Episode 10: Tigerclaw's Vendetta – Part 2

The dream shattered around Ethan, smashed to bits by an incessant ringing sound. He covered his ears with his paw-like hands, trying to understand what on earth was going on. Seconds ago, it felt like he had actually been standing in Washington Square, watching as the Turtles and their allies were defeated and captured by the Triceratops.

He looked around wildly and suddenly, like ground rushing up to meet him, he remembered where he was. The turtle's lair – their new home. The bean bag that he was slumped on had con-caved to his weight, making it difficult for him to get back up out of its soft, plushy pit. Kaela and Jess were blinking wildly on the couch and bag next to him. Kaela jumped up from the bean bag with little issue, her hair disheveled.

With a roll, Jess slammed to the ground, slipping off the edge of the couch and she muttered a quick and angry, "Ow." The ringing noise kept going on and on – beeping over and over again like a tornado siren. Ethan stumbled to his feet, his tail felt like it had been bent at the wrong angle and his over-sensitive ears were really not enjoying the noises that were coming from the nearby lab.

"What is that noise?" Kaela cried, looking panicked, her hands clamped over her ears to help muffle the sound.

Ethan jumped, catlike, up onto the landing and then sprinted to the lab, shoving the doors open with one arm and one foot and he noticed that big orange light that looked a lot like a police siren was going off near the computer. Kaela and Jess followed close behind him as he made a few more bounds over to the computer. The screen was blinking red, a single word flashing over it: ALERT!

"How do you make it shut up?" Jess yelled.

"No idea!" Ethan shouted back, looking at the screen dumbfounded.

Jess began slamming her fist on the keyboard as if doing so would suddenly shut up the siren.

"Stop, stop!" Kaela cried and she shoved Jess' hands away and pressed the escape button on the keyboard. It immediately went quiet, the orange light stopped spinning and the computer screen returned to the surveillance camera views. Only this time, one of the little camera's was lit up in red, and there was something moving around in the camera lenses gaze.

The three leaned in together until they were practically cheek to cheek to get a better look at the screen. A figure was moving in the darkness in the far back of a nearby sewer tunnel. They almost looked like they were rummaging with something and then, they paused. "Let's go check it out." Ethan finally whispered.

"It could be a trap." Kaela said nervously, giving Ethan a cautious look with her blue eyes, dark in the sudden lack of orange light.

Ethan shook his head, "I don't think anybody knows that we are in the sewers, do they? Last Shredder saw of us was at our old home."

"Hun saw us, I think." Jess said. "The Purple Dragons are working with the Foot Clan now, remember? But, I don't know if Hun told Shredder or not. I mean – that was only a couple days ago."

He looked back at the screen and squinted, trying to figure out who it was that was moving, but they had stopped. They looked pretty large, but the camera was likely distorting their figure. "What if it's one of the turtles . . . or Splinter?" Ethan asked hopefully. "I think that it's worth the risk. What if it was them and we never went to see. We would have missed one of our only chances."

Kaela still didn't look convinced but finally she said, "You're probably right. I'm in."

The three went and grabbed their weapons. Kaela tied her yellow bandanna around her face and Jess tied her green one. Together the three jumped over the platform barriers and out into the red colored tunnel. Ethan half wished they could have somehow taken the Shell Raiser or the Party Wagon with them, but knew that would be impossible – and probably a little awkward if they actually ended up being the turtles. It wasn't polite to just move in to someone else's home and use their vehicles.

Turning down a nearby tunnel, they moved quickly, feet splashing through inches of murky water, the white lights buzzing next to them, shadows of them in their full ninja run rushing behind them as if they were being chased. They pivoted down another, more narrow tunnel and then out to a wider one that led them to a huge circular terrace-like part of the sewers with a lofty roof that ran all the way up the ground above them, a vent the size of a sugar cube from their view point let light in from above. Huge pipes the size of their whole body protruded from the walls. This circular area connected to other sewer pipes. A large pit in the middle was filled with a foot of water and increasing from a steady flow from nearby pipes that protruded below their feet.

A shadow stirred in the nearby drain pipe that the camera had been glaring at. Ethan pulled his naginata from his holster just in case and heard the click of additional weapons being drawn behind him. The shadow moved into the light and Ethan felt his heart burn with angry fire.

Tigerclaw.

The huge tiger glared down at them, a grin showing his pointed teeth. An eye patch covered one of his eyes and a hole had been cut from one of his ears. In one hand was a long machete, in the other, a silver gun. Across his chest were two long belts covered in ammunition. "Hello, little ones." he said lowly, gun pointed at Ethan's face.

Ethan glared back and then smirked. "I'm kinda glad that it was you and not the turtles on the camera." Ethan shouted back up. "This is a rematch I've been waiting for."

Tigerclaw laughed, "I assume you are ready then to be smashed into stone of this disgusting sewer." he motioned around him. "I had a hunch that you would follow your turtle friends into the sewers, and here you are."

"I think you are giving yourself way too much credit." Jess snapped back. "Be honest with yourself – you just got lucky."

Tigerclaw's eyes narrowed as he looked at Jess and he changed direction, pointing his gun at her face now. "Tell me where the turtles are, wretched cubs, and I will make your end swift."

Ethan turned to look at Jess and Kaela, raising one of his hands to motion towards Tigerclaw. "Did he not listen to a single word I said." He turned back to Tigerclaw, "We thought you were one of the turtles – we obviously have no clue where they are, so stop asking!"

"You dare speak to me so disrespectfully?" He snapped and with a blast and a zinging sound, a beam of red shot towards Jess, but she had jumped out of the way, just in time, crimson smoke billowing up near the toe on her tennis shoe.

Ethan and Kaela split from each other, running opposite directions around the watery pit to dodge another barrage of shots. Flicking his fingers, Ethan sent a series of shurikans flying through the air.

Tigerclaw slashed them out of the air, the whole tunnel echoing with the sound of metal dashing against metal and the shurikans fell, vanishing into the sewage water. Lunging, he slammed his machete to the ground, nearly cutting Ethan in half.

The memory of Tigerclaw striking Ethan so hard he had felt it for a week burned in Ethan's mind as he whipped out his naginata and slammed the side of it into Tigerclaw's tendons near the elbow. He roared and slashed at him with a heavy hand but Ethan skipped out of the way. "Nice try!" Ethan called, spinning his naginata between his fingers, "But I've gotten better since last time."

"Ha!" Tigerclaw laughed, "It is only your new form that makes you this nimble! I remember those days well!" He slashed at the air with his black claws and then kicked, throwing Ethan backward and nearly sending him tumbling over the edge into the water. "But you are still just a cub!"

"Your making me wish I wasn't a cat person." Kaela's ribbon dart slammed into the back of Tigerclaw's head and he roared again, the sound reverberating off of the tunnels. She moved backward to dodge a strike and Jess jumped forward, slashing his hand out of the way with her kama and then moved it and slammed her shoulder into his chest.

It hardly moved him.

He grabbed Jess by the shoulder and threw her like a rag doll. She screamed and splashed into the water below them. "Jess!" Kaela cried, jumping back with a yell as she was nearly slashed across the face by another vicious attack. The machete in his other hand lay unused. Tigerclaw had gotten personal quickly.

Ethan jumped to his feet again and ran toward the tiger, his feet making little noise against the grating and with a holler, he slashed a gash into Tigerclaw's jet pack that he wore. He turned, his eye like a tiny pinprick of angry light. "Your fighting me too, remember?" Ethan asked.

Jess spluttered out filthy water and looked up at Ethan. "Y'know, I don't like that you are sounding as sassy as Karai recently – it's like your a male version of her."

"And an adorable panda version!"

Ethan frowned at them, but didn't get a chance to respond as he had to parry a blow from the machete with his own weapon. Tigerclaw was fast, and even with his new mutated form, Ethan found himself being backed into a wall again. He ducked and Tigerclaw's machete drove a long gash just inches above his head in the cement wall. Ethan felt his back touch the coolness of the stones. He was pinned again.

He quickly looked towards Jess and Kaela for help, but they were still trying to scamper up the side of the huge pit to get back into the fight. Ethan turned to look back at Tigerclaw who grinned. "There is nowhere for you to run, little one." he said lowly, his machete gleaming in the light of the tiny opening far above them. He slammed his machete down and with a sharp twist, Ethan felt his wrists bend and, to avoid breaking them, he let go of the naginata and it clanged across the floor and rested in the shadows near one of the tunnels.

Ethan winced as Tigerclaw raised the machete a second time.

"Ethan!" He heard Kaela and Jess scream.

"Wow, Tigerclaw." Another voice suddenly said. In the darkness, another shadow had moved and a figure appeared, sitting down lazily in one of the tunnels overhead. It was the Hyena mutant, one of his ears had become a gnarly stump, his yellow eyes flashing down at them and his spotted, manky, spiky fur standing up in every direction. One of his legs he hung over the side and rocked it back and forth. Despite his lazy stance, both of his tonfa were clutched tightly in his hands and he smiled slyly down at them. If Ethan was correct, the mutant had been called Bloodmaw by the wolf mutant that had fought with him. He could remember her a lot better – Ashina. "You are actually struggling to fight these three teenagers?"

"You dare –!" Tigerclaw shouted furiously.

"Oh, don't start with the dramatic crap." Bloodmaw moaned, spinning one of his tonfa in a rather bored way, the wood gleaming. "It's so annoying." His voice had grown slightly colder.

Tigerclaw growled under his breath and pointed his machete up at Bloodmaw. Ethan took this moment to slide away from the wall towards his naginata, his ears flattening against his head, his whiskers drooping in worry. If he was caught slipping away, Tigerclaw would probably just cut him in half before continuing his banter with Bloodmaw. "The Shinotomo Clan has disgraced itself long enough!" Tigerclaw roared, "You are the fools who sliced off my tail, and you will pay the price!"

Bloodmaw slowly put his hands up, weapons still gripped in his fingers, showing long black claws that had been sharpened to points. "Hey, I wasn't the one who cut off your tail. That was my master, Lord Nightshade. You'll want to take that up with him – and believe me, just getting killed by me is a much better option." He then paused and his eyes flickered over to Jess and Kaela who were just rolling back up onto the lip over the watery pit. "And besides, as much as I would love ripping you apart, I'm not really here for that." He pointed at Jess and Kaela who stared back up at him, frozen. "I'm here for them – the Hamato Clan."

He jumped down and landed with a slam onto the metal grating below and flipped his tonfa again, this time into battle position. "Although," He grinned, showing pointed teeth, jagged and yellowed, "I suppose I could fit killing you into my schedule."

Tigerclaw was done talking and lunched forward with a roar that bounced off all the walls, his aggression had gone from a flame to a bonfire and he slashed his machete over and over again – his precision vanished in a sudden rage and Bloodmaw backed up, dodging each one as he flipped out of the way. He gritted his teeth. Jess and Kaela turned to look at Ethan. "Retreat?" Kaela guessed.

"Boo." Jess replied, wringing water out of her hair. "I need to repay that big cat for throwing me into the sewage."

Ethan nodded, "We stay. I want to pay him back still too. Jess and I will take Tigerclaw, Kaela, get yourself in a safe position and take Bloodmaw out from above." Kaela nodded affirmatively.

Jess pumped her fist into the air, "Heck yes! No more retreating! I like this new Ethan!"

"With me." Ethan snatched up his weapon and Jess flipped out her kama's as the two sprinted around the circle towards Tigerclaw's back. Kaela lunged forward, grabbing the rim of one of the upper pipes and slowly pushed herself up onto it. Once she had her footing, she turned and began to spin her ribbon in her hand, ready to let it throw out as soon as Bloodmaw moved a little closer towards her.

"You and the Shinotomo Clan will suffer for what you did to me and the Foot Clan!" Tigerclaw roared, his weapon blunting off of Bloodmaw's tonfa that spun like fan's, expertly and aggressively moving side to side. With a resounding slam, Ethan and Jess barreled into Tigerclaw's back with the blunt of their shoulders. He was thrown off and Ethan couldn't see what happened, but heard the sound of blunt wood hitting fur and skull and the roar of Tigerclaw. The two backed away just in time to avoid a wild swipe from his clawed paw. But the two didn't have another second as Bloodmaw unexpectedly trampled up Tigerclaw's face as a bridge and spun his tonfa.

Ethan felt wood hit the side of his head and saw stars as he slammed into the far wall, his hand around his naginata slacking. "Ow." He heard himself mutter, his vision dizzy.

"Are you insane, mutt?" Jess yelled, slamming her kama's into the wood of both tonfa's to stop them from slamming into her. He grinned at her, his eyes flashing and pushed against her, her feet inching across the slippery cement from the force.

"A little bit." he hissed through his teeth, his voice sour with mirth. "Lord Nightshade wants the Hamato clan dead too – and after leaving Ashina and I to fight that two headed dragon by ourselves – I'm starting to understand why he hates you guys so much."

"I'm sick of people talking about crap we don't know anything about." Jess snapped and she shoved back at him, throwing them further into their stalemate.

Ethan shook his head, trying to ignore the massive headache he was rocking now and he snatched up his weapon again, putting one of his hands on the wall to steady himself. "Enough of this, dog!" Tigerclaw slammed his fist into Bloodmaw's side. He yelped and the hyena fell off his feet and snatched at the ledge, leaping back up.

"I don't think so!" Kaela's ribbon wrapped around Tigerclaw's wrist before he could slam Jess and Ethan with his fist again.

"Stupid girl." Tigerclaw wrenched his wrist and Kaela screamed. Flying off the ledge that she had perched on, a stricken look of panic splayed on her face, but then she quickly recovered, spinning her body, although roughly and she slammed her feet into Tigerclaw's chest, throwing him back against the wall. Ethan, blinking away the pain, pointed his naginata's tip at Tigerclaw's neck.

Kaela moved in next to him and Jess turned on Bloodmaw, her kama's pointed. The hyena watched apprehensively, his yellow eyes darting between Tigerclaw and Jess. He seemed interested in what was about to happen. "You are done, Tigerclaw."

But Tigerclaw's smile had not disappeared, and the blood lust in his eyes only seemed to burn brighter as he stared back down at Ethan. "You are too soft, little cub." he said. He looked over to Bloodmaw and the two glared at one another for a moment. "But, there is something that you don't know yet." he pulled out suddenly from his jacket a remote with a large red button on it.

"What is that?" Kaela asked, spinning her dart readily.

Bloodmaw's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the black, shiny rectangle. Tigerclaw chuckled again. "I may perish as well, but at least this mutt and you three foolish ones will die with me. It will be a fitting sacrifice."

"NO!"

Before Ethan could force himself to slice Tigerclaw and before Bloodmaw could jump forward, Tigerclaw pressed the big red button.

They all winced – including Tigerclaw and Bloodmaw and braced themselves.

But, nothing went off.

No bomb.

No explosion.

No poison gas.

"Was something supposed to happen?" Kaela asked nervously, hugging herself for protection.

"What?" Tigerclaw hissed.

"Were you planning on using this to blow up your enemies?" A figure had appeared from the hole Tigerclaw had emerged from not long ago, a black box in his hand, wires ripped apart and detached like broken limbs, hanging loosely down, showing black and red inside the sheen of the wires as if it were tendons. He wore a black mask over his mouth and head, only his eyes showing, brown in color. His clothes were also black, tied tight around his body, belts across his chest. A symbol was sown into the shoulder of his uniform – the Hamato Clan symbol. In his other hand was a weapon Ethan had seen Master Hamato use before in demonstration – a three section staff. Three poles about a foot long were connected together with two metal chain links. The figure was short, but didn't seem much older than them. "Using a bomb? That doesn't show much integrity for a ninja." his voice had a hint of sarcasm.

"Who are you?" Bloodmaw snapped.

The figure jumped down, landing expertly in a bow stance and dropping the bomb carelessly into the water with a splash. "I'm Sam. And I'm going to help make this fight a little more even."