Undiscovered Power

~

   The morning was dull and cool when the three turtles and Prida climbed out of the manhole into the alleyway. The sky was cloudy gray, and there seemed to be the thinnest of mist hanging in the air. Leo, Don and Mike were wrapped up in their trench coats and fedoras, and Prida was still wearing the same as yesterday: Torn jeans and shirt, and her hair was pretty wild, which, as always, was pulled back.

   Prida's house seemed untouched since yesterday. The place was still a mess, and the door was closed when they stepped up to it, but it was unlocked. They slowly pushed it open, listening for any movement in the house that might give away a hidden ambush. The turtles crept in first, checking every downstairs room, even the basement. When they were satisfied not one Foot member was lurking around, they gathered in the living room.

   "Get what you need for a week," Leo told Prida. "And then after that time we can figure out what happens." They were told Mai came back in a week, so things might have changed by then.

   Prida nodded, and turned to Donny. "Don, you could pack some food from the cupboard, I know you guys are short down there, and Mike, you can help me pack."

   Donny disappeared into the kitchen, and Mikey followed Prida upstairs. Leo turned and walked into the front room, looking out into the dull street. His eyes searched the small, dark gap between two buildings over the street, before his head turned and he spotted the quick flash of something black down the street.

   Exactly two minutes later everyone was back in the living room. Donny was holding a brown grocery bag, crumpled closed at the top, and Prida had a rucksack on her back with her things in. Mikey had told her she might be better off at April's, but they would have to ask her later. No matter how cool Prida found sharing a sewer with four turtles and a rat, she thought it might be easier with April. Donny tucked the bag under his arm as Mikey released the yoyo he was carrying and starting playing with it.

   "Phone call to the police made," Prida announced.

   "Mikey," Leo said, taking everyone's attention, "you can take Prida back to the lair while me and Donny clear up to few Foot members outside."

   Everyone's small smiles disappeared, and Mikey glanced at Don. "The Foot are outside Prida's house? But – there'll be tons, you'll need me."

   "Yeah I know, Mike, I just don't want Prida in the fight."

   Donny tilted his head towards Prida. "Leader like his orders followed."

   Mike nodded his head at Leo, and Prida grabbed Mikey's hand. "C'mon, the back door's pretty sheltered." She grabbed the yoyo and started for the back of the house, and Leo and Donny pulled out their weapons, and headed for the front door.

   The air seemed slightly cooler when they stepped out carefully onto the doorstep. They listened for a second before they walked boldly down the path to the gate, and stood on the sidewalk. From nowhere, in front of them, landed three black dressed Foot members, and behind them from the dark gap between the two buildings, emerged seven others.

   "Two against ten?" Donny smiled. "Five each – that hardly seems fair."

   Both turtles stopped smiling and turned their heads to their right. From the mist that had now turned thicker came fifteen more warriors. The turtles started backing away, seeing the corner they were about to be herded into. The Foot would force them back into the house, so Leo and Donny side-walked left. Since Prida's house was on the corner, they started to back around it.

   "Still, s'not even half of Shredder's clan," Donny said.

   To their left now in the narrower street, seven more ninjas dropped down with light thuds from the building.

   Donny opened his mouth to speak again, but Leo spoke before him. "Don't say anything else, Don." Leo looked back at their opponents now. There were now two against thirty-two. Leo glanced over his shoulder, considering the street they were about to battle it out in. "We need to get onto higher levels, we can't let anyone see us fighting in the street." And they needed to free themselves of the annoying coats.

   "I thought Shredder wanted to destroy us himself," Donny said quietly as they backed up and to the left, heading for the flattop roofs.

   "He does," Leo replied, watching the Foot advance as they backed away slowly. "He has his goons to tire us first, then he can take us out. I hope Mikey gets back soon, I have a feeling they'll be more."

   Then, together, they both turned and leapt onto a fire exit staircase, with the Foot taking after them quickly. The two turtles smoothly somersaulted from the last fair exit onto the roof, and backed up as the ninja behind them jumped in front of them.

//

   Mikey and Prida had met their own share of ninja just past her house down an alley. Prida stared in awe as Mikey's nunchucks were a blur of motion,. He was amazing – she had never actually stopped to watch any of them fight, but he was perfect, how he blocked every attack as though he knew it was coming before it did. Prida blinked.

   "Prida go – run to our alleyway –" Mikey said after he had pushed back one man who sent three others down. "Get below." He turned and knocked a kind of baton weapon from another hand.

   Prida stared. "I can't lift a manhole lid!"

   Mikey rolled his eyes as he kicked a soldier in the stomach. He didn't want to lead the Foot to their 'front door'.

   "Can't you just go back and hide in your house until I clear these up?" He tried. He wanted to get rid of these few, take Prida down to the lair, and go back to help his brothers, who, no doubt, had half the clan on their tails.

   Prida bunched her fist, and kicked the side of a Foot member who was running at Mikey; a move she had copied from when her throat was almost slit four months ago and the bros saved her.

   "No way!" She exclaimed, teeth gritted as her foot throbbed. She kicks one person, her foot kills, her friends kick countless, and they're still going. Okay, remember Pri, these guys have been training all they're lives.

   Mikey spun and kicked the last guy in the face, and swiftly replaced his 'chucks in his belt as he stood straight. He offered his arm.

   "Shall we?" He grinned.

   This time Prida roller her eyes. And they even kept their sense of humor in battle. She took his arm and they quickly jogged away from the groaning Foot ninja. Five minutes later they ran into the alleyway they had come from, not so far from April's. Mikey heaved the manhole lid away from the hole, and watched her climb down. She opened her mouth to say something, but Mikey interrupted her.

   "Can't chat, gotta get back, see ya Pri!" And he quickly replaced the lid over her.

   "Mikey!" Prida yelled from the foot of the ladder. It was pitch black, and the only light was dim and seemed to be coming from way down the sewer tunnels.

   Above her, Mikey quickly leapt up and ran off, hoping Prida could find her way back to the lair. She had only been led from the lair to that manhole, but they had used a different manhole to take her down there. Sorry Prida, can't worry about you at the minute, Mikey thought, and increased his speed.

//

   Leo and Donny were too busy trying to fend off the non-stop attacks of the Foot to se how the other was doing. They kicked, they spun, they punched and blocked but they weren't actually getting anywhere. The ones they downed were quickly replaced, and having it been fifteen to a turtle, Leo was right in saying there would be more, and now it was twenty to a turtle, and still increasing. The rooftop was all motion, no speaking, aside from the grunts and strained groans and growls, and occasional yells as someone went flying over the edge of the roof.

   The turtles had no space in their head to allow thinking or thoughts. Their trained senses were on strain, and their actions were almost automatic, as though a switch had been flicked on in their brains. The physical space between them and the Foot was so small, Leo and Don almost felt claustrophobic. It seemed the Shredder would get what he wanted: the turtles would be tired by the time he came to call, and they could do nothing to preserve their energy, they needed it right now to survive this lot. Leo felt trapped. Mikey would hopefully be on his way to them by now, but why did Raph have to have a fever? Damn him.

   There did seem to be a little bit of good news, Leo saw. The Foot whose asses he had already kicked went down faster the second time, and stayed down on the third, so a few of them were already laying unconscious on the floor.

   Donny ducked and side-rolled out of the way of the weapons that were being used against him. He straightened up in time to thrust his Bo out and block a sword attack, but as he quickly leapt to his feet he was double kicked in the stomach and flew a meter before he landed on his shell. As quick as he fell, the clan members were bearing down, and he heard a thud before he saw the sword wielder fly past him.

   "How's that for good timing?"

   Donny was pulled to his feet by Mikey. But he didn't even get chance to say thanks as more black-clothed men charged with fury in their unseen eyes.

   The battle was intense, weapons clashed every second, bodied hit the floor, or flew over the edge, and the fight continued. Leo and Donny were beginning to feel an ache in their muscles, which would lead to tiredness if they carried on for much longer, but they still had some time to go before they came to that. Exactly when was the Shredder planning on joining in? And then it hit Leo. The three of them would never be able to defeat that man, not after taking on these as well. They needed Raph if they were to do that. The Shredder had proved the first time they fought him that he was good, and that was with all four of them. Shredder was not planning on killing them today, he had sent his Foot to see if they were carrying the artifact, and having not seen it, Shredder will know they've destroyed it. His clan has probably been ordered to pound the turtles into pulp, and would kill them when he later sees them with Prida, that way he would have revenge on all of them in no time. He would know that they would hid the girl.

   Okay, so how do we get outta this? Leo asked himself, taking a graze on the top of his head. Blood started dripping down his head. Punishment for thinking in the middle of a battle.

   //

   Way below the fight, in the lightened space of the lair, paced Prida, and sat Splinter (and lay Raph). She had found her way back only one minute ago (having gone two different directions, finding them unfamiliar, and turned back), and had told Splinter that there were a few Foot soldiers waiting for them outside her house, and the turtles had gone to fight them.

   Splinter, figuring it was more than 'a few' Foot members, had sat in his armchair, and informed the human girl that he was going to meditate for a short while.

   As Prida paced, worrying and having fluttering butterflies in her stomach, she wondered why the hell he was 'meditating'. Prida ignored the lights that seemed to be blinking furiously, as though a train was going over them. She felt weird down in the subway, sharing it with a four-foot rat. It might have been less uncomfortable if Raph was awake in there with them too. This meditating thing was weird to her. She always thought people who did that were the crazies who THOUGHT they could. Prida glanced at the rat. Well, he wasn't crazy, but his appearance was. Remembering what Mikey said to her, she wiped the thoughts from her head, and nodded to herself. Mike was right, she would get used to Splinter – er, Master Splinter – man, what should she call him? They called him Master Splinter, or Sensei – whatever the hell that meant – and he had once asked her to call him simply Splinter. What did April call him? Okay, shut up, Prida. There are more important things to worry about at this minute. More important than, er, trying to be polite to a mutant rat.

   Prida turned to the built-in kitchen they had. She walked into it and up to the grocery bag that Donny had left on the counter. She started to rummage through it to see what he had packed, and half rolled her eyes when it wasn't much. Prida put her hand in and pulled out a medic kit box. He doesn't pack food, he packs first aid kits … oh wait, that was a good idea, all his things are in my basement. She pulled out the rest of the food and shoved them in the cupboards she thought they should go in. She hardly thought these guys were organized or fussy about what food goes where. Since they didn't have much there didn't seem to be a food rule. She walked back to where she was standing before, behind the couch, and looked at Splinter. He appeared to have frozen, she couldn't even see him breathing.

   Splinter, aware the girl was wondering if he had died, smiled, and could sense her face blank. He had been expanding his mind to someone who could help his sons, who, he found, were in a tight spot. He had known his oldest son intended to go to Prida's house so they could fight Shredder, but the ninja master was not intending to join the rooftop action. Splinter opened his eyes, straight at Prida, whose left eyebrow rose very slightly.

   "My sons will be fine," he spoke. "Another fighter will join them, I have mentally ask that he help them."

   Prida frowned politely. "Who?"

   Splinter smiled. "A friend who quite matches Raphael. You may stop worrying for their safety."

   Prida nodded. That smile of his seemed warm and kind, and somehow made her feel more comfortable. She relaxed slightly.

   "I could not help but feel your questionable thoughts to the sight of meditation," he said, and she nervously looked at the couch.

   "No – well, I, er, I've just never seen anyone do it properly – in fact, I've never seen anyone meditate," she apologized.

   His smile softened. "A ninja can balance their mind through mediation, or reach out with their awareness. It is very relaxing, yet difficult for those whose minds are unsettled. With that said you can guess why Michelangelo and Raphael find it difficult to lapse into."

   Prida grinned and then chuckled. Splinter was light humored too.

//

   Leo let out a groan as a Foot member kicked his stomach, and sent the turtle stumbling back. They seemed to be doing well now Mikey had joined, but that kick through his defenses was a one-off.

   "Hey y' ugly muggers!" Came a yell from somewhere behind the waves of ninja. Everyone stopped momentarily to see who had joined them.

   There was a white blur and a couple of painful cracks, and three ninjas went flying unconscious. The hockey stick twirled smartly, and Casey set a cold stare at the black dressed figures.

   "Do you guys mind telling me what you're doing with my little green pals over there?" He said, and a second later his hockey stick was in three other Foot member's faces. Action returned and ninjas from each of the turtles' attacking gang broke off to fight Casey. All three were thoroughly relieved there were now four. And after ten minutes of non-stop fighting, the three turtles and Casey stopped and stared at the rooftop littered with the unconscious or disorientated Foot Clan. Leo, Don and Mikey were sweating to a point where it looked like the rain had fallen on them, and the scratch on Leo's head was stinging with sweat. It had left a bloodstain down his head, and to his bandanna, and they were all panting.

   "And Shredder is . . . no where to be found," Mikey said, frowning.

   "Shredder's not coming," Leo said, as though Mike should have known that. "He wants to kill all five of us, so no Prida, no kill. He'll wait 'til we're off guard all together. Let's go home, I'm starving." He starting walking to the fire exit they had used to get onto the roof, stepping over or on Foot members.

   Donny and Mikey looked at each other and then at Casey, who had been wiping grim off his hockey stick, and motioned with his head to 'c'mon'. He turned and followed Leo. Don and Mikey summoned the rest of their energy and jogged after them. Don's wound on his arm was throbbing under the dirty gauze bandage.

   As they were descending the fire exit staircase, Donny called down to Casey. "Case, so, like, how did you happened to come across our little fight?"

   Casey half looked back and up at them. " I kinda got this funny feeling, and I swear Splin'ner's voice was in my head."

   "Ooh," Donny said. He and Mikey were the last off the stairs. "So, you don't know that Prida's alive, do you?"

   Casey turned around stared. "Say what?"

   The three turtles smiled, as Donny said, "Oh yeah, sorry, forgot to mention we found Prida was alive, and we also found she had run over Raph, explaining his absence."

   Casey's eyebrows rose. "Okay, that's good and good news." They started walking. "Keep talking."

   They disappeared into the now thick fog, telling Casey all that had happened since he had last been updated, heading towards the manhole.

   "I mean, she thought we were dead, we thought she was dead, she thought you were dead," Mikey said to Casey as they lifted a different manhole lid a few minutes later, having decided to take this one. "They were pretty mean months."

   While Mikey was babbling behind, Leo and Donny lead the way into the sewers.

   "So Shredder was merely sending his Foot Clan to check if we still had the artifact?" Donny asked Leo, who nodded. "And I was hoping we'd defeat him today and wipe his miserable face and Clan from New York."

   "We will be doing soon," Leo promised.

~

Thanks for reviews, hey guess what, I was trying to draw human faces the other day, and I'm been scribbling over tons of paper, and I got a few pics of Prida. They're nothing gud, just side views, but they were just for fun, so if it's not wat u thought she luked like then forget em.

This one was drawn on comp: write this in the browser don't copy and paste coz it's got gaps, w w w. geocities.com / Raphaella _ xx / PRIDA _ GLOW   . And if anyone's heard of or likes the Witchblade comics, then I kinda did my own little crossover with RT and tmnt characters in. w w w. geocities. com / Raphaella _ xx / Xtra _ fics  … (damn thing won't show if u post the entire proper link :@)

My site is in my bio but I'll post shortcuts here anyway. Ciao, thanks.