remark, Stockman shoves Raphael away from him and escapes down to the lower deck.
Donatello, Michelangelo and Casey leap on the two remaining Foot Tech ninja, whilst Leonardo and Raphael's panic-stricken eyes meet for a split second before they both dash for the edge of the freighter.
'I need ta save her! She's gunna drown down there!'
'I need to decide, aid my family or save Karma…'
As both brothers climb onto the edge of the ship, a voice calls out.
"Leo! Raph!"
The two turtles glance back to see Mikey being held by the remaining Foot Tech ninja. Without missing a heartbeat, Raphael jumps down onto the ship to save his brother whilst Leonardo jumps off the freighter for Karma…
I'm sure you wanted to know why in the parallel Universe to Karm's life, Leo jumped after her, not Raph. I wish I'd never started this idea because just to solve that predicament was extremely difficult. I didn't want it to be somebody's fault that Karm picked one brother over the other. Both brothers had a choice, to save Karm, or to save Mikey. It was just a matter of choice, in one world Raph chose to save Mikey, whilst in the other he chose to save Karm. It just so happened that this one decision changed their entire lives. It was inevitable that whoever saved Karm's life, would be the one she chose. Sorry if you don't like this, it was the best I could do, but your choices really can affect your life dramatically, as my next chapter will explain.