A/N: Muahaha, I'm evil :) In response to at least one of your questions, miceaholic, when Raph woke up and spilled the beans about his dreams to his brothers, they all assumed it was the Kraang from the unnaturalness of it all. Not saying it is or isn't, but that's what was assumed by them. As for the rest, well, you'll see in a bit. Promise. I'm off this weekend, so I should be grinding out chapters in quick order if nothing comes up. Enjoy!
Phoenix Call
Chapter 8: Into The Storm
Karai smiled as she exited the Shredder's audience chamber. Placing bugs in the dwellings of all of New York City's police force had been a tedious job some years ago, but it was her pet project and it was finally paying off. Officer Eric Jaquard and his family would suffer for sheltering the turtles, and her favorite pastime of harrassing the cops would be allowed to continue in peace for a while longer. Meeting her second-in-command at the door, she couldn't help the enthusiasm that crept into her voice as she handed him a dossier.
"Capture this target, bring her to the stronghold on the west side. Be sure to alert her," Karai sneered, "family that you have someone important to them."
OoO
Amber and April laughed as they walked back to the lair, arms laden with groceries and other necessities. Leo and Raph had protested the strongest, saying it would be better to wait until darkness came over the city so they could at least escort them, but Amber would have none of it. She was a fully trained kunoichi and she could protect herself and April if need be. Splinter had backed Amber's argument, saying to had been too long since the boys had had a good round of randori training. Raphael had lingered behind his sensei and brothers, giving his mom a quick hug and blushing when she put her lips to his cheek in reassurance. April had raised an eyebrow, but let it go without comment. She figured 'tough guys' were weird like that.
The pair arrived at the manhole closest to the lair, struggling for a moment to lift the heavy metal lid. April then slid down and waited while Amber passed the several bags from their excursion down to her. On the last bag, Amber's phone went off and she rolled her eyes.
"Probably the guys wondering where we are." Yanking the offending device from her pocket, she answered without even looking. "Hello?"
"Amber, I need your help. Meet me at my place." And the line went dead. The brunette frowned worriedly before handing the last grocery bag down to April. "I have to go. Can you call one of the boys to help you with the bags?"
"Where are you going?"
"Eric needs something. I'll be fine, promise. I've dealt with scarier things than my brother's freak outs. You should be safe in the tunnels, and I'm going to slide this cover back over you. Promise me, April Kay, that you will call the guys?"
April sighed, promising to do as asked before taking the last bag and letting Amber cover the manhole. Setting her burden down, she called Leo.
"Hello, April? Something happen?"
"Yeah, Amber got a call and had to dash off to see Eric. Can you guys come help me carry the stuff back to the lair?"
Leo paused. "Sure, we'll be right there."
OoO
Amber darted through the shadows, stopping at her house on the way to Eric's to grab a weapon from her cache. She had pouted when she realized that the spare tonfa she had taken to the sewers were her last pair, and she had left them there for Raph to look at as he tried to fix her other pair. Instead, she had grabbed a plain black tessen. It wasn't her favorite weapon, and she hadn't quite mastered it, but it would have to do. Everything else was just to much to carry through the streets of New York without drawing attention. She also wasn't sure that she needed to show up at her brothers door with weapons blazing, he hadn't said what was wrong after all, but his tone had set her on edge. Slipping out the door and locking it, Amber melted back into the night.
OoO
A bead of sweat slid down the back of Eric's neck as he waited for his sister to arrive. The knife at his throat kept him from reaching to wipe it, however. The Foot ninja had appeared suddenly while he and Joan had been enjoying a rare movie night together. He had tried to grab his kusarigama and protect his wife, but he was badly out of practice. As much as he enjoyed martial arts, he didn't have his sister's passion for it. The Foot had forced him to call her, to ask her to come. He hadn't wanted to, but at his initial refusal, Joan had borne the brunt of the ninjas fury. She now lay motionless in the floor of the den, and Eric prayed she was still alive. A knock at the door made his blue eyes go wide. Please, don't tell me you came alone.
OoO
"It's been hours, bros! What could he have possibly wanted that would take so long?" Mikey was clearly getting cranky, and it grated Raph's nerves as he continued to punch his overly-abused punching bag.
"Shut up, Mikey. You think you're the only one that wants her to come home already? Just go to bed and spare us your whining!"
"Leo, do you think we should go check on her?" Leo glanced at the clock. 10:35pm.
"If she hasn't called or come back by 11, we'll head over and see what's up."
OoO
Eric looked at the figure chained next to him on the floor. Soft brown curls cascaded over the bruise forming on her forehead. She had seen red when she had saw what was happening in his apartment and fury had guided her actions instead of forethought. The Foot had taken a beating, but they had a plan and eventually overcame his little sister. Now, they were both captives but still alive. Bait, most likely, Eric thought wryly before glancing at Amber again. And she's gonna be SO pissed when she wakes up.