I am known as Splinter. For far too long, the weed of vengeance has plagued my family. It robbed me of my master, my friend, and my humanity. I nearly plunged my adopted family into that dreadful cycle, but was saved in time. Now, I have even managed to rescue my master's daughter from its terrible grasp. However, vengeance continues to cloud the mind of the man I once called a brother. He will stop at nothing to destroy everything I have worked so hard to build… and this time, I fear he will succeed…
...
It was a quiet night in New York City. The streets were mostly empty, save for the various night owls that prowled the streets, and the scum that stalked them. Thankfully, among those night owls were Raphael and Casey Jones, the two jumping across the rooftops while searching for trouble.
"Man, have I missed this," Raph commented. "You and me, going out into the city, and bashin heads. Between all the alien invasions, mutant attacks, and all of Shredder's power plays, I can't remember the last time we were able to do this!"
"I know how ya feel," Casey replied. "We've been so caught up in the big fish that the little ones are starting to get ballsy. It's about time we put them in their place."
The two continued making their way across the rooftops, finally coming to a stop at the edge of one. They looked down to see some purple dragons spraying some rather graphic graffiti on the walls, all showing turtles being eaten by a large purple dragon.
"Graffiti?" Raph questioned. "Seems kinda first year, don't ya thing?"
"Maybe they're getting back to basics," Casey suggested, pulling out a hockey stick.
The two then dropped to the ground, landing right behind the dragons.
"Evenin gents," Raph greeted, getting their attention. "Nice art project, but we have some notes."
The dragons wasted no time charging at the two of them. Casey easily slapped one away with his stick, causing him to crash hard into a dumpster.
"Come on fellas," he jeered, getting one in the stomach before twisting and knocking another in the teeth. "Is this the best you can do?"
Raph meanwhile easily uppercutted one dragon before grabbing another one from behind and flipping him onto the ground.
"Man, remember when these things were a challenge?" Raph asked.
"Nope."
"Yeah, me neither," Raph replied, punching another one in the face.
Soon, the dragons were sent running for the hills as the two vigilante's exchanged high fives. Before they could head off though, a throwing star embedded itself in the wall in front of them, causing Raph to look up.
"Aw, sewer apples," he let out.
Lining the top of the nearby building was about half a dozen Foot Mech Ninjas. They instantly jumped down and surrounded the two heroes, prompting Raph to draw his sai.
"Watch yourself, Case," Raph warned. "These Foot bots are a lot tougher than the old guys."
"Watch your own shell, Raph," Casey replied, getting his bats ready. "I can handle myself."
The Foot Mech's drew their swords, instantly charging at them. Raph blocked one sword before stabbing into its neck. Casey swung his bat at one of the Mech's and knocked his head clean off. He then tossed his second bat at another Foot Mech, causing it to trip and fall to the ground. Once it did, Casey pulled out a golf club and bashed at it repeatedly until he was sure it was down.
"Ha!" he declared, twirling the club in his hand. "Piece of cake."
"I hate to be the one to say it," Raph spoke up. "But that was almost too-"
Before he could finish, something nailed both him and Casey in the neck. Both immediately reached for their necks, pulling out small tranquilizer darts. Not ten seconds later, both of them started to feel woozy.
"Easy…" Raph managed to let out before falling to the ground.
Casey followed close behind as he dropped to the ground, out cold.
…
Some time later, Raph slowly started coming to, finding himself tied up in the back of a large van. Casey was next to him, still out cold, and also tied up. He looked up towards the drivers seat, and saw Nakumo at the wheel.
"Everything is proceeding as planned," Nakumo repeated. "We're proceeding to the rendezvous point. Once there, we shall prepare… for the prisoners termination."
That last word set Raph off, prompting him to get to his feet and slam himself hard into one of the Foot Ninjas standing over him.
"Not… gonna happen!"
He then proceeded to slam into another Foot Mech, knocking him into the wall of the van. The Mech responded by shoving him off, causing him to collide with the van doors. The doors were then knocked over, causing Raph to fall out and roll on the street. He hit the asphalt hard, skidding to a stop that left him with serious road rash. Unfortunately, the van disappeared around the corner, taking Casey with it. Hissing in pain, Raph picked himself up, trying to free his hands. Gritting his teeth, he dislocated his thumb, barely keeping the hiss of pain suppressed as he finally got free. After snapping his thumb back in place, he began limping towards the nearest manhole cover.
…
Back in the van, Nakumo looked back to see one last glimpse of the escaped turtle.
"He got away," he noted before turning back to the road. "Perfect."
…
Down in the lair, Donnie and Mikey were in the middle of another episode of Ronin Jones. In this adventure, Ronin Jones was facing down Achoo, along with several of the pestilence demon's snot slaves.
"Foolish Ronin!" Achoo shouted, lording over the battlefield. "You are no match for my snot slaves! They will cut you down for sure!"
"You think too highly of yourself, Achoo. Soon, this world will be cured of your evil."
He drew his sword, ready to strike at the demon. Before he could make a move though, a large blade came to stop him. Jones looked up, gasping in horror at the sight of one of the snot slaves, his ally the Irishman!
"No..." Ronin Jones gasped. "What have you done?!"
"Your most trusted ally is now mine to control!" Achoo declared. "Such is the fate of all who oppose Achoo!"
The Irishman then leapt towards Jones, prompting a battle between the two. Before the two turtles could get too much into it, Splinter stepped in front of the TV's, blocking their view.
"Aw, Sensei!" Mikey cried out. "You're interrupting our cartoon-a-thon!"
"Yeah, Achoo just infected one of Ronin Jones' allies!" Donnie added. "We need to see if he manages to free him!"
"No, what you need to do is get off your lazy shells and do something," Splinter countered. "Too much television is poison for both body and mind."
"But we already finished all our chores, and training ended hours ago," Mikey argued before gesturing to Leo and Karai. "Besides, they're just sitting there."
"Leonardo and Karai are working to perfect their Qigong technique. You two are welcome to join them, considering you have so much free time."
The two turtles tensed, neither liking the idea.
"Hey D, didn't we have plans with the thing in the place?" Mikey spoke up.
"Uh, yeah. We did. Better get going before… something else happens."
The two then got up and rushed off, leaving Splinter to sigh in annoyance.
"Kids…"
Off to the side, Leo and Karai were continuing to perfect their Qigong, as Splinter had said. However, Leo was finding it very hard to concentrate. He kept glancing over at Karai, fidgeting where he sat.
"I can feel you staring at me," Karai said, never moving or opening her eyes. "The point of this is to be completely focused on ourselves."
"Sorry, it's just… I wanted to ask you something."
"Well, since this burning question is keeping you from your training, go on and say it."
Leo took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Would… you wanna… go out some time?"
That seemed to catch Karai off guard. She cracked an eye open.
"...what?"
"I was just thinking… it'd be nice if… we could have a proper date. Y'know, without any… ulterior motives."
"You… want to go on a date… with me?"
"Yeah… if that's ok. If not, I totally understand. I just thought-"
Karai reached over, placing a hand over Leo's mouth to stop him from talking.
"I'd love to go on a date with you, Leo."
As she lowered her hand, she could see Leo was smiling, turning a darker shade of green as he blushed.
"Uh, great. So… Murakami's tomorrow night at seven?"
"That sounds-"
Before she could finish, the lair entrance opened, allowing Raph to drop down, grunting in pain.
"Raph!" the two shouted, rushing to his side.
Hearing the shout, Donnie and Mikey came out of hiding, the former holding his medical kit.
"Dude," Mikey let out. "Are you ok?"
"I'll live," Raph reassured as Donnie looked him over.
"This is some serious road rash, Raph," he noted. "Did you crash the shell cycle?"
"No..." Raph grunted. "Foot ninjas... they drugged me and Case. I escaped, but they still have him…" He gritted his teeth and slammed a fist on the ground. "They're gonna kill him..."
"That's not gonna happen," Leo reassured. "We'll get him back, Raph."
"I will tend to Raphael," Splinter declared, taking the medical kit from Donnie. "The rest of you will find Mr. Jones and bring him back safely."
"Question is, how are we gonna find them?" Karai asked.
"Don't worry, dudes," Mikey reassured. "And dudette. I have a plan."
"Mikey!" Raph snapped. "Not in the mood!"
"He's gonna blurt it out no matter what we say," Leo reminded him, "so we might as well let him."
"Alright, fine! What's your plan?"
"Just this," Mikey answered. "We use our Shell Cell's to triangulate the position of Casey's cell phone by bouncing the locator signal off the satellite."
There was a collective silence as everyone tried to process what was going on.
"Um," Karai let out, wiggling a pinkie in her ear. "Did I hear that right? Did Mikey seriously just have a good idea? Did we fall into a parallel world while I wasn't looking?"
"That's… honestly brilliant," Donnie admitted. "How'd you come up with that?"
"Just seemed obvious," Mikey replied. "Plus you can trak pizza delivery guys that way."
"And we're back," Karai said in relief.
Raph began picking himself up, Splinter trying to get him to lay back down.
"You are in no condition to fight, my son."
"Like shell I'm not," Raph argued. "Casey's in danger because of me. I am not going to sit on the sidelines."
"Raph-" Leo tried to dissuade.
"Don't even try it, Leo. I'm going."
Leo considered it, then sighed.
"At least let us bandage you first."
Raph conceded, and Splinter quickly worked with Don to get the red banded turtle back on his feet, knowing time was a luxury that Casey most likely didn't have.
…
Casey let out a groan of pain as consciousness slowly returned to him. He was lying on a cold, ridged, metal surface, which he quickly realized was the roof of a shipping container. His hands were behind his back, thick chains keeping him in place.
"Ah, you're awake."
Casey looked up to see Nakumo perched on a nearby stack of shipping containers before leaping down and landing in front of him. He tried to get up, but his restraints only let him get to his knees.
"Cute set-up," Casey sneered. "Could you make it scream 'trap' any louder?"
"Perhaps it is a bit obvious, but for what my master has planned, expediency outweighs subtlety."
"Well you can tell Bucket-Head that his little plan will fail, just like every other time he's tried to go against the guys. Oh, also tell him that Yoshi's daughter-"
Nakumo cut him off by striking him across the face.
"I couldn't care less about that traitor. All that matters is seeing your green friends and their rodent master dead."
Casey groaned, rolling over slightly before shooting Nakumo a smirk.
"Then get used to disappointment."
…
Meanwhile, the Battle Shell sped down the streets of the city, Leo weaving through traffic as Donnie checked the GPS on Casey's Shell Cell. In the back, Raph, Mikey, Karai, and April, who they picked up along the way, were all preparing themselves for the mission ahead.
"How much further, Donnie?" April asked.
"The signal seems to be coming from the docks, not far from where Shredder once docked his freighter.
"That can't be a coincidence," Leo insisted.
"It's a trap," Karai stated. "I mean, they took Casey and let Raph escape? And now they're conveniently waiting for all of us out in the open?"
"Maybe, but we don't have a choice. Still, we're gonna be smart about this. Karai, you, me, and Raph will confront Nakumo head on. Donnie, you and Mikey head around to the next dock and swim over to grab Casey. April, stay in the Battle Shell and keep the engine running. I get the feeling we're going to need to make a speedy getaway."
"You got it," April replied.
…
Soon, the group reached the docks. Karai went out first, with Raph and Leo following in the shadows. She stepped out into the light, throwing her arms out in a challenging manner.
"Nakumo!" she shouted. "Show yourself, ou coward!"
Suddenly, a cloud of smoke appeared in front of her, clearing up to reveal Nakumo standing atop a box, holding a bound and gagged Casey by his hair.
"Hello, Karai."
"Nakumo. I see you've healed since I threw you off the train. Shocked Shredder let you live after that."
"Fortunately, your safe return to the turtles was satisfaction enough for him at the time. Today however, he seeks a much grander prize."
"Well, forget it. Just hand over Casey before I do Shredder's job for him and end you right here and now."
Nakumo's eyes darted around. First catching sight of the two turtles in hiding, then to his Foot-Mechs, hidden and awaiting orders. He then focused back on Karai as a small blade slid out of his sleeve and into his hand.
"If anyone is to die tonight, it won't be me."
Nakumo then gripped the knife and stabbed it into Casey's gut, much to Karai's shock. The other turtles saw that, and Raph completely lost it.
"NO!" Raph cried out, leaping down and charging at Nakumo.
"Raph, wait!" Leo called out in vain.
Raph stabbed and slashed at Nakumo repeatedly, but the villainous ninja managed to evade each attack. He drew his sword, smirking the entire time.
"Foot, to me!" he shouted.
The Foot-Mech's then leapt out of the shadows, surrounding the three heroes. Karai and Leo drew their blades and prepared for battle. Karai blocked one Mech's sword attack before slashing it across the chest. She then spun her blade around and stabbed it backwards into another Mech's chest, taking it out. Leo blocked two Mech's sword attacks at the same time, struggling a bit before shoving them off and slicing one's head off. He then knelt down and swept the others legs out from under it, knocking it to the ground so he could stab it in the chest.
Raph meanwhile, tore through every Foot Mech in sight, stabbing them in the chest or head whenever he could. He then caught sight of Nakumo and leapt at him, bringing his sai down hard. Nakumo brought up his sword to block Raph's attack before shoving him off. The two then clashed back and forth, Nakumo keeping up with Raph's erratic pace.
"I'm almost impressed with how easy it is to manipulate you freaks," Nakumo commented. "You almost make this too easy for me."
Raph just yelled in fury before shoving Nakumo's swords aside and kicking him back.
…
Meanwhile, Donnie and Mikey made their way through the water, surveying the battle. They quickly climbed up onto the dock, slinking through the shadows towards Casey. Upon seeing the blood pouring from his stomach, both had to cover their mouths to keep themselves from screaming.
"Is…" Mikey whispered. "Is he gonna be ok?"
"He will," Donnie reassured, looking him over. "But extraction is going to be a little trickier than I thought."
Leo then backflipped towards them , slicing through more Foot-Mech's in the process.
"How's he looking, Donnie?" he asked.
"Not good," Donnie admitted. "We need to get him to a hospital before he bleeds out."
"Guess we can't afford a stealthy getaway. Call April. Mikey, I need every smoke bomb you have in your pockets. I want this place so smogged up, you can't see your own hand."
"You got it, bro!" Mikey replied.
Mikey leapt up onto a shipping container before jumping over the battle and chucking every smoke bomb he had in his pockets onto the ground. Purple smoke filled the air, blanketing the entire shipping yard. Getting the call, April floored the gas, peeling into the shipping yard and running over numerous Foot-Mechs as the side door flew open.
"Everyone in!" she shouted. "Hurry!"
Donnie and Mikey carefully placed Casey in the back, laying him out on the floor as Karai followed suit.
"Raph!" Donnie called out. "We got Casey! Let's go!"
Raph growled, batting Nakumo aside hard before vaulting towards the sound of his brother's voice. He hopped in the back and slammed the door shut. Once he was inside, April hit the gas and the group shot out of the shipping yard, peeling down the street and disappearing from sight. The last of the smoke dissipated, and Nakumo stood up. He surveyed the area, then grinned sadistically.
"Mission accomplished."
…
Inside the Battle Shell, Donnie was using his mask to try and staunch the bleeding from Casey's wound. The purple fabric was quickly turning red as Raph and Mikey's bandana joined the improvised bandages.
"April, get us to the nearest hospital," Donnie ordered. "I don't care how many traffic laws you break."
April's foot was flush with the ground as she drove through the mostly empty streets.
"Nakumo crossed a line today," Raph swore. "Next time I see him-"
"He crossed a line, but you disobeyed orders," Karai cut off. "Leo told you to stay back and wait. We're just lucky we all got out unscathed. Right Leo?"
The lack of response quickly made everyone in the Battle Shell tense, terror sinking into their souls.
"Leo?" Karai let out, starting to hyperventilate when she realized there were only three turtles in the van.
"Where's Leo?" Mikey let out in a panic.
…
As the smoke cleared at the docks, Nakumo walked over to an unconscious Leonardo, sporting a small dart in the back of his neck. Nakumo smirked as he summoned two Foot-Mechs.
"Take him to Master Shredder," he ordered. "Tell him that it's time to proceed with his plan."
…
Sometime later, the Battle Shell was back down at the docks, having dropped off Casey and immediately turned back to collect the lost turtle. The remaining turtles and Karai were searching anxiously, trying to find any sign that Leo was okay. When they regrouped, they'd come up empty, all save for Karai. Her eyes were lifeless, and she had two, blue accented katanas strapped to her back.
"He was gone..." she whispered., shakily pulling the swords off her back "These were all I could find…"
"This was his plan…" Donnie realized. "Casey was just bait so he could grab one of us…"
"Leo," Raph said, his voice low and full of remorse. "Our leader, the best of us..."
"We gotta get him back," Mikey declared, sounding uncharacteristically somber and serious.
"We don't even know where he is," Donnie pointed out. "I tried to trace his Shell Cell, but the signal's dead. Nakumo probably destroyed it when he grabbed Leo."
"Then we'll search every corner of this city if we have to," Raph decided. "We ain't gonna rest until we bring our bro home."
Karai's eyes hardened, and she slid the swords back onto her back.
"Damn right we won't," she agreed. "No matter how long it takes, we're bringing Leo home."
…
At his mansion, Shredder stood in front of a window, gazing out at the city while looking down at a photograph of him and Karai. Suddenly, the sound of his office doors opening broke him from his trance.
"Master," Nakumo greeted as Shredder turned to face him.
"Nakumo. I hope you know better than to return to me empty handed."
"I know… and I didn't."
Nakumo stepped aside as two Foot-Mech's walked into the room, dragging Leo inside. The turtle was all but mummified in chains, his own mask being used to gag him. Shredder smirked maliciously as the ninjas tossed him to the floor, the turtle bouncing with a hard grunt before landing face first on the carpet..
"Ah, Leonardo. I was hoping you would be my guest of honor tonight."
Leo grunted in anger as Nakumo walked up to them.
"You have done well Nakumo," Shredder commended. "You have regained my respect."
"Thank you, Master," Nakumo replied, bowing.
"Now, take him to Stockman! It is time to begin."
Leo's eyes went wide as he was grabbed and dragged back out of the room, struggling futility in the grasp of his captors. Shredder followed after them, relishing in the terror that was filling the usually unbreakable turtle's eyes.
...
Stockman was beyond elated to be back in his lab after so much time in the furnace room.
"At last," Stockman let out. "The fools have finally come to their senses and are allowing me to do what I do best. Soon, nobody will think to doubt the brilliance of Dr. Baxter-"
"Stockman!" Shredder's voice cut off.
The remnants of Stockman's spine stiffened as his robotic exo-suit turned to face Shredder.
"Sir, I didn't see you there. H-how can I be of assistance?"
"I've come to see if the project I requested is proceeding on schedule."
Stockman perked at that.
"Oh, yes sir. In fact, I daresay it's some of my finest work. I promise you will not be disappointed with the results."
"I'd better not," Shredder replied, suddenly striking at the ex-suit's leg, causing him to kneel over. "Or you and I will be forced to have a very pointed conversation about an unauthorized communication you made when Nakumo was tasked to rescue Karai."
Had Stockman still possessed skin, he would have been sweating.
"O-of course, master..." his holographic face swallowed hard before clearing a non-existent throat. "So… where is the patient?"
"Right… here," Shredder answered as the doors opened, allowing Leo to be brought in.
"Ah," Stockman replied, regaining his composure.
Stockman got back to his feet as Leo was dragged over to a large, sturdy metal chair that was bolted to the ground. There were open shackles at every joint, and the back of the seat was curved to accommodate a shell. Shredder easily cut through the chains holding Leo, and the Foot-Mechs shoved him into the chair, the shackles locking down on his limbs and across his torso and neck. The blue banded turtle was screaming into his gag, no doubt cursing out Shredder and Stockman.
"This… is going to be fun," Stockman commented, pressing a button.
A panel on the ceiling opened up, and a helmet resembling a Triceraton Mind Probe lowered down onto Leo's head. It clamped down hard, and cold terror filled Leo's eyes as Stockman began typing away at a console.
"Now, I'd like to say this won't hurt a bit, but that would be an insult to your intelligence."
Stockman hit a button, the device powered up, and Leo screamed…
…
Three Weeks Later…
It was the hunt for Splinter all over again. The turtles barely ate or slept, tearing the city apart trying to find their brother. They left the crime fighting to their mutant allies, unable to focus on anything else. They busted up every Purple Dragon hideout they knew of, leaving many of the gang members battered and bruised in the alleys for the police. The Foot Ninja had all but vanished without a trace, and even Saki's public appearances had ceased.
The turtles tried breaching the Technodome multiple times, but they were never able to get past the monster that guarded it. When Donnie finally managed to get a probe down into the machine, he found it devoid of their brother, and nearly trashed his own lab in frustration.
April was doing all she could as well when she wasn't tending to Casey, pulling up any sightings of ninjas or turtles, but they were always dead ends. Casey, forced on mandatory bedrest because of his wounds, could only sit on the sidelines and watch, cursing his own stupidity for landing one of his best friends in an unknown situation.
Splinter was beside himself with grief, remaining in almost constant meditation, praying for even the slightest chance that his son would be returned to him. The children he still had, he did his best to care for, but it was clear that they were all worried sick about their brother. Mikey didn't play pranks anymore, Raph's punching bag had to be repaired almost daily, Donnie could barely focus on one task at a time, and Karai…
Karai was taking it the hardest. When she wasn't out hunting alongside her adoptive family, she could be found in the dojo, meticulously tending to Leo's katana. More often then not, she would break down over them until someone came and held her, promising that somehow, they would find Leo.
…
Finally, Stockman stepped out of his lab, seeing that Shredder and Nakumo were waiting outside.
"Well?" Shredder asked.
"It's finally done," Stockman confirmed.
"Excellent," Shredder replied before turning to Nakumo. "Take Tokka and Rahzar and prepare the next phase of the plan."
"Yes Master," Nakumo replied before heading off to work.
"Hun!" Shredder called out.
Hearing his name, Slash came forward, kneeling before Shredder.
"Yes, Master?" he inquired.
"Tonight, you hunt. Seek out the turtles and deliver them my message of challenge."
Slash grinned maliciously.
"Gladly, Master."
…
Raph was out on his own, a common thing these days, making for Old Hob's encampment. Having torn through all the Purple Dragons and come out empty, the one-eyed cat was his best lead. He made his way to the roof, looking down from a skylight and seeing Hob talking with Dogpound and Fishface. Cracking his neck, he grabbed his sai and drew them before crashing through the skylight and landinging on the ground.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Hey tabby! We need to talk!"
Dogpound rushed forward first, hoping to crush the red turtle. Raph just leapt up and slammed the blunt ends of his sai into the side of his head, causing him to clench his head in pain. Raph then kicked the back of Dogpound's leg as he landed, causing him to fall over. Fishface went next, kicking at Raph in rapid succession. Raph dodged each attack before catching his leg in one of his sai and using the second one to sever it. Fishface hopped on one leg before Raph punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.
"Now that they're out of the way," Raph growled, turning to Hob, "you and I are gonna have a nice long talk."
"And what would that 'talk' be about, exactly?" Hob wondered.
"My brother, Leo. Blue mask. You're gonna tell me everything you know, and don't try and act like you're clueless. You got your ear to the pulse of this city's mutant scene, so you damn well know where my brother is. So spill, before I spill something you need."
"Even if I did know, and I'm not saying I do, why the hell would I tell you?"
"Because Leo was basically 70% of my impulse control," Raph growled, fingers tightening on his sai, "and I lost the other 30 weeks ago. So start talking, before I take your other eye."
Before another word could be said, a car came crashing through the building, causing the two mutants to take cover. When they both looked up, they could see Slash standing in the street.
"Congrats, Hob," Raph declared, turning towards the massive turtle. "You get to live. I've got bigger fish to fry now."
Raph didn't waste a beat running towards Slash. His sai were spinning in his hands as he let out a yell of fury. He tried stabbing at Slash, but the evil turtle grabbed Raph by the wrist and slammed him against the wall of a building.
"I've got a message for your rat master," Slash told him.
"Where's Leo you son of a-?!"
"If you Master ever wants to see him alive again, he'll come to where the Shredder last defeated him."
Slash then tossed Raph aside, making him hit the opposing wall before landing in a dumpster, the lid crashing down with a bang. By the time Raph pulled himself out, Slash was gone.
…
Down in the lair, Karai was tending to Leo's swords as per usual, sharpening them with the whetstone silently in the dojo. As she did so, a plate of pizza gyoza was placed next to her. She looked up to see Splinter sitting down to join her.
"Mr. Murakami had Angel deliver these to us. He was concerned when you and the others stopped coming around."
"I'm not hungry," Karai insisted, turning back to her work.
He sat down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I worry about him as well."
Karai stopped mid stroke of the whetstone. A tear rolled down her face as she lowered it altogether.
"It's been weeks… what if… what if there's nothing to find? What if-?"
"No," Splinter cut her off, pulling her into a hug. "Leonardo is alive. Saki would have no doubt flaunted his death if that were the case."
"And that's what scares me," Karai whispered. "Shredder's had him for weeks… who knows what he's done to him..."
"We may find out," Raph reported, dropping down the entrance into the lair. "Had a little run in with Slash earlier."
"What?!" Don and Mikey let out, rushing into the living room with Splinter and Karai.
"Threw a car at me, slammed me into a wall, then told me to deliver a message." He turned to Splinter. "If we want to see Leo again, we have to meet Shredder where he last defeated you, Sensei."
"I remember…" Splinter recalled, straightening up. "All of you, prepare yourselves. Tonight, we reclaim your brother."
…
A few minutes later, the group made their way through the sewers, looking ready to wage war. All of them had their game faces on as they followed their Sensei to a massive drainage junction. As they stepped out into the large area, they were shocked by what they found. Red strings were criss crossing the room, each holding several large photographs.
"What the shell is this?" Raph questioned.
Karai was just staring at the photos, her eyes going wide. Splinter was equally shocked, recognizing the photos immediately.
"It's… it's Uncle Nagi," Karai let out. "Him and… and my mother..."
Indeed, many of the photos were old, sepia tone photos. They depicted images of Oroku Nagi, as well as Tang Shen.
"Gaze upon these images, rat," Shredder's voice echoed out across the junction. "Look upon the face of the man your beloved Sensei murdered, and the woman he beguiled into betraying him!"
"Show yourself, Saki!" Splinter demanded.
Just then, the tunnel entrance sealed up, along with every other exit to the roof. Everyone drew their weapons, then they all felt an intense heat coming their direction. It didn't take too long to see massive jets of fire shooting out from the sealed entrances.
"Oh no…" Donnie let out. "Everybody move!"
Everyone quickly dove into the water, just as the streams of fire shot out. They remained underwater until the flames faded, then surfaced, Splinter and Karai both gasping for air. The photos were now aflame, the red string snapping as the photos fell into the water.
"Come on," Raph motioned. "We gotta keep moving."
The group quickly climbed out of the water and made their way towards a nearby ladder, climbing it up.
…
The ladder led them up to the subway line, one that had some familiar chains hanging from the ceiling, as well as an old, shedded snake skin that was too big to be a normal snake.
"Hang on..." Donnie let out. "I recognize this place. This is where Karai held us captive after using Queen Cobra to poison us."
"And look," Raph pointed up, gesturing to more red strings. "More freaky photos."
Mikey plucked one off the string, taking a closer look.
"Hey, this is just some weird baby picture."
Karai came over and looked.
"That's me," she realized, looking up at all the photos. "Actually… they're all me… Pictures from tournaments, from training, and- and even surveillance from when I was on my own..."
"Okay, we have reached a new creep factor," Mikey commented, slowly backing up. "What's next? A picture of Splinter with his eyes x-ed out?"
He got caught in one of the strings, a photo coming loose. He caught it, and saw it was just that, an image of Splinter facing Karai with his eyes X-ed out.
"I was kidding!" he shrieked, throwing the photo aside.
"Taking my brother wasn't enough for you and your filthy clan," Shredder snarled. "You had to take my daughter as well."
"I'm not your daughter, Saki!" Karai shouted.
"You turned her against me. You brainwashed her!"
"How many more lies can you tell yourself, Saki!" Splinter snapped. "Now where is my son!"
Suddenly, the air was filled with the sound of pained screams. Everyone tensed, knowing instinctively who the screams belonged to.
"LEO!" Karai shrieked.
"My son!" Splinter shouted.
Both immediately took off in the direction of the screams.
"Wait for us!" Mikey called out as the turtles.
Before they could catch up, a subway train came zooming down the tracks. From the roof of one of the cars, Rahzar's clawed hand reached out, grabbing Mikey and yanking him off his feet.
"Mikey!" Raph and Donnie called out.
The two instantly took out grappling hooks and fired at the subway car, latching onto it. As they climbed on, they were confronted by Tokka and Slash.
"Welcome aboard, freaks," Slash greeted, cracking his knuckles. "We'd be more than happy to punch your ticket!"
…
Meanwhile, Karai and Splinter continue to follow the sound of Leo's screams. This led them, of all places, to the turtles' former lair. Splinter looked around, seeing more photographs decorating what was once his home. These photos were recent ones, pictures of Karai out in the city with the turtles, or April and Casey. In each one, everyone but Karai had X's over their eyes. However, Leo was spared this treatment. Bizarrely enough, in each photo he was in, his mask was colored over, making it appear black.
"What is this?" Karai let out. "Sensei… what's going on?"
"I don't know…"
Just then, something clicked on above them, and the rear wall was illuminated in light. Splinter and Karai both tensed immediately, turning to see an old countdown, like one would find in an old movie. When it reached one, the picture changed to that of Stockman's lab, the mad doctor addressing the pair.
"Welcome, honored guests. If you're watching this, then you've reached your destination. And now, as promised, you get to see your son."
The camera then panned over to Leo, making both ninjas gasp. Leo was sitting limply in that same chair, the device still strapped to his head. His breath was coming out in ragged gasps, and he was shaking slightly.
"I… won't… break..." Leo swore, his voice weak and trembling.
"My dear boy..." Stockman sneered, a finger hovering over a large, red button, "you already have."
He hit the button, and Leo screamed again. Enraged, Splinter drew his blade from his stick and slashed at the projector displaying all this.
"Enough of these games, Saki! Show yourself!"
"As you wish."
Shredder stalked out of the shadows, claws out and hatred in his eyes.
"Our long, drawn out game is finally at an end, 'old friend.' After tonight, any trace of you and your freakish family will be nothing but a distant memory. And I will have back what belongs to me. My daughter."
"How many times do I have to say it?!" Karai shouted, grip tightening on Leo's katanas. "I'm not. Your. DAUGHTER!"
"The only one you convince with your lies is yourself!" Splinter shot back.
"Silence!" Shredder countered. "It was I who raised her! It was I who made her who she is! Everything I did, I did out of absolute love!"
"Do you honestly expect me to buy that?!" Karai countered, pointing a sword at him. "Or have you lied to everyone around you so much, that you've come to believe an entire dream!"
Enraged, Shredder finally sprung forward, slashing at the two of them, slashing at their weapons as he passed. The two leapt forward and swung their weapons at him, causing him to block their attacks. He then promptly kicked Splinter aside as Karai pressed her attack with her swords.
"I'm only gonna ask once..." she snarled, shoving him back as hard as she could. "Where is Leo?"
"Your concern for the turtle is ironic, considering how long ago you wished to slay him yourself."
"That was before I realized that he cared more about me than you EVER did!"
She then kicked him back before trying to stab him in the chest, only for Shredder to catch the blade in his hands.
"Foolish child. I taught you everything you know. You hold no surprises for me."
Shredder then flung the sword out of her hand, forcing her to grip her remaining sword with both hands. Shredder then quickly spun around to block Splinter's oncoming strike. The two traded blows for a bit before Shredder grabbed Splinter's arm and flung him into Karai. They fell back hard as Shredder charged once more.
…
Back on the train, Mikey was pinned down to the roof of the train car by Rahzar's claws while Donnie and Raph contended with Tokka and Slash.
"I always wanted to see a turtle without a shell," Rahzar remarked, snarling over Mikey.
"You wanna see me naked?!" Mikey let out. "Weirdo!"
Mikey then kicked Rahzar in the head, getting him to back off so Mikey could spring back to his feet and pull out a nunchaku. He swung it at Rahzar as hard as he could, connecting hard with the dog mutant's jaw, knocking him back slightly. As he turned around, he came face to face with Donnie as ran up to him and leapt into the air.
"Down, boy!" he cried out, swinging his staff at him.
"Donnie!" Mikey cheered.
The blow was so strong, it knocked Rahzar off the train, causing him to tumble onto the ground below. Tokka saw what had become of his friend and turned towards the two in a blind rage.
"You'll pay for that!" he yelled, running right at them.
He tried bringing his fists down on them, but the two turtles each caught a fist, holding him off. Quick to respond, Raph disengaged from Slash and ran towards Tokka, sliding between his legs before leaping up and uppercutting him with the blunt end of his sai. This left Tokka dazed, and gave the red turtle enough time to kick him off the train as well.
"Sorry, no hitchhikers," Raph let out in a cold tone.
Their victory was cut short when they saw Slash fast approaching. The turtles readied themselves as Slash ran his claws on the ground, tearing up some of the roof of the subway before arcing his claw upwards towards them. They all dodged the attack as Raph lunged in first, his sai at the ready. Slash deflected his attacks, keeping pace with Raph's mad slashing and stabbing.
This allowed Donnie to leap onto Raph's shell and spring upwards, activating the blade function in his staff before bringing it down at him. Slash quickly caught the blade, tightening his grip until it snapped off. Donnie yelped, then narrowly avoided a swipe at his head. Mikey then ran up and leapt into the air, kneeing Slash in the face and knocking him further back on the train.
Watching all this from afar, Nakumo quickly pulled the lever on a switch track before disappearing. As the turtles continued duking it out with Slash, the suddenly felt the train swerve to the right, almost sending them all flying off the train.
"What the shell was that?!" Raph let out.
"Dead end!" Mikey shrieked, pointing ahead of them, where the tracks came to a rather abrupt end.
"Too bad for you," Slash remarked before raising his fists to crush them.
Fortunately, the turtles managed to leap over his attack and leapfrog over Slash himself before landing behind him and running to the end of the train.
"Last stop!" Donnie shouted. "Everybody off!"
The three fired grappling hooks that pulled them away to safety. Slash picked himself up just as the train reached the end of the line.
"Aw, crud."
The train hit the wall with a thunderous crash, the cars squishing like an old soda can as rubble rained down on it. The turtles hung from their lines as it all came to a grinding halt, the train now a mess of stone, metal, and gravel. Knowing there wasn't any time to lose, they dropped back down onto the ground and took off, hoping to find some sign of Karai and Splinter.
…
Back with Karai and Splinter, the two continued their fight against Shredder, who was able to keep pace with them with relative ease. He shoved Karai aside so he could focus primarily on Splinter, the two flinging swings and strikes at each other in rapid succession. Shredder managed to stop one of Splinter's blade attacks before grabbing him by the arm and flinging him into a wall. He then rushed towards Splinter and tried to stab him, but Splinter quickly moved so Shredder only stabbed the wall. Shredder quickly pulled his claw out and tried slashing at Splinter, but the rat master leapt backwards before the attack could land.
"You only prolong the inevitable," Shredder told him. "You will fall by my hand. Just as your master did."
"I have heard those words many times in the past year, Saki, and each time they ring false. This time will be no different!"
Splinter leapt towards Shredder and tried swinging his sword down. Shredder however, side stepped out of the way before elbowing him in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Shredder didn't have a chance to enjoy it before Karai ran up and swung her sword at him. She pressed her attack hard, her eyes cold and furious.
"What... Did you do... To Leo?"
"Something that should have been done a long time ago," Shredder replied before turning to Splinter. "Your treasured Student is no more."
Splinter went wide-eyed at that, and Karai felt the blood drain from her face.
"No… Leo..."
"Worry not," Shredder reassured, approaching her. "Once my plan is complete, you will not even-"
Shredder was then cut off by Splinter charging up on all fours and tackling Shredder. The two rolled on the ground before Splinter kicked him off, knocking him into a wall as Splinter ran up again. He struck at Shredder's face and chest repeatedly, not allowing Shredder even a chance to react. When he recovered, he found his old enemy on all fours, hissing like a true rat with a feral gleam in his eyes. Splinter then stuck at him time and again, until finally, Splinter knocked Shredder up into the air and kicked him so hard he collided with the stairs to the dojo, even knocking his helmet off to reveal his scarred and burned face. Splinter then grabbed his blade and charged at Shredder, fully intent of ending his war with the Shredder once and for all.
Just before the blade struck Shredder however, a second blade swung out and stopped it before it could hit. Splinter looked up to see the source of the blade, and what he saw shook him to his very core. It was a mutant turtle dressed in a silver chestplate with pauldrons bearing the Foot Symbol. Black tape covered the mutants arms up to their elbows, as well as on their legs up to their thighs, red tape mixed in here and there. A red scarf was wrapped around their neck, and a black one across cold, emotionless blue eyes. They had two, black bladed katana with blood red bindings, and in their hand, they were holding an unmistakable blue mask.
"I will not let you harm my master!" the turtle snapped, pushing Splinter off of Shredder.
Splinter took a step back in utter shock, while Karai just stared in open mouth horror. Not long after that, the other turtles came running in, all stopping in their tracks at the horrifying scene before them.
"Is that…" Donnie let out.
"No way," Mikey mustered.
"... Leo?" Raph spoke in astonishment.
"My… my son?" Splinter finally uttered in astonishment.
"No rat," Leo responded, taking the mask and using his katana to cut it in two. "I am no son of yours."