Author Note: I have to apologise for the delay in posting htis chapter! I hate writers block witht he fiery passion of a thousand suns - but cannot conquer it! Until now that is. I devoutly hope that updates will be more frequent from now on, as there is not much more of this tale to go. I think one or two chapters (depending on the length) and an epilogue. So here it is! Enjoy!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
It was raining as they returned to New York City.
April's van was running better than it had in years, thanks to the tinkering with the engine by Don, Raph and Casey. The vehicle barely made a sound and within the van, the light hearted banter had given way to introspective silence ever since they hit the NYC boundary.
They passed the ruins of Second Time Around as they drove through the streets. April glanced at the rubble and quickly looked away. She had thought that she had adjusted to her loss, but seeing the devastation still brought a rush of sorrow. There was no way she could afford to rebuild. In one night she had been rendered homeless, jobless and without her possessions.
But she was alive. All of them were. And that was what was important.
An alley loomed ahead and April parked the van, shutting off the engine and pausing for a moment. Being at the farmhouse had given her a respite from the worries of losing her home and recovering from her injuries. She had been able to put future plans on indefinite hiatus. But now they were back, she was going to have to think of something.
First things first. Get some rest, deal with the Foot and the Shredder. Then she could think about rebuilding the rest of her life.
The turtles jumped out of the van, blending into the shadows easily. Splinter followed them, moving more easily since the cast had come off his leg, hiding so skillfully that had April not known he was there, she would never have been able to see him.
Casey clambered out of the passenger side, glancing ruefully at the sky as if he could stop the rain through sheer irritation and letting out a sigh. April smiled. That was typical Casey. She was quite surprised to have grown so attached to the annoying oaf, but she had come to realise that beneath the macho veneer lay a good hearted person. Honest to the point of bluntness, cheerful to the point of crudity, but essentially a decent man. Or at least, a decent nine year old trapped in a mans body.
The quiet sound of metal scraping against asphalt was heard and then the seven of them made their way deep beneath the city, still sticking to the shadows. If the Shredder suspected that they had returned, or that they made their home in the sewers, he would no doubt have a horde of Foot ninja waiting for them, ready to report back to their boss. They wanted to retain the element of surprise and that meant taking precautions.
As they approached the lair, they used extra caution. Leonardo unsheathed the katana he had forged for himself before they left the farmhouse, explaining to his brothers when they quizzed him on his choice of weapon that he wouldn't feel right with anything but swords, but wanted to distance himself from the weapon that the Shredder had chosen for him. Similarly, Donnie had decided not to modify the bo into a nagitana, claiming it would force a change in his fighting style. Of all the turtles only Raphael retained his original weapons, the sun and moon daggers he had always used.
The sewer tunnels thus far had seemed relatively undisturbed but then, the Foot were used to leaving no trace and it was no real indication. Leo indicated for the others to hold back, ducking around the entrance and scouting the place. He saw nothing.
He leaned back and gestured to the others. The three turtles, difficult to make out before, vanished into the shadows, checking out the different areas within the lair – the chambers they used as bedrooms, the kitchen area, the dojo.
Intrigued by the vanishing tricks, Casey took a few steps forward to see if he could espy any of them, kicked a can that had been carried to the area on a sewer trickle and the noise of it carried in the quiet of the tunnels.
April punched him in the arm. "Casey!" she hissed.
"What?" he grumbled, rubbing his arm and glaring. "There's no one here."
Beside them, Splinter scented the air. "I believe you may be right Mr Jones."
"That'd be a first," said Raph as he emerged from the shadows near Leo's room.
Mikey popped his head out of the kitchen, blinking. "But... he must have been looking for us."
"Where?" Leonardo twirled his swords a few times before sheathing them. "He knows we were found in the sewers, perhaps he doesn't think we'd come back here."
"Yeah, for all he knows we could have rented a condo," said Mikey.
Raph shot his brother a dirty look, going over to the punch bag and giving it a few irritated hits. "It's not like the Shredder not to cover all possibilities."
Leo caught the punch bag mid-swing. "Unless he thinks we're in the wind."
"Which we were," added Don, sitting in front of his computer and firing it up.
"It makes more sense for us to have tried to get as far from the Foot as possible while we were injured, prevent them finding us and finishing the job. Shredder knows that. No point in searching New York for us when we could be anywhere."
Raph lowered his stance, since the punch bag wasn't coming back until Leo let go of it. "But he knows us well enough to know we'd be back. Why not find our hideout, lay a trap here?"
"I'm believe it is because he did not expect all of you to return."
The turtles turned to stare at Splinter.
"You have all recovered well from your wounds," said Splinter. "But on the terrible night when Shredder's troops attacked, the chance of all four of you surviving was in grave doubt."
He looked pointedly at Leonardo and Raphael.
"The death of a loved one grieves the soul. The murder of a loved one enrages it. An attack in anger would have come hours after the events at Miss O'Neil's apartment and the Shredder would have been prepared. Since the attack did not come, I suspect he envisions a calculated attack, meticulously planned at some point in the future and will be prepared for it. But I doubt that he imagines you all dead – or all living."
"Y'know," said Raph thoughtfully. "Being dead could have it's advantages."
Casey looked blank. Splinter sighed and explained. "Shredder believes us vanquished in the explosion at Miss O'Neil's, leaving him vulnerable to a surprise attack."
"If we're gonna do this, we're gonna need to find out more about what's changed since we lived there," said Leo, beginning to pace the floor, an intent look on his face.
"It's not gonna be easy getting into that place," said Donnie. "Since we left, the Shredder will have updated the security system and I don't know if I can hack into it. It was designed by doctor Baxter Stockman himself!"
"Gee," drawled April sarcastically. "Shame you don't know anyone who used to work with Stockman. Or that you are someone who used to work with him."
"Yeah Don, you've bypassed Stockman's systems before," Mikey reminded him. "You'll do this one too, easy."
Don shrugged with feigned modesty. "I guess I could try."
He turned back to his computer and began typing rapidly, conferring with April occasionally, their low muttering adding the backdrop to the lair. Leonardo frowned, sitting on the threadbare couch, not wanting to meditate and miss something of importance but knowing that he needed a clear head for this confrontation. The visions of the Foot attack high above the streets of New York city were still clear in his mind. Never before had he been taken apart and for it to occur in such a ruthless fashion by those he had called family for so long...
He had expected retaliation from the Foot for the destruction of the Shredder. To find out the Shredder still lived was a nasty revelation. Knowing that Karai had turned against him, his best friend throughout most of his life – that was the most painful realisation of all.
As if on cue, Splinter appeared by his side. "Something troubles you Leonardo."
Leo suppressed a smirk. How did the rat always know?
"I... I was just remembering the last time I tangled with the Shredder's Elite ninja. I don't wanna let my brothers down."
Splinter regarded Leonardo for a moment, slightly surprised that the turtle had confided in him but gratified at the display of trust. Then he smiled, resting his hand on Leo's shell.
"You must look within and find a strength that is yours and yours alone. You will not let them down. I feel it in my heart."
"We're in," called Donnie from the computer.
The turtles gathered around as he showed them the familiar layout of the Foot skyscraper. "Just like I thought, most of the security has been altered," explained Donnie. "But I doubt the Shredder moved his personal stronghold from the rooftop. We know where to find him."
"Forget that for now Don," said Raph impatiently. "Can you get us in?"
"Getting in? No problem," said Don confidently, already forming a plan in his mind. "Getting to the Shredder? Difficult, but do-able. I have an idea, but we're gonna need a few things."
Splinter inclined his head. "The battle before you will be most arduous. You must go in prepared."
"I'm prepared," growled Raph. "To kick some shell!"
"I think Splinter meant a little something more," said Leo.
"I believe the time has come to return the Shredder's sword to its former owner," expanded Splinter.
"Now you're talking!" Raph went over to where the Sword of Tengu rested, the glove beside it. Without thinking, he went to pick it up – and the resulting energy wave knocked him across the lair and flat on his shell.
"Forget something?" asked Leo with a smirk.
"Uh... maybe you should have the honour of carrying the sword," said Raph weakly. "After all, you're the sword guy."
Leo frowned slightly, but silently acknowledged that it was his responsibility to bear the weapon. Letting the subject go, he turned to Don. "How long before we can be ready?"
"I should be able to finish in twenty four hours or so," replied Don. "But I'm gonna need some stuff from the junkyard."
"I'll go with!" offered Mikey.
Leo nodded. "But be careful. We can't let it be known that we're in New York or our advantage is shot straight to hell."
Raph raised an eye ridge. "Got a strategy Fearless Leader?"
Leo nodded slowly. "Saki always told us we should know our enemy. We just have to make sure he doesn't know us."
Grinning, Raph pounded a fist into his palm. "Bring it on!"
"We're gonna be a four turtle wrecking crew!" Leonardo reached out his hand. The other three turtles rested their own hands on his.
"Five." Splinter added his own hand. No way was he letting his sons go up against their enemy without him there. No way in hell.
&&&&&&&&&&&
The van that entered the Foot skyscraper had seen better days. Actually reflected Hun as he first laid eyes on it via the security cameras, it had seen better decades. It looked like the kinda thing Charles Manson might have driven to the scene of one of his infamous murders after imbibing a helluva lot of hallucinogenics and having any sense of style surgically removed. About a hundred years old yet going like a bat outta hell. In through the private car park, busting straight through the barricade, heading straight for the reinforced doors.
"Seal the perimeters!" he yelled angrily. What was going on? How did a group of stoned teenagers living far behind the times find the secret entrance to the headquarters? Damn, they had no idea what they were getting into – hell, there was even a set of fuzzy dice in the drivers window!
They'd seal the ridiculous looking thing in, tell the pothead driver to scram and maybe a simple security glitch wouldn't turn into a major incident. Assuming the van didn't just smash into the doors and fold up the occupants like an accordion. That would be hard to explain to the Master.
And then something happened. The vans roof seemed to lift in one place, as if there were a sunroof there and someone inside were opening it – and then a missile emerged, aimed straight for the doors, hitting the reinforced steel and creating a large hole. A split second later the van hit the hole and widened the gap, sustaining some damage from the collision but not as much as it should have done.
The Foot soldiers who had been patrolling the area had to dive out of the way as the van roared toward them, no regard for their well being. The perimeter alarms began to wail and the amplified voice of one of the Foot ninja began to sound throughout the lower floors of the skyscraper.
"This is control. We're under attack. Commence lock down!"
The solid steel doors that would keep the van from entering began to close – but slowly. For a few seconds it was a race to see if the van would make it or not, but it seemed that the gap would be too narrow once it arrived at them. All that would happen was that the van would sustain major damage if it tried to get in, probably seriously injuring the occupants should an attempt be made.
So it seemed.
As the gap in the doors narrowed, the van put on a burst of speed, boosters emerging from one side of the panelling and igniting. The whole van lifted onto its left side wheels, the right ones waving precariously in the air. At the same time, metal plating slid over the windows. The van made the gap – just – thanks to its decreased width, the boosters ceased and it crashed back onto four wheels. A second missile emerged from the roof, obliterating the control station and forcing ninja to scatter. Then there was nowhere else for the van to go and the driver performed a skid that turned it almost 180 degrees.
From the walls of the garage, panels slid back to reveal laser guns that fired at the van. It started up again, weaving around the shots, but with nowhere to go save the direction it had come from.
Aden then Hun entered, madder than hell. He unleashed one of the Foots special brand of grenade at the thing, no longer concerned about the clean up or body dump afterward. If anyone survived, they would be questioned about the attack. If not... there were other ways of finding out these things.
The grenade sent the van straight into the air, all four tyres ripping to shreds, debris flying in all directions. The landing knocked the vehicle onto its side and a small fire began at the point the grenade had exploded at. A quick thinking Foot ninja sprayed an extinguisher at it – they didn't want the whole place going up and it was unlikely anyone in the van would be in any condition to put up a fight.
The rear doors had been damaged in the blast and Hun used his formidable strength to rip them off all the way, prepared for anyone who may be awaiting them.
There was one thing though he wasn't expecting.
"What? Empty?"
Furious, he threw the doors aside, narrowly missing two Foot ninja foolish enough to have approached him. And then his communicator began to bleep and he knew the shit was about to hit the fan.
He pulled out the communicator, Saki's face appearing on the screen. "Hun – report!"
"Sir. The truck was a decoy."
"WHAT?"
"There's no driver, no one inside at all. But someone was manoeuvring it. There's something else too. It was armed with missiles similar to our own."
Saki's brow furrowed into a deep frown. "I know of few who would be able to modify a vehicle in this manner and even fewer who would do so to attack us. In fact, there is only one that comes to mind."
Hun glowered. "Donatello?"
"Donatello," confirmed Saki. "He and his surviving brothers and maybe the rat too. Search the building. Put all Foot ninja on full alert!"
He paused, suddenly realising that there was something wrong with the hologramatically produced picture of Hun. A few seconds ago it had been clear and sharp, he had been able to hear everything with crystal clarity. But the picture was twisting, fading out and Hun's words were lost to a hail of static.
Something was jamming the signal.
Donatello strikes again, thought Saki, cold anger beginning to course through him. He had been expecting an attack sooner or later and he had known that Donatello would employ some of these tactics – but the nerve of the turtle! To attack him here in his stronghold!
Donatello certainly lives. Maybe Michelangelo also. But the other two – I doubt it very much. And even if one of them managed to survive, it is of no consequence. They shall not have revenge for the demise of their family. Merely the comfort of knowing that they will soon join them.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
It wasn't Donatello blocking the signals at all, but April working from Donnie's computer deep in the lair. Casey had been assigned her protector, in case the Foot traced where the interference was coming from, although Donnie had said that was unlikely. The virus she had come up with was simple, it was remaining hacked into the computer that would prove complicated. Should Stockman realise what she was doing, that might be the end of it. He could probably kick her off the system from his own end and restore communications, if anyone was thinking that way.
They were in touch with the turtles through the mobile phone system that Don had been working on – shell cell as he affectionately called them. Both he and April wore headpieces so they could keep in touch. April had the building schematics on the system and although the turtles had lived in the skyscraper for most of their lives, they would all have bet the Shredder would have made some modifications in case of something like this and got Stockman to upgrade security. They could rely on their knowledge of the building only so much; if they had no way of knowing what had changed, they were screwed.
To Casey the whole thing looked like some kinda weird foreign language. He would rather have been in the skyscraper, battling the Foot and finally maybe getting his own measure of revenge on the Hun – but there were other things to consider. April for one. Leaving her to fend for herself should anyone trace the signal made him mad just thinking about it and not entirely for his sense of chivalry.
So he hadn't put up too much of a fuss when Leo insisted he remain behind. Still, he really wished he were there right now, laying the smack down on some of those Foot creeps, making them pay for what happened at the shop. He couldn't really even talk to April. She was concentrating and occasionally checking in with Don. From what he could hear, they sounded like something off one of those crazy science fiction films. He kinda enjoyed those films sometimes, assuming he could avoid falling asleep when they got to the boring explaining stuff. Those films needed less talk, more shooting.
Although now he thought about it, the less shooting in this little scene, the better.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Deep in the maintainer rooms of the Foot headquarters, down in the basement, ran several large pipes, about five foot high. The ninja rarely entered this area, deeming themselves far superior to those who kept simple things like light and heat taken care of. So there were no ninja around to see the large circular hole cut into the pipe from the inside, falling to the ground and allowing four turtles to quickly emerge. That suited the turtles just fine.
Don stepped out first, pausing to look at the remote control in his hands as the others climbed out behind him, Splinter close behind. "Shame we had to do that to the van. It could have been a great vehicle for us!"
"When we've finished here, we can help you build another," said Leo, resting a hand on Don's shell. He knew his brother was smart, but at times like this when he came up with the most amazing things, Leo had no idea what to say. A decoy like that had been pure genius. And a big part of their plan depended up on the Shredder realising that.
"But right now, let's stick to the plan."
Don nodded, letting it go – he had come up with the van quickly and he knew he could easily modify another much better given more time – and spoke into his headpiece. "April. Stage one complete."
"Roger that Don," replied April in his ear. "Uploading worm programme now."
The five mutants made their way out of the maintainer section and to the door that would lead them into the Foot headquarters. Don tapped on the keypad that locked it a couple of times. "April. I'm having trouble getting in. Can you come up with an access code?"
"Yeah, but it's gonna be tricky. They change the combination hourly."
"Allow me." Raphael took a few steps back to charge the door, but Leo caught him by the shoulder.
"Hang back Raph."
It was Mikey who followed through with Raph's plan, delivering a powerful kick to the door and knocking it clean off its hinges. "Noisy," he commented, pulling out his nunchucks. "But effective!"
Don and Splinter came through the door behind him, Don with his bo staff out, Splinter wielding nothing more deadly than his walking stick. They were greeted by Foot ninja. At least twenty of them, all armed, all looking for a fight.
"Now that's a lot of ninjas!" Mikey wasted no more time with words, flying toward the nearest Foot soldiers, delivering powerful blows with his nunchaku. Donnie was right behind him, throwing his bag at a ninja to distract him while bringing the bo backward, slamming the guy trying to sneak up on him in the guts before taking out the one in front and retrieving his bag all in the same move.
Splinter blocked a jo staff strike with his walking stick, shoving the ninja backward and ducking aside to block another attack from behind. He whipped around, leaping and kicking the ninja in the face, sending him stumbling into others. Punching and kicking viciously, he was a one-rat fighting machine.
Mikey faced down two ninja in a classic standoff, he with his chucks spinning, they both wielding chigiriki, formerly his own weapon of choice. He knew any number of ways to incapacitate an opponent with one, fewer ways to avoid an attack. He used his chucks to bat away the first few attacks, being forced backward each time to make enough room to mount a defence. He knew what their plan was. He had used the same one often enough himself.
He jumped onto a control desk, dodging another attack and realised exactly what would give him the best chance against them. Letting his nunchucks come to rest, he pulled a face.
"Booga booga!"
The chain on a chigiriki wrapped around his ankle. One swift tug and Mikey lost his balance, falling behind the desk. Confident, three Foot ninja dived behind it to take the turtle down for good. Instead, there were several complicated moments and all three ninja were out for the count. He popped his head back above the desk, wanting to make a comment or joke – but the sight of the security camera high on one corner changed his mind and reminded him of the plan. He was supposed to be on a mission of revenge and he had to act the part.
Don made for the main security control desk, whipping out his bo and knocking the ninja in charge out of the way. The Foot ninjas dispatched, Donnie grabbed his bag and retrieved a laptop, taking a wire attacked and plugging it into the security control desk. Mikey made a show of looking out for any backup while Don tapped a code onto the keyboard before looking straight at the camera.
"We're gonna get you for what you did to our brothers Saki," snarled Don, deadly serious, no acting required. He could all too easily picture doing this for real, remember how close they came to losing both Leo and Raph. How their former Sensei had coldly planned to kill all of them at April's shop, how he had tried to brainwash Mikey, imprisoned Splinter, taken them from their home to raise as Foot ninja...
No more. It was going to end tonight, one way or the other.
He hit a button on the laptop and every security camera in the building was instantly rendered useless.
"April! I'm hooking up. Prepare to download remote access codes."
"Preparing synergistic interfaces. Now."
Don ducked as the last ninja flew past him and hit the control board, courtesy of a Mikey flying kick. Donnie glanced at his brother. "Do you mind? I'm working here."
"Sorry," said Mikey with a shrug.
All the Foot ninja down, Splinter glanced around them. "No doubt more will be on the way."
"No problems here," replied Donnie. "Every camera in the building is out and April has the interfaces. She should be able to guide us through any nasty surprises the Shredder had installed since we moved out."
Leonardo and Raphael entered the room, Raph obviously disappointed at having missed the battle. Leo checked the fallen enemy. "So far, so good. Before the monitors were knocked out, he only saw Don and Mike. If he thinks we're dead, it'll lull him into a false sense of security."
"Do not underestimate the Shredder," Splinter warned. "He will take nothing for granted. We cannot let down our guards."
Leo nodded in agreement. "Let's get moving."
Moments later, Hun raced into the room with enough backup in tow to give the two turtles and their rat friend the fight of their lives. But there was no sign of any mutants in the vicinity.
He looked around carefully, half-expecting a surprise attack from a shadow – but there were no shadows and no mutants. Just the battered remnants of his troops.
Grabbing the nearest Foot ninja by the shirt front, he got in the guys face. "Where are the turtles?"
"Turtles..." muttered the ninja weakly, raising a trembling arm and pointing to a corner. Hun glanced over and saw an air vent, the front having been removed. He stormed over and put his head through the vent, just in time to see a long, sinewy tail vanish from sight. The rat.
For once, Hun's massive size worked against him. He was athletic in spite of his bulk but there was no way he could fit through that vent. His shoulders didn't even clear the gap. And he couldn't send the ninja up one at a time, the turtles would easily defeat any of them in a one on one attack in such an enclosed area.
He had to find out where they were headed so they could be stopped.
"Find them."