- Chapter 12 -

The Shredder Strikes!

As school let out for the day, April and Kagome began walking home together, something they'd found themselves doing a lot as of late. They turned into an alleyway, just chatting about class and homework like they usually did, when all of a sudden, a shadow passed overhead. Both girls stiffened on instinct, their gaze directed skyward.

"Did you see that?" April asked nervously.

"Yeah, I did," Kagome replied, searching the shadows for any familiar silhouettes. "Think it's one of the guys?"

"I dunno..." April said uncertainly, rubbing her arms.

The shadow passed overhead again, and this time, they were able to get a good look at the thing. It was a strange, bird-like creature, one that landed on a nearby roof, screeching loudly.

"What the-?!" Kagome exclaimed. "April, move!"

She grabbed April's hand and they took off running. The creature screeched again, swooping down after them. Desperate to escape, the two girls made a beeline for the closest building that was open: the bank. They threw the doors open, slamming them behind them. Now safe inside, they took a moment to catch their breath. The bird creature let out another screech, swooping down towards the girls-

-only to slam into a glass window hard.

Both girls jumped slightly, watching as it slid down the glass towards the ground. They exchanged confused looks before going outside to investigate. As they approached it, the creature stood up, revealing it to be a mutant pigeon. It looked them over for a minute before abruptly flapping its wings and taking off, screeching the entire way.

"My life has gotten really weird," April remarked after a minute.

"Eh, this is just another Tuesday for me," Kagome replied. "Let's go get the others."

Down in the dojo, Leo, Raph, and Vee were sparring in the dojo in a free for all. It was a surprisingly even match, none of the combatants letting up on the others. As they sparred, Donnie entered the dojo, carrying what looked like several eggs in his hand.

"Check it out, guys!" he declared, getting their attention. "We are about to take our ninjutsu to a whole new level."

The three stopped sparring for a moment, giving the purple turtle their undivided attention.

"Oh boy," Vee sighed. "What'd you do this time, Donnie?"

Donnie held up one of the eggs, revealing that it had globs of wax on either end, as well as the Hamato Clan crest drawn on it with sharpie.

"Last night, I figured out how to make ninja smoke bombs!" he declared.

To prove it, he chucked the egg in his hand at the ground. Rather than the splat the trio were expecting, Donnie was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of purple smoke. It cleared relatively quickly, revealing that Donnie had disappeared. Another puff of purple smoke went off behind them, allowing Donnie to reappear triumphantly.

"Whoa…" Raph let out in awe. "Nice job, Don."

"How'd you make these?" Leo asked.

Donnie smiled, having been waiting for someone to ask that question. "I carefully drill two holes in an eggshell without cracking it, slowly blow out the contents, wait for the inside to dry, then pour in flash powder and seal both holes with wax."

"These'll definitely come in handy," Vee said, smiling.

"Can't wait to show these to Kagome," Raph added.

"They take a long time to make," Donnie warned. "So use 'em sparingly."

About that time, a call rang out from the kitchen.

"I'm making omelets!" Mikey declared. "Who wants some?"

"I'll take one!" Hisako replied.

"Omelets?!" Donnie looked down at the bombs in his hand, realizing what Mikey was about to do. "Mikey, DON'T!"

But it was too late. Mikey and Hisako suddenly appeared in a cloud of smoke, coughing up the smoke. Mikey had a wooden bowl in his hand, which held the other eggs Donnie had used.

"Guess that was a rotten egg," Mikey remarked, wiping his face.

Hisako blew the smoke away with her hand, immediately realizing what was going on.

"Smoke bombs? Nice one, Donnie," She complimented as she took one out of the bowl. "Let's see."

She tossed it down, disappearing into the smoke and reappearing in the rafters.

"Pretty cool!" she shouted.

Laughing, Mikey began throwing multiple smoke bombs down, basically warping all over the place.

"This is the best day of my life!" he exclaimed. "I love you, man!"

"Mikey, cut that out!" Donnie snapped. "I don't have that many, and they take forever to make!"

"I got it," Hisako said, telekinetically snatching the bowl out of Mikey's hands and depositing it in her own.

"Hey!" Mikey cried out. "Give those back!"

He struggled to grab it again, but Hisako casually held him back with her free hand as April and Kagome ran in.

"Guys!" April shouted. "You'll never believe what happened to us!"

Donnie immediately ran to her side.

"Is something wrong? Are you hurt?" He demanded. "TELL ME EVERYTHING!"

"We're being hunted..." Kagome let out, "by a giant pigeon."

A dead silence filled the lair. Then after a moment, Raph cracked up laughing. The others soon devolved into laughter as well, even Hisako falling victim to it.

"A giant... pigeon?" Vee managed.

Their laughter intensified.

"Come on, you guys!" April snapped. "This is serious!"

Donnie was the first to pull himself from hysterics, the others following suit at April's distress.

"Sorry, April," he apologized. "Tell us what happened."

Raph was still laughing, getting a glare from Donnie.

"Okay, knock it off!" he snapped. "There's a creature out there trying to hurt my April!"

April looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Donnie blushed.

"Our April," he corrected.

"And what am I, chopped liver?" Kagome retorted.

Raph composed himself at that.

"Sorry..." he muttered. "So, the giant pigeon... why was it after you?"

"No idea," Kagome replied. "He just appeared."

"This is serious," Mikey said, grabbing a smoke bomb out of the bowl while Hisako was distracted. "Better go get Dad."

"Mikey, we don't really need-" Leo began, but it was too late.

Mikey threw the bomb down and disappeared into the smoke. When it cleared, Splinter was standing in Mikey's place.

"Michelangelo said you wanted to see me?" he asked.

Kagome gaped in awe for several seconds, the pigeon incident momentarily leaving her mind.

"Smoke bombs?!" she asked. "Cool!"

"I know, right?" Mikey remarked, reappearing from the dojo.

-X-

Later, the group sat around as April and Kagome finished telling them about the giant pigeon.

"His talons were razor-sharp," April recalled. "He would have torn us to pieces if he hadn't slammed into the glass."

Hisako let out a snort, getting a glare from Donnie.

"What? Birds can't see glass," she defended. "It's funny."

"Enough!" Splinter snapped. "Clearly, April is upset by all this."

Hisako flinched, then bowed apologetically. "Sorry, Dad."

"Alright, let's set a trap for this pigeon man and see what he wants," Leo suggested. "And I know just what to use as bait."

"Bread crumbs!" Mikey suggested, getting looks from everyone. "Pigeons love bread crumbs."

"Mikey, there's no way in hell that's gonna work," Raph criticized.

"You wanna use me and April as bait, right?" Kagome asked.

Leo nodded.

"It may be the only way to lure this thing out in the open," he rationalized.

Kagome thought it over, then nodded. "Well, the idea of getting eaten by a pigeon monster isn't my cup of tea… but I trust you, Leo."

Leo smiled. "Alright, Mighty Mutants. Let's do this!"

"Mighty Mutants?" Raph asked. "What, 'Dancing Dorks' was already taken?"

A loud smack echoed through the lair as Hisako's hand collided with her forehead.

"Is it too late to become a Lee?" she groaned. "Or maybe an O'Neil?"

Ignoring her comment, the eight all made for the exit, but Splinter stopped them.

"Wait!" he shouted. "We do not yet know what you are facing. Perhaps you should study your enemy before confronting him."

"He's a pigeon, right?" Mikey replied. "He likes bread, hates glass, and wants April and Kagome. What more is there to know?"

"What you know is dangerous to your enemy," Splinter warned. "What you think you know is dangerous to you. I fear you are all becoming overconfident."

"This isn't any of those brain blobs," Vee replied. "And it isn't the Shredder. It's a pigeon. I think we can handle a pigeon."

"Yeah Dad, in the past few months, we've taken down alien robots, other mutants, and an army of ninjas," Leo added. "Maybe we're not overconfident. Maybe we're just that good."

With that, the group ran out of the lair. Splinter sighed in exasperation.

Uptown, the Foot Clan had taken up residence in an old abandoned church. On the highest level, a large throne room with an indoor water tank, Shredder had made his residence. It was there that Bradford, Gina, and Xever waited to have an audience with their master. While they waited, Bradford approached a barking Akita Inu dog, attempting to sooth the irate canine.

"It's okay, Hachiko," he said softly. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

He reached out to pet the dog, only for it to bite his hand, drawing blood. Bradford recoiled, clutching his hand and he hissed in pain.

"Serves you right," Xever snorted. "That dog doesn't like anyone."

Bradford turned to retort, but was cut off when Shredder entered.

"He is not pleased with you," he declared. "Nor am I. I entrusted you three with the task of destroying Splinter and his loathsome Turtles."

He glared at Bradford and Gina, who both bowed in respect. "I spent years molding you two in my image, teaching you my darkest secrets, and you shame me with your incompetence."

Both Bradford and Gina exchanged shameful glances, Xever laughing slightly. At the sound of his laughter, Shredder turned on him.

"And you…" he growled. "I should have left you to rot in that prison where I found you."

Xever winced, looking aside. "C'mon, Master Shredder. Give me one more chance."

"Those damned Turtles got lucky," Gina added. "It won't last forever!"

"We'll get them!" Bradford included. "The next time we meet, I assure you-"

"ENOUGH!" Shredder snapped, shutting all three up. "I am weary of your excuses!"

He sat down in his chair, a look of hatred on his face.

"It seems I will have to handle this matter myself," he declared.

That night, the Hamato siblings, April, and Kagome were in an alleyway. The Turtles and Hisako were all in hiding: Leo and Vee were in a nearby dumpster, Donnie was behind said dumpster, Raph was under a manhole, and Mikey and Hisako were hanging on the fire escape.

"Leo, are you sure this is a good idea?" April asked.

"Just go with it, April," Leo replied. "We're right here."

April and Kagome went deeper into the alleyway, and began making an exaggerated show.

"Here we are, walking around in the big city. All alone!" April declared.

"Boy, sure hope no crazy pigeon-man sneaks up on us. That's the last thing we want!" Kagome added.

Everyone rolled their eyes at the performance.

"I find their performance quite wooden," Vee remarked.

"Yeah, I thought Kagome was some big shot star," Hisako added. "Shouldn't acting be second nature to her?"

Kagome glared up to the fire escape.

"I'm a model, not an actress," she corrected bluntly.

"You wanted us to be bait," April added. "So we're bait."

"That's not how bait talks," Donnie remarked.

"Really?" April retorted. "And how would you know how bait talks?"

"I know bait doesn't talk back," Donnie retorted.

"Oooooh..." the other Turtles and Hisako remarked, peeking out of their hiding spots.

"Oh, no you didn't!" Mikey declared.

With that, they darted back into their hiding places as though nothing had happened. April glared at Donnie, who chuckled awkwardly.

"When this is over," April hissed, "I am gonna take that bo staff and shove it up your-"

Kagome patted her shoulder, cutting off her threat.

"Easy, there," she warned.

"Just act natural," Donnie said, sliding back behind the dumpster.

April took a deep breath, calming herself, before going on.

"Here we are, actin' natural, just totally defenseless against any, I don't know, hideous mutant pigeon-guy who might happen upon us," she declared.

Donnie pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Oh, for God's sake..."

Suddenly, April's scream filled the alley. Everyone looked out from their hiding spots in time to see the pigeon man swooping down. Kagome grabbed a taser off of her belt and jammed it into the creature's chest. He spazzed and jumped as the electricity flowed through him before Kagome removed the taser, allowing the creature to fall to the ground. Kagome blinked, looking at her taser in mild surprise.

"Huh, Mom was right," she muttered. "This did come in handy."

"Grab him!" Leo shouted.

The Turtles and Hisako all sprang from their hiding places, pinning the pigeon man down.

"Okay! Okay, uncle!" the pigeon shouted. "Jeez Louise!"

Hisako blinked, recognizing the voice. She looked down, getting a good look at the pigeon man. He had a pigeon's head and legs, but a largely featherless humanoid torso covered in scars and several strange mutagenic blue-green growths. His only clothes were a pair of ripped blue jeans.

"Pete?" she asked, getting up off the turtle pile. "Pigeon Pete?"

The pigeon, apparently named Pete, looked up at that, recognizing Hisako.

"Oracle?!" he asked. "It is you!"

Hisako let out a small laugh. "Pete! How the hell did you escape?"

The others looked at her in shock and surprise.

"Oh-kay, now I'm confused," Raph remarked. "You know this guy?"

"Yeah, this is Pigeon Pete," Hisako replied. "One of Krang's experiments. You can let him up. He's harmless."

They all got off of Pete, and Hisako helped him up.

"Man, you look rough," she remarked, looking him up and down. "Molting season come early?"

"I lost most of my feathers getting away," Pete answered, shivering a bit.

"Well, I'm glad you got out," Hisako replied. "But why were you chasing down April and Kagome? You scared them half to death."

"I was tryin' to find you," Pete explained. "I recognized these two by the descriptions I overheard from Krang's goons."

"But why Hisako?" Vee asked. "What's going on?"

"Something terrible is about to go down," Pete said. "Krang and Ch'rell have been talking about it for weeks. I managed to get out to find you guys. I figured that after you broke that human out of the holding facility and beat back that cat, you were the best shot at stopping whatever they're planning."

"Planning?" Hisako repeated, looking very concerned by that. "What are they planning, Pete?"

"I dunno," Pete said. "But they're using an old warehouse as cover."

"Can you take us there?" Leo asked.

"Yeah," Pete replied. "But it's gonna cost ya a lot of bread."

"...You're talking actual bread, right?" Raph asked.

"Yes, he is," Hisako replied. "Pete was originally a normal pigeon."

"Sourdough's my favorite," Pete pointed out.

"Alright, it's a deal," Leo promised.

"Let's go!" Mikey shouted.

He tossed down a smoke bomb and they all vanished, unaware that a group of Foot ninja had been watching them from the rooftops all the while.

Elsewhere, Xever, Bradford, and Gina were at a sushi bar. Xever grabbed a red snakehead fish out of the tank.

"That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen," Bradford said, before looking at Xever. "Present company excluded."

Xever snarled, tossing the fish towards the sushi vendor so he could give Bradford his undivided attention.

"Look Bradford," he began, "I don't like you or your girl, and neither of you like me, but if we want to get back into Master Shredder's good graces, then we need to do something."

"Just what are you suggesting?" Gina asked.

"That we find those Turtles before the Master does, and squash them like bugs," Xever declared, clutching his fist in emphasis.

On cue, Bradford's cell phone went off. He answered it, noticing the text.

"What is that, Chris?" Gina asked.

Bradford smirked. "It seems we've found our opportunity."

Meanwhile, the Turtles and co. were on the roof of the warehouse Pete had led them to. Donnie managed to pry open a vent, granting the group access to the building.

"April, you stay here," Kagome told her. "It's too dangerous."

"I can help too, y'know," April retorted.

"And you are," Hisako cut in. "You're... lookout."

"Yeah," Leo added. "You keep an eye on the perimeter and make sure the coast is clear."

"So, what?" April remarked. "I sit out here and just wait?"

"Not quite," Leo handed her a rope. "When we give the signal, lower this rope."

April rolled her eyes, but took the rope upon realizing there was no point in arguing. The group slid into the warehouse and looked around, attempting to get their bearings. The interior was high-tech, similar to the building they rescued Kirby from. One Krangdroid was standing guard, its back to them. Raph snuck up behind it and plunged his sai into its stomach, knocking it out.

"Yeah..." Hisako said nervously. "This is definitely a Krang outpost."

Sensing Hisako's dismay, Kagome placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Hisako squeezed her hand and nodded, composing herself.

"I'm okay," she assured her. "I promise."

"Let's find out what Pete was trying to warn us about," Vee whispered.

They crept through the halls, seeing another Krangdroid ahead. Leo quickly dashed in and chopped it in half. They looked to see two more Krangdroids approaching a room and opening the door.

Just as the door opened, Vee crept up behind the two Krangdroids and bashed their heads together, dropping them and then throwing one of her kamas into a third within the room just as it turned around. The Utrom within began screeching in rage, but Hisako quickly punched it out.

"Man, that really does feel good," she remarked.

They all entered the room, the door closing behind them as they examined the room. It was dominated by a high-tech computer, one Donnie immediately began eying.

"Donnie, hack into the system and see what you can find out about Krang's plans," Leo ordered. "We'll stand guard."

Donnie nodded and got to work. As he did Mikey looked over the computer curiously, seeing an array of buttons.

"What's this button do?" he wondered, reaching for it.

Donnie quickly grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "Don't. Touch. Anything."

"Sorry," Mikey said meekly.

As Donnie hacked in, Raph turned to Hisako, curiosity gnawing at the red turtle.

"So, Pete…" he began, "how do you know him?"

"We shared a cellblock," Hisako replied. "There were a lot of us. Most of them were mutants. It's why I clung to you guys when you found me."

"How many mutants were there?" Kagome wondered.

Hisako sighed. "Too many."

Before the conversation could continue, Donnie turned to them.

"I'm in," he announced. "And this puppy has full details on Krang's goons."

The others crowded around him as he opened the files.

"These brain blobs are called Utroms, and apparently they're aliens from another dimension." Donnie explained. "When they came to Earth, they brought the mutagen with them."

"But why?" Leo asked. "What's the point of turning people into monsters?"

"The mutagen doesn't work the way they thought it would," Donnie replied. "The laws of physics in their world are different from ours."

Leo looked at the computer, reading the info himself.

"According to this, they're grabbing scientists to help them modify the ooze," he read.

"But why would they want April and her dad?" Raph asked. "Is Mr. O'Neil a scientist?"

"Well yeah, but he's a psychologist," Kagome answered. "He studies rats running through mazes."

Hisako crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "That doesn't sound like Krang's usual M.O. There's gotta be another reason, especially if they were targeting April..."

Donnie typed on the computer a bit more and gasped.

"Uh, guys?" he whimpered. "I found out what Pete's warning was about!"

They looked at the computer, and their collective jaws dropped in horror at the info.

"They're planting a mutagen bomb downtown?!" Leo shouted.

"And they're gonna use it to disperse ooze over half the city!" Donnie replied.

"Where's the bomb?!" Vee demanded.

Donnie typed away for a minute.

"On the roof of the Wolf Hotel building," he reported.

"Then let's haul shell!" Raph declared.

They all ran out of the room, only to be faced with an entire slew of Krangdroids outside.

"Aw, hell," Vee griped.

"The Turtles again," one Krangdroid declared.

They all aimed their blasters at them, the sound of them powering up filling the hallway.

"Uh, guys?" Kagome cut in. "I think now would be a good time to run!"

They all took off down the halls, the Krangdroids pursuing and firing at them all the way. The septet made it back to where they entered, and Leo immediately started signaling April with a bird call. Raph looked at him incredulously.

"What are you doing?!" he snapped.

"Signaling April!" Leo retorted.

"Oh for the love of- April, throw the rope!" Raph shouted. "NOW!"

The rope descended, allowing the gang to begin climbing up. The Krangdroids approached, attempting to follow, but Mikey hit them with a smoke bomb. Once they made it to the roof, April coiled up the rope as fast as she could.

"What'd you find out?" April asked.

"Krang's set up a mutagen bomb atop the Wolf Hotel," Kagome replied.

"And now they know that we know," Hisako added. "We need to get there ASAP!"

Atop the Wolf Hotel, multiple Krangdroids stood guard around a massive, high-tech bomb filled with mutagen.

"How much time left before the bomb goes off?" one Krangdroid asked another, which was pressing a few buttons on the bomb.

"Five minutes-" was all that Krangdroid managed to get out before its head was pierced with an arrow.

The Hamato siblings and Kagome appeared from the shadows, wielding bows and arrows and firing on the Krangdroids. It wasn't long before they were all dealt with, allowing the group to traverse the rooftops safely. They looked up at the bomb, Vee letting out a whistle.

"That's a big bomb," she remarked.

"Donnie, think you can disarm it?" Leo asked.

Donnie pried a panel open and gaped at the complex wiring and circuitry inside.

"Uh-oh," was all he managed to say.

"What do you mean, 'uh-oh'?!" Leo demanded. "You said you knew how to do this!"

"I didn't count on a design this complex, Leo!" Donnie snapped.

"They're aliens from another dimension!" Leo pointed out. "What did you expect? A big, round ball with a lit fuse that said "Bomb"?!"

"No," Donnie retorted, "but this is-"

Raph smacked them both upside the heads at that.

"Boy, I sure hope this argument goes on for another four minutes and fifteen seconds!" he shouted.

That snapped them back to attention. Donnie examined the wiring inside, sweating.

"Why don't you try cutting the red wire?" Mikey suggested. "That always works."

"What red wire?!" Donnie screamed.

They looked inside; there were wires in just about every color but red.

"...I got nothing," was all Mikey had to say.

Hisako opened her mouth to say something, but cut herself off as she clutched her head.

"Oh, no..." she hissed. "Not now!"

"Oh, for freak's sake!" Vee shouted. "Now what?!"

Hisako pointed upward. They all followed her finger to see Bradford, Gina, and Xever standing atop the bomb, leering down at them. They all drew their weapons as the trio jumped down.

"You guys picked a really bad time for this!" Leo shouted.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience," Gina said sarcastically. "When would you prefer to die by our hands?"

"Look at that, you idiots!" Kagome snapped, pointing at the bomb. "If that thing goes off, we're all gonna die!"

"I'd rather die with honor than live in shame!" Bradford retorted.

Mikey sighed, shaking his head.

"You guys are seriously screwed up in the head," he commented.

"Donnie, keep working on the bomb," Leo ordered. "We'll handle these three."

They all clashed furiously for a while, blade against blade, mutant against man, as Donnie continued sweating over the bomb, trying to figure out what to do.

"Down to two wires," he said. "Which do I cut? Black... or green?!"

"Go for the green!" Mikey suggested as he clashed with Xever.

The clock was ticking, the bomb was mere seconds from exploding, and finally, Donnie reached a decision:

"Eh, what do we have to lose?" he declared.

He took Mikey's suggestion and cut the green wire, and the bomb slowly shut down.

"Yes!" Donnie cheered. "I am the turtle!"

He jumped into the fight, and the Hamato septet managed to overpower the three Foot ninja, backing them up onto the bomb.

"It was a good fight, but we win," Leo said triumphantly. "Now lay down your weapons!"

"NEVER!" Xever shouted.

"If I go down, I'm taking you with me!" Bradford declared.

With that, he and Gina stabbed right into the mutagen bomb, cracking it open. Instead of exploding, the bomb released a gusher of mutagen that washed the trio away with a scream.

"Move!" Donnie shrieked.

Everyone dove out of the way, Raph grabbing Kagome as he did. Though they were able to get to safety, Hisako was not so lucky. She got hit with the full force of the mutagen wave, getting swallowed whole by the blue-green sludge.

"NO!" everyone screamed in horror. "Hisako!"

After a second, the deluge of mutagen stopped and Hisako sat up in the mutagen. She coughed and gagged, wiping the stuff off of her face and spitting out some. Everyone stared, surprised to see that she was still herself, unchanged at all.

"Ugh, I hate that stuff," she gagged as she pulled clumps out of her hair. "It's like jumping into a pool of warm jello. Gross."

"What the..." Mikey said in surprise.

"Hisako!" Kagome declared. "You... didn't mutate! It had no effect on you!"

"Nope. It never has," Hisako replied, stepping out of the mutagen puddle and shaking her feet clean of the stuff. "Was even dunked in a vat of the stuff once. Never did a thing."

Leo quickly decided to change the subject.

"So, to sum up tonight, we kicked the butts of Krang's men and Shredder's top henchmen, while defusing a bomb and saving the city," he listed off.

"All in a night's work for the Hamato Clan," Kagome said. "We. Are. AWESOME!"

They all cheered in jubilation, and were about to go home when a voice called out from the darkness.

"Your skills are impressive." They all froze up and turned to see an intimidating looking figure standing atop the defused bomb. He was tall, covered in spiky armor, with a menacing looking helmet covering his face. With a grunt, he jumped down, landing in front of them. "But they will not save you."

The septet all gaped, backing away a step.

"Oh, man," Donnie remarked. "You guys think that's... the Shredder?"

"Sure as hell ain't Santa Claus," Raph quipped.

Hisako went pale, gulping in terror as a wave of evil hit her, all of it coming from the man.

"Yeah..." she said nervously. "That's Shredder."

Kagome was going pale as well, glaring up at Shredder with tears in her eyes.

"You..." she whimpered. "You're the one who killed my father!"

Shredder approached them and they shuddered at the look in his eyes, one milky white, the other a muddy brown.

"You will have to be more specific," he told Kagome. "I've killed many fathers."

The fear gave way to anger as she tried to move in on him. Only the timely intervention of Raph stopped her. Shredder examined her for a moment, recognizing her features now. After a second, it finally hit him.

"Ah yes. You must be Kasumi Lee's daughter," he remarked. "I see much of your mother in you."

"MURDERER!" Kagome screamed, struggling in Raph's grip as she tried to charge at him.

Shredder ignored her, turning to the Hamato siblings.

"There is undoubtedly a fascinating story about how my old nemesis came to teach ninjutsu to five mutant turtles and a psychic," he mused. "Perhaps I will let one of you live long enough to tell it."

"Leo..." Hisako murmured, utterly terrified, "we need to run. We can't take him!"

Leo nodded.

"Mikey!" he announced. "We need an exit!"

Mikey pulled out a smoke bomb.

"So long, sucka!" he declared before throwing the bomb at the ground.

Unfortunately for the group, the bomb emitted a wet splat in lieu of the expected purple smoke. They all looked down, surprised and horrified to see that Mikey had cracked open an ordinary egg. Donnie recovered first, glaring daggers at the orange turtle.

"I told you not to waste the smoke bombs!" Donnie snapped.

"Alright," Mikey said sheepishly. "That one's on me."

Vee looked at Shredder.

"We're fucked," she cursed.

Blades popped out of Shredder's gauntlets with an ominous shing and he charged. Kagome tore herself from Raph's grip and charged at her, swinging her Shiranui blades at him in rapid suggestion. He managed to dodge and evade them with relative ease, until she cut him across the arm, causing him to stumble back as he saw blood coming out.

"You've drawn first blood," he remarked, somewhat impressed. "You are indeed Kasumi's daughter, but it is not enough."

Before Kagome could react, Shredder pulled off the Death Dragon, knocking her legs out from under her before kicking her aside.

"Kagome!" Raph cried out, drawing his sai and rushing forward.

Shredder ducked under Raph's attack and returned in kind, forcing Raph to go on the defensive for a minute. Raph then thrusted forward, prompting Shredder to catch the sai in his claws before kicking him right into the Wolf Hotel sign. Sparks flew as he was electrocuted before he fell to the ground, fried, but thankfully alive.

"Raph!" Leo cried out.

Shredder then leapt towards Leo, attempting to bring his claws down on him. Leo quickly leapt aside, bringing up his swords to block an incoming attack. He then ducked under Shredder's leg as he attempted to kick him and tried leaping towards the villain. Shredder responded by striking Leo to the ground and kicking him aside.

"Leo!" Mikey cried out.

Mikey quickly extended his kusarigama chain and flung it at Shredder, wrapping it around his wrist. Shredder just pulled him forward and kicked him aside. As he rolled away, Mikey threw several shuriken that rebounded off of Shredder's armor.

Donnie came at him from behind, swinging with his staff. Shredder dodged one strike before catching the staff mid-swing and punched the end into Donnie's face twice before backhanding him. Vee tried her luck next, somersaulting over Shredder before swinging at him with her kamas. Shredder caught her arms, and headbutted her twice before tossing her aside.

Hisako was frozen in place, fear washing over her as she eyed her fallen siblings. Shredder turned to her, unsheathing his blades and advancing, only for Leo to charge at him from behind. Shredder instantly spun around and blocked the attack.

"Stay away from my sister, you creep!" he shouted as they clashed.

Eventually, Shredder clapped his hands over Leo's ears, dazing him before flipping him over his shoulder. The sight broke through Hisako's paralysis and she charged at Shredder as well, slashing with her tessens. Shredder managed to grab her arm, and twisted it; Hisako screamed in pain and dropped her tessen before being slammed into the ground.

Meanwhile, Kagome had managed to pull herself over to Raph, who was shaking out the cobwebs in his head. She clutched his hand.

"He's too strong..." she whimpered. "He's gonna kill us, just like he killed Tang Shen and Dad..."

"We gotta get outta here," Raph remarked. "I hate running from a fight, but we can't win this."

Shredder overlooked the fallen Hamato septet, glaring at them.

"Tell me where Hamato Yoshi is," he declared, "and I promise to make your deaths quick."

In a burst of strength, Hisako sprang up and grabbed his arm, flooding his mind with red images in an attempt to distract him. He shouted in surprise, backing up and clutching his head at the mental assault.

"RUN! HURRY!" she screamed.

The beaten ninjas all pulled themselves up, only to be taken aback when a figure emerged from the puddle of mutagen, gasping for air. It was a red fish with arms.

"Help... me..." it wheezed in the voice of Xever.

"What is this?!" Shredder demanded as two larger mutants emerged from the ooze; a menacing looking turtle, and a large spiked dog. "Bradford? Gina? Xever?"

He turned around, only to notice that the Hamato siblings and Kagome had fled while he was distracted.

"NO!" he shrieked into the sky.

The seven teen ninjas had made it back to the lair, having their wounds tended to by Master Splinter. Kasumi held her daughter in a close hug, relieved she was safe.

"Few have faced the Shredder and survived," Splinter noted, checking bandages on Raph's arms. "Consider yourselves lucky."

"He was terrifying," Hisako muttered. "The evil aura he gave off..."

She shuddered, leaning into the couch as she held herself..

"And he was so fast..." Kagome remarked.

"It was like he was everywhere at once," added Donnie.

"We were in way over our heads," Vee said sadly.

"You were right, Sensei," Leo admitted. "We were overconfident."

"And we almost died because of it," Raph interjected.

"We should have listened to you, Sensei," Mikey concluded.

Splinter sighed.

"What matters is that you got back here safely," he informed them.

Kasumi turned her back to them, trembling with rage.

"First he takes away my love, then he takes Yoshi's, and now he threatens our children?" she said, deadly calm. "I will not stand for this."

"And neither will I," Splinter agreed. "He may have won the battle, but this war is just beginning."

The Hamato siblings and Kagome all looked down, uncertain what to say. The Shredder hadn't just beaten them physically, he had wounded them psychologically.

And it would take some time to recover from it all.

Author's Note:

Well, that happened. Not much to revamp, except expanding the ending fight scene.

Just as an FYI, Gina was always intended to be this fic's iteration of Tokka. As for her appearance, think a female version of mutant Hun from Turtles Forever.

Please R&R. Until Next Time!