- Chapter 17 -

Enter the Rat King

It was a dark and stormy night in New York as a dirty, ragged figure made his way through the streets. He was dressed in an old, tattered trench coat and fedora, his face swathed in bandages. On his shoulder sat a large rat, that he spoke to as he looked around.

"This city is infested..." he hissed. "Millions of parasites, scrambling around in their pointless lives, spreading disease and forcing us to live in the shadows, like vermin!"

The rat squeaked in his ear, chittering excitedly.

"Agreed," the man told it. "Together, we will rid this city of humanity, and reclaim it for ourselves. An empire of rats! So say I, the Rat King!"

The streets filled with his maniacal laughter.

The next morning, Splinter and Kasumi stood in the dojo, their backs to their children and their eyes closed as the seven huddled together and hashed out a plan.

"Okay, here's the plan," Leo announced. "Donnie, you're gonna strike first."

"Wait a sec," Donnie objected. "You want me to come at Sensei and Kasumi?! I'll get pummeled!"

"Well, getting pummeled is your specialty," Raph quipped, getting a glare from Donnie.

"Trust me," Leo insisted. "It's all part of my plan to catch those two off-guard."

"No offense Leo, but against Sensei and Kasumi, your ideas usually end up with us getting our shells kicked," Mikey pointed out.

Leo glared at him. "Okay, new plan. Mikey, you strike first."

Mikey winced and Vee patted his back. "Rule number one, Mikey. Keep your trap shut."

"And while Mikey's getting his ass handed to him?" Hisako asked.

"What do we do from there?" Kagome questioned.

"Just follow my lead," Leo replied.

The septet got into position, surrounding Splinter and Kasumi as they prepared to fight. Mikey made his move first, charging and twirling his nunchucks.

"Booyakasha!" he screamed as he ran at Kasumi, only to be grabbed in a headlock.

"Incoming!" the elder Lee shouted before tossing Mikey at Splinter, who grabbed his legs in mid-air and whipped him into the ground.

Hisako jumped into the air, coming in with a punch. Her fist seemed to connect solidly with Kasumi's face, rocking her head to the side. That was, until Kasumi gave a small smirk and turned her head, revealing she caught Hisako's fist at full extension.

"Oh, shi-" was all Hisako managed to say before Kasumi tossed her into a charging Vee, knocking them both flat.

"Ouch..." both Hamato sisters let out.

Kagome ran at Splinter, coming in with a spin kick before swinging a right hook at his nose. He blocked both, and kicked Kagome to the ground. Donnie and Raph came in swinging, but Splinter and Kasumi blocked and parried every one. Ultimately, Splinter kicked Donnie's legs out from under him before knocking him into Raph with a palm strike. At that very moment, Leo made his move, landing a solid punch to both Splinter and Kasumi's faces. The blow sent them reeling back a bit. Leo gasped at that.

"Oh, no!" he exclaimed. "Sensei, Kasumi, I'm sorry! I-"

The two senior ninjas promptly grabbed him and pinned him down. The others watched, wincing.

"Well, Leo's dead," Kagome said simply.

"Not quite," Hisako replied.

As if on cue, Kasumi and Splinter let go of Leo and backed off.

"Well done, Leonardo," Splinter complimented.

"Well done indeed," Kasumi added as she helped Leo up. "But in the future, don't hesitate, especially when you have the advantage. That may very well cost you."

"That will be all for today," Splinter declared. "Now, who's hungry?"

That got excited affirmations from everyone.

"I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse!" Raph declared.

"Hey, don't look at me when you say that," Mikey objected.

Raph scoffed. "I said a horse, not a jackass."

"Watch yourself, Raphael," Kasumi admonished. "You wouldn't want to spend time in the Hashi, would you?"

Raph gulped and shook his head. "No, Kasumi. Sorry."

Kasumi gave a small smirk before nodding. "I thought not."

-X-

In the dining room, Splinter boiled noodles for ramen as the others sat at the table, gushing over Leo's accomplishment.

"That was a nice shot, Leo," Hisako complimented.

"I'll say!" added Vee. "You tagged both of them, and at the same time no less!"

"That was epic!" Donnie included.

Leo shrugged. "It was just one punch, guys."

"True," Kagome remarked, "but it's the first time any of us ever managed to land a hit on either Mom or Master Splinter."

"Yeah, that's a big deal, Leo," Raph added. "Give yourself some credit."

Mikey took Leo's hand, looking it over. "The hand that punched Sensei and Kasumi," he said in awe. "You know you can never wash this again, right?"

"Ewwww..." Vee, Hisako, and Kagome all let out in disgust.

"Don't worry, I'm still gonna wash," Leo assured them, getting a sigh of relief from the girls. "But I can't take all the credit. It was all teamwork."

"Ever the humble leader," Donnie remarked.

"Yes," said Kasumi. "But all of you are getting better."

"Thanks, Mom," Kagome replied, smiling.

Splinter scooped the ramen out of the pot and into bowls for all of them, but just as they were about to dig in, they heard a squeak, and a rat jumped onto the table.

"What the hell?!" Vee shouted as they all jumped back in shock.

"Since when do we have rats outside of Dad in our home?" Mikey demanded.

At that moment, Splinter clutched his head, wincing in pain as a dark voice echoed in his mind.

Join me... JOIN ME...

"Yoshi?" Kasumi asked, seeing her friend's distress. "What's wrong?!"

"Something... something's attacking me!" Splinter shouted.

Hisako reached towards him, taking hold of his wrist. As she did, they both let out screams of agony before collapsing.

"Dad!" everyone shouted. "Hisako!"

"What the hell is going on here?!" Raph demanded.

Before they could do anything, they heard the sound of birds twittering.

"That's April's ringtone!" Donnie said, pulling out his T-Phone.

"Is now really the time to be answering calls?" Kagome asked. "Master Splinter and Hisako just collapsed, and we don't know why!"

Donnie answered the phone, ignoring Kagome.

"Hey, April!" he greeted. "Listen, this isn't a good-"

"I need help!" came April's voice. "I'm having a little... pest problem."

Kasumi remained behind with Splinter and Hisako as the others went topside. They made it to the rooftops, gasping in shock to see that the streets were literally swarming with rats.

"Wow..." Mikey said in awe. "The city's so beautiful in the daytime. Except for the, y'know, millions of rats."

"Where the hell did all these things come from?" Raph demanded.

"We'll figure that out after we save April!" Kagome declared.

They ran a short distance ahead, and stopped short at the sight of April clinging to the top of a telephone pole, having scaled it to escape the rats.

"Aw, rats!" Mikey declared, before chuckling. "Get it?"

Raph and Vee exchanged looks and nodded at one another before Raph smacked Mikey upside the head.

"Boo!" Vee jeered at her brother.

Mikey scoffed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Y'know, jokes and puns are like cheese. Sometimes, the best ones stink the most."

"You're gonna keep this up until the rats are gone, aren't you?" Raph asked.

"Basically," Mikey admitted.

"We're coming, April!" Donnie shouted. "Just stay put!"

"Like I have much of a choice!" April retorted.

Donnie turned to his siblings and Kagome.

"Perfect time to try out my latest invention." He pulled out multiple turtle shell-shaped grappling hooks. "The Turtle Line!"

"Exposition later!" Leo snapped as they took the grappling hooks, flinging them over to the telephone pole.

They began scaling the pole, and multiple rats began scaling the pole as well, falling on them from above as well.

"Blasted rats!" Donnie cursed. "Mothers of all disease! Lords of unholy pestilence!"

"Better not let Dad hear you say that," Vee deadpanned.

At that moment, a rat fell on Kagome from below, slipping down the front of her shirt.

"Aaah!" she screamed. "Get it out!"

She started giggling and squirming as the rat began moving around in her shirt. "Oh God, it's in my bra!"

Vee reached into Kagome's shirt and grabbed the rat, yanking it out and tossing it aside. "So glad I don't wear one of those things..."

"Uh, guys?" Mikey said suddenly, looking down.

They followed his gaze, and their jaws dropped to see multiple rats chewing through the wood of the telephone pole.

"Shit!" Raph shouted.

"Leo, please tell me you have a plan!" Donnie demanded.

Before Leo could say anything, the pole lurched, tipping over. April lost her grip and fell. She began screaming, but Donnie quickly swung over and caught her, landing back on the pole.

"As long as Donnie's here, there's nothing to-" he was cut off by a creaking noise. "Oh, boy."

The rats finished chewing through the pole, and it began to fall, bringing the Hamato Clan and April down with it.

"YAAAA-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOEY! (1)" Mikey screamed before the pole stopped short, hanging only by the remaining cables attached to it.

"Okay," April let out. "I appreciate you guys coming to help, but how is this better than being eaten by rats?!"

"No idea," Raph remarked. "But I know one thing: this is not the way I thought we'd go out!"

"Everyone, climb to the end of the pole!" Leo shouted. "Quick!"

They all followed Leo's advice and scrambled to the end of the pole. As the cables snapped, the top end of the pole fell, causing the group to ride the bottom half as it moved through the air. As soon as the pole reached a high point, Donnie grabbed April and the entire group leapt onto a nearby rooftop just before the pole fell back down into the rats.

"Well," Mikey said as they caught their breath, "that was rat-tling."

Everyone groaned at that.

"Thanks guys," April said with a smile before looking around. "Hey, where's Hisako?"

"Long story," Leo replied.

Donnie folded his arms in thought.

"This attack is extremely well coordinated. Someone, or something, is controlling every rat in the city."

"Wait," Kagome gasped in realization. "Every rat?"

All of them froze up at that.

"DAD!" they all screamed.

Back down in the lair, Hisako moaned, slowly coming to. She sat up on the futon she'd been laid on, rubbing her head.

"Well..." she said, "that was unpleasant."

Kasumi went over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Though now I know how you guys feel when I overload your minds." Hisako turned to the still-unconscious Splinter, wincing when she saw that he was still out of it. "But I just got caught in the crossfire. That attack was meant for Dad, and only him."

"It was?" Kasumi asked.

"Someone calling himself the Rat King is trying to take control of him," Hisako explained. "Maybe I can..."

She went over to Splinter, placing his head in her lap before placing her hands on either side of his face. Closing her eyes, she focused, entering her father's mind.

-X-

When Hisako opened her eyes, she found herself in a black void. Splinter stood there, looking around as the Rat King's voice echoed around him.

"Why fight it?" he asked. "You know in your heart you belong with the Rat King."

"No," Splinter snarled. "Leave me. I am not one of your rats to control!"

"You're right," the Rat King replied. "You are so much more. We are so much more. And together, we will be unstoppable."

"Hey!" Hisako shouted. "Leave him alone!"

Splinter turned to her as she ran up to him. "Hisako?!"

"Dad, are you okay?"

"How are you here?" Splinter began to look around, as if trying to find an exit. "You should not be here. It is not safe!"

At that moment, the Rat King emerged from the shadows.

"Come, Splinter," he said, offering a hand. "Join your true family. Serve me. Serve... the Pantheon."

Hisako scowled, standing between the Rat King and Splinter. "His true family is me and my siblings. So piss off!"

Gathering mental energy, she thrust her hands at the Rat King, knocking him off his feet. The Rat King scowled, getting up.

"Foolish mortal! I have existed for millennia! Mankind once bowed to me and my siblings! And soon, they will again!"

"I said piss off!" Hisako snapped, obviously not caring.

The Rat King snarled. "You don't seem to realize who you're dealing with, little girl."

-X-

Back in reality, Hisako's siblings, alongside Kagome and April, ran back down to the lair.

"Kasumi, the city's gone nuts," Leo explained. "There's a huge rat infestation. Someone or something is controlling them."

"The Rat King, according to your sister," Kasumi replied. "He's the one who attacked Yoshi."

"Rat King?" Mikey repeated. "Aw, the bad guy named himself for once?"

This got him looks from the rest of his siblings.

"Glad to see you have your priorities straight, Mikey," Kagome deadpanned.

Leo looked over at Hisako and Splinter, seeing sweat pouring off their brows.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Hisako entered Yoshi's mind to see what was going on," Kasumi answered. "They've been like that for the past twenty minutes."

"Damn it, so we were right," Raph cursed. "This Rat King is trying to hijack Dad's mind."

"Yeah," Donnie remarked. "I just hope Hisako's strong enough to help Sensei kick him out."

-X-

The Rat King charged at Hisako, sending her flying with a punch. She rolled a good distance upon hitting the ground. Groaning slightly, she pulled herself up.

"What..." she managed to say as she staggered to her feet, "What the hell are you?"

The Rat King smirked as he loomed over her. "For that answer, a history lesson is in order. I come from a distant past, where mankind was in its infancy, and my family, all mighty beings, competed to rule the world. A world sadly lost to memory."

"No, that's impossible," Hisako said, shaking her head. "Nothing can survive for that long. You'd have to be-"

"A god?" the Rat King suggested.

"There's no such thing!" Hisako snapped.

"A non-believer, I see," the Rat King remarked.

Hisako scoffed. "If you'd lived through half of the fucked-up shit I have, you would be too."

"Child, I have seen countless wars, and plenty of, as you say, 'fucked-up shit'," the Rat King retorted before going on with his story. "When humanity rose to power, I and my brethren continued on, hidden amongst them and using our powers sparingly. In my case, sometimes to reward, sometimes to punish. Tell me, do either of you recall the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin?"

Splinter gasped. "Are you saying... that you were the Piper?"

Hisako was equally shocked. "The piper that used music to lure all the rats out of the city, then did the same with the children? That was you?"

"Precisely," the Rat King nodded. "All the while, I awaited in anticipation of the great game to come. When my family and I would again compete for the throne of the world. A world once more ready for the extraordinary, as it was in days long past."

"And what does any of this have to do with me?" Splinter demanded.

The Rat King waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing. Everything. That will be for those like me, your masters, to decide in time, Hamato Yoshi."

Hisako scowled, pointing a finger at the Rat King. "Dad's the Master, not you! You can't control him! I won't let you!"

"Still so blind to your situation," the Rat King sighed. "The world is our chess board, and every chess board requires pawns. Pawns that can be saved or sacrificed. Sometimes that depends upon the whims of the players- other times, the strength of the move in play."

He raised a hand, clenching his fist. "The rats are my pawns, and it is my whim to uplift them, and make them the true masters of New York City!"

"My father is no one's damn pawn!" Hisako shouted.

"I am a man!" Splinter screamed. "I am Hamato Yoshi!"

"Not anymore," the Rat King replied. "Tell me, why do you cling so hard to this life of yours? Your so-called children will soon outgrow you, and leave you behind. Even your dear friend Kasumi Lee will eventually move on."

Splinter looked unsure at that, and Hisako frantically turned to him.

"He's lying, Dad! Don't listen to him!"

The Rat King lunged forward, grabbing Hisako by the throat.

"I grow tired of your interference!" he screamed as he began to strangle her.

Hisako squirmed feebly and pounded on his hands weakly, trying to break free. The sight of his daughter in pain broke through Splinter's paralysis. He furiously charged at the Rat King, kicking him aside and forcing him to drop Hisako. He coughed, regaining her senses.

"You dare touch my child?!" Splinter shouted.

-X-

Back in reality, the others watched in horror as Hisako's breath caught for a few seconds, hand-shaped bruises forming on her throat and a small trickle of blood beginning to escape her nose.

"What's going on?!" Vee demanded.

"No, don't tell me..." Kagome said in fear. "They're losing the fight!"

Donnie looked on worriedly. "Come on, Dad… Hisako..."

-X-

Splinter charged at the Rat King in a rage, running him through. The Rat King gasped, but strangely gave a satisfied smirk.

"You are not my master!" Splinter shouted. "My place is with my family!"

The Rat King slowly dissipated, and with that, Splinter went over to Hisako and pulled her into a fatherly embrace.

-X-

Back in reality, Splinter gasped for air and sat bolt upright, panting. Hisako came to around the same time.

"And... stay out..." Hisako coughed out, wiping blood from her nose.

Everyone ran over, hugging both of them in joy and relief.

"Most impressive," came the voice of the Rat King.

They all jumped as he suddenly materialized from the shadows. Leo placed a hand on his swords.

"You must be the Rat King," he mused, glaring at the intruder.

"Y'know, I can some up with way better names for you," Mikey cut in. "There's Ratzilla, the Verminator, Lord Rattington..."

"Shut up, Mikey!" everyone shouted.

Hisako stood up, weakened but determined, as she glared at the Rat King. "Get... the fuck... away from our father."

The Rat King ignored her as he looked the Hamato family over. "You all are like no other creatures I have encountered. A rat who is both a man and a father. A human child with such extraordinary powers. And turtle children with such promise. All more knights than pawns."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Raph demanded.

"The game for the world has just begun, and my opponents have already made their first moves," the Rat King replied cryptically. "Rest assured, however, my turn will come, and when that day comes, perhaps I will lead with my knights."

He looked at Splinter. "I hope in time you realize where you truly belong, Hamato Yoshi. Human beings are a virus. A disease organism that spreads across this planet and pollutes it. And we are the cure."

He was gone just as suddenly as he had appeared, leaving everyone staring in confusion.

"What the hell just happened?" Kasumi finally said.

"Long story..." Hisako panted, turning to them. "Short version... there are monsters... other than..."

At that, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she collapsed; Leo caught her before she hit the ground.

After putting Hisako in her bed and getting the full story from Splinter, the other Hamato teens escorted April home. They looked around, mildly surprised to see the rat infestation had disappeared.

"They're all gone..." Vee remarked.

"This Rat King..." Donnie mused aloud, "What is he?"

"Considering all this crazy stuff that just happened," Leo said, "I'm inclined to believe his word that he's some kinda god."

"Can we even handle something like that, Leo?" Mikey asked in fear.

Leo patted his youngest brother on the back.

"We'll deal with it, Mikey," he assured. "We always do."

Author's Note:

(1): The Goofy holler, for non-Disney fans.

This incarnation of the Rat King is taken from the IDW comics, as are this Pantheon he mentioned.

Next chapter, there's a new ninja in town: enter Karai!

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Rat King- Kenny Green (Kureo Mado from Tokyo Ghoul, Fu from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Mr. Nirasaki from Wolf Children, Kaseki in Dr. Stone)

Please R&R. Until next time...