"We must protect Gabby!" Don commanded.

Raph pushed his daughter down, telling her, "Do not stand up under any circumstances, Gabby. Do exactly as we tell you. Do you understand?"

As she looked up at her father wide-eyed and frightened, Gabby nodded her head obediently. Raph could see the abject fear on her face, but he smiled to encourage her. He was relieved when she returned the expression.

"Good. Now, remember your training and be brave!" he told her.

Then Raphael and his brothers turned to face the attack. Both his and his brothers' shells were turned inwards to protect Gabby, keeping her safe in the center. If they held their ground, it would be impossible for any harm to come to her.

Seth and Devon stood between their fathers and uncles and the onslaught of ninjas. The young reptilian warriors knew that they alone would be meeting the initial volley. The other group would be busy protecting Gabby. The turtles would only become involved if any of the intruders managed to get through the first line of defense.

Seth had Don's bo and he wondered what his uncle would be using. He turned quickly to find that Leo had given his uncle one of his katanas. It would be enough. Don was just as skilled as Leo was with the weapon.

"Devon, what do you have?" Seth asked quickly.

Devon pulled out a short sword from behind him, "I think this will do. Brought it up with me when I thought you needed my help. Looks like you do." He smirked but just the same, Devon looked uncertain.

"Hey, this is serious stuff, Dev. Get your head on straight!" Seth commanded.

"Our first sortie, Bro. I've never drawn blood before – other than yours and that was accidental!" he replied nervously.

"I know; but remember your training. This is to protect, not to harm if we can help it. Gabby has to be kept safe! We need to disarm them first, if we can." Seth reminded him between clenched teeth.

"Right." was all Devon said.

Then the two of them faced the stream of warriors.

*****

The first ninja that had challenged Seth earlier was well off to one side. As the group of warriors barreled down the hill towards Seth and his group, he was stunned to immobility. This was completely unexpected.

He looked over at the tight circle of turtles and noticed the one with the jacket had an expression of pure hate. Don locked eyes with the ninja. The turtle scowled menacingly. It was obvious that he believed the ninja was responsible for the current situation.

The ninja shook his head and put his hands up, indicating that he was just as surprised. But, when he saw Don slowly shake his head and the expression on his face become even more lethal, the warrior knew that he was not believed. This was not good.

Debating about what to do next, he took up his bo and quickly, but carefully aligned himself with Seth. He kept a safe distance away in case his young ex-combatant felt as Don did. But when Seth turned quickly towards him, the ninja bowed his head to indicate his allegiance. Seth hesitated and then did the same, accepting the help.

"NO!" Don yelled, "Seth, do not trust her. She lied to me!"

"Who…." But before Seth could ask what Don was talking about, he was forced into his first engagement.

With their short knives in hand, the first three ninjas came at Seth with a vengeance. But, with help from Devon he effectively and quickly dispatched them and their weapons. The attackers were knocked unconscious to the forest floor, felled by well practiced kicks and jabs. Their knives were then scattered among the pine needles, useless. Both Seth and Devon were taught to only draw blood when all else failed. It was easier to explain to the authorities if all the intruders received were a knot on the head or a busted rib.

Their new comrade-in-arms swiftly dealt with the next two, taking out both so quickly they were down before anyone had noticed. Despite how tired he was previously, this new threat had energized him.

Now the remaining ten ninjas slowed their assault. Seeing how easily their three compatriots were taken down, it brought a sense of caution to their plans. They fanned out and then stopped. They were sizing up their intended target. It wasn't the lone ninja and neither was it Seth and Devon. They were eyeing the tight group of turtles at the other end of the battle scene.

Suddenly, another wave of black-clad intruders came around the lower end of the hill where Don and his brothers were. This group positioned themselves around one end where Gabby was being protected. Don counted ten in all. He noticed that they carried long swords and this meant that things were becoming a little more serious. He knew they were trying to surround his family and confuse or distract them.

"Oh, man. What's this all about anyway?" Mike seethed. "I thought all of this was over and done years ago."

He was quite concerned. Not so much for their situation but for what might be happening back at the house. He knew that Gaele was well trained. However, with her job back east she had probably not kept herself sharp. The fact that Don had virtually stripped her of all ninja status had more than likely affected her attitude about such matters. He could only hope that her lifelong skills would kick in. If not, then he knew Rahab would herd everyone down to the gym and then further down to the escape garage. Right now, though, he had only one mission – to protect Gabby.

"Under no circumstances do we break our wall of defense." Don ordered. "We protect Gabby at all cost." He demanded.

Gabby sat huddled on the ground. As she peered through the narrow gaps in the 'turtle' wall, she could see some of the ninjas that were facing off with her father and uncles. She was frightened and fascinated all at the same time. Gabby was thinking a great deal about what her father had said about remembering her training. She was going over everything that she had learned since starting her training in late September. Though she was on leave due because of her pregnancy, Gabby felt capable of defending herself if it came right down to it. But in all honesty she was hoping she wouldn't have to.



Without warning, the twenty ninjas began their attack. The first ten drew out their swords and came upon Seth, Devon, and the other ninja. Seth deflected two attackers, whipping his bo around, connecting hard, and then sending his assailants flying off to one side. They landed in a heap and in the next instant they felt the full force of the bo across them. They groaned in unison, unable to get up.

Devon took on three at one time. His sword kept one attacker from following through with a swift jab, while his tail upended the other two. He leaped up and did a tornado kick, effectively taking out the one whose sword was now displaced from his hand. That one was finished off with an uppercut to the head by a swift well aimed slap of Devon's tail.

Five more remained. They held back to observe their next opening, watching Seth and Devon. The other ninja waited, as well but off to one side.

At the other end of the forest arena, Don successfully removed the swords from two quickly advancing warriors with his own. He used the flat of his sword to trip them and then side-kicked the ninjas unconscious. He swiftly resumed his position of shielding Gabby before any of the attackers could get through.

Leo and Mike each disabled an attacker with Raph doing likewise, totaling to three that were now out of the fight. Raph's sais kept the sword his adversary was using from inflicting any harm. He soon twisted the weapon out of the assailant's hand and tossing the now useless tool far to one side. He then kicked the warrior fiercely and sent him flying ten feet away. He landed hard to the forest floor. The ninja remained inert.

Now there were two groups of five warriors separated with only ten yards between them. They stopped their advances and stood like sentries, as if they were waiting for specific orders.

Suddenly, and much to the surprise of Don and the others, their enemies turned swiftly around to face in the opposite direction. The moment they did so one of them threw something towards the turtles and the others and then shielded their eyes. Instantly a blinding flash erupted, causing Don and his brothers to quickly close their eyes. But it was too late. It was a small flash bomb and its sole intent was to blind them.

It worked.

Devon and Seth tried to cover their eyes as well, but they felt the sting of the flash. Soon they couldn't see a thing. Immediately, they heard a loud shout and knew their attackers were coming upon them.

"Fan out, Devon!" Seth ordered. "We can't see. Put as much room between us as we can." He knew he was too close to his brother. The fact that they were now temporarily blinded by the bright light would make it too easy to injure or kill one another.

Devon shouted that he would take the right. Seth moved quickly to the left and started swinging his bo around to deflect any other attack.

The other ninja had shielded his eyes before the flash. It was just luck that he saw the projectile an instant before it exploded. He kept his distance from the other two as they wielded their weapons around frantically. By his observation, these two young warriors were inexperienced with such a situation. He moved in to assist but kept his distance. The ninja shouted to them where he would be positioned.

To Seth, the voice sounded a bit off. He wondered what was wrong with it.

However, Don and his brothers had not seen the projectile until it was too late. They were now blinded to the advancing assault by the five intruders who were at their end of the battle field. Don could sense they were closing in fast. He quickly and quietly told Gabby, "If you become exposed and we are unable to protect you, I want you to run, Gabby! Get back to the house if you are able and barricade yourself in the cottage. It is virtually impenetrable." Using his foot he shoved one of the fallen swords towards her, "Take the sword and do not hesitate to use it!"

Gabby took the sword in her hand. It was heavy, but manageable. Her training so far had not included the katana sword, but she did remember the DVD's and Leo's exercise with it. She thought about what her uncle had told her, but she knew she couldn't comply with his request. Not with Seth out here fighting. She was aware that her skills were not even close to being on par with her father and uncles. But she knew she could hold her own if pressed to do so. Gabby was determined she would not run.

Mike was the first to be drawn away. Because his weapon needed more room to work, he was unable to effectively use them in the tight circle. Without warning his nunchuks were suddenly ripped out of his hands as he tried to sense where his attackers were. All he could see were spots and echoes of trees in his sight. He kicked out and used hand-to-hand defense. Hearing a sword as it cut through the air towards him, Mike quickly turned around to deflect its power. The metal grated along his rock hard shell and bounced back to its owner. However, Mike soon felt the sting of another sword as it met the flesh of his arm. Blood squirted out like a geyser as the main artery was nicked. He uttered a muted cry as he grabbed his injured arm. But he deflected the next volley with a well executed kick to his assailant's legs, dropping the ninja hard to the forest floor. However, Mike knew the artery was still gushing blood. The more he exerted himself, the more it would bleed. Unless there was someway to stem the flow, he knew that he could die. He declared himself out of the fight, "KEGANIN!" He didn't know if he would be ignored by the assailants or if their intent was to kill him and the others. He rolled towards Gabby to at least be a barrier between her and the assault.

Gabby was not blinded by the flash bomb since her father and uncles had virtually shielded her from the initial explosion. Seeing her wounded uncle, Gabby quickly grabbed Mike and pulled him towards her. Gripping his arm tightly, she tried to apply pressure to his wound to stop the bleeding. Unable to do so, she asked him,

"Do you have any kind of leather that I can use as a tourniquet?" Gabby noticed that the other ninjas were focusing on the remaining three turtles, ignoring her for the moment.

"Use my belt." He said weakly. The blood loss was getting worse.

Gabby quickly unbuckled Mike's utility belt and wrapped it around his arm. It was bulkier than she would have preferred, but it did stop the flow. However, Mike had lost too much blood from his wound. He suddenly passed out. Gabby could only cradle his head in her lap. She felt hot tears escape down her face involuntarily, but she shook her head and focused on keeping her uncle alive. She secured the tourniquet and then sat there on the forest floor holding him.

Gabby was shocked to see so much blood, but the fact that it was her uncle's forced her to deal with it. She shuddered from the stress of so much happening at once. But in that instant as she watched her father and uncles fight to protect her and as she cradled Mike who was willing to die for her, Gabriella finally understood what it meant to be ninja. It was a moment of clarity and it shook her to her very core.

Don, Leo and Raph pulled in closer to make up for Mike's absence. They didn't know what was going on, but they did hear their brother's frantic concession. They knew it was serious. Mike would not call out the way he did unless his injury was life threatening.

They couldn't see anything, but years of training in the dark kept them more lethal than they would have been otherwise. They had to protect Gabby.

Raph was working his sais and taking care of another sword when he was knocked off balance. He swore but recovered immediately. Lashing out with his fist full of his favorite weapon, he next felt his arm receive a powerful blow from his right. The instant he felt the hit he knew. It was the arm that had been previously broken in his beating only three months prior. He grimaced from the pain and realized he would be requiring a cast once again. Then, in the next moment his feet were knocked out from under him. As he fell, all he could think about was of Gabby. He did manage to lash out with the other sai and connect with soft tissue. Hearing a groan, Raph smirked in satisfaction. But he knew that until his sight returned, he was going to be at a disadvantage with only one working arm.

Don didn't know where the tide had turned. For that matter, where was the edge he used to have? This was going through his mind as he tried to blink away the blindness the flash bomb had caused. He heard Mike call out that he was injured. Don knew that Mike would not make such a declaration without it being life threatening. He was very concerned. At first it was for Gabby but now he worried for his fallen brother. He then felt the concussion of Raph hitting the ground and that alarmed him even more. About the time his sight was starting to recover, he felt a painful hit to his leg as one lucky ninja managed to dip low and inside with his sword. Don swung down with his weapon instinctively and felt the blade slice through, then momentarily finding resistance, and then continuing on. Though Don could not see it, years of experience told him where he had connected. The ninja's head rolled away from the group and the body crumpling into a heap. Don collapsed as his leg gave out. It was broken and bleeding. Fortunately, though, the main artery was still intact.

Gabby saw her father and Don both collapse to the forest floor. She was now exposed on three sides. She held her sword up in defense but found to her amazement that the ninjas were ignoring her and putting their full force onto Leo. It was apparent to her that their goal was to disable her protectors – and then to get at her.

She was determined not to be taken.

Leo was the only one left standing. Raph was trying to recover but three ninjas were coming at him, forcing him to remain on the ground. He sensed them from where he sat and deflected them with his one sai while Leo fought furiously over him with his sword. If it weren't for protecting his niece, Leo would have advanced upon his attackers. Now, with three down and virtually out of action, he alone would have to do the deed.

Seth and Devon were having better luck at their end. Only two other ninjas were left standing. The others were unconscious or wounded. Felled by Devon's sword one might have been dead for he lay quite still.

There wasn't any way for Seth or Devon to know what was happening with the other group. They were still struggling to regain their sight. They had heard Mike call out in Japanese that he was wounded; the clan sign that meant one was no longer a viable strength. That worried them a great deal. Then, when they heard Don and then Raph groan, they knew that things were starting to go down hill in a hurry.

Devon was suddenly blind-sided by a round house kick from the two remaining ninjas. The attackers were now focusing on one reptile at a time. With their targets still affected by the flash bomb they could focus on just one until he was disabled. Devon felt the force of their advance and used every available means to thwart their effort. His vision was starting to improve, but it was still dicey at best. He worked furiously to deflect their advances, but with his impaired sight it was proving a bigger challenge than he was ready for.

Seth felt the pressure of the attack switch over to Devon. He still couldn't see. Other than what he heard and sensed, he was literally useless. He berated himself for not taking advantage of training in the dark that the gymnasium afforded. He vowed right then and there that if they survived this battle he was going to make it a weekly exercise. He silently thanked his uncle for forcing him down into the gym everyday for the past several weeks.

The first ninja saw the focus of the attack change over to Devon. He called out, "I'm coming up behind you, Devon. To your right! "He swung around with his bo and managed to knock the sword from the assailant's hand. Just as quickly he brought his weapon up and down across the other's shoulders, forcing the combatant to his knees. Immediately, he swung the bo around sharply, connecting across the intruder's head and knocking him senseless.

In that same moment, however, Devon stepped unaware towards the crumbling body of the now unconscious ninja. He stumbled over the form and crashed on top of him. The sword that the ninja was still holding sliced through Devon's side. It elicited a surprised cry of pain from the young fighter. Devon was now down, impaled by the weapon.

The first ninja was over by Devon in an instant to protect him from further attacks. But the second warrior arrived at the same time. The two fighters clashed their weapons together as they met at midpoint simultaneously. The bo held the sword at bay as the two ninjas battled together. But even though the first ninja had a resurgence of energy, he was still taxed from his wound suffered earlier by Seth. His opponent was fresher and therefore faster on the returns. It was apparent that his stamina was waning. He growled in frustration as he tried to meet each challenge from the other. Finally, in a miscalculation of the next intent, he felt his opponent's sword pierce his already compromised shoulder, breaking the cartilage and rendering the arm useless. Trying to fend off yet another set of attacks from his assailant, he momentarily lost his balance and stumbled forward. It was just enough. His attacker grabbed the face mask and pulled him further forward, raising his sword to decapitate him.

Seth had heard his brother cry out. But his blindness kept him from knowing where exactly to go. Then, he heard his other compatriot cry out. The voice did not sound like a man's at all. It caused him to wonder who exactly this fighter was.



Back at the other group, Gabby asked Don quickly if he could tend to Mike.

"Yes, by all means. You need to run, Gabby. Run like you've never run before, my dear! You must protect your child!" Don implored deeply, locking eyes onto his niece. Pain was etched on his face, but he tried to conceal it. Gabby wasn't fooled.

"I have no intentions of running, Uncle!" and she stood with her sword held at the ready, defiant to any further attack.

"NO!" he yelled out to her, but she wasn't listening.

As soon as Gabby stood up and as soon as Don yelled at her, Leo was momentarily distracted. He was tired but still keeping the other three at bay. They were skilled warriors; obviously well trained and experienced. If not for that he would have dispatched them long before now. They were also younger; moving faster with each volley Leo would counter with. However the moment Leo noticed that Gabby was not running away but had taken up the sword, he turned to tell her not to join the fight.

As Leo called out to Gabby, one ninja saw his opening and took it like a seasoned warrior. He hit Leo's sword just right and sent it flying back over the turtle's head and off to one side. Leo desperately jumped back to put as much room between himself and his attacker. He realized that in doing so he would leave Gabby completely unprotected. But it couldn't be helped. His vision was still fuzzy and until it was restored he had to keep himself alive the best way he could. If he didn't then all could be lost.

Gabby stood defiant in the midst of her fallen and unarmed or injured family. The ninjas stood back and watched her. One of them laughed derisively as if to mock her. She slowly raised her sword, remembering the posture that Leo demonstrated on the DVD's. She remembered her own training, applying all of that to the moment at hand. She glared lethally at her competition, crouching down and balancing her position. She was ready to receive their attack.

The first one nodded and quickly jumped towards her. Gabby swiftly leaped over Raphael and turned completely around in mid-air. She swung her sword out and met the other's sword at midpoint. He was surprised. It occurred to her that they believed she, too, was blinded. In that instant she did not let them digest that realization. She leaped up and executed another perfect three-sixty. Her round-house kick surprised the ninja as he felt the force of her rebuttal. Just like the punching bag down in the gym had reacted to Gabby's strength, this warrior reacted no differently. He groaned painfully as his body was forced up into the air and then he fell limply to the ground, out cold.

Now there was one down and just two to go!