Chapter 15: The Tower of the Sacred Flame
In the atrium of the tower, Shen's talons clicked against the floor as he paced back and forth while the Soothsayer and Ch'rell stood watching nearby.
"Greetings, panda, turtles. At last we meet!" Shen said, pointing his lance threateningly at his imaginary foes. He then faltered. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no…" He then acrobatically flipped about before pointing his lance in a different direction. "We meet at last! Yes! That's it! Greetings, panda, turtles! We meet at la-" He stopped when he ended up pointing his lance at the Soothsayer.
"You are afraid for a reason." She said calmly.
Shen scoffed, putting his lance away. "I'm not afraid. They are coming to me in chains! If anyone should be afraid it's-"
"You." The Soothsayer finished.
Ch'rell growled, looming over the old goat. "If he can wipe out all of the pandas in China, I'd be interested to see what he could do to an annoyance like you."
The Soothsayer looked unbothered by this insult as she began to hungrily reach for Shen's robes again.
Shen, seeing this, quickly pulled them out of her reach. "Don't even think about it."
Outside, the captured Turtles, Po, Five, April, and Casey were being roughly escorted into the palace courtyard as they were surrounded on all sides by dozens of wolves, gorillas, and Kraang droids.
"I hope this turns out better than your plan to cook rice in your stomach by eating it and then drinking boiling water." Tigress muttered to Po.
"This plan is nothing like that plan." Po reassured her.
"How?" Tigress questioned.
"Because this one's gonna work." Leo stated.
As they walked, Leo's foot slipped, causing him to stumble slightly. He and the others looked down to see that he had stumbled on the edge of a large crater… with Thundering Rhino's famous hammer standing on the end like a macabre memorial, the head of the hammer dented.
Leo, Po, Tigress, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, Viper, Crane, Monkey, April, Mantis, and Casey could only stare with wide eyes in horror as the Boss Wolf mockingly patted the hammer like it was a pet.
"Keep moving." The Boss Wolf told them while chuckling as the group glared at him hatefully.
The sun was now beginning to set over the horizon as the doors to the tower were opened wide and the group was led inside.
"Ah… my old enemy…" Po spoke as they gazed up at the enormous stair-case leading all the way to the top. "Stairs."
Up in the throne room, Shen, the Soothsayer, and Ch'rell waited for their new arrivals patiently.
Just then, they heard the sounds of someone grunting followed by a thundering footstep as a hulking shadow could be seen on the wall as it became larger and larger.
And as it became larger, the footsteps grew louder and louder.
Shen felt on edge as he slightly pulled out one of his knives while Ch'rell's robotic arm morphed into a small blaster.
The Soothsayer simply stood to the side, watching expectantly.
Soon, Po emerged from the staircase, panting and out of breath as he was carried on a gorilla's back like a bag of rice before being flung to the floor while the Turtles, the Five, April, and Casey reached the top of the stairs as well.
"Thanks for… carrying me those last few flights…" Po said wearily as Tigress helped him the best she could while Shen, Ch'rell, and the Soothsayer looked astonished. "I threw up a little on the third floor, someone might want to clean that up."
"Yeah, dude, is there some sort of evil janitor or something?" Mikey added as he and the others were roughly forced up to the top of the stairs.
"Greetings, panda, turtles! We meet at-" Shen began.
"Hey, how ya doing?" Po asked casually.
Shen blinked, taken aback by the panda's laid-back attitude. "Hey…" He replied hesitantly.
The Soothsayer then approached the panda, examining him. "You've grown up bigger than I thought." She said, lightly poking Po's belly, much to his confusion. "Strong, healthy…"
"Look, I don't know who you are, but please step away, sir." Po said, leaning away from the goat.
"That's a lady." Viper and April both whispered to him.
Po did a double-take. "Oh, sorry!" He profusely apologized. "The beard is kind of misleading… false advertising…"
The Soothsayer simply stroked her beard with slight amusement before turning her attention to the Turtles.
"And as for you four," She spoke before poking Leo's arm, "built well," She then bent down observed a vein on Raph's wrist, "healthy blood," she then opened Donnie's mouth and sniffed his breath, "good hygiene," she then poked Mikey's feet, observing how each of the three toes twitched, "strong muscles."
The Turtles looked rather incredulous at what the Soothsayer was doing while Casey couldn't help but snicker.
"Heh, she's like an old granny." Casey chuckled, only to get elbowed in the gut by Tigress to shut him up.
Raph pulled away from the Soothsayer looking rather irritable (and a little creeped out). "Could you stop that? You're making me loopy!" He told the elderly goat.
"And as you can see, we're perfectly healthy." Donnie said with equal irritation. "Of course, we could have just told you that instead of you invading our personal space."
Shen seethed with slight anger. "Enough of this nonsense! Bring the prisoners to me." He ordered.
The Turtles, Po, the Five, April and Casey were roughly pushed further into the throne room as the wolves held spears and swords to their throats while the Kraang kept their blasters trained on them.
"Get ready, guys." Po whispered. "Keep your eyes peeled for the… weapon!"
Spotting a tiny model of the cannon on a table, Po dashed as fast as lightning destroying it with a single kick.
"Wahoo! We did it! Did you guys see that?" Po cheered while the Turtles, the Five, April, and Casey simply openly stared at him, mortified, with Crane even pulling down his hat in embarrassment. "Wahoooooo…" Po trailed off when he found himself face to face with a giant cannon in the middle of the room, one that was ten times larger than the tiny model he had just shattered.
"On your knees!" The Boss Wolf said as the Turtles, Po, the Five, April, and Casey were roughly shoved to their knees.
Shen approached them, laughing. "You really think this is the warrior destined to defeat me?" He said, speaking to the Soothsayer. "Along with a few turtles who are mere children of all things."
"Hey! We're sixteen!" Mikey protested, only to have a blade aimed at his throat, which instantly silenced him.
"I do not think…" The Soothsayer said. "I know they are."
"Look at them!" Shen scoffed. "A lifetime to plot his revenge with his guardians by his side and they come to me on their knees!"
Po and the Turtles collectively blinked in confusion.
"Revenge?" Leo spoke up. "What are you talking about?"
"Yeah, I don't remember you doing anything to us." Donnie said.
"Hey, wait, I did not have a lifetime… we only heard about Master Thundering Rhino a few days ago, and we came to avenge him!" Po added.
The Soothsayer stared at him. "... You've come to avenge nothing else?" She asked.
"Yeah, all those pots and pans you stole – we're gonna want those back!" Po said.
"Nothing else?" The Soothsayer asked again.
"You probably did some other evil stuff on the way, I don't know, what else did he do?" Po asked.
"Well, he is friends with the Kraang, so there's that." Mikey pointed out.
Leo turned his attention to Ch'rell. "Speaking of which, how are you Kraang even here? I thought you were all captured and reformed by the Utrom!"
Ch'rell chuckled as he approached the Turtles. "You would think that, wouldn't you?"
"Who even are you, anyway?" Donnie asked curiously.
"I am General Ch'rell, commander of the Kraang's armed forces just under Kraang Subprime." The scared Kraang stated proudly.
"Never heard of you." Raph said bluntly.
Ch'rell scowled at the red clad turtle. "I was the one who led the Kraang forces during the war for Dimension X. However when the battle turned against us, I and a small group of Kraang managed to escape capture and take refuge in one of the ten dimensions, this one to be exact. It was then that I met Lord Shen, who was looking for means to take back his city."
April frowned. "But why? I thought you guys were only interested in mutating the planet?"
"Goals change, young one. Now our goal is to conquer this forsaken world so that we may return home. With our technology, this world will advance light-years ahead of its natural progression." Ch'rell explained. "The technology may not exist yet, but we can wait."
The Soothsayer turned to Po again. "There is nothing else you've come to avenge?" She asked.
Po shook his head, confused. "No, not really."
As they spoke, Viper lightly stuck her tail into Tigress' cuffs, making sure no one was looking as she began to fiddle with the lock.
The Soothsayer looked shocked. "You don't know…" She whispered.
"Know what?" Po asked while Shen laughed. "What's so funny?"
"Precisely the thing… that you clearly do not know!" Shen chuckled.
The Boss Wolf then stepped forward, carrying each of the Turtles weapons. "Their weapons, my lord."
Shen took Donnie's staff. "Boring." He said.
He then took Casey's hockey stick. "Rubbish."
The peacock lightly twirled one of Mikey's nunchucks. "Not bad."
Shen then examined April's tessen and tanto. "Oh, these ones are quite nice."
He then lightly poked the tip of one of Raph's sais. "Interesting."
Finally, Shen lightly unsheathed one of Leo's katanas. "Oh, this is quite good." He said, giving the sword a little test swing. "Well crafted, perfectly balanced. Not too heavy, not too light. A good sword. Perhaps I'll keep this one."
"Okay, enough with these riddles!" Po finally said. "Would you guys just spill the beans? First the weapon was – hey surprise, it's big! Oh and guess what, alien robots are a thing now! And then lady over here – I think is a guy 'cause she's got a-"
In a quick flash, Shen aimed Leo's katana at Po's throat, instantly shutting him up.
"The only reason you're still alive is that I find your… stupidity… mildly amusing." Shen said in a slow, hushed voice with a dangerous undertone that sent chills down everyone's spines.
"Well, thank you," Po replied quietly, "but I find your evilness extremely annoying."
"Who do you think you are, panda?" Shen questioned.
"Who do you think I am, peacock?" Po shot back.
Po and Shen stared at each other intensely in complete silence which lasted about a minute.
Shen then chuckled and Po chuckled back.
Soon, both the panda and the peacock were both suddenly laughing their heads off while Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, Mantis, April, Casey, and even Ch'rell looked on in disbelief before the laughter eventually died down.
"Why are we laughing?" Po asked dumbly.
"Take aim." Shen ordered, taking a step back.
On the peacock's command, the Boss Wolf aimed the cannon at the group while the gorillas and the Kraang bio-droids opened the balcony doors behind them, revealing the dark night sky.
"Destroy them." Shen said. "Let us be done with this already."
Unlike his brothers and his friends, who were struggling valiantly, and had expressions of fear and anger on their faces, Leo sat still, his head hung down with a cold impassiveness.
"You can destroy us, Shen. That's okay." Leo said calmly, drawing the whole room's attention.
"It is?!" Raph, Donnie, Mikey, Tigress, Crane, Monkey, April, and Casey all cried while Po smirked, glancing down at the cage in his paws.
Leo ignored them, slowly raising his head and looking Shen dead in the eyes. "But I'm asking you one last time before we take this whole thing down." His gaze then harded like ice. "Cease your goal of conquest… or be destroyed." He said slowly and clearly.
Many of the wolves and gorillas and even some of the Kraang looked unnerved by the blue clad turtle's tone. Even Shen felt a light chill go up his spine.
Still, Shen simply scoffed. "Empty threats." He said dismissively. "Fire!"
Hesitantly, the Boss Wolf lit the fuse on the cannon as Shen laughed… only for nothing to happen.
Confused, Shen turned to the Boss Wolf. "Well?! Light the… thing!"
"I did!" Boss Wolf said, looking just as confused. He then lit it again, and this time a flash of green doused the fuse faster than any eye could see. The Boss Wolf tried again and again to light the fuse to no avail until suddenly Mantis kicked the lighter of the wolf's paws.
"FEAR THE BUG!" Mantis yelled, holding the lighter above him like a wrestler holding a trophy belt.
Shen immediately shot his head in the direction of the cage in Po's paws… and inside was Po's Mantis action figure.
Po laughed as Viper finally picked the lock on Tigress' cuffs.
Letting the cuffs slide off her wrists, Tigress struck the cuffs on each of her friends, freeing them as well while Crane leapt into the air and used his wings to create a strong wind that blew the other soldiers away.
Using his wings to manipulate the air, Crane managed to snatch the Turtles, April, and Casey's weapons back.
"Alright, finally!" Mikey cheered, nuzzling his beloved nunchucks against his cheeks as they all retrieved their weapons.
"Yeah, I was tired of that conversation anyway." Raph remarked, twirling his sais in his hands with a small smirk.
"Get the weapon!" Po yelled.
They were about to make a rush for the weapon when several pink blaster bolts whizzed by them, halting them in their tracks.
They turned to see several Kraang droids and Bio Droids still standing, their blasters primed and ready to fire.
"Great! Figures the Kraang are still here!" Casey said, gripping his hockey stick.
"Take 'em down!" Leo shouted as they all sprinted forward, dodging the Kraang blaster fire.
Rushing forward, the group dodged the lasers that seemed to fly everywhere as they each took on their own groups of Kraang droids.
Leo zoomed forward, slicing through several Kraang droids before grabbing one of their blasters and firing it at the Kraang.
Raph quickly ran up another pillar, dodging the laser fire coming his way before backflipping off and landing on one of the Kraang droids, stabbing it in the shoulders.
Donnie jammed the hidden naginata blade of his staff into a Kraang droid's neck before quickly pulling out and twirling his staff fast enough to deflect several blaster bolts.
Mikey bashed his nunchucks into the head of one Kraang droid before aiming a flying kick at another. He then noticed Viper and Monkey attempting to take on one of the Kraang Bio Droids.
"Watch out for the butt-cannons!" Mikey yelled over to them.
Viper and Monkey blinked, turning slightly to the orange clad turtle, looking at him like he had grown a second head. "'Butt cannons'?" They both questioned.
Just then, the Bio Droid that they had been fighting suddenly turned around as it's behind fell open, with two primed laser cannons immediately firing at them.
"Oh that is just so wrong!" Viper cried as she and Monkey were forced to dodge quickly out of the way.
Acting quickly, Viper and Monkey quickly dodged the blasts from the Bio Droid before quickly grabbing it's arms and holding them back long enough for Crane swoop in and snatch the Kraang operating the Bio Droid body, causing it to shut down instantly.
April threw her tessen, using her powers to direct at the heads of several Kraang droids while Casey smacked many explosive pucks at them.
Po and Tigress stood back-to-back as four Bio Droids came at them from all sides. Together, they locked arms as Po bent down, lifting Tigress onto his back and spinning around, with Tigress kicking all of them away as Po spun.
Despite destroying dozens of Kraang droids, more of them just seemed to keep coming. For every five they destroyed, ten more would emerge.
Eventually, the group was forced back towards the open balcony.
"Everyone stand your ground!" Leo ordered as they all took combative stances.
Having enough of this, Shen leapt atop the cannon which was still sitting in the middle of the room and used his talons to light the fuse, much the group's horror.
"On second thought, run!" Leo yelled.
The cannon fired, forcing the group to scatter as the cannon continued firing at them. Mikey, Viper, and Mantis rolled out of the way of one of the cannon balls.
Raph, Monkey, and Casey leapt out of the way of another cannon ball. Leo, Po, Tigress, and Crane narrowly avoided flipping over another cannon ball.
Donnie quickly tackled April out of the way of another cannon ball, but in the process the ball connected with the tip of his staff, practically vaporizing it.
"Oh come on!" Donnie cried, observing his now broken staff. "Not again!"
"Dude, your weapon just exploded!" Mikey couldn't help but snicker.
"We gotta take out the cannon!" Leo said. "Po! Tigress! Mantis! Go for it! Raph, Donnie, cover them!"
"On it!" They yelled as they rushed forward. Donnie and Raph dodged a few more cannonballs before they both leapt at Shen, kicking the peacock off of the weapon.
With him out of the way, Po quickly bent over, allowing Tigress to leap onto his shoulders before coming down on the cannon's head with a sharp axe kick that sent it up into the air before Mantis kicked the cannon mid-air, sending it crashing hard through the floor where it proceeded to shatter upon hitting the ground floor.
The Turtles, April, Casey, and the Five all cheered at their victory before they were forced to dodge a trail of blaster fire.
Looking up, they saw General Ch'rell's robotic arms had stopped firing before converting back into fists.
"I believe I've seen enough." Ch'rell said. "Come... face your doom."
Raph punched his fist into his palm before leaping forward with a flying punch, only for Ch'rell to catch his punch in his hand. The Kraang General then began rapidly punching the red clad turtle mid-air, sending him flying across the room and crashing into the wall.
Leo, Raph, Donnie, Tigress, Viper, Monkey, Crane, Mantis, April, and Casey couldn't help but gape in surprise at what they just saw. Ch'rell had just taken down Raph, one of their strongest members, in only a few punches.
"I will make your end swift!" Ch'rell swore as he marched over to finish the downed Raph as Leo, Mikey, and Tigress lunged at him from behind. Leo slashed at him, only for his blades to bounce off Ch'rell's robotic body, same with Mikey's nunchucks. Tigress aimed a powerful punch at Ch'rell's back before trying to sweep his feet out from under him, neither of the female feline's attacks had either effect.
Leo was about to attack again when Ch'rell grabbed him as well as Mikey and slammed them both into Tigress, sandwiching her between the two turtles before throwing them away.
Viper lashed out at Ch'rell's robotic head with her tail, making him stagger back. She attempted to do this again, only for Ch'rell to grab her tail and use her body like a whip. Viper screamed as she was twirled around like a lasso, her eyes swirling and her mouth drooling from dizziness as she was wrapped around Crane before Ch'rell threw them both away.
Ch'rell then turned towards Donnie, April, Monkey, Mantis, and Casey as he converted his left robotic arm into a laser blaster while the right hand turned into a rocket launcher before firing at them, forcing them to dodge out of the way.
Using his blaster arm and his rocket arm to keep them at bay, Ch'rell slowly back out onto the open balcony of the tower before a pair of jets sprouted from his back, allowing him to fly away.
While all of this was happening, Po tackled Shen to the ground, the two tumbling and sliding across the floor before Po managed to get on top of the peacock, raising his fist to deliver the final blow.
Instinctively, Shen's tail feathers splayed out, the red eye emblems on each feather instantly grabbing Po's attention.
All of sudden, Po felt the same thing he felt in the Musicians Village, his body becoming numb as he couldn't look away, images flashing in his mind.
The cold raging blizzard as it snowed…
The loud wails of a baby crying…
A red fire in the woods lighting the dark air like blood…
The heart-broken face of his mother as she turned to run away…
And a white peacock armed with a lance, walking through flames with the eyes of a demon…
While Po was distracted, Shen managed to stand up, his tail feather still splayed out as he slowly backed away.
Shaking her throbbing head, Tigress lightly shoved a downed Leo and Mikey off of her as she stood up, only for her to see Po just standing there and staring at Shen, making no move to attack as the peacock was slowly moving back towards the balcony, much to her own shock.
"You… you were there." Po murmured, his voice barely audible.
Shen smirked. "Yes… yes, I was."
Before Po could even react, Shen then rushed over to the balcony and leapt off the edge, using his tail feathers to glide down towards a fireworks factory in the distance.
Po, the Turtles, the Five, April, and Casey all rushed over to the balcony while one of the gorilla soldiers grabbed a shocked Soothsayer and carried her away.
"Po! You just let Shen get away!" Tigress said angrily at the panda.
"Po, what happened?" Leo demanded.
Po blinked, shaking his head slightly. "... I-I don't know."
"Well, at least we destroyed the weapon." Mantis remarked, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Shen lightly glided down the fireworks factory where Ch'rell and several wolves, Kraang droids, and gorillas were already waiting for him.
He sharply landed on the balcony of the factory, skidding to a stop in front of Ch'rell.
"My lord, they are still in the tower." Ch'rell stated, pointing to the top of the tower. "We should destroy them quickly."
Shen nodded. "Yes, you are right, General." He then turned to face the tower. "FIRE!"
At his command, the gorilla soldiers fired three more cannons up toward the atrium of the tower.
The Turtles, Po, the Five, April, and Casey could only stare in horror as the three flaming cannonballs were heading right for them, their shoulders slouched, their jaws slightly hung open and their eyes wide white disks.
"Aw no, he's got way more." Mantis muttered.
"Hit the deck!" Raph yelled just as the cannonballs came at them, exploding on impact as soon as they hit the tower, blasting all of the group back.
They tumbled across the marbled floor, a bit bruised but still alive.
"My wing!" Crane cried, holding his burned wing that was slightly twisted.
"Po! Help!" Tigress yelled as she and Donnie rushed to Crane's side.
Dazed, Po shakily got up, "Coming!" He yelled running over towards them when another cannon ball rocked the building, causing him to stumble over towards the large opening in the floor.
"Look out!" April shouted, but it was too late as Po felt his weight overtake him and he began to fall.
"Po!" Viper and Mikey cried before rushing forward, the snake wrapping her tail around the panda's right leg and the party turtle throwing his kusarigama chain around the panda's left leg.
"We gotcha, dude!" Mikey grunted as he and Viper strained to keep him from falling.
"Help us pull him up!" Viper yelled, slipping a little while Mikey planted his feet as hard as he could, Mantis and Casey already rushing to aid them.
"No…" Tigress said. "Get him down!"
"What?!" Raph questioned in confusion.
"Just trust me!" Tigress told him. "Use the ropes!"
Deciding to go with the feline's plan, the group quickly made their way over to the hole in the floor, Donnie carrying the injured Crane on his shell, as they leapt onto the lantern ropes and used them to slide down.
Outside on the balcony of the fireworks factory, Shen watched with sadistic glee while Ch'rell ordered another firing.
"Run, run, little panda." Shen said.
Inside the crumbling tower, the group continued to slide down the lantern ropes. Another cannonball caused the tower to rock again as Po lost his grip on his rope.
Po screamed as he fell, crashing into Monkey, who let out a loud screech as they both hit the ground, the poor simian being slightly squashed under the panda's weight as they and everyone else reached the floor.
Leo and Tigress quickly rushed over to Po, helping him up.
"Po, come on!" Tigress told him. "We need you to focus!"
"I got, I got it!" Po replied as everyone made a dash for the open doors.
"Hurry, this whole place is coming down!" Leo said.
"Bring it down!" Shen ordered as the cannons fired again, the wolves in the courtyard of the palace laughing as the tower was struck again.
The tower rocked again, debris falling from above and blocking the exit before the group could reach it.
"Well there goes our main exit!" Donnie cried, panic slipping into his voice as he readjusted Crane on his back.
"Now what?" Po said.
"This way!" Tigress said, making a dash for the stairs.
Quickly, the others followed her as they sprinted up the stairs as the tower continued to rock and shake, debris falling all around them.
Shen laughed as he watched the cannons fire again on the tower. "Goodbyeeeee!" He said with wicked glee.
The group dashed up the stairs before reaching one of the top floors.
It was then that Tigress made a b-line for the side of the room, leaping into the air and drop-kicking the wall open, allowing them to go out onto the deck.
As soon as they stepped out, however, they were assaulted by dozens of arrows and laser blasts fired upon them by hundreds of wolf archers and Kraang droids.
"Watch out!" Leo shouted, drawing his katana and deflecting several arrows and lasers.
"Get back!' Tigress yelled as she blocked the arrows with her numb paws and dodged the lasers.
The others quickly moved back inside to take cover, leaving Leo and Tigress to deal with most of the raining fire, the blue clad turtle drawing his second katana while Tigress grabbed a plank of wood to block several more arrows.
There was a brief pause in the arrows and the lasers as they both spotted the slanting roof of a large building in the distance. They then looked up at the swaying tower, seeing that it was on the verge of collapse.
Tigress caught an arrow that was aimed at her head and Leo deflected a blast with his katana without even looking before they turned to each other and nodded, both having the same plan in mind.
"There's only one way to go," Leo told the others as he and Tigress went back to them, "up!"
"Come on!" Tigress said, grabbing Po by the shoulders and pulling him outside.
"WHAT?!" Raph, Donnie, Mikey, Viper, Crane, Monkey, Mantis, April, and Casey all exclaimed in shock.
As the tower began to topple, Tigress swung Po up onto the next floor, with the panda doing the same to her as the others quickly followed, scaling the tower as quickly as they could.
"Wahoo! Follow me!" Po yelled as the tower was angled enough for them to run along up it.
Down below, Shen eyed the group scaling the tower as it collapsed curiously.
"Where are they going?" He questioned confusedly.
"To the top!" Tigress shouted as they continued to run and climb the falling tower.
"Come on, keep going!" Viper cried.
"Go, go, go!" Raph yelled.
As they climbed the falling tower, Donnie (still carrying Crane on his back) yelped as a cannonball barely missed his head and singed Crane's hat.
"Now what do we do?!" Mikey cried as they got closer and closer to the top of the tower.
Leo glanced forward, spotting the building with the slanted roof just below them in the distance.
"Jump!" Leo shouted.
"Here we go!" Po exclaimed as they jumped into the air, taking the leap of faith as everything around them seemed to slow down.
The sky was filled with flaming arrows, cannonballs, and blaster fire as they fell through the air. And several shots came close to hitting the group, making it feel like they were falling in the middle of a pouring thunderstorm.
"This is so metal!" Casey cried as he, Po, and Mikey flailed through the air.
The tower behind them crashed to the ground, crumbling to rubble as the group cleared the outer wall, heading down towards the streets.
Leo, Po, Tigress, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, Viper, Monkey, and Mantis landed on the roof, sliding down the slanting arch of the building while April used her powers to slow her and Casey's fall before they all bounded out of sight.
As the group vanished, back at the fireworks factory, Shen angrily kicked one of the gorilla soldiers in the nose in anger. "You idiot!"
After thoroughly berating his men, Shen leapt down into the map room where he met the Boss Wolf.
"Call in the wolves, all of them! I want them ready to move!" Shen ordered. "The Year of the Peacock begins now!"
The Boss Wolf blinked with his one good eye. "Right now?" He asked in confusion. "Because it's the middle of the year. So you'd only get, like, half of the Year of the Peacock…" Shen flashed one of his knives at his throat. "And this year, of course, is the Year of the Peacock! Happy New Year, sir!" He stammered nervously.
Shen then lowered his blade as he stared down the Boss Wolf. "Get the wolves ready… we're loading the ships now…" He whispered before raising his voice. "NOW! Now, now, now, now!"
Nodding fearfully, the Boss Wolf quickly exited the room, entering the foundry area.
The word spread quickly as the Boss Wolf leapt to one of the roofs and let out a howl, signaling for all of the wolves in the city to come back and help with preparations.
Back up on the top deck, General Ch'rell continued to gaze at the fallen tower as one of the Kraang droids approached him.
"One known as General Ch'rell," The Kraang spoke, "the ones in that place are not in that place where they were."
"Yes, they have indeed escaped." Ch'rell admitted. "But we will find them, eventually."
"They are dangerous to what we are doing in this place and other places." The Kraang replied. "We should proceed with that which is known as caution."
Ch'rell nodded. "Yes, I have knowledge of that. The Turtles and their allies must be eliminated… from all places."
Done. This was the chapter I was looking forward to the most for writing.