Note: References to Tyroth Darkstorm's Fanfic 'Nemesis' and my Fanfics 'A Father's Lament' and 'Falling inside the Black' appear in this chapter!
Chapter Twenty
Topside Trouble Stirring
Meanwhile, up in the City of Chicago, a tall skyscraper stood amongst the other buildings.
To anyone, it looked like a large shiny work building, or high-rise apartments, yet if one were to see deep inside, it harboured something entirely different.
In the top area, a Japanese man in his late forties and dressed in a grey business suit sat in a chair at a large desk reading some papers when there was a knock on the door.
"Enter!" he barked and at once a younger man, Japanese and wearing his long black hair in a ponytail and wearing a similar suit ran in.
"Master Kodama!" the young man said, "Your guests have arrived."
Mr Kodama looked up from his papers.
"Hanako-Chan of the Foot clan from New York?" he asked.
The young man nodded.
"The very one sir!"
"Very well." Mr Kodama said, "Send her in!"
The young man bowed then ran back to the door.
After a few minutes the door opened again, and Mr Kodama looked up to see a tall willowy woman wearing a glamourous black suit with a red shirt underneath with a small group of men and women dressed in Foot Ninja suits.
Hanako walked up the long room towards the desk and she bowed to him politely and the ninja behind followed suit.
"Konichiwa Ishii Kodama." She spoke "Thank you for letting us come to your delightful headquarters."
"Hanako-Chan." Kodama smiled then gestured with his hand "Please, have a seat, may I interest you in a drink?"
"Arigato." Hanako replied "That is very kind."
Kodama smirked and pressed a button on his desk ordering some drinks.
At the same time, the group of Ninjas bowed and walked to the door to wait until they were needed.
Soon, a servent arrived with a bottle of champagne and two glasses and Kodama poured himself and Hanako a glass each before they toasted each other.
"Welcome to Chicago, Hanako." Kodama said, "And may I say I do thank you for coming upon my invitation."
"Thank you." Hanako said "Well, when Master Arashi and I saw your invitation, we were eager to speak to you regarding your request."
"Ah yes." Kodama said sipping his drink "And how is Izo Arashi?"
"He is very well." Hanako replied "Yet, he is unable to join us due to some trouble back in New York, thus why I have come alone with a few ninjas."
"I see." Kodama replied, "May I ask what has happened?"
Hanako frowned as she sipped her drink.
She wasn't sure whether to tell Kodama that a mutant dragon and other mutant animals attacking the headquarters, he would think she was mad.
She sighed.
"Let's just say, we had a few enemies attack us, and left our Master Shredder severely wounded." She said, "Thus the other reason Master Arashi is staying behind, so he can oversee the repairs, as well as his recovery."
Kodama blinked.
"Oruku Saki is injured?" he asked.
Hanako nodded.
"I'm afraid so." She said, "But Master Arashi and Dr Arden are looking after him well."
"Pray he makes a full recovery." Kodama said raising his glass and taking a sip.
"Likewise!" Hanako sipped her drink.
After a few seconds of silence, Hanako spoke again.
"So Mr Kodama, what is it you wish to ask of me and the Foot Clan?"
Kodama looked up.
"Ah yes, I wanted to ask you for help, as I have been having a few problems."
"Problems Mr Kodama?" Hanako asked cocking her head on one side.
"Yes, well, as you are aware, as a Yakuza Boss as well as a transport and shipment businessman, I try to make a few deals in the city with the other gangs."
Hanako nodded.
"I know the activities of the Yakuza's." She smirked.
Kodama nodded.
"Yes." he said, "But there have been a few deals that have been somewhat…interrupted, sometimes ruined, especially those involving drugs and weaponry deals."
Hanako frowned.
"I see." She said, "And do you have any idea who or what might be causing these disturbances?"
The Japanese man finished the rest of his drink and placed his glass on the table before standing up.
"Well, and I will know you think it crazy, but my men have returned to me saying they were attacked by some strange vigilantes."
Hanako's frown got harder and as Kodama mentioned the word 'Vigilantes' it sent alarm bells ringing in her head.
"And who are these, Vigilantes?" she asked.
Kodama frowned and placed a hand on the glass window as he looked down at the city below.
"I sometimes don't know if my men have lost their minds!" he growled "But they speak of seeing them as a wolf, a shark, a cheetah, a snake….and many other different animals! Like whom dresses up as an animal and attacks people?"
Hanako looked up as she heard that.
"Wolf? Shark? Cheetah? Snake?"
As she thought hard, thoughts came back to her as she remembered the battle at the Foot Headquarters.
"No way…" she thought as her eyes widened "It can't be…."
Down in Mutopia, blissfully unaware of what was happening topside, Tyroth was talking to Sephie in their bedroom.
It had been a very trying day for all of them.
Jake and Tania were so relieved to see Monalisa awake, they couldn't stop hugging her and telling her how scared they were.
"Oh sis!" Jake had sobbed into the lizard lady's forehead and hair, "I can't tell you how scared I was! I lost you before, it's my worst nightmare to lose you again!"
Tania had clasped Monalisa's hands and kissed them.
"Oh my darling Mona! I'm so glad you're awake, I was so frightened! You're such a dear friend!"
She had then gone on to say she had made some clothes for her, Kemeko and Pandora since they had arrived with barely anything but the clothes on their backs and their weapons.
Monalisa had been happy to see her brother and friend again, yet they couldn't stay long as James and Dahlia had shooed them out after five minutes saying Monalisa needed to rest.
Sephie sighed as she rested on Tyroth's chest.
After things had calmed down, she had tried to talk to Donatello and Monalisa, though Monalisa seemed calm enough to talk, despite the trauma she had been through, Donatello though was more tearful and stressed.
"It's been so hard love." Sephie sighed "I'm not sure if all I know in my craft at counselling can help."
"Hun?" Tyroth said.
"I try so hard love." Sephie said "Yet so far, Monalisa seems to be willing to talk, but Donnie, and Kemeko, it's hard, both are so traumatised, and Pandora…." She sighed again, "She's even more stubborn than before, I haven't tried to talk to her again, not until she's had more time to calm down, but I'm so worried about her."
Tyroth sighed.
"I know you're trying Sephie, and I know you will do anything possible to help, but you're not going to do it alone."
Sephie looked up at her husband.
"I saw how Pandora punched that wall." The dragon said, "And I plan to speak to her about it, as I've never seen anything like it before."
"Neither have I…" Sephie said "She didn't even react to any pain when she punched it…a few days ago…I didn't see how she broke the wooden block in the Dojo, but it's like her strength is increasing with her anger, but that can't be the case…can it?"
Tyroth frowned.
"I plan to investigate it, and maybe help her with it." He said, "Maybe if she knows how to control it, she won't hurt herself, or do worse than she is now."
"You think you can help her?" Sephie asked.
"I have before." Tyroth reminded his wife "Remember the time I taught her the truth of what would happen if she faced an enemy bigger and stronger than her? That she would only live for as long as they allowed her to?"
Sephie then remembered, the time they had to deal with Vulstrun, as she thought about it, she felt a tingle in her neck.
"Oh yes, you truly brought her back to earth that day, and thus she was able to hold him off long enough for us to stop him, yet…" she rubbed her neck and Tyroth held her close remembering that scare.
"I'll see what I can do with her," Tyroth said "I'll be keeping an eye on her, especially since Monalisa's still recovering, and Raphael is finding it hard without his voice."
Sephie nodded then relaxed on Tyroth's chest.
"Let's try and relax now." Tyroth soothed "April, James and Dahlia will look after those still in the sickbay, and we will find a way to help them, especially Kemeko and her night terrors."
As the Dragon thought about the young Japanese girl in the sickbay, still recovering from her stab wound, but also suffering nightmares and flashbacks, he wondered what he could do to help her.
He remembered all the meditation sessions he had had with Master Splinter, helping him with his anger to control his magic and berserker rages, and he remembered helping Leonardo and Monalisa on occasions when his meditation was needed to help them find answers and peace from their sadness and worries.
As he continued to ponder, a thought went off in his head.
"I remember my advanced meditation helping my friends in their time of need and to give them peace." He thought "Maybe I can do the same for Kemeko? It's worth a shot!"
He looked at his bedside clock, he knew everyone would be settling down to sleep soon apart from some on the night shift (or rather day shift, since they were nocturnal).
"I'll speak to Leonardo first thing tomorrow." He thought to himself "I just hope tonight is a better night for Kemeko after Sephie spoke to her about Lucid Dreaming, well, we can only hope."
So Hanako has arrived in Chicago and with Ishii Kodama, a Yakuza Boss and Businessman to discuss an alliance, and it's becoming clear that Kodama's men have been attacked on drug deals by the Chicago Knights!
Also back in Mutopia, Tyroth and Sephie are discussing the events that have past, and Tyroth's got a few ideas to help Pandora and Kemeko but what are they? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.
Also, I thank my dear friend and co-writer Tyroth Darkstorm for the upcoming ideas our Dragon hero has! Thanks my friend!