LaGuardia Airport was packed with people both leaving Manhattan and arriving in the city. Among those who were arriving was a man in a dark business suit and carying two large suitcases. Most of his face was covered in a scarf save for the eyes, but even then, it could be seen that his face was burned, one of his eyes blinded likely from the fire that gave him the burns. He also exuded an air of a man you wanted to stay away from, evidenced by the people around him who quickly moved aside and let him pass, practically holding their breath til he was far enough away. As he exited the airport, a little boy accidentally bumped into him, earning a deathly glare from the man. The boy looked up, saw the small bit of his face that was burnt and cried before running away.
The burned man huffed in annoyance and returned his attention back to the front entrance of the airport when he noticed an elderly man in a fancy suit walk up to him.
"Excuse me," he said, "But are you Oroku Saki?"
The man known as "The Shredder" seemed to lock up and narrowed his eyes at the man. "Who wants to know?" he asked suspiciously in his deep baritone voice. His actions were like that of a cobra waiting to strike if it realized it was threatened.
"I represent a man who has heard of your arrival and wishes to speak to you face to face." The elderly gentleman gestured to a car on the driveway. "You may even go in your… 'business attire' if you wish."
Shredder looked suspiciously at the car to the man before getting an idea what was going on. After a few minutes, he sighed in slight annoyance and proceeded to head into the car, allowing it to take him to its destination.
As he changed into his signature many bladed armor in the car in the backseat with tinted windows to allow privacy, the Shredder took the ride all the way to a large skyscraper overlooking most of New York. He then followed the elderly gentleman to an elevator which took him to the near top of the skyscraper where a penthouse was. It arrived in the living room of an opulent apartment. Shredder continued on following the man until he found himself in a very large, very fancy dining room where soft music played from hidden speakers.
At the end of the dining room table stood a very, very obese-looking, bald man in a white suit whom the older man, indicated now to be a butler, nodded to Shredder before standing dutifully on the other side of the room. The larger man sat over a plate of stake when he noticed Shredder walk in. He gave him a welcoming smile.
"Ah, as I live and breathe. Never in all my life did I think I would have the honor of meeting the one and only Shredder, leader of the Foot Clan."
"And you must be the Kingpin of New York." Shredder replied crossing his arms. "Tales of your underworld accomplishments have even reached my corner of the world."
"Ah. My reputation precedes me. Let's not be so formal though. You can simply call me Fisk." Kingpin said before gesturing at an empty seat near to him. "Have a seat. You're my guest, after all. Forgive me that my wife cannot attend. She has business in Paris at the moment, but she sends her regards."
The Shredder was suspicious before taking his seat. He also had a plate of steak laid before him, though he was hesitant to eat it.
"Oh, come now, Shredder," Kingpin said, sounding more annoyed than offended as he rolled his eyes. "If I wanted to kill you, you don't think I would've used a method so obvious as poison, do you? I'm not an amateur." He then smiled again at Shredder. "Like I said, you're my guest. At least, for now. I merely invited you over to clear the air so to speak."
Shredder hummed and looked at the food some more before finally removing his helmet, the Kuro Kabuto, placed it on the table and proceeded to eat his steak.
"There we go." Kingpin nodded. He ate a bit more before speaking once again. "You know, when I heard that the legendary Shredder, the biggest crime lord in Japan and one of Interpol and S.H.I.E.L.D's most wanted, was coming to New York in person, I just HAD to investigate." He then smiled another grin that had an underlying menace to it. "I do hope you're not planning on expanding your business into my territory… Are you? Because THEN, we would have problems."
"Only if it suits me." Shredder simply replied taking a bite of steak before speaking again. "For now, I have merely come to seek out an old enemy of mine. His name is Hamato Yoshi, and it is my first priority to END his life." He stabbed his fork into the steak hard to accentuate his statement.
"My, my. Whatever did this 'Yoshi' fellow do to you that makes you wish to have him suffer so?" Kingpin asked appearing amused by this.
"THAT is none of your concern!" Shredder snarled before calming. "Suffice to say, he destroyed my life. And I intend to make him pay." He took a sip of wine.
Kingpin looked at Shredder's burns and seemed to correctly surmise what he meant, but wisely kept quiet. "And you truly think he's here?" he asked.
"I'm certain of it. I had thought him dead once, but new evidence has revealed itself to indicate that he survived and fled here, likely to avoid me finding him. Not only that, but he has taken a new student under his wing. I believe you may know him as… Spider-Man."
Kingpin was cutting his steak when he stopped upon hearing the wall-crawler's name. He blinked twice before his face set hard like a stone. He set his silverware down and snapped his fingers in his butler's direction. The older man walked up to his boss and handed him a tablet.
"Spider-Man, you say?" Kingpin asked, going through his tablet as he searched the internet. Soon, he stopped when he saw a video labeled "Spider-Man! Menace or Hero?" that showed the Wall Crawler webbing up a pair of crooks. He then showed Shredder, who took the tablet and studied it intently.
"I've been hearing about this vigilante meddling in my affairs for the past three months." Kingpin explained. "Bank robberies, protection rackets, a few weapons deals. At first, I thought my gangs were trying to make up excuses for not succeeding at jobs given to them. And I punished them accordingly. But no. I surprisingly discovered this freak is as real as you and me. Plus, contrary to popular opinion perpetrated by that loud mouth at the Bugle Newsgroup, he doesn't seem like he's a criminal trying to hone in on my territory. Merely a simple fool who is trying to play the hero and end New York crime by being the 'Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man'. How quaint." He chuckled. "And you say he's a ninja now?"
"He's certainly connected to Hamato Yoshi. I know it." Shredder said finishing the video and clicking another, watching Spider-Man leap after a bank robber. "A shuriken with the Hamato Clan crest was discovered in an area he had been in. He has skill and power, that much is certain." He watched with a frown as Spider-Man jumped around and yelled taunts at the robber as he failed to punch him before being webbed up. "Though his attitude seems more like a… jester than a practitioner of ninjutsu. Not someone I would see any self-respecting master take on as a student." He paused. "Then again, Hamato always did have a foolish weak spot for those who were outsiders. Perhaps he saw something in him." He handed the tablet back. "It matters not. I will find Hamato Yoshi, even if I have to TEAR the information out of Spider-Man's corpse to do so." He extended blades from one of his gauntlets as he said this.
The Kingpin gave a smirk. "That's quite the imagery. I honestly wouldn't mind watching you do so. Spider-Man has been a thorn in my side for quite a while. Very well, Shredder. If you are able to take out the Wall-Crawler in your quest for revenge, then I hereby welcome you to New York City with open arms. In fact, I'll even provide one of my finest buildings to act as your central base. You may even use one of my gangs if you so wish. I'd say the Purple Dragons will be all you need. One of the lower ones I control, I will admit, and none too bright, but they are easily-intimidated. As well as ruthless and willing to do anything if they have the proper coercion, be it money… or threats."
"You are… very hospitable, Fisk." Shredder said with a venomous glare before taking his wine glass in hand. "Hopefully, I won't have to stay too long. I have already sent three of my best pupils as well as a team of ninjas ahead to find and locate the vigilante. Once I find him, I will get the information on his master's location. And then… I will end them both and at last have peace."
Kingpin laughed as he took his own glass. "This might be the start of a beautiful alliance, Shredder. To new beginnings." He raised the cup up.
Shredder took a moment before sadistically smirking. "And to the end of our foes." He clinked his glass against Kingpin's.
Spider-Man swung through the nighttime air of New York following the turtles who sprinted and jumped across rooftops. Soon, it became a contest of flips for the turtles. Donnie started it with a double front flip in the air before reaching the next building. Mikey jumped up to the water tower and flipped off of it landing beside Donnie. Leo flipped over the roof a few times before finally jumping off the edge and landing on the edge of the next rooftop and still flipping. Spider-Man used webs like a giant slingshot and launched him up into the air where he did several flip tricks until he landed on the roof. As for Raph, he didn't even flip on his jump. He just jumped forward and rammed right into the others.
"Hey, what was that?" Donnie asked getting back up with the others. "You didn't do any flips."
"Oops." Raph said feigning guilt.
"I'd make a joke about flipping, but I worry it's too mature for Mikey." Spider-Man said before his Spider-Sense alerted him. He turned his head in response to it, but saw nothing but an empty rooftop.
"What's up?" Leo asked.
"You guys ever get the feeling we're being watched?" Spider-Man asked.
"All the time, Spider-Bro." Mikey said. "Usually just goes away after about 22 minutes though."
"Is it your Spider-Sense?" Donnie asked.
"Yeah." Spider-Man said. "It feels like…"
Just then, the five of them were alerted by a creaking sound coming from the other side of a rooftop door. They pressed themselves on it readying for a fight. After a moment of waiting, they came out ready for a fight.
Instead, what they found was a small, cute kitten of black and white wearing a red collar. Everyone let their guard down realizing they weren't in danger.
"Don't give up, Spidey." Raph smirked. "You might actually win this fight."
"Ha ha." Spider-Man said sarcastically.
"THIS was what triggered it?" Leo asked, confused.
"Well, I can't always tell for myself what's dangerous and what's not." Spider-Man shrugged. "It doesn't work that way."
"Sounds like an experiment to test out!" Donnie said excitedly. He HAD been dying for weeks to test Spider-Man's abilities.
"Aww! It's a little kitty!" Mikey exclaimed kneeling down to pick up the cat. "And its name is…"
"Mittens!"
"Good guess." Mikey said. "Wait, who said that?"
"I'm guessing that guy." Spider-Man said pointing at the nearby window where a man was sticking his head out calling out into the air.
"Mittens?"
"I think that's the owner." Donnie said.
"Mitten probably got out on the fire escape when he wasn't looking. Happens all the time." Spider-Man stated. He then began panicking when he saw Mikey moving toward the man's direction. "Um, Mikey. What are you doing?"
"What? I'm returning Mittens to her owner." Mikey said.
"Are you an idiot?" Raph asked. "Wait, let me rephrase that. You're an idiot!"
"You can't show yourself to a human." Donnie advised.
"Why not?"
"Mikey, that guy's going to freak out when he sees you." Spider-Man said.
"No, he won't." Mikey said. "I'm not so scary."
"You're an ugly, green mutant armed with ninja weapons." Raph reminded.
"Mikey, if you REALLY want to return the cat, use your ninja skills to stealthily put her back on the fire escape for the guy to find her or something." Spider-Man suggested. "An anonymous good deed where no one sees you is as good as any."
"Look, this guy's gonna see that I'm just a regular cat-loving dude like him." Mikey said. "Next thing you know, we'll be best buds. This is gonna be awesome!"
"Mikey, don't!" everyone yelled seeing Mikey head to the fire escape where the human was calling out to his cat.
"Hi." Mikey said. "Here's your…" He was suddenly interrupted by the human screaming at him in terror.
"Ugly, green mutant freak!"
"But I got your cat!" Mikey said.
"HELP! HE'S GOT MY CAT!"
"DUDE, CHILL! I'M JUST…"
Mikey was interrupted again. This time, it was by the cat who, in contrast to her friendly attitude before, hissed and pounced on him. Mittens began clawing at his face, making him cry out until he fell off the fire escape and landed on the ground in some trash cans. Spider-Man and the other turtles winced before dropping down to check on him.
"Someone want to help me with this?" Mikey asked before turning around showing Mittens sticking her claws to the back of his shell.
"I'll do it." Spider-Man sighed before prying the cat off Mikey's back. Mittens hissed and tried to claw him, but Spider-Man just webbed the cat up and flung the yowling bundle back up the fire escape, feeling kinda good as he heard the guy cry out from being hit with it. "Well, maybe my Spider Sense wasn't TOO off after all."
"Face it, Mikey." Raph said. "Humans will never understand you. Heck, we don't even understand you."
"Really?" Mikey asked sadly. "What about you, Spidey? You're human. You understand me, right?"
"Well… I accept you, sure," Spider-Man said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Heck, I can even call you a friend. But… I don't think I can exactly understand how you THINK, if that's what you're asking. I mean, you're kind of an extreme wildcard even for me. Sorry."
Mikey sighed before his eyes wandered around. That's when he gasped and put on a smile. "I bet that guy would though!" He pointed at a billboard which showed a burly man with brown hair that matched his beard.
"Chris Bradford?" Leo asked. "The martial arts superstar. With a chain of dojos across the country. He's your soul mate?"
Mikey spun his nunchucks around before posing the same way as Christ was doing on the billboard. "We've got so much in common."
"What if you stop standing like that?" Spider-Man asked.
"…We'll have a little less in common, but still a lot. And look! He's in town opening a new branch of his dojo! Plus, he's giving a seminar on martial arts and signing autographs at a bunch of high schools in the area, starting tomorrow at… Midtown High School."
"Midtown High?" Spider-Man asked. "That's…" He stopped realizing the turtles were still there. "…Good for whoever goes there."
"Maybe he'll show me his secret kata, the Death Dragon!" Mikey exclaimed enthusiastically. "And I'll show him my secret kata, the Secret Kata."
"Catchy." Donnie said sarcastically.
"Check it out." Mikey said before showing off a few goofy martial arts moves leaving everyone else stunned to see it. "But don't tell anyone you saw that."
"No problem." Leo promised.
"Probably because we have no real idea what we just saw." Spider-Man said simply.
"Face it, Mikey." Raph said. "Chris Bradford is the last person on Earth that would be friends with you. Well, tied for last, with everyone else on Earth."
"That's a little harsh, don't you…" Once again, Spider-Man was interrupted by his Spider-Senses. He quickly turned his head around and noticed several figures dropping in from the rooftops and surrounding him and the turtles.
The figures looked like traditional ninjas with black costumes, red bandanas, and weapons on their backs.
"Ninjas? In New York? Other than us?" Donnie asked as the guys got their weapons out.
"I don't suppose you guys are looking to join us?" Spider-Man asked. "I can't promise a team jacket, but every night is pizza night."
One of the ninjas made the first move throwing a shuriken that stuck itself on Donnie's staff. The rest of them sprinted across, furthering the fight. When one of them attempted to thrust a sai at Spider-Man, the web-slinger ducked and countered with a kick to his face sending him high into the air. He then shot a webline at him before launching him back to the ground. Another one tried to strike him with his sword, but Spider-Man caught his wrist, twisted it slightly (causing him to drop the sword) and countered with a kick sending him flying backward.
"Thank you, proportionate spider strength and Splinter's training." Spider-Man said before three ninjas tried to attack him. He flipped backwards to avoid them finding himself between Leo and Raph, who were struggling against their own ninjas.
"Why are you so happy?" Raph asked his brother.
"It's just nice to finally be fighting people," Leo said, "Instead of robots or aliens or sand monsters."
"I admit this IS sort of a nice change of pace. Reminds me of the good old days when I just focused on muggers and thugs trying to sell guns on the black market." Spider-Man said as he punched another ninja.
At that moment, a new ninja showed up. This one wasn't like the others. This one was bigger with a red outfit and a dark-silver helmet covering his face. He quickly made his move by immediately punching Leo to the wall and kicking Raph to the ground. Donnie tried to vault over him, but the new guy knocked his staff off and knocked him back to the wall. Mikey tried to throw his weapon at him, but he caught it and pulled Mikey over to him. He stopped for a moment to get a good look at him.
"What are you?"
Just then, he felt two strings of web attach themselves to his back. He looked back and saw Spider-Man behind him.
"Hey. Why don't you pick on someone your own evolutionary level," Spider-Man said, "Like a caveman."
Spider-Man pulled his strings hard pulling the big ninja away from Mikey. At that moment, though, the big ninja changed his stance in midair and managed to punch Spider-Man to the ground. He then grabbed Spider-Man's neck and lifted him up.
"You're coming with us."
Suddenly, Spider-Man shot another line of web at the man's face, blocking the opening where his eyes showed. The big ninja was caught off-guard by the web before the web-slinger grabbed his arm and pulled himself back using his legs to throw the man over him. He cried out and slammed into a wall with a loud THUD!
"Would you believe I learned that last night?" Spider-Man asked returning to the turtles.
The big ninja got up right when he heard the sound of the police sirens. Rather than stay to face them, he and the rest of the ninjas retreated and disappeared. Spider-Man and the turtles did the same running up to a rooftop. Once they were sure they were in the clear, they finally rested.
"Well, those guys certainly weren't pushovers, especially the big one." Spider-Man said. "Who were they? And what did they want with me?"
"Good question." Leo said. "If there are other ninjas in New York, Splinter's gotta be told. Let's head back to the Lair to fill him in."
"You guys go on. I gotta head home." Spider-Man said. "We can investigate these new guys again tomorrow night."
"Sounds like a plan." Leo said leaving with his brothers.
Spider-Man turned the other direction and began swinging across town. "Well, this was certainly a night to remember. On the bright side, I get to see Chris Bradford tomorrow. That's pretty fun."
"I can't believe we're gonna see Chris Bradford!" Harry exclaimed. He sat in the Midtown High School auditorium alongside Peter, Debra, and April. "I've seen all his movies and have the complete series of his 80s cartoon! He's like THE modern martial artist!"
"That's what you think." Peter said under his breath. After spending time training with Splinter, he could confidently say that his sensei was likely LEAGUES above Bradford.
"Wow, Harry." April chuckled. "I don't think I ever saw you this excited."
"Well, how often do you get to have a celebrity visit your own school?" Harry asked. He then paused. "... Well, one that isn't your own dad." He was reminded of the few times Norman Osborn had come to speak during the group's younger years. "And he's here to inspire us! I can't wait to see what he has to say."
"Maybe it's advice." Peter said. "You know, for us to be just like him."
"HA!" The four of them dropped their excitement hearing Flash Thompson behind them. "You, Puny Parker? Like Chris Bradford? Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Spain!"
Peter shrugged. "Look, Flash, your personal life is YOUR business."
"Yeah…" Flash said before realizing what Peter said. "HEY!"
Just then, the lights started to dim. Everyone turned their attention to the principal who stood at the stage. "Good morning, students. As you know, crime has been on the rise lately thanks to gangs, assaults, and kidnappings." The group looked at April, who looked down sadly, no doubt reminded of her dad. "Not to mention crazed masked menaces running around stirring up trouble." Peter silently groaned at that and April also looked uncomfortable at the obvious dig at Spider-Man. "It's getting hard to live peacefully here in New York, but we are looking to make it easier. So for that, I'm pleased to welcome our very special guest… Chris Bradford!"
He stepped aside allowing the martial arts star to take his place being welcomed by the applause from the audience. He raised his hand to silence everyone.
"All right. All right. I know what you're thinking. 'Wow! It's really him! The martial arts superstar! I have his poster!'" He chuckled again. "Well, don't get so excited, kids. The truth is, I used to be just like you, full of potential that's yet to be unlocked. With hard work, dedication, and the right master to help guide me toward greatness, I became the man you see before you. And you'll need that in the dangerous city out there. People like the perpetrators of these rash of kidnappings, and the Spider-Man that's running around the city. They are things you need to protect yourself from. You're the next generation. So you need to make sure you can fight for your life if you need to. That is why I am opening a whole new dojo here in New York City, one that I will personally supervise. Should you decide to join, I'll train you to be powerful and strong. To be able to stand up against anything."
He then had the janitor bring out a large stack of boards stacked on top of two cinder blocks. He readied himself and swung his leg with a cry to bring it down, shattering the boards. He paused to take in the cheers of the crowd. "Thank you! Thank you! That is one of the moves you can learn at the Chris Bradford School of Martial Arts at the Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards! Now, if anyone has any questions, I'll be back here on Friday night, two days from now, signing autographs for you all! I'll see you then!"
With that, the crowd applauded one last time as he left the stage.
"Well, he was certainly… something." Debra said.
"What, you don't like him?" Peter asked.
"It's not that. It's just that… Well… He didn't really seem to address the real issues of the crimes out there. All he did was promote himself and his new dojo."
"I'm sure it's all part of the process, Deb." Harry said confidently. He then got excited again. "Hey! Maybe I should sign up! A rich kid like me could use some self defense lessons!" He then did his goofy cries and moves, only to fall off balance with a yelp.
"Eh. Maybe." Peter said. "He'd never survive Splinter, that's for sure."
That night, Spider-Man returned to the scene of the ambush. Luckily for him, the turtles were already there, so he didn't have to wait. He landed right beside Leo and Donnie as they looked over the edge of the roof.
"Been here long?" Spider-Man asked.
"Only about a minute." Donnie said. "What about you? Your Spider Sense kicking off yet?"
"Not right now, so there's at least no immediate danger." Spider-Man said.
"Seriously, we need to find time to test out those abilities of yours in a scientific setting!" Donnie said ecstatically. "I am just SO stoked to find out how they work!"
"They must have been watching us from up here." Leo said. "The perfect place to stage an ambush."
"It wasn't very fair, was it?" Donnie asked.
"It's not about fairness. It's about victory." Leo replied boldly.
"Okay, I'm sorry." Donnie said defensively.
"What was that about, Leo?" Spider-Man asked.
Leo sighed. "Sorry. When I told Master Splinter last night about the ambush, I told him they weren't fighting fair, and he basically told me that it wouldn't be smart to expect fairness in a fight, which kinda makes sense, but still…"
"Well, he's got a point." Spider-Man said. "I mean, I'm a super-strong, super-athletic web-slinger picking fights against smelly bozos who steal purses and jack cars. Do you think I'm looking to fight fair against guys like that?"
"I… guess that's true." Leo said.
Spider-Man's attention was then drawn to Mikey, who was talking excitedly to Raph annoying him.
"And then, Chris Bradford put on his hakama. Mean, that guy can rock a hakama."
"Yeah, maybe he'll wear it again when he takes you to the prom." Raph joked.
"And then, after that, he…"
"Okay, enough! You've been going on about this for three hours!" Raph yelled.
"Going on about what?" Spider-Man asked.
"You're not gonna believe this." Donnie said. "Mikey actually met Chris Bradford face-to-face last night."
"He did what-now?!" Spider-Man asked. "Didn't he learn his lesson with that guy with the cat?"
"Actually, the weird thing is, Bradford actually welcomed him into his home." Leo said.
Underneath his mask, Spider-Man blinked twice before tilting his head. "Whattchu talkin' 'bout, Leo?"
"April showed Mikey a social media site Bradford was on." Donnie explained. "Mikey sent him a friend request and he accepted. Mikey went to go meet him, and when he got back, he kept talking like he and Bradford were BFFs."
"For real?" Spider-Man asked Mikey. "He didn't freak out at all?"
"Well, he did attack me until I reminded him we were online friends." Mikey said. "But after that, it was all movies and hakamas!"
"Enough with the hakamas, you ding-dong!" Raph yelled.
"Ooh. Someone's sounding jealous." Mikey said in a taunting tone. "You just can't admit that you were the R word."
"The R word?" Spider-Man asked.
"You know, wrong." Mikey said making everyone groan.
"I'm not wrong." Raph scoffed.
"Oh, yeah? If you don't want to talk about my friend…" Mikey moved in closer to Spider-Man, Leo, and Donnie. "I've got two other brothers and a super friend who do."
"Actually, I'd rather talk about anything else." Leo said.
"Like the concept of the silent W perhaps?" Donnie asked.
"I'm still processing that a celebrity somehow welcomed a mutant turtle into his home without question." Spider-Man said.
"Fine. I'll go talk to a guy who likes to talk about Chris Bradford more than anyone else: Chris Bradford." Mikey said before leaving.
"I'm worried about him." Spider-Man said.
"We've all been worrying about him for fifteen years." Leo said.
Bradford grunted as he repeatedly punched his sandbag without any sign of mercy. He halted his morning workout when he felt two presences in the room with him. He quickly turned and flung ninja stars at the intruders, only for them to dodge easily. They were two men. One was a tall thin, dark-skinned man in street clothes with an afro and a smirk on his face. The other was tanned and muscular with a buzzcut, a sleeveless green tank top, black jeans and cowboy boots, and a necklace with what looked like a scorpion in the jewel.
"What are you two doing here?" Chris asked. "I told you, I could handle this mission solo."
"Now don't go throwin' a hissy fit." the tanned man said in a strong Texan accent. "'Member. Master Shredder wants us ALL to work on this."
Bradford scoffed. "If it was with just you, I might be fine, Mac. But with THIS gutter trash…" He glared at the other man, who returned it as he flicked out a knife and expertly twirled it in a threatening manner.
"You wanna go, rich boy?" the tanned man asked in a thick Spanish accent.
"Put that hogsticker away, will ya, Xever?" I know the tan man said. "Ah know you and Chris hate each other's guts…"
"Oh, I don't hate his guts, Gargan." the black man called Xever said in a faux friendly tone. "I'd very much like to see them sprayed all over the floor."
The man called Gargan sighed rolling his eyes. "Anyway, Chris, the two o' us couldn't help but notice y'all allowed one of them turtle weirdos ya mentioned fought along with the Wall-Crawler inta your home last night. Now why in Sam Hill would ya go an' do that?"
Bradford laughed. "You would not believe this. Apparently, I 'accepted' his request to be his friend online. He doesn't seem to realize I have people running my sites and accepting people for me. Anyway, he took it to mean that we were friends for REAL. He trusts me completely."
"You do have a face only a mutant would love." Xever said earning Bradford's sneer.
"The point is, he's starting to open up all his most valuable secrets to me." Bradford continued. "Sure, it's a pain having to hang around that disgusting freak, but if it'll lead us to Spider-Man and Hamato Yoshi, it'll be worth it."
"That is, assuming you're not signing autographs to children again." Xever chuckled.
"Why do ya keep doin' that anyway, Chris?" Gargan asked, crossing his arms. "Pardon me fer sayin' so, but Shredder's top pupil actin' in films, givin' lectures at high schools and openin' up dojos at malls jus' don' make a lick o' sense."
"The movie business keeps my skills sharp, and any good publicity is good for me." Bradford said as he punched the bag more before delivering a devastating kick that had it swinging. "Especially if one of those 'mall dojos' can get us new recruits for the Foot Clan."
"If you say so." Xever said.
Bradford glared once more as he stopped the bag. "Look, you two better make yourself scarce. Knowing that mutant, he might pop in here any minute, and any bit of information could help."
Gargan shrugged and turned to leave with Xever. He then paused and turned to Bradford and murmur, "Fer the record, Ah hate his guts too."
Bradford laughed and smiled a more genuine smile than any he'd shown Mikey. "I knew there was a reason I liked you, Mac."
On Friday night, Chris Bradford returned to Midtown High where he set up a booth near the front entrance. He had rows of photos of himself on both sides of him. A group of kids lined up to get their photos signed.
Eventually, Flash Thompson made it to the front of the line with his own picture, which he then passed to Chris.
"And who do I make this out to?" Chris asked in a tone that said he had asked this a hundred times today.
"Flash Thompson, the quarterback of the Midtown High football team and…"
"Yeah, yeah. I just needed your name, kid. Here you go." Chris said handing the signed photo back to Flash.
Flash strutted past the line until he stopped right next to Harry and Peter, the latter of whom was holding a picture of his own to have signed. With a smug smirk, he held up his autographed photo. "Check it out, Puny, Osborn! According to this, the great Chris Bradford will always know my name!"
Peter and Harry looked at the picture and both fought back their laughter. "Yeah. I'm sure he'll always remember 'Flip Simpson'." Peter snickered.
"Wait, what?!" Flash asked looking at the picture again. Seeing the written message made him frown. "Aw, man."
"Sorry, Flash." Harry laughed as the line continued. Harry grew more and more excited. After a few more minutes, it was finally their turn.
"Well, now. Who are you boys?" Bradford asked.
"I- I'm Harry! Harry Osborn! And this is my friend, Peter. I'm such a huge fan, Mr. Bradford! I've seen all of your movies!" Peter's friend said excitedly.
"Really?" Bradford said taking the picture before pausing and looking closely at Harry. "You wouldn't happen to be related to NORMAN Osborn, the big name head of Oscorp."
"He's my dad!"
Bradford's face seemed to light up at hearing this. "Well, isn't that interesting." he said in a much friendlier tone. "Nice to know I have such rich high-class fans with good taste." He chuckled and scribbled a message on the photo. "You know, you should definitely stop by the new dojo sometime, Harry. A kid like you needs to learn to defend himself."
"That's what I said after you first visited!" Harry exclaimed.
"Isn't that a coincidence? And, hey, maybe bring your dad too. I could show him what we do and maybe he'll sign you up. Perhaps he'll even like it so much we could get him to sponsor more." One could almost see the dollar signs in Bradford's eyes as he said this, no doubt thinking of the advantages of a rich man like Norman putting money into his dojos (and unknowingly also into Bradford's pocket.)
"Wow! That would be awesome! It was so great meeting you!" Harry said, shaking Bradford's hand.
"Believe me, Harry. The pleasure was ALL mine." Bradford said. He then turned to Peter. "And any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine. Put 'er there, kid."
"Um, thanks. It's really nice to…" Peter touched Bradford's hand when suddenly, he felt his Spider Sense tingling in his brain, stronger than he'd felt before. He was so caught off-guard by it, he didn't realize he was tightening his grip harder than he should've.
Bradford winced a bit and struggled a little as he pulled his hand back and examined it. "That's… quite a grip you got there, kid."
"Peter, are you okay?" Harry asked him.
"I, uh… yeah, yeah. So listen, I just remembered I need to go and do something, but it was nice meeting you. Thanks. See you, Harry." Peter said, ignoring Harry's concerned calls for him as he quickly left, feeling both confused and unsure about what had just happened.
Later that night, Peter changed into Spider-Man and swung on down to the sewers to begin his nightly training under Splinter. The two of them faced each other in the dojo while Leo, Raph, and Donnie were practicing a new technique on the other side.
Splinter began with a couple of feint blows to Spider-Man's head which he deflected with ease. But he had other things on his mind, so he wasn't able to stop Splinter from tripping him backwards with his tail. He would've hit the ground, but Splinter grabbed the front of his costume and helped him back up.
"You seem distracted, Spider-Man." Splinter said. "What is on your mind?"
"Sorry, sensei." Spider-Man said. "It's just that something weird happened today. You know Chris Bradford, right?"
"How could I not?" Splinter answered in a dry tone. "Michelangelo will not stop talking about being friends with him these past few days. I admit, like my other sons, even I am both annoyed and confused by how this is possible. I would not expect a human of his caliber and status to willingly befriend one of us so easily."
"Well, he showed up at my school today to give out autographs. I went with my friend Harry, who's a HUGE fan." Spider-Man said, talking a bit quieter since the guys were nearby. "But when I shook his hand, my Spider-Sense went off like crazy. I don't know why though. All I did was touch a guy's hand."
"Strange." Splinter said stroking his beard. "Maybe there was just something you weren't seeing."
"I don't know. I mean, even after over three months, I'm still not totally sure how my Spider Sense works. It just seems to show up whenever danger is around, but sometimes that danger doesn't seem obvious. Maybe Donnie's right. Some tests would be a good idea." He scoffed and crossed his arms. "I can tell you this much. Bradford DEFINITELY seemed to perk up the minute he found out Harry was Norman Osborn's son. He acted like a REAL pal to him, saying Harry should bring his dad—his RICH dad, mind you—to the dojo and see if he wanted to sponsor more."
"I see." Splinter said in a serious tone. "Perhaps I should speak with Michelangelo about…"
At that moment, Splinter's attention was drawn to the sound of his sons' grunts across the dojo. He watched as Leo perfected the technique he just learned, and widened his eyes in horror. As soon as Leo swept Raph's leg, his mind flashed back seeing the face of the man who originally crafted that move.
"Splinter?" Spider-Man asked upon seeing his sensei's face.
"Where did you learn that?!" Splinter asked loudly.
"Mikey learned it from his new friend." Leo said.
"The man who taught him that kata is no friend." Splinter informed. "It comes from the Shredder."
"Shredder?" Spider-Man asked. "As in THE Shredder? Your enemy from Japan?"
"Yes." Splinter answered with a twinge of fear in his voice.
"You mean Bradford is one of his students?" Leo asked.
"He must be."
Spider-Man gasped. "He was the ninja who ambushed us. And those guys in the black pajamas must have been members of the Foot."
"They seemed to be after Spider-Man last night." Donnie said. "Maybe they think that he's connected to Sensei."
"This means that Bradford's just pretending to be Mikey's friend to get to you. Spidey." Leo said.
"And by extension, Splinter." Spider-Man said.
"Oh, what a relief! Everything makes sense again." Raph said calmly before realizing a horrible truth. "Mikey's in trouble!"
"Where is Michelangelo?" Splinter asked quickly.
"Bradford invited him for a night-out at his place." Donnie said. "He left just an hour ago."
"Then we gotta find him and fast!" Leo yelled before leaving with the others. Splinter was left alone, worrying about what this all meant. He had fretted about this moment for years and now, it seemed to have come true.
"Rad Brad?" Mikey asked as he entered Bradford's home. When he got there, the place was dark and abandoned. "Hello? Helloooo? Raddie Braddie? Did you plan me a surprise party?"
Mikey had no idea there was someone standing behind him until he heard the sound of footsteps coming up. He turned and saw Bradford towering over him in his ninja costume. He stepped back some more and stopped when he felt another man behind him. When he turned, he saw Xever standing there. He stepped back again, and right when he did, Gargan dropped from the ceiling. All three villains grouped up to confront Mikey.
Despite his fear, Mikey quickly hardened his face as he had a horrible thought that these three had done something to his new friend. "Tell me what you've done with Chris, or you guys are in serious…"
Mikey was interrupted by Gargan's laughter. "Yew were raht." he said to Bradford. "He AIN'T the sharpest needle on the cacti."
Bradford threw the first punch narrowly missing Mikey. He continued to move around the dojo avoiding Bradford's brute strength, Xever's legwork, and Gargan's speedy strikes. Mikey hid himself behind a training dummy just as Bradford moved in closer.
"Haven't you figured out who I am?" Bradford asked.
"Should I have?" Mikey asked. He continued to defend himself until Bradford kicked him to the floor before kicking him hard across the room.
"We've already met face-to-face."
"No." Mikey gasped in disbelief. "It can't be. You're… the guy with the cat?"
Gargan laughed harder upon hearing that. "May not be smart, but he's good fer a laugh."
"You fool." Bradford sneered as he removed his helmet. Once Mikey saw the true face of the man who lied to him, he looked even more shocked, but also heartbroken.
"Rad Brad? What?" Mikey was too shocked to defend himself from the villains, who quickly tied his wrists and ankles together. "I thought we were friends. I introduced you to all of my toes."
"You actually thought someone like me could be friends with a freak like you?" Bradford asked. "Pathetic."
"I say we get rid of him." Xever said.
"Nothing would make me happier." Bradford said.
"Business 'fore pleasure, gents." Gargan stated. "If this dirt-brained turtle's compadres with Spider-Man, we need him livin' ta find Hamato Yoshi."
"What?" Mikey asked. "You know about Master Splinter?"
Gargan looked back at Mikey before kneeling down to fix him with a deathly grin. "Well, well. So YER also bein' taught by him too, eh? That's raht. We know lots 'bout him." He shared a smirk with his two allies. "Maybe he told you 'bout OUR master… The Shredder?"
Mikey gasped. "Oh, no. You work for the Shredder?"
"And he's eagerly awaitin' a li'l reunion with yer master, boy." Gargan said before leaving with Bradford and Xever.
"Rad Brad?" Mikey asked sadly.
Spider-Man, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello wasted no time making it to Bradford's home. They stopped at a rooftop and looked down the skylight. They saw a team of Foot ninjas keeping guard around the bound Mikey.
With a chewed-up piece of gum and a measuring tool, Donnie fashioned a makeshift tool that cut a perfect circle into the skylight glass. Spider-Man then dropped down and landed right in front of the ninjas.
"Hi there. I'm here to pick up a friend." Spider-Man said. "Do I have to sign anything or…" The ninjas all raised their weapons to him. "Whoa, whoa. Take it easy. Before you do something you're gonna regret, you should probably know… there are three guys about to ambush you right now."
The Foot didn't turn around, but they should have. From the shadows behind them, the other turtles took out the Foot ninjas before regrouping around Mikey.
"That wasn't very stealthy on your part, you know." Leo said.
"Hey, I'm Spider-Man. I'm either a ninja with quips or I'm nobody. Besides, I made a good distraction."
"Dudes, that was sporadic!" Mikey cheered before the others shushed him and Donnie facepalmed.
"That's not what that means." Donnie said while Leo cut Mikey free.
"Where's Bradford?" Spider-Man asked.
"He's out with his two buddies." Mikey said bitterly as he rubbed his wrists. "Guys, you're never going to believe this, but Rad Brad is…"
"Is actually working for the Shredder." Leo said. "Yeah, we figured it out before we got here."
"Let's just go home before they catch onto us." Raph hissed.
After leaving Bradford's home, Spider-Man and the turtles headed back into the sewers. As soon as they made it down, however, something made the web-slinger stop. He then reached out to the turtles and pointed at his head. The ninjas exchanged looks and knew what he was saying.
His Spider-Sense was telling him they were being followed.
Deciding to take the advantage, the ninjas waited in the darkness. After a minute, Bradford, Xever, Gargan, and a team of Foot grunts entered the sewers following their trail. They headed down the tunnel unaware that Spider-Man and the turtles were picking off the grunts one by one.
By the time Bradford realized something wasn't right, he, Xever, and Gargan stood in a rusted central aqueduct. Once they saw that the last of their Foot followers was gone, they realized that they were lead into a trap. Xever pulled out a flare and held it up seeing the Foot ninjas all stuck to the ceiling by a large net made of web.
"Show yer faces, ya yella-bellied cowards!" Gargan demanded.
He got his wish. The Leo and Raph emerged from the sewers, Donnie and Mikey emerged from the shadows behind them, and Spider-Man leaped down from the ceiling.
"They trapped US when we were tryin' ta trap THEM!" Gargan exclaimed.
"You only realized this now?" Spider-Man asked. "Pride of the Foot you are."
"Take them down!" Bradford ordered. He and his partners closed in to engage their enemies. Bradford fought against Leo and Raph while Xever used his feet against Donnie and Mikey, which left Spider-Man to fight Gargan.
At first, Gargan put up a good fight. Despite his size, his speed was almost too fast for Spider-Man to pick up, and he got a few hits in.
"Ya know, back in my ol' army outfit, Ah was called 'the Scorpion.' Fittin' I should kill a spider, seein' as scorps kill 'em in the wild." Gargan sneered as he launched another attack.
Thankfully, thanks to his recent training, Spider-Man managed to identify this one and hit him with a reversal that Splinter had taught him. He grabbed him by his wrist and returned with a kick that sent him back. He then fired two lines of web. Gargan raised his arms to protect himself, but the weblines flew right past him.
"Ha! Ya missed!" Gargan laughed.
"Wasn't aiming for you, cowpoke." Spider-Man replied before pulling.
Gargan looked back, but was too late to react to the broken off pipe that hit him and knocked him forward. Spider-Man then did a flip kick that sent Gargan flying backwards.
At the same time, the turtles' battles went about as well. Sure, the pairs had a hard time with their respective opponents, but after switching opponents, the fight went to their favor. Soon, the villains were all lead in front of an open pipe.
"How did you know we were following you?" Bradford asked.
"It's called good ninja instincts." Spider-Man said. "Too bad you don't have any. Otherwise, you'd have seen this trap coming."
Bradford growled angrily and threw a hard punch. Mikey caught it and quickly retaliated with the same kata that he taught him before, the Death Dragon. Mikey ended it by kicking him over to his comraded landing on top of them.
"Ya taught him yer kata?" Gargan groaned.
"It seemed like it didn't matter at the time." Bradford groaned back.
"Hit it!" Mikey yelled to Leo and Donnie, who were on the other side of the aqueduct turning a wheel.
All of a sudden, the villains heard the thundering roar of water bursting through from down the pipe. They looked and saw a large wave crashing through. All they could do was yell unable to avoid the impact that hit them and sent them falling deep into the sewers.
"Well, that didn't seem very fair." Raph said with a smile.
"No, it wasn't." Leo said with the same smile.
"Well, I have to say, that's one way of flushing crud out of your system." Spider-Man chuckled.
Raph actually burst out laughing at that. "Ha! Spidey, most of your quips are pretty lame, but sometimes, they aren't so bad. THAT was gold."
The others laughed at the joke and how fitting it was before Mikey called out, "High three and five!" The quintet all slapped hands together and cheered.
Once they returned to the Lair, the ninjas all celebrated with a pizza. Spider-Man lifted his mask above his mouth so he could eat. That's when he noticed Splinter deep in thought while stroking his thin beard.
"Yo, Splinter, you hungry?" Spider-Man asked.
"I fear we are celebrating too soon." Splinter said.
"Too soon?" Raph asked. "The bad guys were swept away in a river of raw sewage. By my watch, that makes it the perfect time."
"Shredder knows I'm alive." Splinter warned ominously. "And worse, he knows about all of you. It's my worst nightmare come true."
"So it's not over?" Leo asked.
"Oh, no. It's just beginning."
Those news put the ninjas in a worried mood. Spider-Man then looked and saw Mikey moping over his laptop staring at Bradford's social media page. He was about to step up to comfort him, but Raph stopped him.
"I'll talk to him. It WAS kinda my words that sort of led to him doing all of this dumb stuff in the first place." Raph said before walking on over.
Spider-Man sighed before thinking to himself. "So, good news and bad news. The good news is, I fought my first ninjas and it was awesome. The bad news is, their boss is actually my sensei's old enemy who wants him dead and me too just for being his student. As if I didn't have enough problems with the Kraang. Well, here's to hoping we find a way to stop him soon. Otherwise, I may learn first-hand why they call him the Shredder."