- Chapter 47 -

Legend of the Kuro Kabuto

In a large warehouse somewhere in New York, Ivan Steranko, a large, burly man in a Soviet Union coat and hat walked amongst various displays of rare and unusual artifacts. He ran a hand over the glass as he named each one.

"Alexander the Great's breastplate, the Spear of Destiny, Excalibur… Is most greatest collection of all time, da? But is missing one thing. Shredder's helmet. The legendary Kuro Kabuto."

He threw a folder on his desk, all containing photos of Shredder and his helmet, before turning to the other man in the room, an African-American man in a high tech suit and sporting a tall, purple mohawk. "If someone could obtain for me, I maybe forgive terrible past misdeed, huh?"

The black man, Anton Zeck, grinned. "So if I get this Kabuto thing for you, you'll forget my little mistake?"

"Little mistake?" Steranko parroted, pointing at his right eye, which was a diamond-encrusted prosthetic. "You shoot me in eyeball!"

"Not on purpose," Zeck pointed out. "Besides, I did you a favor. You used to be just another arms dealer and antique weapons collector. Now you're an arms dealer and antique weapons collector with a cool new eyeball!"

Steranko growled angrily.

"I should pop your head like blueberry!" he shouted.

"Okay, okay. Relax," Zeck told him. "Besides, lemme ask you something. You see your Spear of Destiny over there?"

Steranko went over to it and picked it up. Zeck smirked. "Lick it."

Steranko did so and gasped.

"Is made of marzipan!" he realized, snapping the fake over his knee.

Zeck pulled the real one out of its hiding place.

"I stole the real one yesterday," he explained, twirling the spear in his hands "And if I could do that, that helmet's as good as got."

Steranko swiped the spear out of his hand.

"Just watch step," he warned. "Is in Shredder's lair, highest security. I have sent five men to steal the helmet, one after other. Nobody ever come back. That Shredder, he has eyes in back of head."

Zeck grinned as he pressed a button on his belt.

"Those eyes ain't gonna do him much good against me," he boasted as he slowly turned invisible. "Now you see me… now you don't."

Still invisible, Zeck made his way out of the warehouse, whooping and flipping the entire way.

In the lair, Leo peeked into the dojo, seeing Splinter looking sadly at the shrine. Kasumi stood beside him, a comforting hand on his back. Deciding not to disturb them, Leo went back to his siblings and Kagome in the living room.

"Still mourning?" Hisako asked.

"Yeah…" Leo replied. "We gotta do something, and soon."

"I don't know if there's anything we can do," Vee pointed out. "Now that she knows the truth…"

"Leo, look," Raph began, "she may believe that Splinter's her real father, but Shredder still raised her."

"I'm with Raph on this one," Kagome agreed. "Sixteen years of brainwashing don't just disappear overnight."

"She saved us!" Leo pointed out.

"Leo's right," Hisako agreed. "She knows the truth, she believes us now, and she helped us. We owe her."

Leo turned to Kagome. "Kagome, I can understand why Raph would have trust issues with her. It's Raph. Of course he would. But you? Why?"

"Oh, I dunno," Kagome said sarcastically. "Maybe because Karai broke into my house and attacked my mom for the sake of a pointless petty grudge? If she broke into the lair and attacked Splinter, how would you react, Leo?"

Leo sputtered for several seconds, trying to come up with an answer.

"Yeah, exactly," Kagome declared.

Leo sighed. "Okay, I don't know what I'd do, but things are different. Karai's different, and we need to save her. Now am I the leader of this team or not?"

"Eh, more or less," Raph remarked.

"'More or less'?" Leo repeated. "So, what? I'm only leader until I tell you to do something you don't want to?"

"Pretty much," Raph said bluntly.

Donnie raised an eyebrow. "And the last time you took that attitude, Raph, Snakeweed nearly killed Kagome because you couldn't come up with anything on your own."

Raph winced at the reminder.

"He's got you there, bro," Mikey said.

Raph sighed. "Okay, fine, Your Stubbornness."

"Reluctant compliance is compliance nonetheless," Leo decided. "Let's check out Shredder's lair. See if it has any weak points."

Everyone looked concerned at that, but Leo held up his hand.

"It's just recon," he assured them. "We case the joint outside, and we're gone."

"Well, recon would be the smart thing to do," Donnie admitted. "Let's go."

In her cell, Karai sawed at one of the bars with a measly little knife. She paused her work when she heard the dungeon doors open. Quickly stashing her weapon, she retreated to the back of the cell, turning her back to the door as Shredder entered. He approached her cell, his helmet off so he could look at her face to face.

"Karai… I wish I could make you understand." He looked down at her, his voice laced with genuine pain. "I never wanted this to happen. Yes, Hamato Yoshi is your father, I admit that much, but it would have been wrong to allow you to be brought up by scum like him. I hope that one day you will understand that."

With that, he left. As soon as he was gone, Karai slid the small blade out of her mouth and resumed sawing at the bars.

"I understand perfectly," she muttered to herself. "You're a fucking baby-napper. Nothing more, nothing less."

-X-

Up in the throne room, the mutant members of the clan were on guard duty. Unbeknownst to them, a cloaked Zeck snuck onto the roof, looking in through the skylight.

"Alright, let's do this," he boasted, slowly sliding the window open and creeping in.

He silently snuck down to the back of Shredder's throne, feeling down around the back.

"Now, if Steranko's intel is right…" he whispered, just as he felt part of the back give in slightly under his touch.

A section slid out, revealing Shredder's helmet hidden within a secret compartment.

"Bingo!" Zeck declared as he took the helmet, putting it in his bag and attaching it to his back.

Suddenly, Rahzar's ear perked up, hearing someone in the room. He snuck around to the back of the throne, but found nothing there… except the open secret compartment and the missing helmet.

"Gina!" he shouted, getting her attention. "Somebody was just here! They stole the Kuro Kabuto!"

"They what?!" Tokka shouted.

Rahzar sniffed. "They're still here. I can't see him… but I can smell him."

He swept out and hit something. Zeck stumbled and hit the wall, visible again.

"Damn!" he let out, pulling himself up. "You're even worse than Steranko said you'd be."

"The thief!" Tokka shouted. "Kill him!"

Zeck raised his hands, an energy field surrounding his mohawk before he threw it at Tokka, sending her back. Rahzar pounced at him, but Zeck fired something from his belt: a bomb that exploded and covered Rahzar in purple goo, pasting him to the floor.

"Chris!" Tokka shouted.

She ran to help him, only to get her hands stuck in the glue.

"Later, babies. I am outie five-thousand," Zeck boasted before tossing a purple business card at them. "No hard feelings. I'm just doing my job."

And with that, he was gone. Shredder entered the throne room just as Tokka and Rahzar freed themselves.

"What is going on in here?!" he demanded.

Rahzar pulled himself up, trembling in fear.

"Master… I'm sorry," he apologized, holding out the card. "He… he got your helmet."

Shredder took the card. "'Anton Zeck: Master Thief.'" He crumpled the card in his hand and growled. "Get. Me. Everyone."

Meanwhile, the Shellraiser drove through the streets to Shredder's lair.

"I think we can bypass the defenses if we use the Turtle Tunneler to tunnel up from below," Leo suggested.

"What about tunneling down from above?" Mikey offered. "That'll really confuse 'em."

"That doesn't even-" Raph began before sighing. "Look, how about we just wait for her to bust herself out?"

"You want to wait?" Leo asked.

"C'mon, Leo," Raph pointed out. "You've seen how skilled she is. If she's really on our side, she can break out on her own."

"I hate to admit it, but Raph's got a point," Vee conceded.

"You're right that she was raised by Shredder," Leo agreed. "Meaning he would know how to keep her captive. We can't wait for the slim chance that she'll get out on her own. We've gotta help her. The Hamato Clan never leaves a comrade hanging."

"On that we can agree," said Donnie. "So we scope out the area, figure out a means of getting in, and then-"

Hisako perked, sensing something. "Donnie! Breaks! NOW!"

Donnie slammed on the brakes, but something impacted the front of the Shellraiser nonetheless. It came to a stop, and a horrified silence fell for a moment.

"Oh, God… what was that?!" Kagome let out.

"It was a person," Hisako informed them. "I heard them."

"How come we didn't see them?" Mikey questioned.

"I think he might have been invisible," Donnie suggested. "I caught a bit of something in the infrared before Hisako cried out."

"Is this a Krang thing?" Leo asked Hisako.

"Stealth camo?" Hisako shook her head. "No, he's never used anything like that."

"It's definitely something new," Donnie mused.

"Let's just go out and find this guy," Vee cut in. "The last thing we need is the police finding out we were part of a hit and run accident."

They piled out and began searching around. Donnie even poked around the front of the car with his staff.

"Okay, Mr. Invisible Man," he said. "Come on out."

As he did this, Raph saw a blue backpack laying on the street nearby. His curiosity peaked, he walked over to it and picked it up. Taking a glimpse inside, he turned pale.

"Guys…" he let out, "you're not gonna believe this."

They turned to him, and gasped in shock as he pulled Shredder's helmet out of the bag.

"No way…" Vee realized. "Whoever that invisible man was... he snagged Shredder's helmet! I don't know if he's really brave, or just suicidal."

"Everyone, get back in the Shellraiser. Now," Leo ordered.

They quickly piled back into the car.

"Let's get outta here," Leo insisted. "If this guy stole Shredder's helmet, odds are his flunkies are gonna be looking for it."

"So?" Mikey questioned. "All this fuss over a stupid hat?"

Kagome turned to him. "Mikey, you're talking about the guy who's basically been throwing a temper tantrum over a girl choosing someone else over him for fifteen years (1)."

"Touché," Mikey conceded.

Unbeknownst to them, the "invisible man" crept up behind the Shellraiser, planting a tracking beacon on the back.

"Zeck is coming after you, my ectothermic friends," he declared with a chuckle.

Shredder stood before his assembled henchmen, all of them making sure not to say anything about their master's burned, disfigured face.

"You will find the thief who stole my helmet, and retrieve it," he ordered. "Until it is returned to me, you will do nothing else."

"Eh, Master Shredder," Fishface began, "can't you just get another helme-"

Shredder instantly kicked him to the ground and slammed his fists on the arms of his throne. "That helmet, the Kuro Kabuto, is more than a mere headpiece. It has stood as the symbol of the Foot Clan for over 1500 years. The clan's founder, the dreaded Koga Takuza was said to be the greatest swordsman in all of Japan. His skill with the blade was greater than that of any samurai. He laid waste to warriors and warlords alike. He stole their sacred totems and fused them into an alloy stronger than steel. He himself forged the Kabuto, and it has survived undamaged to this day. I am sworn to protect it with my life, and now I charge you all with that responsibility. You will find it, and bring it to me. Understand?!"

Everyone nodded vigorously.

"Good," Shredder said. "Xever, you go with the fly. Tiger Claw, go with Bradford. Gina, you are with Tatsu. And Hun, rally the Purple Dragons. Do not fail me… or the consequences will be dire."

-X-

Fishface jumps across the rooftops, Stockman flying overhead.

"We better get that helmet and fast. Otherwise, we'll be stuck looking at Shredder's ugly face all day." Stockman bobbed down next to him and Fishface gagged. "He's almost as gross-looking as you."

Stockman glared at him as best as his insectoid features would allow..

"Watch it, Fizzzzhface," he buzzed.

"Hey, don't get mad at me," Fishface retorted. "You know you look nasty."

Stockman sighed. "Yezzz…" he reluctantly admitted.

-X-

Elsewhere, Rahzar and Tiger Claw were sniffing around.

"The scent is faint, but I think he went this way," Rahzar informed his companion.

"No, this way," Tigerclaw corrected, pointing in the opposite direction. "He's on foot, but he's got-" he sniffed the air again before continuing "-devices, electric motors, faint whiff of ozone."

Rahzar glanced at Tigerclaw in surprise before nodding in appreciation. "Hmm, you've got a good sense of smell for a cat."

Tiger Claw let out a combination of a growl and an exasperated sigh. "We are warriors. Can't we fight side by side without letting species get in the way?"

"Absolutely!" Rahzar replied. "Xever is always saying, 'Oh, Tiger Claw must hate you, because you're a dog'."

"That's ridiculous!" Tigerclaw exclaimed before taking off.

"I know, right?" Rahzar replied before following after his partner. They made it across three rooftops before the conversation continued.

"Although, I do want to eat him because he's a fish," Tigerclaw admitted.

"Eh, I would eat him just to shut him up," Rahzar assured him.

-X-

In another part of the city, Tokka and Tatsu were searching.

"Where do we even begin to look for that helmet?" Tokka asked. "The enemy can turn invisible."

"In my life, I have learned to rely on skills other than sight," Tatsu replied. "Think, Gina. He may be invisible, but focus on your other senses. You can still hear him, can you not?"

"Well, yeah," Tokka admitted, "but how can I hear him out in the middle of New York? Millions of people, noise everywhere. Get the picture?"

"Certain noises stand out from others," Tatsu explained. "From what you said, he likes to talk and make strange noises. We pick up on those, we find the helmet."

-X-

In the old warehouse that served at the Purple Dragon Headquarters, Hun rallied the Purple Dragons to begin the search. While many were ready to lend their aid, some were skeptical about the whole operation.

"All this trouble over a stupid helmet?" One dragon whispered to his buddy. "I don't get it."

Hun suddenly jumped down beside them, nearly making the Dragon wet himself.

"I suggest you watch your tongue, or you might lose it. Master Shredder's orders are absolute. He wants this helmet found, and if it isn't, it's on our heads. And I'm thinking yours will be the first I offer up."

The Dragon gulped hard. "I... think I'd rather be fitted with cement shoes."

"Good," Hun replied. "Find the Kuro Kabuto, and you get to live.

The Dragons immediately scattered to search.

Back in the Shellraiser, the group had pulled into an alley to try and figure out what to do next. Leo had immediately called Kasumi and Splinter, learning everything they knew about their new helmet. Raph was also on the phone, talking quickly as Leo's conversation came to a close.

"The helmet's that important to Shredder, huh?" Leo asked, getting confirmation. "That gives me an idea."

He hung up, turning to the others.

"What's the word?" Kagome asked.

"According to Kasumi and Splinter, that's not just any helmet," Leo explained. "It's called the Kuro Kabuto, and it's apparently an ancient relic dating back to Koga Takuza himself."

"Well, that explains what Casey just told me," Raph remarked, pocketing his phone. "Every Dragon in the city's out on a hunt, no doubt looking for this thing."

"Shredder's pulling out all the stops to get this helmet back," Donnie mused.

"Exactly," Leo concurred. "This is perfect!"

"In what universe is a manhunt for a helmet perfect?" Kagome asked.

"Especially when we're the ones holding it?" Vee added.

"We can use the Kabuto as a bargaining chip for Karai," Leo answered.

"Leo, that's the stupidest idea I ever heard!" Raph exclaimed. "You actually expect Shredder to trade his so-called daughter for his stupid shiny hat?"

"You got a better idea, Raph?" Leo asked. "Because this manhunt could get dozens of innocent people hurt. We can prevent that, and save Karai with little to no bloodshed. I know it's a longshot, but we have to at least try."

Raph sighed. "Alright, fine. I see there's no point trying to reason with the mentally atrophied."

Leo glared at him. "With how stubborn you're being, I'd say you'd make a better mutant mule than a mutant turtle."

"Look, I'm just saying that there's no way Shredder is actually going to agree to any sort of deal, especially one that involves handing over Karai. He's gonna double cross us the first chance he gets."

"And said double cross is probably gonna get one or more of us killed," Kagome agreed. "We need to be smart about this."

-X-

As the siblings bickered, they were unaware of Zeck stalking up to the Shellraiser.

"Hello, turtle buddies," he said with a grin.

-X-

Hisako suddenly perked up. "Uh-oh, we've been made! Punch it, Leo!"

However, something slammed into the side of the Shellraiser, tipping it over.

-X-

"Wow to the wow," Zeck let out, pleased.

The Hamato septet piled out, getting a glimpse of him.

"Who the heck are you?" Mikey asked.

"Anton Zeck, Master Thief," Zeck reported, spinning. "And you have something of mine."

They looked over at the strange man, raising their eyebrows.

"A new hairstyle?" Donnie offered.

"A sense of fashion?" Kagome added.

Zeck sputtered, then glared at them. "No, you idiot! That shiny helmet you snatched up after you ran me over."

"Sorry, Retro Boy," Raph retorted. "Ain't gonna happen."

"Hey, Steranko's payin' me a pretty penny for the Kuro Kabuto," Zeck told them. "I ain't leavin' without it!"

That caught them off-guard.

"Steranko? As in Ivan Steranko?" Donnie asked. "The arms dealer with that weird eye?"

"The same Ivan Steranko who the Purple Dragons wanted to steal Ho Chan's dagger for?" Kagome added.

"Wait," Raph cut in. "You tellin' me Shredder's flunkies are turning the city upside down because Steranko hired this clown to steal a freaking helmet?"

"That about sums it up," Leo remarked.

"Clown?!" Zeck shouted, insulted. "Alright, you wanna get funky fresh with me? If you won't hand that helmet over, I'll just take it!"

A moment of silence followed, before all seven teen ninjas started laughing hysterically.

"Oh, no!" Raph declared mockingly. "Look out, guys! The dork in the freaky jumpsuit's gonna get us!"

"Stop laughin' at me!" Zeck shouted. "I'm gonna kick your asses!"

He spun rapidly, making whooping noises. They looked on, totally deadpan expressions on their face.

" Right.. ." Vee said flatly, stressing the syllable for a bit. "Let's just kick this Michael Jackson ripoff to the curb and make the trade with Shredder."

Zeck started spinning rapidly, rapid-firing lasers at them. They immediately ducked for cover.

"Girl, Michael Jackson wishes he had my moves!" Zeck boasted.

"...Okay," Hisako let out. "Maybe he's not such a harmless goof."

"He may have moves," Mikey said, "but he ain't got my moves!"

With that, he ran out, dancing around the blasts while moving toward Zeck. Zeck kept trying to shoot him, but Mikey kept evading.

"Killer moves, turtle dude," Zeck complimented. "But they ain't gonna help you here!"

Mikey hummed under his breath, ignoring Zeck as he swung his nunchucks at his face. At that moment, Hisako clutched her head, sensing something approaching.

"Oh, damn it…" she muttered under her breath just as Rahzar and Tiger Claw rounded the corner.

"More freaks?" Zeck mused. "This town is really going downhill."

He turned invisible as the two mutant Foot ninja approached.

"Aw, man!" Mikey whined. "We gotta get fancy stuff like stealth tech, you guys."

"Maybe later," Leo said, turning to the approaching threat. "Right now, we have company."

"So, the cubs have come out to play," Tiger Claw remarked.

"Look, they have the Kabuto!" Rahzar shouted, pointing to the helmet, which had fallen out of the bag. "So we get to retrieve Shredder's helmet and crack the Turtles' skulls at the same time." He grinned. "Life is good."

"Oh, great." Kagome groaned.

"Don't let them get the helmet!" Leo shouted.

Hisako snatched up the helmet, stuffing it in the bag. "We gotta get outta here!"

As Tiger Claw flew at them, Donnie launched Mikey off his staff, sending him right at Tiger Claw and kicking him in the head. Tiger Claw reeled, before glaring at them.

"You have two choices, children," he warned. "Hand over the Kuro Kabuto, or I will pry it from your broken, bleeding fingers as you convulse in death!"

"That's just gruesome," Mikey said flatly.

"Quick, scatter!" Leo shouted.

The group made their way to the rooftops, with Tiger Claw and Rahzar in hot pursuit.

"We're not asking nicely again," Rahzar growled. "Give us the goddamn helmet!"

Hisako pulled down her eyelid and stuck her tongue out at them.

"You want it?" she taunted. "Well, come and get it!"

Rahzar roared and charged at her, and Hisako immediately tossed the bag to Vee.

"Keep away!" she shouted as Vee grabbed the bag.

Vee caught it as she leapt onto a fire escape.

"C'mon, Poochie!" she mocked, waving the bag. "It's right here!"

Rahzar charged at her, but Vee tossed it overhead.

"Go long, Raph!" she yelled, Raph snagging it.

"Yoo-hoo!" he taunted as Tiger Claw advanced on him.

"Raph!" Kagome shouted, waving her arms. "I'm open!"

Raph tossed it to her, and she jumped in the air to avoid a charge from Tiger Claw.

"Monkey in the middle?" Rahzar said incredulously. "I thought you were ninjas, not kindergarteners!"

"At least some of us had childhoods," Kagome retorted.

Mikey placed a hand on his chest. "And I'm very in touch with my inner child."

Rahzar made a grab at Kagome, but she jumped back before tossing the bag to Donnie, who caught it. Tiger Claw growled in frustration.

"You're only making it worse for yourselves!" he shouted. "Every second you keep the Kuro Kabuto marks another minute of suffering you will endure before I kill you!"

At that moment, something tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, and Hisako grabbed him by the face.

"I've been through ten years of hell, Tiger Claw. Nothing you could possibly do to me can compare." With that, she flooded his mind with red images. Tiger Claw reeled back, roaring in agony at the mental assault. "That was for freezing me, and for stealing Karai."

"Great job!" Leo told her as he and Vee clashed with Rahzar's claws.

"Even if you escape with the helmet, you will never know a moment's rest," he warned. "Better to hand it over now, and make your demise quick."

"...You have fruit-punch mouth," Vee said out of the blue.

"What?" Rahzar questioned, just as Vee punched him right in the mouth.

"Your offer is tempting," Leo told him, "but I think we'll pass."

Donnie handed him Shredder's helmet. "C'mon guys, we need to keep moving. The Shellraiser's toast, so it looks like we're on foot."

As they turned to go, some yellow goop splattered near Leo's foot, where it rapidly melted through the ground. Stockman flew in, with Fishface running up soon after.

"Baxter Stockman?!" Leo exclaimed in shock.

"Whoa, almost didn't recognize you, Stockman," Raph quipped. "New haircut?"

"Always knew he was a pest," Vee said flatly. "Now he looks the part."

"You stupid Turtlezzz…" Stockman buzzed in anger. "I'm this way because of you! All the times you thwarted our planzzz… You're gonna pay for what you've done to me!"

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Um... what did we do to you?"

That gave Stockman pause. He rubbed his head with his claw in thought.

"Y'know... I can't remember," he admitted before scowling and getting angry again. "BUT YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR IT ANYWAY! This is the last time the world steps on Baxter Zzztockman!"

Hisako just looked at him, her expression totally deadpan. "Baxter... you never ever got a single date in high school, did you?"

Stockman just tilted his head quizzically. "Your point being?"

"Right, forget this."

As Rahzar charged, HIsako jumped, kicking him in the face. He reeled back, and Hisako sensed something and ducked, just barely dodging a sword slash from Tatsu, Tokka right behind him.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Raph shouted.

"Hmmm... your sixth sense against mine," Tatsu mused, looking Hisako up and down. "This might actually be a fair fight."

"Tatsu, the blind swordsman," Hisako recalled as she drew her tessen. "Jade's told me about you. She'll be pissed that I'm the one who beat you, but c'est la vie (2)."

"You'll fare no better," Tatsu retorted.

"We'll see about that," she snarled, charging at the swordsman.

The two clashed, performing an intricate dance of dodging and blocking one another. Much to everyone's surprise, they seemed almost evenly matched, unable to land a hit on one another.

"You might know everything I'm gonna do," Hisako declared, pushing Tatsu back with her tessen, "but that's not gonna help you, since I know everything you're gonna do!"

"So what then?" Tatsu questioned, holding her off with his blade. "Are we to be locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day and trumpets sound?"

"Or you could just surrender," Hisako replied. "Whichever comes first."

Meanwhile, Raph and Kagome faced off against Fishface.

"You have something of mine, tartarugas, " he informed them.

"Let me guess," Kagome offered. "Deodorant?"

Fishface growled, before pulling out two large bail swords.

"Fancy weapons, Fishface," Raph remarked. "Let's see ya use them."

Fishface scowled, flipping his weapons around. "I'm going to chop you into tiny pieces, and feed you to my piranhas."

"A fish having a pet fish," Kagome mused. "Weird."

"Hey, Raph had a pet turtle!" Mikey pointed out as he clashed with Stockman.

"Spike was a tortoise!" Raph shot back.

"Whatever," Mikey retorted.

He then ensnared Stockman with his chain, but he just flew into the air, dragging Mikey along for the ride.

"YIPE!" Mikey shouted as he went along. "Who knew flies were so strong?"

Eventually, Mikey slammed into a billboard. Planting his feet hard, he stopped Stockman in his tracks before giving the chain a mighty yank. Stockman fell, crashing into Mikey, and the two grappled. Mikey pulled his head into his shell just in time to avoid an acid spit from Stockman.

"Didn't your mom ever teach you it's not polite to spit?" he quipped.

"What my mama taught me izzz none of your business!" Stockman snapped.

Leo let out a growl of frustration.

"We don't have time for this!" he exclaimed.

"Just go! Save Karai!" Raph yelled to him. "We'll handle these clowns!"

"For the love of Bushido, get your ass moving!" Hisako shouted.

Leo hesitated, then nodded and took off. Tatsu perked up during his fight with Hisako.

"Leonardo has the Kuro Kabuto!" he shouted. "Don't let him escape!"

They gave chase, but Hisako grabbed as many of them as they could with telekinesis.

"You guys aren't going anywhere," she told them.

The others jumped in, bashing them all unconscious while Hisako's strength held out. Once it was over, she let them go, still standing tall.

"You okay?" Vee asked.

Hisako gave her a thumbs-up. "Perfect. Now let's get to Leo."

"And keep on your toes," Kagome added. "That Zeck guy's probably still out there, waiting to snag the helmet back."

Nearby, Leo was in a dumpster out of sight. He looked down in the dumpster, seeing that it was full of baby diapers. He gagged and jumped out, slamming the lid shut and gagging.

"Ugh, that's gonna be in my nightmares for a while," he winced.

Suddenly, an invisible hand grabbed him, spinning him around. That was when Zeck shimmered into view.

"Got ya suckah!" Zeck taunted. "Now you gonna hand over the helmet, or is there gonna be trouble?"

Leo glanced back at the dumpster where the bag was still hidden, an idea forming.

"Alright, alright," Leo gave in.

He reached in, rustling around for a moment before removing the bag.

"Here, just take it," he insisted. "Though I should warn you, some other guys are looking for that helmet, and they're nowhere near as nice as I am."

Zeck just laughed, turning invisible.

"They can look all they want, but they ain't never catching me," he declared.

He then took off down the street, whooping and hollering the entire way. Leo grinned, then reached into the dumpster and pulled out the Kabuto.

"Man, I wish I could see the look on his face when he realizes," he lamented before taking off towards Shredder's hideout.

Later, Zeck walked into Steranko's warehouse with the bag in tow.

"You made it back alive," Steranko noted. "I am being impressed. You get it?"

"One fancy helmet," Zeck answered, dropping the bag on the desk. "As promised."

"Excellent," Steranko replied before smelling something foul in the air. "Why am I smelling the baby poops?"

He opened the bag, then scowled as he dumped out about half a dozen dirty diapers. Zeck went wide eyes, lifting his visor to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"That damn turtle-thing stiffed me!" He exclaimed.

Zeck then looked up and saw Steranko's clearly pissed off face.

"I am going to pop your head like blueberry!" Steranko cried out.

"You know… that's to be expected," Zeck replied.

Shredder sat in his throne. A noise caught his attention, and he looked up to see Leo enter through the window, slowly approaching him.

"Now why does the fly walk into the spider's web?" he questioned.

"Because this fly has something the spider wants," Leo told him, holding up the Kuro Kabuto. "It's yours… in exchange for Karai."

After a minute, Shredder nodded.

"Very well," he said, nodding to a Footbot before it went off. "She'll have to be brought up from the dungeon."

"Dungeon?" Leo repeated in shock. "You raised her from infancy, and then locked her in a cell?! Wow, you're a shoe-in for father of the year."

"In any conflict, the winner is the one willing to do what the loser is not," Shredder said matter-of-factly.

On cue, two Footbots came in, dragging Karai in. Her hands were tied behind her and she had a bag over her head.

"Hey, let me go!" Karai demanded.

"Now, give me the Kuro Kabuto," Shredder ordered.

Leo cautiously approached, a hand on the hilt of his katana. "I'm not stupid, Shredder. I know the minute I hand it over, you're gonna attack me."

"Of course I am," Shredder told him. "Did you think you were getting out of this without a fight?"

Leo set the helmet on the ground before drawing a sword. Shredder extended his claws as the two stared each other down, before Shredder ran in, kicking Leo into the wall.

"Pathetic," Shredder remarked. "But that is to be expected when you have weak-willed cowards like Splinter and Kasumi for senseis. You should never have tried to face me alone."

"He didn't!" Raph's voice declared.

Both Leo and Shredder looked up to see the rest of the Hamato septet standing atop the windowsill.

"You didn't think we'd let you have all the fun?" Raph quipped.

"And none of us wants to tell Splinter we didn't try to save his daughter," Donnie added.

"Now grab Karai and let's get outta here!" Kagome told him.

Raph threw several throwing stars at Shredder, who blocked them all.

"Give me that helmet!" Shredder shouted, charging at him and kicking him in the chest.

Donnie then ran up and tried swinging his staff at him, but Shredder sliced it before knocking him to the ground. As Shredder was about to bring his claws down on him, Vee ran up and blocked them with her Kama's. Shredder quickly shoved her off and punched her away as Mikey ran up and tried swinging his nunchaku at him. Shredder grabbed one end of the nunchaku and threw him towards Leo and Kagome as they ran up to him. They leapt over Mikey as they tried bringing their blades down on him. He easily blocked them and shoved them off before punching them both in the face.

"Fools!" Shredder let out. "You will never defeat me."

Donnie scooped up the helmet, turning to Shredder with a grin.

"You want the helmet back, you got it!" he shouted, tossing the helmet at Shredder.

He caught it, just as smoke bombs Donnie had secretly planted in it went off in his face. As he coughed and gagged, blinded by the smoke, the Hamato septet snatched up Karai and took off through the window. By the time Shredder recovered, they were long gone. He slid the helmet on, chuckling darkly.

-X-

Once they were a safe distance away, they stopped to catch their breath.

"I almost can't believe that worked," Raph remarked.

"Well, it did," Leo pointed out. "We got Karai. Now let's get her outta that sack."

He pulled the sack off of Karai's head… and everybody recoiled in shock to see a pack of C4 in place of it.

"Hey, let me go!" Karai's voice, now revealed to be a recording, sounded. "Hey, let me go!"

"BOMB!" Donnie screamed.

They all dove off the building as the bomb went off. Once they were safely on the ground, Leo growled and punched the ground in anger. "Son of a BITCH!"

"He swindled us!" Kagome realized

"God fucking dammit!" Raph cursed.

"In retrospect, Raph did say that Shredder would double cross us at every opportunity," Donnie remarked.

"And now, we're right back to square one," Hisako muttered, hugging her legs.

Leo stood up, glaring at Shredder's lair in the distance.

"This isn't over. Not by a long shot," he swore. "One way or another, we're gonna get Karai away from him."

Author's Note:

(1): My personal views on the 2012 Shredder. When it comes down to it, literally everything he does is just him throwing a temper tantrum over Tang Shen choosing Splinter over him.

(2): French for "that's life" or "such is life."

Well, that happened. Major change to this chapter: Raph and Kagome are more willing to help Karai now that she knows the truth. Next chapter: Vengeance is Mine.

Please R&R. Until next time!