The Turtles had never fought more fiercely. The Turtles had never fought better. And the Turtles had never had more fun!
"Gangway!" Donatello hollered. He rode his skateboard through the sewer, making S-curves and knocking out Foot Clan warriors with his bo as he scooted along the mucky hallway.
"Show-off!" Raphael yelled. He was just waiting for his chance. Fortunately there were enough enemy warriors to give him lots of opportunities.
The Turtles stacked them up like cord wood, pushing the bad guys out of their den through the sewer passageways and popping them up on to the street.
Don and Mike fought back-to-back, each protecting the other's flank. One of The Foot decided to attack them both at once, from their rears. The Turtles simply moved closer to one another, squeezing the helpless Foot warrior with their shells. Mike glanced over his shoulder at the fallen fighter. "Looks like this one's suffering from 'shell shock'," he said.
Don tried not to laugh. He couldn't help himself. It felt too good.
"I guess we can really 'shell it out'," Donatello suggested. Mike laughed at the same time as he fended off six more attackers with his nunchakus.
"You guys have got it all wrong," Raph said. "It was a 'shell' of a good hit!" His swirling sai took out three Foot Clan as he spoke.
"Aw right!" Mike said, finishing off the last of his half-dozen attackers.
Once the den and the sewer entrance were cleared of Foot, the Turtles began chasing the guys on to the street. Leonardo and Raphael chased some stragglers up a fire escape.
Mike joined in on the fun, but he was so busy chasing that he didn't notice he was being followed until he heard the grunt of a ninja thrust. He turned around just in time to see a razor-sharp katana aimed at his neck. He did the only logical thing. He pulled his head into his shell! The surprised attacker lost his balance and tumbled on to the street.
"I love being a Turtle!" Mike said. All of them felt exactly the same way. It was positively exhilarating.
Within a very short time the roof was nearly cleared of Foot Clan. Suddenly there was a hushed silence among their attackers. Those who were still standing stopped fighting and stood aside. Then the Turtles got their first look at their real enemy. It was Shredder.
"Anybody have any idea who - or what - this is?" Leo asked his brothers.
"I don't know," Michelangelo said, looking at Shredder's bladed armour, which was sparkling in the morning sun. "But I bet he never has to look for a tin opener."
Shredder ignored the humour. "You fight well. In the old style," he said. "But you've caused me enough trouble. Now you face - the Shredder!" He stood like a king waiting for his courtiers to bow.
"The Shredder?" Donatello asked. It sounded very weird to him.
Michelangelo shrugged. "Maybe all that hardware's for making coleslaw." Nobody laughed.
Shredder twirled his six-foot-long bo and set himself for battle.
"I've got him," Raphael claimed. Shredder knocked him flat in less than two seconds.
The Turtles attacked, one at a time, but they couldn't beat Shredder that way. They'd never seen anyone anything like him. One-on-one was out of the question no matter how many wisecracks they made.
The Turtles were too busy working on a strategy to beat Shredder to notice what was happening below. Casey, Danny, and Splinter arrived, bringing with them new allies. All the recruits who had seen Tatsu's attack on a member of his own family were now ready to join up with the Turtles to defeat Shredder - if it could be done.
"OK, guys, teamwork," Leonardo reminded his brothers. They didn't need a reminder. They attacked as one. And Shredder repelled them as one. He knocked them on their shells, slapping them away like so many gnats.
Mike rubbed his head and turned to his brothers. "Now, at exactly what point did we lose control here?" he asked.
Donatello shrugged. "Maybe somebody ought to tell him that we're the good guys."
Raphael turned to Leonardo. This was a time when they needed his leadership more than ever. "Any thoughts?" Raph asked.
"Just one," Leonardo said. "That this guy knows where Splinter is."
It was the thought they all needed to share. They prepared for a new, and tougher attack.
Meanwhile, down on the street, Casey noticed that there were a whole bunch of recovering Foot who were preparing to climb up the fire escape and join in the fray. The Turtles had it tough enough against Shredder. They didn't need any more enemies.
Casey spotted a rubbish truck parked nearby. He hopped into the cab and backed the monstrous vehicle right up to the building, mashing the fire escape. All the ninja who were trying to climb up found themselves tumbling down.
"Welcome to Rubbish City, Humpty Dumpty," Casey said proudly.
Up on the roof, Shredder had once again repelled the Turtles, but not before they drew blood. Shredder was surprised - and a little concerned.
"Where's Splinter?" Raphael asked. His voice was filled with quiet fury. His anger was controlled and focused.
Shredder smiled. It was a cruel smile. "Oh, the rat, you mean. So it has a name - or, I should say, had a name."
The implication sank in immediately. All of the Turtles' cool anger turned red-hot instantly. Leonardo couldn't control himself. He flew at Shredder in a rage. Just as fast, Shredder disarmed him, threw him to the floor of the roof, and put his foot on him triumphantly. "He dies!" he said as the other three prepared to attack.
They stopped instantly. "Throw down your weapons, now!" he commanded, nodding towards the roof's edge.
Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo tossed their weapons over the edge of the roof, believing it was the only way to save Leonardo's life.
Shredder laughed. "Fools! The three of you might have overpowered me. Now your fate will be his!" He raised his bo to stab Leonardo through the heart. The Turtles gasped.
And then they heard the voice they thought they would never hear again.
"Saki!" Splinter called. All movement on the roof stopped.