(Wrath of the Dragon)
Gamelover41592: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it.
Neostardustdragon01: Let's be real, Subprime is the one who usually does stuff behind the scenes, so it only makes sense he'd make sure people are… out of the picture… who are big threats to the Kraang's plans. But yeah, he totally deserves to get his ass beat.
Jebest4781: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it.
Spectacular Webhead 11: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it.
C.S. Allen: Yep, to say a lot happened here is a big understatement. The Mutanimals got their debut (somewhat), Venom is no more (at least with Eddie Brock), and Electro put forth an offer to Eddie. There's a lot they have going on.
Irishman1999: Trust me, this isn't the end of the Symbiote game, not by a long shot, be it the black one or otherwise. And trust me, I've got ideas for how to introduce the Red one and its iconic host. The only real question is when that's going to happen. Though for the record I am still aware of the version in the Spider-Man 2 game. I'm just going nuts waiting for the DLC to come out. And I get what you're saying, but keep in mind that Raph is one to hold a grudge, no one is going to deny that. Plus he and Peter never really had anything in common, unlike the rest of the Turtles, and Raph does hate admitting when he's wrong. But don't worry, I'm gonna go somewhere with this. Also yeah, Karai's arc is about to begin, and we'll see how all of that pans out, along with who Shredder's new second in command will be. As for Shredder meeting with you know who face to face, we'll see how that pans out.
Pikachu345: I haven't really thought about it, but I'm not against the idea. We'll have to see how that pans out.
ShakespeareRZA: I did see the movie Home when it came out, but it's been awhile. You're right that it's underrated, and it would be good inspiration. We'll see how everything pans out there.
Arturwho: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it.
MercWithaMouth1: I never heard of that character, but it does sound like a pretty interesting concept. But since I already covered Splinter and Rat King, it might be too repetitive to add it in now.
Frosty Wolf: Yep, a good chest bump that ends poorly is almost always funny, and I can totally see Mikey doing that. The heroes aren't going to be trusting Tiger Claw anytime soon, and like was said in the last chapter, the enemy of my enemy is not always my friend. Also, you're not wrong about the team name.
GTA Godfather: Pretty extensive list. You definitely did your research.
Anonymous: Well said, and happy Fourth of July.
Musiclover64: I'm not sure what you mean by that. As for X23, I haven't thought about her making an appearance, but I wouldn't be against at least making a few mentions of her.
5FingerDeathFist: I didn't know that about the actor, but it does sound interesting. Though I wouldn't hold my breath about including those kinds of traits, given how I've shown Gargan acting up to this point.
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The night over New York was permeated by rain pouring down from the skies above.
'It just… doesn't seem right… But I can't help it…' Karai watched the storm rage outside the windows of the Foot Clan base, then looked down at the torn picture in her hand 'Leo kept going on about how Splinter is apparently my real father. Not like he's credible for anything after the way he and the others betrayed me. But then Ghost Spider kept going on about it too, and if she is who I think she could be… This is all screwed up on so many levels.'
"Karai." it was then that Shredder drew her attention as he made his way up behind her "What is it that troubles you, my daughter?"
"I want to know the truth. The truth about my mother. And about Splinter." that request was enough to make Shredder pause, and then his gaze harden.
"You already know the truth my daughter. Hamato Yoshi is responsible for your mother being taken away from us. What he has done will not go unpunished." Shredder paused again as the doors to the throne room opened "And we have at last been brought the one that will help us to attain our vengeance."
"I thought Tiger Claw deserted us and Silver Samurai went back to Japan."
"I speak not of those useless wretches, but of one that will do what they could not: Achieve proper results. The strongest the Foot Clan has to offer, second only to me."
"Second to you?" Karai frowned in thought, but froze when the realization dawned on her "You don't mean…"
"I do my daughter, and he is finally here."
"So you really brought him in… the blind swordsman… Hatori Tatsu."
Sure enough, from within the darkness of the halls emerged a figure clad in an all black suit with the symbol of the Foot Clan on the chest, a single katana strapped to his back and an oni mask covering his face, and he got down on one knee in front of Shredder and Karai once he reached them "My apologies for keeping you waiting Sensei. And hisashiburidana to my student. I trust that you have kept up on your training."
"As if father would ever allow otherwise." Karai paused at the side glare Shredder sent in her direction "But I thought you never left Japan."
"Initially I did not intend to, for there had to be one to manage sensei's operations while he was in New York. But then I encountered the one known as Harada, who told me of the defection of that traitorous feline, and I knew that I had to come to offer my services to my Sensei, with hopes of being of use to him."
"And so you shall Tatsu, now rise." Shredder gave the order, prompting Tatsu to pull himself to his feet "Your loyalty is a rare commodity and will not go unrewarded my student. As such, you shall prove your worth to me."
"What would you have me do?"
"You shall see, but you shall not act alone." Shredder turned his gaze to Karai "My daughter, I want you to go with Tatsu. Find Splintr and the Turtles and destroy them, at any cost."
"...As you wish Father." Karai bowed to him, albeit with some hesitance.
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"The so-called greatest city on Earth. The rumors are greatly exaggerated." Tatsu cast a look around as he and Karai made his way across the rooftops of the city, during which he turned back towards her "I take it you have no difficulty in keeping up with my pace?"
"Not really, just taking it easy on you." Karai shot a smirk at Tatsu "You know, since you work with that obvious handicap of yours."
"Some may call it a handicap, but all of them are fools who do not know better." Tatsu came to a stop and turned around to face Karai "Evidently you have fallen into that category since you came here."
"Hey, at least I'm actually with Father doing something instead of hiding in Japan sitting on that throne of his. Now you show up out of the blue and act like you know everything. What, you've got some sort of grand plan here or something?"
"To defeat any enemy before they can draw their weapon, aim for their weakest spot, usually their vital points. If not those, then aim for what they value higher than themselves."
"And what do you know about the Turtles to begin with? You've never even fought them before, I have."
"Then tell me child, why do you believe Shredder chose to send you with me?" Tatsu was met with silence, until he took notice of the realization dawning on Karai.
"Because I know them. I know the places they go, and I know their weaknesses. Like their human friends, April O'Neil and Casey Jones."
"So you claim. Yet to my understanding, they have other human contacts, such as the owner of a local noodle shop in Chinatown."
"How do you know about that?"
"I spoke with Chris Bradford and that filthy sea creature he's always seen with, and they told me of their previous encounters with the reptiles. Then the shop is where we will start." he moved to carry on.
"Wait!" Karai's voice stopped him in his tracks "Xever is one thing, he's basically just a street thug that Father found useful. But the owner of that shop is just a defenseless old man, what honor is there in this?"
"This is not for honor. This is for information, and that is rarely honorable." Tatsu then carried on without looking back, with Karai following after him in silence."
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Meanwhile, with the Heroes in question…
"No more screwing around bros." Mikey leapt onto his feet as he levelled a glare in the direction of the others "I've put up with a lot of crap from you guys for a long time, but this one is about to get real."
"Big talk Mikey, not like it's gonna mean much." Raph was quick to leap to his feet as he gave a cocky smirk "Trust me when I say that you don't want any part of this."
"You would know about big talk Raph, especially considering it comes from someone with such a limited vocabulary." Donnie pointed out dryly, earning a fist bump from Peter before he got shoved aside by Raph.
"I don't need big words to know how to beat a guy's face in."
"It still raises the question though." Gwen spoke up from where she sat at the counter "Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"Trust me blondie, I was born ready."
"In that case, I think it's safe to say they're ready for you Mr Murakami."
"As you wish Gwen-chan, one pizza gyoza coming up!" Murakami held up one pizza gyoza with a pair of chopsticks, which immediately had the Turtles drooling over it, especially as he hurled it toward them.
"Now we're talking!" the Turtles wasted no time in fighting each other over the gyoza and ended up talking each other to the ground, with Mikey on top and opening his mouth to swallow the gyoza hole… only for it to be stopped by a pair of chopsticks grabbing it in mid air "Hey, what the-"
"Sorry boys, looks like this one is mine." Gwen gave a teasing smile as she held the gyoza with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth, swallowing it in one gulp.
"Oh come on, that is so not fair! Didn't you say something about food not being worth getting violent over?"
"True, but having power doesn't mean getting violent. Besides, these things are tasty enough to be worth it. I just wish I had tried this place out sooner. No seriously, these things are actually really good."
"You have our turtle friends to thank for that." Murakami let out a chuckle as he brought over a tray of gyoza for the group, which prompted them to start digging in "My restaurant was never that popular until I invented the pizza gyoza for them. Honestly, meeting all of you really did help to change my life for the better."
"You're not the only one." Peter swooped in and snagged a couple of gyoza onto a plate before the other Turtles dove in, and then he held it out toward where Leo was standing by the window brooding "You want a few?"
"Might as well, thanks." Leo snagged a gyoza off the plate and swallowed it, before turning back to his brooding, with Peter glancing out the window alongside him "You know, it feels like it's been forever since the last time we got to just hang out and have dinner with everyone, let alone relax in any real way."
"You're not gonna hear me object to that. I mean between everything I've had to do for school and prepping for graduation, along with all of the stuff with the Kraang and the Foot, plus now the Goblin Nation, not to mention being stuck as a giant mutant spider for two months… Good freaking god, there's a lot of psychological baggage to deal with."
"It's weird how things work out, isn't it?" Leo paused and glanced over at Peter "Are you okay, like for real?"
"I guess, it's just… Honestly Leo, I don't think anyone really gets it. The kind of weight that I'm carrying on my shoulders now. I can feel it, every single day. Before I go to bed, and when I wake up in the morning. At this point, I have to stop and wonder… Can I do this?"
"Wow, I uh… I didn't realize being Spider-Man was getting to you so badly."
"No it's not that, I've pretty much gotten used to that by now. I screw up a lot, and I do tend to let people down as Peter Parker, then and now… but in the end, I'm always there to save them as Spider-Man. It's part of who I am, who I'm meant to be. It's my destiny. It's just trying to wrap my head around how I ended up like that. How my life turned out like this."
"...Is this about what Eddie told you?"
"The Kraang were the ones that killed our parents. I never really knew them, and I would never trade Aunt May or Uncle Ben for anything… but it's still a lot to take in. Plus it's only been two weeks since I found it out. Then there's how things panned out with Eddie himself. Honestly, I feel like that's what's been bugging me more than anything else."
"Yeah… I can't say I blame you. I don't know what I'd do either… I can't imagine one of my brothers turning on us like that."
"I have to wonder if the Eddie I know is still in there somewhere… maybe if he was ever even in there at all."
"You're not as alone as you think in that." Gwen made her way over to Peter and gently gripped one of her hands in his "Trust me, I feel exactly the same way you do."
"Minus him resenting you, but I take your point." Peter gripped Gwen's hand in return as he met her gaze "Do you think he'll come back, or is that it? Is whatever relationship he and I had gone for good?"
"It's hard to say for certain… But Eddie did come back once, and that was with the Symbiote, so I don't see a reason why we can't open his eyes to the truth if need be. And whatever happens, we'll face it together." she gave him a gentle kiss on the lips and wrapped his arms around him, with his arms wrapping around her in return "Speaking of which… how do you think he feels after all of that?"
"If he's anything like me, it feels like a tornado of thoughts in your head. Mainly being relieved that it's over. And ashamed at what you did when you were under it."
"That wasn't your fault."
"Doesn't change the fact I did them."
"But it does raise some other questions…" Donnie spoke up next from his place at the counter with the others and cast an uncertain glance toward Peter "How exactly do you feel after all this time?"
"Anxious and panicked, but that's not really anything new… also kind of constipated, but that might be due to all the iced coffee I chug these days."
"I meant more in terms of physical symptoms, like soreness and maybe fatigue?"
"And I still say constipated counts. Also what do you mean by symptoms?"
"While you were gone and we were working with Venom to fend off the Kraang, Eddie let me do some research and take notes on the Symbiote's bond with and effects on the host. Plus I snuck over to the Connors' lab at one point and borrowed some of the data from their computers, and based on what I've been able to gather, the Symbiote seems to channel some sort of collective consciousness."
"So what, you think that when I was part of it, I was in some kind of hive mind?"
"Was being kind of optimistic. You should be fine after all this time has passed, but Eddie… I'm afraid it might still be inside him on some level."
"Wait, are you serious?"
"It shouldn't be anything worth panicking about, but… If we find Eddie again, maybe we should try running some sort of tests on him."
"I'll… remember that." Peter cringed slightly at the thought as he embraced Gwen once again, then turned his attention to Leo "Though based on what I've heard, I've got a pretty decent idea as to what you've been brooding about."
"Yeah. Karai again." Leo hung his head "Master Splinter is her father, I've tried to tell her that and so has Gwen. I just don't get how she could still want to be with Shredder after we told her the truth."
"Pretty obvious it's because she doesn't believe it, and frankly the only reason I really believe it is because I can't fathom the idea that Shredder could reproduce." Peter was met with a raised eyebrow from Gwen "I've met the guy, you haven't. I stand by it."
"Shredder's horrendous personality aside, it just isn't right for her to stay with him."
"Hold up a second." Mikey held up a hand as he swallowed the last of his gyoza, then pulled himself to his feet "You gotta have a little bit of faith here Leo. It basically means her whole life has been a lie. It'd end up changing everything she knows. Yeah the truth is gonna set her free, but that doesn't mean that she's gonna accept it at the drop of a hat. It's like Splinter said, if she's gonna come around to the truth then that's gotta be her call. We can't force it."
"I know Mikey. You are right, it's just…" Leo paused, then let out a long sigh "I just hope she'll come around soon."
"Personally I hope she doesn't." Raph grumbled as he downed his own gyoza "I don't trust her, not even for a second."
"Yeah, cause god forbid you learn how to trust people." Peter muttered dryly, but then his own gaze softened slightly "I will say she isn't all bad though. She did keep my identity a secret from the Shredder and his lackeys."
"Probably just to blackmail you with later or something. People don't change, a bad guy is a bad guy and that's all there is to it."
"He says while conveniently forgetting that his mutant turtle that tried to slaughter him and his brothers turned good." Peter was met with only a low growling noise, and so he turned back to the others "But Mikey pretty much hit the nail on the head, let it happen as it happens. Forcing it isn't gonna do any good."
"You're right. I know you are." Leo's face fell as he glanced back out the window "But that doesn't make it suck any less."
"I never said it would, because frankly it never does."
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Meanwhile, with the Foot princess in question…
'What the hell am I doing?' Karai glanced down at Murakami's noodle shop from her place on a nearby rooftop, then turned her gaze up the night sky 'For that matter, why am I questioning all of it now? It doesn't make any sense! I've seen Father and his men do this kind of thing dozens of times all over the world! Men, women and kids, so why am I so bent out of shape about Tatsu going down to interrogate some blind old man? Why should I care about what happens to any of them? All this time I've been doing whatever I had to in order to please Father, that's basically my life's purpose, the same with the others. I knew exactly what I was doing, and I never had any regrets before… So it begs the obvious question: Why am I suddenly doubting everything out of the blue?'
"That did not yield results."
Karai looked over to see Tatsu leap back up onto the rooftop next to her… and her gaze quickly fell onto the blood trickling along the blade of his sword "The old man was innocent."
"Innocence matters little when it comes to war. And this is war in every sence." Tatsu looked back at the noodle shop "He refused to give any usable information, in other circumstances I may have found his resolve to be admirable. Unfortunately we are on a mission, and thus we do what must be done for the honor of the Foot, and of the Shredder."
"There was no honor in doing what you did."
"Perhaps not. But to commit actions with no honor is a better alternative than failure, especially in service of the Shredder. And after everything has done for me, I will NOT fail him, no matter how much I may have to disgrace myself."
"...So what now? If the old man didn't give you anything useful…"
"Then we'll just have to go after their other human companions. You know where to find them, do you not?"
"I… I do."
"Then we shall be on our way."
"Fine." so Karai followed after Tatsu as they took off across the rooftops, albeit with pretty clear reluctance.
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Meanwhile, with the quartet heroes…
"Alright guys it's getting late, we'd better get home." Leo and the others were making their way down into an alley with skateboards in hand, preparing to enter via a manhole.
"Guys hold up." Mikey suddenly came to a stop and grabbed the attention of the rest "Something isn't right."
"This isn't just you freaking out over forgetting the bag of leftovers again, is it?"
"No I got it here, I never forget anything about pizza. But I'm serious, something in my gut is telling me something's wrong." Mikey paused as the sound of police sirens in the distance drew their attention "Like that. Raph let's go, you and I had better suit up."
"I think you might actually be onto something." another loud ringing prompted Donnie to pull out his T-phone "Looks like someone tripped the silent alarm we set up at Murakami's. He's in trouble."
"...Let's move." was all Leo said.
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Meanwhile, with the Spider duo…
"I have to admit you guys were right, Mr Murakami makes great stuff." Gwen let out a content sigh as she finished changing into her Ghost Spider suit.
"No arguments here." Peter leapt out from behind a dumpster in his own suit and quickly pulled down his Spider-Man mask "Plus it's been forever since we got to just hang out and get some food without having to worry about people trying to kill us." then his face fell as that thought circulated in his mind "Like Eddie."
"Yeah… I don't think there's any cheering you up from that. Not that I won't try with all I've got though."
"Which is appreciated. But going beyond the fact that we bros ended up trying to kill each other, I'm still thinking about what Donnie said. About being bonded to the Symbiote and having some of it left inside of him. Did you know anything about that?"
"I was mostly stuck at school when he did those tests on Eddie, but he did tell me a little bit about them. Are you worried about that happening to you?"
"To both me and him really. If Donnie says I'm okay then I trust him, but I think we'd better look into that when we get the chance. For now I say we just bask in not having to freak out over anyone trying to kill us or anything going up in flames." he paused as the sound of his cell phone ringing drew his attention "Well that actually lasted longer than I thought it would." and so with a sigh of resignation, he quickly pulled it to his ear "Hey Mikey, what's up? Wait, for real? We'll be right there." and so he quickly hung up and turned to Ghost Spider "We got trouble, we've gotta get moving."
"Kraang activity?"
"I wish. Somebody tripped the silent alarm we set up at Murakami's. We have to move."
"Right." so the two of them quickly webbed lines and began swinging, during which she cast a glance over at him "When exactly did you guys set up a silent alarm there?"
"After he got kidnapped by Xever and the Purple Dragons, we wanted to make sure we'd be there if anything else happened. A fat lot of good it did."
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A few moments later, at the noodle shop…
"Mr Murakami!" Leo rushd through the doors of the noodle shop, with Donnie, Turtle Titan and Nightwatcher following close behind him only to look around and see the furniture in shambles with claw marks along the walls, leaving them horrified by the sight "Good god, what happened in here?"
"Mr Murakami!" Turtle Titan rushed over towards the figure slumped against the wall… only to instantly be horrified as he slumped over with a giant slash across his throat, and blood pouring from it "No, no no no no…"
"Is he…?"
"Hold on." Turtle Titan quickly checked him over, desperate to find a pulse… but after a moment he pulled away "Guys… we lost him…"
"Oh god…" Leo and the others shared solemn looks and bowed their heads slightly "But it still raises the question… who did this?"
"Already working on that." Spider-Man leapt down from his place on the ceiling, with Ghost Spider poking her head through the window, the former holding a small device "I picked up the sensor we put here after the whole Xever thing. It got set off not too long after we left."
"So what are we looking at, the Purple Dragons again?" Nightwatcher gritted his teeth and slammed a fist into his palm "I knew we should've finished the job."
"No we already checked it out, nothing actually got stolen. Then I took a look at the footage in the security camera we set up." Spider-Man pulled out his cell phone and held it out for the rest of the group to look at.
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A short time ago, during Murakami's final moments…
"Hm?" Murakami was in the middle of sweeping up the restaurant after the others had left, only to pause as a certain noise drew his attention "Is someone there? Michelangelo?"
"Your saviors will not be coming."
Murakami turned around at the sound of that voice, only to find a figure clad in an oni mask and a black uniform with the Foot symbol standing before him, and then he wound up shoved against the wall with a blade pointed at his throat "Wh-Who are you? What do you want?"
"I come in search of information on the bakemonos you are associated with."
"I-I do not know what you are talking about!"
"Lying will only make this worse for you. The reptile freaks that frequent your business. To my understanding, their names are Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello. Tell me what you know, or else I will be forced to use more… extreme measures."
"I- I do not know what reptiles you speak of."
"So you claim, yet I know that your lack of sight does not prevent you from discovering the true self of those you associate with. There are four that frequent your business for these gyoza that you are famous for."
"They… They saved my life." Murakami steeled himself slightly and looked up at Tatsu with a degree of defiance "I cannot betray them. I won't."
"Hm… Under different circumstances, I would find your resolve to be admirable." Tatsu paused as he pulled himself to his feet "The girl claims that there is no honor in this. Perhaps she speaks the truth." then he turned back to Murakami as he slowly drew his katana from the sheath on his back "But I did not come here for honor." and then he brought down his blade… which resulted in blood spurting into the air.
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Back to the present…
"The Foot Clan. I feel like I shouldn't be surprised at this point." Spider-Man gave a scowl under his mask as he turned to the others "So is that another new psychopath that popped up while I was gone?"
"No, this is one we haven't seen before." Leo paused as he looked at the image of Tatsu, then turned his gaze back to the others "But if he's looking for information on us, then there's a good chance he may try to go after April and Casey next."
"And you heard what that asshole in the footage said right?" Raph glanced over at him "He said something about a girl, that's gotta mean Karai. I told you that-"
"Not the time for that Raph, we've got other things to worry about."
"And I think they're getting a lot worse." Donnie turned toward the others as he frantically dialed into his T-phone "April isn't answering her T-phone, she always answers!"
"Then we'd better split up. Me, Donnie and Ghost Spider go to April's place, the rest of you head over to the ice rink and try to warn Casey."
"Sounds like a plan, so let's-" Spider-Man was cut short by the sounds of police sirens blaring in the distance "I'm pretty sure that's our cue to get the hell out of here. You guys go ahead, my group will head over and check on Jones after we deal with the cops."
"Got it. Make sure to take care out there." Leo gave a simple nod, and then he, Donnie and Ghost Spider took off out of the back of the restaurant.
'Now comes the hard part. Figuring out whether or not they're Jameson fans.'
"Hold it, I'm going in first to check it out." once the police car pulled up outside, George Stacy was the one who made his way into the noodle shop, only to pause as he noticed Spider-Man and the others standing before him "I'm guessing the three of you were close by when you heard the commotion?"
"Not close enough. Not fast enough either." Turtle Titan clenched his fist as he looked over at the body.
"I take it you knew him?"
"Yeah… he was a friend. And a good man."
"I see." George slowly made his way over and knelt down next to Murakami's body, then turned to the others "I've been told that some things about the job do get easier with time… This isn't one of them. You'd have to learn that for yourself at one point or another."
"So how do you manage it?" Nightwatcher finally spoke up.
"Different people have different ways. Personally, I do everything I can to make sure that it doesn't happen to anyone else."
"Then let's do it." Turtle Titan and Nightwatcher shared a look, and both of them took off out the back of the restaurant.
"As much as I applaud their spirit, they didn't let me finish." George turned around in order to fully face Spider-Man "The hardest part of this job, either being an officer or a hero, is that they have one thing in common: You can't always save everybody."
"Maybe not. But that doesn't mean you don't try. And no matter what happens, I will NEVER stop trying." Spider-Man's gaze hardened underneath his mask, and he promptly took off out the back of the restaurant and webbed a line as he swung away 'And I'm gonna start by making sure this psychopath doesn't run anyone else through, starting with April and Casey. Seriously, what the hell is she doing that would keep her from answering her phone?'
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Meanwhile, with the two in question…
"Holy crap, that was the best movie I've ever seen!" April practically had stars in her eyes as she made her way out of the theater, with Casey and Irma by her side "I mean that one part where the captain got cornered by the monster, and it turns into all kinds of sloober and fangs and goo, and then boom! That explosion that went and knocked them out of orbit, next thing you know they're about to fall into a star and…"
"See Red, I told ya you'd like Star Trek if you gave it a chance." Casey gave a smirk, but then shot a scowl in the direction of the third party "I don't know why the hell we needed to get a freaking chaperone this time."
"You do realize I'm standing right here." Irma pointed out dryly.
"What do you think the problem is?"
"Speaking of problems, I don't see the big deal. Irma is a friend just like you, it's not like it's the end of the-" April cut herself short as she placed a hand to her temple "Hold on."
"What's going on?"
"I think we're being followed."
"Aw crapbaskets." Casey's gaze quickly hardened as he leaned closer "Okay so here's what I'm thinking, whatever it is we split up and lead it away from the third wheel here. Sound good?"
"About as good as it can. Stay safe."
"You too Red." Casey gave a nod, and then the two of them quickly took off running in different directions.
"You do know that I'm still standing right here?" Irma was met with silence, though she did spot two figures lurking on the rooftops nearby, to which she gave a smirk 'Ah, looks like Shredder's lackeys are out on the prowl. This should prove to be good entertainment.'
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Meanwhile, with the vigilante…
'Note to self, figure out a faster way to do this. Homemade taser is kickass, but it's a bitch to get on.' Casey gritted his teeth as he strapped on his mask and gear as fast as he could, which wasn't quite as fast as he would've liked, and ducked into an alley behind a dumpster, looking around to find nothing there "Yes, the coast is clear. Casey Jones can't be caught."
"It is always the loud ones that perish first."
"...Aw crapbaskets." Casey looked up just in time to see Tatsu leap down from the rooftop with his sword pointed at him, to which he managed to roll out of the way of the blade, but was still met with a quick backhand to the face that sent him crashing to the ground.
"And a word of advice boy. Stop thinking aloud."
"Huh… Good to know. Here's a little thanks for the advice!" Casey rolled onto his back as Tatsu closed in on him and shot one hand forward, prompting Tatsu to block it with his sword… only for that to be the hand with the homemade taser, which promptly activated, sending a current of electricity along the blade, electrocuting Tatsu with enough force to bring him down onto one knee, allowing Casey to leap upright and activate his skates "Now we're talking! Come on you Yu Yu Hakusho reject, show me what you've got!"
"And so I shall." Tatsu quickly pulled himself back onto his feet, smoking slightly but otherwise unharmed as he tightened his grip on his katana "Evidently you have spirit boy, but I have not come to entertain your childish games."
"...Okay on second thought, I don't think I really need to see what you've got."
"As I'm sure your generation would say, no take backs. In short, your death is inevitable, so try to face it with honor." and so Tatsu began to close in, prompting Casey to try and retreat to gain some distance.
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Meanwhile, with the other human target…
'Okay I'm still new to this, but I think they're close…' April rushed her way down the sidewalk as fast as she could, her mind racing as she pulled out her tessen 'Nobody is around, if I'm gonna lure them out into the open then this has to be where I do it. Enough with the games. I know you're there, come out and show yourself!"
"You asked for it." it was then that Karai suddenly leapt to the ground in front of April, forcing her to stop in her tracks "Been a long time, hasn't it O'Neil?"
"You mean since you brainwashed my dad, kidnapped me and handed me to the Kraang so they could destroy the world? Yeah trust me Karai, not the sort of thing a teenage girl likes to think about." April gave a soclw as she held up her tessen "If you wanna go for round two then fine, but I'm warning you know: I've been training with Master Splinter big time since then, and I've got no problems kicking your ass."
"First of all, I've got like a decade of training on you so good luck with that. Second of all, I didn't come here looking for a fight. Not yet anyway. I just came to talk."
"...Oh. Okay. I've got plenty of training in that department too."
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Meanwhile, with the vigilante turned hunted…
"Crap, crap, crap!" now taking to an abandoned parking ll=ot, Casey leapt over the hood of a car to avoid another strike of Tatsu's blade, as well as dodge the incoming barrage of shuriken being aimed at him "You know, there was a part of me that always wanted to fight one of those freak ninja dudes. The ones that didn't get turned into a pack of giant Furries I mean. You know any real ones?"
"See if you can call me a real one when my blade is at your throat Gaki!" Tatsu continued his advancement towards Casey.
"Yeah, it's called keeping away from the freak in the stupid mask!"
"You would know more of freaks than I would boy. Of course I should expect such naivete from a child pretending to be a hero."
"That what you think? Then let's see how we do here!" Casey brandished one of his new metal clubs and charged at Tatsu, matching the club against his katana, only to quickly be forced onto the defensive, switching to using his club to block the strikes, and then he slid under Tatsu's feet in order to try and strike him from behind.
"Interesting move." Tatsu spun on his heel and managed to deal Casey a sharp jab to the throat that sent him crashing to the ground "Interesting, but ineffective. Now we shall see what you can offer about your companions."
"You want his buddies, then come after me instead freak!" a kusarigama chain latched onto Tatsu by the arm, followed by a smoke bomb being thrown in his face, and then a a figure landing a solid fist to the face, sending Tatsu staggering backwards. It was then that the smoke cleared to reveal Turtle Titan as he dismounted the Stealth Bike and stood in front of him "Casey stay back, I'll take care of this guy."
"I'm well aware of who you are." Tatsu composed himself and got into a stance "They refer to you as the Turtle Titan, a supposed champion of the common people of this city."
"And you're the lowlife piece of trash that killed Mr Murakami. Don't think you're gonna get away with that."
"The chef was loyal to you, in another lifetime I would have high respect for him. But as of now, he is little more than a casualty of a war between clans. As for who I am, I am known as the right hand of the Shredder, Hattori Tatsu." he tightened his grip on his katana "But you will know me as your executioner."
"After what you did to Mr Murakami, there's only one thing I know you as, and it's a murderer about to rot in a cell!" Turtle Titan tightened his grip on his kusarigama chain and nunchucks, and quickly charged forward.
"Evidently you display the ideals of heroism… and the weaknesses that go with it." Tatsu didn't waste a second as he forced his way forward, using his katana to fend off Turtle Titan's attacks and landing a few small jabs along his torso.
"Try thinking about weaknesses after I get through with ya!" Turtle Titan retreated back a short distance, then leapt off the Stealth Bike and over Tatsu's head in an attempt to land an attack from behind…
"Ingenuity, but lacking in effectiveness." Tatsu spun on his heel and dealt Turtle Titan a sharp kick to the chest, sending him tumbling to the ground, then instantly dodged a blow from Casey's taser and dealt him a jab to the chest that sent him hurtling to the ground "I expected more from those taught by the great Splinter. Evidently he is not as skilled a teacher as he is a warrior. Such a disappointment."
"Cram it…" Turtle Titan spat out some blood as he pulled himself back to his feet and threw off his cowl to reveal the face of Michelangelo, his eyes blazing with anger "You killed one of my friends… you try to kill another… and you insult my sensei… That tears it!" he leapt into the air and landed behind Tatsu, then began launching a furious barrage of attacks with his nunchucks and kusarigama chain.
"So it would seem that what I have heard is true. You are trained by Hamato Yoshi himself, yet you are little more than a freak! Bakemono ga!" he fended off the weapons easily with his sword, then grabbed Mikey by the arm and dealt him a palm strike to the chest hard enough to send him hurtling across the lot and crashing into a brick wall with a loud bang.
"D-Dammit…" Mikey slowly pulled himself back onto his feet, now covered in bruises and panting heavily.
"You were foolish to come and face me alone. But at the very least, you shall meet your end with honor." Tatsu held up his sword and moved to land a finishing blow, until…
"Goongala!" Casey leapt in front of Tatsu and hurled an exploding puck at his face, creating a loud bang and a cloud of smoke.
"Insolent gaki! You'll pay for your interference!" Tatsu cleared away the smoke as the ringing in his ears died down, only to find that Mikey and Casey were gone, to which he gave a scowl under his mask 'No matter. So long as my student carries out her own mission, we shall find the freaks and their master soon enough.'
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Meanwhile, with the escape team…
"Come on, we gotta keep moving." Mikey and Casey continued with their escape until they had ducked into an alleyway and hid behind a dumpster, and only then did Mikey allow himself to cringe from the various bruises he had "That could've gone better… ow…"
"Dammit, that guy hits like a freaking truck." Casey poked his head out and saw no one else coming, to which he breathed a small sigh "Nobody there."
"Good, I think we're in the clear." Mikey relaxed slightly and leaned back… right before two weblines latched onto him and Casey by the arms and subsequently yanked them both up onto the rooftop above them "I gotta learn not to do that."
"Try having the Spider Sense blaring in your head when it doesn't do anything to help you. If anything it just makes it worse." Spider-Man leapt off the nearby water tower and helped Mikey to his feet, with Nightwatcher doing the same for Casey "You doing okay?"
"Feel like I got turned into a giant punching bag by Raph, but… yeah, I guess. How did you guys track us down so fast?"
"I just used my phone to track the position of your T-phone by bouncing the locator signal off the satellites. Funny enough, pretty sure you're the one who taught me how to do that."
"Huh. Point for the party dude I guess." Mikey let out a chuckle, then cringed again at the pain of his bruises "Guess I shouldn't have gone in nunchucks blazing like that. Good tip for the future I guess."
"Better idea, try not going on a crazy one-man mission for revenge. Pretty sure that's supposed to be my thing." Nightwatcher pulled off his helmet to reveal the face of Raphael, his gaze growing slightly softer "You had us worried for a minute there. Don't go charging off to get killed again, alright little brother?"
"I know… I'm sorry guys. I just… the thought about what he did to Murakami, he was gonna do it to Casey and…" Mikey blinked away a few tears "I couldn't let it happen again."
"Hey trust me, that's part of the mentality that's kept me going at this whole thing for almost two years." Spider-Man patted Mikey on the arm "Come on, let's get you and the dude with the rich fantasy life over there back to the Lair and let Splinter patch you up. Maybe tell us what you know about our new BFF."
"Fair. But what about April? Isn't he gonna go after her too?"
"I got a text from Gwen, they stopped by April's place and apparently she went to the movies so they're heading over there. We'll drop you guys off and then head over to back them up just in case."
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Meanwhile, with the girl talk…
"I don't know what it is, but… something doesn't seem right about it." Karai let out a sigh as she leaned back against the AC unit positioned behind her "All my life I was raised to believe in the ways of the Foot, that Shredder was my father, that Splinter was the enemy. So when Leo and the Spider girl or whatever she's called-"
"Ghost Spider." April stood upright in front of Karai and crossed her arms "She goes by Ghost Spider in uniform."
"Right. Anyway, when she and Leo kept trying to say that stuff about Splinter being my true father, I didn't know what I was supposed to think. Finding out your entire life is a lie isn't really the easiest thing for anyone to accept. But lately, even without all of that… I've been starting to have doubts about Shredder's honor."
"Doubts about the evil leader of the evil ninja clan? Really now?" April's tone was oozing with sarcasm.
"Yes. Even now, Shredder's newest assassin is out to destory the Turtles and their allies."
"He's got a new one?"
"New to you at least. Hattori Tatsu, Shredder's right hand man and my former teacher. He's out there probably beating one of them into the ground as we speak. For all we know he's going after that idiot friend of yours in the skull mask as we speak."
"Wait, what?!"
"It gets worse. Tatsu is the strongest the Foot clan has to offer, aside from Shredder himself. Not just in New York either, as in the entire Foot orgnaization on a global scale. He's also the most ruthless, if what he did to the old man at the noodle shop is anything to go by."
"Old man at the noodle shop?" April froze as the realization dawned on her, and her expression turned into one of horror "Murakami… you mean he…?"
"Yeah. He killed in one strike. And I did nothing to stop him." Karai qukckly turned her gaze away from April "Right now, Tatsu most likely plans to use me to set some kind of trap for the Turtles, but… but I can't do it. Not like this. Even if it means going against Shredder. For the second time I mean, after-" she was cut off by a shot of webbling hurtling towards her with enough force to send her crashing to the ground and leaving her pinned there "Okay, but why though? Also, what is this stuff made of?"
"A makeshift chemical compound." Ghost Spider swung her way over onto the rooftop and landed in front of the two of them just as Leo and Donnie climbed up to join her "It's not toxic, but you realy don't want to try and chew your way out of it. I would know, I've seen people try and I'm not just talking about Mikey."
"Gw- Guys just hold on a minute." April was quick to step in front of them "It's okay, she wasn't going to hurt me. You guys have to listen to what she has to say."
"Uh huh." Ghost Spider paused and shared a look with Leo and Donnie, then turned her gaze back over to Karai "Alright, we're all ears."
"Okay look, Leo and Specter or whatever you call yourself…" Karai raised her head enough to look them in the eyes "It's not the easiest thing to come around to, but… I believe you. About how Splinter is really my father I mean."
"Uh huh. And the rest of us?"
"I believe that she believes you guys." April told her.
"Anyone else?"
"I believe April." was Donnie's input.
"Fair enough. So then, what do you think we should-?"
"This is great!" Leo's face lit up like a Christmas tree as he cut Karai free of the webs with one of his katanas, then grabbed her by the arm and started pulling her away "I knew that you'd come around, now we can take you to the Lair to see Master Splinter."
"...Okay then." Ghost Spider shared a look with Donnie and April "Call it a hunch, but I get the feeling some of the others aren't gonna be too happy about this."
"It's more Raph I'm worried about right now." Donnie muttered "He's gonna blow his top the second he sees her.
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One quick trip to the Lair later…
"You gotta be freaking kidding me!" sure enough, Raph wasted no time in blowing up at the others the second they walked into the Lair with Karai "What in the name of shell were you guys thinking?!"
"Never thought I'd say this, and I probably never will again, but- Wait a second." Spider-Man took a step towards the group and pulled off his mask, revealing the face of Peter Parker, and he quickly locked eyes with Ghost Spider "Just so we're on the same page, and in the name of avoiding the Look-"
"It was Leo's idea." Ghost Spider told him flatly.
"Okay good. In that case, I gotta go with Raph on this one." Peter turned his gaze toward Leo "I mean seriously, I've never even brought May here and now you're bringing her to pizza night for crying out loud. Especially after what her partner to Mikey and Jones."
"Wait hold on, what?" Leo's gaze quickly hardened "What happened to Mikey and Casey, are they-?"
"They're fine more or less, they just got turned into punching bags by the demon mask guy, and apparently he's a lot tougher than any of Shredder's other cronies."
"Oh man…"
"Yeah, he basically went through them like a hot knife through butter." Raph's hateful gaze only intensified as he turned it back onto Karai "And you guys basically went and brought his partner in crime home for dinner. Way to be the leader."
"Shredder lied to me!" Karai was quick to protest "I-I didn't know…"
"But you knew about your buddy killing Murakami, didn't you?"
"I… I didn't approve of him doing that."
"But you didn't stop him either." Raph was met with silence "That's what I thought. Go ahead and think about that while I take my sais and shove them up your-"
"And the moment's over." Peter grabbed Raph by the arm "Pretty sure Splinter put this above all else, revenge isn't gonna solve anything. Right now we need to be clearheaded. Plus if she does know the truth, which frankly I'm still skeptical of cause of how batshit this whole thing is, it's better to have her with us than against us."
"Yeah sure, of course you'd say that."
"I will say this, you can trust Parker to be the voice of reason." Karai gave a small grateful smile, though she did take a step back as the others began arguing… and pushed a button on a small device she held behind her back.
"I've heard enough about all this crap about the Princess turning sides, people like her don't change! For all we know she's leading Shredder and his thugs here as we speak!"
"Enough!" the sharp tap of a cane broke up the argument, drawing the attention of everyone to where Splinter stood outside the door to the dojo, his gaze softening when he and Karai finally locked eyes "Miwa."
"Splinter." Karai bowed her head to him, despite a moment's hesitation.
"Come with me." Splinter made his way back into the dojo, with Karai pausing for a moment, then following after him.
"Okay, so that's a thing." Raph was the first one to speak after they left… and then proceeded to punch Leo on the arm "Seriously, am I the only one who's not stupid enough to fall for this whole thing?"
"No, but that doesn't mean you're stupid enough to question Splinter either." Peter pointed out dryly, causing Raph to fall silent "And there we go."
"In that case, I have to ask." Ghost Spider turned to Peter as she pulled off her own mask to reveal the face of Gwen Stacy "Do you believe her?"
"I've believed a lot of stuff since I started the whole Spider-Man thing. At this point, I'm just gonna wait and see how it plays out."
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Meanwhile, with the father daughter reunion…
"Wow…" Karai looked up in awe as she followed Splinter into the dojo, and her gaze fell onto the giant tree "I have to be honest, this feels kind of… serene."
"Yes. Many have felt such a sensation when they first enter this place, and I myself am far from an exception to that rule." Splinter drew Karai's attention to where he stood in front of the small shrine, during which he pulled off a picture and handed it to Karai "There are very few things that I retain from my old life, but this is one that I will never let go of, my daughter."
"What is-" Karai cut herself short as she stared at the picture, that being one of Splinter's human form with Tang Shen, and her face quickly turned pale 'That's… This is just like my picture of my mother, but… Does that mean… I can't believe it…" her gaze fell onto the portrait on top of the shrine, causing her expression to turn to a mix of shock and horror "You're telling the truth… All these years, Shredder has been lying to me…"
"Wait, you can't believe it?" this was when Leo and the other Turtles, along with Peter and Ghost Spider, made their way into the dojo "I thought you did believe it, if you didn't then why did you come down here to begin with?"
"I didn't- I…" Karai fell silent for a moment until her gaze turned back to Splinter "Father… Oh god, what did I do?"
"You did what you thought you must, as did I." Splinter placed a hand on Karai's shoulder "You had to see with your own eyes, in order to learn the truth for yourself."
"You knew… You knew that I was lying the whole time."
"There is no doubt that the forces of the Shredder are on their way."
"Yes…"
"Okay hold up, what was that part?" Peter took a step forward "Oh god, you've got a tracker on you or something don't you?"
"You guys are half right." Karai hung her head slightly as she held out the device "Tatsu is using this to track my location."
"...Yep, that sounds about right. I'm just gonna say it, Raph is never gonna let the guys hear the end of this."
"I told you!" Raph immediately levelled a pissed off glare at the others.
"Case and point."
"There's no time to argue about this, I have to get out of here!" Karai's tone was frantic "I can lead Tatsu away from here."
"And then what? He's gonna figure out you're turning on him, there's no way you can deal with this alone." Peter's gaze hardened as he pulled out his Spider-Man mask "It's time we show this guy what we're really made of."
"Parker…"
"No arguments here." Mikey made his way back into the room as he pulled his Turtle Titan cowl back over his head "Casey took a couple of rough hits, but I'm ready to go. If this guy is looking for a fight, then he's got one."
"But-"
"All of you go." Splinter drew the others back to him "Take Karai and watch over her. I will stay with April and attend to Casey."
"Got it." Peter pulled down his Spider-Man mask and moved to leave along with the others, but quickly stopped and turned towards Karai "You know my Uncle Ben once told me, we get to choose the kind of people we want to be."
"Some of us choose to be right all the time." Raph commented dryly, only to be met with a shot of webbing being slapped over his mouth.
"And some of us choose to do that." Spider-Man gave a smirk underneath his mask, then turned to the others "Speaking of which, we agreed on leading him away from here. Where are we gonna take him?"
"I… I don't know." Karai muttered quietly "Just somewhere away from here."
"So that narrows it down. Okay then, I've got a couple of ideas."
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One quick trip away from the Lair later…
"So this is where that infernal device leads." Tatsu threw away the tracker as he made his way to the end of a certain sewer tunnel, only to find that no one else was there, at least visibly 'Hm… so they discovered Karai's attempts to track them and managed to lure me elsewhere. I do not need to see you to know you are there. Come and show yourselves, face your deaths with whatever honor you freaks possess."
"You know, there's no need for name calling." it was at this moment that a purple doorway appeared next to Tatsu, and a hulking green figure emerged from it, only to pause as he took notice of Tatsu's blade being pointed at his throat "Or for needless empty threats."
"You would be wise not to take such threats so lightly Yokai. Identify yourself."
"My name is Dr Miles Warren, aka the Jackal as some heathens like to call me, and the newest scientist working under Shredder. I'm sure that you've heard of me at some point." Jackal was met with the blade slowly being pulled away from his throat.
"So what brings you here?"
"I don't know if you've been told, but the Turtles that your leader is so fond of have a few allies that have been a thorn in the side of my personal benefactors for some time."
"The Spider-themed vigilantes."
"Those are the ones. Anyway, I wouldn't want them to get in the way of you carrying out your mission for Shredder, so I'm here to offer my assistance."
"Not out of the goodness of your heart I assume."
"If you have to call it something, call it a good will gesture. Part of getting ahead in my line of work is cultivating a reputation."
"Yeah, a reputation for being a psychopath." a single shot of webbing burst out from within the shadows, blinding Jackal before he had a chance to react, to which both Spiders appeared before them, Spider-Man dealing Jackal an uppercut to the jaw and a roundhouse kick to the chest that sent him hurtling backwards into a nearby wall.
"Hm… Well alright then. If that's how you want to play it then fine." Jackal picked himself up and spat out some blood, then gave a malicious smirk "Well I suppose if you want a spider to be squashed right… you squash them yourself."
"Give it a try, see if you do better than you did last time you and I went at it. I don't have any problems beating you into the ground again."
"We'll see about that soon enough. I think you'll find that I've made a few improvements since our last little spat." Jackal suddenly burst forward, stopping behind Spider-Man and elbowing him in the back, moving to launch a counterattack, only to be stopped by a webline suddenly yanking him up towards a nearby manhole, then through it and leaving a gaping hole from the impact.
"And I think you'll find that this time, I've got backup! It's times like this ya gotta love having someone like Ghosty around." Spider-Man wasted no time in webbing a line and swinging to the surface after them.
"...Hm. So be it then. At least now I can complete my mission without interference." with that in mind, Tatsu turned his attention to the figures lurking throughout the sewer tunnel, allowing him to weave around the attempts to attack him from the shadows, fending each of them off with a single swift jab, the final attempt ending with him stopping Leo's assault with a swift jab to the throat that sent him crashing to the ground, with the Turtles quickly pulling him back into the darkness while Tatsu himself exited the sewer tunnel and found himself in a large storm drain area "If you are truly students of the great Splinter, then come out and face me. Allow us to settle this."
"As if you had to ask." a mere moment passed before Leo and the rest of the Turtles emerged from the darkness and stood before Tatsu with their weapons drawn. Another moment passed until the sound of dripping water prompted the Turtles to make their move.
"Hm. More adequate than the rest of the peons bearing Shredder's emblem." Tatsu was quick to fend off Leo's katanas while dealing Raph a swift pressure point jab, knocking him to the ground and giving him the chance to land an uppercut kick to Leo's jaw "But your technique is still pitiful in comparison to mine."
"Then try taking on a superior thinker!" Donnie leapt in front of Tatsu and attempted to strike him with his bo staff, only for it to be cut in half by a single stroke of Tatsu's sword, and then he found himself grabbed by the throat and hurled to the ground, with Tatsu's blade being held to his throat.
"Pathetic. Now you shall-"
"Get the shell away from my brother freak!" Mikey latched onto Tatsu using a kusarigama chain latched onto his arm and yanked him away from Donnie, leaving him bound in place.
"Now we're talking, you're going down asshole!" Raph pounced at Tatsu with both of his sais pointed forward.
"Foolish impulsive creature." Tatsu managed to fend off Raph's assault using his katana with his free hand, and then landed a knee to Raph's torso that left him reeling and prompted him to make a hasty retreat into the shadows.
"Like you have room to talk." Leo was the next one to try and make a move, in which he leapt down from his place atop a nearby drain pipe and readied his sword to cut Tatsu down with one strike.
"You may prefer to talk… but I prefer action!" Tatsu yanked his bound arm to pull Mikey's chain forward, leaving it to be cut by Leo in his place, freeing him and sending Mikey tumbling down into the storm drain, while he dodged the attacks of the other Turtles with ease and dealt them a series of slashes, leaving them all sprawled out on the ground with long bloody gashes across their torsos.
"I told you to get the shell away from my brothers! You're not gonna kill them or anyone else, you hear me?!" Mikey picked himself back up just as the Turtles hit the floor, and he tried to rush his way over to them, until…
"I will fulfill my duties, no matter how much dishonor may befall me." Tatsu grabbed Mikey by the back of the shell and threw him to the ground, and prepared to strike him down, blade aimed at Mikey's throat.
"You're doing what you gotta do, like doing whatever Shredder tells you, I get the… and I'm doing what I gotta do… protecting my bros!" Mikey leapt to his feet and hurled his kusarigama chain directly at Tatsu, striking him in the face, allowing Mikey to get a good look at him, only to be taken aback by what he saw "What the shell…?"
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Meanwhile, with the battle on the surface…
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you'd do it this way." Jackal picked himself up off the ground and wiped some blood from his lip as he looked up to see Spider-Man and Ghost Spider looking down at him from their perch on a rooftop "Of course you'd take it out into the open and make a big spectacle of it."
"Big words coming from the dude who basically turned himself into Bigfoot." Spider-Man noted dryly "So let me see if I've got this: First the Kraang, then the Goblin Nation and now you're with the Foot. Wow, you just love playing lackey to the big leagues don't you?"
"You call me a lackey, but everything I do serves a purpose. One, these various alliances give me the opportunity to advance my own research. Two, the more different sides I engratiate myself with, the more likely it is that I'll be on the winning side when the dust finally settles. You know how business is I'm sure."
"Sounds to me like you're just living up to your title." Ghost Spider's own gaze hardened as she filled her web shooters with new cartridges "You act like you're trying to come out on top, but the truth is you're just like a real life jackal, following after these big organizations and picking up the scraps they leave behind."
"Quite the bold claim my dear, I can see that having a mouth on you is a trait that all Spiders tend to share. Once I get my hands on both of you, I'll be sure to find out what it is that makes you so mouthy, along with everything else of course."
"That's assuming you can." Spider-Man and Ghost Spider both launched themselves down towards the Jackal with burst of their enhanced physical strength, each of them letting a fist fly, only to be stopped by Jackal catching their fists in his, the force of the collision resulting in a small shockwave rippling throughout the street.
"Well now, it seems to me like this is about to get much more interesting."
"Oh just wait, now you're about to see what Spectacular Spiders can do when they decide to start kicking some ass." Spider-Man gave a smirk underneath his mask, with Ghost Spider being quick to mirror it, and the two of them began their assault, launching themselves at Jakcal at full speed with a rapid series of combined punches and kicks.
"In that case, I'll show you why the Jackal is a creature not to be underestimated, especially not by mouthy little arachnids like you." Jackal gave a smirk as he began dodging and blocking most of their attacks, this quickly coming to an end when he buried his fist in Spider-Man's gut and let loose a powerful surge from his gauntlet, electrocuting him and sending him hurtling backwards down the street "See what I mean?"
"Big whoop, I've fought Electro like three times and you go nothing on him!" Spider-Man fired a few shots of impact webbing at Jackal as he rebounded.
"I think you'll find I'm nothing like that rage-filled novice." Jackal let loose another surge to cancel out the webs, then turned his attention towards Ghost Spider as the two of them began to trade blows, only to be met with a surprising onslaught from Ghost Spider that ended with her successfully slugging him across the face, much to his anger "You little-"
"Right over here!" Spider-Man launched himself at Jackal and landed a roundhouse kick directly to his face, sending him hurtling backwards a fair distance, and then he and Ghost Spider moved to advance on him.
"If that's how you want to play it, then so be it." Jackal's gauntlets surged with even greater levels of electricity as he started fending off another combined assault, dodging and weaving aroud a number of attacks, though he was quick to lose patient as he leapt back a short distance and let loose a burst of electricity from both hands, then buried it in Spider-Man's gut, sending him flying back a great distance.
"You wanna play hard ball, then so can we Warren!" seeing that Jackal was distracted, if only for a moment, Ghost Spider pulled out a concussive blaster and let loose a powerful sonic wave with enough force to blow Jackal off his feet, giving her the chance to latch onto him with a webline and hurl him into the air, with both Spiders chasing aftr him.
Jackal was left to hurtle into the night sky until he crashed onto a nearby rooftop, with Ghost Spider and Spider-Man both joining him, and he gave a scowl as he wiped the blood from his lip, then a smirk "Well now, you two are just full of surprises aren't you?"
"What can I say, we like to avoid being predictable sometimes. But I'm sure this is something anyone with a brain saw coming, we kicked your furry green ass." Spider-Man moved to fire another webline, only to be stopped by another surge of electricity as another purple doorway appeared behind the Jackal "Oh come on!"
"I think that's enough for now. I did want to test some upgrades and give my new companions the chance to settle some business with your turtle friends, but I think that's enough, at least for the time being."
"Seriously, you're running away?"
"I wouldn't say that. To be continued, as I like to put it. Take this time to refine your skills and make your own upgrades, because I can tell you for a fact that you're going to need it. What I can offer is little more than a sample of what's to come. Trust me when I say that the Kraang, the Goblin Nation… what they have in store for you is far worse than you could ever imagine. There is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop what we have planned. Oh, and one last thing. I did receive a message for the two of you from the Goblin King. You in particular." he turned his gaze toward Spider-Man as his smirk grew wider "He looks forward to meeting you face to face again very soon." and then he stepped through the purple doorway, it closing a few seconds after.
"Yeah, that figures. He's real good at running his mouth and then running away."
"Doesn't make him any less dangerous though." Ghost Spider paused as the sound of her cell phone ringing drew her to pull it out, and she cringed "But we can worry about that later, the guys need us back down there. This new guy is giving them a run for their money."
"All I need to hear, now let's move." and so they made a beeline back towards the other battle in the sewers.
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Meanwhile, with the battle in the sewers…
"You're doing what you gotta do, like doing whatever Shredder tells you, I get the… and I'm doing what I gotta do… protecting my bros!" Mikey leapt to his feet and hurled his kusarigama chain directly at Tatsu, striking him in the face, allowing Mikey to get a good look at him, only to be taken aback by what he saw "What the shell…?"
"Hm… so your weapon actually managed to strike me." Tatsu turned to face Mikey, revealing his eyes gray and lifeless "If nothing else, that puts you a slight step above the rest of the freaks you call brothers."
"You… You're blind?" Mikey didn't have time to register this before he received a jab aimed at his throat, picked up by the front of his shell and dealt a brutal slash across his torso with enough force to send him crashing to the ground.
"But a slight step above them still leaves you nowhere near my level." Tatsu placed his katana back in the sheath on his back, then turned to where Karai finally made herself known on the scene with her blade drawn "I was wondering when you were going to show yourself girl."
"Of course you knew I was here." Karai rolled her eyes, then looked around at the sprawled out forms of the Turtles "I shouldn't be surprised by how you handled them either."
"No you should not. I could hear all of their attacks coming the very second they even attempted them, pitiful as they may have been. Honestly, I expected much more from the students of the great Splinter." there was a pause, and then Tatsu turned his gaze to Karai "Tell me, would you like to have the honor of finishing them with your own blade?"
"Honor? I don't have any… but that's about to change." Karai's gaze quickly hardened, and in one swift movement she managed to deal Tatsu a slash across the face with her katana, leaving a bloody gash, and then she moved to launch a counterattack, until…
"Filthy child!" Tatsu stopped Karai's sword with his own and pinned her to the ground with his free hand, cranking his head every which way to dodge her kicks and attempts to free herself, and then he grabbed her by the head and slammed it against the nearby drain pipe, knocking her out cold from the impact. With that done, Tatsu grabbed Karai's unconscious form by the wrist and prepared to thrust his sword forward.
"Hold it." Leo pulled himself back onto his feet, with Raph and Donnie doing the same, their weapons drawn all of them bloody and battered but still willing to fight "Let her go."
"You are not in a position to make demands of me Freak. Consider this to be good fortune on your part, because you will NOT be so fortunate the next time we meet." and on that note, Tatsu slung Karai over his shoulder, leapt up onto the drain pipe and into a nearby tunnel, and then he disappeared into the shadows.
"He's not getting away! Come on, we have to-" Leo was cut off by the sound of a low groaning noise, and his eyes widened as he looked at the source "Mikey…"
"I got him." this was when Spider-Man and Ghost Spider leapt down onto the scene, and the former gently lifted Mikey's bloodied and battered form into his arms "Looks like he really took a beating. Come on, we gotta get back to Splinter."
"I know, but… Karai…"
"For the record, I still don't trust her." Raph was met with an exasperated look from Leo "Don't give me that, you really think I'm gonna trust her after she and her buddy killed Murakami like two hours ago?"
"She wasn't the one who killed him, and she just saved our lives!"
"She didn't stop the blind guy from killing him either, and let's not forget that Shredder was the one who raised her. Besides, for all we know daddy evilest is probably gonna welcome her home any minute now."
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Meanwhile, with the evils in question…
'This sensation…' Shredder stood at the end of his throne room, his gaze locked on the night sky right outside his window 'It seems the moment that I have dreaded for so long is about to come to pass.'
"Sensei." it was at this moment that Tatsu made his way to the throne room and dropped Karai to the ground in front of him "I wish I did not have to reveal this to you, but your daughter has betrayed your teachings. She chose to fight alongside the disciples of Splinter."
"I see."
"Tell me the truth!" Karai brought herself up onto her knees and mustered the courage she could as she glared at Shredder "No more lies! Splinter, he's my real father isn't he?"
'...I knew that this day would come. And yet I hoped it never would.' Shredder stayed silent for a moment as he made his way forward. It was only when he stopped right in front of Karai that he finally spoke "Yes. Hamato Yoshi is your true father."
"What…?" Karai was left horrified by the revelation, falling silent as she tried to process all of this.
"Tatsu, take her away."
"Yes sensei." Tatsu picked Karai up over his shoulder once again.
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One quick transition later…
'So it's true… he admits it…' Karai was still processing the revelation she was taken away, until she was thrown in a cell in a lower level of Shredder's lair, watching Shredder and Tatsu retreat from her sight, to her horror "No, no what are you doing?! You can't do this! You can't leave me here!"
A/N:
I know a lot of you have been looking forward to seeing what I'd do here since I showed Tiger Claw leave the Foot Clan. Truth be told, I did struggle with what to do here for awhile. I toyed with a couple of ideas like Silver Samurai or Sabretooth, and even Bullseye (though the latter was because I was in the middle of binging the third season of Daredevil), but honestly, the more I thought about it, the more Tatsu made more sense than any of them. And if I'm gonna be honest, he might even be stronger than Tiger Claw.
If not stronger, then Tatsu is definitely more ruthless, as indicated by his actions in this chapter: he kills Murakami. Yeah, I can imnagine some of you are gonna raise a stink over this, and I get why. But the Turtles and the Foot are at war, and in war, the good are always the first ones to suffer. Plus he never acutally makes a proper appearance after this episode, so… yeah, my mind just kind of went that route with this one.
