In Hand and Foot

By Michael Weyer

Ugh, so sorry for long delay, combo writer's block, other fics and personal stuff (including a stint with Covid) but trying to get this back on track.

Jessica had gotten used to some weird shit in her life. It came with the territory in this world, especially the last few months. Still, watching as a giant talking turtle and a gargoyle worked together on some tech equipment was pushing the limits of what one could witness without inhaling a lot of vodka first.

Adding to it was the fact Lexington was hanging upside down with his tail attached to a ceiling fan. He claimed it helped his concentration but it was making Jessica more ill at ease than usual. It wasn't helped by glancing over to see Michaelangelo and Brooklyn seemingly in a contest to see who could eat the large sausage pizza the fastest.

She tensed at the shadow falling over her and looked up to see Goliath looking her over. "I am aware we are...unusual," he began in a surprisingly warm tone. "Yet be assured, we only dispense our violence on those who deserve it."

"Depends how you view deserve, I guess," Jessica mused. "I killed a guy once who deserved it. Not sure it made it right."

"Perhaps," Goliath allowed. "Yet you still attempt to do the right thing. That should say a lot of you, Ms. Jones."

She scoffed. "I'm no hero, pal. Trust me on that. Just a gal doing her job."

"I know someone like you on our Earth," Goliath stated. "She thinks much the same when she does what is right for the world. I believe you have that same spirit."

Jessica shook her head. "Not sure who your friend is, buddy, but I'm not her."

"Perhaps...or perhaps you're more alike than you believe." He moved off with Jessica musing on his words. Goliath was moving to where Daredevil sat, trying to center himself. As someone who "saw" the world through the echoes of his radar senses, he was trying to get a handle on the shapes of the Gargoyles which were so much different than regular humans. As it happened, his face was turned in Elektra's direction even if he couldn't see her.

"You have a history," Goliath said in a voice surprisingly soft for its deep tone. "I can see that."

"It's...complicated," Matt replied. "We were in love and later she tried to kill me. I doubt you'd understand."

Goliath's lips turned upward slightly. "You would be very surprised..."

The Punisher was doing what he did best to handle situations like this, cleaning and checking over his weapons. He felt a glare at his shoulder and looked to where Hudson was glaring at him. "Got a problem?"

"We don't like guns," the eldest gargoyle stated. "Especially Broadway."

"Gets the job done," the Punisher replied. "I'm in a world of folks with super powers and crazy costumes. I need an edge and this is it. Besides, these guys die as easy as anyone with bullets in them."

Hudson just kept up his glare. "Never rely only on your weapons, boy. I've learned that one the hard way." He waved at his scarred eye.

"Yeah, I'm going to keep with them," Castle stated. He checked a rifle, nodding in appreciation of the weight. Hudson kept studying him. "I know someone who does what they do for vengeance, lad," he said in a soft tone.

"I prefer to think of it as justice," Castle fired back.

"Aye, we know a man like that," Hudson noted. "Who convinced himself he was fighting for justice but it became a revenge that consumed him for centuries. Didn't end well for him, either." He leaned in to focus on Castle. "Just remember the old saying on digging two graves. It's an easy way to lose your soul."

The Punisher grunted. "Whatever value my soul had died with my family." He returned to his weapons as Hudson gave him a look bordering on pity.

Jessica was moving to a table where Trish sat. "How you handling?" she asked. "I know, it's nuts, even for me."

"I guess okay," Trish allowed. As Jessica sat next to her, Trish was silent before speaking. "I know you said we cleared the air and all but...I still feel like I'm making up for stuff."

Jessica sighed. "Trish, I was too judgmental on what you did. I had no room to talk, not after Kilgrave..."

"No, no, you were right," Trish said to her surprise. "I was crossing the line, letting the push of my powers get to me. Convincing myself I was doing the right thing."

"That's how it starts a lot," Jessica mused. "Tell yourself you're doing the right thing and what lines you cross are worth it."

Trish looked at her, then over to Luke near a corner then back to Jessica. "We still talking about me?"

Jessica smirked. "Yes, we are. Although I gave a version of this to Luke." She leaned in. "Trish, listen, when you got dusted...of all the losses, that hurt the most. So, I'm happy enough having you back that I don't want to get back into the shit between us. Try to have a clean slate, right?"

"Thanks." Trish smiled back. She looked to where the Turtles and the Gargoyles were talking. "I still cannot believe we're in the middle of this."

"You get used to it." The two turned to see April join them by the table. "I was just your typical reporter looking at a scoop. Next thing I know, I'm meeting the gang and in the middle of this insane world." She sat next to them. "I had to toughen up a lot. I used to be the damsel in distress kidnapped literally once a week but got way tired of that. It's wild but I'm used to it."

Jessica sipped at her drink. "You're takin this better than I expected. The whole cross-dimensional thing."

April smiled. "Trust me, when you hang with these guys and see what they do, you roll with a lot." She shrugged. "Hell, wouldn't be shocked there's version of us in other worlds, probably some differences but like to think mostly the same."

"Last thing I want to imagine is another me," Jessica mused. "Especially one who actually did try to be a hero."

Trish rolled her eyes. "Oh, I hate to think there's a version of me that actually tried that Hellcat costume."

"That was a bad look," Jessica agreed.

April chuckled as she went on. "Point is, as nuts as these guys can be...they're good at what they do. They want to help others. Hell, they're better than most humans I've met, that's a big point in their favor."

"Still seems weird," Jessica noted.

"I think it's when you really accept it that it gets bad," April related with the pair agreeing.

Trish looked over at Casey, then to April. "So, are you and he..."

April smiled. "He's a good guy under the seemingly lunkheaded jock persona. It works or we try to even if it gets complicated." She laughed. "It says a lot that the most normal part of my life is dating a street vigilante."

Trish smiled to Jessica. "Puts your love life in perspective."

"At least I've gotten laid in the last year," Jessica teased as Trish gave her a smack on the arm.

Broadway was munching on some pizza when he became aware of Tippytoe looking up at him. He tore a small piece off to offer it to the squirrel, who seemed to regard it before shaking its head.

"Sorry," Doreen intoned. "He's on a diet." The squirrel chirped at her as she wagged a finger at him. "Yes, you are, don't forget it!"

Broadway chuckled. "Ah, animals can be nicer than humans most of the time."

"Agreed on that," Doreen said. She looked at Broadway. "So, more of your guys in your world?"

"A few," Broadway said. "More than we thought we had at one point, which is good." He chewed on his food. "I used to take it too lightly once but...well, dusted and back made me realize time to grow up a bit."

Doreen rubbed his shoulder. "Ya strike me as a good guy. Embrace that more than the whole big monster thing. Not that you're a monster, just the look is a bit rough, ya know?"

"Ah, used to it," he brushed off.

Leonardo looked around. "Anyone seen Raph?"

"You know him," Donatello pointed out.

On the rooftop, a green-skinned figure paced about the area. Raphael was flipping his sais over in his hands as he looked out at the city. He felt a presence as Brooklyn moved next to him, looking the Turtle over. "Getting antsy, huh?" he asked. "I know the feeling."

"Never been one for staying still," Raphael confirmed. "Just wanna get out there, I'm more natural busting heads."

"Been there," Brooklyn agreed. "But I also know just what kind of mess you can cause jumping into things with no plan whatsoever. That's gotten me in trouble a lot of times."

Raphael mused on it as he looked Brooklyn over. "You're young, right? I mean, I don't know how you guys age but..."

"In our terms...yeah, guess could say was a teenager when we got hit by the curse," Brooklyn confirmed. "Actually pretty much blind luck we survived when a lot of our clan didn't."

"It's how it is," Raphael agreed. He looked out at the city, tapping a sai to his chin. "This place is...odd."

"I know," Brooklyn said. "It's a lot like our New York, but a lot of it so different. You get a different feel when you fly above it, see it from the skies." He looked at the skyline, frowning. "Huh, didn't realize no World Trade Center here..."

Raphael winced. "Yeah, think a few Earths, it met a...nasty end."

Brooklyn looked harder. "Weird thing, that Avengers Tower? That's right where Xantaos' building and our castle is on our world."

"Yeah, but ya know the crazy thing?"

"What?"

"All the differences and everything between our New Yorks...and somehow Phantom is still playing on Broadway." That got a chuckle from the Gargoyle.

Raphael mused on that before speaking again. "Ya know how tempting it is to get out there now? Try hunting down the Foot?"

"Oh, buddy, not that long ago, I'd be leading you," Brooklyn agreed. "Still, you get turned to dust and back..."

"Adjusts your thinking," Raphael said. He leaned on the roof wall as he thought about his next words. "These guys are your family, right?"

"They are. It's a little more complex but yeah, we're a clan."

"Hold on to them," Raphael said in a tone softer than usual. "I mean it. I get rough with Leo a lot, a few times it's gotten ugly but end of the day...family is family."

Brooklyn snorted. "You sound like a Fast and Furious movie."

"Aw, man, you have those too? Those are so damn awesome."

"Ah, some are fun. Driving a car can be cool."

Raphael frowned. "Hold up...you can fly and you like driving?"

"Can't go that fast in the air, much as I want to."

"See, I keep asking Donnie to put rockets on the blimp but he refuses."

"Dude, you have a blimp? I thought you lived in sewers!"

"They're very roomy."

"Dammit," Lexington muttered as the computer let out a slow beep. "Still nothing. This thing just isn't doing the job."

"Hold on, let me try." Doreen leaned over to start clicking on several keys, the screen flashing as the scanning began to strengthen. "See, you just needed a little signal boost is all."

She saw the surprised looks of the pair and shrugged. "I'm majoring in computer science."

The pair frowned. "Wait...nothing to do with animals?" Michelangelo asked.

Doreen looked put out by the question. "I'm Squirrel Girl, I'm not Failing in Achievement Across Distributed Data Systems Girl!"

Luke was pacing as he talked on the phone. "Listen, just keep the ears to the ground, I'll pay top dollar for any info on these guys...No, I do not want anyone 'leaned on', and who the hell do you think I am, a 1930s movie gangster? No, just reach out to contacts and press to get on it, ok?"

He hung up, sighing as he turned to see Elektra gazing at him. "Don't start with me, ok?"

She smiled thinly. "If you expect me to be judging you, don't worry. I've had to make my own poor choices in the past. I know the dark paths one takes." The smile faded. "And I know how easy it can be to be pulled off it for what you think are the right reasons."

Luke was silent for a moment. "I keep saying it's not me, someone worse takes over. I believe it, I do." He sighed. "Sometimes, I'm wondering if I'm just trying to convince myself more than anyone else."

Elektra nodded. "As I said, it's easy to fall on the wrong path but think you're still in the right. I know that very well."

"Justifications are easy." They saw Goliath coming forward, the elder Gargoyle's face lined. "I've seen it more than enough times, in both humans and my kind. Amazing how they share the trait of wrapping up what they do in what they think is right to excuse their actions."

Luke felt as disconcerted as anyone against this winged creature but still held his ground. "You don't know me. You don't know what I've been through."

"I know a man trying to do the right thing against huge odds," Goliath stated. "I've known men like that before. Some are able to succeed but others..." He paused to let the meaning of his words sink in. "You're right. I don't know you, this isn't my world so I won't fully judge." He leaned in to look Luke in the eye. "But listen to the people warning you of dangers, Mr. Cage. That's the only way to avoid the fall in front of you."

He moved off as Luke looked to Elektra. "I'm getting therapy advice from a talking statue. This is my life."

Colleen moved to where Misty was keeping an eye on Luke. "You okay?" she softly asked. "I know you two have a history."

"Yeah," the cop sighed. "It's complicated."

"Still figuring how much is you caring for him?" Colleen smiled as she glanced toward Danny. "I know the feeling."

Misty leaned back on the table and let out a sigh. "Sometimes, I wonder why the hell I keep doing this. The job gets crazier, it feels like we're barely making a dent, guys like Fisk keep slipping through the cracks and I spend more time with red tape than solving crimes."

Colleen raised an eyebrow. "Thinking of quitting? Hey, Jessica could always use a partner."

Misty snorted. "We'd kill each other in a week." She shrugged. "But now and then, I do think maybe getting out from the mess and try to do something outside the system."

Colleen mused on that. "Look, it's your choice but personally, I think you can do more trying to change things from inside than from out. Costing the NYPD a good cop isn't going to make things better, Misty. It's tough but some authority on our side can be good out there."

Misty smiled. "Thanks, Colleen." She nodded to the swords. "Still hard to see you as the Iron Fist."

Colleen smiled. "I think even the oldest traditions need a shakeup now and then." Her friend laughed at that.

There was a knock at the door as everyone stiffened. Matt held up a hand, having already heard the heartbeat. "It's okay. I called her." He opened the door to allow Claire Temple to enter. The attractive black-skinned nurse nodded, clad in her normal jeans and sweater, carrying a large box in her hands. "Hey, got the text and..." She stopped as she took in the Turtles and the Gargoyles.

"Run," Jessica said in a flat tone. "Run now, run fast, get out of this while you can."

"Hi," Broadway said with a friendly wave with Michaelangelo joining in.

Claire closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them. "Okay...okay, I can handle this. It's tough but I can handle this." She moved in, placing down the box to remove a small bag. "Got some supplies you needed and now I totally get why you insisted on the largest bandages I had."

"Thanks," Matt said as Casey went through the supplies. "Hey, Casey Jones."

"Claire Temple," she introduced herself.

"So...just what do you do?"

"I'm a nurse."

"Oh...so...no super healing powers or anything?"

" I wish," Claire snorted. "No, just a normal gal in an often abnormal world."

"Relate."

Leonardo smirked. "You weren't really that normal, Casey."

Claire looked to where Donatello and Lexington were working on the computers. "This is...an interesting group, Matt."

"I'm taking your word on how they look," Matt stated. He paused. "How's Karen?"

Claire sighed. "Handling best she can. Still damn shaken by what happened, blaming herself for everyone dying when she was the main target."

"Sounds familiar," Colleen noted as she looked at Matt. He naturally didn't seem to notice as he nodded to Claire. "Good...Just have to check on her later. Right now, we've got a bigger issue than Fisk."

"How big?"

"Freaking invasion from another world big," Jessica said.

"Ah, yeah. Might take up on the offer to run after all."

A beeping sound echoed as Michaelangelo sat up by the computer. "Okay, think we got a hit!"

Lexington peered over his shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, that looks good!" He pointed a claw at a map showing on the screen. "The energy forming in that area is getting stronger."

Michaelangelo made a few clicks on the keys to bring up the information on the spot. "Power station for that Roxxon company. Shredder must be using it to try and power some portal for Krang."

"How far?" Goliath barked.

"About seven miles."

Goliath glanced at the clock to do some calculations. "All right...we need to use the medallion Puck gave us."

Hudson frowned. "You know the charges will be low."

"Yes, but we can't risk not being able to stop this before the sun comes up," Goliath intoned. "Turning to stone in the middle of the fight won't do anyone any good."

Brooklyn shook his head. "Goliath, we're putting trust in Puck. You know that never works well."

"Desperate times, my friend," his leader noted.

"Who's this Puck guy anyhow?" Trish asked.

"Ah, annoying fairy," Broadway said.

Trish frowned. "That's a bit un-PC. I get it, you guys are from a different time but..."

"No, no, he's literally a fairy. As in from Mid-Summer's Night Dream?"

Trish took that in with a nod. "Okay, let's move on..."

"Huh, you know, never actually been in New York in the sunlight," Broadway noted. He frowned. "Do I need lotion? I think we might need lotion."

Claire just stared at him, before looking to Danny. "This is how you've been handling your time back in New York?"

He shrugged. "Oddly sounds better than what I've been doing since I've been away."

"Which we're still waiting on the story about," Luke noted.

"Let's handle it later," Matt said. "Right now, we stop these guys then focus on the Kingpin."

"I can get Tippytoe and his pals to scout ahead!" Squirrel Girl said as her pet chirped in excitement.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "We're getting to the point a talking duck could walk into this room and I'll actually believe I'm sober."

"That I would have a hard time believing," Trish remarked with Jessica giving her a mocking glare.

Pop culture references weren't generally a thing within the Foot. However, more than a few had images of a certain Star Wars villain in mind whenever the Shredder marched past them. His armor, mask and cape certainly contributed to that mentality but few would ever dare say this to his face.

He marched into the main control room of the makeshift base, looking at Stockman floating in midair as he adjusted the controls on his device. "Are we set?"

Stockman turned a knob as he looked at a monitor. "We're opening a portal to bring in an object larger than a battleship," he said, his professional voice sounding odder with the buzzing underlying every word. "It's a bit more complicated than hitting an on/off switch."

"I don't want excuses, Stockman," the Shredder hissed. "I want results."

"Please, we both know you're not going to kill me as I'm the only one who can do this," Stockman said with a wave of a claw. He flew over to another screen and checked the readings. "For the record, bringing it here can cause...a fuss."

"I don't care about this world," the Shredder snapped. "I want to get back to our own to conquer. And without the Turtles to block us, we'll have a much easier time."

Stockman shrugged as he once more adjusted some controls. "We're close but I need the generator at full power. Which means siphoning off a lot from this block. The problem is, something like that is bound to get noticed so we won't have much time."

"We'll be prepared," the Shredder said.

"Riiiiiight," Stockman groused. "Shredder, you're aware of the forces we're dealing with right now? The Turtles are bad enough without their allies."

"Which is why I had you arrange for that little demonstration before." Behind his mask, the Shredder smiled. "And why that will turn the tide."

Stockman managed the feat of rolling his huge bug eyes. "You really think they can stop these heroes?"

"Stop? No. Stall for us? Even they can achieve that amount of work."

"Have you seen their track record?"

The Shredder glared at him and pointed at the controls. "Just get the portal working, Stockman or else..."

With a heavy buzzed sigh, the scientist continued his work as the Shredder looked to the group behind him. "You know what to do. Crush them if you can but above all else, ensure they don't reach here."

As the group shuffled out, the Shredder crossed his arms and let out a heavy sigh, once more feeling the weight of being the only person with any intelligence in this bunch. I really need to turn some of this dead weight into just plain dead one day.

Doreen Green considered herself a caring person. Perhaps too much so, according to a few of her teachers. She'd always been connected to the animal kingdom since the first time she heard a squirrel at a zoo talking to her like any person. Then came puberty when, aside from the usual changes, she also began sprouting a large tail. Despite such issues, Doreen rolled with anything life threw at her, a good attitude given the strangeness of the world around her.

Yet she admitted feeling a bit upset crouching from her hiding place in a tree overlooking the large lab building. She peeked through her binoculars to see some Foot dragging away the bodies of some security guards and sighed. "Damn. Too late to help them."

At her shoulder, Tippytoe let out a quiet chirp of sympathy.

"Thanks, buddy," Doreen said. "I know but it doesn't get any easier." She sighed. "This sounded fun, ya know? Put on a costume, fight crime, should have been a romp. These guys...they're cool but kinda a mess all around, ya know?"

The squirrel chirped in agreement.

"Oh, I get it, Jessica is fun even with her attitude. Just feels a lot different than I thought it would, really." She shrugged. "Ah, gotta look at the bright side, right? Hopefully things improve and that's what we're here for. To fight for a better world."

Tippytoe let out another series of chirps.

"Thanks, buddy, you always know what to say." Doreen heard a noise and turned to see Lexington land on a nearby tree branch. The smallest and lightest of the Gargoyles fit it well as he gave her a nod. "How is it?"

"Ah, they killed a couple of guards, sadly," Doreen said. "I've spotted most of them converging on the main building." She pointed to the largest structure on the small campus. "Guess that's where they're whipping up whatever nefarious scheme they've got cooking."

Lexington looked at her, managing to arch an eyebrow. "Nefarious scheme?"

"It fits!"

There was a louder sound as Brooklyn landed on another tree branch beside them. Lexington sighed with a tired air of waiting. As expected, the branch began cracking under Brookyln's weight as he quickly hovered off it. "Sorry, sorry, that last pizza a bit much."

"He's been using that excuse since we came to this century," Lexington told Doreen who grinned back.

They soon leapt down to the ground as the rest of the group began gathering, the Defenders and Turtles with their weapons. Goliath was holding the amulet, whispering an incantation. A shimmer of light flowed over the Gargoyles as they shivered. "Hope this works," Brooklyn said. "I still don't trust Puck not to pull some trick."

"We'll deal with that later." Goliath looked toward the main building. "It's likely this Shredder is ready for you...but not for us."

"Try to sneak in or frontal assault?" Hudson asked.

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "You guys are huge winged creatures, how are you gonna sneak?"

"Amazingly better than you'd expect," Lexington mused.

Goliath nodded. "We try a multi-prong approach. We'll head in from the roof, the Turtles can take a lower route, the rest can be the distraction. However, it should still be attempt sneaking in so they're not suspicious of the rest of us."

As a military veteran, the Punisher had to admit to being impressed by how sound Goliath's take on tactics was. "Just point me in the right direction. I can get loud if we need to."

Casey smirked behind his mask. "The guy may be rough with the guns but...I kinda like his attitude."

"You would," April noted as she held up her sword. "Let's go."

The knock on the door roused the Kingpin from his staring out the penthouse window. "Yes?" he bellowed.

A very nervous man stuck his head inside. "Um, Sir? We've gotten reports of an energy spike across town…"

Fisk mused for a moment before speaking. "Tell our people there to hold back. Let's see how this develops."

"Yes, sir. Um, sir, we also haven't heard back from Bullseye…"

"He's not my concern right now," Fisk snapped. "Just make sure to keep an eye on the area and then await who comes out on top. Then eliminate them."

The man gave a nervous nod before exiting as the Kingpin stared out in the city and mused on how long until he could remove some players from this complex game.

"Master?"

Kneeling in the dim room, the torches filling the air with incense, Zheng Zu didn't open his eyes but waited for the Hand ninja to report. "Master, we have reports of this Shredder and his forces at a lab with these...heroes...covengering on them. Should we attack?"

He was silent for a moment before speaking. "Simply wait. Observe. If nothing else, study the fighting styles. That may be of great interest to us in the future."

The Hand bowed and left as Zu simply continued his meditations as he awaited for events to play themselves out.

It took little time for the group to start running into Foot and less for the fighting to begin.

This time, they were doing better working as a unit, despite their various differences. Luke sent a ninja flying off as Danny fired off his guns. The Punisher was firing off bursts of his own despite the ugly looks from Misty as she fired her own pistol.

Donatello rolled about before rising to his feet, taking out a trio of foot with a swinging kick and sweep of his staff. Michelangelo was nearby, using his own nunchucks while Leonardo slashed through a weapon and allowed Collen to kick the Foot soldiers back.

Matt leapt around, throwing his club to knock a ninja back and easily catching it. He kicked at another while Jessica sent a man flying off with a hard punch. It was a hard battle but they slowly made their way into the main laboratory.

It was a mostly open chamber, marked by various consoles and a huge platform that shimmered with light, surrounded by a variety of projectors and other devices no one outside of Donatello could possibly fathom the use for. The Shredder stood before it, looking quite calm with his arms behind his back as he took in the forces entering. Bebop and Rocksteady were nearby, their weapons raised while another pack of Foot seemed ready to fight.

Splinter managed to get into the lead of the group, glaring at his old enemy. "It is done, Oroko Saki. This conflict shall not continue in this world."

"That we can agree on," the Shredder stated. "We shall finish this, once and for all, here and now."

Misty had her gun up and aimed at him. "Listen, asshole. We've got enough shit on this world without dragging your little war into things. So we're giving you one chance to just go back to where you came from and yes, I'm now realizing how bad that sounds coming from someone like me but the point stands!"

"You can do it on your own or we send you back in body bags," the Punisher added. His first instinct was to simply put a bullet through that mask but he held back, knowing the situation was tense as it was.

Splinter glared at Shredder. "We will not let you open the portal to our world, Shredder."

Behind his mask, the Shredder smiled. "Open it? Splinter, I already opened it. Not enough to raise the Technodrome yet...but enough to bring out some backup." He held out his arms and a pack of forms began shuffling from the shadows to face the group. Most were in the familiar uniforms of the Foot, fresh soldiers to replenish the weakened ranks. But others were very, very different beings.

One creature appeared to be a monstrous wolf with orange fur, its face highlighted by a gaping maw of huge jaws and its claws ready to tear anything apart. It wore what looked like complex armor over its body, snarling as it took in the forces before him.

Beside him was a turtle but far different than the ninjas as the Defenders' side. It was much taller with a large beaked nose and sharp claws on its own hands. Its shell was marked by huge spikes with more along its body, including its knuckles.

"Oh, crap," Raphael moaned. "He brought those two back?'

"Dare I ask?" Danny pressed.

"Tokka and Razhar," Leonardo answered. "Another pair of mutated creatures. They make Bebop and Rocksteady look like geniuses but far more savage."

A dark chuckle echoed as another hulking figure joined the group. He appeared to be a huge alligator standing on hind legs, notable for blue jeans, an orange jacket and a hat upon his head. He took in the startled Turtles and spoke in what sounded like a growling Cajun accent. "Well, well, here I thought we'd never see each other again."

"Leatherhead?" Donatello groaned. "Man, are you not tired of us beating you down by now?"

Another figure stepped forward and unlike the others, he appeared to be human. It was difficult to tell given the rags covering much of his body, including his face. He held some sort of flute in one hand and the eyes behind his dark goggles peered angrily at the group before him.

"And of course, we've got the Rat King," Michaelangelo sighed.

The final figure leapt down to join the group. She was a strikingly beautiful Asian woman with short black hair, dressed in a black leather jumpsuit marked with symbols of the Foot clan. The stern expression on her face was clear as she unsheathed her sword, and gave it a twirl. "Turtles," she hissed. "Here I thought I'd miss a chance to end you."

"Karai," April growled. "Great, who's next? The Globfather? Dogpound? Fishface?"

"What kind of fucked-up world do you people come from?!" That it was Trish saying this rather than Jessica was notable.

With matching roars, the animalistic of the group charged forward, their various sharp appendages ready to attack. The Defenders, Turtles and Gargoyles all scattered as they approached. Karai was lunging forward, her swords targeting Colleen, sensing a sharp fighter when she saw one. Colleen blocked the blows as the two proceeded to duel across the room.

The Rat King raised his flute to his lips to play it. A strange scurrying sound began echoing and from the shadows came dozens, then hundreds, of rats and mice, racing toward the group. Trish was unable not to scream as she leapt back with Jessica not far behind her. Leatherhead charged forward, joined by Rocksteady and Bebop, swinging his long tail to sweep Luke backward.

A smashing sound came from overhead as the Gargoyles flew downward, their wings flowing behind them, looking like dark and sinister creatures of the night. The Shredder was jarred by their presence as Goliath tackled Leatherhead, knocking him back with several blows.

Tokka went after Brooklyn, who swiftly leapt back to avoid his slashes, allowing Broadway to smash his hefty body against the monster. Bronx was charging through the pack of rats to tackle Razhar, biting at the furred creature who howled in agony as he fought back.

The Punisher decided it was time to take off the kid gloves and raised his assault rifle, blasting a full clip at Tokka. The bullets merely bounced off the mutated tortoise's hide as it charged at Castle, a single slash of his claws cutting his rifle in half. Luke was quick to punch Tokka, wincing at the scraped knuckles from the blow.

Matt flipped over a foot strike, trying to maintain his balance. The rats scurrying about were throwing his radar sense off a bit while Trish and Jessica were trying to avoid them too. "Dammit, these bastards are gonna kill us with bites before the Foot assholes can!" Jessica yelled.

"Don't worry!" Doreen called out. "I've got backup coming!"

"Backup?"

Tippytoe suddenly leaped up on a table, throwing up a fist and letting out a loud chirp that sounded like a cry of some sort. There was a loud series of chirps as suddenly a small army of squirrels raced into the building to start tackling and battling the rats.

Jessica and Trish stared at the rats vs squirrels battle going on before them, gave each other a long slow look then shrugged to wade back into the main fight.

Karai was swinging her sword at Colleen, clashing with the woman's glowing blades. April was racing up as Karai managed to dodge her own sword strikes the three women trading shots as they continued their dance.

Karai kicked Collen back before dodging April's attacks. That brought her face to face with Elektra, whose sais blocked her sword. Karai raised an eyebrow. "Ah...an equal spirit. I haven't seen one of these in a while."

"And you won't again," Elektra returned as the pair began exchanging blows, their weapons clashing with sparks flying as battled it out. Behind them, Casey was smashing his hockey stick against some ninjas while Lexington and Donatello worked together to try to keep more of the Foot at bay.

Goliath hammered Rocksteady with some punches to knock him away. He saw Leatherhead coming at him and swung out his tail, the large gator gasping at a taste of his own medicine. Nearby, Hudson ducked a blow from Bebop to hammer at the man while Bronx was tearing through several Foot soldiers.

The Shredder was wading into the conflict as Daredevil moved to a fighting stance with Danny at his side. The two martial artists moved quickly, each throwing kicks and blows with the Shredder easily blocking each one in turn. The man's strength and skill were greater than they anticipated as he used his metallic clawed gauntlets to keep them at bay as they continued to battle.

The whine of the machine cut through the chaos as the portal platform began shimmering with light and power. There was a massive burst of energy as another portal crackled into existence. Exiting from it was a hulking figure, more bizarre than any that had come through before.

The robotic body stood nearly ten feet tall, a hulking and muscled pink-skinned figure whose only clothing was red shorts and an odd metal brace going from his shoulders to his belt. Its bald head was covered by a visor that looked like a pair of old 3D glasses.

At its stomach was a large yellowing container holding a disgusting withering pink mass that resembled a brain until one saw the twisted mouth, eyes and the tentacles holding a set of controls. "About time, Shredder," the creature said in a high-pitched squeal.

"What the fuck?" Jessica blurted.

"Krang," Leonardo explained. "Told you he was weird looking."

"Not that weird!"

Krang focused on Shredder. "How about that, you really weren't lying about finding another world." His eyes flickered about to take it in as the portal began to grow behind him. "Of course, you couldn't get rid of the Turtles, color me surprised..."

The Shredder glared at him. "Did you come here just to berate me?"

"It's been months since you vanished, I missed our pleasant talks."

"Very well, you're here," the Shredder snapped. "Now just bring in the Technodrome, wipe out the Turtles, then get us back home." He spun to return to the battle.

"Right...About that..."

Something in the tone made Shredder stop in place. He slowly turned around, his eyes narrowing as he saw the smirk on Krang's face. "What have you done?" he hissed.

Krang propped a tentacle to his face as he settled into his odd body. "That little...blip...caused havoc across multiple dimensions, Shredder. Dimension X was no different. It was a time of massive chaos and in the wake of such chaos, opportunities present themselves that would otherwise be ignored."

"What have you done?" Shredder repeated, the fighting slowing as it began dawning on everyone something was happening.

Krang's smile made his face look even uglier. "Struck a new deal with a power far greater than you, Shredder. A power that will let me rule as I wish while they get more territory for themselves. Oh, thanks for the link to this world, though. Conquering two Earths is so much more appealing than just one…"

Behind him, the portal sparkled and grew larger than before. Hulking shapes could be seen slowly marching out of it, each packing a variety of powerful weaponry. They stepped out into the light, allowing all the sides to see just who was arriving.

"Oh..." Karai moaned.

"Freaking..." Leonardo added.

"Kuso," the Shredder hissed.

The pack of warriors filing out of the portal looked the same. They were all huge and obviously strong, many decked in complex armor and packing heavy-duty weaponry. Each had heads that were marked with grey or orange skin color, notable for the massive horns on their foreheads and noses.

Brooklyn blinked at the alien forms. "Are those...dinosaurs?"

"No, no, no no, no," Jessica moaned. "I swore, I wanted dinosaurs, I'd go with Mick on some batshit trip!"

Standing at the lead of the group, crossing his arms was a figure in elaborate armor and an almost regal bearing with more horns on his head than his fellow aliens. He surveyed the group before him, his arms crossed as spoke in a booming voice.

"In the name of Emperor Zanmoran the First...This planet is now claimed for the glory of the Triceraton Empire!"

"The Triceratons?!" Leonardo blurted. He glared at Shredder. "It never occurred to you just maybe Krang might join with those guys?"

The Shredder himself was glaring at Krang. "Them?"

Beside the portal, Krang's grin grew wider. "Sorry, Shredder. It's been fun but it's long past time we cut our partnership short." He let out a dark laugh as the dinosaur-like aliens began their march into this world.

Leonardo glared at the Shredder. "Wow…talk about nice job breaking it, dude."

Bebop swallowed. "Um, boss…did we just get screwed over?"

"You idiots just screwed this planet over!" Casey snapped.

The Shredder and Splinter exchanged a very long look. Then, the Shredder let out a tired sigh as he held up his gauntlets. "Gentlemen…ladies…I believe we may need to call a temporary truce in this matter."

The Turtles and Shredder's mutants exchanged gawks while the Gargoyles stood on the attack and the Defenders found themselves thrown at this sudden turn of events even as the dinosaur-like aliens began firing their cannons off.

The Punisher lifted up his largest rifle, glaring at the group. "Time to make these things extinct all over again."

Despite the tension, Michaelangelo had to smirk "Damn, dude, that is one bad-ass one-liner." He then concentrated on the battle coming at them.

Again, sorry for the very long delay, seems a good place to leave off and won't be as long before the big wrap-up. Thanks for the patience in this.