Undiscovered Power
~
"Ugh, I hate you, Mikey," Raph said as he reemerged from the door behind the ladder, and stopped short when he saw the Lair was empty. "Where is everyone?"
Splinter appeared from the kitchen, and walked towards the dojo in a calm manner, yet there was something on his features that seemed less than calm.
"They have returned to the surface," he spoke in a normal tone, before disappearing into the dojo.
Guessing they had taken Prida to April's, Raph went back to the couch, grabbed the remote and watched TV in no worry.
//
The other three turtles, Casey and Prida were worrying. They were in Central park, making their way towards the middle with senses in overload. Not a leaf seemed to move on the trees that hung over them, and every footstep crunched over dead leaves and rustled the grass, making the sound seem five times louder.
They all stopped suddenly by a shout, and as one cried "April!" and dashed towards the sound. From their current position, they ran right, around some high bushes, straight into the group of people they were there to meet.
Mikey did not stop fast enough and he bumped into a chunky-looking foot member. The ninja lost his balance and tumbled into others, causing the rest to turn around and spot the group. Behind the few ninja was Shredder, and his hand was grasping the back of April's neck. She looked uncomfortable, as she had to bring her head back with Shredder's painful grip.
"Alright Shredder," Donny called, switching his weight from foot to foot. He stopped and balled his fist. "What's this trade?"
Shredder reached out with one muscular, spike hand and pointed at Prida. "Her for her," he jerked April, who slipped out a short gasp.
The good guys were confused. Mikey frowned at his two brothers, and Leo glanced at Prida who shook her head in confusion.
Leo stepped a small pace forward. "Why?" He demanded. "She's just a harmless human to you –" he inclined his head and whispered," sorry!" He quickly looked at Shredder again. "This is pointless, was this just an excuse to bring us out in the open?" He was aware he, Mike and Don were in broad daylight, in an area many humans liked to walk. Exactly why Shredder chose here Leo didn't know; maybe he had been in a hurry.
Donny moved a leg forwards. "You know we destroyed the artifact; or if you didn't, surprise, we did."
"I know," Shredder replied darkly. "You seem confused, turtles. Did you not know what happened after the artifact was destroyed?"
Casey turned to the rest and opened his palms. "What the hell is he talking about?"
The turtles side-glanced at him but focused their eyes on the enemy ahead.
"It appears you don't," Shredder continued. "So we will make this trade, and I will send you a gift explaining what happened to the power of the Eye."
It suddenly clicked in Donny's head, yet his brothers, Casey and Prida, including April even, were at sea.
"Look, you trashed my house, I should be wanting to trade myself in for a good gun anyway," Prida said.
"Walk towards me now!" Shredder shouted. "Or Miss O'Neil will find herself in a bag at the morgue, very shortly." April grimaced.
Prida looked at her friends, who looked back with an unclear expression. She turned back and sighed through her teeth, before starting to walk towards the man she now hated more than homework.
"Wait – " Leo said, and the girl stopped. Leo looked at Shredder. "Why? Why do you want her?"
Shredder let out an evil chuckle. "If you really have no idea, I shall not waste my time explaining. I, of course, will be happy to send you a clue when I have reached full power over this city. Unfortunately, you'll be dead by the time you've finished putting them together."
Mikey make an 'eh?' face, and frowned at Leo. Donny appeared to be holding something back by the way he was gritting his teeth.
Prida turned and continued to walk forwards. At three steps from Shredder he lashed out and caught her with his arm around her neck. April was pushed forward, and she stumbled in her haste to reach her friends.
Casey grabbed her arms and asked, "Are you okay?" She nodded and he pulled her to his side so they could both watch Shredder.
Leo, Donny and Mikey turned from April to Shredder also. He was backing up towards a wall of bushes with Prida stumbling backwards in front of him.
"Thank you for giving me the power to accomplish my mission to take over this miserable city," he said, and laughed.
Mikey allowed a "Wha?" before the Foot soldiers suddenly attacked. There weren't many so it was clear they were just a distraction so Shredder could disappear. Donny left them to his brothers, and he went after Shredder. He jumped through the bushes, and weaved around a few trees before he found himself on a main footpath. He saw the tip of a cape disappear only a few yards away, but before he moved to run after it he heard a scream.
"Agghh!" A middle aged woman cried, hands to her face.
Donny realized he had no trench coat on. "Oh – er – where's that fancy-dress party?" He called, making sure she heard, and then he took off after the cape, leaving the woman with a foolish expression. As soon as he jumped over a few plant life walls, he saw the quickest blur of something and then a throbbing pain hit his chin and he was on his shell, trying to get to his feet as fast as he could.
"Donny!" Prida's voice called out concernedly.
"Freak – you will be killed before the others!" Shredder growled.
Donny stood firmly on his feet with his Bo in his hands. He faked an attack to Shredder's head and instead tripped the villain up. With only one hand free Shredder did not block it and fell. Prida was pulled down too, but she managed to roll away when his grip loosened. She jumped to her feet and rushed to Don, standing behind him with her hand on his shell.
Shredder growled and got to his feet. He slowly looked up and glared at the turtle. They both knew that was a lucky shot, and that just one turtle wouldn't beat Shredder and get away with it.
"You will be killed here and now," Shredder threatened. He stood still for a few nerve-killing seconds, and then lunged at the turtle, who used his bow to lean on and kicked the Shredder's chest. The man fell back, and then rolled over backwards onto his feet. His next attack was so fast Donny didn't realize it had happened until he felt a trickle of blood stream down his head. His shell was against a tree that had been behind him, and his head had hit the trunk so hard it was bleeding. It was an attack he could have got up and continued from, but Shredder was so quick he had no time to stand, and before he knew it Shredder was punching his gut several times with fire in his eyes.
But he stopped and all Donny could see was flashing lights and Shredder dancing around. Donny squinted. Dancing? No, Prida had jumped onto Shredder's back and had wrapped her arms around his neck, and he was trying to throw her off. Donny's vision started to return rapidly, and he grabbed his Bo Staff. The turtle leapt to his feet, and as Shredder started to turn his back to him, Donny took a running leap and kicked the Shredder's back (avoiding Prida). The bad guy flew into the tree opposite and Prida let go and dashed back.
They both had no time to say anything as suddenly Shredder whirled around, and something in his hand flew at them both. The two only had time to move together to safety's point to avoid the two throwing stars that missed Prida's back and skimmed Donny's shell. They moved back into their own space and glanced at the sharp stars buried in the trees behind them.
"Whoa, what kinda pets are those?" Prida asked.
Donny answered with his own "whoa!" as Shredder's fist aimed for his bleeding head.
Shredder growled as the turtle ducked and tried to land his own attack. But Shred-head grabbed his foot and threw him against the wall of trees making up the clearing they were in. Don landed with a groan and sat dizzily on his hands and knees for a few seconds.
Prida was suddenly picked up and slung over Shredder's shoulder. Donny whirled from her view as Shredder faced the turtle. He pulled something out of his pocket as Prida started bashing her fists on his back in a futile effort to get him to release her.
Donny looked up as the glint an something shiny caught his eyes. Shredder had just pulled out a throwing star, and was staring down on the turtle. Prida stopped punching the man and looked over her butt at what was happening.
"You fail," The Shredder glowered, and pulled his armed hand back.
Donny breathed in deeply in a gasp, his eye on the throwing star. His heart was racing, he thought he could go against the Shredder and live to tell?
Shredder brought his arm forward in a flash and released the shruiken – it aimed straight for the center of Donny's forehead –
"NO!" Prida screamed, clamping her eyes shut. The movement of the body she was slung over was odd for his victorious moment. She opened her eyes and stared at her friend; she just stared.
Donny, whose breathing was quick, opened his own eyes. There was no pain; there was no bright light. Shredder was staring at him, but through his mask his expression could not be read. Donny then crossed his eyes, and fixed his gaze on the razor sharp metal star hovering in front of his forehead in no less that a few centimeters.
Shredder snarled and cursed in Japanese. He directed his bad language at Prida, turned, and started to storm out of the clearing while he could. Prida stared at Donny.
The metal star suddenly allowed gravity to reclaim it, and Donny grabbed his Bo again and jumped to his feet.
"Not so fast, coward," he spoke darkly, resuming an attack position.
The insult of that title made the ninja master stop and turn around. Prida started to wriggle again so suddenly that he dropped her and she scooted back. Shredder didn't seem to care; his glowering face was upon Donny.
Then, the ninja started to run at the turtle with incredible speed, and leapt into the air intending to crush this turtle's trachea before he hit the ground. They both fell towards the ground, and Shredder's hand found Donny's throat – but the turtle planted his feet in Shredder's abdomen and put force into his legs as he kicked the Shredder off and over him. The Shredder flew threw the air to the tree that a throwing star was embedded. Shredder landed painfully on this, and, with a groan, fell to the floor.
Donny and Prida looked at the now red metal spikes that stuck out of the tree, and walked forward to inspect the Shredder. But they jumped back at a loud crack, and the battered tree that Shredder was thrown on collapsed in half at the star point, and crushed the ninja on the ground.
"What a way to die," Donny shook his head. "Killed by a tree."
Prida walked up to him and looked down also. "And his own weapon."
They both stared a few seconds more before turning and trudging out of the clearing, only to be met, just before, by Leo, Mike, Casey and April.
"Hey, it's ove – " Donny started.
"Donny get out the way!" Leo cried, and drew his weapons. He and Mikey leapt forwards as someone behind Donny threw him aside. Donny landed with a thud and looked up with a gasp. The Shredder, acting like some wild animal on a rampage, was still alive.
"No – we – he was killed by that tr – " Donny said in disbelief. He jumped to his feet as Mikey stumbled back near him, and joined them both. Don ducked a blow, and then performed a back flip to evade Shredder's fists which seemed to be for him specially. As soon as he straightened he had not time for breath as Shredder was upon him like a rabid dog. The turtle in purple managed to block his fists with his Bo, but a back kick from Shredder sent him down on his shell, and if it wasn't for his brothers drawing Shredder's attention then he wouldn't have been able to back-roll out of the way of Shredder's stomp, and his head would be in serious pain.
"Whoa – ngh – what kinda steroids did this guy take, huh?" Mikey called as he was pushed back, hard, and landed against a tree trunk.
"Agh!" Leo cried as he lost a grip on one of his Katana, as Shredder's wild arm battered it out of his grasp. He was then kicked in the plastron and stumbled back.
Shredder grabbed Leo's free Katana and turned to Donny, who was aching from the last battle and was struggling to his feet. He held an arm defensively in front of him as Shredder raised the sword with a roar. Before he could bring it down there was a noise, and he froze in his position with the katana above his head. Donny looked down from the sword to see Leo, teeth gritted, gripping his other sword that was pushed through Shredder's stomach. Blood started to soak the area, and Shredder slowly lowered the sword, and dropped it. He staggered back as Leo pulled his sword free, and crumpled to the floor. His chest rose, and then fell, and then there were no more movements.
Leo, who was breathing heavily, stared down at the body of the enemy they had been fighting for so long. And now, finally, he was dead. The ground around him was starting to turn red with his blood, not to mention the other droplets of crimson from wounds other than Shredder's.
The silence was broken by Mikey. "You wanna make sure he's not faking it, ya know, he could –"
"He's dead, Mikey," Leo said, turning to his brother.
Mikey transferred his weight onto his other foot. "Yeah I knew that."
Leo smiled and shook his head. He picked up his other katana and replaced them both. He'd wipe the blood from his sword later, right now he was beginning to feel the victorious feeling he had wanted to experience in a long time.
"C'mon guys, I feel like a party," Leo said to the group.
"Yeah you're gonna get one soon, too," Mikey mumbled with a small grin. He then changed his expression to look happy for this victory.
Donny gave Prida a high three, and they grinned as April and Casey shared a hug.
"This is a day I sure won't be forgetting," Donny smiled as Leo helped him up. He watched as his brother fondly caught Mikey around the neck and gave him a side-hug. He thought he could go alone against the Shredder and live to tell? He thought right. Donny grinned as he put his arm around Prida's shoulders and he limped out of the clearing with his brothers and his friends.
()()()()
"Geez, where have you been, I didn't think it took this long to take stuff to April's and get back again," Raph started as soon as he saw them walk and limp in. "And what kinda scrap didn't Donny get in? Did you get anything to eat? I'm starving."
Leo groaned as they all traipsed down the stairs. Splinter, who was now in his armchair watching the afternoon news looked up and smiled. Leo returned it while Raph looked between them frowning.
Prida helped Donny onto the couch and then jogged into his lab after his first-aid kits he told her about. She returned with one and helped him clean up his head and any other wound.
"April, my child, I am so pleased to see you are alright," Splinter smiled as April and Casey sat down next to Donny.
Raph, who was in his own chair, scratched his head. "I really didn't think Prida could be that bad, what is she worst than we were?"
April laughed. "No Raph, no one could possibly be worse than you and your brothers. Thank you Master Splinter"
Meanwhile Mikey was walking around on one spot singing, and pumping his fists in the air while he did so. Leo laughed at him and disappeared into the dojo. He walked back out a second later stripped of his belt and weapons, and dropped into a bow in front of Splinter. The old rat knew what his son wished to tell him, and they all seemed to know that, yet he was going to say it anyway.
"Just what the hell is wrong with you?" Raph said slowly, seeing put-off by their reasonless happy attitudes.
"Listen to Leo," Prida looked up from patching a wound on Donny's arm, smiling. "He has news you just might wanna hear."
~