My Only Choice Is Still Defending

Leo paused at the edge of the roof and looked out toward the park. It was dark, but even this late, there was still activity he could clearly see.

To their left, they heard a man cry out in surprise and then in fear. "What the hell is that!" And then he just screamed, a terrifying sound.

The turtles rushed to the far side of the roof to see a man backing into an alley, followed by something roughly the size of a large round mellon floating in the air in front of him.

Don touched his goggles and took in a sharp breath as he got a close-up view. "I don't believe it."

"Is that a…..disembodied head?" Raph said disgustedly.

Leo didn't answer. They leaped down the fire escape.

They landed between the man and the thing ... .and it was a floating head. It appeared to be the head of a middle-aged man, not much different from the one it was chasing. It grinned at them with a mouthful of sharp teeth, and a long tongue slipped out and waggled at them. The beard it wore was long and scraggly, peppered with the first signs of gray in the brown, and it swayed in the empty air below the chin. It had a head of curly brown hair to match.

"Ugh," Mike groaned. "I don't suppose it's friendly."

The man who it had been chasing screamed louder and ran as fast as he could away. The brothers didn't have time to notice as the head swooped at them, screaming and snapping its jaws.

Don struck it with his Bo, almost like a baseball bat. The head flew back and cracked against the alley wall. It shook itself like an angry cat and then came at them again.

Leo attacked with his swords. As he approached the head-thing, it suddenly shrieked and pulled away from him, its eyes narrowing.

Leo realized that there was heat radiating from his belt pouch. He took out the coin Jessie had given him. It was glowing with a warm blue-white light like a star.

The head shrunk back even more, snarling, turned, and began to fly away. The turtles followed, straining to keep up with it.

It flew through the dark network of alleyways, swooping over fences and piles of trash. There were moments they thought they had lost it, but the coin Leonardo held would flare brighter, and the light would stretch out, telling them where to go.

Finally, they reached an abandoned apartment and saw the head streak inside. They followed to find it hovering over a crumpled form on the floor. The thing hissed and started to lower itself down.

"No, you don't" Leo was on it, striking at the thing and keeping it away from the fallen man.

Behind him, Mikey knelt to check the man and said, "Uh…bro. I think we have a problem. This dude hasn't got a head!"

Donatello glanced down before going to defend with Leo "There's no blood. Not even a wound. It literally looked like a doll's neck; it just ended in a rounded stump. But it's flesh."

The head hissed again. It rushed the two turtles as if to overpower them, and Raph yelled, "Gimme the coin!"

Leo struck the head, nearly splitting it in half. It pulled back, but they could see it was already healing. He did as Raph said, tossing it to his brother without taking his eyes off the thing.

Raph lowered it toward the weird body, and the heat grew till it was almost painful to hold. The light bathed the body for a split second until it burst into flames.

The head shrieked in both anger and pain, and its healing immediately stopped. Instead, it started to blacken and char as it shrank into a skull and clattered to the floor. In a second, head and body we're only a pile of ash.

The coin's light faded. In a moment, it was just an old coin, cool in Raphael's palm, with no sign of the light or heat from a moment ago.

"What the hell WAS that" Raph demanded.

Donatello tapped on his goggles and said, "Mythology, floating head monster." Quietly, he seemed to be reading things only he could see in the air before him. "It's a yokai called a nukekubi. During the day, they look like people, but at night the head comes off and flies around. It's kind of a vampire; it bites people and drinks blood. You have to keep the head and body from reuniting in the morning to destroy it."

The brothers looked at each other "That counts as weird," Mike said.

"Whatever is happening here, I think it's getting…." Leo started, and then before them, a figure flickered into view. They could see through him, and he was bathed in a soft blue-white light like the coin had been.

"Master Splinter?" Don gasped.

The old rat looked at them with fear in his eyes. "Help her," he said, and his voice sounded like it was coming from far away. Then he was gone in a blink, snuffed out like a candle flame.

Leo sheathed his blades and headed for the nearest manhole. "Something happened. We have to get back". His voice was tight and controlled.

20 Minutes Ago

She was still working as one AM approached. She didn't hear the door of Splinter's chamber click open, but she looked up as he approached.

"It is late. You should sleep, "he said.

"I found something weird." Jessie said, "Not mythology. News. Two weeks ago, there was a break-in at the Frick Gallery. They were hosting a traveling loaner collection- great treasures of Asian art. Mostly China, Japan, and India, it looks like. A few things were taken, but the biggest one was an ancient Japanese artifact from around the mid-1600s. The mirror of Tamamo-no-Mae. There's a huge international incident over it. I saw that name earlier when I was looking at mythology, and she's a kitsune from legend who was pretty damn evil. Seduced and enchanted powerful men and got them to do terrible things. Killed people, according to stories, in pretty horrible ways."

She turned to look at him. "The weirdest thing? They're not saying much, but apparently, the thieves were dressed in "Ninja Costumes." Except, what if they weren't costumes? I know one organization in New York who's supposed to have honest-to-god Ninjas in their higher ranks….."

"The Foot," Splinter said.

"The Foot." She agreed. Jessie paused "So…. let's say I buy that mythological figures are popping up in Manhattan, and that happens RIGHT after an artifact with mythological connections gets stolen. I think there's a connection."

Splinter nodded. "Very good work, child. It is time for you to rest, and we will tell the others in the morning."

"Okay." She stood up and stretched, closing the laptop.

Something dropped in front of her onto the table. She looked down alarmed, and the little rat sat up, shook itself, and looked at her and….

It was wrong. Rats had little oil-drop black eyes or pink eyes. This one had white eyes. Not just milky, completely white like it had tiny pearls in its head. It gave a little growing hiss and turned to leap onto Splinter, biting and clawing.

The old rat cried out in shock and threw the animal off. The little rat rolled and then gained its feet and fled into the shadows.

"Oh my god!" Jessie cried, alarmed. There was a bite on his arm, seeping blood, and she suddenly thought, Oh crap, what if it was rabid.

Even as she leaned in, meaning to attend to the injury, she felt a jolt of fear. The wound was literally fading in front of their eyes. She looked at him, alarmed.

He opened his mouth, started to speak, and then suddenly doubled over in pain.

"Splinter!" Jessie cried, starting to get an arm around him. He seemed to be choking or convulsing. He kept trying to speak and as she tried to steady him, he suddenly barked out a single word.

"Run!"

She didn't have time to react. For a second, their eyes met, and she felt her fear turn to iced panic. He looked terrified, and she had never seen him anything close to terrified. And his eyes were fading into white.

His mouth worked. "Run…from…me" He gasped, and then the fear was gone. His face was calm, and his mouth turned up in a small, cruel smile.

"Oh, this will do nicely," He said, and the voice that came out of his mouth was not Splinters, not even close. It was far too deep, almost a rolling growl of a voice... Those pearl eyes fixed on her, and the smile widened.

He snatched her arm and threw her with a strength she was shocked by. She hit the wall and fell dazed to the ground. Splinter was on her in a second, and she had just enough time to try and roll away as he struck down with all his might. She threw off his aim, but her entire arm went numb from the bright pain as he made contact with her shoulder. She tried to scramble up, but she was disoriented, and he kicked at her legs, crumpling her to the ground again. She didn't stand a chance.

"Splinter," She managed to whimper. And then….. it was like suddenly her arms and legs were bathed in warm radiating energy. Something that felt good, even through what was happening to her. There was still pain, but it was dull and far away as her head cleared. Suddenly she could see exactly what he was going to do.

She struck up and caught his jaw….except she hadn't. Her arm and hand had just done it. She wasn't moving; something was moving her. She was on her feet in a moment and swayed slightly but took a stance she had never used in her life. Her hands came up in a defensive stance, and she advanced on the old rat. She realized that somehow he had gotten bigger in the last few moments by inches. The seams of his robe were strained. His teeth had elongated as well, like a painting of a demon.

She was aware that against the left side of her torso, there was radiating heat so strong it felt like she was carrying a star. She kicked out at him with a well-aimed blow that made him leap back. Splinter's eyes narrowed, and he hissed in that wrong voice, "Why is he still here, girl? He should be on the wind. Why is he with you?"

She didn't answer. She didn't have an answer. Whatever was guiding her body simply advanced her and landed a punch on the rat-man.

Splinter leaped over her and dashed into the main room. She followed, but he was too fast. He bounded to the sofa. She could see Rabbit was waking confused, but as he scooped up the girl, he tapped her forehead, and she plunged back into sleep. He put Rabbit over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

He turned, hissed at Jessie, and advanced. She rushed to meet him, and he struck at her, making her dodge to the left. As she did, however, he seemed to anticipate it and struck his palm on her forehead. The world immediately went dark.

As she collapsed, feeling the stone of the floor meet her; she was aware that the heat in her pocket was cooling, and Splinter's voice…his real proper voice…was calling her name, but in her head.

She had no idea how long she stayed in the dark, but she sensed more than heard people around her. She was still in darkness, and she wanted to stay there. She was tired, and her body hurt. She just wanted to sleep.

Someone took her hand comfortingly. "Jessica. You must wake. They are here now; they will help you." Splinter spoke softly, sounding far away and a little sad.

"I'm okay, sir." She said back softly, and then voices did become clear..

"Yeah, Jessie, you're gonna be ok. Wake up." Mike said softly.

"Mikey?" Jessie muttered and opened her eyes. She regretted it . Everything hurt.

The brothers were gathered around her. She was laying on the sofa now, her head on the pillow that Rab….

"RABBIT!" She gasped and tried to sit up, but she yelped in pain.

Raph put his hands on her collarbone and gently forced her back down. "Woah woah. Easy. Don's still checking you out. You got the shit beat outta ya."

"Who did it? Who took Rabbit, and where's…" Leo started, but she interrupted.

"Splinter….no. He attacked me and took Rabbit…not Splinter." Jessie winced. "Something…got inside him. Took him over. Use his body to knock me out and take her. I know how that sounds…."

"After what we saw tonight? That makes perfect sense," Mikey said.

Don slid an arm under her and helped her sit up. She winced and cried out once, but she was able to. Everything hurt, but the fact that she could move everything was a good sign.

"The good news is none of the damage looks dangerous. You're going to be sore and bruised for a while, but you'll be ok," Don said, as he shone a light in her eyes that made her wince. "No sign of a concussion." He continued to check her over, though, even as the others backed off a little to give him room.

"Tell us what happened," Leo said softly.

She started with the rat biting Splinter. She told them everything, including the heat from her pocket. Even before she was finished, she took out the little origami rat Splinter had made for her. It was warm to the touch, pleasantly so as if it had just come out of a drier. "Before…with the lady. When I went to get my slingshot, I touched the rat. That's when whatever she was doing to me failed. The old man said to keep something close, and I thought he meant my slingshot, but this was in the same pocket. I think he meant this. I think it's…some kind of Talisman." She paused. "Splinter told me a story about a boy that drew cats that came to life because he put a little bit of himself in his art. Maybe this is the same."

Leo nodded gravely.

"We saw Splinter. He told us you were in trouble," Said Mikey. "He was like a ghost. Do you think he's d…" he trailed off, his voice cracking.

"No," Jessie said quickly. She took the little origami rat out and held it cupped in her hands. "I don't think this would have worked if he was. It….I dunno…influenced me so I could fight back. It wasn't like being possessed or anything; I was still me. It just….moved me. Like I was in a video game, and someone else was at the controls." She looked at the paper rat and then closed her eyes, trying to feel that energy again. If it's true, come back to us, Master Splinter. She thought, feeling a little foolish.

"I have not left you, child," Splinter said softly as he materialized beside Leonardo. They all turned, Mikey, jumping a little at the surprise. " Guiding you was all I could do. He would have used me to hurt you much worse."

"Sensei," Leo said. "What's happened to you."

"An ancient spirit has taken possession of my body in service to another. He sought Mei." He looked at Jessie, and his ears drooped. "Forgive me, Jessica. I did not have the strength to cast out the Kyuso. It was too sudden." He looked her over, concerned.

"Nothing to forgive," Jessie said, waving one hand. "You didn't do anything. Hell, I had a warning, and I didn't know what to do with it. But he has Rabbit."

Splinter pointed to the origami. "That is what allowed me to stay, allowed me to protect you as I could, even as I was cast out. It anchors me from being taken by the wind away from you all. Keep it close, and I will be able to help in what ways I can.`` He reached out, but his hand passed through the figure. "As few as those may be in this state."

Jessie nodded and returned the figure to her pocket. She rose from the sofa slowly, wincing. "The Foot took the mirror of Tamamo-no-Mae. You can't tell me a mythical object vanishing, and then all this is a coincidence."

"Then we start there," Leo said. "Jessie, maybe you…."

"No," She said quickly, "I'm not staying behind. He took Rabbit. I'll keep up. Besides, I know you guys can do some lock-picking, but getting into places is what I do. You kick my ass on a training floor; I run circles around you on the thieving part."

Splinter was still looking at her with concern, so she flashed him a crooked smile. "Takes more than a rat demon to get this cat down." She said, making him smile ruefully. "We're going to get your body back, and we're getting Rabbit back.

Raph grinned wickedly at her "Hell yeah."

Splinter nodded reluctantly. "Then keep my gift close. I will stay with you and help you as I may, child."

There was a group of buildings on Eastman Island that served as the Foot's headquarters. There was no bridge, but Donatello did a quick search and found the island was actually collected to Manhattan with a series of old wastewater pipes that were no longer in service. It would be an easy matter to move through them onto the island.

As they started out, Splinter had vanished, but Jessie could still feel the little origami rat in her pocket as a slow, warm presence. She could almost feel him beside her. Once, she had a strong impression of a gentle hand on her shoulder, helping steady her as she followed the others over a narrow ledge that overlooked a steep drop down into stagnant water. He was with them even if he was unseen.

They followed the pipe for nearly a mile before they reached the end…and the metal grate that had been erected in front of it. Jessie studied it for a moment before slipping her lock picks out and working at the padlock. A moment later, it snapped open, and they came out onto the banks of the north end of the island. The group of warehouses that served the Foot loomed in the distance.

Don examined them through his high-tech goggles. "There's a heavier guard on the southmost building. That's likely what we're looking for."

Leo nodded. "Jessie, stay beside Mikey. We cover you if things go south."

Mikey grinned. "Don't worry, dude, I got ya," he said to her. She gave him a small nod and a smile, and they started across the way. The island was strewn with scrub, old shipping containers abandoned now, and the ruins of buildings long gone. It was easy to stay low and stay hidden in the shadows.

They silently took out some of the perimeter guards, and Raph scouted for a good way in, finding an old service door. Jessie went to work with her picks, and soon they slipped inside and started to move through the building.

The main part of the building was easy enough to move through. The rooms were large and still used for storage. Various Foot in uniform stood guard. The floor was empty, but it was pretty obvious that during the day, it was used to load and unload items, some of which still stood in crates around the room. Art and other stolen goods, Leo would have bet his shell on it.

The team took to the catwalks above to move through the area. They came out on the other side to a series of more residential-looking halls- some of the doors led to what had once been offices. This section had been decorated. Long embroidered rugs lined the floor, and Japanese silk tapestries watched them from the wall. Foxes followed her with their clever eyes, and a dragon faced them as if waiting to give them a riddle.

They came to a door that was locked, and this lock was a combination of manual and digital. Don slid a small device into the control pad, and Jessie got to work with the picks. Between the two of them, they finished at the exact same time, and the door clicked open.

The chamber beyond might have been pulled from a historical text. It was made to look as if it was plucked from the Edo period. Paper screens, hanging lanterns, and a raised decorated seated platform, rich with pillows and find cloth like some kind of throne. The screens were painted with a series of murals that showed a beautiful woman walking in gardens, being attended by maidens, and being courted by men. They seemed normal, except for the hint of the fox's tail peeking from just beneath her richly embroidered kimono.

Leo's eyes narrowed a little "Is it just me, or does this seem…over the top?" he murmured.

On one side of the room was a large object under a length of silk. Jessie headed toward it, meaning to have a peak.

"It's exactly what you think it is." A woman spoke from the throne area. The turtles all turned, drawing their weapons.

The woman from the park was sitting on the cushions. She had not been there a moment before. She was dressed in a multi-layered kimono made of silk and embroidered in gold. Her hair was up in a traditional style, held with long decorated hair pins that trailed golden flowers down her dark hair. She wore many rings with bright red stones and a long necklace chain with a huge red lacquered disk-shaped pendant that had a stylized fox in gold on it.

"A cat and four Kapa. How fascinating. Saki warned me against you, but not that the kitten was with you." She smiled a little, and despite her beauty the smile was cold as ice. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before you were drawn to me."

"Where is Shredder?" Leonardo demanded.

"Where's Rabbit and the other kids" Jessie growled. She pulled out her slingshot and aimed at her.

She studied Jessie. "You aren't much to look at, child, but if you wish to see Usagi again, I will allow you to be my handmaiden." she half-turned and called, "Kyuso, perhaps you might be able to see to her? Your earlier lesson has not taken, I fear."

From around one of the screens, "Splinter" came to flank them. The changes that had started when he had attacked Jessie had continued. His nails had grown into long curled claws, and his incisors were long and ragged. It was like looking at a twisted reflection of their father.

Raph turned and faced the rat-man. "Yeah, aint going to happen. Don't think I won't fight you."

The woman got up and walked toward them. "Saki is not any concern of yours. We have an…arrangement. That is all you need to know." She looked around. "There is no place in this world for you. You hide because they…" She pointed at Jessie, "...will never accept you as part of their reality. So…why stand against me? Why not stand beside me? We remake the world and make it ours." She smiled, and there was something very fox-like in that look.

"Not interested, lady," Leonardo said, and he stepped forward.

Jessie suddenly felt the heat in her breast pocket return. "Leo, watch it!" She cried just as Kyuso suddenly dashed forward toward him at a speed that didn't seem possible.

The turtles rushed forward to meet him. He pulled a blade from his robes, and Leonardo was the first to meet him, metal clashing.

Jessie turned, meaning to try and get a shot in on the Rat-man, and her eyes found the cloth-covered object. Instead, she aimed and fired at it. Her first shot hit the cloth and made a great cracking noise. The silk fell and revealed a huge mirror framed in a dark wood carved into the shapes of foxes chasing each other, each nose touching one of the three tails of the fox before it. The mirror was cracked now, from where her bb had lodged.

The woman lept from the platform and came through the air with her robes flowing behind her. She drew a knife and came down with it forward toward Jessie, meaning to stab.

Michaelangelo lept to meet her, his nunchucks whirling like wings.

Jessie fired again. This time the slug crashed into the glass, and it shattered completely. At the same moment, an explosion of white light engulfed the room, and suddenly there was nothing at all. No sounds, no smells, no fight.

There was the warmth in her pocket, and she called out, "Mike? Raph? Anyone!"

Then the light collapsed, and there was darkness all around her. For a second, she thought she had gone unconscious, but then she realize she could hear something…..crickets. Everywhere, singing. Her hands pressed into the feel of cool earth and dew-kissed grass…how had she ended up on her knees, leaning forward? She looked up into the canopy above her of trees, and beyond that, the darkness of sky sprinkled with the glory of stars.

The world solidified. She was kneeling in a forest in the middle of the night. She stood shakily, looking around, and realized that she was no longer in her clothes. She was in some kind of Kimono tied with a narrow sash. It was plain green cotton, and the pocket her shirt had was gone along with the origami. Instead, there was a crest embroidered on the left side of her breast. A small stylized rat in the same pose as her origami talisman had taken. The embroidery still had the calm, warm presence of the original object.

Everything came into focus then. She looked around, eyes wide. "Mike? Don?"

"They're not here," Raph said, and she turned. He was standing a few feet in the tree line. He was dressed in a sando-style hat made of straw and a shorter Kimono in black.

"Where the hell are we? What happened?" Jessie asked. "I thought breaking the mirror would stop her."

"Good try, kid," Raph said. "But I don't think it worked." He motioned, "Stick close. We'll see what we can find."