Who Are You?

by CatilinaOokami

Raphael didn’t know much about humans, and what he did know, he didnt like. It wasn’t until he met a young girl named Artemis that things started to change. Follow these two as they learn about family, love, and adventure beyond anything they were ready for. TMNT 2012.

7. Chatper 7

Two Months Ago

If Artemis was going to sneak into the most secured building in town, she was going to need to be smart. She had trained in that building for over a week and knew a lot about their guard patterns. The two guards she gave a beat down to would rotate out in the next two minutes. In that small opening she would jump across the roof and sneak in through the air vent. She was fit and small enough to squeeeze through without making too much noise. She eventually hit a dead end and had to drop down into a storage room. Her mask never moved even a little and she couldn't help but admire how well it was made. The eyes had really thin material type of screens so you couldn't really see her real eyes but she could see you just fine. Artemis opened the door quietly and checked the halls. No one was around and she had a good five minutes before a patrol would come around. She moved out into the open and did her best to navigate to the control room. She had only seen it a few times but never went inside since she was a trainee. It wasn't under heavy guard since it just had their security cameras. They were trained ninjas and needed to find the enemy with or without them so they didn't care if something happened to it. She was glad for this and easily found her way to the door. She listened to make sure there was no one inside and slipped in when the coast was clear. She admired the many servers set up in the room but couldn't mess with them for long. She found her way to the terminals but was stopped by a login pop up. Of course they would have login and password protected security cameras. Artemis sighed and looked around the barely lit room. There were four servers all in a square in the middle of the room and to one side was a table and a couple wooden chairs. On the other side hung pictures of what looked like someone's graduation of the Foot. If she wanted to hack into this thing she was going to have to do it old-school. Artemis searched any papers or drawers she could find and luckily there was a sticky note that stated the login and password was within the room. If anyone forgot it they would use the room as a clue. She looked at the pictures on the wall and the middle one looked best. There were three guys with their arms around each other and giving big smiles to the camera. They wore the traditional Foot Clan attire from years back and it didn't take long for Artemis to figure out this picture was taken at least twenty years ago. She opened the frame and turned it over to the back and saw neat handscript.

Congratulations Toru and friends!

Make us all proud back home in Kyoto.

-Mom

How lucky Toru was that his mother actually cared about him. Artemis shook her head and focused on the mission at hand. She had a couple of ideas of what to do and hoped for the best. She went back to the login screen and typed in multiple different combinations. She only had a couple different combos left or else she would have to find something else. Her next set was Toru for the username and for the password she tried Kyoto. When the computer made a ding noise of turning on, Artemis almost yelped out in excitement. She did not even think that would work so well but like she thought earlier, her luck was turning around. Artemis flipped through the screen and found some folders marked with what the dates were of that screening period. She found the first day of her training and switched it to her bedroom camera. She found the clip of when Vivianne put the mask and note on her bed that day. Artemis took out her USB and plugged it in to save that file. She had her proof and now there was one last thing she needed to do.

It was easier to sneak into an apartment building full of ninja trainees than to get into TCRI. She slipped through one of the third floor windows and landed into her old room. Vivianne stayed fast asleep on her cot and Artemis felt her blood begin to boil. This person was her first friend here and just so easily betrayed her. She was sick of people doing that. Artemis snuck over and stared down at the peacefully sleeping woman. Soon, her instincts kicked in and Vivianne used a fist to try and hit Artemis. Artemis easily deflected it and grabbed Vivianne by her collar.

"It's time for our trial, Vivianne. No time like the present." Artemis threw her out of bed and threw ninja stars at her clothes to pin her down. Vivianne squirmed trying to get out but Artemis used her rage to power those ninja stars deep into the ground. "You really shouldn't have betrayed me. We could have made it together but now, you'll be gone."

Vivianne glared at her and spoke with venom in her voice. "If you think this counts as a trial you must be delusional! You were kicked out, they won't let you in."

Artemis smiled and grabbed a rope she hid earlier that day. "I guess you don't remember Vivianne but I'm really smart. Did you think I didn't have a plan for all this?"

Before Vivianne could answer Artemis gagged her and tied her up. She made Vivianne face the door and then put the USB in front of her. Artemis sat down on her cot and decided to meditate while waiting for her instructor. She had broken into his room earlier and left a note stating her desired trial. No more than a few minutes went by when she heard running footsteps and someone throw open her door. Her former instructor stared at the tied up girl then looked to the masked one on the bed. "I'm assuming you left this note then?"

Artemis nodded and stood. "I'm assuming you know what this means?"

"You broke into our headquarters and stole footage from our secure terminals. Then you decided to get revenge on your roommate who betrayed you and thought this would be a suitable trial?"

Artemis stayed silent as Vivianne turned her head to glare at her. Other trainees who heard the noise started to fill in the door and some even giggled at how Vivianne looked. Her face was red from not being able to scream her head off and the embarrassment that she was so easily taken down. The instructor started to bust up laughing. "I can't believe you actually did it! When you told me what your trial was I thought you would give up and go home but this is better than what you described!"

Vivianne stared in wide-eyed shock and struggled trying to talk. Artemis went over and undid the gag but kept her on the floor bound by the rope. "Are you seriously saying this was her trial? This was what she had to do?!"

Their Sensei grinned in a mocking way. "You really shouldn't have lied and gone against your own roommate. Did you really think you would get away with it?"

"B-But...isn't that what we're all supposed to do?!"

"Yes, but successfully. You left so many holes in your story and while fighting you had so many openings that you couldn't even fight her for more than three minutes. So that only leaves one thing left. Vivianne, you're to be sent back home. Artemis Wolf, welcome to the Foot Clan." The instructor turned and shooed everyone back to their rooms. Artemis turned to Vivianne and moved her mask to the top of her head so she could smirk at her prey.

"How does it feel? Knowing that you've been betrayed by someone you thought was a friend?"

Vivianne growled, "You think you're better than me? You just stooped to my level, don't you hate yourself for it?"

Artemis pretended to think about it. "Hmm. Nope. Did you know it was Kunoichis that were the masters of deception and deceit? If anything, I feel rather proud of myself." Artemis moved around the incapacitated prisoner and grabbed her stuff that was placed in the trunk. When she made to leave she gave Vivianne her last goodbye. "Thanks for the mask, I think I'll use it to keep my thoughts about you. It'll remind me not to be so trusting. And hey, don't be mad at me for too long." She pointed at the mask on top of her head. "At least you have something to fall back on." Artemis laughed and turned to leave while waving over her shoulder. "Goodbye Vivianne. Enjoy the rest of your life."

"You jerk! If you think I'll just be gone, you have another thing-!"

Artemis slammed the door shut and whistled all the way over to TCRI to claim her new bedroom in the big leagues. Starting now, she would get paid and this also meant starting the countdown of when it was best to go back home. She was told that starting tomorrow morning she would be training with new mentors who were "special." Her instructor literally held up his fingers and did the quotation marks around special. She had no idea what that meant but it didn't matter. No matter what she was up against she wouldn't lose. She kept being told that Master Shredder was intrigued by her but she had no idea why. Sure, she was better than the trainees but would that put her over the top? She didn't know this guy so maybe she could get answers tomorrow. She was glad to find her new room was roommate free and had an actual bed rather than a metal cot with a mattress. She set her stuff on top of the dark wooden dresser and glanced around. It wasn't huge but it was a nice insulated room with one window across the bed that sat against a corner of her new quarters. The dresser was right next to the twin sized bed but other than that it was a plain room with creme colored walls and a tatami floor. Artemis put her stuff away into the dresser but kept her mask laying on top of it. She wanted to use it during training since it reminded her to be careful of who she trusted and who she should be wary of. Flashbacks of her and Raph laughing in that abandoned warehouse made her question so much about their relationship. She was still mad but it really simmered down thanks to Vivianne betraying her in a different way. Raph only did it to save his family but Vivianne did it out of pure stupidity and paranoia. She wanted to talk with Raph again but being with the Foot Clan made that difficult. Trainees weren't allowed to go out during the day and at night you could only go to certain locations; none of which were close to home or to Raph. For now, she would do her best and hopefully get clearance to leave at her leisure. Then maybe her and Raph could talk and move past this fight. She really did miss him. Artemis tucked herself into her bed and slept well for the first time in years.

The next morning she jumped up and quickly put on her uniform and tied her hair up into a high ponytail. She stared at her blue ends and sighed. Maybe she should talk to Raph about it. The truth is her hair wasn't dyed. She had these colored ends since she was born. Her mother always told her to tell people they were dyed and that they did the treatment regularly. She did it for so long that whenever people asked nowadays it was just a conditioned response. She always thought about going to the hospital to get it checked out but if it wasn't her parents telling her no then it was because she couldn't afford it herself. She could be diseased for all she knew but she's lived this long so she hasn't thought about it til now. Sometimes she swore she saw those blue ends pulse whenever her emotions flared but she didn't have time to worry about it. Even now she needed to focus on her training with her new mentors. She did some of her morning stretches before grabbing her mask and running out to the training room.

It took quite a few directions from multiple people but she finally made it into a wide, open-spaced room. It felt cold which would help once she actually started to practice and her body would heat up. She knew she was in the right room because what other place would have a wall of weapons but a training room? She walked around and noticed water on both sides of a walkway, leading up to what looked like a throne. She went closer and stepped onto the walkway to see what else she could find. That's when she heard something swishing around behind her. She turned but it was quiet once again. She would've ignored it if not for the fact she noticed the water rippling below her. Before she could react she felt a slap across her face and the force of it threw her backwards. She landed on her back and looked up in time to see a giant fish looming closer to her. It looked like it had mechanical legs and it's hands were webbed. It's head was giant and his whole body was an interesting shade of reddish-purple. It had weird orange tanks on his back by a giant fin and it looked to be filled with water. The fish growled at her and spoke in what sounded like a Brazilian accent. "You should never let your guard down especially in a new place."

She nodded quickly and got up facing the mutant. "I um I guess you're one of my mentors?"

"Unfortunately I am. And so is dog breath over there."

She turned around and saw what looked like a giant dog with razor claws. She gulped at the sheer heft of this particular mutant. He was so fluffy with all that caramel and white colored fur it was hard to keep herself from wanting to pet him. She knew better though considering he had what looked like spikes on one of his shoulders and the forearms. He also had giant paws that could possibly crush her internal organs if he caught her between his gigantic mitts. She didn't know what else to do but to bow to him and to bow at her fish mentor. "It's nice to meet you both."

"Oh great we've got a softy on our hands. Why did Master Shredder make us train you? You're not worth much more than our other subordinates," this was said by the giant akita. His voice held a deep vibrato and she didn't know what was worse, the giant fish who scowled at her the second he met her or the fluffy dog that looked like he wanted to eat her. The furry one pointed at himself. "I am Master Bradford."

The fish stepped up, "I am Master Xever. Master Shredder believes you to be worth something. He's never wrong but it is still hard to believe such a small one can be deadly."

As much as Artemis loved being talked down to, she decided to speak up. "You shouldn't let your guard down Master Xever. If Shredder thinks I'm good enough then test me yourself." She put her mask on and went into the proper defensive stance.

"Ha! Alright you little welp, I'll make you pay for being so cocky." Xever ran forward and tried to kick her but she moved to the side and he went sailing past her. She knew he would land and use the force of it to use his other leg and knock her down. Luckily she jumped away in a back flip and was glad the mask hid her grin. She wouldn't go down so easily. She knew it wasn't just Xever and made sure to keep listening for any surprise movement of the giant dog. She was glad she did because Bradford had snuck behind her and tried to grab her arms. She ducked away and slid under him. It was a good thing he was tall.

"I thought you guys were supposed to be my Masters?" She laughed when they fumed at her teasing. She looked to the wall of weapons and decided it was best not to fight unarmed against mutants. She tried to run to it but Xever had used that time to try and bite her. She barely managed to avoid it and slid onto the ground on her side. Unfortunately it was the side that her knife wound was and pain flared up and down along her stomach. She had no choice but to grin and bear it and jumped back onto her feet. Her pain was making her lose focus as Bradford charged at her and flung her into the wall.

"Nothing to say to that? I was almost impressed earlier." Bradford chuckled and leapt towards her but she rolled away as he landed a punch right next to her head. She grabbed onto his forearm and used it as leverage to jump and kick him right in the snout. He yelped and rubbed at his nose. Xever wasn't done though as he jumped up from behind Bradford and tried to land a kick on her. Right before he could hit her, she grabbed the mechanical ankle and climbed over him as he hit the wall behind her. While Bradford and Xever were readjusting themselves she ran back to the weapons wall. She didn't care what she grabbed as long as she had something to use. She ended up grabbing a long sword and could only hope it was as easy as it looked. Both of them decided to attack her at once and she had only a spilt second to evaluate what to do. Since Bradford was taller his body reached her first and she used her sword to side sweep his claws away and turning to try and slice at Xever. Back and forth like a tennis match they went on for who knows how long. Unfortunately for Artemis she made the mistake that they were getting tired and she focused on Bradford rather than both of them. Eventually Xever was able to pin her down with one of his legs and chuckled.

"You lose."

Artemis was panting as he finally let her get up. She did what she could and hopefully it was enough for them. "How...how was that?"

Bradford smirked. "You're not bad kid but the sword was your downfall. It exhausted you more than it should."

Xever nodded. "I can see potential but I don't see what's so special about you."

"I guess we'll find out," Artemis shrugged in a nonchalant manner. She didn't really care about being here she just needed the money.

"There is one thing though. You didn't freak out about our appearances. That is odd."

Artemis let her eyes go downcast and her face grew dark. "I've seen worse things than a giant fish and a rabid mutt."

Bradford growled, "Watch it you mongrel! You may have been lucky today but tomorrow we'll make sure you regret being here."

Artemis could only bow to them and turned to leave. She was almost out the door but froze when she remembered something. "Wait! When am I allowed to go outside?"

Xever glared at her like this was the biggest annoyance of his day. "What are you talking about? You can leave whenever. We could care less what happens to you as long as it doesn't affect Master Shredder's plans."

She was so excited that she couldn't help herself. "Thank you Master Xever!" She really doubted he cared at her appreciation but she was so happy that she could go see her family she couldnt stop herself from using her manners. She went to her room, changed, and was gone in a flash. Her family was most likely mad at her but she knew they would be happy to see her anyways. She had been gone from them for over a week now and was hoping nothing too horrible happened while she was away. She ran into the clearing and was ambushed by Logan crushing her to him.

She felt a couple of tears run down her cheeks and onto his dusty shirt. "I missed you too Logan."

He stepped back and looked at her making sure she was alright. He wiped at his own cheeks and smiled at her. "Don't ever disappear on us again! You got that?"

Manny was able to bring over Cecile and they both hugged her as well. Cecile was happy but she had to chastise her. "What were you thinking?! Taking a job that we have no clue where it is or what you do?!"

Artemis sighed. "It's fine. Really, I'm okay. Besides they pay well and I'll bring over the first check before you know it."

"I don't care about money! I care about your well-being!"

Manny put an arm around Cecile to help calm her down. "We all care about you mijá. We just worry that you're not thinking straight and it is because you are angry at the turtle."

"It has nothing to do with Raph!"

Logan scoffed followed by an eye roll. "Oh yeah? Then explain why he looked guilty when he found out you left?"

"He...He knows?"

Manny nodded. "Yes. He came by the day we found your note. He wanted to check on your condition, no doubt." Manny turned his attention to Logan. "And Logan, I think you saw him look guilty in your own mind. He was pretty devastated, just like us."

"No he wasn't! He could care less that she was gone, he just doesn't want to be responsible for anything. If he cared he would've dropped by again but he hasn't since that day!"

Artemis felt the air escape her. She shouldn't have been surprised that he didn't check again. They were fighting and since she disappeared where no one could guess where she would be, he most likely gave up and moved on. She wish her anger came back instead of this lonely feeling. "Okay that's enough. I can't stay for long. I just wanted to show you guys I was fine and to make sure you were as well."

"Hold up, you don't plan on going back do you?" Logan looked at her in disbelief.

"I have to! We need the money for winter and for anything else we might need! We don't know what will happen this year. And don't give me some lecture about the dangers of strangers and their scams. Trust me when I say this isn't a scam."

"Oh for the love of-! Okay, fine then! Just leave!" Logan stormed off to the log seats and started to stoke the fire they had going.

"Oh Logan..." She really didnt want to go back but she couldn't give up after coming so far. Manny squeezed Cecile's shoulder and went to go talk with Logan, leaving both women to discuss amongst themselves.

Cecile reached out and touched her face. "You seem to be eating well. I'm glad for that. How's your wound?"

Artemis tilted her head in Cecile's palm and felt the warmth of her palm seep into her. "It's getting better. Not healed all the way but close."

"I can't stop you, can I?" Artemis didn't even need to respond. Cecile laughed hollowly. "Just promise you'll be safe and if it ever gets too dangerous you'll come back."

"Of course I will! Besides, I have more freedom now so I'll come visit every day!"

"I see. Well then come by the fire and let's have our time together."

Artemis was glad for the new freedom she found. She really did miss them and as she was talking with them and reminiscing she started to miss Raph too. She felt they were close even if Logan said otherwise. Maybe there was a reason he didn't check to see if she came back and if they could talk it out they could be friends again. Before it got too late she had to head back and get some sleep for tomorrow's training. She felt like she could do anything with the newfound energy she got from visiting them. She wondered how well she would do with training with her mutant masters tomorrow now that she felt a hidden weight lift off her shoulders.

Another week went by and her training was coming along exponentially. Both her masters were impressed with how well she was doing since she was nothing but a little girl. She didn't know why but they started to call her by nicknames. Bradford called her pup while Xever called her guppy. She didn't mind since she was used to such things from her own family but she wondered if they called her that because they were starting to treat her like one of them or because she needed to know her station and would always be an underling to them. It was probably the latter. She had gone through intense weapons training so they could find what she was best at and so far she liked them all but Bradford had made a point that there would always be one weapon that was better for her than the rest. She thought she could ask her family and see what they thought. She had been visiting them everyday since then and it was almost time for her first check. When pay day finally came it was after training that one of the fully uniformed ninjas delivered it to her. She opened it and almost screamed at the amount. It wasn't much from one week but still better than she thought. Even though she had cleaned up she wanted to thank her mentors. Sure they didn't write the check but without them she could've been kicked out if they were stricter. She still felt the need growing so she launched herself over to the training room. She heard them talking and was about to open the door when she heard Bradford yell out. "Those stupid turtles!"

She froze and her heart started to beat a lot louder. Xever responded to Bradford. "Relax already. We will get them soon enough. In fact, I was thinking we could use Guppy to help us."

"She's not ready. She's better than most but she's not there yet. But I like where you're going with this."

That wasn't good! She was going to fight the turtles sooner than expected and she couldn't do that! She wasn't planning to go against them. She wanted to be friends with one of them. How could she do that when they were already sending her off to win battles and ultimately try to destroy the turtles' lives? Artemis glanced at her check and sighed. She needed to leave earlier than planned. This was good money so maybe her and her family could stretch it out over winter. She opened the door and held a smile for her mentors. "Sorry to interrupt." She kneeled as an apology and they nodded to indicate it was fine for now. "I wanted to talk with you guys about something."

Xever looked curious. "What is it Guppy?"

"I think-I think it's time I leave."

Bradford growled loudly, "What?! You just barely started!"

"I know! I know! I'm sorry, but there are more important things! I ask for forgiveness!" She put her head to the floor and hoped for the best.

Xever hissed and turned away. "Leave. We have much to discuss."

"I understand." She got up and quickly walked away. She would find out what would happen tomorrow but for now she had a check to deliver. Once she made it back home she greeted everyone by presenting the check in a grand fashion. "Behold the mighty power of money!"

Logan rolled his eyes as he continued to eat what looked like ravioli from a can. "Oh mighty power begone, for you are spoiling my dinner."

Artemis sat down next to him and on the log next to them were Cecile and Manny. She already grabbed some dinner from the cafeteria and even snatched some apples. She gave one to each of them. "Have some it's healthy."

Logan made a disgusted face. "Ew. No thanks."

Cecile glared at him. "Logan you will eat it and say thank you."

"Fine, thanks for giving me something gross."

Artemis punched his arm and was glad to know it hurt. He deserved it after all. After they ate and cleaned up Artemis gave the check to Manny. He still had some checking account open and would be able to cash the check for them to use the money. Manny pocketed it and then nudged Cecile. It was an odd action but it looked like Cecile wasn't ready to talk about whatever it was. Artemis decided it was best if she said something instead. "I'll be back home for good soon. I'm quitting. The activities are getting too dangerous."

Logan grabbed his beanie and shook it out while smiling. "Finally you came to your senses!"

Artemis nodded. "And I want to talk with Raph and work out the fight."

Logan growled and put his beanie back on. "And she just lost it again."

Cecile shushed him. "Speaking of Raph, he came over today and was looking for you."

"Really?" Artemis' heart leapt into her throat. She didn't think he would be back and she would have to go searching for him. She was glad that he wanted to move past this bump in the road as much as her.

"Sí, he was hoping to talk to you but we didn't tell him you have been coming over. We didn't know for sure how you felt about him yet." Manny gave an apologetic look but Artemis waved it away. She was mad but it was long gone now and she was ready to talk to him. Once she was out of the Foot Clan she would go back to his home and reunite with the turtle. She felt like everything was coming into place and life would start to look up. After spending a couple hours conversing with her family she went back to headquarters and started to pack her stuff. She would sleep one last time in the bed and say goodbye in the morning.

Artemis was never known as an early riser. She liked the night way too much for that. It was closer to the afternoon and no one came to get her which was odd. Her packed stuff was still there and her mask lay right on top of it. She couldn't decide whether or not to keep it since it was a symbol of her distrust. She wasn't going to be in the Foot Clan much longer so there was really no need for it. She just threw it behind her shoulder and grabbed her stuff to go. She wanted to say goodbye to her masters but they weren't all that close and she was sure they were mad at her sudden departure. She happily left while humming and possibly a small skip in her step. While walking down her neighborhood she looked around as if the area had completely changed. She was getting used to not being around but now that she was back it felt like home once more. She even waved at Victor before heading down her alleyway and assumed it was probably Bobby's turn to get the money for the day. Her smile was starting to hurt her cheeks but that didn't matter for long. Artemis dropped her bag on the ground and fell to her knees next to it. Everything...everyone was gone! The place was deserted and only the logs were around along with some dishes scattered about and some candy. She felt her body start to tremble and she closed her eyes tight not ready to believe it. Maybe they were looking for her because they needed to leave and she was running late. Or maybe they had to go to a shelter because they felt it best when winter was coming. Her mind was racing with all the possibilities and she could only think one person may have the answers. She ran across the street and grabbed Victor by his brown pleather jacket. "Where are they Victor? Where is my family?!"

Victor pushed her away from him and glowered at her. "Easy there! I only have the one jacket!" He dusted himself off. "I don't know where they are; I just know they were taken this morning by some cops or another."

"Why? Why would they come through here?! They never have for over a year!"

"Stop screaming at me! I don't know much alright?!"

Artemis scoffed and started to pace around as Victor was putting some kindling into his unlit fire barrel. She didn't have time for this! She had to find out what happened! She was about to run off when what Victor said next made her want to crumble. "It might have something to do with that weird giant reptile from yesterday."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, a lot of people were talking about some big animal jumping from the roof into the area where your family was. Even I saw the thing and couldn't believe my eyes."

Artemis felt her mouth turn into a desert. "You're sure it was a giant reptile. Maybe like a turtle?"

"That would explain what looked like a hump on his back. It could've been a shell."

"I..I have to go Victor." She couldn't believe this! Raphael had visited yesterday and he wasn't careful enough to not be seen! He was a ninja for crying out loud! Now everyone was worried about some loose wild animal while her family went to jail. If they tried to run some prints they would find out that Logan was a fugitive. It wasn't a secret about Logan and his problems or any of their problems. Cecile had been married to a rich guy for all her life. It was some arranged thing from long before but they tolerated each other and had at least three kids. Unfortunately, he was a total jerk and when he died he left no money for her or for their kids. Instead he gave it all to his mistress who he met a couple years before his death. Cecile has lived with her kids for some time but she refused to be a burden on them and left to find her own way. It wasn't long before she ended up on the streets and met Manny in a shelter. Manny could never hold down a job because of the prejudice of everyone around him. He had his wife and his two kids to think about and tried everyday to find a job but eventually no one even bothered to try to see his work ethic. He knew his wife was passable to be let in without prejudice and she found her own job but it didn't pay much. He didn't want to be another mouth to feed so he told them he had to go and one day he would be back with a new job and a new hope. It had been three years and he still couldn't find anything. Cecile and him were quick friends with how similar they felt with one another. They didn't want to be a burden on anyone.

Soon after came Logan and he was in bad shape. He had been with his friends doing chemically bad things and selling it to whoever could afford it or even if they couldn't they would still find a way to get it. Unfortunately, his friends got desperate and paranoid. They didn't share the views of never hurting anybody like Logan and got rid of those who couldn't pay on time. The cops eventually found them but his friends used Logan as a scapegoat and pinned evidence on him. Logan had no choice but to run and he found himself in the next state over which was New York. He stayed on the streets and kept hidden but he didn't know how to live such a life and Manny found him almost withered away on the sidewalk. Manny gave him the red beanie and helped him get to the shelter with Cecile there to help clean him up. At that point Cecile caught a disease and it affected her eyes. Without any money or medicine available she had to suffer through it and lost her sight. Because she was so sick the shelter had to kick her out so she wouldn't get anyone else infected. Manny and Logan refused to leave her alone and joined her back on the streets and found the clearing they called home. About two years later Artemis had been caught trying to get some of their food and they couldn't turn her away with how scrawny she had looked back then. Both her mother and father were gone and she was left to fend for herself. She refused any foster homes because she knew what they were like around the area and ran away. She was fine but she was even better with her family. She spent two years with them and wasn't planning on losing them any time soon.

Artemis found the nearest police station and ran in demanding to see her family. Police weren't exactly happy about this and their lieutenant came out himself. His gruff voice showed no amusement about being berated by a young girl about taking away her family.

"Someone picked them up this morning! There were three of them! One an old woman who is blind, another a Hispanic middle aged man, and Logan is only a few years older than me; he wears a red beanie all the time!"

"Enough!" The lieutenant got around the front desk of the station and was towering over her and was possibly trying to scare her off. Too bad she was trained to take down people bigger than her. "I can't help you and you need to leave my prescinct now."

"I won't! Not til I know they're okay!"

They had a stare down but it was broken by one of his subordinates. "Sir, we have the file right here. She might leave faster if we just tell her."

He grumbled as he ripped the file away. "They're not here anymore, they transferred to a high grade prison facility. Ha! Good luck with that kiddo! No visitors allowed." He slammed the file down and started to push her out the door. She didn't even care about being pushed around. They were in a prison. She couldn't get to them even if she tried to sneak in. To the world, Artemis was just another girl walking down the street but she didn't even know where her feet were taking her and it didn't matter. If only she had been there to protect them. If only she had been there to stop this from happening. If only-

Her face turned into a sneer. If only Raphael never went to see them! If only Raphael was never in her life! This wasn't because of her it was because of him! They were caught because he wasn't even trying to be a ninja! It was his fault that her family was taken away from her! He needed to pay. He needed to feel the way she was feeling now, like the world just slammed into her chest and she still couldn't breathe. She just needed some place to create her revenge. A place with resources. A place with the same enemies as her...

Before she knew it she was standing in front of the TCRI building, her bag in hand. She walked in and they didn't even care that she was there and went back up to her room. She let the bag fall to the floor and she roamed her eyes around. Her eyes stopped at a familiar looking fox face staring back at her under the bed. She bent down and picked it up. She felt it was alive and asking 'What are you going to do?' She put it on and found a spare uniform in the drawers. She made her way into the training room and there were her masters. There was also someone else in the room. He sat on the throne that was usually empty whenever she trained and looked absolutely menacing. He stood when she entered and both mutants went over to her.

"What are you doing here?" Leave it to Bradford to start.

She kneeled down in respect and bowed her head. "My masters, I am sorry that I have forsaken you. I beg you though, help me get revenge on those mutant turtles!"

"What are you talking about, Guppy?"

"Those turtles ruined my life! Because of them I lost my family! I need your help! I'll do whatever it takes."

Bradford smiled, "Oh really?"

Artemis stood up and nodded. "Whatever it takes."

Before her masters could agree the unknown guy walked down from his throne and stood before her. His presence was overwhelming. He wore a metal helmet and through the slit she could see his face but it was horribly scarred from what could've been a fire. He wore an armor that shined brighter than it should. On his arms were long knives and behind him was a dark cape flowing freely. "Do you think you can just leave my clan and come back as you please?"

"I-."

"Pathetic! We are an honorable clan and we don't show weakness. We show no fear! You have no discipline and you expect a reward for it. I wouldn't let you back in even if you could beat me."

"Then teach me instead!" This has to be the one everyone admired and were so afraid of at the same time. The one who let her in late and the one who wanted her to go forward. This was Master Shredder. If she wanted the resources and the knowledge to defeat the turtles she would need his help most of all. She almost failed once but now she would succeed. She would never give up just like her family never gave up on each other. "I'll do whatever you want and show you what I'm capable of!"

Shredder laughed in such a dark voice that she felt herself hold back a shiver of dread. She recognized the hate he had for the turtles and the family itself. She was starting to feel it as well. He made a show of turning around and heading back to his chair. Was she really not going to be tested? She could prove herself and she knows she could win if only he would-!

Out of thin air came twenty Foot clan ninjas, surrounding her and blocking her view of Bradford and Xever but Shredder was in plain sight as he stared down at her keeping silent. If this was the test then this would be nothing for her. She couldn't figure out who was first in moving but once it started it felt like it would never end. One after the other she fought them and beaten them into submission. Every time she felt her muscles get tired she thought of Manny and how he never gave up on trying to take care of the group. Whenever her brain told her to stop she thought of Cecile and how stubborn she was despite her age and disability. Whenever she got kicked or punched she thought of Logan who fell and stood back up despite everyone being against him. And whenever she thought she would collapse from exhaustion she remembered Raphael and how because of him she wouldn't be able to even look at her family again. Her rage fueled her in no way anything else could and she didn't care who was on the receiving end of her fury. Once all had fallen to the ground groaning in pain she looked up to Shredder while trying to control her erratic breathing. She wouldn't fall in front of him and she knew that whatever came next would be the real challenge. He didn't even blink as she had been raging in battle as if this wasn't even close to what he could do. "Do you think you are ready to go against those turtles in this state?"

She took a deep breath and made sure her voice didn't shake. "No, but I want to be able to achieve such a level. Can you get me there?"

He nodded to the wall of weapons. "Pick one. A ninja is as good as any weapon but it takes skill to wield and be a master with one."

She had to take big steps over the bodies that lay unconscious but she made it to the wall and looked over each one carefully. She had trained with most of those weapons and could fight with any of them but there was one in particular she was fond of. She reached out and took the sickle and chain from its perch and wrapped it around her waist. Her real training had just begun.