Karai watched as her father trained … well, less trained and more tried to find even the slightest amount of exercise in beating up Bradford and Xever. It was hard to train when you were leagues above anyone else in raw talent and experienced skill. Everyone else that was incapable of not landing a fatal blow with their pinkie toe didn't even come close to the Shredder. Xever and Bradford were basically over glorified punching bags, especially with their mutations.
Once launched across the room, her father finally cracked his knuckles. "I hope you used this as a learning experience." Didn't even break a sweat, just how it should be.
"It wasn't us, Master Shredder, Stockman-!" Bradford tried to argue, only to get hit down once more.
"Stockman's head will be delivered in due time, but you do not get to hide your failures behind him anymore." Her father growled.
The guy who made fancy tech ran away with the wind, and so went the only person left to care about the brain people. She tried to press the issue of them being a bigger threat, but it was always 'the turtles' that took his attention. She understood the desire for revenge, she knew that her father would go through hell and back of it meant personally sending Hamato Yoshi into the fiery pit. She herself would love to take a stab at Splinter, but that didn't mean much if you weren't, you know, alive to enjoy it.
This blood feud was an obsession, something she didn't want to get caught up in. Heck, it's why she didn't hold a grudge against the spider… not a major one anyways… though she did have a habit of sending knives into any cobwebs she could find now. "Father." She spoke up. "Don't you think it's time we finally had a talk about the robots?" She asked.
"Without a scientist in our midst there's nothing to discuss." Shredder waved off. "I'll speak to our ally and ask him when he gets a new scientist to replace Octavious and Stockman."
That's the thing about the Shredder Karai realized over the years. He never looked back once a situation passed. If he lost a valuable resource, he simply carried on like he was dusting off dirt from a tie. Sometimes it came back to bite … but like most animals biting predators, it was quickly and ruthlessly taken care of. "Are you really not going to question why aliens are in New York?" Karai asked.
"Karai, in my travels of the world I have encountered kapa, sorcerers, an immortal with claws of metal, demons, a flaming skeleton that travels on a horse, an indestructible panther man in charge of the most advanced city on earth, undead rivals rising from the grave, and the occasional person out of time. Aliens are not implausible in the slightest."
… Ah … She had so many questions she didn't even know where to begin on that one. "..But.."
"These 'Kraang' are nothing more than a resource to exploit when it's convenient." Her father went on. "But seeing that the creation of more advanced weapons are out of reach for the time being, I shall be putting in a favor from an old ally from russia."
"And you don't think that the Kraang are a threat?" She asked.
"The only threat to me, and the Foot, is Hamato Yoshi." He growled. "Do well to remember that, and all the pain he has caused us."
"I've forgotten nothing." The sting of her mother's absence would always be there…but she also never met the woman. It was hard to feel as strongly as her father did. "But if they get in the way.."
"If they get in the way, I will personally deal with them. For now, your focus should be on observing the turtles. Drop this Kraang obsession at once."
Oh, like he was one to talk about obsession. "As you say, father." She reluctantly bowed.
"And you are not to engage with the Spider-man."
"Of course father." Not like she had any plans on fighting him … but she definitely needed to talk with them … maybe through Leo. He seemed like the guy who would throw her a bone.
Mikey groaned. "I hate waiting around for the bad guys." It was especially boring since he fully memorized the map, and Donnie wouldn't let him play with any of the games on the Shellraiser computers. "Can't we at least swing buy for a Pizza?"
"Sorry, not this week." Spidey pointed out. "Just opened a savings account. Gonna wait until I've saved up a couple hundred before splurging."
"What about a pizza gyoza?" He asked.
"Murakami is still fixing up the damages from Venom." Leo said, looking through the cameras. "We should probably stay away from him for a while anyways, he doesn't exactly have us on speed dial like April in case the purple dragons try to use him as bait again."
"Damn it. Villains always ruin everything." Mikey pouted. One of the few friends they had on the surface and Venom messed it all up.
"That's why we beat them up in the first place." Raph said, pounding his fists. "Speaking of skulls to crack, where are the Kraang anyway?"
"Dunno." Donnie said. "According to the info I was able to snag, there was supposed to be a new invention test around this area, but so far I haven't spotted anything."
"Here's to hoping it was a bust and it exploded into itty bitty Kraang bits." Spidey whistled, looking up at the sky. "And to think I used to stargaze, thinking I could reach the stars…now I look up and just pray that whatever's above stays there."
"Aliens haven't been getting the best rep, that's for sure." Donnie groaned. "Between the Kraang and the Symbiote … it's annoying."
Yeah, even his comics didn't paint them in the best light. Mikey looked up … and noticed something. "Hey, shooting star!"
"Where?" Spidey looked up. "Don't see anything but the nearly pitch black abyss that's the night sky of New York."
"Really?" Mikey asked. "Could have sworn it looked like the star moved for a moment." He looked closer … "Oh nah, it was just the moon bending for a bit."
"... Did you say the moon is bending?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, you know. Looking all weird and wavy for some reason. I'm pretty sure that's normal, right Donnie?"
"Now I know you're delusional." The turtle said, looking up with him. "The moon doesn't … by Darwin's beard it really is bending."
"Wait no, I think it's refraction." Spidey said. "Like something's moving?"
"But nothing's there." Raph argued. "It's just the night sky."
"Well if it's bending, that implies something, like a lens or a mirror of some sort is in front of it." Donnie observed, taking the telescope and looking closer. "But why would something like that be so high… in the…" Donnie slowed down, thinking about something. "... Hey you don't think …"
"What, that the Kraang are flying around with a giant mirror?" Mikey asked. "It makes sense, if you can start fire with a normal sized magnifying glass, imagine what you get from a massive mirror."
"I think he's thinking of something more dangerous than a mirror Mikey." Spidey said, raising a hand and thwipping a web ball in the sky, aiming at the moon… stopping halfway and the moon bending again… as it rippled… revealing a silver and pink… UFO. "... So the Kraang started investing in their camo gear. I mean it's a step up from the normal masks and ms Cambells disguise, but how would you brand that?"
ZAP
A giant pink laser hit next to the Shellraiser, creating a massive hole in the ground. "Don't know, how about you ask them as we flee for our lives!?" Raph shouted as Leo put the pedal to the metal.
They began swerving through the streets as the floating ship chased after them, firing laser after laser. "RAPH!" Leo shouted. "Now would be a good time for the garbage cannon!"
"On it!" He went over and pulled a lever, as balls of trash fired … and bounced off the ship. "Donnie, tell me this thing has something with more firepower!"
"Other than the manhole covers, not really!"
"Seriously!?"
"I had to use the leftover Kraang tech we've gathered to make a new power source to compensate for the lack of the power cell! I didn't exactly have the resources left for 'massive laser beam'!"
"Well then I guess it's plan S." Spidey said. "Keep the covering fire Raph, I'm gonna swing up there and take down the ship from the inside."
"Spidey, that's a horrible idea!" Leo shouted.
"What? Taking things down from the inside worked against Vulture, Stock-Pod, and the Rhino."
"Those were old men and idiotic losers in overblown pajamas, this is an invisible alien ship that fires lasers!" Raph shouted. "Lasers that cut right through your webs!"
ZAP
"We lost a rear wheel!" Donnie shouted as the Shellraiser began to shake.
"Well we do have the other option of sitting in here and letting it fry us in a vehicle that can't break it open from the outside. I am open to a variety of suggestions." Peter said, holding onto the wall.
Mikey looked through the periscope for another option that didn't involve him being reckless again. "... We could ask Leo's girlfriend for help."
"One, Karai isn't my girlfriend!" Leo shouted. "Two, why the heck would you even bring her up right now?"
"Because she just threw a smoke bomb at the … invisiship?" The name was there, but it didn't quite fit. "The reflectotraveler … nah that's not right … oh, the IFK, Invisible Floating Kraang!"
"Karai is here!?" Leo moved over and looked through the scope. "Why is she messing with the Kraang!?"
"Don't know, and I frankly don't care, this gives us time to find cover!" Raph shouted.
"Wait, wasn't Leo driving?" Spidey asked.
Crash
The Shellraiser flipped over to its side and crashed into a wall. "... Why did you let Leo drive again?" Mikey asked Donnie.
"Let's be honest, you would've crashed us into worse."
"….Fair enough." Mikey nodded. Crashing into an ice cream factory was very tempting most days.
Spidey got out. "Allright, I'm gonna flip this bad boy back up, you all go talk to Leo's kinda sort of crush slash mortal enemy."
"She's not my mortal enemy!" leo shouted again.
"Sure she isn't." Raph rolled his eyes.
"Also you didn't deny the crush part." Donnie pointed out.
"… Let's just reach her before the Kraang do." Their leader sighed.
They all jumped up on the building looking for the sky … as the Kraang ship was nowhere to be seen. "You guys think the IFK's gone or invisible?"
"We're about to find out I guess… damn it, the Spider-sense is never around when we need it." Leo grumbled.
"Well it makes sense that I'd trigger it." Karai spoke as she slid out of a vent. "I am a dangerous gal."
"And here I was hoping the Kraang turned you to dust… guess that was just wishful thinking." Raph grumbled. "Of course beating you senseless personally would be more cathartic."
"Now now, as much fun as it would be to scuffle, I came for a truce." She raised her hands in a bit of a mocking manner. "I figured at least Leo would hear me out, wouldn't you, nice guy?"
"Last time I did, you left us to deal with a giant kraken mutant while you ran off, making us have to deal Xever… again." Leo countered with a scowl. "So pardon me if I take your offer of a 'truce' with a grain of salt."
"Wow, you're actually learning. Color me impressed." The girl smirked. "As much as our little spats amuse me, there's more important matters to deal with than the blood feud between the foot and Hamato clan."
"... And why's that?" Donnie asked.
"The Kraang are a threat." She said. "I tried telling Shredder as much, but he's all 'revenge revenge revenge'." She spoke mockingly.
"So you don't want revenge?" Mikey asked.
"Oh I do, just saying he needs a hobby."
"Well I don't think he's keen on joining a knitting club anytime soon." Leo glared.
"Look, I'm serious. We can fight until all our blood drains from our veins, but the fact of the matter is that none of it will matter if the Kraang destroy the city first." Karai said sternly.
"Alrighty boys." Spidey swung up. "I got the Shellraiser moved, how-" He blocked a kunai thrown by Karai. "Well, I see peace negotiations are off to a great start."
"You just… caught me off guard." The Kunoichi stuttered for a second, before turning back to Leo. "Come, on you know I'm right about this."
"Even if you are." Leo started, crossing his arms. "How exactly do you plan on helping?"
"Yeah, none of us have the equipment to destroy the … IFK, and everyone says my idea of destroying it from the inside is stupid." Peter said.
"It is, and that's because you're throwing literal garbage at it." Karai countered.
"Highly compressed garbage." Donnie corrected. "It was enough to knock Fishface out in one shot."
"That's not as impressive as you're trying to make it sound." Karai said with a shake of the head. "For something that advanced, you'd need something with more firepower…like a heat seeking armor piercing missile launcher."
"Fancy fancy, bringing in the highly illegal overkill." Spidey commented. "And I take it your metal plated boss has some on decoration?"
"No, but he will. Tomorrow afternoon he's getting a shipment of weapons at the docks." Karai said. "I can sneak you in, let a few go missing, and blame it on the dealer."
"Oh, sure, going in without the cover of night to an isolated location full of deadly weapons about twenty feet away from the Shredder." Raph recounted. "That doesn't sound like a trap at all."
"Cross my heart, I swear." Karai stated seriously. "I'm not the Shredder, I'm not an obsessive freak who lets vengeance consume their every waking thought, I KNOW when to look beyond myself."
They all turned to Leo, who looked contemplative. "... Fine, we'll go through with it." He could see Raph groan. "The Kraang are the bigger threat, especially with the portal operational."
"Well welcome to the 'backstab Shredder' club." Spidey joked. "We have targets on our backs, pizza, and endless humor."
"Just….keep your wall crawling friend away and I can get you that rocket launcher." Karai stated.
"What, you scared he's going his spidey print's all over the place?" Raph snorted.
"...See you tomorrow." Karai turned around. "...And thanks Leo." She jumped off the ledge, and disappeared.
"..Oh shell, I think little miss assassin is actually afraid of Spidey." Raph snickered.
"Well he was on the verge of killing her back at the genome Lab." Donnie remembered
"Great, there goes my friendly neighborhood reputation." Peter lamented. "Making criminals afraid I'll break their spines like I'm some sort of anti-hero."
"Hey, anti-heroes are plenty cool." Mikey patted his back. "They wear leather and carry around swords … like Leo if he acted like Raph."
"Are you saying I'm not cool?" Leo glared.
"Pfft, is that a rhetorical question?" Raph laughed even harder. "Alright, let's grab the Shellraiser and figure out what we're gonna do.
Raph sat down, watching as everyone took a spot in the lair. "Great, I stabbed Shocker, broke Karai … any other villainous stuff I should know about?" Peter asked.
"You launched Vulture into Spider-Byte's mouth." Donnie said. "Most of the suit was turned to goo… and I'm not fully aware of Toome's injuries… other than the large facial scares he'll likely have.."
"Pile on the guilt, why don't you? Not like my conscience is shot to hell and back." Peter lamented as he crawled on the walls. "I don't think I'll ever wear the color black again. The second I do, I give everyone here free permission to knock me unconscious."
"I could do it right now and save us all time and trouble." Raph raised his hand.
"Tempting, but I prefer to save the concussions for one big go round, helps save up long term damage." He waved off. "So Leo, we trusting your sort of date sort of rival?"
"You of all people don't have the right to say anything after Black Cat!" The blue turtle shouted.
"Hey, I was under the influence of an evil black suit, what's your excuse?"
"He's got a point bro." Mikey smirked, flipping through one of his comics. "You don't have an alien parasite to fall back on."
"Look, I'm not dating her, and she's not exactly an enemy, is it impossible for both things to be true?" Leo said.
"Statistically speaking, there's a sixty-five percent chance that it's possible." Donnie stated. "Though that means it's a thirty-five percent chance she's full of it."
"I think just a one percent chance is enough for us to not trust anything." Raph nodded. "They're the Foot, they've literally trained their entire lives to kill us."
"True enough, but we don't really have a choice." Peter said. "We're gonna need a rocket if we want to actually take on that IFK thing from the outside."
"The name is catching on!" Mikey shouted. "My naming streak is getting its spark back! I just need to make sure to be there before they name themselves next time."
"That alone is the only reason why I'm even considering this." Leo nodded, before a questioning look came onto his face. "...Although…. this also means we know where the Shredder is going to be….and he's not going to know where we are."
"Ah, I see what you're goin with." Peter grinned.
"I think I am too." Raph grinned.
"We take pictures of the deal/take out the Shredder." The two of them looked at each other. "What!? We can't Kill/take pictures!"
"Listen!" Peter said. "I have a job at a literal news company. I snag some shots, give them to someone else to run the story, and we can start making legal headway on arresting the Shredder."
"Oh like someone like the Shredder is going to take 'legality' into consideration." Raph pointedly accused. "If the police or whatever come at his doorstep, he's more likely to cut through them like kebabs! You heard miss assassin, he only cares about revenge and nothing else."
"And you're talking about, you know, murder." Peter said. "The line that shouldn't be crossed."
"We're ninja, we've trained to cross the line." Raph argued. "Besides, I know we don't slice and dice everyone, but people like the Shredder, the Symbiote, and the Rat King need to go."
"And is it any different than stabbing Snakeweed's heart and keeping it frozen?" Donnie added to his point. "Sure, he's still 'alive' in some shape or form, but effectively he's dead by every medical standard."
"But there's still a chance for him to live, for a cure for his mutation so he can go back to being a regular ole joe… granted a sleazy one, but normal." Spidey pressed on.
"The Shredder's not normal." Mikey spoke up, getting everyone's head turned to him. "I mean, yeah, he's just a guy covered in pointy stuff….but those eyes… they have no soul, no kindness or anything that makes a person… a person."
"And if Mikey says that, you KNOW there's a point." Raph said. "So when this deal goes off, we take a rocket launcher, and fire it off at the Shredder himself."
"Oh come one! Am I the only one who's not talking crazy pills today? Did the Symbiote get inside of your shells?" Spidey grunted. "Leo, say something."
Their brother looked over the room, and back to Spidey, before sighing. "...The Shredder is our responsibility to handle… so we need to take any opportunity we have to take him out… no matter what."
"Yes, finally!" Raph cheered. For once Leo was making sense
"Oh come on!" Peter slapped his forehead. "Guys, I'm not saying we shouldn't take the chance to stop cheese grater while we still can…but we're double crossing Karai when she's actually being genuine." Peter questioned. "Not to mention crossing a line we can't uncross."
"She double crossed us first. With Justin?" Raph reminded them.
"So we need to do exactly what she does? I think my parasitic penpal can speak on that front." Peter said. "The point of fighting darkness is to be a light, not to fight with more darkness."
Leo looked contemplative at that, before sighing again. "...I don't want to do this to Karai…but the Shredder is a threat we can't take chances on." Leo nodded. "And she's getting sick of the shredder from the sounds of her frustration… by doing this… we're doing her a favor."
Peter stared at them all, before walking away. "I'm not going to be a part of this. If you guys want to be killers, fine… just leave me out of it."
"Honestly, that works out well for us. Karai doesn't want Spidey around anyways, so that'll make her guard drop." Donnie pointed out.
"... We're doing the right thing, right?" Mikey asked quietly as Peter left them alone. "Taking out the Shredder.."
"We are." Raph nodded. "Our war with the Foot Clan isn't about heroes or villains… It's about survival. If we don't take out Shredder now, he'll just do the same later on. This is something that was ALWAYS going to happen eventually. We just have a chance to end it early before it gets worse."
Leo sighed. "We rest until tomorrow, then we head to meet up with Karai and find where we're supposed to meet … and strike him down." This was it … the end of the Foot Clan.
Raph saw Spike coming by, and rubbed his shell. "You hear that little buddy? We're finally stopin one of the guys wanting to kill us." The little guy gave one of his adorable yet slow smiles. If only the rest of his brother's were this likable.
Ivan Steranko stood next to the crates, waiting as his old ally, calling himself 'Shredder' finally arrived. "I'm surprised you were so amenable to meeting during the day. Aren't ninja masters of the night?" Collecting weapons and selling them, that was his life, and he was content where he was in it. Nothing more, and nothing less.
"I fear nothing and no one. Day or night, I am the Shredder." That man answered as directly as possible. No bullshit, no dramatics, no needless dramatics. Something Ivan could respect on some level. "Now, are these weapons up to grade?"
"I do not offer with the false promises. Too many winter guard alone was a handful to deal with already. " He reached into the crate, pulling out a rocket launcher. "Simply aim …" He pointed to a small, abandoned ship. "And fire." He clicked, watching as the weapon soared.
BOOM
"There, no more ship, people, or evidence linking to crime." Ivan nodded in satisfaction. "Now, I believe there is a matter of payment."
"You will have your money in due time, Steranko." The Shredder nodded curtly, turning to the little girl that joined the man. "Karai, inspect the cargo. Make sure they're all accounted for."
"Yes, Master." With a polite bow, the girly began jumping on top of the crates.
He turned to the dog and fish men standing behind the Shredder. "I heard of New York slowly becoming the zoo house. Did not expect rumors to be literal. The weirdest thing in Russia I know about is a giant man inspace suit and what most Americans would label 'knock off Captain America'."
"It's simply a new challenge to overcome. No matter what monsters lie within this city, nothing will get in my way." Ivan believed the man. If not for his own weapons, Ivan would be deathly afraid of being even ten feet away from this man.
"I can't tell if it's comforting or not that we're not the only freak city on the planet." The fish man muttered.
"World is complicated place. You either adapt or die." Or profit safely from shadow's and let other do your dirty work. Ivan glanced at the containers. It has been the long while since little girly left. This was starting to feel a little too much like a tra-
"Father, get down!" The girl pushed the shredder out of the way-
KABOOOM
-as a freaking ROCKET was blasted right where the man stood, blowing everyone away.
"FATHER!?" Multiple voices shouted out in surprise.
"The turtles!" Dog man shouted, growling as he looked to see four giant turtle men with a used launcher in hand.
"We need to leave Leo!" The purple turtle shouted.
A humming filled Ivan's ears, as the very air seemed to shiver. "I don't think that's gonna be easy … the IFK is here!" Orange turtle screamed out.
"Hey guys!" Up above, what looked like red and blue man in spandex was somehow…hanging off the air itself… waved to the turtle men. "So I see things over here haven't gone as planned."
"What happened to not being a part of this!?" The red turtle shouted as they avoided a pink laser.
"You think I chose to be here?! I was trying to keep the IFK from blasting laser's at Oscop! My entire morning has been playing tag with our little brain buddies!"
"I take it you are the one referred to as the 'Spider-Man'." Ivan asked, looking up at the masked man.
"What gave it away, the webs, the symbol, or my charming personality?" The pajama mind flipped down from the air. "I'll take care of the ground work, you guys blow our little E.T.s back home!"
"You …" The Shredder growled, extending his blades.
"Oh my shredded cheese up above." The man of spiders spoke dramatically. "You're not only an evil megalomaniac bent on world domination Shredder, you're working with a communist too!?" He shouted. "Is there any other terrible and dark secrets you feel like keeping from me?"
"Only that I will put your head on a pike for the harm you have done to my daughter."
"...I'm sorry, silver bladed samurai say what?" The man of Spider's questioned, before ducking under one of the Shredder's strikes. "Okay, I see the conversation is going to be more one sided. Don't worry, I am more than capable of speaking for the both of us!"
This was getting out of hand. Ivan would slip away while everyone distracted-
THWUMP
Ivan found his feet coated in something web like, hard, and green. "Hay! Shell webbing finally works like a char-whoa!" The man of spider's chest was grazed as he barely dodged another blow. "I was trying to have a conversation here, if you want my attention, you've gotta hold up your end Shred-Head."
Great, now he would have to break himself free while listening to this … joy.
Leo dodged the laser from the IFK, falling down next to Raph. "Really know how to pick em Leo." He said. "The Shredder's daughter?"
"I didn't know she was the Shredder's daughter! I didn't know the Shredder was emotionally capable of even HAVING kids!" He shouted back. "Now is this REALLY the time for an 'I told you so'?!"
"I don't know, we're on the verge of dying either by the Shredder's hands or the Kraangs, so I feel obligated to get it all out while I still can!" He shouted as the laser continued firing. "Let's just find another rocket somewhere before we're toast!"
"I'll do it, you guys stay on the ground. I doubt Spidey can handle Shredder, Dogpound, and Fishface solo." Shredder alone was pushing it.
"No no, take your time! I TOTALLY got it handled! I'm completely NOT getting turned into swiss cheese right now!" Spidey shouted as the sound of metal slicing metal echoed in the air.
"Well if you're sure, we understand!" Mikey shouted back.
"I WAS BEING SARCASTIC! GET YOUR SHELLS OVER HERE!"
"Hey, can you blame us! We don't want to die either!" Donnie yelled back.
"Then you shoud've never come here in the first place!" Karai shouted as Leo pushed Donnie out of the way of her and her incoming sword. "I should have known you would resort to this. Trying to murder my father behind my back! You and the Shredder, you're ALL so obsessed with getting revenge!"
"We're just trying to live!" Leo shouted, blocking her attack and sliding back. "You know the Shredder would keep coming after us!"
"But I thought you had enough honor in you to keep your word and NOT stab me in the back!" Karai and his blades matched as he signaled for his brother's to get away. "I admired you Leo! I thought you were actually my friend!"
Well that was one way to twist the knife. "I'm sorry it came to this." He muttered, leaping into the air … as the Kraang ship spotted him. "Ah shell."
ZAP
He barely avoided the attack. Alright, he just needed to fend off Karai, grab a rocket launcher from somewhere, and fire it at the IFK-"WHOA!" He barely dodged the sword at his face. "Karai, the Kraang…!"
"I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!" She kicked him right in the chest. "Everyone's out for blood and refuses to listen to common sense, so I might as well join the club!" He couldn't waste more time on her, he needed to grab the weapon before the IFK did any more damage. "You wanted a war, well now you got it!" He blocked her blade, trying to look around. Rocket launcher, rocket launcher, rocket-"Don't ignore me!" She kicked him in the side, following with an edged fist to the face.
"You know, to be fair you weren't completely honest either!" He shouted, striking back. "Seriously, not once did you ever think to mention 'oh, my dad's the Shredder' to me!?"
"Why would that even matter!?" She shouted as she avoided a punch. "You think just because we share blood that I'm exactly like him!? That I'm some hateful, bitter killing machine!? I thought you of all people would know what it's like to be judged before people know you!"
"Well you ain't exactly proving him wrong right now either, girly!" Raph jumped in, kicking Karai in the side.
"Raph, I told you-!"
"Yeah, yeah, you can reprimand me later, just grab the weapon!"
ZAP
The cargo crate they were standing on was shot, as they began falling down, Leo landing in a box … which had a missile launcher. "Huh … lot luckier than normal." He muttered, pulling it out. Leo shot a grappling hook, launching himself to a higher place. Get the Kraang's attention. "Hey brain heads! Get a load of this!" They drop the cloak as they charge the laser. Steady … aim … fire!
KABOOM
The ship started exploding, falling down … right in front of Spidey … woops. "LOOK OUT!"
Peter shouldn't be doing this. He should have done more to talk the turtles out of their plan, he should have done better to take down the ship from the inside, he should have just taunted the Shredder, blown up the ship, and left … Unfortunately, responsibility took precedence over all other things. "So a family man. Surprised she didn't turn out half metal, and that the miss' wasn't torn to shreds when you held her close."
"Don't you EVER cease your prattling!?" Chrome dome continued to strike at him with speeds that, while not superhuman, were barely avoidable by his Spider-sense, which was screaming at him to get as far away from here as humanly possible.
"Do you ever cease trying to do criminal activities and endanger lives? Maybe take up a knitting club, or read a book every now and then." He fired off a few webs, which were instantly cut as they striked, making it a pointless effort that was rewarded with a sharp kick to his legs. "Gotta tell ya shreddy, usually my enemies offer up better conversation by now. Rhino's good for so many puns in spite of his dumbness. Ock is easy to trigger with his superiority complex, and Goblin challenges me in the quips. All I get is 'grr, angry, slice and dice' from you. It's like you don't even care."
"I don't." With a blunt answer, they jumped and grabbed onto a webline he shot out to try and get distance, yanking him into a powerful punch to the skull and sending Spidey back, where he saw Mikey and Donnie holding back the other two goons Shredder had on payroll. "I had heard you had ceased the jokes. For a second, I almost believed you would've been a threat by now.."
"What can I say, people miss the red and blue too much." He groaned, getting up. "And come on, I'm totally a threat."
"You failed your promise so far." They spoke. "I have continued to kill, and will continue to kill. You have neither the strength nor the heart to truly defeat me." With that they charged forward, trying once more to cut off all four limbs of Spider-Man.
"At least I'll know I'm still human." Spidey responded as he flipped out of the way. Peter was not a killer. He wasn't like the turtles, who's way of life had trained them to handle situations with lethal intent. He had pushed that into the back of his mind for the most part due to their enemies either being robots, mutants/mutates that can take extra damage, or having access to highly advanced machinery. But against people like Rat King and Shredder … Peter himself almost lost himself to that dark choice when he fought the former. Venom held a mirror to his face about what a darker Spidey meant, and he hated every minute of it.
"A lecture of humanity from a simple bug." The Shredder scoffed, throwing out blades that he was forced to dodge. "At least it was in better taste than your other attempts at humor."
"Aww, and here I try so hard to hold a conversation." Peter was not going to be an idiot here. As he was now, Peter stood no chance against Shredder. Heck, even with the symbiote, he'd doubt his ability against the guy. The best thing he could do was not die before the guys took out the IFK. Much as he hated it, Shredder was very much like tombstone in terms of 'untouchability'. Photographing the crime was a long shot at best, and likey painted a target on Peter Parker's back if it went to print. "Where's the chemistry, the bromance, the sweet whispers as you try and jab a knife at my throat?"
"The only thing I'll whisper is that I hope you burn in hell once you choke on your blood!" The shredder went for a head strike. "You couldn't hope to defeat me in a million years, you infernal arachnid!"
Kabooom
"Oh, my plan wasn't to beat you chrome dome, my plan was to distract you as…well, you'll see in five seconds." He hopped out of the way as the krang ship was hurtling towards the man…and the moron actually looked like he was trying to challenge it.
Kersplash.
And the man took it head on….and begun sinking into the bottom of the ocean. "… Alrighty." If he actually won against the thing, Spidey would be terrified. "Fishface, better go make sure your boss doesn't drown down there!"
"Don't think you've gotten off easily, wall crawler!" Said mutant shouted as they dove into the water.
"I know I haven't, my thread bill's gonna be hard to pay off." He shot a web line, launching himself to the other turtles as they ran. "So, no more assasination attempts that'll backfire horribly?"
"Kind of rubbing salt in the wound, don't you think?" Donnie shot back at him.
"I feel it's justified when we start crossing lines you accused me of crossing." He pointed out.
"You weren't in your right mind." Leo pointed out. "If you had killed someone while under the symbiotes control, you would've quit being spider man the moment you were free.
"I was talking about Rat King." Although he still would have quit … "You guys can't win by stooping to the enemy's level. That's what we learned when Xever threatened Murakami."
"What happens between us and shredder isn't the same as you and the rat king." Raph countered. "We wouldn't have a conscience over it. The Shredder can't be reasoned, he can't be coerced or compromised with."
"So what? You kill Shredder. Then what? Is that where the line ends?" Peter kept going. "How many more people are gonna be 'Unreasonable or Uncompromisable'? What if one day Shocker pisses you guys off more than usual, and you think, 'you know what, life is easier if we just kill him. No one would miss him'." He looked at the turtles. "If we're gonna be on the same side, we need a line drawn. No murder, ever, period."
Leo paused and looked at him. "And what happens if it comes to that?"
"If it does…then I take you down. No more sewers, no more secrecy, no more vigilantes." He stated firmly. "My great responsibility is to save people… even if it's from myself." No one else was going to die on his watch, when he could prevent it.
"….Fine." Leo nodded. "Taking out the shredder was always going to be a long shot…especially with Karai being…you know."
Well, there were worse ways of changing the topic to something more light hearted. "So, do you think he's subconsciously into girl's with authority?" Peter asked the other turtles.
"If by that you mean girls that can kick his butt, then yes." Raph snorted.
"She does not kick my butt!"
"Then explain why I had to step in?" Raph asked.
"Ooooh, someone's got a bigger crush." Donnie smirked.
"I'm not crushing!"
"Then why are you blushing?" Mikey teased. Ah, nice to get things back on track. He trusted his friends…and he would make sure they never became the monsters people accused them of being.