The next day, Splinter had told the four terrapins he thought it was time they get back out on the streets. The four lit up, excited to get back to daily patrols. With the new moves and tactics Splinter had taught them, they felt prepared for any possible challenges that would come their way. To pass the time, they spent most of their time doing rigorous training with Splinter before nightfall. As soon as it was safe to assume the sun had went down, the turtles made their way out of the sewers like there was no tomorrow. When they had made it to the rooftops, they had run and jumped from one building to another, yelling happily with no hesitation. They had finally taken a break from their happy whooping all over town, stopping on top of a building near April's block. The four gazed up at the night sky, smiles on their faces.
Leo drew in a deep breath, looking at the moon. "Man, it feels great to be back out here again. Just feel that night breeze."
Mikey spread his arms out, breathing out a content sigh. "I missed the smell of the outside air, dudes."
Donnie leaned against the edging of the roof, looking out into the city. "And the view never gets old."
Raph scoffed at his brothers. "Man, don't get all sappy, bros."
Mikey nudged Raph, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as he smiled at him. "C'mon, dude, don't pretend you aren't happy to be back out here again."
"I am happy, but I'm not talking like some dork or anything. Did miss the smells, though." The four took a moment to look out into their beloved home city, the moment ruined when they heard a sudden clatter from behind. Raph turned swiftly. "What was that?"
"Let's check it out," Leo said, taking the lead.
The four had lost track of where the noise came from for a while. Hearing the blares of an alarm and the breaking of glass, they immediately headed into action. They got there just as they saw some goons running out of the building with a bag over a cylinder casing. They followed the running men, finally stopping when they did. Just as they were about to jump in and grab the object away from them, they saw Tiger Claw emerge from a dark alley. They stayed in place, watching intensely as they listened.
"Have you gotten what I requested?" Tiger Claw asked, his arms crossed over his chest.
One of them handed the object to the leader of the group- - Hun. Hun pulled the drape off of the object, and a bright, purple light was revealed inside of the canister.
"Got what we came for?" Hun asked, looking impatient. "Better hurry it up; 5-0 is gonna show up any minute."
"Shredder awaits your presence. He will give it to you personally. Follow."
The turtles all looked at each other as they quietly followed Tiger Claw and the Purple Dragons, curious as to what they wanted with the container. They sneaked in Shredder's lair through the little window, listening while sticking to the shadows. Tiger Claw and the Purple Dragons knelt down as Shredder stood, a look of determination on his face.
"Hun, did you retrieve what I requested?" Shredder asked.
"Right here, Master Shredder," Hun replied, standing and handing the canister to Shredder.
Shredder's eyes narrowed, but it didn't seem to be in a negative way. "Excellent work, Hun. One step closer to getting Karai back to me."
"Got what we're looking for?" Hun asked.
Shredder handed him a large-in-width case, sending Hun off. Before they could exit the building, the turtles dropped down on them, throwing the case away from them. Tiger Claw and Shredder immediately readied to battle the teenage turtles as the turtles pulled out their weapons.
Leo held a katana out, a menacing look on his face. "You're not going to lay a hand on her."
"I know my daughter; she won't be around the likes of you for long. She will return to me."
"We're not going to let that happen. Get the canister away from Shredder!"
They sprinted in action, separating in different directions so that they couldn't be easily captured. As the battle went on, Leo was curious as to why Shredder hadn't called for backup to handle the fight for him. Leo managed to fight Tiger Claw off, making a beeline for Shredder. Raph, Donnie and Mikey saw this, their worry for the leader piquing, but they kept back the Purple Dragons and Tiger Claw so that there couldn't be much to let Shredder get away.
Leo was getting frustrated with the constant smashing of his katana blades and Shredder's blades; it was mocking him. Leo growled, "Karai doesn't want to be around you anymore, just accept it!"
"I am her father- -"
"You took her away from her family! You left her in shambles!" As Leo yelled this, he didn't realize he had actually managed to hurt Shredder. Leo froze and panted heavily as Shredder stumbled back a bit, lifting his leg to examine it. One of Leo's swords had cut Shredder's leg, and it seemed deep.
Shredder glared at the turtle. "So. You have improved. Nevertheless, I will get Karai back one way or another."
"Not as long as I'm still standing," Leo spat back, his hands gripped tightly around the handles of his katanas.
"As I said," Shredder replied, raising his fist. "One way or another."
Raph saw from the corner of his eye Shredder raising his fist. His eyes widening, Raph instantly took down one of the Purple Dragons, avoided Tiger Claw's advancement, and hurled towards Shredder. He managed to pin down Shredder, taking out his sais and using them to cuff Shredder's arms down on the ground. Raph took the canister, grabbing Leo as he and the others started to fall out.
"After them, Tiger Claw!" Shredder yelled. "Do not let them get away with it!"
"But Master Shredder, you- -"
"Go!" Shredder yelled again, cutting him off. "You will have the only other who is determined as I am to obtain that canister follow you."
Tiger Claw nodded, running after the turtles. He caught up with the Purple Dragons, appalled at how worn out they looked already. "Go. I will handle the turtles myself," he said to them. "You will be useless in battle anyways."
The Purple Dragons didn't argue; they immediately left. Hun wasn't too happy about being sent away, but he knew if he fought and reported back to Shredder that he had failed, it wouldn't be pretty. Tiger Claw used his jet pack and flew behind them, making sure they didn't get away. As soon as he got close enough, he landed in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. He threw his jet pack off the roof, his ears flicking up as he heard no sound of a crash.
"Don't try to stop us, Tiger Claw," Leo sneered. "You're not getting your hands on this."
"You're right." Something had suddenly snatched the canister away from Leo's hands, startling the turtles. A figure hovering next to Tiger Claw with a large cloak had the canister in their hands. Tiger Claw smiled ominously at the turtles. "I'm not. He is."
"Who's the cloak dude?" Mikey asked, squinting his eyes at the figure. The figure lowered its hood, not phased as he heard the turtles gasp. "Whoa, Stockmanfly? What happened to your eye?!"
"Let's just say Shredder is getting really impatient and really wants to get his hands on Karai," Stockman buzzed in response. "I'm making sure I do whatever I can to do my part. And this canister," Stockman said, shoving it into a bag he carried. "Is one step to the answer of one of my problems."
"Shredder doesn't deserve to have her back and you know it," Raph growled. "Even if you are a bad guy." His eyes darted to Tiger Claw, who returned his stare with an icy glare.
"I can't afford to care," Stockman spat. "If you couldn't tell, every moment he doesn't have her, he tears me apart piece by piece. I won't let you turtles be an additional reason if I end up in a body bag."
"What's he planning to do with that?" Donnie asked. "It doesn't look like much for him to be so angry over."
"That's none of your business! Now if you'll excuse me- -" Stockman spat balls of acid around the turtles, flying off as they scattered away. "I have work to do."
The turtles caught their breath as they watched the ground with acid slowly drip away. Leo grit his teeth, kicking a pebble off the roof as he watched Stockman fly away. Tiger Claw, for some reason, had remained there. Leo started stomping towards him but was immediately held back by Raph and Donnie. Mikey stepped out in front of him, trying to calm him.
"Leo, chill! Don't do anything you might regret; you're real angry right now," Mikey said in a calming tone. "Just take it down a notch, okay?"
Leo whipped his arms out of Raph and Donnie's grip, taking a moment to breathe. "Why are you sticking around, Tiger Claw?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, man, you're creeping me out," Raph added. "We get it; you guys got the canister. Now beat it before we pound ya into the ground."
"You have no idea what that canister is the key to," Tiger Claw replied. "Once Shredder and Stockman manage to get what's inside that canister in the state they desire, they will use it to get his 'cub' back. It will come in the form of a coating that will be only effective to the one who touches it. There will be nearly no possible way for you four to get her back once it has been done. She will succumb to a fate almost to one of a slave like she had when Shredder registered the brain worm into her. It seems the only way to prevent it is to have the cub avoid physical skin contact with any member of the Foot Clan."
The turtles stood baffled for a moment. Donnie gave him a look. "Why are you telling us this?"
Tiger Claw turned his back to them, ready to head back to Shredder's base. He turned his head to look at the blue banded turtle. "I will not allow myself to be a toy of games."
Leo's cold glare loosened a bit and his mouth went slightly agape as Tiger Claw dashed away. Leo gripped his hands tightly for a moment before he leaped onto another roof. The guys followed, not quite sure what Tiger Claw meant. Leo had led them to stop by April's place, lightly knocking on her bedroom window. They heard shuffling before the window opened. Expecting April, the turtles were a bit surprised when Karai opened the window.
Karai combed a hand through her hair as she spoke. "What drops you by?"
"Where's April?" Donnie asked.
"Ah, all the boys want her," Karai joked, moving aside a bit as the turtles piled in. "She's just in the bathroom."
April emerged, her hands behind her head as she tied her hair in a ponytail. "Oh, hey, guys! What's up? How was patrol?"
"It was eventful," Donnie replied. "Not really sure why we're here, though. Leo led us here."
Karai and April turned to look at the leader, who was strangely silent. "Leo?" April stepped up to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "What's going on?"
Leo looked at April, then Karai. "Shredder's plan is to use something that'll take effect like the brain worm he used on you." Karai's eyes widened, and her chest immediately felt heavy. She reached her hand out behind her to find the bed, immediately sitting down on it as soon as she felt it. "The only way to avoid it is for you not to have your skin touch any of the Foot."
"That's gonna be difficult seeing it as they literally want their hands on me," Karai hissed, her fingers pulling on some of her hair. "Damn it. How do you know?"
"Tiger Claw told us."
Karai's head immediately lifted up. "Tiger Claw?"
"I think he's starting to see that Shredder's vendetta is a waste of time and energy. Or maybe he finally realized that being on Shredder's side shows no honor."
Karai scoffed. "Right, like he cares about honor. When he came back, he said honor was basically nothing to him."
"Maybe seeing what he's doing to Stockman snapped him out of it," Mikey said. "Dude's literally gettin' torn apart."
"What happened to Stockman?" April asked.
"Shredder gauged one of his eyes out," Raph replied, shuddering. "I'd snap outta it too, seeing that."
"Do you guys have a plan to make sure she doesn't have skin-to-skin contact with them?" April asked.
Mikey shrugged. "Wear a jacket and gloves?"
"That won't do anything but keep me warm," Karai replied.
"We're just going to have to be vigilant and keep an eye out," Leo replied. "I'm not sure there's much we can do unless we could make a special suit or something."
Donnie and April looked at each other, getting an idea. "We could try that," they said in unison.
Tiger Claw met Shredder and Stockman in Stockman's lab when he returned. He had dropped everything that had to do with honor, thinking that honor was nothing but wasteful. He wanted vengeance for what happened to him, but seeing what a vendetta was doing to Shredder made the moral of honor come back to him. There was no honor in dismantling someone piece by piece. There was no honor in turning a child into a mutant to use as a weapon and defense system. There was no way to make what happened the night of the invasion of the Triceratons any way acceptable.
Tiger Claw had seen what Shredder had attempted to do to Splinter when they had joined forces to take down the Triceratons. He had seen how Shredder lunged for the rat in an attempt to end Splinters life and thus ending the lives of everyone else just to satisfy his vendetta. He had seen just how toxic and thoughtless he had become just to 'win.' It was truly appalling. An encounter with the blue clad turtle had been rambling his thoughts since that night.
'Why do you work for someone who doesn't even have his morals in line? All he cares about is victory!'
"... Tiger Claw, did you not hear me?" Shredder questioned impatiently. "What is the matter with you?"
"My apologies, Master. I am a bit parched, is all. What were you saying?"
"I found a way for it to take no effect on you," Stockmanfly replied to catch the tiger up.
Shredder crossed his arms over his chest. "Excellent, Stockman. If all works as I wish, you will have your original form back soon." With that said, Shredder left the two behind.
Stockmanfly tossed his hood back over his head. "I don't even have a way to begin to make the concoction he wants me to make," Stockman buzzed to himself. He suddenly winced, bringing one of his grotesque hands to where his left eye used to be. "D-damn phantom pain."
Tiger Claw pitied the large fly. Even if he wasn't honorable, he knew he hadn't deserved such treatment. Tiger Claw took something out of one of his pockets, setting it down on Stockman's desk. Stockman picked it up, unsure of what he was supposed to do. "Why did you give me a small mirror?"
"I have heard that looking at the place where phantom pain occurs through a mirror helps your mind register that there is nothing there to feel pain, thus making the pain go away," Tiger Claw replied. With that said, Tiger Claw started to exit Stockman's lab.
"Why did you even have a mirror on you?" Stockman asked as he lifted the little mirror up to his face, looking into it and feeling his empty eye socket relieve of pain in mere moments. He was a bit surprised that it actually worked. As Tiger Claw reached the exit, Stockman said "...why did you give me this?"
Tiger Claw didn't turn to face Stockman as he said, "We all need something to ease our pain."