Disclaimer: I don't own the Ninja Turtles, and I never will, sadly. Don't sue me please.
a/n: I know I shouldn't be allowed to begin another story since I was so bad about the updates on my other one, which still isn't finished. However, this idea came to me, and I wanted to give it a shot. Hope you like it!
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It was a sunny day, that last day, and the sky was full of birds and insects. The springtime air was clear and fragrant, even in New York City. Somehow the smog had abated in the face of such a beautiful day. Winter had lifted its cold veil only recently, and that day was the first time the green grass had really shone brightly, opening up their cells to the sunlight, begging for life.
It was the type of day that gave the sensei a new level of peace. He could not imagine a better day to release his thoughts. Though he could not go to Central Park and enjoy nature, Splinter could feel the life emanating down to him.
Life in the sewers was not easy for the old rat; his bones felt the dampness, and his arthritis was getting worse. The winter had not been easy, and the cold had been biting. That day was the type to heal the wounds of winter, and Splinter was glad for it.
That day, that last day. It was the kind of day that one could forget, so easily did it float through the mind. But Splinter would not forget. He would never forget.
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"What's that?" Michelangelo's voice reached Splinter from the living room. Splinter heard it too; a faint rumbling, causing a bit of vibration in the back of his skull. He stood up from his woven meditation mat and strode across the room toward the door. He looked out into the living room and saw all four of his sons standing there, puzzled looks adorning their faces.
"Sensei," Leonardo said, worry evident in his voice, "Do you feel that? I think we're having an earthquake."
Before Splinter could respond, Donatello spoke, "It can't be an earthquake," the intelligent turtle looked contemplative, "It's too regular. Plus, I already checked the seismometer in my lab. The pattern wasn't like any earthquake I've ever seen."
"So, what is it?" Raphael's voice registered impatience. Donatello shrugged.
"Relax, my sons," Splinter said, striding into the room, his approach emanating confidence and providing a contrast to the worry felt by the turtles. "Worry will get us nowhere. We must investigate this phenomenon with a level head."
Leonardo bowed, ever respectful, "Yes master. We'll go topside and have a look."
Splinter nodded. "Go, but be cautious."
The four turtles bowed to their sensei and quickly prepared to leave. Each turtle grabbed his weapons, and Donatello made sure to grab his trusty duffel. Then, as a team, they ran out of the lair. Splinter watched them leave, and as he did, he felt an ominous barb in the back of his mind; an idea that suggested his sons would have trouble with their task.
Splinter sighed and returned to his meditation room. He often felt worried when his sons went topside, so this feeling could just be more of the same. Splinter sat down and took a deep, cleansing breath. He then reached over to the table which sat next to his mat; sitting on top of it was a cellular phone. Splinter grabbed onto the phone and moved it to the floor next to his mat. If his sons got into trouble, they would most certainly call.
The rumbling continued, but Splinter turned his mind inward, avoiding what was simply a nuisance to his meditation. He relaxed his mind, took a deep breath, and continued where he had left off before the rumbling began.
As Splinter meditated, the rumbling began to grow gradually more intense. He noticed, and began to worry about his sons. Suddenly, he was startled out of his meditation by the ringing of a phone. Splinter grabbed the cell phone sitting next to him and turned it on quickly, but there was no answer. The rumbling could be heard as well as felt by this point, and Splinter's ominous feeling increased.
He walked out into the living room, still clutching the cell phone. Splinter could feel the rumbling beneath his feet now, and it was intensifying by the second. He began to hurry toward one of the tunnel archways, fearing a collapse should the rumbling get worse. As he did this, the floor cracked beneath his feet. Splinter stumbled, narrowly avoiding a piece of rubble that had been dislodge from the ceiling. A loud bang resonated throughout the lair, and Splinter fell to the floor. Stone and dust filled the chamber as the ceiling caved in. Splinter made it to the archway just in time to avoid being crushed, but he was quickly surrounded by stone. He felt his arms being pinned to their sides, and he cried out in pain as his foot and tail were smashed beneath falling stone. All Splinter could do was close his eyes and ride out the collapse. His breath caught in his throat as dust entered his lungs and threatened to suffocate him.
Then, as quickly as the catastrophe had happened, it was over. The rumbling had stopped, and Splinter found himself looking up toward a dusty blue sky. He was up to his neck in rubble, and he could see that most of the tunnel that he and his family had called home was now collapsed. He could see the edges of the broke street up above him; some of the sewers in the immediate area had not caved in.
Splinter began to struggle to get free, but he was stuck soundly. He could only hope that his sons would return to help him. Minutes passed slowly, and Splinter found solace once again in meditation. Soon, the sound of footsteps crunching through the broken concrete approached from behind Splinter's head. He listened carefully to the cadence of the steps, but was rather confused by them. Before Splinter had a chance to analyze them further, a large boot smashed down into the rock directly in front of his nose.
Splinter looked up quickly, alarmed. What he saw was something he never could have imagined. Standing above him was a large, somewhat spindly creature. It was bipedal, but only partially so. In fact, Splinter surmised that this creature was nearly as comfortable on four legs as it was on two. It had three fingers on each of it's hands, and each hand was covered with an elaborate glove with tremendous claws extending from the fingertips. The creature's arms were exposed, and they were covered in a rather vibrant red fur, which glistened in the afternoon sunlight. It was wearing thick combat boots with metal trim, as well as some very elaborate battle armor, which covered the front of its legs and torso. There were many metallic panels on the armor, which shined with an oily black light. Splinter's eyes traveled up to the creature's face next, which was rather odd looking, even to a mutant rat. The creature had a snout which jutted out several inches beyond its face. Its nostrils were somewhat like those of a rhinocerous, and it had a tremendous under bite. The top of the creature's head was covered with an oily black helmet, but Splinter could see its eyes beneath a glass shield. They were vibrant blue and they were looking right at him.
The creature said something that sounded to Splinter like rocks grinding, and then reached a spindly arm towards Splinter. The rat braced himself, seeing the deadly claws heading right for his neck. Then, the claws detracted into the strange creature's elaborate gloves, and it's hand wound around Splinter's neck. He struggled, but the creature was strong. It began pulling forcefully, and Splinter could feel his air supply abruptly cut off. He spluttered and struggled, but the creature ignored him. Instead it gave a heave, and Splinter's body was freed from the rubble.
The creature put Splinter down, and the shaken sensei rubbed at his neck, checking for damage. He could barely stand on his smashed foot, and Splinter feared that it and his tail were broken. He looked up at the creature, wanting to offer it thanks for the rescue, but not knowing how. This thought was squelched immediately as the creature thrust its fist toward Splinter's stomach. Splinter attempted to evade, but the creature's intentions had not been to punch him. Instead, the elaborate glove emitted a substantial electric shock directly into Splinter's side. The rat could feel the electricity surging through him, and then, he fell to his knees. The world began to appear as a tunnel, and Splinter's last thought before surrendering to unconsciousness was an intense unwavering concern for the safety of his sons.
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