Those imbeciles! They thought our objective was to steal a tiny ring with hardly significant value. How laughable! Our main objective was the piece of armor, which was displayed as a hand model. With this gauntlet, we are close to resurrecting our Master! He will take his rightful place as head of the clan! Retrieving said artifact wasn't an easy task. It was supposed to be a job no longer than half an hour; probably shorter. Our intel stated the whereabouts and the estimated time of retrieval. How am I going to report this to-?

MUNCH!

I cringed at the disturbing sound.

CRUNCH!

I cringed again.

My underling was busy eating numerous pretzels. I'm always baffled by how he managed to get his hands on food. "Do you mind?!" I yelled. "I was having a mental monologue!"

He gulped. Crumbs and salt pellets lingered on his chin. "Sorry." He gulped. "Just couldn't get that Goth out of my head. I can't place a finger on it. He's way too familiar for me to forget. Didn't you get a look at his face?"

I huffed. "I was too busy obtaining the artifact and escaping from those shadow beasts."

"Yeah, those puppies sure can bite."

"Despite the annoyance, we achieved our mission."

"Tell that to the boss lady."

I grimaced. Reporting back to the commander won't be pleasant. She expects perfection from her subordinates. She prepares us before our master's upbringing. Failure is NOT an option. But securing the next piece of armor she might be lenient in her lecture. I would be ecstatic if she were to praise us for our achievement.

...well, praise from her would be satisfactory. A compliment from her is something I would treasure in my heart.

I cleared my throat as we approached our hideout. "I will report to our commander." I felt his eyes on me as we opened the front door. "What?"

"Maybe I should come along and give my report. I was there too."

"There's no need. You don't have the authority."

My large associate took another bite off his pretzel. "I don't see how rank means anything if I'm there giving my statement. Anyway, someone had to make sure you speak in complete sentences and not drool all over her ladyship's feet."

I quickly looked over at him. "How dare you! I would never dare soil the ground she steps on with my saliva!" I accused.

"See. Right there", he stated, pointing his nearly finished snack in my direction. "You fanboy over her like nerd crushing over the cheerleading captain. Everyone knows you are in love with her. Hell, her ladyship knows! Your crush isn't exactly a secret."

"You're crazy! I'm not in love with her. What I show is admiration; there's a difference. And what's not to love? She's an inspiration to the Foot! A visionary! A strategist! A leader!"

"And married." I frowned at his statement. "She's married to a smart guy who's good with computers."

We passed by a group of ninjas training in their fighting stances no doubt our ladyship instructed them to memorize those moves by heart. "We don't know if they're truly married. She never wore a ring on her finger. She never showed interest in him. All he's good for is his hacking and info gaining."

He grunted. "Deny all you want. It's not going to change the obvious."

We walked deeper into our hideout. On the surface, our hideout is a simple shoe store; an on-the-nose brand. Down below is a cavern where we perform our initiation for recruits and the throne for our master along with the very armor he wore in his previous life.

Before the armor was a young woman kneeling. I knew it was our commander. She stood up gracefully and turned to us. Her light, pale skin was illuminated by the flames, her black hair shined and pulled back into a perfect ponytail, and her icy blue eyes studied us as we walked up the steps to her. I nervously swallowed. My throat dried. My tongue became stiff. She hasn't said a word and I'm already at her mercy. If she were to strike me, I would welcome such a feeling.

I immediately bowed as we came close enough to the top. "Madam Commander", I greeted along with my partner kneeling alongside me; his bag of food quickly vanished. I raised the armored arm like an offering to God. "I present to you another piece of Master Shredder's mystic armor."

The gauntlet was snatched out of my hand. I dared to look up. Madam Commander placed the arm onto the armor. The armor hummed in energy as it let the piece become one with it. We still have a long way to go before the armor is complete. However, seeing another piece of armor returned to its rightful place is another step closer to our goal.

"Thirty minutes." I jolted. The moment she spoke we both froze like two deer in headlights. "A simple search and retrieve mission that should've taken an amateur thirty minutes, probably less. So tell me... why did it take two veteran members to do such a simple task? I know it wasn't Hector's fault. He provided the information. It wasn't my fault. I gave you coordinates and strategized a plan. Everything was supposed to be flawless. Why were you late? If Master Shredder was here, would he accept such 'tardiness'?"

I fearfully locked eyes with her. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. Report, you fool. My lady deserved an answer!

"There were... obstacles", my partner managed to say. I gave him a sideways glare. That's not the answer she wanted to hear!

"Obstacles?" she asked, raising a thin, elegant brow. "And what is portrayed as an obstacle to outmaneuvering one with mystical abilities and one with muscles? Surely there is more to your explanation if it involves delaying your mission."

"The turtles, my lady", I finally spoke. "We were cornered by the turtles."

She scoffed. "The turtles were what delayed you? How absurd. They have magic weapons and yet not a sheer knowledge of how to use them properly. Calling themselves heroes. They are more useless than the city's authorities."

I gulped. "It is not exactly all turtles, but we were cornered by one turtle and a... a..." Her icy blue focused on me. I tried to hold in my shivers. I felt small under her gaze. Whenever she looked upon me, I felt like an ant or some insect waiting for its demise to be crushed under her foot.

"Well?" my lady asked, impatiently. "One turtle and what? A tank?" The last part was more sarcastic than humor. I didn't have it in me to tell her that the blue turtle had a goth teenager WITH dark powers as a backup. Amateurs but they outpowered me and my large advisory put up more of a fight than I. We barely escaped those beasts if I hadn't summoned a portal for our escape with the artifact in hand.

I exhaled a shaky breath. "A turtle and a... a human child..." I muttered, lowering my head deeper. I couldn't take anymore of the sheer disappointment. I felt ashamed to be a member of the Foot Clan.

"A turtle and a human child? Care to... elaborate." If it weren't for her stare, then the coldness emanating from her tone spoke enough volumes. Madam Commander never told us her real name, but she goes by many. One she is commonly known as the Ice Witch. I always believed she was the descendant of Yuki-onna, the Snow Woman. She demands obedience and respect. Her presence alone can quiet a room.

My colleague growled as he stood up. "Look, we got the artifact! That's the whole point of the mission! A little recognition wouldn't hurt! We busted our butts getting it and all you did was stand in our hideout and order us around like we're your slaves! Try getting your own hands dirty once in a while! See how you like it!" You fool! No one speaks to her that way! He just signed his death certificate!

The face of a cold beauty at first glance. A blink later, our ladyship moved with the speed and grace of a viper. She leaped on him, grabbing him by the collar and throwing him down like he weighed nothing, and he was twice her size! She took down the strongest ninja in our clan in less than a minute. She's both incredible and terrifying.

She is worthy of being our commander.

Our ladyship held a knife close to her victim's neck. "An overstuffed pig squealing at his handler. What's wrong? Not enough food? Tell me. You were on a roll. Why the sudden quiet? Is it because you see a wife you quiver? No, you could've outmatched your opponent with your large size. Why is it? Oh. I know. You know I can end your life here and now with eyewitnesses. You don't want to set an example as a failure to your clan. You know I can skin you alive if I so pleased." She drew the knife closer. His lips quivered. All I could do was gaze in and marvel at her dominance. Suddenly, she retracted her knife. "Although, you are correct. The artifact is within our grasp. Despite the delay, the mission was a success." She gingerly patted his chubby cheek before standing up. "Now... tell me about this odd duo."

~Lady Ai~

I sent the two buffoons away. They present me with intriguing information. I walked off to a corner. I pressed a hidden button on the wall, and it opened to reveal an elevator. I walked inside before the doors closed. I patiently waited as the elevator climbed up while twirling my kunai between my fingers.

Those two imbeciles encountered one of the mutant turtles and a human boy fighting side-by-side with mystic powers. The blue bandana-wearing turtle had Light magic and the ability to heal. A huge asset to our group. Theories ran rampant in my mind like a hive of angry hornets. From the report, the turtle healed himself after being injured in fighting against the sorcerer of our clan. Could he bring back the dead? Grant everlasting health and youth? What are his limitations and how can we expand from there? Wealthy families will waste their riches for health. So many uses for the turtle.

...unfortunately... there's the Goth...

The elevator dinged and opened to reveal an office. No one knows about the office other than myself and my husband. As I entered, I was not surprised to see him on the computer screen. His glasses reflected the screen's brightness. His fingers danced across the keyboard without missing a beat. I swear he's more invested in his work than me.

I don't mind. It's what I admire. Focus. Determination. Ambition. Those are the qualities that I can respect. He works on his projects while I work on mine. We only share communication here and there. Nothing else. I guess it's mostly me "bitching" as he likes to call it.

"Long night, mi amor", Hector said without looking away from his work.

I heavily sighed. "The usual headaches. I wonder if there is a difference between commander and den mother", I complained. "Their brain cells can't get any smaller than a gnat. I have to be their brain! If Master Shredder was alive, he would kill everyone in the room and abduct recruits. I will admit... their skills are progressing yet at a snail's pace. Hopefully, within a few months, their ranks would be above mediocre."

Multitasked and focused, he took out a bottle of painkillers from the desk drawer. "Normally you would wait until the end of the month to go on your bitch parade and then, wait for the next month to occur. Is there a reason for your sudden visit?"

I was going to tell him anyway if he wasn't such a know-it-all smartass. "Yes, and I think you know who I am referring to."

His tapping paused. He looked up from his screen. I saw the dark circles underneath his empty green eyes. "Merrill. This is about Merrill, isn't it?" he asked, yet already knew who I was referring to. I snatched the bottle off the desk. I immediately got two pills and munched on them without water. I set the bottle back on the table. "What is the issue, Yukina? We permitted him to do whatever he pleased so long as it is before his eighteenth birthday. There's nothing wrong with the boy having a little freedom." He went back to his work. How typical.

Out of frustration, I slammed my hands on top of the table. "The problem is we gave him too much freedom!" I accused. He continued his work as though my action meant nothing. "He's getting accustomed to living his life. We already knew he set a to-do list for his "new life". What if he tries calling your sister?"

"He did", my workaholic husband answered. "I had a notification of his call where I set an impromptu answering machine. No matter how many times he calls her, Merrill will never get a callback." Hector likes to believe he's the most brilliant mind in the world. Even I know his dick isn't THAT big.

"Did you know he's seeing a MUTANT turtle?" I interrogated. "Correction: a magical mutant turtle. Or rather our son have dark powers? Are you aware of anything?" I was satisfied to see a vein twitched above his eye.

"I haven't", he admitted, "Lately, I couldn't pick up any surveillance. Despite seeing through Merrill's eyes." I raised an eyebrow.

Merrill's eyes are cameras connecting to his brain; we see what he sees. However, he's telling me he's losing connections. So much for World's Brilliant Mind.

"Do you think your sister had something to do with it?" I asked.

"Absolutely not. I would know if Claire were to sneak into my system."

"It wouldn't be surprising if your younger twin sister outsmarted you. She did outscore your GPA. Who's to say she has a trump card ready to play."

Hector looked up again. Irritation was evident in his luminated facial features. "Weren't you here to discuss our son to discuss our next plan?" He wanted to change the subject. Fair. Annoying, but fair. I did approach him first.

I stood up straight and I began pacing. "Merrill didn't contact your sister yet. That gives us a minimal time. Who's to say when Claire pops in for a visit? You need to give Merrill a checkup, probably an upgrade if your brain can come up with a new model."

"It shouldn't be a challenge. I was in the process of creating new eye cameras. All I needed was add a few more adjustments and it will be finished."

I stopped. "Can it be done before Thanksgiving?"

"Affirmative."

"Along with new passcodes. Merrill is getting out of hand. He needs to know his place."

"It will be done."

"Excellent. See to it while I get the clan prepared for our next operation."

Merrill needs to know his place. His existence is temporary. He's not meant to exist. A wallflower. He's getting too much attention. This wasn't supposed to happen!

And it's all that turtle's fault! It would be a waste to end a useful pawn. To keep or not to keep? That is the question.

But the top priority is teaching Merrill a lesson. Attachments are a distraction. Emotions are a weakness.

Why are teenagers so fickle with such things?