I own none of these characters from the 1987 cartoon. I'm just playing with them here for free while making no money from it either. So, please don't sue and just enjoy. 8)

Leonardo had picked up my fear. He had been coming to me for more training after I allowed my other students to stop each day. So, he was with me when he overheard the news coming from his phone in Donatello's hand. I had paused it to listen in. Leonardo left me altogether to gather with my other students around Donatello. I was not bothered by this. My student had his priorities straight.

Overhearing April O'Neil's words, "You turtles are about to become public enemy number 1!" Michelangelo tried finding humor in the situation.

"Whoa, check it out, we're at the top of the charts!"

Raphael grimaced before adding with a strained voice. "Yeah, number 1 with a bullet!"

Leonardo scowled and glanced around at his brothers. "Knock it off guys, this is serious!" He grabbed the phone and told April O'Neil they would come, then led his fellow students up to the surface. I went back to wondering myself if I had prepared my students enough for whatever they might encounter as they left me to learn whatever April O'Neil had to warn them about.

About a quarter of an hour later, I had other things to think about. The floor began to quake beneath me, as did the walls around me. But the noise accompanying these startling developments a low mechanical churning and rumble came mostly from behind the wall at my back. I turned my head toward it asking as though another was with me, feeling at the same time how alone I was, "What is that strange noise?"

Then the wall came apart breaking inward. I ran, but a large yellow machine that seemed to have jaws of iron chased me. An all too familiar, high voice called out behind those jaws "There is no use running from the ultimate rat-catching machine!"

Sadly, he was correct. The snapping mouth of metal soon enclosed me. I gripped and tried to bend the steel teeth turned bars, but even for me they were too strong. I paused kneeling and breathing for a moment. I could not even stand up straight just poke my head through the gaps in teeth-bars and say, "It seems there is no way out!"

A maniacal laugh was the only reply I got from behind my new cage.

. . .

Having both my ankles and wrists help up by roped tied in turn to rings in turn hanging from nails embedded in the walls was one torment I could almost gladly endure. Listening to Saki brag to me about all he'd done and planned to do to my students and me since his return from another dimension was entirely different. It seemed he had sullied their reputation as he has once sullied mine. He'd trained in the Footclan style some New Yorkers he'd found in this building we were now in called the "Slash for Cash" dojo. Then he'd dressed these new students of his up as turtles wearing red ninja masks. Finally, he'd sent them out to commit crimes in the city.

This was probably the emergency April had been trying to alert my students too. But apparently my old enemy's new ally had not been happy with this plan of his. Learning this, Saki had broken out Baxter Stockman, so, he could in turn capture me. Now it seemed Saki only left me breathing to lure in my students.

I listened calmly and mostly silently until Saki spoke of his own "Crooked Ninja Turtle Gang" lying in wait for my students now. "You do not truly believe your students can defeat mine?"

I had been training the turtles for years. In fact, I had started as soon as, to my utter surprise, they had begun to walk upright. According to Saki, these men he'd found in this "Slash for Cash Dojo" had not been at all skilled until he began training them two weeks ago. I now recalled that was when I'd had my terrible feeling and began training my students even harder myself.

Saki seemed to find my question humorous. "Those fools I trained? No, they were merely meant to delay the turtles while I set up my trap."

I nearly made my annoyance known to my old student. Not he, but Baxter Stockman, with his smaller and weaker body, but very intelligent mind had been setting up these traps before me. Meanwhile, Saki had been relating into my right ear all his recent schemes to harm my students and me. It had been very boring.

I had pondered several times throughout his stories if I should ask him "Had my father's death been entirely natural? What had 'really' happened to my brothers?" But my heart knew looking into these cold eyes while listening to Saki's bragging.

This man, this old student of mine, did not allow what he considered threats to his greatness to live past their ability to grant his wishes. I would never know the details perhaps. I probably did not need to. My brothers were dead. As for my father, his heart attack was probably unnatural. Despite his age, he'd been in ninjitsu master health. I only had the turtles as family now.

April's question that had caught me so off guard before came back to my mind. "Hey Splinter, are your sons around?" My sons, not as I and my brothers had been my father's sons surely, and yet …

I had not only trained my turtles as soon as they could walk. I had cared for them before then. My turtles laughed and played more than any of my other students. That was for certain. They were also genuinely fond of each other and their new friend April O'Neil.

I had raised students far better at working together than my brothers and I had been. They did not shrink even inwardly in fear as I had in my youth afraid of dishonoring my living relatives and many ancestors if I placed second in a karate tournament.

I had tried to give more trust and freedom to than my father in Japan had. They knew, however, of the danger Saki presented as I had not until it was too late. And my Donatello, was every bit as much a genius as this Dr. Stockman Shredder had threatened into serving him. No, perhaps Shredder could defeat any of my other students alone, but my turtles together could "would" defeat him.

"No matter what you do to me, my turtles will defeat you Shredder!"

Leonardo seemed to agree as he shouted from beyond Shredder's looming form "That's telling him Master Splinter!"

What did you think?

God bless

ScribeofHeroes