(Follow the Leader)

Superjoeyf721: If you know, then be sure not to spoil it for anyone. I've got my own plan for how this pans out. I had to make a tribute to Stan Lee somehow. I haven't thought about Kevin Smith, though personally I thought the 2007 movie was pretty good. Like I said in the notes for last chapter, this version of the X-Men is more based on the ones from X-Men Evolution, albeit with a few differences.

Awesomerebel55: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. I figured each Turtle could stand to do their own thing here and there. Now that Gwen is officially in play, she'll have a lot of work to do, but she's definitely up to the challenge. Peter will come back, but Scarlet Spider will have his own part to play before that. Harry, I wouldn't be so sure about, especially given that the Green Goblin isn't the only alter ego he's adopted, at least in the comics.

Spectacular Webhead 11: X-Men, Turtle Titan, Ghost Spider, Scarlet Spider and a lot more to come going forward.

Gamelover41592: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it, and expect a lot more surprises in the future.

Zzz3: Wolverine will be a recurring character for the time being. The effects of Mutagen on already existing mutants is an interesting idea, we'll see how that pans out in the future, the same with characters such as Magneto and Mr Sinister.

C.S. Allen: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. Believe me, I've got my own twist on certain events coming in the future. That bit about Nick Fury's history is pretty interesting, and explains a lot for sure.

TheIrishman1999: I've got some ideas for who should be the first villain Ghost Spider faces, and you'll see when that happens, don't worry. I actually have given some thought to Bullseye appearing in this fic, but given that Daredevil has been downgraded, I can't confirm if I'm still going through with it.

Guest: Yeah, I actually did say that with your comment in mind.

Godzillaboy2021: Wolverine definitely has some history with this group. Spider-man having additional powers is an interesting idea, but I intend to stick with the originals.

PumaDickINurmom696969: I'll be addressing that soon enough.

Shakespeare RZA: I usually just upload the chapters whenever I finish them, but in any case I'm glad to see you liked the new chapter, so thanks. That's an interesting comparison for the likes of Tombstone. Nice shout out to the 11th anniversary too. I don't really know anything about the Uncharted games, so I'll just take your word for it.

TheIrishman1999: Amphibia is a very good choice for a reference, keep this one in particular in mind for later. Your villain idea is interesting, I'll keep it in mind, but I can't make any promises for this story. I did see Across the Spider-Verse, it was phenomenal, though I never knew that about the Spectacular variant. I will say this, if I end up going through with that, it's not going to be Doc Ock that does it. You're not wrong though, Osborn/Green Goblin is the mastermind behind almost everything that's happened in the series. Shredder and Osborn meeting will likely be interesting, though of course Shredder isn't foolish enough to trust him, and vice verse. Both of them are evil to the core, but not stupid. If anything they'll likely see each other as a means to an end, and plan to betray each other when the time is right for them to strike. As far as George Stacy's fate is concerned, I won't spoil anything, but I will say that if it does happen, it won't be Doc Ock who's responsible.

Vfc15650: I appreciate the feedback, and honestly I'm surprised that the original series didn't split up the Turtles for individual plots more often, to give it a bit more variety. I plan to give you guys a fair bit more Wolverine going forward, don't worry. Harry's arc is going tto be a fairly long-term one, with my own take on it for the sake of the story. I have given some thought to the return of Molten Man, but it will be a little while before that happens. Scarlet Spider is a twist I doubt many saw coming, but keep in mind that a lot of prisoners broke out during the crisis with the Technodrome. As for Scarlet himself, he's more or less my own take on the character that will be expanded on going forward, the same with his father and employers. Gwen has a fair bit to learn about using her new powers, but unlike Peter she's got a support group to help her understand it faster. You'll see characters like Fury and Captain America when the time is right, don't worry.

5FingerDeathFist: Interesting comparison, I wouldn't have thought of that, but it checks out now that I think about it. Don't get too carried away with Splinter's history with other characters, I'm trying not to overstuff everything I have going on in this story. The other scientists that got kidnapped by the Kraang were more meant to be easter eggs, but I'll address them in due time, don't worry. Shredder would definitely be a good fit for the League of Assasssins, though what he's done to Karai is pretty messed up even compared to others like Orphan. Karai does have a few similarities to the likes of Gamora and Nebula, and probably would like Catwoman. I don't know anything about this Gotham crime family, so I'll take your word for it. I'm not going to spoil anything regarding Harry's arc in this story, but you will see it in due time.

Colacheunion: Wolverine, Turtle Titan, Ghost Spider and so much more, with Scarlet Spider being just the tip of the iceberg.

FalseSeto: Trust me, there's a lot to come for this season, both good and bad. I totally agree with your thoughts on the Wolverine from X-Men Evolution, probably my favorite version of him to be honest, and he's definitely got experience being a mentor to teenagers.

Frosty Wolf: Mikey does seem to have the most natural kindness out of the Turtles, just take a look at his interaction with Leatherhead as a prime example, and of course he'd want to step up and look after Gwen.

Bunny-9000: It's more of a running gag for various characters to say that in the story.

Guest: I'll allude to it here and there, but I don't plan to make a full on story of it.

BladeKnightmare: I have no idea what you're saying.

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Another night in New York City, and with it another search for Mutagen.

"Alright nothing on this side, Donnie are you sure this is the right way?" Leo was met with no response as he looked up from the group of trash cans he was searching through "Donnie?"

"What?" Donnie lookd up from the Mutagen Tracker he was staring at "Oh yeah, sorry. I can't narrow it down any further, but I know it's around here somewhere." and then he immediately went back to staring at the tracker.

"You doing okay?"

Donnie looked back up and saw Ghost Spider perched on the wall above him "I've been better. I think we all have actually."

"That… is actually a valid." Ghost Spider dropped to the ground and lifted up her mask enough to reveal the face of Gwen Stacy "You're thinking about April again aren't you?"

"How can I not? The last thing she said to us, to me, was that she never wanted to see us again, and now she's avoiding my calls. It's not easy to concentrate on the task at hand when the person you're into hates your guts."

"Believe me, I get that pretty well." Gwen's face softened slightly "But I don't think she actually hates you. Take a look at my own personal history in that regard."

"You and Peter had some kind of falling out?"

"Something like that. Did he ever tell you about the Lizard incident with Dr Connors?"

"Yeah, he was the one that cured him."

"I know. At least, I know now, but at the time… I thought he just bailed on us to take pictures and make some money. To say that I was upset with him after that was… an understatement, to say the least." she cringed slightly at the memories, then gave a small smile "But even so, I knew I couldn't stay mad at Peter forever, and eventually we patched things up. Took about two weeks or so, but still. My point is, you can't let the whole thing with April stop you from doing what you have to do. She'll come around eventually, you just have to be patient."

"Yeah… Yeah, I guess you're right." Donnie managed to give a small smile of his own "Thanks for the talk Gwen."

"Anytime." she then pulled the Ghost Spider mask back down over her face and looked over at the others "Anything on the Mutagen front guys?"

"No sign of the stuff, but check out what I found in here!" Turtle Titan poked his head out of a nearby dumpster and pulled out an iguana wearing a top hat "I don't know about you guys, but I'm totally keeping this."

"...Seriously dude?" Raph shot him a dull look "You know that we're out here looking for that Mutagen canister right?"

"Yeah but who says we can't multitask? Besides, one man's trash is another man's treasure, and I already proved that point with the Kraang flash drive."

"So what, for all we know that's probably a distant cousin, and the thing is stuffed with a crap ton of sawdust too."

"...You always know how to ruin a good thing, you know that right?"

"Hold on a minute guys, the Mutagen scanner is going off again." Donnie told them "I told you there was a scanner somewhere close by."

"Get real Donnie, that scanner is about as useless as a trenchcoat on a Turtle."

"Like it or not, that's the only real way for any of us to find the Mutagen canisters in the first place." Ghost Spider pointed out "And we still have to find them before anyone else ends up getting mutated, and so we can find a cure to turn them human again."

"Uh huh. Next question, why the shell are you here again?"

"Cause she needs the practice dude." Turtle Titan told him "She's gotta learn how to use the new powers somehow, and training with Splinter and us can only help her get so far."

"What can I say, a girl needs some fresh air every now and then. That and this is the only chance I can do it without my dad finding out about all of this." Ghost Spider let out a chuckle as she looked down at the tracker in Donnie's hands "But getting back on topic, I think the tracker says that the canister is somewhere above us."

"You gonna tell us where?"

"More like I'm going to do this." Ghost Spider gracefully leapt into the air and onto the rooftop above them, and then came back down with a Mutagen canister in hand "I have to be honest, I didn't think that was going to work."

"The fact that it did means you're adapting to your new powers well, nice work Gwen. That's another canister down." Donnie gave a smile of approval.

"So how many does that bring us to?"

"Counting this one, but subtracting the two we lost to the Scarlet Spider, we're up to… one and a half." Donnie was met with a series of groans from the other Turtles.

"Well on the plus side, it's another canister we can use to try and find a retro-mutagen."

"Yep, and now there's only 61 that haven't been accounted for yet."

"...That does seem like kind of a tone setter."

"I'm trying to be optimistic, someone has to be." so with that in mind, the five of them took to the rooftops and went on their way.

What none of them noticed however, was that Karai was watching them from afar, along with the Tinkerer and a small squad of Foot ninja "So it looks like your benefactor's intel was right, the Turtles are out hunting for the missing Mutagen supply, and from the looks of it they have a new ally with them."

"Yeah, they seem to pop up out of nowhere in a way that really stopped being funny a long time ago." Tinkerer rolled his eyes, but then looked over to see Karai smirking at him "And I'm gonna guess that doesn't annoy you in any way."

"Far from it. If anything, this is going to make the game so much easier, especially when you break out those new little toys of yours, and our new manpower arrives."

"I wouldn't hold my breath for him if I were you, he's pretty exclusive and usually only does these kinds of things if it works with his own agenda. If anything he's agreeing to a trial run with you guys at most, and if he doesn't like what he sees then he's out."

"But he's good?"

"He's a professional, and his record pretty much proves that. Trust me though, one fight against the Turtles and you'll have their shells dropped at your feet."

"Bold claim. I look forward to seeing him back it up."

"He will. Also remind me again, why is it that it's just the two of us out here?"

"Because apparently my father is expecting a visit from an old friend and wanted me to get the hell out of there by the time he showed up."

"Old friend as in actual friend, or the kind he wants to run through like a shish kabob?"

"Hard to say, he was scowling when he said it so I'm pretty sure that's a tone setter."

"He's never not scowling."

"That is also true."

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Meanwhile, at the Villain church in question…

"Looks like there's a motorcycle pulling up." Fishface made his way into Shredder's throne room and looked over at Dogpound "So out of curiosity, what can we expect from this chico Shredder is expecting to see anyway?"

"To be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure." Dogpound gave a shrug "From what I've been told, he's only spent "He only spent a few years travelling around Japan, and was fresh out of some sort of feud with members of the Yakuza before he wound up stumbling across the Hamato clan. Hamato Yuuta offered him shelter, and he even trained with Yoshi and Master Shredder for a shortwhile. He's far from the same tier as them though."

"So he's un novicio then?"

"He may be lacking in skill and proper training, but he more than makes up for it in various other areas. He's a mutant with a superhuman healing factor, along with a skeleton that's laced with unbreakable adamantium. This is a man who's gone toe to toe with the Hulk before."

"Did he win?"

"Hell no, from what I've heard he literally got ripped in half and had to pull himself together, but he survived. Let me put it to you this way: He may very well be one of the few able to keep up with Master Shredder in a straight up fight, even if he lacks the same level of skill."

"Dios mio." it was then that a loud thud from outside drew their attention, along with the sound of punching and a few muffled groans "What was that?"

"If I had to guess, it means he's here."

Sure enough, it was at this moment that the door opened… and a figure with a leather jacket and sideburns made his way into the room as he retracted his claws into his blades "You're getting one warning, clear the hell out and I won't have to rip through you like I did the others back there."

"Is that right? As if a mongrel like you ever could." Fishface wasted no time in charging forward and letting a kick fly.

The figure wasted no time in dodging Fishface's attacks with ease and leapt over him, using one clean swipe of his claws to rip Fishface's legs apart, leaving him to fall to the ground with an audible thud, then turned his gaze towards Dogpound "So, you wanna take a turn or are you gonna actually use your head?"

"Enough!" this was when Shredder emerged from the shadows, keeping his gaze locked onto the figure in front of him "Bradford, take Xever and leave us."

"Yes master." Dogpound slung Fishface over his shoulder and promptly left the room without so much as another word.

"Good, now any unwanted distractions have been dismissed." Shredder's gaze hardeend slightly further "It has been a long time Logan. Or perhaps I should refer to you as Weapon X."

"I'm actually going by Wolverine these days." Logan crossed his arms and kept his expression neutral "Looks like you really let yourself go over the years Saki. Oh yeah, you're going by the Shredder nowadays. It's fair though, 20 years can change a guy, and I'd know. Not gonna lie, the whole supervillain crime lord thing really doesn't suit you too well though."

"And what of you, my old friend? I offered you a place at my side in the Foot Clan, and yet you chose to turn your back on the path of ninjitsu and waste your potential. In the end you turned out to be such a disappointment."

"Maybe, but I've got more than enough brains to know that I'd want a lot more out of life than just spending it being one of your lapdogs, or spending the rest of my life over some pathetic grudge just to ruin someone's life. I've got Sabretooth as enough proof of that, and I don't even remember what the hell started all of it anymore. You're a lot more like him than you think Saki, I can tell with just a look. You were jealous of Yoshi, you let your anger blind you, and then you let it take everything from you. Now look at you, a ninja master too weak to admit the truth, that everything that's happened is your own damn fault. Now this whole damn feud is because you're in denial, and you're taking it out on Yoshi and his students. Look at what you are now, nothing but a charred husk using that mask to hide whatever shreds of humanity you have left rolling around in there."

"It is because of Hamato Yoshi that I wear this mask. You would be wise not to push me any further Logan."

"Yeah well, nobody ever accused me of being wise, but I'm smart enough to know that you're just blaming Yoshi for everything because you can't admit it to yourself. A ninja's most powerful weapon is deception, and you're using it to deceive yourself. Maybe others around you for all I know. Anyway that's enough calling you out on your crap Saki, I'm just here to give you a fair warning." Logan's gaze hardened as he drew his claws out of his knuckles "If I were the one that was in Yoshi's place then I'd probably just try to finish you off here and now."

"But the question remains: Will you?"

"Honestly? No, I won't." Logan let out a long sigh as he retracted his claws "The reason is cause I'm not in Yoshi's place, I'm part of the bigger picture, and unlike you I know how to put that before what I want. I've got people depending on me too, so call this a warning: You come after any of them, and I'm coming after you. Don't forget that." and with that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the building without another word.

"...So be it." Shredder stopped himself from fuming and turned to a nearby Foot ninja "Make the preparations. I will be taking my leave for Japan sooner than expected."

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Meanwhile, with our heroes…

"Okay, looks like nothing new on the Mutagen front tonight." Turtle Titan and Ghost Spider sat on a rooftop overlooking the streets below, until the sound of an alarm drew their attention, and they looked down to see a group of masked and armed thugs rushing into a car and speeding away "Lucky for us we're multitasking these days. You up for your first car chase?"

"That depends." Ghost Spider looked over at him, her expression uncertain underneath her new mask "Do you think I'm ready?"

"I think you gotta learn how to do it somehow. Take a look at me and how many times I got hit in the face before I learned a few things."

"That… doesn't sound as inspiring as you think it does, but I take your point."

"You want me to come with you?"

"You said it yourself, I have to learn somehow, so maybe hang back and offer backup if you think I need it?"

"Alright, if you're sure. Good luck."

"Thanks." Ghost Spider webbed a line and swung down towards the street.

"Now this is what I'm talking about, we've got at least $3000 in here!" the nameless thugs were revelling in the stolen cash they were making off with "And what makes it even better is that now Spider-Man ain't about to show up to ruin everything, so we're in the clear!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." this was when Ghost Spider landed on the hood of the car, and subsequently proceeded to freak them out "Say, do you guys think you could drop me off at the jail? No reason, just ned to take out the trash."

"What the hell? Kill this bitch!" the thug in the backseat leaned out the window and tried to shoot Ghost Spider.

"Nope." Ghost Spider managed to clog the gun with a shot of webbing, then wrapped the thug in a web cocoon and webbed a line to hoist him onto a nearby lamp post, and then proceeded to do the same to the thug in the front seat, before kicking her way through the car windows hard enough to knock the driver out and onto the sidewalk, causing the car to flip over but allowing her to catch it and safely lower it to the ground "Change of plans, I'll let the police take you guys from here on out." she shot one more stream of webbing at the driver to pin him to the ground and proceeded to swing away from the scene, landing on a nearby rooftop "So… I take it that went well?"

"A lot less chaotic than some of the other times we've seen Peter stop cars." Leo and the rest of the Turtles made their way across the rooftops over to her "All things considered, I'd say that you've been putting your training to good use. Speaking of which, since there's no sign of any new Mutagen, we'll take a little break for a quick training session." he was immediately met with a series of groans from Donnie and Raph "Hey complain about it all you want guys, but sensei wanted me to train you and that's what I plan to do. Besides, Gwen might be a natural talent but she's still new to her spider powers, so she needs to get experience. Now then, do you see the Dragon Gate over there?" he turned their attention over torwards the gate at the entrance of Chinatown "I'm going to defend it, make it like King of the Mountain okay?"

"So what's the objective here?"

"Like I said, I'm going to defend the gate, and the only way that you can get past me is to make use of traditional close-quarters fighting, okay?"

"Yeah sure, whatever you say fearless leader. Let's just go ahead and get this over with so we can get back to doing something interesting." Raph rolled his eyes, but once Leo had made his way over to the gate he pulled Mikey and Donnie aside "Guys hold on, I've got an idea." and then he whispered it to them.

"Alright, it's time." once Leo was on the wire of lanterns in front of the gate he turned around and took a position with one of his katanas drawn "Gwen you're up first, time to show us what you've learned in the way of ninjutsu."

"Right, I'm on it." so Gwen crouched down and got into a stance and leapt forward, using her enhanced agility to advance, and once she saw the opportunity she leapt through the air and landed safely on top of the gate behind Leo "How was that?"

"Not exactly what I had in mind, but not bad for your first run on the King of the Mountain, so I'll give it a pass. Mikey you're next, and remember, traditional close-quarters fighting, you got that?"

"No problem bro, but remember that in the suit it's Turtle Titan." so Turtle Titan made his way over to the start of the lanter wires and pulled out a pair of nunchucks in one hand… but then he stowed them away and plugged in a pair of headphones, and he began dancing to it.

"What the shell- What are you doing?"

"Doing it like sensei says, finding the space in my thoughts and living there." so Turtle Titan began dancing his way forward, easily dodging Leo's attacks and managing to land a blow to his head that prompted him to retreat.

"Oh yeah that's hilarious, now come on Mikey, you're supposed to take this seriously." Leo got into a stance with his sword and charged again.

"I am, I'm just doing what I do." Mikey jumped on the wires and used that to propel himself into the air and over Leo's head, gracefully landing on top of the gate "Booyakasha."

"Hey that is so not fair, it wasn't a real fight!" Leo gave a scowl, then turned his attention over to where Donnie was stepping out onto the wires "Fine, at least I know you're mature enough to take this seriously."

"Yep, and as strange as it's going to sound, I'm following the example Mikey set." Donnie pulled out a few shuriken, sparing a quick glance to calculate a good angle, and then he threw them in multiple directions, causing them to ricochet off various nearby structures.

"What the- Seriously Donnie, are you kidding me?!" Leo let out a yelp of pain as one shuriken scratched his leg, then quickly fended off the remaining shurikens with his katana… only to look over once he was done and see Donnie standing on the gate next to Mikey "Oh come on!"

"King of the Mountain baby!" Donnie caught Mikey in a quick high five.

"Yeah good for you Donnie, really mature." Leo's scowl deepend as he looked forward and took notice of Raph stepping towards him "So what fancy trick are you gonna go with?"

"What the shell do you mean tricks? That's not my style." Raph gave a cocky smirk, and then proceeded to fling one of his sais forward.

"Hey, ninjas are never supposed to throw their weapons!" Leo fended off the sai with his sword, only to be distracted long enough for Raph to charge at him and knock him off the wire, sending him crashing to the ground "Yes, now that's what I'm talking about!" and then he caught Donnie and Mikey in a high five.

"For crying out loud!" Leo was less than pleased as he looked down at his katana, which now read Lame-o-nardo on the side of the blade, and levelled a glare at Raph "You always do this, why do you have to undermine my training all the time?"

"Undermine like the back of my shell, all you're doing is trying to make us fight the same way that you do, but the whole point is to make it to the Dragon Gate any way we can, right? Maybe you oughta quit trying to shove your training down our throats!" and so Raph turned on his heel and walked away.

"That's not the point!" Leo's glare hardened into a scowl, but then it transitioned into sadness as he looked down at the sword in front of him 'Lame-o-nardo… Great, add insult to injury why don't you?'

"Don't give too much thought to that." Ghost Spider leapt down in front of Leo and handed the sword to him "If there's one thing I've learned being around jerks and bullies in high school, it's to either tune them out or hit them with a snarky comeback."

"Yep, good to know." Leo just sulkily took the sword and placed it on his back "Thanks."

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, I just… wanna be alone right now." and so he took his leave of the scene, albeit in a different direction from the other Turtles.

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Another day came, and school was in session.

'It's kind of strange…' Gwen looked around as she made her way down the halls of Midtown High, her expression solemn 'I can't remember the last time things around here looked so sullen and dreary… Then again it's been like this for about a week now. Ever since the Mutagen spill, I don't think anything has been the same.'

"Sup Stacy?"

Gwen looked over to see Hobie coming up alongside her "Oh, hey Hobie. How's it going, are you doing okay?"

"Fine, but I know you're just doing that to be polite. I can only guess how you're feeling right about now, given… everything that happened."

"Yeah… so many people missing now… including Peter…"

"Yep. I don't think there's anything I can say that would help you right now, but if nothing else I think this can go a long way towards boosting morale." he pulled out his phone and pulled up a video, then hit play.

"As of now, Captain George Stacy is leading the search and investigations in regards to the multiple disappearances that have occurred over the last 24 hours, possibly in response to what witnesses claim to be strange green objects falling from the sky."

"I know some of the people that went missing. Dr Curt Connors, a respected scientist and a good man. Colonel John Jameson, a fine soldier, and even Peter Parker, who I've known for the better part of five years. We sat at the same table during Thanksgiving last year, and he's the love of my daughter's life. I give you my word that I and my officers will not rest until he and the rest of the missing are found and returned safely to their families."

"Crap." Hobie paused and looked at Gwen "Not actually what I meant to pull up.."

"Actually that does help somewhat." Gwen gave a small smile "It is kind of nice to know that my dad is out there trying to fight the good fight, the same with other people."

"True, but I was actually referring to the fact that he might get some new help soon."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you hear the news? Apparently there's a new webbed wonder in a mask that stopped a car jacking last night. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

"Um…" Gwen took notice of the raised eyebrow Hobie was giving her, and tried not to sweat under his gaze 'Is this what Peter felt like every time he was worried someone would figure out his identity? How the hell did he put up with it for more than a year? I… might know a thing or two about it."

"So that's a yes." Hobie looked around to make sure nobody else could hear, then lowered his voice a bit "So cutting all the BS, it's you isn't it?"

"Why would you say that?"

"I knew about Parker's other job way before you did Stacy, and I might be on the football team but I'm not an idiot. I know those are rare, but they are legit. And in case you're still freaking out over this, you can relax. I'm not a snitch, and I owe Parker big time so your new secret is safe with me."

"That… is a relief, especially since I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself."

"Which raises a question, who else knows about it?"

"Aside from you, there's just MJ and Peter's… new group of friends, and that's it. Not even my dad knows about it yet, and that raises its own series of problems, considering the daughter of an NYPD captain is a vigilante."

"Perhaps I can offer a bit of input then."

Gwen and Hobie both whipped around to find Matt Murdock standing a short distance away from them "Oh Mr Murdock, you uh… you kind of startled me."

"Sorry about that, I've been known to have that effect." Matt let out a chuckle "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I have… really good hearing, to say the least."

"So… you know?"

"You don't need to worry Miss Stacy, your secret is safe with me. But I do understand why you feel so unsettled about your father's reaction. As an officer, a man whose purpose is to protect the citizens and enforce the laws we uphold, he's in a positon where he's not meant to condone the actions of a vigilante, so you becoming one yourself may lead to a position where his own set of principles to uphold is compromised. But on the other hand, I think having the two of you working together may put you in the position to do some genuine good for this city."

"How do you figure?"

"Based on my own experiences with vigilantes in the past, I've found that people like myself or your father can use the law and the powers entrusted to us to help people who have been failed by society, whereas vigilantes like Daredevil or Spider-Man can use their own gifts to help those in need when the law fails them. Perhaps if the two of you combine these traits…"

"We can make it the best of both worlds." Gwen paused and shared a look with Hobie, then back at Matt "That… definitely does help put things in perspect, thanks Mr Murdock."

"It's my pleasure." Matt gave a small smile, only to be distracted by the sound of his cell phone ringing "If you'll excuse me." and so he turned on his heel and walked away.

"Well that was interesting."

"The guy's got his own closet full of skeletons." Hobie noted dryly, then gave a shrug "But he's on our side and that's good enough for me. So putting aside the family drama, there's a lot more eating at you isn't there?"

"To give you the short version, yeah." Gwen let out a sigh, keeping her voice low so that no one else could hear "I stopped my first car chase last night."

"People got hurt?"

"No everything went fine, nobody got hurt… except I realized that Peter was the first person to find out about me getting these powers. I wanted to show him that I could help him out there, so he wouldn't have to fight alone anymore… but now he's gone. Along with so many other people, a lot of whom I know personally."

"Like with Dr Connors and Colonel Jameson, yeah." Hobie looked over to see April cleaning some things out of her locker, such as picture of her and the Turtles, which she stuffed into a trash bag "And I'm guessing there are other things that could be going better."

"She blames the Turtles for what happened to her dad this time. Donnie in particular isn't taking it well."

"I could've guessed as much. Well think of it this way, at least you understand that moping and sulking isn't gonna change what happened, and you're doing something about it."

"That is true. You're pretty wise for being a teenager."

"I've had good teachers, and I like to think that people like Parker's aunt have had been a decent influence on me. Speaking of which, how's she been doing?"

"MJ has been checking on her, and as far as I know she's hanging in there about as well as she can given the circumstances." Gwen breathed a sigh, then gave a small smile "But you are right, I have to think about this new gift of mine and all the good I can do with it. They say that things always get worse before they get better… but maybe the worst has already passed? I don't know, I guess only time will tell…"

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Meanwhile, with the aforementioned redhead…

'I should've done this a long time ago.' April continued clearing her locker of almost everything turtle-related, stuffing them into a black trash bag 'This is it April, you're finally getting a chance at a new start. Just act like you're another normal girl in high school, don't think about alien robots or ninjas, dads turning into mutant bats, and don't even think about Turtles or spiders. I guess that last one isn't really fair, Peter wasn't one of the ones who-' her musings were cut short by something bumping into the back of her "What the-"

"Sorry about that." as it turns out, the source came from a young woman, clad in gothic styled clothes with short black hair with purple streaks, and a pair of glasses, carrying a large stack of textbooks in front of her "I thought I could make this in one trip, but I guess I bit off a little more than I could chew."

"Oh. Well if nothing else I give you points for trying, but I can take a few of those off your hands for you." so April took some of the stack out of the woman's arms and into her own "So where are you heading?"

"I'm still adjusting to my schedule." the girl paused and looked at the paper placed in front of her "Let's see here, where am I heading next?"

"Looks like you have biology with Professor Warren. You new here?"

"Sort of, see I just transferred here. My name is Irma by the way."

"I'm April, nice to meet you. I can show you the way to Warren's class if you want."

"That would be great, thanks." Irma gave a smile as she followed April down the halls, though she suppressed the smirk that spread across her face 'And the trap is set.'

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Hours passed, and the school day had come to an end.

'This is freaking ridiculous…' Leo's scowl only deepend as he tried to clean the writing off his katana, with little success 'As if hearing Raph and the others shove it down my throat isn't bad enough, I don't need my own weapons rubbbing it in my face.'

"Hey Leo." this was when Gwen made her way into the lair and set down her backpack next to the pinball machine.

"Hey. School go okay?"

"For the most part, just more depressing than usual since… you know." Gwen then looked up and noticed of Leo's sullen expression "You doing okay?"

"Honestly, not really after last night. I tried talking with Splinter about it and it didn't really do me too much good." he let out a long sigh "I can't help but wonder if I'm really cut out for all of this. Being the leader I mean. It's not like I haven't hated the grief I get for it either, and I don't think the guys really respect my authority."

"So you don't want to be the leader?"

"I'd be lying if I said there weren't a few times where I thought about giving up, then I talked with Peter about it and he showed me his uncle's grave… and I get the lesson he was trying to get across to me. I don't always enjoy being leader, there are times when I even hate it, but it's still my responsibility, to protect my brothers and my family, and I just… I want to be able to do it right, you know? But I can't do that if they don't respect me."

"I get it, I really do." Gwen's expression softened as she sat down next to him "But one thing that my dad told me is that as a captain, he's learned that he doesn't try to make the rest of his officers do what he wants them to do, but helps them to grow in their own way. I figure it was a bad time to mention it last night, but you were pretty worked up by what happened during that training exercise."

"I was upset because the others, mostly Raph really, were deliberately trying to undermine me and my orders. It's pretty clear he doesn't respect me as a leader, and the others aren't that much better."

"Raph was trying to get a rise out of you, I get that part. But the thing is that he wasn't wrong when he said you were trying to make them fight the way that you wanted. I did notice that you were pushing them pretty hard over that."

"I am the leader, so it's my responsibility to train them to be worthy ninja. That's not exactly an easy task if they don't respect my leadership."

"True, but think of it this way. If you push on a door that you're supposed to pull then it can't be opened. At least that's what my mom used to tell me."

"I learned that pretty early on from Master Splinter. The difference being that you and I were both willing to listen. If only Raph and the others listened to me in the same way, then my life would be a lot easier."

"But that's just it, they're not us. One other thing my mom taught me is that different people can learn in different ways, and they've got different skill sets, like how the four of you have years of ninja training but I've only had these powers for about a week and a half. Right now you and the Turtles all want the same thing, for you to be the best that they can be. You just don't agree on the best way to reach that goal."

"That… actually is a valid point. A strong wind can kindle a fire, but uproot a tree at the same time, at least according to one of Splinter's metaphors." Leo frowned in thought, then let out a sigh "But at the same time, it doesn't mean much if they aren't willing to listen."

"...This lesson is going to take awhile to sink in, isn't it?"

"Probably. I do appreciate the attempt though, so thanks Gwen."

"Sure thing. Let me offer this though, how can you expect them to have faith in you as a leader if you don't have some faith in yourself?" and on that note, Gwen turned and made her way into the lab to change into her suit, leaving Leo alone with his thoughts.

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Meanwhile, with the villainous counterpart…

'You know for a ninja clan that prides itself on operating in secrecy, it's hard to find a chance to be alone hear myself think.' Karai looked around at the interior of the dojo and rolled her eyes at the sight of several shadowy figures lining the walls, then turned back to the picture in her hand and gave a small smile 'I can only imagine what it would be like if you were here to see all of this Mother. I wish I knew anything about you really.' sadly this tender moment was cut short when the sound of footsteps caused her to raise her guard, to which she turned around to see a small group of Foot ninja advancing towards her, prompting her to dodge the initial strike of a sword and begin fighting them off, though with a few swift attacks she managed to knock all of them to the ground with ease before turning her back 'Father isn't wrong, the standards for recruiting new soldiers has dropped to the point where it's not even funny.'

"The problem with machines is that they may not feel pain, but they can't adapt."

"Machines?" Karai looked back at the Foot soldiers and saw them getting back up, with their eyes blinking red and making several mechanical noises 'Oh yeah, Tinkerer and those new Foot soldier ideas. Guess the robot thing panned out. You're not like the rest of them are you?"

"Good observation." out from the shadows stepped a figure wearing a militarized bodysuit with a sword in hand, his head covered by a helmet resembling a stylized skull and a gray hood "I take it you're the daughter of the Shredder."

"Powers of observation strike again. I take it you're this new mercenary that I've heard about from the Tinkerer? What do I call you?"

"Wrong question. The correct one is, do you have the skill to back up your reputation? I guess there's only one way to find out."

"Looks that way." so Karai leapt out of the way to avoid a slash of the figure's glowing orange sword, leaving it to cleave through a punching bag instead of her and prompting her to go on the offensive, fending him off with a series of slashes of her own katana and leaping into the air to avoid a slash of his blade, taking the chance to land a kick to his head and continue to fend off his strikes before retreating to gain some distance "Already a step up from the other nameless mooks I fought tonight."

"Like I said, those robotic soldiers may not be susceptible to pain, but they also can't adapt like normal people, and in that regard, I'm leagues beyond either of them."

"Bold claim. Let's see if you can back it up… yeah the taunting doesn't work as well if I don't know what to call you."

"You can call me the Taskmaster, and long story short, you're about to get schooled."

"In that case, come and put your money where your mouth is."

"Fair enough." so Taskmaster dropped into a stance with his sword in hand and charged at Karai with his blade pointed forward.

'He's fast, but not fast enough.' Karai leapt over Taskmaster's head to avoid his attack and dealt him a kick to the back of the head, causing him to stumble, and then she took the chance to deal him an uppercut to the jaw, grab him by the wrist and throw him over her shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground with a thud, and then she turned away "So much for backing up that talk of yours."

"I was thinking the same thing." Taskmaster quickly pulled himself back to his feet and cracked his neck "Your form and technique are well honed, but you're too forward in your approach as you attack. You rush it and it leaves you open."

"So what, getting kicked in the face is basically a game to you?"

"That's where you're mistaken." Taskmaster charged at her again.

"And how is that?" Karai leapt over his head and moved to kick him in the back of the head… only for him to duck at the last second, as well as her attempted follow up attack "What the-"

"It's simple really." Taskmaster grabbed her by the wrist and throw her to the ground, with his sword pointed directly above her face "Games are for kids like you. I'm a professional, and I get paid like it."

"If that's the best you can do, then my father is wasting his money."

"Sometimes information is more valuable than money, and so far I've learned a fair bit just from this little sparring match."

"Enough!" a sharp command caused Taskmaster to retract his sword and let Karai get back onto her feet, courtesy of Shredder as he made his way into the dojo, with the Tinkerer trailing close behind him "I was told that you were a force to be reckoned with in combat. It seems Tinkerer was true to his word."

"I told you what my other benefactor told me." Tinkerer gave a shrug, then looked down at the Foot soldiers sprawled out on the ground "Though from the look of it the new Foot Bots left a fair bit to be desired, I tried adding in Taskmaster's photo-reflex abilities but I couldn't make it take in time. I'm gonna go ahead and guess you're not satisfied with the results?"

"They will serve their purpose, but continue to make modifications, and do what is necessary to ensure that they will be as deadly as you promised."

"You're not wrong, the robots left a lot to be desired." Karai sheathed her katana and made her way over to Shredder "Though I will admit that the new guy here definitely lived up to the hype he was given." she jerked a thumb at Taskmaster "I thought he would finish me for a minute, but you wouldn't let them do that, right Father?"

"...I came in person because I have some important news for you." Shredder's gaze hardened as he looked down at her "I've moved up my trip to Japan, and I'll be leaving to take care of urgent business. You will be in charge while I am away, but you are not to make any moves against the Turtles or their allies until I return."

"But I told you-" Karai was silenced by Shredder's claws protruding from his gauntlet.

"Disobedience is always a stiff penalty child. You would be wise to remember that?"

"...Even for your daughter?"

"Especially for my daughter." and on that note, Shredder walked past her and out of the dojo without another word.

"...Well so much for nepotism." Tinkerer broke the silence, earning dull looks from both Karai and Taskmaster "I'm just saying, he might be an asshole, but at least he's usually the same level of asshole to everyone."

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Meanwhile, with our heroes…

'Okay, this is officially awkward.' Turtle Titan cast a silent glance around the interior of the Shellraiser before turning his gaze to where Leo sat in front of him "Hey Leo, you're not, you know… still mad about the whole thing at the Dragon Gate are you?"

"You don't have to tiptoe around me Mikey, I'm not mad. At least not at you." Leo let out a sigh, but it didn't do anything to ease his frustration "But I do think you guys could stand to do a lot better when it comes to listening to my orders."

"Oh yeah, my heart is just bleeding for you." Raph's tone was practically oozing with sarcasm from his place at the weapons station "Tell you what, how about I play a little sad song for you on the world's smallest violin. I've got all the time in the world while I'm back here not driving or anything."

"And what the shell is your problem lately Raph? Are you still jealous that I'm the one leading the team and you're not, or is it that I let Gwen drive the Shellraiser instead of you when she doesn't even know how to drive?"

"Actually I do." Ghost Spider piped up from where she was driving the Shellraiser "I've actually had my license for about three months now. A girl has to get around in the city after all, and I didn't have webslinging until less than two weeks ago."

"You're gonna have to put getting driving experience on hold for now, we need you to stop the Shellraiser." Donnie told her "My mutagen tracker is picking up another canister."

"On it." Ghost Spider brought the Shellraiser to a stop, allowing them to disembark and follow Donnie's lead towards a cellar near an abandoned building "What are we looking at?"

"We're pretty close, the signal is coming from the basement."

"Okay you guys, let's not make any sudden moves before I-" Leo didn't get the chance to finish before Raph kicked open the cellar door and the rest of the Turtles climbed in "-give you the order. Yep, that figures."

"...If it makes you feel any better, I would've listened to you."

"Appreciate the gesture Gwen, but not really a good time." and so Leo and Ghost Spider leapt down into the cellar after the other Turtles.

What none of them noticed however, was a figure clad in blue and yellow watching them from the other side of the street, and he let out a sigh 'Yoshi, you'd better appreciate the fact that I'm probably gonna have to save their asses from some ridiculously elaborate trap.'

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Meanwhile, inside the trap in question…

"No sign of it so far, but keep looking you guys." Donnie continued leading the group onwards through the basement, his Mutagen tracker in hand "It has to be around here somewhere."

"Right." Ghost Spider crawled her way along the ceiling above the Turtles, only for her gaze to fall onto a canister sitting in the middle of a nearby room "There it is."

"Aw yeah, now we're talking! Go ninja go ninja go!" Turtle Titan pumped a fist and was quick to catch Ghost Spider in a high five as she dropped to the ground "You know I feel like I heard that song somewhere before."

"Not a bad song either, hold on and I'll take care of the canister." Ghost Spider swung over to the canister and prepared to web a line to it.

"Wait no, don't!" Leo reached out to try and stop Ghost Spider, only to pull back when he saw her kneeling on the ground and clutching at her head, with Turtle Titan and Donnie rushing over to her side "Are you okay Gwen?"

"It's this pounding in my head… I think that's my Spider Sense at work… Something about this feels off."

"Good, so you're not the only one. Let's be careful with how we do this."

"The hell with that, stop pussyfooting around and just get stuff done!" Raph on the other hand stormed over to the canister and picked it up… only for this to trigger a mechanism and cause every exit to be sealed off "Oh. Aw crapbaskets."

"Don't you get it now Raph? If you had bothered to listen to me for once-"

"Then this wouldn't have been anywhere near as easy for me as it was."

Leo and the others whipped around and found Karai looking down on them from atop a stack of crates nearby "Karai!"

"Sup Leo, it's been a long time. I haven't seen you since, oh yeah, you guys stabbed me in the back at the docks. I was wondering when I'd get to repay the favor." she snapped her fingers, which was followed by a group of Foot Bots surrounding them, and Taskmaster joining her on her perch "And you guys aren't the only ones who have a few friend. In my case, I've got about a half dozen."

"So we've noticed." Ghost Spier cast a look around at the Foot Bots "Okay, quick note for the future, Spider Sense usually means ambush of some kind."

"You say that like we've got anything to worry are just plain old Foot soldiers, we're not even gonna break a sweat." Raph let out a snort and charged into the fray, with the others doing the same, knocking down the various Foot Bots with ease… only for them to get back up with their eyes glowing "Okay, that's new." and so he tried fighting off a few of them at once, only to quickly end up getting sent crashing into Donnie, both of them being knocked to the ground.

"Guys hold on, and keep your heads down!" Ghost Spider used a webline to launch herself towards the Foot Bots, striking it down with one swift kick… that also ended up taking its head clean off, leaving it to fall to the ground with a thud "So I was right, these ninjas are just robots after all."

"Works out pretty well for me, Booyakasha!" Turtle Titan pounced towards two of them and let his kusarigama chain fly, ripping the Foot Bots in front of him clean in half "And that be how we do!"

"Which is a damn shame." this was when Taskmaster leapt down onto the scene in front of the group, glowing energy sword in hand, as well as throwing a glowing red grappling device that bound Turtle Titan "It's why you should never trust a robot to do the job of a professional."

"Ow… Hey I know you, you were at the costume contest last Halloween!"

"The name is Taskmaster, and you're about to get taken to school."

"Yeah well, school's out ugly!" Raph was the first one to charge at Taskmaster, firing off a few strikes of his sais that forced Taskmaster to go on the evasive, allowing him to dodge every blow with ease "Hold still you freak!"

"Raph wait, fall back for now!" Leo called out to him "We need to come up with a plan, so wait for my signal to-"

"Screw that, I've got this! Now hold the hell still!" Raph let another fist fly forward.

"I'm thinking, no." Taskmaster ducked under Raph's attack and kicked his legs out from under him, letting him hit the ground with a loud crash, and then kicking him hard enough to send him spinning into Donnie.

"You're not gonna get away with that!" Ghost Spider was next to charge into the fray, using a webline to yank Taskmaster's sword out of his hand, and then she leapt towards him and dealt him a swift fist to the jaw, ducking under a kick and leaping back, using her enhanced agility to leap across the room, with him in hot pursuit of her.

'She's swift and agile, and her technique is fairly well honed but lacking in any genuine combat experience. She's a novice for certain.' Taskmaster analyzed Ghost Spider's movement pattern, and that allowed him to dodge the mid-air kick she aimed at him and land his own kick directly to her face, sending her crashing to the ground near the other Turtles "Don't feel too bad, you never had a chance at winning to begin with."

"What the-" Ghost Spider rebounded and lifted up the bottom half of her mask to wipe some blood from her lip "How did you do that?"

"I have what people refer to as a photo-reflexive memory. Moves that you master over the course of years, I can learn in seconds."

"That… definitely feels like cheating."

"You call it cheating, but I call it wininng a fight." Taskmaster grabbed Ghost Spider by the arm in the middle of her next attack, gripping it tightly and using the opportunity to uppercut her in the jaw, sending her crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

"Booyakasha!" Turtle Titan pounced on Taskmaster from behind and attempted to land a blow with his nunchucks… only for Taskmaster to whip around and grab the nunchucks, using them to hurl Turtle Titan to the ground along with the others "Okay… ow."

"Like I said, what takes you years only takes me seconds."

"And seconds only applies to this too!" Leo tried to pounce at Taskmaster and brought down one of his katanas… only for Taskmaster to catch the blade and punch right through it, hitting Leo in the chest and following up with a kick that sent him staggering back "Okay, I imagined that one going differently."

"They always do. I've gone toe-to-toe with the Avengers turtle, the likes of you are nothing in comparison."

'Bragging aside he's not wrong, he's already strong and somehow he's adapting to our moves crazy fast. We might need to retreat.' Leo took a glance around the basement, until his gaze fell onto an elevator shaft "New plan, everybody fall back!"

"What?! Are you kidding me?" Raph let out a snarl "There is no chance in hell we're just gonna up and run away."

"It's not running away, it's a tactical retreat, now move it!" and so he took off for the elevator shaft.

"I don't care what Leo says, I don't run from the Foot!" Raph braced himself and charged forward… only to be met with a series of swift punches to the chest and a roundhouse kick to the face that sent him crashing to the ground.

"And that's why we listen to the leader instead of going off half cocked." Ghost Spider quickly slung Raph over her shoulder, and she and the other Turtles took off after Leo and up the elevator shaft, with the remaining Footbots quickly chasing after them, only for her to feel a Foot Bot grab onto her leg tightly "What the- Get off me!" she tried to shake him off while holding onto the walls, albeit with little sucess.

"Hold on!" Leo jumped down to aid Ghost Spider and dealt the Foot Bot a sharp kick to the face hard enough to send it crashing to the ground at the bottom of the shaft, decapitating it upon impact "Okay they're robots, that makes a lot more sense. Now quick staring at the thing and move your shells! And whatever the spider equivalent is."

"Right!" and so the five of them began climbing up to the top of the elevator shaft, with Ghost Spider pulling the other three Turtles out to safety "Come on Leo, grab on!"

"I'm trying!" Leo tried to reach for her, only for several Foot Bots to grab hold of him and try to pull him down, eventually causing the cable he was grabbing to snap, sending them falling down the shaft.

"Leo!" Ghost Spider leapt back down and latched onto Leo with a webline, only for it to snap under the weight of Leo and all the Foot Bots, forcing her to fire another one aimed upwards, only for it to miss… but it was caught by a gloved hand that pulled her back up onto the ledge, allowing her to catch her breath "Thanks."

"Gwen!" Turtle Titan was quick to kneel down in front of her "You okay, they didn't hurt you or anything?"

"I'm okay, just… kicking myself for not saving Leo."

"No more than Raph is right now." Donnie jerked a thumb to where Raph was sulking in the corner nearby "He's blaming himself for it."

"I'm the one who couldn't fire a simple webline to save him… but at least you guys managed to pull me up."

"Um, that… wasn't us."

"What? You're the only ones here, you had to have-"

"Actually they didn't." it was at this moment that Wolverine stepped onto the scene and held out a hand to Ghost Spider, pulling her to her feet "And to get past the whole "blaming yourself" thing, I'm not beating around the bush here. Sitting around sulking isn't gonna change what just happened, so you can either do that or get off your shells and webhole and do something about it, so what's your pick?"

"...You know you're pretty good at the whole motivation thing." Turtle Titan told him.

"You should see the way Captain America does it, he's basically the standard."

"I bet, the guy's basically an icon."

"Wait wait, hold up a second." Ghost Spider looked over at Turtle Titan "You know who this guy is?"

"Short version, I met him a few days ago and it turns out he's an old friend of Splinter, we fought a couple Kraangdroids together and he's here to help."

"Yep, and from the looks of it I'd say you need it." Wolverine glanced down the elevator shaft and took a quick whiff, and he scowled "Yep, if Taskmaster is involved you guys need all the help you can get."

"I take it you have a plan?" asked Donnie.

"Not at the moment. For now the smart thing to do is retreat and regroup, lick your wounds and all that. As for me… I think it's high time I pay a visit to an old friend."

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With that in mind, the group returned to the Lair to lick their wounds.

"Hold still, I'll be done in a second." Mikey wasted no time in tending to Gwen, cleaning up the cuts and bruises that she received from the earlier fight "This is gonna sting."

"Gonna implying that it hasn't started yet." Gwen flinched visibly as she felt the medicine touch her skin, then paused and looked down "Wow, the costume really does bring out a more snarky side to me, doesn't it?"

"I think it just makes you drop the filter and say what's on your mind more. At least Pete said that's what he felt whenever he was in it." Mikey gave a grin, but then his face fell at the mention of Peter "He's gone though, and now we lost Leo too."

"It's our own fault." Donnie muttered "We should've followed his lead, instead we ignored him and it got him captured."

"Yeah… so how the shell are we gonna explain this to Master Splinter?"

"Explain what to me Michelangelo?" this was when Splinter made his way out of the dojo.

"Sensei… it's Leo. He got captured by Karai and this freaky new guy in a skull mask working for the Foot."

"...I see." Splinter breathed a small sigh "I had known it would come to this eventually."

"Come to what sensei?"

"Karai wants to take revenge. I encountered her when I fought the Shredder in his lair, and she believes that I was responsible for the death of one of her loved ones."

"But it's not true, right?" asked Gwen.

"It is very much… the opposite of what she has come to believe. But that is unimportant at the moment. What matters right now is finding Leonardo, rescuing your brother and bringing him home."

"We got it sensei, trust me." Mikey paused and looked at the others, then back at Splinter "But there is… one other thing."

"And what would that be?"

"Pretty sure he's talking about me." it was at this moment that Wolverine stepped through the terminal and into the Lair, and then he lifted his mask, revealing his face underneath and quickly taking Splinter by surprise.

"Logan…"

"Been a long time Yoshi. I will say the past few decades treated you a lot better than Saki. You definitely look better for starters, and even like this you still got the same stench, discipline and incense." Logan gave a smirk, but then it morphed into a frown "I came around the city because I caught the stench of some trouble brewing. It only makes sense that your group is stuck in the middle of it."

"I'm afraid that the Shredder is only one concern of many to be dealt with. Still, it does give me comfort to find you on our side once more." Splinter gave a small smile "It is good to see you again old friend. I truly have missed you."

"The feeling's mutual, but we'll have time to catch up later. Right now we've got work to do, like rescuing your kid from the Foot."

"I've already got a lead on where to start." Donnie pulled out his T-phone and showed it to the others "It got a lock on Karai's van, looks like they took Leo over to the Bradford Dojo set up in Chinatown."

"Then that's where we need to go." Gwen pulled herself to her feet and pulled her Ghost Spider mask down over her face "So let's go save him."

"Okay, so you're leading? Well I guess it makes sense, you're the only other one smart enough to be-"

"It doesn't matter who's leading, so let's not argue about this." Raph snapped at him "Leo needs us right now, and this time we're gonna fight the way he wanted us to fight. The way that he fights, you got it?"

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Meanwhile, with the captive in question…

"I gotta be honest, this is actually pretty rich." Karai shot a smirk up at where Leo was hung in mid-air in a small cage "I bet I'd be able to make a small fortune if I found a science lab to sell you to. Can you imagine how much of a field day the press will have when they get a load of a talking ninja turtle found in a sewer?"

"Actually not as much as you think." Taskmaster cast a small glance over at her "Considering all of the developments with the original type of mutants, not to mention the Inhumans, a creature like him probably won't be considered that rare."

"Hm, maybe not a science lab. But I'd be willing to bet a few of your clients wouldn't say no to the prospect of a Mutant army under their command."

"Without a doubt there, of course more than a few of them would try and stab you in the back in seconds."

"Oh without a doubt, but that's part of what makes it fun."

"Well this is just perfect." Leo's tone was oozing with sarcasm as he sat hunched over in his cage in mid-air "First I get captured, then totally humiliated, and now I can add devalued to the end of that list. Awesome day Leo, definitely an awesome day."

"Aw, my heart bleeds for you." Karai shot a glare up at him "In case it slipped your notice Leo, you deserve everything you're getting. Keep in mind that you and your brothers were the ones who stabbed me in the back last time. Now I get to return the favor."

"And by that you mean I get to do the fighting for you." Taskmaster shot her a raised eyebrow from underneath his mask.

"Yeah, pretty much. Don't get me wrong, I love that the new Foot Bots follow my orders to a T, but you're one of the most renowned mercenaries in the world for a reason. Why do you think my Father spent so much to get you here?"

"This is on a trial basis keep in mind."

"I know. Anyway, I think it's time I get a good look at what skills you can bring to the Foot, and maybe turn over training the Foot Bots to your capable hands." with that in mind, she threw a single kunai up at Leo's cage, severing the rope and leaving him to fall to the ground, and then she tossed Leo's katanas to him "Now it's your turn Taskmaster, cut him out of his shell."

"With pleasure."

"Wait, what?" Leo barely managed to grab one of his katanas in time to counter Taskmaster's first attack with a single stroke, leaving a noticeable gash in his mask, and after dodging one of his high-tech grapplers then he began to push further, launching a series of strikes with both of his swords, only for Taskmaster to eventually block them using the forearm of one of the metal gauntlets he wore on his arms.

"Your form is interesting, and your technique is well honed for your age. I should thank you for your substantial contributions to my skill set." Taskmaster dealt Leo a swift palm strike to the chest and a kick to the head that knocked him to the ground.

"Oh trust me, you haven't even begun to see what I can do." Leo charged at Taskmaster and managed to slash him across the chestplate of his armor, knocking him to the ground.

"Perhaps. But it doesn't make any sort of difference to me." Taskmaster quickly rebounded and weaved his way around Leo's attacks, striking him in the face and kicking him in the chest, then drawing his energy sword to clash against Leo's katanas "You and so many others spend years trying to hone your fighting styles, and I can learn it in a matter of seconds. From you." he dealt a sharp kick to Leo's chest that sent him stumbling back "The more I fight an opponent, the more of their skills I add to my own arsena." he dodged another thrust of Leo's swords, gripped him by the throat and used the opportunity to slam him into the ground.

"Dammit!"

"Like I said, you deserve everything you're getting for the way you betrayed me… but for a lot more than that too." Karai took a few steps towards Leo, her expression solemn and filled with a degree of anger "You know I never got the chance to know my mother… and I have your rodent master to thank for that, because he was the one who killed her."

"Wait, you mean Splinter?" Leo flipped Taskmaster off of him and tried to rush towards Karai, only for him catch him in a full nelson and pin him back to the ground "That's a lie!"

"...Take him and get him out of my sight." Karai gave a scowl and turned away from him, then walked out of the dojo.

"Karai listen to me, Splinter would never hurt your mother!" Leo tried to reach out to Karai, but couldn't pull out of Taskmaster's grip.

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Meanwhile, with the rescue team…

"Alright, I'm getting the scent of that other Turtle." Wolverine glanced over at Ghost Spider and the rest of the Turtles "Better be ready, you're gonna be in for a hell of a fight when we get down there."

"Yeah well, we've taken down the Foot loads of times." Raph pointed out.

"I got a look at how that turned out earlier, like you getting your shells handed to you by those robots." Wolverine was met with silence "That's what I thought. You might have taken them down, but you haven't fought someone like Taskmaster before."

"I take it you've fought this guy before?" asked Ghost Spider.

"I've crossed paths with him on a few occasions Short version, he's nobody you'd want to screw around with. Short version, he's a well known assassin and mercenary for hire. He's good at what he does, and he's got more than few tricks up his sleeves. He's a combat chameleon."

"I'm going to assume that means he can blend into backgrounds to hide from enemies?"

"No, but that's actually not a bad guess. He's got what people call a photo-reflexive memory, so anything he sees you do, he can do. You just have to fight him once, and he's just as skilled as you are, maybe more."

"But there is a way to beat him, right?"

"A few people have found a way, like some of the Avengers, or Deadpool, but he's a whole other thing you don't have the patience for, trust me on that."

"I'm gonna have to take your word for it, mainly because we're here." the five of them came to a stop on the rooftop of the Bradford Dojo, and Ghost Spider directed their attention towards the security cameras scattered around the area.

"Security cameras, no chance of sneaking in with those things around."

"No problem, a few clean shots of webbing should cover them up."

"Actually hang on, I got something I wanna try out." Raph stepped forward and pulled a pigeon out of who knows where.

"It's not just one, they've got enough to cover the entire roof."

"What do you think I've been training him for?" Raph patted the pigeon on the head and sent it forward… and it was immediately joined by several more pigeons that covered the security cameras long enough for the five of them to slip in through the roof, where they slipped in and took notice of Leo sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, bound and gagged and guarded by several Foot Bots "There he is."

'What the-' Leo noticed the shadows flashing across the room, and he looked up to see the others hiding above him, to which he let out a few muffled screams 'Get the hell out of here, you're just walking into a trap!'

"Stand aside runts, I'll take care out the trash myself." Wolverine leapt down and was able to rip through the Foot Bots guarding Leo with ease using his claws, causing their shredded remains to fall to the ground.

'Who the hell is this guy? No that can wait, RUN!'

"Leo hold on, we can't understand what you're saying." Turtle Titan stepped forward and ripped the gag out of Leo's mouth "What?"

"I'm trying to say it's a freaking trap!" Leo directed their attention to where a group of Foot Bots appeared in front of them, and then to where Karai and Taskmaster were standing behind the group "See what I mean?"

"...Oh. Okay yeah, that one's on us."

"It really is." Karai's smirk widened as she leapt off the desk over to where Taskmaster stood off to the side, until her gaze fell on Wolverine "Looks like they brought a new friend, makes it all the more fun for us."

"Actually it doesn't." Taskmaster cast a quick glance over at her "They're smarter than you give them credit for if they bring someone like Wolverine. You'd be smart to avoid a confrontation with him."

"I'll keep that in mind, assuming he actually lives up to the hype."

"Word to the wise kid, anyone who knows me can tell you that I'm the best there is at what I do, and what I do ain't pretty." Wolverine's gaze hardened as he drew his claws from his knuckles and pointed them at her "You got two choices here, let the shellbacks go and take the fight up with me instead, or you can guarantee walking away from this in a body bag."

"Tempting offer, Wolverine was it? I can't let them go. It's not really personal with the rest of them, I really just need them for bait."

"Uh huh. Let me take a wild guess, you're using them to lure out Yoshi aren't you?"

"So you know your stuff. Good, that saves me some long winded explanation." Karai's smirk hardened into a scowl "The rat is bound to track them here eventually, and when he does, I'll make sure he knows what it's like to truly suffer."

"Big words, now let's see if you can back them up."

"It's not me you have to worry about."

"That would be me. It works out for me too, I won't say no to adding another few skills to my arsenal." Taskmaster stepped forward as he drew his energy sword, with a dozen or so Foot Bots drawing their own weapons, forcing the group to fight them off.

"Actually these things being robots works out in my favor. It gives me more of an excuse not to hold back." Wolverine brandished his claws and pounced at a few Foot Bots, cutting them down in a matter of seconds "Piece of advice, hit them hard and hit them fast! Don't hold back!"

"That works out pretty well for us, they're only a thousand times better at fighting than regular Foot soldiers after all!" Donnie used the blade of his naginata to stab one Foot Bot through the face, then closed in one Taskmaster and thrusted the weapon at him… only to be stopped by a quick block from one of Taskmaster's wrists, and then a rapid uppercut to the jaw that knocked him to the ground.

"Get off my brother you Skeletor wannabe!" Turtle Titan pounced on Taskmaster from behind and whacked him across the face with his nunchucks a few times, only to be grabbed by his free arm by a Foot Bot, but the bot was quickly yanked away by a webline and slammed into a wall across the dojo "Thanks for that one Gw- Ghosty."

"It's what I'm here for." Ghost Spider then leapt into the air to avoid an assault by two Foot Bots and subsequently dealt both of them a spin kick hard enough to take their heads off, leaving their bodies to fall to the ground 'Not gonna lie, holding back my new spider strength is still taking some getting used to.' it was then that a familiar pulsing sensation went off in her head, right before a slash to her back sent her crashing into Raph, and both of them tumbling back into a set of punching bags.

"If nothing else this is pretty entertaining, but you're wasting your time." Karai leaned back in her chair and gave a smirk as she watched the battle unfold "These new Foot Bots are designed to be the perfect soldiers, and Taskmaster is obviously in a league of his own. And even better, he knows every move, every skill, every attack."

"Yeah yeah, we've all ready his Instagram page." Wolverine rolled his eyes as he leapt back to avoid an attack by a Foot Bot 'Dammit, we're running out of room. I can take it, but the others probably can't. Gonna have to be smart with this one.'

"This is bad, we're running out of room." Leo backed up alongside the others and raised his swords as a form of defense, then turned to the others "If I order all of you to run away, will you guys actually listen to me this time?"

"I got no problems with that bro, and frankly we can still call it a tactical retreat or whatever you want." Turtle Titan told him.

"I choose to call it making sure we don't die, so let's move!" Leo threw down a smoke bomb, which left both Taskmaster and the Foot Bots stunned long enough for the group to climb out of the dojo through the roof and take off.

"Oh hell no, you aren't getting away!" Karai leapt to her feet and rounded on Taskmaster "Don't just stand there-"

"Go after them and bring you their shells, I know how this goes." Taskmaster cracked his neck, and he and a small group of Foot Bots leapt up through the roof and out onto the rooftops in pursuit of the others.

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Meanwhile, with the escapees…

"Okay now that we've got a minute, I have a few questions." Leo glanced over at the others, in particular Wolverine, as they made their way across the rooftops "For starters, who in the hell are you?"

"The full introduction can wait until later." Wolverine pointed out dryly "But the short version, call me Wolverine, I know Yoshi, the rest I can fill you in on later."

"Wait, you know sensei? No you're right, that can wait." Leo paused and let out a sigh filled with frustration "We've got other problems to deal with now, like the squad of Foot Bots that are more than likely hunting us down, not to mention Taskmaster."

"It freaking sucks." Raph grumbled "All of our moves are useless on him, he's got all our skills and then some."

"Tell me about it. He knows every move I can make. Every fighting style, skill, every trick that I know-" Leo cut himself short as he looked over at the others as they took off running again, with both Taskmaster and the Foot Bots hot on their heels "Wait a minute, that's it."

"What's it?" asked Ghost Spider.

"I had to fight Taskmaster earlier, and it gave him a chance to learn my fighting style. He knows all of my skills and techniques, and every trick I know… but he doesn't know the tricks that you guys can do. Remember the King of the Mountain exercise last night?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Give me a minute, you'll see what I mean." the group dropped off into a certain abandoned playground, with Leo starting off his next attack… by throwing one of his swords into the air and lobbing his other sword into the face of a Foot Bot, which also distracted the group long enough for him to deal Taskmaster a roundhouse kick to the face, sending him stumbling back as Leo caught his first sword "He might be able to fight like us, but he doesn't know how to think like us. You get what I'm saying now?"

"I think I do, you want us to be unpredictable." Donnie went on the evasive as a few Foot Bots tried to chase him down, and he took a few glances at his surrounding, such as a dumpster, a manhole cover and a basketball hoop 'Right, be unpredictable and do our thing, lean into our own strengths.' so with that in mind, he threw a volley of kunai and shuriken at different angels, causing them to ricochet off surrounding objects and structures and subsequently skewer the Foot Bots.

"Looks like this is working so far." Ghost Spider leapt over a Foot Bot and kicked it in the face, then spared a few looks over to where Turtle Titan was beating down Foot Bots using his dance fighting moves and Raph was savagely tearing through them "I guess they're leaning into their strengths, and it's working."

"Yeah good for them, at least they're getting crap done like this." Wolverine tore though two Foot Bots with his claws, then looked over to where Leo was fighting off Karai on one of the nearby rooftops "The only downside is that's not gonna work with someone like Taskmaster for long. All he needs to do is see you do something and he can copy it just like that. It's more or less like the Sharingan, but without the cool red eyes."

"Huh… you know Naruto references aside, you might be onto something. You said he actually has to see you do something to copy it, right?"

"Right, what of it?"

"In that case, I think I have an idea."

"It doesn't matter what ideas you come up with." Taskmaster dropped down between Ghost Spider and Wolverine and attempted to bind both of them with his red grapples, only for them to dodge it, as well as the following slash of his sword "Any moves you do, I can copy any moves you can use. Whatever creative solutions you may have, while they may make things a bit more entertaining, can only prolong the inevitable."

"In that case, why don't we make this a little more entertaining." Ghost Spider slid underneath Taskmaster and fired a single shot of webbing at him, hitting him square in the eyes and leaving him temporarily blind, providing her with the opportunity to deal him a series of agile kicks to the face and chest, knocking him back into the wall of a nearby alley.

"Clever trick, but it's not going to do much." Taskmaster caught Ghost Spider's leg during one such attempted kick, then summoned a grapple from the gauntlet he wore and used it in his own version of a swing kick, slamming his foot into Ghost Spider's face and knocking her to the ground "Fun fact, I don't need to see what you can do to anticipate your moves."

"Good to know." Ghost Spider latched onto Taskmaster's back with a webline and used it to yank him to the ground with a loud crash "Bet you didn't anticipate that."

"I didn't say I could anticipate everything. That would make it boring." Taskmaster paused for a brief moment as Ghost Spider leapt towards him for another attack, and then he thrusted his sword into the ground and unleashed a shockwave that sent her hurtling backwards, then pulled his sword back out of the ground to fend off a few slashes of Wolverine's claws "I saw that one coming a mile away." he dealt Wolverine a roundhouse kick to the kidney that made him stumble back a few feet, just in time to fend off a barrage of impact webs from Ghost Spider "You get points for trying. Too bad they don't mean anything."

"How are you blocking so much?"

"It's like I told you kid, I know everything you're going to do. Too bad that doesn't work the other way around." Taskmaster threw down a smoke bomb, resulting in a cloud of smoke that allowed him to blitz over to Ghost Spider and aim his sword at her chest.

Fortunately for her, Wolverine managed to intercept the sword with his claws and use his own enhanced strength to throw Taskmaster to the ground, and once both were back on their feet he began pushing Taskmaster back with multiple slashes of his claws "Get him now!"

"As if you had to ask!" Ghost Spider slid underneath Taskmaster and dealt him a roundhous kick from behind, sending him stumbling away, and then she closed in for a follow up attack in the form of a kick to the face "Impressed yet?"

"You had Wolverine act as the distraction so you could sneak up behind me. A bit basic, but not bad in execution." Taskmaster managed to stop Ghost Spider's next attack by using his sword to force her to break off her attack "But like I said, I've gone toe to toe with the Avengers. Even with someone like Wolverine acting as your crutch, you're nothing." and then he charged at her with his sword in hand for his own attack.

"Yeah well, I think we'll see about that soon enough."

"You know what I'm just realizing? He's got a freaking energy sword!" Turtle Titan looked over to see Ghost Spider and Wolveirne fighting off Taskmaster, and without looking he used one of his dance moves to beat down a Foot Bot "Not gonna lie, I'm kinda jealous of that. Note to self, ask Donnie if he can hook me up with energy nunchucks later."

"I get the sentiment Mikey, but try and focus on the fight."

"And you should focus on what's right in front of you." Taskmaster dodged another few slashes of Wolverine's claws and used a familiar roundhouse kick to strike him in the face, sending him crashing into a nearby wall "No need to worry though, once I get ahold of you this is going to be over real quick." he used the grapple in his gauntlet to latch onto a nearby trash can and hurl it toward Ghost Spider… only to be stopped by a shot of webbing covering his eyes, causing him to recoil.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you." Ghost Spider then latched onto Wolverine with a webline and used it to hurl him into Taskmaster, slashing him across the chest and giving them the chance to gain some distance "I think you would've figured out by now that this isn't working."

"That's where you're wrong, because it's working great for me." Taskmaster pulled himself back to his feet and wiped away some blood from the gashes left by Wolverine's claws, then dodged another swing kick from Ghost Spider "Be as creative as you like, because I pick up more and more of your moves with every attack."

"You might be able to copy them, but that doesn't mean they can't hurt you!" Ghost Spider was quick to latch onto Taskmaster's leg with a webline and used it to hurl him onto a nearby rooftop, and she leapt up to search for him… only for her Spider Sense to go off a split second before she was bound by his electric red grapples, stunning her and causing her to fall "Dammit… how did you-"

"You might be able to hurt me, but your own moves can hurt you too." Taskmaster lifted Ghost Spider up and dealt her an agile uppercut kick to the jaw, followed by a spin kick to the spine that sent her crashing into a nearby AC unit.

"That finisher… is copyrighted!" Ghost Spider pulled herself back to her feet and used a burst of strength to break free of the restraints, then pulled up the bottom half of her mask and spat out a small amount of blood.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean my version isn't better. Like this." Taskmaster dodged a shot of webbing and dealt Ghost Spider a slash across the back with his sword, then moved to deal her another spin kick, only for her to leap back and dodge it, but he managed to make up for that with a slash across her back with his sword, sending her crashing to the ground "I believe it was Neil Patrick Harris that once said, new is always better."

"Doesn't mean you doubt the classics, like this!" Wolverine suddenly leapt onto the scene and threw a single ninja smokebomb at Taskmaster, stunning him long enough to deal him a brutal series of slashes across the chest, then the face (which left several large gashes in his mask), and then taking the chance to throw him off the rooftop, leaving him to fall onto the street with a loud crash. Once that was done, Wolverine made his way over to Ghost Spider and held out a hand to her "You okay kid?"

"I'm staring to see why Pe- Spider-Man was always so worn out." Ghost Spider accepted the hand and took the chance to wipe away some blood "It's a wonder he was able to do all of this on his own for like a year. I can't imagine going up against guys like that all the time."

"Trust me kid, when it comes to the whole super mercenary game, Taskmaster is in a league of his own. That being said…" Wolverine gave a small smirk "Being new to the whole superhero thing and managing to fight off someone like him fresh out of the gate? Not too shabby all things considered."

"If you hadn't been here, I'm pretty sure he would've taken me down no problem. One thing is clear to me." Ghost Spider looked down at her hands and gripped her fists "I have a long way to go before I get to Spider-Man's level."

"What do you think training and experience are for? If you wanna get better then you gotta put in the work kid. But for now let's focus on dealing with the Skeletor reject down there." the two of them looked over the edge of the roof… only to see that Taskmaster wasn't there "God dammit, I hate when they do the disappearing act."

"Can you track his scent?"

"Give me a second."

"No need to look for what's so close to you." a cloud of smoke covered the rooftop, and when it subsided, Taskmaster was standing in front of the two of them with a shield in hand "So not only do you have powerful allies, I guess you do have a few tricks struck up your sleeve, Ghost Spider was it? I guess I'll need to collect some more data before I can fulfill my contract."

"The way I see it, you got all the data you need." Wolverine let out a snort "We beat your ass and chucked you off a roof. Conclusion, you just lost."

"Not yet. Believe me when I tell you that there are plenty of challenge still waiting for you, a good number of them courtesy of my employer. Once I've seen what you and the Turtles down there are capable of, we'll have a little chat about round 2." and with that, Taskmaster threw down a smoke bomb, and when the effects subsided, he was gone.

"Yeah, they tend to do that a lot. It's a big pain in the ass."

"Either way, at least he's gone for now." this was when Leo made his way off the streets to join the two of them on the rooftop "And we're not dead after that, so I'm gonna choose to call that a win."

"I can live with that. So how did it go with Karai?" asked Ghost Spider.

"Honestly, it's hard to say. I managed to beat her and I told her to stay away from my brothers and Splinter, but I can't help but wonder if that's going to take effect."

"Knowing how stubborn people like her can be, I doubt it." Wolverine gave a shrug, then cast a glance over towards the others "Looks like the rest of Taskmaster's robot lackeys all got turned into scrap metal."

"So that means it's over. Fine by me, let's go get the others and go home already. And once we do get home… I've got a few things I wanna talk to Splinter about." so with that in mind, the three of them took off.

Down on the street below, Karai could only scowl as she watched Leo and the others take their leave 'Fine, you get to go today… But next time I'm bringing your sorry shells down, one way or another.' it was then that the sound of a phone ringing drew her attention, and she reached into her suit and pulled out a cell phone "What?"

"Evidently I underestimated your enemies. I also never expected someone like Wolveirne to side with them."

"I guess it's no surprise they have connections in those departments, they are known to be allies with Daredevil after all."

"So I've heard. But even without such formidable allies, they've got more tricks up their sleeves than I had anticipated. I'll need to gather more data before I can complete my mission."

"You forget that your mission is to work for us, remember?"

"Your organization hired me because you wanted me to take these creatures down. And I will, but I have my ways, and I'll do it on my own time. But before I go, I should let you know about one more thing: a message from my benefactor."

"And that would be?"

"Whatever little partnership your group has with the Tinkerer has run its course, so his time with the Foot has come to an end. My benefactor has him working another assignment. Whatever you may need in terms of technological innovation, you'll have to find on your own." and then the call disconnected, leaving Karai to scowl even further as she took her leave of the scene.

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Meanwhile, with the scientist in question…

"Finally, a place with some actual light." Tinkerker breathed a sigh of relief as he made his way into an abandoned warehouse, where he flipped a switch and turned on the lights, revealing a laptop sat on a lone table waiting for him, and he pushed a button to turn it on "Alright I'm here, go ahead and connect me to the boss."

There was a pause, and then a shadowy figure appeared on the screen "I'm pleased to see that you made it without issue Tinkerer. I take it you completed your tasks without issue?"

"That's one way to put it. I did a good enough job on the Foot Bots to keep Shredder happy and now Taskmaster is doing his whole "Watching them from afar like Batman" thing, so I guess that means he's out of it for now."

"As I had expected. Good work on your end Tinkerer. Now then, I'm afraid your time with the Foot has come to an end."

"Really, I'm leaving so soon? I gave them the Foot Bots and Taskmaster's number, you really want me to just stop there? Weren't we supposed to make an alliance with them or something like that?"

"Your presence with the Foot was merely meant to be a peace offering, a way of displaying a temporary truce of sorts to the Shredder. So long as he doesn't interfere with my plans, I don't intend to interfere with his. If and when that agreement is broken, well, he can be dealt with when the time is right. Now then, for your next assignment: You'll be attending a meeting with a certain Spencer Smythe and Sable Manfredi regarding… the elimination of a wall-crawling threat to our plans."

"Now that I like to hear." Tinkerer gave a smirk "Where do we start?"

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Some time passed, and the group made their way back to the Lair.

"You know with all the alien robot and ninja stuff, I forget that there's crazy sort of normal people out there that can beat the crap out of us." Mikey let out a chuckle as he went about tending to Ghost Spider's wounds "That Skeletorn mask guy really knows how to give a beating doesn't he?"

"That's one way to put it." Ghost Spider cringed slightly as she pulled off her mask, revealing the face of Gwen Stacy, albeit with a split lip and a bruise on her face "Now I gotta figure out how I'm gonna keep this from my dad, at least until I'm ready to come out to him about all of this."

"What's he think you're doing tonight?"

"I told him I'm spending the night at Mary Jane's to help her study, and I got her to cover for me, so that's taken care of. I might need her to do a little bit more of that." Gwen paused, then looked over at Mikey "I definitely have a long way to if I want to really help you guys, or anyone, with these powers. I learned that the hard way tonight."

"Hey don't beat yourself up about it, that guy was a beast and you gave that fight everything you had."

"But that's the problem. It's pretty clear that everything I had wasn't enough. Taskmaster was way strong for me, if Wolverine wasn't there to help me I would've been toast. So I have to ask you guys, all of you." she looked over at the other Turtles "Will you guys train me? Teach me how to fight and use my powers like all of you do?"

"Gwen… are you sure this is what you want?"

"I'm sure Mikey, positive really. I have these powers, and the responsibility to use them to help you guys and as many people as I can. And that means learning how to use them to the best possible extent."

"Yeah… I can understand that pretty well." Leo sat down next to her "But you should know that this isn't going to be easy, so you'd better be sure to brace yourself, because you have a lot of hard work ahead of you."

"That's what I'm counting on, and thank you. All of you. And by the way Leo, it's good to have you back."

"Thanks, it feels good to be back." it was then that Leo's gaze fell towards the dojo, with Gwen doing the same "But I think I might need to check on something."

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Meanwhile, inside the dojo…

"Well damn, that's just… Yep, no way to say this without undermining how screwed up that whole thing is." Logan took a sip from his cup and looked over at Splinter "Here I thought there wasn't a new low that Saki could stoop to."

"Yes, it is… complicated to say the least." Splinter looked down at his cup, his expression fairly forlorn "The most difficult issue is how to address such a thing with my sons."

"Then run this by me. Why not tell them the truth?"

"What would you do in this situation Logan? How do you tell your charges that one of their own enemies, one who seeks their blood, and their family are one in the same?"

"I don't know, how do you think about the whole thing with Saki?" Logan was met with a look from Splinter, and he let out a sigh "Okay, bad example. But be real for a minute Yoshi, there ain't a damn thing about this whole feud that isn't all kinds of screwed up. From what I've heard up until now, if there's one thing these kids are used to doing it's dealing with the fallout of all kinds of screwed up situations as best they can."

"Perhaps, but… I don't know…"

"Yeah, but trust me when I say they'll deal with it. You taught them a lot." Logan paused, then let out a chuckle.

"I take it something amuses you?"

"More the irony than anything else. I had a talk like this with Charles up at the Insittue a few years back."

"This Professor that you work for?"

"Yep, Charles Xavier, runs this institute for kids with certain… gifts up in Westchester. You'd probably like him actually. He's a dreamer for one, the kind of guy who wants to create a world where mutants can live in peace. You know if you want, I'd be cool with putting in a good word for your kids with him."

"I'm grateful for that offer Logan, truly, and your friend's dream is an admirable one… but until such a world can be brought about, I will do whatever I believe is necessary in order to protect my sons. My family." Splinter's face fell once again "Which once again brings us back to the issue of Karai."

"I gave you whatever advice I've got in here, but it's your call. Anyway I'm gonna head out, got some other stuff to deal with for the night. But I'll be sticking around the city for a little while, if you need me." Logan gave Splinter a nod, then pulled himself to his feet and left the dojo, and the Lair, without another word.

'Perhaps Logan speaks the truth… I suppose I will have to make that decision for myself when the time comes…' Splinter closed his eyes and entered a meditative position… but it quickly lost its luster as he sensed the presence of two others 'And apparently that moment came sooner than even I had anticipated.'

Sure enough, it was at this moment that Leo and Gwen made their way into the dojo and knelt down next to him "Sorry to bother you so late Master Splinter, but… we both wanted to ask you a few questions. About Karai."

"It is late you two, I'm afraid that these questions will have to wait for another time."

"With all due respect, I don't think they can." Gwen looked up at Splinter "We heard everything that Karai said tonight. About why she's invested in this feud. She thinks that… you were the one to kill her mother. That's not true… is it?"

"No. It is not true. However, the truth is… perhaps even more difficult."

"Then please sensei, tell us… you can trust us." Leo pleaded with him.

"...Very well then." Splinter took a breath, then turned to fully face Leo and Gwen "The truth is that Karai… is my daughter, Miwa."

A/N:

Now comes the part where we finally get to see Ghost Spider in action, though it's become clear pretty quick that she has little experience in the field, but she's a fast learner, and our heroes also get a new ally in Wolverine. Unfortunately, they also make a dangerous enemy in the form of Taskmaster. Talk about a hell of a first enemy for Ghost Spider to take on, am I right? For the record, Taskmaster was never meant to be recurring villain in this story, more of a guest appearance with one or two planned for later on.

On a somewhat lesser note, this chapter also marks the end of Tinkerer's business with the Foot clan. As for who his next client is, you'll figure that out in the next chapter.

Also fun fact, this was originally going to be the chapter where I introduced Black Widow into the story, but since it's so soon after I brought in Wolverine, I decided it was too much at the time, so I'm putting her and the rest of the Avengers off, at least for now.