"There's no way you're leaving with her, Batman."

I hate New York.

Three more turtles show up, all I assume that are equally as trained as the first one I encountered tonight. Rumors of their existence had been localized at best, but managed to lightly spread throughout the country. Probably presumed as a spoof on my own questionable existence. Tonight, I find out the rumors were true, and also I think I found leads to solving this case.

"I'm not going to repeat myself."

The three new turtles jump down from above us, landing in unison. The one who spoke out approaches me; blue being his primary color. The rest stay back, checking on the one I already met. The one approaching me has two katana handles sticking out from behind his shoulders. He didn't speak with an accent like the other one; choosing to use a more proper and direct tone. Almost a condescending one. It lacks bass, however.

"I have no intentions of harming her", I say back.

I stand my ground on the ledge, as the turtles start to gather towards their leader. They're fixed on me, watching my every move. I had my hands almost full with just one, but now there's four of them. Their leader seems to be the most focused of them, as the other three's postures aren't as disciplined. One begins to speak out of turn, not following the lead of the others.

"Whoa dudes", says the one wearing orange. "I never thought I'd see him up close like this. I didn't even know if he was real."

"You've seen the videos, Mikey", the one wearing purple says. "This guy has shown up in a lot of our file footage on the Justice League."

"Yeah I know, but still dude..."

"Knock it off, you guys", the leader says. "Look Batman, we know you probably have good intentions, but you can't just leave with Karai, no matter our differences with her."

I know they mean well, but I need answers. Yet, if I try to leave here with Karai, they'll either follow me step for step, or show up later on making what I may have to do that much more difficult. They knew I was in town. How they managed to track me is something I'll have to correct later. I can't afford to let that happen ever again.

They're well within their right to prevent me from taking her, however. It is their city, I suppose. The truth is, I wouldn't react any differently. I wouldn't even be attempting to reason as their leader is right now. I would have tried to take them all out at once, which probably won't work without more of a fuss than I can afford to make. This situation cannot be anymore complicated than it already is.

"Alright."


"So all the items stolen are key components in a temporal field displacement generator?"

We have remained on the roof, already securing the fallen ninja around us. I told my story to the four brothers, who in turn have told me theirs. Mutated by an engineered substance from the debunked TGRI corporation - who happened to sell out their remaining assets to LexCorp - and have been living under the city for the past seventeen years. Their genetic mutation has given them human characteristics. From what I remember of TGRI's findings back then, most of their attempts in gene-splicing had turned up little to no results. What their classified documents had shown was that a large number of their human test subjects were mutated with horrific results, requiring their immediate...disposal.

More files had shown that TGRI had mysteriously displaced large quantities of their serums, around the time the turtles place their first human memories.

From what they tell me, I can assume that their genetic makeup had been successfully spliced with living organisms they have had the most physical contact with. I was able to retrieve a sample of the mutegen serum four years ago when WayneTech cleaned out some of their warehouses and found a package addressed to our science division. I was able to secure the package and found a single container holding twenty-four ounces of their mutagen. There was no direct reason why they sent us the container, but I assume that they wanted somebody to continue the research after they went under. I analyzed it thoroughly and my results had shown that the initial stage of the serum was far too unstable for human DNA to make contact with it.

I mixed the serum with DNA samples taken from other species of animals and found that smaller animals reacted to the serum instead of larger subjects. The developers were obviously blinded by their determination to make this work in humans. They didn't even bother to experiment on other animals, and I could never understand why none of the researchers thought to do so. It's no secret why TGRI eventually went under.

Later on, the turtles say that a TGRI scientist synthesize the mutagen and it showed promising results as it properly turned one of their human adversaries into a meta-level human.

So, these four brothers are the results of direct contact with the mutagen, even managing to progressively age as humans do. They retain personalities reflective of humans their age, as young adults. Their personalities are also distinctive between them, not one of them too much like the next. They are scientific achievements no matter how you look at it.

All four of them.

Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

"I imagine that you've had dealings with this Foot Clan", I say to them. "So I'll be as clear as possible: I have to find out where they are and stop them from constructing that device."

"So like, how do you even know that's what they wanna make with it, bro?" Michelangelo asks. "Ha, maybe they want better satellite reception."

"Knock it off, Mikey", Donatello says. "The equipment you told me about that they stole. From what I understand, aren't they missing key components to finish the temporal field displacement generator?"

"Yes", I say. "The ones responsible for the robberies have most of the parts necessary, but are missing two vital pieces, and they're located in this city."

"Somethin' tells me it exactly bumpin' on Time Square", Raphael says.

"No", I say. "Probably not."

The turtles stay silent for a moment, until Michelangelo speaks up.

"Well, what if they already have it?"

The three look at him as I do, putting it together as well.

Of course.

"It wouldn't make any sense for them to leave town, then come back to look for what they need", Leonardo says.

"No it wouldn't", I add. "Then we're father behind than we realized."

I turn to the chimney that Karai is leaning against on this roof, as she slowly regained consciousness for the past few minutes. The blow to the neck I gave her put her out immediately with her guard being down and small frame. I kneel down next to her, leveling her head upright as her eyes begin to flicker open.

"Karai", I say. "Where are The Foot building the displacement generator?"

She slowly is able to focus her eyes on me, but heard me perfectly.

"Y...You disgust me."

She spits in my face as her face slowly regains focus.

"Not popular with the ladies, are ya bat?" Raphael says from behind.

"I enjoy the image of your death at the hands of The Foot Clan", she continues. "That alone is almost worth letting you know of our whereabouts. However, I know nothing of this...generator."

Her eyes aren't lying, as Raphael comes from behind.

"Look chick", he says. "You pajama wearing Cirque Du Soleil wannabes are in deep enough forcing this pointy-eared freak to come after yous. So why don't you just save your spit and get the breathe working on an answer?"

Karai's will is going to be difficult to break. I really hate doing what I may have to do, but it's all I have. If the Foot Clan really have everything they need to complete the generator, then I'll have to cut corners.

"Hold her still", I say to Raphael.

"What do you think you're doing?" Leonardo says while approaching quickly.

"We don't have time for her games", I say reaching into my belt. "We're more behind than we realized."

Her eyes are trained to withstand telling lies. It is a less noticeable trait of ninja to the untrained. She'll continue to deny their involvement no matter what tactic I take within my own boundaries. The turtles question my own methods, which would lead me to believe they'd have an even lessor chance of cracking her. My last resort isn't exactly my style, but it is effective.

"This is a special compound for moments like this, Karai", I say holding up a vile the size of my thumb, full of purple liquid for her and the turtles to see.

"Great, so we get some ice water to mix that kool-aid and she's gonna sing", Raphael says.

I take out a mass injector used to inoculate patients with vaccines and other antibiotics. I load the serum into it, and inject the serum through Karai's arm. She tried to resist, but her res taints and lack of strength left her with very little fight. The gun is designed to minimize risk of infection even if injected through fabric like I did through her suit.

"I have been trained to withstand such methods, Batman", Karai says with as much strength in her voice as possible. "I will laugh through...laugh th...I will..."

"Something tells me that's more than just a Mickey", Michelangelo says.

"It has to be sodium pentothal", Donatello says. "But didn't Karai just say...?"

"It's a blend that I synthesized with a toxin normally used to bring about fear within individuals", I say to them. "The toxin blended in is able to break the will of an individual no matter how tolerant they are to the serum."

Karai's eyes begin to slowly open and close as the serum takes hold. I stand up as the turtles surround me, with Leonardo obviously taking a strong observation of my every move. I don't expect them to trust me, and I especially don't expect them to leave me alone after I get what I need out of Karai.

"Karai", I say to her.

She looks up at me, her eyes barely able to stay open. In her weakened state, the intoxicating side effect of the sodium pentothal is more potent.

"Where is the Foot Clan building the generator?"

She looks at me as she fights to keep herself upright.

"Man, she looks like me after a flavor crust bender", Michelangelo says.

"I...", Karai starts. "I know...nothing of th...this generator."

The turtles let out collective sighs after Karai speaks.

"Great, Bat", Raphael says. "Maybe you shouldda added some sugar."

I stare at her as she starts to lose consciousness. I know she is exceptional in her abilities, but even she couldn't withstand that serum. I've been able to administer it to telepaths without problems.

"She's telling the truth", I grunt in frustration.

I walk towards the ledge, pounding the bottom of my fist onto it. Knowing that the Foot Clan has everything they need to construct the generator is enough to put this situation at the highest priority. With everything I've seen with the League and even on my own, the generator can unleash a havoc on this city far more devastating than the incident with Max Winters. If they managed to get a doorway to somewhere like Apokalips open in the middle of New York City, then the planet would be lost.

"I need more information on the Foot Clan", I say turning back to the turtles. "Tell me what you know."


The turtles have lead me to the underground caverns of New York City. We have walked the underground for what seems like an hour from the rooftop where we battled the Foot Clan. We left the Foot unconscious for the police to find, but we brought Karai with us. They have a lair beneath the streets where they have spent their entire lives training and growing into the protectors of this city.

The turtles obviously know this town well, by doing their nightly patrols as I do in Gotham. I'm impressed by their ability and dedication to such a large city. Gotham is no small city by any standard, but the Burroughs of New York would require constant monitoring themselves.

They attempt to keep their existence unknown more so than I ever had. They don't have the advantage of working directly with the head of the NYPD, unlike my relationship with the police in Gotham. They remain wanted individuals, even if no proof of their existence is available.

They owe absolutely nothing to this city, yet they give their entire existence to it.

I have the luxury of going home and assuming the role of Bruce Wayne to rest my body for the next night's patrol. I have a large home that belonged to my parents and generations of the Wayne family before them. The turtles have no legacy to follow, no lives to live among everyone else. They return home and stay in a isolated existence, unable to join the world above them. How ironic, that being a situation I wish I was in every once in a while. I wish I could ignore Bruce Wayne's responsibilities and remain in the cave continuing my real work.

However, humans require so much more in life. My intention of remaining alone has turned no results, due to the friends and allies I have gained over the years. The turtles are not human, but the way they work together, the way they interact with each other and their overall demeanor is far more human than I have been able to be.

"We're here", Donatello says to me.

Lost in my thoughts, I failed to notice the route we took to get to a specific brick wall in the city sewers. Leonardo reaches for a metal bracket on one of the drainage pipes then pulls on it to reveal it is a mechanism to open the brick wall into their lair.

"Wipe your feet, Bat", Raphael says.

They lead me inside, and the atmosphere drastically changes from the caverns we had trekked through. Their home is surprisingly well furnished as it resides in an abandoned subway station. We walk towards a platform right in the middle where their living area is. A tattered sofa with matching chair are pointed at a plasma television, and the area happens to be littered with garbage, like a college dorm room. To the left is a full kitchen area that seems functional.

The surprise of the area is to the right of the entrance.

A full computer database with state-of-the-art technology is set up that is almost incomprehensible. I imagine that everything within their lair has been salvaged to a certain degree, but most of this equipment exceeds millions of dollars in cost alone.

"I'm impressed", I say as Michelangelo lays Karai on the sofa.

"Eh, it's home, bro", Michelangelo says. "I'm still waiting for Donnie to let me put in a court for some hoops."

"We already put up the half pipe for you", Leonardo retorts. "You barely play with that already."

I stand by myself in the center of the large room, while the turtles seem to tend to their own...issues. Michelangelo is already in the kitchen with his head in the refrigerator. Raphael leaped up to the second story of the train station, probably where his room is located. Donatello sits at his chair by the computer console, placing a headset on.

"Come with me."

I turn around to see Leonardo staring at me intently, as he has been all night. I imagine that me being here isn't exactly settling well with him, even if it was his decision to bring me back here. I needed information on the Foot Clan, and he suggested I'd find what I needed in their lair.

Leonardo leads me past Donatello's setup towards an opening that leads into a candle lit room. It's decorated in many of the styling from the Edo period in Japanese history, right before the modern age began. Surprising, the themed decor shares space with many pieces of renaissance art. This would explain why the turtles where given the names they carry. At the far end of this room, I see a small figure sitting peacefully on the floor. Leonardo leads me towards it, then he kneels before it.

"Master", Leonardo begins.

The figure keeps its head down, but speaks after a brief silence.

"You have brought someone to our home, my son."

The figure raises his head, and reveals to be the turtles' sensei.

"Come forward", he motions at me with his hand covered in brown fur.

I walk towards him, standing beside a kneeling Leonardo. The turtles told me of their sensei, Splinter. He is was mutated from his original form as the turtles were. He spent his years in Japan, then eventually moved to New York with his master, whose teachings Splinter had passed on to the turtles. Now a humanoid rat, he has dedicated his life raising these turtles all of their lives, helping them cope with their own existence.

"I come seeking information", I say as I kneel down next to Leonardo, surprising him a bit. "Sensei."

I bow my head in respect, then raise it to see Splinter's eyes gleaming at me.

"You bow with such respect, my young friend", Splinter begins. "Should I assume you are no stranger to our teachings?"

The kanji written on many of the wall scrolls and on the kimono of Splinter are very familiar to me.

"I have had many teachers", I answer. "Most notably Yoru Sensei, who's name appears multiple times in this room."

Splinter grunts with an intrigue as he rises to his feet.

"Yoru is as renowned a martial artist as anyone has been in Japan", Splinter continues. "His teachings have given rise to a great generation of followers throughout the world."

"He is a wonderful teacher", I say.

"Yet, you are not here to rekindle matters of time passed, my friend", he says. "What brings you to us?"

I tell him as I told the turtles about the Foot and the stolen equipment. It takes roughly fifteen minutes to finish as we were joined by the rest of the turtles.

"The Foot Clan was once honorable in their ways", Splinter says. "Originally, the purpose of its continued existence was to pass centuries of knowledge in hopes they would not fade with time. Now, the Foot Clan has been reduced to a highly skilled band of thieves. They have operated primarily in Japan, but have made their way to New York under the guidance of one of their sensei: Oroko Saki."

Saki?

"Saki lead The Foot in New York, carrying on their treachery that extended back to my home in Japan", Splinter continued. "We fought him him years ago, but we were able to defeat him. However, the Foot have been lead by another, who had come to America to return order after Saki's disappearance."

"Yeah, she's sleeping on the couch right now", Michelangelo says while chewing on some food.

Splinter stared at his young student with embarrassment as he makes a slob of himself in front of everyone.

"Is there a chance that there could be a separate faction of The Foot Clan?" I ask.

Splinter lets go a raspy hum that seems to be a common trait of his.

"Karai has led The Foot in Japan for years while Saki remained in America. With her here, I imagine new leadership has risen in Japan."

"Would the new leaders in Japan operate in New York without Karai's knowledge?" Donatello asked.

"Difficult to say", Splinter says while in deep thought. "It is not uncommon for deception to occur amongst those you would consider to be allies. Perhaps that is what we face at this very moment."

The turtles and Splinter pause for a moment, as I join them in deep thought. They respond to his every word as only students truly can, by taking in every breathe of knowledge he has hoping to instill it within themselves. Being the leader, Leonardo is the most obvious in his attentiveness to Splinter. The others vary in their attention span towards their sensei.

"Hey wait a second, Karai said to us that our truce was at an end", Raphael says breaking the silence. "What if she was ordered by the head honchos in Japan to focus on us while they come over here behind Karai's back?"

"The most deceptive move is to take advantage of ones loyalty", Splinter says.

"The Foot we encountered tonight", I say. "The majority of them were children, undisciplined and obviously lacking in any experience. They appear to be water-downed members recruited by more experienced members, almost taken advantage of."

"We fought those kind when we first encountered the Foot", Leonardo says.

"They must be low on quality ninjas", Michelangelo says with a slight chuckle.

He's not exactly that dimwitted.

"Or, they're being forced to work with what they're given."


"Karai."

Karai has had a rough night.

First, she was forced to take ill-prepared members of The Foot and deliver a message to the turtles. She finds one of them, but also finds me along with him. She loses her focus and control in front of her subordinates at the very sight of me, revealing to me she is Kyodai Ken's younger sister. Her anger greatly diminished her ability as she attempted to kill me, which lead me to knock her out with a blow most amateurs can avoid.

I don't even need to mention the interrogation.

But now, she finds herself in the lair of her sworn enemies, hanging upside down in front of the man she blames for her brother's death.

"Kill me", she says. "I can no longer stand the sight of you."

Her eyes are trying to trick me into letting her loose. So I play into her hands. I motion for Leonardo to throw a dagger at the rope she hangs from. The blade is thrown swiftly and accurately. She falls briefly as I catch her, allowing her to be upright as her feet land on the ground.

"You've been deceived by your own clan", I say pulling out a knife.

Her face focuses on it for a moment, as her arms and legs are perfectly bound, preventing her from doing anything but falling over like a log. For a brief moment, her hardened exterior softens, believing that I may kill her.

I cut the rope around her body in one quick slash, quickly putting my knife away in my belt. She must have believed that I cut her so fast that the pain had yet to set in. However, when she sees that only the rope has fallen to the floor, her fierce nature returns to her.

"I will kill you!"

"STOP!"

She halts her intention to attack me to turn behind her and see Splinter and the turtles standing in unison. She goes into a defensive mode, expecting an attack from all angles. Instead, she sees Splinter and the turtles descend to one knee, showing no intentions that they would attack.

I, reluctantly, do the same.

"My dear", Splinter begins. "We do not wish to bring you harm, especially within our home."

"You...freely reveal your lair to me", Karai says with disbelief while still in a defensive stance. "I am your sworn enemy, and you show me where you sleep?"

"I am so sleeping in the van from now on", Michelangelo says out of place once again.

Splinter motions to the turtles to remained knelt, as he slowly stands up and calmly approaches Karai. Her body language reveals her confusion to the situation. I'm starting to feel a little bit of the same. Yet, Splinter was right. If we were to get any information from Karai, we had to earn her trust. I think Raphael and I were the only ones that the idea made our heads hurt.

"We have reason to believe you are the victim of a great deception, my child", Splinter says.

"Liar!" she nearly shrieks as her body continues to tense.

Splinter's calmness as he approaches within five feet of her is beginning to unravel the tension within Karai. Her eyes had grown as wide as anyone's in a situation like this, but her face regains composure along with the rest of her body. Splinter is finally able to get her to lower her defenses enough to speak with her freely.

"You have kidnapped me", she says to us all as she turns to meet everyone's eyes. "I do not even know what became of my comrades, and now you dare attempt to convince me of treachery within the Foot Clan?"

"It is treachery that has fueled the Foot Clan for many years now", Splinter says. "Your very presence here in America is to undo much of the disarray caused by the villainous nature of The Foot."

She looks at Splinter with unwavering eyes. The turtles remain kneeling as do I. Splinter is making fantastic progress with her, and I only hope that my being here doesn't make his efforts vain.

"You fight with such ability and honor, Karai", Splinter continues. "Surely you have seen..."

"It is one of the two reasons why I agreed to leave my home for America", she says. "The Foot Clan put faith in a man who could not see past his own greed, his own agenda. He meant to use The Foot as common criminals, allowing the most unworthy to wear the colors of our brethren. It was an honor to take on the mission of restoring order and dignity to our name, here."

Surprisingly, she turns to me with a controlled look.

"You", she begins. "You are the other reason why I came to America. I loved my brother more than anything in this world, and because of your doings, my brother was taken from me. I dedicated my life to ninjitsu, following the path of my brother in hopes of carrying on our name with the honor you stole from him. My second mission in America was to take back the honor you had stolen from him."

I stand up slowly and meet her gaze with my own.

"Help us", I say to her. "And I'll give you you're chance."


"Man, I don't like this one bit", Raphael says while gasping for air.

The turtles and I race across rooftops as Karai leads us to a warehouse owned by a dummy corporation set up by the Foot Clan overseas. This is where shipments of authentic supplies from Japan are stored to aid the Foot Clan's missions over here. We make it to the wharf as we jump from warehouse to warehouse until Karai motions to us that we are at the right one.

"This is it", she starts. "We are not due another shipment for two weeks. You will find nothing inside here."

I look at her eyes again, not trusting the truth within them. I turn and run to leap off of the roof of the warehouse, down to the main door. The rest follow me down in succession as Karai approaches the numeric lock. The morning sun is beginning to rise in the distance, and these docks are about to be busy within the hour. I had no choice but to come now in search of evidence. The situation will no doubt get worse the more time is wasted.

Karai enters a code and the giant loading doors begin to slide open.

"Hey Mikey", Raphael says. "This is like that dream you was telling me about. That giant oven that makes the world's largest deep dish."

"Oh yeah, bro", Michelangelo says. "Except for the supermodels that are waxing my shell waiting for the timer to go off."

"Quiet", Leonardo simply says.

Karai stands back, waiting for an empty warehouse to be revealed. To all of our surprise, the warehouse was anything but empty.

"This...cannot be", Karai says in disbelief.

"Stay behind me", I say while walking in.

The main lights flicker on, revealing multiple crates loaded in the center of the large warehouse. Surrounding them are lab equipment and what appears to be training barracks.

"When was the last time you were in here, Karai?" Donatello asks.

"It has not been three weeks since I last entered here", she says still shocked.

I walk towards the crates as the writing on them becomes more clear.

Wayne Tech.

Lexcorp.

S.T.A.R. Labs.

United States Air force

I found what I've been looking for.

The equipment that had been stolen seem to all be here, but multiple crates that had not been reported missing by the military are resting inside here as well. This is not a good sign.

"I have to put a call in to the Justice..."

Before I can finish talking, the lights go out in the warehouse. We are not in total darkness, but our vision is impaired enough.

"Hey K", I hear Michelangelo in the dark. "Was that the last time you guys made a payment for this place?"

In the confusion, I activate the night vision lenses in my cowl. Just as they turned on, the lights kicked back on, sending an intense light directly into my eyes. Everyone hears me wince as I drop to my knees. Suddenly, I feel a foot come crashing down on my head.

"Batman!" I hear Leonardo say. "Turtles, stay together."

I fall to the ground as I hear multiple footsteps begin to surround our position. Whoever kicked me guided their shin across the side of my cheek, cutting me with some sort of blade attached to what might have been a shin guard.

"It appears tonight, my vengeance has sought me out", the deep voice of my attacker says. "Foot Soldiers, leave none alive!"