A year before the Mouser incident*
New York, the bustling apple, she hated it. Actually, she loathed it, especially now that she had been forced to hide and find shelter beneath the streets. It was foolish, really, she had left one corrupt organization and unknowingly thrown herself into another one. She had traveled over the great sea, with the help of others, and for her sense of gratification and needing to belong to something she had ended up inside apparently one of the biggest, hidden criminal scenes in "The Big Apple".
She chuckled softly at herself, she had been so ignorant when she had arrived off of that boat and now she knew better through a learned experience.
"Ah, crud," she hissed out. Pain emanated from her side and blood leaked from her like one of those elaborate fountains in the parks above ground. So much blood oozed out she was surprised they hadn't tracked her down to claim their prize, like a hunter following the deer. With her free hand she rummaged in the pack she was able to gather before being oh so elegantly kicked to the curb. After finding a clean roll of gauze she neatly folded it up and pressed it tightly to the cuts in her side. She just needed to find somewhere that was a least a little bit sanitary to lay down and heal. It would probably take at least three days of straight, undisturbed sleep for these wounds to close up enough to move on to a different city. Perhaps a smaller one this time, with a low amount of evil establishments.
She caught a glimpse of the bright red flame stitched into her uniform, The Foot clan. With disgust she ripped the badge from her shoulder and tossed it into the raging sewer filled river at her feet. She spat into the river cursing The Foot clan and everything it stood for, the God's would frown upon her for what she had done under their leadership.
"With the trash," she growled out, "where you all rightfully belong." Taking in a deep, calming breath she began her look for shelter again. She was losing blood quickly, it wouldn't surprise her if they had used some type of poison to slow her healing down. They would get what was deserved, maybe not now, maybe not in a few months, or even in a year, but she knew they would see her again.
Finally, she had found something to hide in. She had even had trouble distinguishing if it was a door or not, it was well hidden, almost on purpose. She didn't care, not right now. Quietly she pushed it open and closed the door behind her with a soft click. It was oppressively dark inside whatever she had stumbled upon. Even better, she thought. She rummaged in her bag once again and pulled out her reliable, wool blanket. As carefully as she could she lowered herself onto the floor and for good measure placed another layer of gauze around her side. Her head found her blanket and before she fell asleep she offered up a prayer to the God's so that she would wake in a few days with a closed side that wasn't gushing blood everywhere.
Splinter awoke before his sons, this was his time to be able to have an hour of quiet before the havoc four teenage sons would bring into any type of household. He began his mornings the same everyday, he would boil a pot of water, drink a cup of green tea, and then meditate without any disturbances. Before making his way to the kitchen within the lair, he stretched out his tired limbs and slipped on his garb. With his walking stick and favorite tea pot in hand he strode off to begin his routine.
With the training from his master, Hamato Yoshi, he was able to skillfully and without a sound move through the lair even while all the lights were out. He also assumed it was from living in the same place for the past fourteen years, he knew this place as well as he knew the back of his hand. What he wasn't counting on though was there to be someone sleeping just outside his bedroom door.
His foot caught on the strangers middle and threw him off balance. Using his walking stick as leverage Splinter threw himself into a flip, desperate to save his beloved tea pot. As he caught his balance he guided himself towards the electric lever Donatello had put into place. Now that the lights buzzed over head Splinter saw what had caused his trip, a girl. She had to be no older than his sons and she looked so horribly pale. For a few moments he hesitated, he wasn't sure if he should wake her or if while she and his sons were asleep to rid them all of her and the problems she might cause. Just as he was to make up his mind he spotted the dark, rusty spots that trailed after her.
"Blood," he breathed out "her blood." Before he knew it his fatherly instincts kicked in, he would not allow any child, even one he did not have any obligation to, die or suffer on his watch. Looks like today he would not get his usual morning routine. On swift feet he went to wake Donatello from his sleep, if any of his sons would know what to do in this situation it would be him.
Donatello was in his usual spot, sleeping in his lab, his face planted in one of his books he had found interesting as of late. Splinter grabbed his sons' shoulders and shook.
"Five more minutes sensei, please." Donnie muttered out and tiredly tried to swat his father away.
"Donatello, get up now. There is something that needs your urgent attention." With a sigh, Donnie pushed himself off of his book and grimaced down at the drooled on pages.
"Note to self, stop sleeping on my books." Donnie followed after his teacher, certain Splinter was waking him up to help work the T.V again. Don did his best to wipe the sleep from his eyes and the drool remaining on his mouth. "Sensei, I told you that if the remote wasn't working which buttons to-Oh." Donnie watched as Splinter began fussing over a sleeping human in the lair, he now understood why he had been woken up. "I'll grab my medical bag sensei!"
Splinter placed the back of his hand gently on the girls forehead, she was burning up. He wanted to get her off the floor and onto something more hospitable. Soon his second youngest son returned with his medical supplies and a short, metallic gurney. Splinter raised his eyebrow at the gurney to which his son shrugged.
"I figured maybe we would need one one day. Here, sensei help me lift her onto the gurney." Donnie looped his arms under the strangers shoulders and Splinter grabbed her under the knees. It was a bit awkward to lift her onto the gurney as the girl was taller than the two of them, but they made it work. With the added commotion the other turtles began making their way out of their rooms.
"Donatello, I fear she has a horrible fever. I am going to go grab a cold wash cloth. Do what you must." Don nodded at his father as he strode off into the kitchen to grab what he promised.
"Hey Don, what the shell is happening?" Mikey questioned him with a yawn. "Whoa! Who's the chick?" Donatello shook his head and rolled his eyes at his brother.
"I don't know, Mikey, sensei found her and well." Donnie gestured to the blood on the floor.
"Whoa dude, is she gonna, like, ya know, make it?" Mikey then dropped his usual antics and concern flooded his body. "Wouldn't it be bad luck if she, you know?" Mikey tipped his head to the side and hung his tongue out. Raph who had now joined the circus came up behind Mikey and slapped the back of his head. "Ow, Raphy!" Donnie sighed and he hoped his brothers could hear the irritation he put into it.
"What's going on guys?" Surprisingly, Leo was the last of the four of them to make their way out of their rooms. "Whoa…" Leo looked down at the girl with horror but also intrigue, he wasn't quite sure how this would affect his family.
"My sons, back away, let Donatello do what he can." Splinter raced back over to the gurney with a wet cloth and a cup of water. "Will she be alright my son?" Splinter carefully placed the cloth onto the girls forehead and gently began moving her hair out of her face. Donnie snapped back into his "doctor mode" and took some scissors from his bag.
"I'll figure out sensei." With steady hands, Don cut away a square of the girls clothes where the bloody gauze had been. "Huh, well, whatever wound had been there is, well, gone." Donnie kneeled down to get a better look at the marks. On her side were two perfect cuts, the flesh there was a light pink.
"How could she be fine this quick, Don?" Leo questioned. All of them looked shocked, no human could heal that fast. Don scratched at his head, perplexed just as much as the others.
"I don't know, guess we will have to wait for her to wake up."
"My sons, it seems fate has sent us a strange visitor." Splinter turned to go make his tea. "Let me know as soon as our guest wakes up." All of them nodded to their fathers wish.
"How do you think she found the lair Don, I thought you hid this place." Raph teased his younger brother.
"That doesn't matter right now Raph, we need to make sure she heals safely and soundly down here." Leo interjected, he wasn't sure how she had bi-passed all of Donnie's security measures either, it was starting to make him nervous.
"Yeah, well when she wakes up maybe she will think we're her saviors and she'll fall madly in love with us dudes!"
"Shut up, Mikey." They other three said in unison.
"Well I'm just saying what we're all thinking." The youngest turtle spat out. Leo rolled his eyes at his brothers antics and went over to Don's side and let out a low whistle as he took in the girls wound.
"She should be dead, that's a wicked looking cut." Leo rummaged through the medical bag and pulled out some cotton wipes and rubbing alcohol. "To get a better look at it." Don nodded in agreement with his brother. Leo carefully dabbed at the wound cleaning away the crusted blood. "Don, it looks a little irritated like someone po-" In a flash the girl was awake and flung herself at Leonardo. She was fast, especially for someone who almost had their guts clawed out. Before he knew it she had him in a solid headlock and in her other hand she had a decently sized dagger held in her other hand pointed at his brothers.
"Who are you all? Why did you have me on that thing?" She yelled out at all them.
"Whoa, whoa chill out lady!" Raph yelled back at the girl. All of them had thrown up their hands in surrender.
"Uh sensei, she's awake and crazy." Mikey called out to their father. The girl pointed the dagger at Michelangelo and growled at him. Leo was taken aback, the growl sounded so realistic like it had come from an actual animal and not from a girl.
