Idiona's nose scrunched at the more intense smells emanating through the accumulated drainage pipes. The sewers had always smelled absolutely horrendous, thanks to her heightened senses, but as the two of them walked closer and closer to the drainage junction an overpowering stink permeated and violated her nose. It also didn't help that most of the pipes down here were dripping whatever most New Yorkers flushed down their toilets.
"Sensei, isn't the smell of this place driving you crazy?" Idiona questioned, finally caving and placing a hand over her nose. Splinter chuckled under his breath.
"I fear, child, I have gone nose blind to the putrid stench of these tunnels. You too will also grow comfortable with the scents down here." He said that sentence with such certainty Idiona eased up on her disdain for the tunnels they were prowling in. "We draw close, child." Idiona nodded, she had never made it this far past the lair. Well, she never had to in the past. Her heart yearned for the place she had called home for the past year. The lair had not been a five star hotel, a fancy mansion, or a cozy cabin but it had been home. The very first place Idiona had felt safe, comfortable, and welcomed in. She glanced down at the man she had come to know as her reputable Sensei. Selfishly, it hadn't passed through her mind how much this must have been affecting Splinter and the guys. Idiona had only resided in the lair for a year, they had all been there for fifteen years. For the guys that was all they had known, the lair, and it had been taken from them all.
"Sensei, are you alright?"
"Of course child, the collapse did not hurt me." Idiona shook her head.
"No, that's not what I mean Sensei. You just lost your home." Instinctively her hands balled into fists. "You and the guys, that's all you have known for the past fifteen years. Aren't you upset? I am." Splinter looked up at her a disheartened, small smile laid upon his face.
"Of course I am upset, Idiona, but we must also look forward and not into the past lest it cloud our minds. We will find a new home and make many more memories there as well." Splinter's free hand gently patted Idiona's. "I know you are upset, but things will work themselves out. Everything happens for a reason my child, just like when you stumbled into our home." The angry tension released its grip upon Idiona's body, for some reason Splinter always knew the best things to say in the wrong moments. She guessed it came from his hours and hours of meditation he did everyday. Still, she offered up a silent oath up to the Aesir that she would find out where those things came from and give them the same treatment they offered to the lair.
After walking, what felt like forever, an opening appeared ahead with a big open space just beyond it. The drainage junction, at last! The drainage junction had the same exact pale, sandy colored cement as the rest of the tunnels littered underneath the bustling city. Idiona was awestruck by the extraordinary amount of pipes that were located in the junction. Not only the amount, but the size of the pipes were huge, some even wider than Idiona's arm span. The bigger pipes were also adorned with electronic plates with shifting numbers constantly flashing on the screens. Those were probably for the workers who roamed down here on occasion to write down whatever statistics they needed for the city.
"Now, where are my sons?" Splinter walked to the center of the junction glancing around probably hoping the guys would walk out at any second.
"They'll be here soon, Sensei! They must have just run into some more damage and had to take a different route here." Idiona answered, with hopes to help ease Splinters worry. His hand went to his beard, his usual tick.
"Yes, our home must not have been the only place those machines caused damage to. Well, this is the perfect opportunity to practice your meditation, Idiona!"
"Yes, Sensei…" Idiona sighed. Just as the two of them were to lower themselves to the ground, that weird sound started up again. Fissures and cracks began growing a few feet away from where they were standing. "Uh-oh." From the concrete two more of those robots emerged and roared their defiance at Idiona and Splinter. In just mere seconds, two more began chewing their way through the concrete and emerged herding the two of them back against the pipes.
With ease Splinter pushed Idiona behind him and raised his staff against the four approaching mechanical beasts. It was a sweet gesture, but Idiona would have rather been the one to face off against the bots. In an instant the four robots launched themselves at Splinter. And, to Idiona's surprise, he broke each and every one with just a wooden staff. The remaining bits and pieces clattered to the ground along with Idiona's jaw.
"Well, that takes care of that problem." The old rat exclaimed. A new found respect leaked out of Idiona for her aged Sensei. He had broken metal simply with a slim piece of whittled wood. Cool!
As Idiona was about to sing her praise, the ground beneath their feet began to shake and groan. Before either one of them could move aside the concrete floor cracked and disintegrate. Idiona cried out as she plummeted down and down, certain this was it. Just as acceptance crept in, her body grazed against smooth brick, then she was calmly sliding down a slanted wall. Her and Splinter were spat out into a dimly lit tunnel, obviously a forgotten section of the sewers. Splinter stood and dusted off dirt from his robe.
Idiona remained laying on the dust ridden ground, her body groaning in protest at the fall. She just needed a few moments to gather herself and she would get up.
"Yes, yes this should do." Idiona's head turned to where her Sensei was standing. In front of him was an even bigger opening than the junction had. Interest prickling under her skin, Idiona forced herself up from the floor and made her way to stand beside Splinter.
"Whoa." Idiona gasped out. Yeah, this would do indeed.
Idiona and Splinter crawled their way carefully back up the opening they had fallen through. A couple times Idiona had slipped and stumbled. She was tired of wearing these stupid, stupid clothes she and the guys had scavenged for her to wear. She desperately needed proper gear she yearned for it, really.
Finally, after a little struggling, Idiona emerged from the hole the robots had chewed into the concrete. She looked down at the baggy, partially ruined clothes sitting upon her. All the clothes they could find for her never really fit right. What they could find was either a little too big or too snug and none of it was ever new. The plain shirt she had on now had acquired rips here and there from the nights adventure. Then her gaze fell onto the shoes she had on. The black sneakers were heavily coated in grime and dust, not only that but the bottom were just about worn down to nothing. She didn't even want to know how much dirt was caked onto her face and into her dark burgundy hair. To most, she assumed, she probably looked like a boy if it wasn't for her longer hair.
"What bothers you, Idiona?" Splinter questioned. Idiona threw down her shirt with an exaggerated groan.
"I need something," she thought on the right word, "proper to wear Sensei! The guys don't need good shoes or clothes that sit on them just right." She took in a deep breath and made her way over to the ladder that led up into the city.
"Idiona, where are you going? We must wait for the others!" She agreed with him, really she did, but her mind was already made up.
"I'll be right back Sensei, I need to go get something. Or I fear I'm going to lose my mind if I have to be in these clothes any longer." She didn't wait for his approval as she ascended the ladder. Splinter also didn't get up to stop her, he knew how patient she had been with the lack of things for Idiona. She was getting her stuff back.
With a grunt, Idiona pushed aside the man-hole covering and poked her head out into the world above. She was in an alleyway and at the edge a street lamp flickered on and off. Once she had assessed no one had seen her open the covering Idiona pulled herself onto the paved sidewalk. She took in the fresh air deeply, well as fresh as it could get in New York. Then she was off making her way towards that abandoned building she had first made her home here in the city.
To her luck where she had emerged it would probably only be a fifteen minute walk to that old place. She could see the decimated ruins just over the buildings currently surrounding her. Quickly she ran her fingers through her loose hair doing her best to work out any dirt and tangles. After working through the locks she tucked the strand into her shirt to keep it out of her face. Her face. Idiona's head darted around looking for anything to clean herself up with. With grace she launched herself up onto the nearest fire escape and climbed up to the clothes draped over thick lines that ran between the two buildings making the alley.
Her hands wrapped around a still very damp towel. Idiona plucked it from the line and began scrubbing at her face, neck, and exposed arms. After she was done, the once white towel was now a lovely shade of dirt.
"Sorry," Idiona muttered to herself as she let the towel drop into the dumpster below. Quietly she jumped down from the fire escape and tucked her tail into the loose, grey sweats she had on. It would probably be best if she hid that piece of her away until she was back below the city. Then she was off towards her destination.
As she walked cars, taxis, and buses flew past her. People who roamed the sidewalks as well were engaged in their own private conversations. No one really paid any attention to her. Then again they all probably just saw her as some poor kid roaming the street for loose change. She had come to learn this town was built for the ruthless, for those who were willing to take. When she had first arrived Idiona spent a lot of time begging and living off the slim kindness of strangers. Gas stations had thrown her expired chips and sandwiches. Family owned restaurants had always given her free water and juice, but never food. Idiona wrapped her arms around her chest the nights chill brushing against her skin.
Then she had had enough living off the un-gauranteed kindness of strangers and she had fallen for the false promises of The Foot Clan. Anything looked better than dieing of starvation on the harsh streets of the city. It had taken her two years to see through the false love and adoration given to her to manipulate her into doing their bidding. Small acts of normal kindness had her eating out of their hands.
She gazed up at that ruined building she had spent many nights shivering and hungry. Never again, she thought.
Idiona climbed back down that ladder, a hefty pack sitting atop her shoulders. She was surprised that the pack had been untouched and still remained in the spot she left it in. Then again most of the stuff in her pack would probably be useless to most people within the big apple. Her shoes scuffed against the concrete of the drainage junction and there was Splinter kneeling in the center, deep in meditation. His ear twitched as she approached.
"Did you get what you needed, Idiona?" He asked, keeping his eyes closed.
"Yes, Sensei." She patted the hefty pack still on her back. She frowned at the absence of four other mutated buffoons. "They still haven't made it back?" Down the other tunnel leading out of the junction two bright lights shone in the distance and they were getting closer, quickly. "Sensei." Idiona readied herself into a fighting stance and slowly Splinter rose from his meditation. A blue truck emerged into the tunnel and out of it poured the four brothers.
"My sons, you have made it!" Splinter beamed. As his sons swarmed him holding onto him. Then they made their rounds with Idiona pulling her into their group hug session.
"Yeah, we had an interesting night, Sensei." Leo spoke, he sounded a little exhausted.
"Ah, yes, well you shall have plenty of time to tell me in our home." Splinter answered.
"But Sensei," Raph started, "those machines ruined our pad. We don't have a home." Raph poked at the ruined robots still in the drainage junction with his foot.
"Well, we may have found a solution for that!" Idiona beamed.
"Follow us!" Splinter jumped into the hole and Idiona followed after leading the turtles into their new home. After the debate of housing and rooms was over they all began their work at cleaning up the place. The area was strange that they had stumbled on. In the walls were strange carvings and blue colored bricks. None of the other sewer tunnels had anything even close to this design their new home had. That didn't matter right now though, what mattered is that they were all back together again. Well, it also helped that she had even her odds with the turtles in sparring matches. She fell asleep on her pack so excited to she everyone just what lay within it.