A/N: Title comes from P!nk's "Just Like A Pill" because I always felt like that song was about control.
This was the most I had ever written in Splinter's voice. I really, really hope that I got it right enough. Dialogue was taken from the episode "Of Rats and Men" and the tenth fic of this series "open up and let it be" was referenced as well.
This works is, as always, un-beta'd.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at all.
Part Fifteen: I Can't Stay On Your Life Support, There's A Shortage In The Switch
Casey Jones considered the sheet in front of her.
It was full of triangles, letters, and numbers. Somehow, she was supposed to combine this information in order to give out an answer.
A few early and half-hearted attempts were written on the page, stained by furious erase marks. Casey wished people would tell her when trig was going to serve her a function later in life. Practical classes like auto-shop and wood shop she could get. Even her more creative classes like creative writing and art served her interests.
The Trig worksheet sat before her, mocking her with the half-hearted answers on the page. Casey looked down and the numbers and letters and triangles kept their secrets hidden from her.
In defiance of this secret keeping, Casey drew a velociraptor with a top hat and a monocle next to the triangle. It made just about as much sense as what was on the page.
April, who had her own homework in front of her, glanced at the worksheet that Casey was supposed to be working on.
"Casey!" the red head scolded lightly. It was kind of ruined by her twitching lips.
"Why a velociraptor?"
"Because they're awesome. More awesome then Trig. Can we do something else, April? I feel like my brains are about to leak out of my ears."
April looked down at her own assignment. Her chemistry problem worksheet was starting to swim together in a mess of balancing bonds and molecular equations. She grimaced at some of her answers. She'll have to ask Donnie to double-check her work.
"Okay. Maybe a break is a good idea," admitted April as she put her assignment into her folder.
Casey let out an inward cheer and happily put away her assignment sheet. Maybe with some food in her, the numbers would start making sense. If not, then she had April and Donnie to help her out.
"How about we grab some pizza? Maybe we could take some…"
"Take some where?" broke in a third voice.
Casey jumped a bit in her seat and turned to find herself nose to nose with Irma. She took a steadying breath because Irma was April's friend. Casey was going to be polite to the other girl.
"To the park," lied Casey smoothly. "You know eat under the sky with the trees. S'nice day and all, Irma."
"You're hiding something, Casey Jones," the bespectacled girl said suspiciously. "I'm going to find out what."
Yeah. Casey wasn't a stranger to hostility and mistrust. Both of them had been companions throughout her school years.
She just wished that April's recently discovered childhood friend would lay off.
(And wasn't that a wild story. Irma and April had been casual acquaintances since before April made up with the turtles. Then Irma brought in an old elementary school yearbook, which had pictures of both her and young April. Apparently they attended the same small upstate elementary school for a couple of years together before April moved to the city with her Dad. As things are wont to happen, they lost touch only to find each other now years later. April had thought Irma's name sounded familiar but never placed it until she saw the yearbook.)
"Irma, Casey's not hiding anything," April placated. "You wanna come to Antonio's with us and grab a slice? My treat. We can try that gluten-free pizza you were talking about."
Casey could think of several things that she would have preferred to eat over gluten-free pizza, such as Mikey's pizza casserole surprise and her own hair. Besides why cut out the gluten? It only helped if you had a gluten allergy. Gluten, in Casey's opinion, made things taste better.
"Alright," agreed Irma fixing her glasses. "Sounds like a plan."
Casey shoved her books in her bag and went to get her bicycle. She wasn't going to begrudge April some time with her only "normal" friend.
Maybe she could, at least, try to endear herself to the other girl.
Worst comes to worst, she could send a bunch of texts to Raph. He could share in her misery.
"Raphael, my son, could I have a word with you please?" called Master Splinter.
"Ooooooh," said Mikey with bright eyes. "Someone's in troooooubleee."
Raph turned and glared at his youngest brother. Nodding a bit in satisfaction when Mikey yelped and ducked under the counter.
Still though it couldn't be good that Sensei wanted to see him alone.
He didn't do anything though. Well not anything that would get him in trouble with Sensei.
Raph made his way to the dojo. His mind whirled with the possibilities of what he could have done.
He sat down in front of his father, who after a moment took a seat as well.
"Raphael I have noticed that you and Casey have been spending a fair amount of time together since you met."
Raph blinked a bit. Well yeah, of course he and Casey were hanging out. They were friends. Raph would actually consider Casey his best friend, if he did stupid things like label people's importance to him.
Casey was the person who sent him stupid text messages about school or showed him YouTube videos of people playing horror games. She made him watch teen movies (some of which were pretty okay) or those supernatural-fantasy-horror shows she liked so much.
When he decided to get back into drumming, she would show him really cool videos of drummers.
They also watched a lot of hockey together. Casey would sit next to him, her face illuminated by her laptop and tell him about all the stats of the players. Then they would cheer when a fight broke out.
They were what Casey called bash bros. When they would do patrol together, which Leo will never find out about, they would watch each other's back. When the fight was over and they would fly through the night, they would look at each other. They could see the sheer thrill of the fight in each other's eyes and laugh.
Just because they were the good guys didn't mean they weren't allowed to enjoy a good fight.
Sure Casey had relationships with his other brothers: a sort of sisterly bond with Mikey, a comrade bond with Leo, and something that Raph couldn't quite put his finger on with Donnie.
But the point was that she was Raph's friend, his first real friend, possibly his best friend. April was great and all. Raph loved her like he did his brothers and father, but his relationship with April wasn't the same as his relationship with Casey.
Raph just couldn't figure out why it was such a big deal.
"Yes sensei?"
"I had a similar talk with Donatello when he first showed his…feelings toward April. I plan to have the same talk with Michelangelo and Leonardo in the future. But ah given your closeness with Casey, I feel it is prudent to talk about the facts of life."
Oh Raph had a really bad feeling about this.
"My son, when two people love each other very much…"
"Sensei!" yelped Raph turning bright, bright red. "I-I don't need that kind of talk! I just…geez. No I mean Casey and I are close. But I am really not interested in her like that. Like at all. God if we were an actual couple we would probably kill each other within the week."
Actually, Raph was probably being too generous with the timeline. They would probably kill each other within the first day of coupledom.
"I see," said Splinter, who looked a bit relieved. Apparently this talk was not going to be a pleasant experience for either of them.
"Actually Sensei just…just to be clear. I don't think I will ever be interested in anyone like that," Raph admitted. He just never really saw the appeal in the more physical aspects of relationships. Sure, he could admit that emotional stability and stuff sounded nice. But the other things? Not really doing anything for him.
Splinter considered him for a moment. He then nodded with a kind smile on his face.
"Alright my son. I apologize for presuming."
"No. No it's all right. Casey said that April thought the same thing at one point. Um is that all, Sensei?"
"Yes, Raphael. Could you fetch your brothers? It is time for today's training lesson."
"Hai, Sensei."
Raph had never been so glad for an excuse to leave the dojo to get reinforcements. Although when Leofinally got The Talk, well Raph is going to want front row seats to that.
Wandering out to find his brothers, he checked his phone and saw a bunch of text messages from Casey. Reading them through, he started laughing. Apparently Casey was having her own hard day.
Smirking to himself, Raph pocketed his phone into his belt before going to round up his brothers.
The next time someone brought up gluten-free pizza with the hope of Casey eating it without a legitimate allergy to gluten, Casey was going to punch that person in the stomach. She wouldn't even be sorry either.
Vaguely she had to wonder about Irma though. Girl kept on talking about April's "mysterious friends" and wanting to meet them. Granted, she knew the whole story but at the same time April's body language was screaming 'stop asking'.
Casey felt a little bit bad that she didn't like the other girl. She was trying, if only for April's sake. But, as Casey was learning, maybe she meant to only hang out with mutants and half humans and the like.
A normal life was never in her cards.
Shaking her head free of such thoughts, Casey took a hold of her bike and followed April and Irma. Both of them were talking about the consumed gluten free pizza and whether or not it had gluten in it. Casey wasn't sure what gluten free was supposed to taste like, but she privately thought she never had another pizza like it.
It would be a wicked prank to pull on the guys though. She could probably get April in on it easily enough. Given the copious amounts of pizza the turtles consumed, broken up by other foods, she is pretty sure they would be able to truly taste the difference.
Of course they also ate a lot of pizza that was covered in jellybeans and oysters. So maybe they wouldn't tell the difference.
Casey quietly followed Irma and April debating the merits of the plan in her head. When something ran across her sneaker.
"Shit!" she cursed suddenly. Her body tensed and looking for an attacker. She was being paranoid. But well she was definitely taking the motto "Constant Vigilance" to new levels.
"It's just a rat, Casey," said Irma with a raised eyebrow. "Calm down. The little guy was probably more scared of you then you are him."
April was giving her a concerned look, but Casey just smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry. Guess I'm just a bit on edge."
It had been ages since she had a good out and out brawl. Sure the training fights she had twice a week and patrols helped, but she just wanted to cut loose for once. Adding that to balancing her vigilante paranoia with everyday life? It was no wonder that in alleyways she was a bit tense, even during the day.
Fights happened in alleyways. So did alien business deals, robot attacks, and mutant taunt sessions…
Casey considered those thoughts and decided that her life was really very strange.
"I can't believe someone as big as you is afraid of a little rat though," said Irma with a laugh to her voice.
"I was just startled," Casey said defensively. She drew herself to her six-foot tall height, glad that she had finish growing. She looked down at April and Irma, who she towered over.
"It happens," April said kindly. "I still get surprise by rats and roaches. They're sneaky little guys. It's just…ohmygosh! Guys look! It's a kitty."
April happily picked up the cat that was chasing after the rat. The cat was startled, but thankfully did not bite or scratch April.
It could also be because the red head was scratching the cat between its ears, which let out a deep rumbling purr at that.
"Who's a sweet little girl? You are. Yes you are," cooed April to alley cat, who was enjoying the attention.
"Actually," began Irma, "rats are rather fascinating. Given how close they are to humans. It's why they are used in scientific experiments."
Casey let out a noncommittal hum to Irma's lesson. For some reason, she was feeling like they were being watched. Glancing over her shoulder, she did a small sweep of the alley that they just left with her eyes.
The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end. Someone had to be there.
But no one was. All Casey could hear was the soft squeaks of the rat that had ran to a dumpster and the traffic flow of the city.
She shook her head.
"That uh…sounds really great, Irma," Casey said feeling the need to talk. Privately she wished the other girl would shut up.
April, however, was not paying attention to either Casey or Irma.
"The little kitty doesn't have any tags," she said sadly. "We can't just leave her here."
She turned her big blue eyes to Casey, who sighed.
"No. I guess not."
"Don't look at me," Irma said. "I'm more a rat person."
Casey saddled her bike. April hopped onto the bat, the purring cat in her arms.
Both of them were having the same thought of taking the kitty to the boys and seeing what they think. Maybe they would like a different kind of pet.
"I'll see you later, Irma," April said brightly. "I gotta find this kitty a home."
"And what does that make me? Chopped liver?"
"It makes you my noble steed, Jones."
"Yes your majesty," Casey said slyly.
April waved her hand imperiously to get her to start pedaling, "And don't you forget it."
Casey, guiltily glad to get away from Irma, pedaled her bike as quick as she could. April entirely focused on the cat and Casey focused on getting all three of them safely to the Lair.
They were so absorbed in their tasks that neither of them heard the scream from the mouth of the alley they just left.
Even though Leo understood his sensei's lessons about being pragmatic in combat, he was still uncertain of this exercise. It was one thing in an actual fight situation to use whatever means necessary against his opponent. But fighting a blindfolded opponent at home?
"I don't know, Sensei," Leo said, voicing his thoughts as his master blindfolded himself. "This doesn't seem very fair."
"I assure you. It isn't," Splinter said, clearly trying to keep some of the cheer out of his voice.
Privately, Leo wondered if his Sensei enjoyed these exercises a little too much. Especially when he had the chance to best his sons, which was often and with that same unflappable quiet cheer.
Leo eyed his Master, before sighing. He took a deep breath and focused his mind. Slowly pulling out one of his katana's, he assumed the position and attempted to remove all doubt about taking a blindfolded opponent from his body.
"HA!" shouted Leo, running forward with the weapon and slicing the blade downward.
Quicker then a blink, Splinter had moved his position and appeared behind Leo. His brothers barely waited a moment before they broke down into laughter. Leo gave them a sharp look, which only served for them to laugh harder.
"Blind fighting," began Master Splinter immediately silencing the laughter, "is more than honing your other senses. It is about perception and giving the illusion of control."
Leo pulled out his second katana. Barely waiting for his Sensei to finish his speech, he spun in the air with his swords. Splinter nearly bent himself to a perfect ninety-degree angle to avoid the strike.
Every time Leo got closer to his sensei, the quicker he moved from his strikes.
Splinter continued as if Leo was not attacking him, "You make think you have the upper hand in a situation."
Leo swung his swords closer and closer, focused more attacking then listening.
Then his Sensei's hand reached and grabbed Leo's arm. Leaning down to speak in his ear, Splinter simply said, "You do not."
And then Leo was flying through air and crashing on the ground. Seeing stars, Leo decided that he was just going to lie there for a while. He could hear his brothers call out to him and Splinter's reprimand about loud mouths.
Leo pulled himself up. Oh God why did his Sensei have to hit so freaking hard?
"You! Turtles!" snapped Splinter in a voice that made Leo instantly on guard. He gripped his katana closest to him and tensed. "You. Will. Fall!"
Leo looked up and there was Splinter with his other katana raised. His brothers stared up wide-eyed at their father. Leo's heart was in his throat as he tensed his muscles to strike.
Master Splinter, however, seem to snap back to himself and drop the sword.
Leo watched his Sensei carefully, "Master Splinter? Are you alright?"
The rat-man fell to the ground and took several shaky breaths.
"I am sorry, my sons. I must…" Splinter paused seeming to gather confidence in his voice. "Something is wrong. I must meditate. We will continue this training another time."
Everyone took the clear dismissal without question. Mikey, Donnie, and Raph looked equal parts shaken and concerned for their father. Leo carefully looked over his shoulder.
He wanted to say something. He wanted to ask what happened.
Deep down, he felt a cold twisting in his gut though. Something was not right.
Casting one last concerned look over his shoulder at his father's bowed head in front of the picture of his wife and Miwa, Leo sheathed his katanas on his back and followed his brothers out.
Mikey stood in front of him looking with wide eyes. Leo summoned the strength to give him his most reassuring smile.
"Come on, Mikey. How about some ice cream?"
The look on his youngest brother's face clearly said that Mikey knew he was being bought off to not worry, but his love of food won out.
"Alright Leo. But none of this stingy one scoop business. I'm a growing turtle after all!"
Leo shook his head and followed Mikey out to the kitchen.
"Casey I promise that Irma doesn't hate you," April said as they made their way down the sewer. The cat peeked her head out of her new place in April's messenger bag.
"I think you and I are going to have to agree to disagree, Red," Casey said with a sigh. She ran a hand through her dark hair and ruffled it up as they turned the corner into the Lair.
April carefully made her way through the turnstile so to not jostle the cat in her bag.
Casey, as per tradition, vaulted over the obstruction. Maybe she and Raph could do parkour together. He would definitely get a kick out of it.
"Looks pretty empty," declared April as she glanced around the room.
In the distance, Casey could hear Raphael on the drums. Donnie was probably in his lab and from the banging going on in there it sounded like Mikey was bothering him.
And Leo? He was either meditating or hanging out in his room.
"Donnie first?"
"Not Raph?"
"Eh. I don't want to bother him if he's practicing his skills," Casey said with a shrug. "I'll go see how the Doc is doing."
"Sounds good," April said cheerfully. "We're going to see if the boys are going to give you a home, kitty."
A meow and a purr were heard from the bag.
Casey shook her head and followed the pair.
"—can't just eat in here like that, Mikey! I'm trying to figure out the retro-mutagen formula and—"
Yeah it definitely sounded like Donnie was in a right snit based on whatever mischief Mikey had gotten himself into.
Casey bit back a smile as they walked in.
"April!" Donnie said brightly from his position of having his brother in a headlock. "Hey!"
"Hey Donnie," April said in amusement.
Casey stepped a bit more into the lab. Donnie noticed the other girl and gave her a cheerful wave.
"What's up Casey?"
"The ceiling, Doc," responded the older girl with a smirk. "Outside of that nothin' much. Hey Mikey."
"Hey guys! Why are you two down here so early?"
"Well," began April coaxing the cat from her bag, "I found this poor little kitty wandering around and I was thinking maybe you guys would want to take care of her?"
"OHMYGOSHLOOKDONNIEIT'SAKITTY!" yelled Mikey, who immediately started making grabby hands for the cat.
April looked amused as she handed the cat over to Mikey. The unnamed cat immediately began purring in Mikey's arms who started cooing over her.
Donnie looked a bit skeptical, taking his eyes off of his brother and the cat to talk with Casey and April.
"I'm not so sure that Master Splinter would allow it. I mean even though he was human, he is also rat now as well. Cats and rats don't get along."
"I don't think she'll attack him," Casey said focusing on Donnie. "For an alley cat she is incredibly good natured, let April pick her right up and carry her around. Most alley cats would be clawing and biting and scratching."
"Besides Master Splinter is pretty laid back."
"Yeah," Donnie said looking a bit lost in thought.
"Is everything okay, Donnie?" April asked, looking concerned.
"Master Splinter has been acting a bit strangely today. He's meditating right now. I hope he'll be fine."
"Is it anything to be concerned about?" Casey asked, her eyes pinning Donnie down.
"No. I mean I don't think so. It's probably nothing."
Both Casey and April exchanged a glance with each other, but decided not to push the turtle.
"Mikey's being awfully quiet," April said. She looked over the turtle that was standing with his back to them. Raising her face slightly she called, "Everything okay, Mikey?"
Mikey immediately turned around.
"Yeah," he said with a cheer that sounded false to Casey's ears. "Everything's cool. Cool like ice cream. Ice cream's cold. I gotta go!"
Turning around and grabbing what Casey presumed to be the cat, he skittered out of the room as quick as can be.
The remaining three exchanged glances with each other with raised eyebrows.
"Don't look at me. He's my brother but I have no clue what goes on in that head of his."
Casey bit her lip to stop a chuckle.
"I'm gonna go see what Raph or Leo are doing while you science-y types talk it out. If you need my help building shit, gimme a yell."
"Thanks Casey," called Donnie.
The girl waved her hand lazily. Stepping out into the main area of the Lair, she spared a glance at the dojo.
Fingering her mother's wedding ring under her shirt, she could only help that he was going to be okay.
He needed to clear his mind.
Splinter took a deep breath and readjusted his fingers. Any number of things could explain why he acted in such a rash and harsh manner to his children. Perhaps he just needed to realign his energies.
Going through the finger symbols and focusing on his breathing, he allowed his trouble mind to settle as best he could.
Another deep breath filled his lungs. Slowly he expelled it as he tried to keep his head straight.
Deep down though he knew that something was not right. He could feel it. It was a presence that seemed to move under his skin. It slithered and crawled over his arms, around his body. It felt like his skin was becoming too tight.
A flash of a grotesque face sunken in and almost mummy like flashed through his mind.
He shuddered as the feeling intensified.
Deep breath. Deep breath. Deep breath.
The face flashed again. The sickening red eyes were like beacons in his mind.
Splinter fell forward. He could beat this.
He was a rat, but he was also a man.
Purge it from his body. Purge it from his mind. He was a father. He was not a tool.
"No." He ground out forcefully. "I defeated you. You were gone."
His eyes opened to utter blackness. He was surrounded in shadow, a fog that he could not lift.
Don't let him have control.
He got down on all fours, trying to find a way out of the blackness. He needed to get into the light, back home to his family.
"No," whispered the voice of the Rat King. "I am never gone."
It was so gentle, enticing to his ears. A large part of Splinter wished to just listen to the voice, to obey its whims. Another part, equally large and strong, was refusing to budge. The voice lied and promised only harm for his loved ones.
"I live because you live," asserted the Rat King. His voice gained strength within Splinter's mind.
"Get out of my mind," growled out Splinter, putting a hand to his head.
"I am even deeper then your mind," the Rat King cooed. "I'm inside your very soul."
Splinter looked up and saw. In the Rat King's claw like hand was his human visage. Hamato Yoshi looked impassively at Splinter before the King's claws swallowed him whole.
"Come to your King!" demanded the man harshly. His mad glowing red eyes tried to pin Splinter down.
"No!" growled Splinter. His eyes focusing on the King as he hands finished the final movements of his meditation. "You have no power over me here!"
He did not. The Rat King would never use him to harm his children again. He was a father, before a rat, before a man, before a mutant. He was a father to his children, to his sons, to his lost daughter, to the two girls they had brought into their family.
Splinter would die before he would intentionally or unintentionally harm them ever again. The Rat King had no power over him.
The Rat King let out a low, velvety chuckle that seemed to echo in his mind.
"Do not fret, Splinter. I have what I came for anyway."
The King's laughter followed him back to the conscious realm. The fog lifted and Splinter was left kneeling in front of the picture of Tang Shen and Miwa.
He put his hand to his head and took a steadying breath.
"Oh my love," he whispered to himself. He looked up into Tang Shen's sweet face. "What am I to do?"
The picture did not move or respond.
In the back of his head, a memory faded by years and grief and healing seemed to respond.
"You do what you always do, Yoshi. You fight and you win."
Breathing in again, Splinter was unsure that this was a fight he could win. At the same time, he knew that this was a fight he could not lose either.
He sat there with his head in hands for a long time.
Leo and Raph had both accosted Casey rather quickly in the hall. Leo, practically vibrating with nerdy excitement, wanted to talk about Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Casey always up for discussion about her personal favorite book in the franchise happily allowed herself to be swept up in conversation.
Raph had come out a few seconds later. He tackled Casey to the ground and gave her a noogie. Casey went for his ticklish spot under his armpits, prompting a giggle yelp.
Leo just looked at the pair in bemusement.
"I was going to get some food. You guys up for it? I think there's a marathon of classic monster movies on later, too."
"Oh! Dude I am so in," Casey said happily.
"It doesn't sound totally lame," agreed Raph.
The three of them wandered back to the main area where they ran into Donnie and April, who were discussing her chem homework.
Donnie was practically on Cloud Nine at giving April homework help.
Of course then they all walked into the kitchen where Mikey stood in front of the freezer, rubbing his arms up and down each other, and making slurping noises.
Casey took a seat on the stool and raised her eyebrow at Raph, who just shrugged and muttered something about Master Splinter giving Mikey some kind of talk sooner rather then later.
"Mikey," stated Leo firmly, getting his brothers attention.
The orange masked turtle jumped and slammed the freezer door shut. Leading to a box of cereal falling on his head.
"Ahhhh I didn't do it! I swear I never touched it and…"
Casey felt eyebrow quirk upward. Oh Mikey was definitely behind something.
"What on Earth are you babbling about?" interrupted Raph, staring down his brother.
"Uh…" Mikey said, looking nervously at the freezer.
Donnie, ever perceptive, was clearly about to ask what the hell Mikey had done.
Splinter interrupted Donnie, walking a bit woozily in the kitchen. Casey could definitely see that something was wrong with the rat master.
"Need ice for my head," he muttered. He kept his eyes closed and added, "And possibly a cheese-sicle."
Casey looked at April and mouthed, 'Cheese-sicle?'
April gave her a hand gesture, which Casey took to mean she would explain it later.
"You can't go in there!" shouted Mikey suddenly, standing in front of his sensei.
"No?" Splinter questioned in a funny kind of voice. His shut eyes snapped opened wide, looking red and feral. "YOU TELL ME NO?!"
He struck, sending Mikey flying to the ground.
Casey acted without thinking. She grabbed April and pulled her under the counter with her.
"Casey! What are you doing?!"
"Red, you and I have no hope to take him down. Even in this state, best thing to do right now is sit here and…"
She paused as Splinter pawed around the corner. The normal gentle man who could kick her ass was hissing and pawing on all fours. Next to her, she felt April tense and the other girl seemed to understand her thought process.
The boys had been trained their whole lives by the man, if any body had any hope of taking him down for a limited amount of time it was them together. April and Casey were best helping them by staying out of the way, as much as it galled both of their sensibilities.
Sometimes, it was best to know when not to fight.
Splinter jumped on the table. Casey could hear a hiss.
"Help him!" called Leo.
"I got him!" said Raph.
Donnie's feet appear in front of Casey and April's position. It was clear that he, Leo, and Raph were trying to hold their snapped father down.
Casey could feel her heart pound in her chest. Suddenly and forcibly reminded of her childhood fear of rats. It had abated over the years. Her mother's illness had brought a whole host of fears that were greater then being scared of rats.
Still Casey tried not to shudder at the memory of being five years old and seeing the Rat King in the Nutcracker ballet her mother took her to. She knew it was just a guy in a mask, but said mask had three heads all with red glowing eyes and fangs.
That kind of image tended to stay with a person.
Shaking her head, she watched in horror as the boys were flung away from Splinter. She pulled April closer, totally ready to do a sacrificial play for her friend if need be. Her friend reached out and tugged Mikey under the counter with them.
"I've got what I came for," Splinter said in an odd voice. It sounded like himself but something was off. It was too cold, too clinical, and too soft. "Soon New York and the world will be mine! Agh…"
Casey heard a thud from above her.
"Sensei!" shouted Leo in concern.
Mikey immediately popped out. Casey and April followed and looked the prone form of their friends' father.
"Ooooh," Splinter groaned. His eyes opened halfway as he rested his hand to his head, "I am afraid that the Rat King has returned."
Casey swallowed thickly, "That…that does not sound good."
"No," Raph said darkly, coming to his feet. "No it isn't."
Everyone exchanged concerned looks at each other. Before Donnie stood and made his way his to the TV. This meant leaving Splinter's care, momentarily, to Leo.
"Donnie?" called April.
"I have a bad feeling about this, April. If Falco's returned then he is going to go big this time."
"Big enough to draw attention?"
"Majorly," agreed the purple masked turtle.
Almost as if reading his mind, the rerun of Wheel of Fortune cut out. Carlos Chang O'Brien Gambe's face graced the screen.
Next to him was a picture of giant rats attacking people.
"Minutes ago, the streets of New York had erupted into pandemonium as giant rats burst out of the sewers. Our Channel 6 Action News helicopter sent in this footage of the streets."
Casey shuddered at the images on the screen. Those definitely were giant evil rats causing havoc in the streets of New York.
Donnie, instead, just looked grim.
"Leo! You need to take a look at this!"
Casey had a bad feeling about this. The screen switched to Joan Groan, clearly not in her right mind as she reported from the center of the chaos.
"I heard about reporters doing anything for a story," muttered April to Casey, "but this is ridiculous."
Raph and Mikey emerged from the kitchen with Leo, catching the sight of the news they ran over to sit with Casey and April. Donnie appeared moments later, guiding Splinter to the couch.
On the screen, a rat was on top of a moving cop car trying to get inside of it. It was pouring rain as more rats ran after people.
"Yeah well they want that local Emmy," replied Casey back to her friend. "Oh God look at them go."
"—snatching people from the streets. These revolting rodents have no clear agenda except to grab people and take them who knows where. But we will bring you live updates from Grody to the Max. In addition, there has been reports of—Ahhhhh!"
The reporter disappeared off screen of her camera when a swarm of smaller rats jumped her. One peeked its head up at the camera.
Casey shuddered, "Oh this…this is bad. Giant rats?"
"You know Casey if I didn't know better then I would say you were scared," Raph said looking at his friend. His bright green eyes were assessing her carefully.
Casey rubbed her arm awkwardly, "I had a childhood phobia of rats. For the most part, I'm over it. But this? This is just disconcerting. That's all."
"Big word."
"Shut up! I read," Casey said sitting down on the sofa.
"Maybe you should sit this one out, Casey," suggested April kindly. Casey shook her head.
"It looks like you're going to need all hands on deck, Red. Can't do it."
"We could really use your help, Sensei," Leo said looking at the blanked out TV. "Last time you took that creep out with one hit!"
"It was different last time, Leonardo. The Rat King has grown into his powers since then. It will be too great of a risk if I join you. I will not have him use me against you my sons. I will not have him force me to harm any of you. I could not live with myself otherwise."
Leo looked at his father before nodding.
"Okay Sensei. Guys we need a plan to get them away from the people fast."
"Why not just lure them away with a big hunk of cheese?" Mikey suggested.
Everyone turned, as one, to stare at him. Casey could see Raph grin almost evilly out of the corner of her eye
"Mikey," Leo said with a grin that was not comforting in the slightest, "that's a great idea. Raph? You know what to do."
"On it."
Casey shook her head, "I'm going to go get my gear."
"Is your bike nearby, Casey?" asked Leo.
The dark haired girl nodded in the affirmative, "Yeah. It is."
"Awesome. You gonna be okay for this?"
"I can deal with it. If Raph could deal with the Cockroach Terminator? I could deal with this."
Leo nodded and clapped his hand on her shoulder. Casey walked down the hall to grab her stuff. Fingering her necklace under her shirt. She would have to leave it with Splinter when she left. She hoped that he would be alright if they defeated him.
Casey closed her eyes and breathed, sending out only one thought.
Mom give me strength.
It was a literal dark and stormy night when chaos reigned the streets of New York City. Rats: both of the regular small size and the larger, slightly deformed size roamed the streets. Looking for people to drag down to their master who whispered sweet words into their ears.
Screams echoed through the city, a symphony of chaos and movement. Their master was pleased. It was good to please their master for this new world.
And then, a wondrous smell cut through the air: milky and delicious and sharp. Stomachs rumbled as rats dropped their human prey.
Animals, for the most part, were slaves to their stomachs.
"WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!" screamed Mikey as he kept his footing on his skateboard. He desperately held onto the rope tied to the back of the patrol buggies.
"Because it was your idea, genius!" called back Raph easily. "Besides you make freaking awesome bait."
April rolled her eyes as she kept an eye out for the rats. On nights like tonight, two sets of eyes were definitely better then one. Behind her Donnie was monitoring emergency feeds, so they don't accidentally run into any responders along with keeping in touch with Leo and Casey.
"THIS NIGHT SUCKS!" shouted Casey loud and clear, using her bike as a battering ram against the rats.
"Yeah, the hero business is all glamour," agreed Raph amiably as he pulled a wicked turn that had April clutching the seat.
"SCREW YOU, RAPHAEL!" shouted Casey as she brought Gretzky down on a nearby rat. God she was going to have nightmares for months.
"Watch out, Raph!" shouted April as a three-car pile-up, complete with the giant rats came into their direction.
Suddenly, the Shellraiser came into view. It knocked both the wreckage and the rats out of the way.
"Sorry I'm late!" apologized Leo over their communication line. "Traffic is hell tonight, especially for the Shellraiser."
"Yeah who knew it was that hard to navigate a subway car through city streets?" asked Raph as he made another sharp.
"WHAT THE FRAK ARE YOU TWO MORONS EXCHANGING QUIPPY BANTER? YOU BACK GET YOU SON OF A BITCH RAT!" yelled Casey into the communication line. Several loud smacks were heard.
"GUYS THEY'RE GAINING ON US!" screamed Mikey as loud as he can.
April tightened her grip on her patrol buggy seat.
She could only hope that Splinter was doing okay.
Splinter was not touching anywhere near "okay".
He took a deep breath and focused. He had to fight this. He could fight. He could do this.
Unbidden, images begin to fly on his closed lids. Chaos in the streets, rats ran free taking humans prisoner. They screamed and ran. They begged and pleaded. The red tinged world was a simultaneous horror and wonder to him.
"Revel with the madness, my brethren, there is room for you in my new world order," insisted the Rat King.
"NO! I am not an animal!"
"Aren't you though? You aren't a man either," pointed out the Rat King. "I can see it all right here in your head. Come and join me Splinter. You can be my right hand."
"Never! I will never join you."
"Are you certain? How do you know that you are not already succumbing to my control? I see all. You have no secrets from me, Yoshi."
"You have not earned the right to call me that name."
"Haven't I? Bow to your King."
Splinter took a deep breath through his gritted teeth, "You are no king of mine. Out of my head."
"It doesn't matter. Your choice will be made, Splinter. You just don't know it yet."
The rain poured down harder, making the streets too slick to skateboard on.
"Drive faster!" screamed Mikey as he flipped onto the empty seat of the patrol buggies. His skateboard was held tight in his hands.
"I'm driving as fast as I can," yelled Raph, focusing on out maneuvering the swarming giant rats. All of the sudden one descended from the sky, landing firmly on the buggy.
Everyone screamed as Raph tried to swerve it off. He started punching it in the face when that was working.
Suddenly the rat flew off, being hit in the side with a large garbage wad from the Shellraiser. Several more followed in quick succession before giant rats swarmed the vehicle.
"A little help here guys?!" called Leo nervously as the Shellraiser was tipped over.
"Can't help! Pedaling!" Casey responded as she rode that bike as hard and fast as she possibly could. Her hair was plastered to her forehead and she felt vindicated in buying waterproof face paint.
The rats were gaining on her. Nervously she looked down at her bike, glad that she was able to recently add some additional support.
Okay she can do this.
Focusing until the world seemed to shrink around her Casey hit the button to release the marbles to trip up the rodents.
The marbles were released and she heard several thuds.
A few more of the giant rats appeared, crushing cars as they landed on top of them. Casey narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth.
Oh like hell she was going to let them get the better of her.
She turned a knob and prayed the lighter would light in the rain. With a crow of triumph, Casey immediately hit the trigger for the aerosol can tied to the front of the lighter.
Flames shot out in front of her path. The large flames drove back or singed the rodents, either way it kept several away from.
Several more swarmed in front of her fiery path, on top of cars and hissing wickedly in her direction.
The girl gritted her teeth. And flicked another switch. She heard the sizzle of the fireworks under her bike, waiting until she got close enough she kicked up her legs. The fireworks flew out, hitting their intended targets and exploding on impacts, sending out colorful sparks.
Behind her, the cars exploded.
While such an act usually looks pretty awesome in the movies and TV, it was not as awesome in real life.
Casey was thrown from her bike and dropped into a roll on the ground.
"Ow," moaned the girl. Her ears were ringing something fierce.
She never noticed the rat appearing behind her before it all went dark.
A flash of movement out of the corner of her eye caught April's attention.
A giant rat was dragging off Casey's limp form into the shadows. Cold fear seized her heart for her friend.
"Casey!" cried April as they drove down the alley. "Guys we need to go back for her!"
Raph didn't need telling twice. He sharply turned the linked up patrol buggies around and started driving back down the alley to get the girl.
Of course, even more giant rats seemed to have appeared from nowhere.
"We need to split up the Buggies, guys." Donnie asserted.
"Don't need to tell me twice." Raph said before hitting the button to separate the cars. He just had to trust that everyone would take care of themselves.
April drove as fast she possibly could. Her blue eyes were narrowed on the target. Casey's form was limp, clearly knocked out at an opportune moment. The rat had no trouble dragging her in this state. If Casey was awake, April could assume that the giant rodent would have a harder time.
The giant rat moved to a manhole cover. Dropping Casey's body next to it, the rodent nosed the cover off.
"Casey!" yelled April as she slid to a stop. Pulling off her helmet, she tried to reach her friend in time.
Quicker then she could move, however, the giant rat had grabbed Casey's limp form and shoved it down the sewer.
April gritted her teeth and made a grab for the tail as if sheer force of her will could pull such a huge beast back. She wasn't going to let it have Casey without a fight.
The rat, however, swatted her off her tail like she was a fly and disappeared down the hole.
"No!" cried out April, crawling over and peering down into the dark depths. "Casey…"
The rain suddenly seemed to stop, but April couldn't bring herself to care. Who knew what they were going to use Casey for?
"April!" called Donnie running over to the girl. A cold sense of dread grabbed his stomach at the despondent lines of the red head's shoulders. "Is Casey?"
He couldn't bring himself to finish the question as April flung herself into his arms.
"Oh Donnie, Casey's gone."
Donnie swallowed thickly and pulled her closer like he could absorb her problems.
"Don't worry, April," assured the purple masked turtle. "We'll get her back."
Of course it didn't stop his own worry from entering his veins. Casey had become important to him as well. He recognized a fellow inventor and engineer in the girl. She was crude in her work, but extremely clever.
He had grown accustomed to her presence in the labs.
Donnie was selfish in the end. He didn't want to lose his other friend or her company.
"I promise we will," he whispered to April pulling her close.
Master Splinter once told Casey that hearing was the first thing that came back when someone was knocked out. So if she was knocked out in enemy territory, it was better to keep slowly breathing and listen carefully.
The ringing was still there in her ears, but it wasn't as bad. It was more of a faint thing like the sensation after a concert and you are right next to a speaker.
Keeping her breath slow, Casey remained perfectly still and listened. Whenever she was it was cold and hard, possibly metal against her back. Stone just felt different when you laid down on it.
She listened.
"Hey," said a very familiar voice. "Hey are you okay?"
Casey tried not to open her eyes.
She knew that voice.
What the frak was Irma doing here?
"Mister?"
Why do people always assume she's a boy? Of course this could definitely work to her advantage. Casey did not to give away her identity.
She opened her eyes and looked over at the girl. Irma was scrunched into a corner with big and nervous greenish-brown eyes. They were muddied then the pure almost electric color as Raph's.
"Fine. Where are we?" whispered Casey, pitching her voice lower and hoarse. Anything to disguise her identity from the other girl was a good thing.
"I-I don't know," admitted Irma. "Some giant rats jumped me outside of a pizza place and the next thing I knew I was here."
Casey felt slightly guilty for just ditching Irma like that. Least she and April could have done was make sure she caught her bus safely. Still, feeling guilty about the whole situation was not going to help anyone.
"I think we're in the sewers though," Irma admitted. "Apparently a guy called the Rat King kidnapped us."
Casey looked around, looking at the other suspended cages surrounding her and Irma. She gritted her teeth.
This wasn't good.
"Welcome, my esteemed guests," greeted the cold and culture voice of the Rat King. Oh this did not sound good at all. Whenever an evil psychopath started like that it meant that they were either going to be experimented on or that someone was going to get cooked.
Casey probably shouldn't have stayed up binge watching Hannibal.
"No harm will come to any of you," the King continued, "that I promise."
"Well if no harm will come to us, then why don't you just let us go?" questioned Casey coldly from the cage. She leaned forward to look down at the tall, lean, and nearly totally covered form of their captor.
"All in good time, my dear boy, all in good time."
The Rat King started to pet one of the giant rats, "See these were all ordinary rats until I gave them my special patented mutagenic growth serum."
Yeah given how the so-called Rat King looked? Casey highly doubted the thing was legitimately patented. Raph did give her a quick run-down on Falco though. The guy's brilliance seemed to have gotten stronger along with his powers.
"These were not the soldiers for my new world order that I was looking for."
"Is this guy serious?" whispered Irma to Casey.
"Serious as a quadruple bypass," Casey muttered back. She glanced around the cell for her weapons and was relieved to see them propped up in the corner of the cage.
"I was thinking too small, thinking I could just mutate ordinary rats for my purposes. Mutagen does, however, work better with other DNA in the mix. So I have found the key to my ultimate army!" crowed the King, reminding Casey of a psychic James Bond villain.
"And that is?" someone from one of the other cages questioned.
"Rat. People."
Casey shut her eyes tight.
Yeah she was afraid that he was going to say that.
"Oh my friends," the King said with glee, "you will become that Army."
Shit. That was even worse then his previous statement. Around her Casey heard gasps. A child in one of the other cells began to cry. All around the rats, both large and small, chittered in approval.
Irma fainted dead away into her arms.
Casey held her close and narrowed her eyes at the form of the Rat King. She knew her friends had her back.
She just had to hope that they would get there soon.
Splinter closed his eyes as he looked around the room, missing one person. He missed having lips in that moment so he could bite down on his lower one. Instead he gripped his walking stick tighter and shared what he had learned.
"The Rat King had peered into my mind while you all were fighting. He wished to see what made me unique. He is creating an army of mutants like me so he may take over the world."
Raph felt his stomach hit somewhere around his toes.
"Casey…" whispered April, putting a hand to her mouth.
"Sensei," said Raph standing up with his fists clenched at his sides, "we need to go after this guy. We can't let him hurt those people!"
"I told you he is too powerful," snapped Splinter to his son.
"But Sensei," Leo pleaded, "If there was one time when we really needed your help it's now."
"Enough!" commanded Splinter, bringing down his staff to the ground. "I will not risk your lives in this endeavor."
"But Sensei!" April exclaimed standing up, "People are counting us. Casey is counting on us. We can't just leave her to become his experiment!"
Splinter did not answer her and with a defeated posture. He left the room.
"What do we do know?" Mikey asked as their father disappeared into the dojo.
"What do you think?" asked Raph with a grim determination to his face. "We're going to find the Rat King and save Casey and all those people."
Everyone looked to Leo, who with a hard set to his shoulders, nodded his agreement to Raph's plan.
They were going to pull a prison break with or without Splinter's blessing.
His children were going to try to rescue the captives, Casey, on their own. Splinter knew all of his children well enough that they would disobey his wishes in this instance.
From his room and with his enhanced hearing, he heard them leave with minimal chatter.
Splinter entered the dojo silently and made his way to the small shrine he kept in there. The glimmer of metal caught his eye.
The wedding ring of Casey's mother sparkled in the light of the dojo. It was a mocking kind of shine.
Carefully, Splinter picked up the chain.
"Promise me though. If something happens to me that you'll take it to my family, make sure that my sister gets it."
"I give my most solemn vow."
Looking at the ring, thinking of the girl's eyes dark and serious with her red painted lips set and so very young, Splinter set down the ring.
Thinking of his brave sons and daughter out fighting a threat that he was too scared to face himself, to go save their friend and a girl he was growing just as fond of as his own children, it seem to wake-up him up from the stupor he was in.
In the back of his head, he heard Tang Shen's voice clear as bell call to him.
"You do what you always do, Yoshi. You fight and you win."
With barely a second thought, Splinter disappeared into the shadows. He had to go after his children.
This situation was really, really bad.
None of Casey's plans were ending well mentally. There was no way to communicate with her prisoners and pull them together. Plus she was pretty sure while Irma would fight given half a chance; she didn't want to put up a novice against a punch of overgrown vermin.
While Casey still had her weapons and the hidden set of lock picking tools in her golfing bag, there were no locks she could visibly find to pick.
The situation was rapidly getting out of control and she had no way to fix it. She just had to hope that the Turtles would be able to get here and find them in time.
Casey turned her focus back onto the Rat King. Maybe Crazy Talk Theatre would give her more answers.
"What am I missing?" she growled to Irma in her disguised voice.
"He's going to start a zombie apocalypse with rat mutants instead. You get infected with a bite and it's transmitted from person to person."
Casey swore softly her breath.
"The serum's not perfected?!" The Rat King questioned the white rat on his shoulder. "What do you mean?"
"Did he take anyone to experiment on?"
Irma shuddered, "The guy that was in the cage before you. He was a sewer worker that he grabbed the same time as me."
A long prehensile tail was pulled into the shadows. Casey couldn't see in the low light of the Rat King's evil villain's lair. She could, however, make out a grossly and hideously deformed shape.
"Pleeeeeasssse," begged the shape in a deeply warped voice. Casey could hear the agony in its deep tones. "Forgive me. Pleeeeeasssse. Kill mee."
An icy cold feeling seeped into her bones. Irma turned away from the shadow.
"Well," said the King with a shrug, "not every experiment can be a resounding success."
Why was every single mutant that wasn't the Turtles or Splinter insane? Every single goddamn one of them was off the bend. Casey was torn between wanting to puke and pushing the King into a vat of mutagen.
"This new serum, however, will work," asserted the crazy super villain. "We just need to test it first."
Casey couldn't see what the other captives were doing, but she could almost hear them shrinking away to the edges of their cages.
The Rat King looked straight at Casey's cage, directly at Irma.
"Yes Aristotle," he agreed to the white rat on his shoulder. "She will be perfect for a plans."
For the second time that night, Irma fainted into Casey's arms.
Casey was definitely going to start bringing Florence the mace along from now on.
Instead she sat Irma down behind her and grabbed her two hockey sticks, Gretzky and Jolene, and positioned herself in front of the unconscious girl.
The Rat King was not going to get her without a fight from Casey Jones.
It didn't take a long time to find the Rat King's hide-out.
For that, April was pretty much grateful. It meant that there was still hope for Casey, that she was alive.
And to her profound relief, she was correct.
Suspended in cages, she could make out Casey's distinct form.
"There's Casey!" she whispered in excited relief to the guys. "And…Irma?"
She saw Irma's distinctive hair peeking out from behind Casey, who looked to be guarding her with tense lines of her body. It made April feel a bit warm. Even though Casey didn't seem to get along with Irma, she would protect her.
Leo felt relieved that Casey was alive. But the fact that there were more humans posed a troubling predicament.
"We can't let the humans see us, April," Donnie said almost reading Leo's thoughts. "You're going to have to set the humans free."
He could see April nod her assent with a set of grim determination on her face.
Leo focused his thoughts. He needed a good plan to distract the rats unseen from the fleeing humans. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when a familiar hand rested on his shoulder.
"Sensei," whispered Leo in relief, turning to look at his father.
"It is time to dethrone the Rat King," said Splinter in a grim voice.
"I knew you would come," asserted Leo.
"If I should lose control," began Splinter pinning his oldest son with his gaze, "you do what you have to do, Leonardo."
Leo felt a cold feeling seep through his chest and outward. He knew that Splinter trusted him to do the right thing, even though it would be one of the most difficult things he would have to do in his life.
Leo gave a grim nod, trying to ignore Mikey whispering and rubbing a cooler.
Seriously what was up with his youngest brother today?
"Let's go already!" said Raph, eager to fight.
Leo nodded and shifted, focusing on one thing and one thing only.
Defeating the Rat King.
They stuck to the shadows, melting into them as they have done their whole lives. They were more than a flicker out of the corner of your eye. They were unseen and unknown, but there.
And they were waiting for the correct moment to strike.
From his vantage point, Leo could see the Rat King approach the cages with a syringe in hand. He grabbed one of his katana and slowly slid it out, preparing himself to strike.
When suddenly, horrifyingly, Splinter stopped him and looked down with unrecognizable red eyes.
The Rat King laughed, mad and deep. "You're mine now Splinter! Destroy your sons! One by one."
Leo struggled as he blade moved closer and closer to his face. Yet he was locked in the iron grip of his father, he closed eyes and prepared himself.
"FORGET THAT!" declared Mikey and Leo moved his slightly to see him fling the cooler he insisted on bringing along. "ICE CREAM KITTY AWAY!"
And indeed, there was a cat made of Neapolitan ice cream landing on the Rat King and attacking with an unholy yowl.
It was the most absurd thing that Leo had seen in his life.
He could hear Casey's semi-hysterical laughter from her cage.
But it worked, Splinter snapped back to himself and relinquished his grip on Leo's hand. Leo rolled away from his Sensei and stood on his feet.
"Is that April's cat?" Donnie questioned incredulously.
"Absolutely not," said Mikey a hair too fast to be believed.
Splinter, however, was gone in a instant chasing after the Rat King who had broken free from the cat and given the orders for them to be destroyed.
Leo gritted his teeth and turned to look at the rats.
"We'll deal with that later. For now, let's do what we do best."
How dare he turn him against his sons. How dare he use him as a weapon to nearly kill his eldest.
Splinter could see the sparks from his claws as he made his way down the Rat King's elevator shaft. He could feel the pain in his fingers from such an exercise. Yet he did not care, could not bring himself to care.
The Rat King was not going to live the night. The Rat King would not live to make Splinter a weapon against his children again.
He was going to kill him.
And Splinter was going to relish his demise.
They both dropped into the tunnels of the sewers. The Rat King landing on top of one of the giant, mutated rats riding it like a horse, Splinter gave chase.
"You run like a coward when you are a not in control!" he admonished, wanting his fight with the man.
"Who said that I am not in control?" taunted the Rat King.
Splinter only glance behind him as a sea of small rats swarmed the sewers like a tidal wave and him.
Casey couldn't see the fight for herself, but she knew it was going on.
Mikey was not exactly being discreet when he demanded that whatever rat he was fighting would keep "smelling the cheese".
Yet she could keep progress of the fight given the fallen bodies of the rats both large and small along with the clang of metal in the air. Irma had come around shortly after the Rat King left and was looking around nervously.
Suddenly, their cage dropped and hit the ground jostling both Casey and Irma along with popping open the door.
"April!" called Irma, pushing past Casey. "How did you find us?! Did you follow the trail of rat droppings?!"
Casey quickly gathered her weapons and moved to the two other girls. Irma was still babbling about rat droppings when she got there.
"Not now, Irma!" snapped April in irritation. Casey could agree with the sentiment.
"We need to free the others," Casey said in her disguised voice.
April nodded before speaking, "There are several other pulleys with rope. We just need to get there and knock them loose. Then we need to get them out."
"You need to lead them out," Casey said pulling out Cupcake and handing it to April. Her tessen was well and good but she needed something with a bit more reach to defend against demon rats. "I'll pull up the back. They'll trust you more than me. Also you need to get someone to lead them back to this spot. One of his experiments survived the procedure and not in a good way."
April looked like she was about to argue, but stopped herself when she heard the moan of the failed experiment. With a sharp nod, she gripped Cupcake and ran off to free more cages. Casey and Irma also scattered to let loose their fellow captives.
Shortly, cages were falling down every which way and panicked people were following April out to freedom.
Casey was setting cages that didn't land correctly upright and worked on picking the locks open. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Donnie nearly fall into a whirring fan when the chain of Mikey's kusarigama wrapped around his leg and pulled him back up.
Once she was certain all of the cages were free and opened, Casey glanced around and followed the group of half hysterical people. Jolene and Gretzky were steady and solid in her hands, just begging for a chance to be used.
Casey really, really didn't like rats that were not Master Splinter.
She was going to shut the doors, to trap the rats in with the boys, when one of the giant ones landed in front of her. She ready Gretzky and Jolene to strike when Donnie suddenly appeared and beat the rat into submission with his bo.
"Go! We got this covered, Casey," he asserted. His reddish brown eyes were like steel, but kind.
Casey swallowed and nodded, "You always do. Don't you?"
"I'm glad you're alive."
"Me too," agreed Casey lifting her mask so Donnie could see her smile.
His responding smile made her feel a bit weird in the chest, but in a good way.
Shaking off her thoughts, Casey put her mask back down on her face, picked up Jolene and ran down the tunnel to bring up the rear of the line.
Their boys, Aprils and hers, had it covered.
Splinter kept track of his prey. The Rat King hopped from pillar to pillar with Splinter matching him step for step.
He was growing exhausted with the Rat King's refusal to fight him.
A new sea of rats came with his summon, allowing the Rat King to make climb them in order to put more distance between them. The rats tumbled down into the shadowy ether, death to the service of their King.
Splinter jumped with his claws out and scaled the wall.
The Rat King would not get away this time. He would not escaped from Death's embrace this time.
Not while Splinter still had breath in his body.
"FALL!" commanded the King. A new sea of rats appearing, pulling Splinter down and down.
He shook them off and grabbed onto a pipe. Narrowing his eyes, he took a deep breath in.
"No!" he said, done with these trials and done with the King attempting to dictate Splinter's life and mind. "You do not win this time!"
He rocketed himself upward, scaling the walls with a grace rarely found in humans or animals, getting to the top before the Rat King could escape.
"We end this now!" roared Splinter.
April and Irma were ushering people up the manhole entrance. April held Cupcake securely in her hands with a stubborn set her jaw. Casey slid both Gretzky and Jolene into their place in her golf bag.
"Everything okay?"
Casey gave a nod with a rough voice, "Everyone that was captured that was still human had got out. Now let's hurry before…"
She didn't get to finish her sentence. A giant rat appeared from the shadows and landed in front of the three girls.
Casey gritted her teeth.
"You know what?" she asked rhetorically. "I am so fucking sick of this. You want some? Come and get some!"
The rat took the challenge implied in her words and started advancing on them. Casey, however, was waiting.
She planted her feet on the ground, set up her punch, and swung with all of her strength. The punch solidly connected with the rat's face and flung it back into a wall, knocking it unconscious.
"Whoa," she heard Irma whisper.
Casey nodded and cracked her knuckles.
"Let's head out."
Splinter walked through the rubble-covered ground where the Rat King stood. He moved swift and silently with his eyes closed, striking fast when he was close enough to.
The Rat King dodged his attacks. No matter how fast and hard that the ninja master had come at him. The Rat King always seemed ready to respond.
He is not that good of a fighter, that much Splinter knew.
The Rat King struck with a punch: quick and hard in the gut. It sent Splinter falling to his hands and needs, reclaiming his lost breath.
The Rat King let out an insane little giggle: "That's right, Splinter. Bow before your King. There is nothing you can't do that I can't see coming."
Splinter paused at that.
Now there was a thought. How could the Rat King see what he had coming? Splinter had years and years of training, but Falco had only been at this for less than a year. No one could get that proficient that quickly.
How could he see?
Splinter stealthily gazed at the Rat King.
And he saw.
"So," he began feeling his confidence settle over his skin, "you think that you are still in control of the situation?"
Before the Rat King even had a chance to comprehend it, Splinter struck. He punched the white rat off of the Rat King's shoulder, sending it down into the depths with its fallen brethren. In the same move, he unraveled the bandages around the Rat King's sunken and blind eyes.
"You'll pay for that!" declared the Rat King. "I can still see through your eyes."
"Oh?" questioned Splinter as he wrapped the bandages around his eyes.
After that? After that there was not much of a fight.
With quick and practiced moves, Splinter was able to disorient the Rat King and leave him throwing punches in the dark. While Splinter moved from his grasp and strike him like a viper.
"Control is an illusion," he began imparting onto the King what would be the final words he would hear on this Earth. "It can even be more blinding then the inability to see. It can even…"
He side-stepped a punch from the King, who stumbled and fell off the edge to join his subjects in death.
"—send you over the edge," finished Splinter as the screams of the Rat King became distant and ended.
With sure steps, Splinter began to leave this place.
"Goodbye," he said mockingly, "my King."
He ripped the bandages from his eyes and opened them to face the world, to find his children, to make sure that everyone was fine. He walked with steady and precise steps: his mind and body were again his own.
The Rat King was dead.
Long live the King.
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed it!
I also hope that the relationship between Casey and Donnie is coming through. I'm really, really trying hard for the slow build. Because when I get to Wormquake we get into them actually realizing crushes on each other.
Also I am so, so glad that they released information about Hun at the NYCC 2014. Granted it was only a picture of his face, but it was needed. Expect him to appear in this verse earlier then his canon counterpart.
Again I am not saying a word.
I also just want to say thanks to all you lovely, lovely readers! You are fantastic.