Episode 1: The Shadow of Destiny - Part 3

Slowly, blackness melted away.

Ethan's vision blurred.

His head felt like a sledgehammer had slammed into his skull. His shoulder was throbbing painfully too. They must have chucked me on the ground. Dizziness overtook him and he squeezed his eyes shut to try and keep his mind working. Thankfully, he could feel the soft, encouraging cloth of his bandana on his face.

He could hear voices. Mutters passed through his ears, uncomfortably. His head throbbed again as he tried to ground himself.

"They were trying to interfere with your mutagen shipment, Master Shredder." The Asian accent immediately brought back memories of who brought him here. It was that tiger. Ethan opened his eyes and felt at his back. His weapon had been taken from him.

"Why have you brought them to me, Tigerclaw?"

The voice gave Ethan a chill. Deep, ragged, filled with a hidden fury. like an explosive mine in a field. He had never heard anything like it before. It was spiteful and filled with an urge to cause pain like viper venom that poisoned the air.

He took in his surroundings. He could see more of the Footbots in their black clothes, katana's attached to their backs. They were holding canisters of the green ooze and seemed to look into nothingness – totally expressionless, empty eyes glowing red staring down at them.

Jess and Kaela lay crumpled next to him, their eyes still closed, expressions of pain on their faces. Ethan could see red, bleeding lumps on the side of their head. They were in a dark room, sky windows gazing down at them. Glass panes were on either side of a cement walkway. If he was right – water was moving beneath the glass. He turned his head, grimacing from the throbbing pain in his head.

"This one is getting up." A hoarse voice cackled and Ethan brought his eyes to . . . something.

Is that a zombie wolf!?

The beast was at least double his size, a rib cage hanging from matted dark fur, orange eyes glowing with blood lust, long claws grazed the floor. His snout was elongated and his fangs were unbelievably long and sharp – like blades. Next to zombie wolf was the tiger. Ethan could now see that he was wearing an eye patch. His tail was missing, leaving only a cauterized stump. Tigerclaw, he had been called.

"Get him up, Bradford."

The wolf moved towards him, his long arms dragging against the floor, the claws making sparks scatter across the cement pathway. Ethan tried to get up – to get away, to do anything he possibly could to get away from this monster. He scrambled backward, his eyes blinking away the pain as best as he could. "Stop squirming." The wolf hissed – was his name really Bradford? Ethan couldn't help but feel that was a terribly unsuitable name for such a wicked looking beast.

His arm touched skin and he looked down to see that Jess and Kaela, laying on the ground, fenced him in. Jess stirred at his touch and groaned. Clearly they had been smashed in the head by Tigerclaw as well. "If you try anything – I'll wreck you!" Ethan cried, trying to sound confident as the monster loomed over him. He cackled hoarsely, his maw split into a frightening grin.

"Stop." The dangerously loud voice boomed through the large room and the wolf halted, mid step and growled, ears flattening against his head and he moved out of the way. Ethan looked towards the head of the room. A pair steep, stone stairs led to a large steel chair, more like a throne – but, it was the menacing man in the chair that drew his attention.

The light of the moon danced against a helmet, three wicked points jutted from it's crown. And that was only the beginning of the blades on this man. The metal that encased his shoulders, forearms and legs were decorated in large spikes. His face was covered by a metal mask, save his eyes which, even from here, Ethan could see one of them appeared to be damaged and bloodshot. "Do you know who I am, boy?" he asked, standing from his chair and with a thrash of his arm, he moved his long purple cape behind him.

"N-no." Ethan looked around the room. If he had been surprised with the wolf and the tiger, he was even more confused by a large red eel like creature with robot legs. Next to him was a massive Rhino, wearing military camo and a warthog sporting a purple Mohawk and suit that looked like it should have come from the 80's.

The man known as Shredder turned to the others, "Zeck, Storango, take my foot soldiers and their mutagen to Stockman."

"Yes, Master Shredder." The Rhino spoke in a heavy Russian accent.

Why the heck are all these freakin' animals talking!?

Ethan's brain only hurt more as he tried to piece together everything that he was seeing. One moment he was running in the wind, a ninja with his own weapon for the first time. Now he was in a building who-knows-where being confronted by a man dressed in blades and his army of robot ninja's and talking animals that were really good at killing by the looks of it.

As the Rhino and the Pig walked away, the Footbots went with them, caring the glowing mutagen, the sound of their metallic limbs swaying ringing through the hallway. They vanished in the only visible door Ethan could see. Jess groaned, holding her head as she slowly opened her eyes. They were unfocused for only a moment – but then immediately snapped into high alert mode. "Jess." Ethan whispered, relieved. She was okay.

Besides the fact that they were about to get murdered by the Foot Clan's mutant army. So – maybe not okay . . .

The one known as Tigerclaw turned to face him, as well as the zombie dog and the fish. But Ethan's eyes focused back on the man who had slowly stood up from his chair, glaring down at him and his two friends. Ethan desperately searched the room with his eyes, not daring to move his head. His naginata had to be here somewhere –

"Looking for these?" Shredder asked, not in anyway politely as he pointed an accusing finger at a pile. Kaela's ribbon dart, Ethan's naginata and Jess's kama sat at the foot of the stairs. Ethan nervously, looked down at his belt. Had they taken the shurikan's from him too? "Tigerclaw tells me that you attempted to fight him with these weapons. Who are you?"

Ethan opened his mouth but no words were coming out. What on earth do I say! "Speak quickly, while you still have your vocal cords."

Snapping out of his worry by that abrasive statement, Ethan stuttered, "I . . . w-we have been training and thought we would stop the Kraang!"

Shredder's eyes narrowed and then he turned to Tigerclaw. With no indication in Tigerclaw's face, he looked back at them. "The mutagen did not interest you?"

Suddenly realizing that the man was talking about the glowing ooze-tubes, Ethan quickly said, "What? No. Why would we need that?" He felt confident in saying that much at least, but would feel a whole lot better when his weapon was in his hands. That was assuming that upon leaving this building he would still have his hands.

Jess had slowly straightened up, her balance throwing her left and right as she tried to steady herself, her hand held as if to grab onto Ethan if needed, the other clutching at her head. "Where are we?" She groaned. Ethan didn't answer, his eyes still fixed on the head of the Foot clan that already had managed to capture and defeat them.

It was over before it had even started.

"Do not lie to me, boy." he said with deadly venom, his eyes narrowing, the blades of his helmet flashing as he slowly walked down the steps from his chair until they were on level ground. Ethan tried to stop his body from trembling. He had to trust that he was going to be able to talk his way out of this somehow. Maybe he could excuse the weapons as a part of a martial arts club at school. Shredder surely wouldn't care about that. "Although weak, you had experience with those weapons. Now, answer me. Who are you?"

Ethan didn't speak – not because he wanted to be defiant, but what on earth could he say? With the grating sound of metal against metal, two sharp blades protruded from Shredder's gauntlet, glimmering menacingly in the light. "I-I'm Ethan!" He quickly stuttered, trying to keep his eyes on Shredder's eyes, rather than his weapons. "This is J-Jess – Jessica, and Kaela."

Shredder's deep red eye glared at him through the metal mask. The rest of the room remained dead silent. "I care nothing for these petty details – who sent you?"

"Nobody!" Ethan quickly replied.

Several long moments passed, the sound of water moving beneath the glass pane was the only thing that broke the silence, echoing off the stone walls. The eerie, pale blue light of the moon glowed through the windows down at them and Ethan fidgeted uncomfortably. Some of the shock of seeing the giant talking animals was beginning to fade. How am I going to get us out of this?

Metal slid against metal again with a pang! and the blades on Shredder's gauntlet vanished out of sight again – like a snake waiting to strike at it's unsuspecting victim. "Very well." he said gravely. He turned around and walked back up the cement walkway to the stairs that led to his throne-like chair.

"Can I destroy them master?" The zombie-like wolf cackled, his maw hanging open, teeth, like sharpened bone jutting from it in glee. His orange eyes seemed to glow hauntingly in the dark, as if his blood lust had kindled a fire behind his pupils.

Shredder slowly sat down and placed the tips of his fingers together as he gazed down at them. "No." he said slowly. "Lucky for you three, I am in need of more assistance." He then nodded towards Kaela who was just barely beginning to fidget on the floor. "Get her up!" he commanded.

Ethan tried to make a move – to step in front of her – but Tigerclaw's massive paw smacked down on his shoulder, making his legs buckle. He managed to keep himself up as the zombie-like monster known as Bradford grabbed Kaela around the arm with his massive claws and pulled her to her feet. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she let out a sound like someone had just squeezed the air out of her. Her eyes widened.

"Let her go!" Jess demanded, but her voice cracked, making them sound all the more pathetic. Bradford released her and slowly inched away again until he was standing next to the fish again.

Kaela stayed on her feet, but she looked around wildly. Her hair looked like a tornado had tossed it across her face and around her shoulders. Her face was as white as a sheet of paper and even in the dim wistful light of the moon, he could see that her hands were trembling. "Guys . . . where . . ?" she didn't have to finish her sentence. Ethan had turned his attention back up to Shredder.

He was watching them with single-minded interest. "Excellent." He said quietly, his voice echoing through the metal that covered his mouth and around his throne room. "Now, let us prove your worthiness to join the Foot clan." he turned and nodded towards Tigerclaw. The huge tiger grinned and folded his arms across his wide chest, covered in bullet belts and a scarf the color of night. Shredder moved to toss them their weapons.

"No!"

Shredder paused and looked up. "What?" He asked, his voice had gone dangerously low.

Ethan felt determination flare up inside him. Everyone in the room's eyes were on him – he could feel it. Their gaze made the hair on his neck stand up, but he did not let his defiance burn out. "Just me." he said. "Test me, not them."

"What are you doing, Ethan?" Jess hissed at him.

"Are you crazy?" Kaela re-emphasized.

Ethan could feel the white bandana against his face, although it had likely been tarnished in dirt and soot – he could not forget the things Sensei had told him about what it represented. "I can't let either of you get hurt." he whispered quietly back to them.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Jess said, but Ethan wasn't listening.

Shredder reached down and picked up the naginata from the ground and threw it. The weapon bounced against the ground and Ethan winced at the disrespect, as if a friend had been thrown at his feet carelessly. He reached down and the moment his fingers gripped the handle, warmth spread through his hand and for the first time since waking up with this throbbing headache, he felt calm.

"Tigerclaw, show this child the true meaning of pain."

Calm was over.

Bradford forced Jess and Kaela backward with his long, blade-like claws, nearly throwing them back on their butts. Tigerclaw stepped in front of Ethan, and flung from a sheath a long, glimmering machete. "Attack, cub!" he growled, his voice booming and bouncing off the walls.

Ethan looked the huge cat up and down. Tigerclaw was over twice his size and strength. He had an array of natural weapons – claws, the machete, and if he remembered, didn't Tigerclaw have two guns with him in the alley?

But Ethan had speed. He was a small target.

The time to think was over.

Ethan spun out of the way of Tigerclaw's first strike. Sparks showered from where the blade had struck the stone ground. Prepared with a parry, Ethan let his weapon swing down at Tigerclaw's back. It didn't meet it's mark. He was thrown off his feet and he felt his back slam into glass and the sound of gasping – whether from his friends or his own throat, he couldn't tell.

Maybe he didn't have speed after all.

He was back on his feet and managed to block a blow. The force threw him backward, his spine slamming into the wall.

"Look out!"

Ethan ducked, as, accompanying a loud shout from Tigerclaw, the machete slashed the wall, leaving a deep groove. "Eventually, you will have to fight back, cub!"

Shredder's eyes were on him, as was the fish that paced near the stairs – but Ethan couldn't let himself get distracted. He could feel terror unlike anything he had felt before and keeping it under control for this fight was like trying to hold back a pair of rampaging bulls with cords made of yarn.

He threw another strike and felt the blade of his weapon slide up the machete, throwing him off his stance.

Ouch.

Ethan thought it right before Tigerclaw's paw slammed into his side and he collapsed back onto the ground, skidding against the concrete.

"Ethan!"

He didn't want to open his eyes. He had failed Jess and Kaela. They were going to watch as this tiger ripped him in half and then they would have to fight next. Maybe they could win and get away.

"Pathetic."

Ethan could hear Shredder standing up from his chair, the sound of his metal armor clinking as he moved. The folds of his cape hissed against the floor. "They are too worthless to implement into the Foot Clan. Dispose of them."

Bradford cackled again.

A shadow passed over Ethan and he looked up. He had to move – had to get up – had to do something to stop another attack from Tigerclaw. He wasn't done yet. He looked at Kaela and Jess hoping to catch their eye, but they were both glancing up at something.

Ethan didn't dare turn an eye away from Tigerclaw's advancing presence. He could feel weight under his stomach. Something jagged was pressing against him.

A shurikan. They hadn't been taken.

Tigerclaw raised his blade and slammed it down, but Ethan had already rolled out of the way. He snatched a shurikan from his belt and as he stepped back onto the glass, he let it fly.

This time, it hit it's mark.

The blade whizzed through the air and pierced Tigerclaw's forearm. He hollered in agony. Ethan glanced up. A shadow stood in the window.

Master Hamato?

Tigerclaw turned to slash at Ethan's face with his paw, but met nothing but thin air. Ethan slammed his blade against Tigerclaw's back, but some sort of metal contraption strapped over his shoulders stopped the blow from any serious damage. Tigerclaw turned and grabbed the blade and picked Ethan up from the ground by his belt. Ethan kicked and fought.

"Stop!"

The room went silent and Tigerclaw dropped Ethan to the floor.

Shredder walked down each step, the sound echoing in the emptiness of this strange place. Tigerclaw turned accusingly towards Shredder, his eye patch toward Ethan. Maybe I an do a surprise attack while he can't see. He discredited the thought as Shredder stopped and picked up the bloodied shurikan that had been tossed across the floor in Tigerclaw's rage. His eyes were wide as he glared down at the token and he looked up at Ethan, shoving Tigerclaw out of the way with his bladed shoulder. "So," He said, "That rat has begun to hire humans to do his dirty work."

Rat?

If Ethan had been confused before, now he was totally lost.

"I don't know what you are talking ab—." He tried to finish but Shredder threw the shurikan, cutting his phrase in midair. Kaela and Jess yelped as it passed their faces and into the wall behind them. Bradford's zombie ears flattened against his skull. "Tell me where Hamato Yoshi is and I promise I will let you live long enough to see his disciples perish!" Shredder yelled, his voice echoing around the room, hitting Ethan in every direction.

Hamato Yoshi? Ethan thought. That's not sensei's name . . .

Shredder's blades shot out from his gauntlet and he pointed them at Ethan's face before Ethan could even think about a parry he could use. "Tell me where that rat and his wretched turtles are! Now!"

Ethan gripped his naginata tightly. If he was going to go down, he was going to at least put up a fight against Shredder. "Very well. Then your friends will watch as I cut you to pieces!" He raised his weapon and Ethan prepared himself to block when suddenly the world around him erupted with sound.

Shattering glass poured down on them and Ethan dived out of the way as the tiny blade-like particles bounced in every direction.

"Kore wa nan da?"

A shadow leapt through the new hole in the ceiling, landing cat-like on the ground. Tiny pieces of glass grazed his cheek, leaving behind angry red marks as he fell backward away from the chaos. The one who had rescued them was not Master Hamato, but rather, another animal, wearing a pair of black pants, puffy and balled up around his ankles. He was shirtless, but fur spread down his back and chest. His feet were were dog-like, black jagged claws jutting from the paws. A set of large rounded ears that came to a point were flattened against their head, little dark spots spreading down their neck. A grinning mouth filled with teeth glared in the moonlight, yellow eyes glittering.

A Hyena.

"A mutant!" Shredder hissed. "Destroy him!"

Jess kicked the zombie dog known as Bradford behind her and he cried out in pain like a dog. "Let's get out of here!" Ethan called to them. He tumbled out of the way, sliding across the glass and for a horrifying moment he thought the glass was going to shatter. His fingers touched the weapons at the foot of the stairs and he threw them into the air.

Jess and Kaela caught them expertly.

Tigerclaw and the fish with robo legs jumped forward, but the Hyena was fast. He had spun out of the way of several attacks, fluid, twisting, a blade flashing. Tigerclaw jumped backward, furious and the guns appeared. Loud zapping noises echoed in the hall, red smoke billowing up where the strange laser's struck. "Fool!" He hollered as blood zipped across the floor from a quick strike from the Hyena.

"Let's go!" Ethan sprinted down the path, his ribs feeling bruised and his breath came out in ragged gasps, but he was going to get them out of here. Kaela let the ribbon fly and it spun through the air, wrapping around Bradford's bony, fur-covered arm and she let it rip, the zombie dog skidding across the stone and onto the glass.

"Nice!" Jess pumped her fist as the three ran down the alleyway towards the door.

"STOP THEM!" Shredder yelled.

The hyena threw Tigerclaw across the floor, as odd as a dog chucking a grizzly bear, dancing out of the way of a swipe from Bradford who had stood up again. "Do not let them escape!"

"SAKI!" The hyena yelled, his voice high pitched, his eyes flashing dangerously as he drew two tonfa in each of his hands. They were long clubs with polished handles. "I'LL RIP YOU APART!"

Shredder's blades appeared, but before Ethan could see the confrontation between the Hyena and Shredder, the Fish had stepped forward, a grin on his face – or at least it looked like that. A silver switch blade was in his hand, flipping expertly like a performance. He jumped, launching from the cement and landed hard in front of them, his metal feet cracking it. "A – fish?" Kaela asked, baffled.

"The name is Xever." The fish had an accent – perhaps South American? "So you don't forget, I will carve it into your faces."

Ethan let his naginata thrust forward, the blade cutting through air. His leg kicked it out of the way but Jessica had managed to move forward with her Kama's, both of them in Xever's inner circle. He moved out of the way to dodge her quick strikes and they burst forward. "Move!" The three ran for it, leaving the sound of battle and clanging metal behind them.

"Come back here, you cowards!"

They ran down flights of stairs, but nobody came to stop them. A pair of doors waited at the bottom and they burst through them out into the New York streets without a moment of hesitation. The night was dark, the air was cool – but they were free. Ethan couldn't stop. His side felt like it had been crushed, but he kept moving down the street. Cars honked as the three teenagers hurtled over them.

The three didn't stop even to catch their breath until the familiar graffiti appeared and only then did they slow down, their feet throbbing as they paused at the door. Ethan let out a painful gasp as he held his side where Tigerclaw had struck him. His whole body ached.

"Ethan." Jess said, in between breaths. "Are you – okay?"

Ethan couldn't speak.

"Am I okay? We were almost killed by the leader of the Foot Clan and his army consisting of a giant freakin' tiger, an undead dog and a crowd of other talking animals!"

"You forgot the fish." Kaela panted.

"I wasn't counting him."

The door slid open, bathing the three in light.

Master Hamato gave one look at them, his eyes filled with concern that Ethan couldn't ever remember seeing in them before. "Quickly, come inside." He ushered them into the warmth of their home and closed the screen door behind them. "Jessica, get some hot water!" He motioned to the bathroom. Jessica quickly hurried off as Kaela and Master Hamato helped Ethan into the room and sat him down on one of the poofy seats that lay on the tatami mat, decorated in tracings of sakura petals. His weapon fell down next to him. "Were you followed?" he asked quickly.

Ethan shook his head, "No."

Master Hamato quickly took a bowl from a nearby shelf and a long stick, striking it so quickly that for a moment, Ethan couldn't even tell he was holding anything. A tiny green flame appeared at the end and he placed the stick into the glass bowl. He worked quietly and quickly. He picked the flame up with his hands and brushed his fingers against Ethan's side where he had been struck.

The pain seemed to melt away with the heat and Ethan felt his lungs expand as breathing became easier. "Remember my students, if you are being followed, bring them here. I will do the rest." he said calmly.

Jess returned, a steaming bowl of water and a towel in her hands. "Sit." Master Hamato commanded.

The two girls immediately sat down, cross legged. Master Hamato let Ethan breath thankfully for a few moments and turned to dab at the wounds that Jess and Kaela had managed to get. "What happened?" He asked quietly.

"The Foot."

The concern in his eyes solidified into something more serious, but he did not express it in words.

"We felt we could handle them," Ethan began uneasily, "But they have . . . an army of mutants."

Master Hamato finished dabbing at Jess's forehead and turned to Kaela, addressing the lump on her head. "You saw him, didn't you." He said quietly as he dabbed. Kaela winced, closing one of her eyes and gritting her teeth from the pressure.

"Shredder." Jess said quietly, as if she was saying a curse word.

"I knew him under a different name." Master Hamato said it so quietly that Ethan would have missed it if he wasn't so still. The pain had mostly left from the Chinese healing, but it still throbbed. He felt like he didn't want to ever get up again. A sense of shame was settling in as he felt at the white bandana around his face.

"Saki." Kaela said as Master Hamato placed the towel back into the water. "We were saved by another mutant. A hyena guy . . . he called Shredder Saki."

"Oroku Saki." Master Hamato said quietly. "Yes. I knew him well. He was my son."

Ethan's mouth dropped open.

"What?" Jess hissed.

Master Hamato placed the towel back into the bowl and closed his eyes, his mouth in a solid line. "My adopted son. I had managed to finally destroy the last of the Foot Clan over thirty years ago, but there, I found the heir to the Foot Clan, the son of Oroku Kaijin – he was so little he could not even speak. I felt that the Hamato Clan's teachings would cleanse him of his darkness . . . but I was wrong. I thought both he and my birth son, Hamato Yoshi had died in a fire that burned away the last Hamato Clan dojo. As soon as I moved to New York and saw the Foot Clan running it's streets, I knew I had been wrong."

He opened his eyes.

"I allowed you three out too early. You may continue to patrol, but not until you are healed. Also, you are forbidden to have any confrontation with the Foot Clan."

None of them complained.

"Now, off to bed. We all must consider what happened tonight if we are to gain an advantage over the Foot Clan." He slowly stood up. "I fear this is only the beginning."

Jess and Kaela slowly stood. Jess reached out her hand to help Ethan up from the mat but he shook his head. She didn't ask any questions for which Ethan was thankful and the two sauntered off into their room.

Master Hamato stopped, his back turned to Ethan, hands behind his bent shoulders, garbed in the same white that Ethan had over his face. He peered out at the garden. "You are tired, my son." He said softly, "I know you have questions – but, they are not to be answered now."

Ethan felt pain as he stood, but he did not let out a noise. His sense of shame kept it inside. He slowly let the cloth slide from his face and he tugged the white bandana from him and lifted it up in both hands, bowing his head. "I'm sorry I failed, Sensei." He said feeling tears stinging at his eyes. "I shouldn't wear this. I'm not ready."

Master Hamato turned to him, but did not reach out his hand to the cloth that sat limp in Ethan's fingers. A smile appeared on his lips. "You were captured," He began, "But, you survived and got both yourself and your sisters out of the Shredder's inner sanctum. Now we know where he resides. You were defeated – yes. But you did not fail." He reached down and closed Ethan's hand around the bandana. "Your destiny is deeper than you think." his voice had changed to something deeper and more ponderous. Ethan let his hands fall back into his lap, some comfort blooming in his stomach. I'm going to make sure I have earned the right to this. He thought to himself angrily.

Master Hamato nodded towards the door. "Off to bed, my son."

Ethan slowly stood up with his Master's help and walked towards the door.

Even as he laid down in the darkness, he could not get the image of Shredder out of his mind – his eyes staring angrily through his metal helmet. As he began to fall asleep, he remembered that Shredder has asked where Hamato Yoshi was – and something about turtles.