The Shadow That Haunts The City (Private w/ Plutonian-Raven)

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    Seeing that they all had responsibilities to attend to, it was time that they went their separate ways. "Yeah, but we can just tell her that we got sidetracked" Nat responded upon Layla asking about her sister, yeah, she'd be asking questions... But nothing that they couldn't answer. They'd just say that they hung out somewhere after school and lost track of time, which wouldn't be a total lie. She soon turned her attention to the tallest turtle, nodding her head when he asked if they should be heading off, "Yeah, it's pizza night at home and Brooke won't order until I'm home" She told them, "Plus Layla's parents are probably waiting for her to text back."


    With how late it was getting, Layla would probably be eating at their apartment tonight, after texting her parents of course. It stunk that they couldn't keep talking to the turtles, they seemed like cool guys, but home was calling. She smiled when Mikey told them to get home safely, nodding in response. "We will, thanks again, um... Maybe we'll see you around?" Nat said, though she wasn't so certain on the chances of that happening. The turtles seemed to have their own lives to attend to, and if they could get around without humans knowing of their existence, then who knew if they'd ever see them again. This was probably a one in a lifetime meeting.


    Regardless of this, Leo nodded at her. "Maybe" He said before offering them a wave goodbye before glanced back towards the fallen thugs, "We'll take care of these guys, you get yourselves home."


    "And don't go kicking anyone else" Raph commented, raising an eye ridge at Nat, having yet to forget what Nat did. This prompted Nat to flush red temporarily before she side-glanced towards Layla to see if she was ready to go. Goodbyes exchanged, the girls went to finish the walk to Nat's apartment, meanwhile Leo turned to look down at the crooks... Now to deal with these guys.

    Layla gave a nod of agreement. Telling Brooke that they had gotten sidetracked wouldn’t be a complete lie. They had been in fact very sidetracked. It wasn’t every day that someone met human-sided, bipedal turtles who know martial arts. Nodding when Mikey told them to be safe, Layla wondered if they’d ever see them again. It seemed Nat had thought the same thing, as she asked if they’d see them around. This was very likely a onetime meeting, seeing as the turtles could clearly move around the city without being seen. Still, Layla couldn’t help but hope that they’d see them again. At Raphael’s remark to Nat, Layla grin. “Bye,” she told the turtles, giving them one more smile before turning to leave. As Layla made her way down the dimly-lit street, she found herself still slightly on edge. She didn’t want them to stumble into anymore criminals after all. “Would it be okay if I came by your and Brooke’s place tonight?” She asked as she pulled out her phone, preparing to ask her mother if it would be okay for her to go to Brooke’s. “Mom’s working again tonight, and dad’s out of town.” The house was would be rather quiet and lonely tonight.


    Donnie watched for a moment as the two girls walked away after they all had said their goodbyes. They seemed like nice girls. He hoped that they got home safely. He didn’t think they’d ever see them again. There were a lot of people here in New York, and the chances of them stumbling into one another were slim to none. Still, it would have been nice to make some more friends. Pushing his thoughts to the back of mind, Donnie turned his focus to the thugs. “Did everyone else notice what these guys are wearing?” Donnie asked his brothers as he knelt down to inspect one of the unconscious criminals. “It looks like what a ninja would wear, but I don’t think their part of the Foot Clan.” That was what confused Donnie. If they weren’t with the Foot Clan, then who did they work for? Or did they work alone?


    Mikey couldn’t help but hope they met the girls again. “Bye!” he called to them as they left, waving. It was hard for the enthusiastic turtle to not feel hopeful. Both Nat and Layla seemed like nice people. It’d be nice to have more friends. Making friends wasn’t exactly easy when you lived in the sewer and had to avoid nearly all humans. Hearing Donnie speak, Mikey blinked and turned to see what his brother was talking about. “What?” he said, looking over at one of the thugs. Just as Donnie had said, the unconscious men were wearing clothing that reminded him what ninja wore. “That’s weird,” he remarked with a frown, his forehead furrowing.

    "Yeah" Nat responded as she looked towards Layla, watching as her friend took out her phone to contact her mother. Brooke was never opposed to Layla visiting the apartment, it just meant that they would have to order more pizza and a second liter of soda. Afterwards she focused ahead, being on her toes as well, they wouldn't want to run into trouble for the second time that night. If they did, then it would be unlikely that the turtles would be there to help them again, and they'd be on their own.


    Leo stepped behind Donnie as he knelt down to inspect the unconscious crook. Donnie had a point, it was obvious that these guys were all wearing some sort of uniform, one which could operate as a ninja garb. The fabric was dark and loose, allowing for easy movement and the ability to navigate through the darkness undetected. In addition to that, they had some form of light armor that looked flexible enough to where it wouldn't hinder movement, and their faces were covered by a hood and face mask; exposing only their eyes. These weren't just cheap costumes, they had function... But the design was drastically different from the Foot. Leo soon crouched down by his brother, reaching forward to pull back one of the flaps to the guy's top, revealing some sort of odd S-shaped symbol embroidered into the fabric. This caused Leo's brow to raise, it looked to be some sort of crest, which was definitely a cause for concern... It meant that these guys were probably part of a group. "Yes it is, little brother" Leo said in response to Mikey's comment on the garb, glancing at the closed eyes of the crook.


    Soon he decided to retrieve a shuriken from the inside of his belt, as a ninja, it was important to have some form of concealed weapon on you. Plus shuriken were a useful tool to have, not only could they be used to attack, but also to distract an opponent. This time though, Leo used it to cut out the embroidered symbol from the man's uniform, that way they could take it back to the lair and study it. The guy wouldn't miss it.

    “Thanks,” Layla said, giving her friend an appreciative smile. After sending the text to her mom, Layla turned her focus back to their surroundings. It was hard to completely relax after what had just happened with those criminals. Layla knew that she wouldn’t be able to let her guard down until they got to Nat and her sister’s apartment. She glanced around at the quiet street, wondering what the odds of ever meeting the turtles were.


    When Leo pulled back a flap on the unconscious man’s uniform, Donnie frowned. A symbol? It wasn’t any symbol Donnie recognized. While Leo cut the symbol from the man’s uniform, Donnie when to the next closest unconscious thug and looked on his uniform. Just as he suspected, the same symbol was on his as well. That mean these men were likely some kind of group. Though, what group it was, Donnie could say. It definitely was the crests of the Foot ninja or the Purple Dragons. Mikey meanwhile leaned over Leo’s shoulder to look at the symbol. “I wonder what it means?” He asked aloud. Donnie shook his head. “I’m not sure. But, we’ll have to watch out for any more people wearing that symbol.” If there was a group of them, then there likely was more.


    *Timeskip*


    It had been days since they had seen the turtles, and they had seen no sign of them sense. Layla knew that it shouldn’t be surprising, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She just wanted to know more about them. And she knew that Nat felt the same way. Now that she had the chance, Layla was heading over to Nat’s house. Night was starting to fall over the city, though the street lamps still offered a fair amount of light, so Layla could see where she could was going. Not having forgotten about the criminals that the turtles had saved them from, she remained alert as she walked down the street. Reaching Nat’s apartment, she stood outside the door and knocked, waiting for her friend to answer.


    The night was just starting for Donnie and his brothers. Now that it was dark, they had decided to start their patrol. There had been a rise in crime lately, and it worried Donnie. One top of that, but they were keeping an eye out for any more men wearing that S-shaped symbol. So far, they hadn’t seen anyone else. But, Donnie figured that they would eventually. He doubted those five were the only members of the that group. Standing up on a rooftop and looking down below, Donnie briefly glanced towards his brothers. “See anything so far?” Mikey shook his head, replying that he hadn’t. Donnie glanced around at the surrounding rooftops, letting out a soft sigh.

    A few moments after Layla had knocked on the door to Nat's apartment, her friend answered and reached forward to grab Layla by the shoulder, "Get in here!" She said before quickly pulling her into the apartment. Well, that was one way to greet your best friend. The shorter girl had her hair pulled back into a hastily done ponytail and was clad in an over-sized T-shirt with pajama shorts, making it seem as if she had yet to tidy herself up. Nat didn't offer an explanation as to why she looked so unkempt, too busy dragging Layla over towards her room. Once they got through the doorway, Nat finally released Layla and hurried towards the desk that was set up against a wall. "Okay, so I stayed up until four in the morning yesterday getting this all together. But, you know those turtle guys we ran into?" She asked before spinning around in her swivel chair to face Layla, "Well... Ninja or not, they still left clues. It wasn't easy to find it, but I spent all of last night combing through a bunch of news articles covering apprehended criminals, ones who don't remember the guys who caught them. Apparently, there were a few news articles that talked about some vigilante force or whatever that was stopping bad guys and leaving them for cops to collect, like something straight outta Spider-Man. Those turtles said that they stop criminals, but obviously they can't phone the cops to give them an anonymous tip on some apprehended crooks. So if I had to bet, they might be behind those the catching of those guys. One guy..." Nat paused her long-winded explanation to turn towards her laptop, typing and pulling up some sort of article online, "Said that he only got a glance at the guys before he was knocked out, and he claimed and I quote... Some sorta green men with whacked out hunchbacks jumped me while pulling some crazy Kill Bill moves, one sounded a lot like Rob Paulsen, y'know, the guy who played Yakko. Of course the guy that said this was arrested before on drug charges and was thought to have alcohol in his system the night that the cops found him... But the weird thing is that the cops said they found him somewhere close by to the station, while the guy claimed that he was attacked on a street a couple of miles away. I don't know about you, but I don't think somebody who is drunk outta their mind is going to be able to walk all the way to where that guy was found. Oh, by the way he was arrested after the cops found him when he admitted to trying and hijack a parked car."


    _


    Leo hadn't seen anything either, at least not for a while longer. At first it seemed that they would turn up empty-handed again, but soon some movement at the corner of Leo's eye caught his attention. He turned his focus towards another rooftop some distance away, realizing that he could see the outlines of moving shapes. "Guys, we got company" He told his brothers, quickly moving to jump onto the next rooftop so that he could have a better look. It seemed that there was a small group of people gathered there, and from he could tell, it wasn't just some casual event between friends. The people he saw where dressed in dark clothing with some type of hood and mask, strikingly similar to the outfits that the crooks they had apprehended before were wearing. They seemed to be discussing something, but what exactly, Leo did not know.

    Layla let out a yelp of surprise when Nat pulled her into the apartment. She noticed that it seemed that her friend hadn’t gotten ready for the morning. Layla allowed Nat to drag her to her room curious about what had her friend in such a rush. “Nat? What’s going on?” She didn’t get an answer until they were in the room. Feeling her interest only grow, she followed Nat over to her desk. When the other girl mentioned the turtles, Layla nodded, “I do.” How could she forget running into them? Brows furrowing, she listened raptly as Nat spoke, telling her about all the digging she had done. She looked over Nat’s shoulder at the article she pulled up, still listening as Nat continued to speak. Well, the description given by the criminal arrested certain matched the turtles. And the voice he described could easily be Donatello’s. Nat had a point; if the man had been that under the influence Layla doubted that he’d walk that far. “Good work,” Layla said with a smile, impressed with Nat’s research skills. “You found out a lot! Did you find out anything else? Like maybe how they’re getting around the city?” They had to be getting around the city some way. And while Layla certainly wasn’t trying to get them caught by more humans or get them into any trouble, she was undeniably curious about them. And it was clear that Nat was too. There had to be a way that the turtles were getting around the city without being seen. Sure, they were ninjas and very sneaking, but there had to be a place where they stayed.


    Hearing Leo speaking, Donnie turned his focus to the direction his older brother was looking in. That was when he noticed the shapes moving on a rooftop. They almost looked like people. Glancing over at Raph and Mikey, he quickly leapt onto the next rooftop after Leo. Mikey followed moments later. Keeping silent, Donnie narrowed his eyes slightly as he tried to make out what the shapes were doing. Now that he was closer, he could see that they were indeed people. It was a small group of them, and what struck Donne was the fact they were dressed in dark clothing with most of their faces covered. Honestly they were dressed a lot like the men that had attacked those two girls, Nat and Layla. Glancing over at Leo, he whispered, “It looks like they’re talking about something.” Though from this distance he couldn’t hear what. He wished he could though. It could be something important.


    Mikey landed on the roof a few paces behind Donnie and Leo. Quickly, though quietly, he rushed over to stand by his brother. His blue eyes widened when he saw the group of people standing there, all dressed in dark clothing. “Their clothes look a lot like those other guys from before. You know, the ones with that S on their clothes,” he whispered, leaning slightly closer to his brothers. Could these guys be part of the same group, whatever it was. Mikey watched the figures for a moment before looking back to his brothers. “Let’s go see what they’re all talking bout,” he said, still making sure to keep his voice low. Mikey couldn't help but be curious about what those people were discussing up there on a rooftop at night.

    "Well... Kind of, it's more like a theory than anything else" Nat said as she turned to look at Layla, swinging her feet a little as she folded her hands in her lap. "So you know how in Stephen King's It, Pennywise got around Derry by using the sewers? Well, what if that's what they're doing? Think about it, New York City has about 6,000 miles worth of sewer pipes, 135,000 catch basins, and over 495 outfalls... That's a lot of space and it's all underground, plus there's always a manhole somewhere that they could use to get in and out" Nat told her, "I mean... It's gross, but they could be using the sewers to get around, and for all we know they live down there." The sewers of New York City weren't exactly a luxurious place to be living, but there was a lot of room down there and it was safe from human eyes... Save for the occasional maintenance worker. Nat could be wrong and they could being living somewhere on the surface, but they wouldn't be able to get around as secretly if that was the case. There were plenty of access points to get in and out of the sewers without being seen, and no one would know that someone was living down there. It made sense to Nat that the turtles were using the sewers, and perhaps they could even find them down there. "The only way to know for sure though is if we went down there to look for them, and I don't know if you're one for trudging through gray water. Not to mention that there's no guarantee that we'll find evidence, not with how large the sewer system is."


    _


    Normally Leo would cautious about the idea of getting closer to an unknown group, but listening to what they were saying could yield some clues as to who they are. "Okay" Leo responded in a hushed voice, "But stay close and keep quiet." That order given, he hurried towards a point where he could jump to the other rooftop without being spotted. After jumping, he was quick to hide behind a ventilation system, located near a water tower on the roof. None of the members in the group seemed to notice a thing, not even when the others followed after Leo. Now they could listen into what they were saying, and from little Leo heard so far... It wasn't friendly chatter. One guy was cursing up a storm, having a vocabulary that rivaled any rated R film out there. Splinter was not fond of profanity, especially when it came from his sons, so as a result Leo hardly ever swore. The only time he used curse words was if he was alone really, Raph though was different story... But even he didn't swear in front of Splinter. Leo was ready to inch towards Mikey to cover his ears, he didn't want their youngest brother to hear some of the things that was coming out of that guy's mouth. Luckily though someone interrupted the man before he could continue.


    "Calm down."


    "Calm down? You tell me to calm down when we got our heads on the line! The boss doesn't take too kindly to flops like that! You heard what she did to the other guys, we're dead meat!"


    "We don't know that, Simon, she could-"


    "This is all your fault, y'know that? If you hadn't screwed up your job as a lookout, we wouldn't be here!"


    "How was I suppose to know that those freaks would show up?"


    The conversation quickly descended into a heated argument between the two men, and threatened to turn into a fight, but a third voice interrupted before it could go that route.


    "Would the two of you shut up? You're acting like a couple of kids. It's no one's fault that those... Whatever they were attacked the others."


    "Yeah? And now they're in jail, we may of been lucky enough to have gone out a different way, but now that the boss knows of our screw up..."

    At the mentioning of Nat having a theory, Layla perked up a bit. She listened quietly as he friend spoke, thinking. It made a lot of sense. The sewers were huge, and it wasn’t like many people went down there save for maintenance workers. “That’s a good theory,” Layla said, nodding her head. “It could easily be how they get around the city without being seen.” And as Nat has said, they could be living somewhere down there. It would keep them hidden from sight. If they lived on the surface, then Layla felt that they’d likely live outside the city. It would be difficult for them to stay hidden in a city as crowded as New York. Layla paused when Nat mentioned that the only way to know was to go down to the sewers to look for them. She was right. Unless they looked they wouldn’t know. And Layla really did want to know, even if the sewers weren’t exactly a place one would want to visit. “If you’re willing to go down there, so am I,” Layla said with a grin. If Nat was going, then Layla wouldn’t let her go alone. “I know there’s no guarantee that we’ll find them, but I think it’d be worth a shot. I’d like to find them again,” she said.


    Following Leo closer to the small group of men, Donnie's eyes widened when he heard the language one was using. Splinter didn't like profanity, so Donnie himself rarely cursed, and Mikey didn't unless he was repeating something someone had said. because of this, cursing was something Donnie rarely heard around the lair. Donnie glanced towards Mikey, who was listening quietly, wondering if he should be even hearing this language. But, the first man was interrupted by a second, which quickly pulled Donnie's focus back to the group. They mentioned a boss, and whoever she was, it was clear the men feared what she could do. At the mentioning of "freaks", Donnie glanced towards Leo. It wasn't hard to figure out that very likely meant them. Donnie leaned forward slightly to try and hear more.


    Mikey listened quietly as the men spoke. He found the fact that the first man was cursing so much a little funny, but he held back a laugh. He didn't want to give away their position. He found himself wondering who this boss they kept mentioning was. Whoever she was, they were afraid of what she'd do. She must have been a pretty tough lady. When they were taking about the "freaks" that had attacked the others, Mikey figured they were talking about him and his brothers. He smiled, proud that they had managed to send some of this group's members to jail. Having the same idea as Donnie, he leaned forward to try and listen in more. Though, his foot accidentally hit a medium-sized piece of metal debris left on the roof. Wincing, he glanced down at it when it made very audible noise. No doubt it had been loud enough for the men to hear. "Oops," he whispered sheepishly, giving his brothers an apologetic look.

    Nat smiled in response to Layla's words, it looked like they would be going into the sewers after all. However, they couldn't just drop what they were doing and head for the nearest manhole, they had to plan and prepare. It wouldn't be the wisest decision for them to go exploring now all willy-nilly, they needed to take supplies with them and have some sort of way to find their way back, a trail of bread crumbs if you will. "Looks they we're going into the sewers" Nat said before soon adding, "But probably not tonight, we have to prepare. We need to pack whatever we could need down there and you should probably wear some clothes you don't care about." Considering the circumstances, it would be best if they went to explore the sewers sometime tomorrow morning, when they were actually ready. "Also... I gotta shower tonight" Nat said before moving to get out of her chair to get to her dresser. She began to dig through the drawers for a change of clothes, though she did turn back to tell Layla, "There's leftover pasta in the fridge if you're hungry, I'll be right out."


    _


    From what the people said in their conversation, they had been with the other members the night that the turtles apprehended them. The only reason that they hadn't been caught was because they went out a different way, where the turtles couldn't see them. Leo frowned at the mention of a boss, a woman from what the members referred to her as, and she didn't sound pleasant. The cursing man sounded absolutely terrified by her, which had Leo wondering what kind of boss they were dealing with. However, he wouldn't be pondering for long, not until Mikey knocked around a piece of scrap metal with his foot; causing all three older brothers to whip their heads towards him.


    "Mikey!" Raph hissed at him in a low voice, knowing that the crooks had heard that and now their cover was blown. It didn't take long until one of the guys expectantly leapt onto the ventilation system that the brothers were hiding behind, having drawn their weapon and aimed it at them, "Figures you freaks would show up again." Raphael narrowed his eyes at the insult before quickly drawing his sai from his belt, "Buzz off ya #*$@*!" He snapped before moving to attack the guy, weapons clashing as he brought up his tanto to block Raph's sai.


    Looks like they would have to fight this group as well.

    Layla nodded in agreement when they needed to prepare. It wouldn’t be a good idea to just head off to the sewers without preparing first. They could wind up being hurt down there, and considering how dirty it was down there, she would most certainly need to wear some clothes she didn’t care about getting stained or ruined. “Alright, sounds good to me,” Layla said, nodding in agreement. “We’ll also need to bring something with to mark the way we go. We wouldn’t want to get lost down there.” The sewers were huge, Layla didn’t doubt that it would be easy to get lost down there if one wasn’t careful. They’d have to keep track of the turns they made and the tunnels they went down. Nodding when Nat mentioned the pasta, she smiled. “That sounds good. Thanks. Take your time,” She told her friend before turning to step out of the room. As she went to the kitchen to heat up a small bit of the pasta, Layla found herself thinking over what all she’d need to pack for tomorrow. They’d most certainly need some flashlights so they could see down there. She should also see if she had some boots to wear, seeing as they’d be better than her usual sneakers. Leaning against the counter, she ate some of the pasta while she waited for Nat to get out of the shower.


    Hearing the metal scrape, Donnie turned sharply. Realizing that Mikey had hit a piece of metal debris, Donnie facepalmed. As the one of the guys jumped behind the ventilation system, Donnie took out his bo staff, his eyes narrowing somewhat at the insult. Looks like they’d have to fight them too. So much for getting more information. It would have been nice to see if they would say anything else of importance. Donnie almost called out to scold Raph for his cursing, but he was distracted by a second man joining the fray. The man quickly drew a kunai knife and threw it at Donnie, who spun his bo staff to deflect it. He heard it land somewhere with a clatter as he charged at the man. Just as he was about to bring his staff down on the man, he had drew another kunai and used it to stop his attack. Clenching his jaw, Donnie jumped back, spinning his staff as he looked for another opening.


    “Sorry!” Mikey replied, his voice a low whisper. Though there really was no need to whisper anymore. Their position had been given away. Moments later, the first man jumped over the ventilation system. Hearing the insult the man tossed their way, Mikey frowned though didn’t say anything. As Raph fought him, Donnie faced the second one. Pulling in his nunchucks out from his belt, Mikey rushed over to help Donnie. While the man was distracted by Donnie, Mikey came up behind him, spinning his nunchucks. As the man prepared to throw the kunai in his hand, Mikey lashed out with his nunchucks, the chain wrapping around his wrist. The man let out a grunt in surprise and glanced back. Grinning almost smugly, Mikey twisted the man’s wrist, forcing him to drop the kunai. Donnie chose his chance then, rushing forward to knock the man’s feet out from under him with his staff.

    As Layla sat down to eat the reheated pasta, the shower in the nearby bathroom could be heard going off, telling her that Nat was now taking her shower. She wasn't going to take long, she'd be in there for ten minutes at most, giving Layla plenty of time to eat.


    _


    It only seemed to be the three guys, good for the turtles since it meant less people to fight. While Donnie and Mikey teamed up against the second member, Leo decided to take on the final guy. This man was armed with a ninjatō, a short sword similar to the katana, and had the blade in a fighting position. Leonardo drew his twin katana and moved to jump over the ventilation system and attack the man, he positioning his ninjatō to block Leo's blades. The clashing of metal soon broke out as the two delved into a brief sword fight, the man working to block any attacks from Leo's katana while the turtle waited for an opening to disarm him. Leo would soon get his chance as the man held the ninjatō to block one katana, giving Leo the space to strike him in the side with the blunt side of the other. The force caused the man to lose his balance and fall onto his uninjured side, dropping the ninjatō in the process before Leo kicked the blade out of his reached. A well aimed kick to the side of the head was enough to incapacitate the man , whoever these guys were, they may of had the weapons but they still lacked the skill to wield them efficiently.


    Meanwhile, Raph had used one of his sai to trap his opponent's wrist and twist it until he dropped his tanto. Afterwards he moved so that he pulled the man's trapped arm behind his back and forced him to the ground, the man letting out a shout of pain. Now restrained, Raph was quick to knock him out so that he would no longer be able to fight, getting off of him and putting his sai back on his belt. Judging by how easy it was to beat these guys, Raph would say that they hadn't been training with their weapons for very long.

    While Layla ate, she continued to think about some of the things they'd need. Perhaps she should bring the first aid kit along, just in case. One never knew when you'd need it. The one she had at home was a smaller one, one she could easily carry in a backpack. Of course, she'd also bring along her pocketknife. Unless she was going to school, she rarely went out without it after the night they ran into those thugs. After she finished eating, Layla went to rise out her bowl and fork and put them in the dishwasher. After spending so much time at Nat and Brooke's apartment, Layla was as familiar with it was she was her own house.


    After the man was knocked to the ground, Donnie saw him starting to try and scramble back up while also reaching for another kunai. Lifting his bo staff, Donnie quickly knocked him unconscious before he could draw another weapon. Nodding to Mikey in a wordless thanks, he turned to see how Leo and Raph were handling the other two. It looked like they had made short work of them too, seeing as both men were also unconscious now. Picking up one of the kunai, he studied it. Their weapons had been well-made, but none of the men had the skill to properly wield them. Perhaps they hadn’t trained long enough. Dropping the kunai, Donnie turned to Mikey as he began to speak. “That wasn’t too hard!” the youngest turtle exclaimed, grinning broadly as he spun one of his nunchuck, the second having been put back in his belt.


    Donnie shook his head and smiled faintly at his brother’s words. Looking to Leo, he asked, “I wonder why they were here? Think they could have been planning on breaking into this place?”

    Leo wasn't so sure if that was the case, judging by the group's body language and what they were talking about before the four interrupted them; it didn't seem like they were there to commit robbery. "I don't think so, from what their conversation was about, it didn't sound like they were planning on breaking into anywhere... They were talking about a boss" The eldest brother said as he looked at Donnie. But if they were merely discussing this, then why be out on a rooftop in uniform? The subject was one that could of easily been talked about in private among themselves.

    Yet unbeknownst to the four brothers, even with the three crooks incapacitated, they still weren't safe. There had been a looming presence watching from on top of the water tower and before long, a dark shape came to drop down in the middle of the group. They wouldn't have much time to process who the individual was, for they soon spun and released a cloud of white powder that would temporarily blind them. Leo quickly stumbled back while instinctively squeezing his eyes closed and covering his mouth and nostrils with the crook of his arm, trying to protect himself from the metsubushi attack. From nearby, he could hear Raph curse, indicating that he hadn't been as quick to protect himself. Luckily for him, the metsubushi hadn't contained anything that could permanently damage his sight, if anything it had just been flour. But the threat wasn't the small bomb, but rather the one who wielded it, for they wasted no time in attacking the blinded turtle. Raph tried to rub the powder from his eyes but was struck on the cheek when their attacker performed a crescent kick against him, knocking him to the side. Raph tried to pick himself back up, only to have the heel of a foot come down on top of his head in the form of an axe kick. Pain shot up through his chin when it collided with the concrete surface of the rooftop, a pained groan escaping him. The attacker soon turned their attention to Donatello, targeting him next as they retrieved a chained weapon from their belt; a kusarigama to be exact. The chain could be heard clinking as it was drawn and afterwards there was a soft whoosh when the weighted end was tossed and wrapped around his bo staff.

    “Yeah, they did. Whoever she is, she must pretty scary, judging from the way they talked about her, “ Donnie said, recalling the part of the conversation they had overheard. They sounded really worried about messing up again and incurring their boss’ wrath. Though, if they had only been standing around and discussing their boss, why had they been up here, wearing their uniforms? Before Donnie could say anything more, a figure landed between the four of them. Whoever they were, they were incredibly fast as before Donnie could even begin to figure out who they were, they released a cloud of white powder. Donnie took a clumsy step back, squeezing his eyes firmly shut and covering his mouth and nose. He heard Raph curse and Mikey let out a yelp, signaling that they both hadn’t been as fast. Donnie himself had still gotten some of the white power in his eyes, as they began to burn a bit. Hearing the sound of fighting, Donnie tried to clean his eyes as best he could, leaning against his staff for a little support. “Who’s there?” He yelled out seconds before he heard the sound of a chain clinking. Suddenly, something was wrapped around his bo staff and Donnie instinctively began to try and pulling it back towards himself.


    “Gah!” Mikey yelped when the white powder suddenly filled the air. Feeling his eyes burn as the power got in them, he screwed them shut. He ducked his head into his elbow, trying to cover his mouth and nose. When he heard what sounded like fighting, Mikey began to try and clear the powder away from his eyes. “Leo! Raph! Donnie! What’s going on?” He called out, hoping to hear his brothers’ reply. He was worried about who was fighting who and if his brothers’ were okay. Forcing his eyes open, he hissed slightly at the burn. His vision was a blurry because of the power that he had gotten in them. It’d likely take a few minutes for it clear up. Mikey could see figures moving, and thankfully he could see the colors of his brothers’ masks, but he couldn’t tell what exactly was going on.

    From whatever shapes Mikey could see with his blurred vision, one obviously didn't belong to any of his brothers, judging by the height and movements... It was the one who was attacking them. As Donnie tried to pull back on his bo staff, the unseen opponent did the same and it didn't take long for the chain to become taut, the two now locked in some form of tug o' war. The attacker narrowed their eyes before then unexpectedly withdrawing the chain, only to take aim at Donnie again and wrapping the length of metal around his neck. They were quick to pull Donnie towards them afterwards, yanking the chain downwards while bringing their knee upwards at the same time; smashing Donnie's face against the bent joint. The tallest of the turtles momentarily disoriented, they focused on Leo who had charged at them with his katana, pulling the chain to their kusarigama tight between their hands and using it to blocking a downwards attack from the twin blades. Leo gritted his teeth when he had been blocked, having to pulled back his swords in order to aim a slash at the opponent, a move which they dodged by ducking towards the side. There was a sharp scraping sound when his katana met with the concrete floor, having missed his target. He would pay the price when the weighted end of the foe's kusarigama was cracked down upon the back of his shell. It wouldn't kill him and wouldn't break his shell, but it hurt a lot and the force from the blow had him colliding with the pavement. Their leader temporarily down, Raph got up and tried to take a turn at the attacker, but they were all too aware of his incoming attack. They turned to face him while swinging the weighted end of their weapon at him and ensnaring his wrist, pulling Raph towards them like they had done with Donnie. But rather than pull down and crack his face upon their knee, they reached under his arm and took a two-fingered stab at a certain spot hidden within his armpit... The axillary nerve. A strike at this nerve could disable the entire body by causing the uncontrolled firing of electrical signals. As a ninja, having an understanding of anatomy was important, especially when it came to using the weak points of an opponent. Nerve strikes were a dangerous part of the ninja's arsenal, being both quick and effective. Whoever this person was, they were familiar with this form of attack and utilized it against Raph. Before long, Raph was on the ground, and it was safe to assume that he wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon. The attacker looked down at the turtle who had been overcome by shooting pain, taking that moment to retract the chain of their weapon and pocket it once more. However, they soon turned their head, spotting their last opponent... Mikey.

    Whoever had his bo staff must have been strong, because Donnie couldn’t pull it away. Eyes watering as he tried to open them despite the burn from the power, he was surprised when he felt the hold on his staff loosen. Though, before Donnie could get ready for a fight, he felt a metal chain wrap around his neck. Where they going to strangle him? For a second, fear flashed through the purple-masked turtle. Struggling, Donnie let out a choked gasp when he was jerked forward. There was an explosion of pain in his face and Donnie collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain. He felt like he was spinning, and he couldn’t even get oriented enough to stand. Still feeling disoriented, Donnie tried to force his eyes open to see who was attacking them.


    Because of the masks, Mikey could see where each of this three brothers were. The fourth shape clearly wasn’t one of them, as it was attacking them. Still trying to get his vision to clear, Mikey pulled out his second nunchuck. His blood ran cold when he saw the shape that must have been Donnie get knocked to the ground. He could hear him groaning in pain, but Donnie made no move to stand. Seconds later, he saw the shape he assumed was Leo (because of the blue mask) also get attacked. He was unable to get up, as far as Mikey could see. Spinning the nunchucks, he started forward. As Raph was also attacked by the shape, Mikey called out. All three of his brothers seemed to be incapacitated. He was the only one left standing he realized. He couldn’t help but feel afraid of whoever this was, seeing as it had just taken out his older brothers without much trouble. Still, he got ready to face whoever it was. “Who are you?” he asked aloud before rushing forward, aiming to hit the individual with his weapons.

    Their attacker offered no response, instead watching as Mikey charged towards them. They didn't move until the last second, when Mikey wouldn't have time to stop himself and change direction. They stepped back before reaching forward and snatching Mikey by one of his wrists. In a fluid motion, they twisted his arm into an uncomfortable angle behind his back, one in which the youngest turtle could feel the strain on his captured arm. They didn't try to break or dislocate the limb, at least not yet anyways, but it was still painful. Leo lifted his head just in time to see their youngest brother have his arm forced behind his back, the angle which it was moved to nearly causing him to wince. "Mikey" He called out as he tried to get back to his feet, the strong instinct to protect his sibling kicking in. However, a sharp pain in his back prevented him from doing so, and the eldest turtle only managed to get on his knees; using one of his katana to support himself. They had been defeated so easily, their opponent defeating them with the same martial art that they spent their whole lives practicing. Clearly this was someone who knew what they were doing, more so than the three crooks they had just faced.


    "Let him go!" Leo snapped at the individual, glaring daggers at them. But they just ignored him, aware of the fact that there wasn't much Leo could do in his condition. Leo was so wrapped up over his brother's well being that he almost failed to realize that the one who had him... Wasn't human. Now able to see them without the hindrance of the metsubushi, he saw that they had a tail, and whiskers! If they hadn't faced enemies like this before, Leo would of believed that he had sustained a concussion. They had been fighting a humanoid tiger this whole time, one clad in a ninja-like garment that sported metal guards on their shoulders and knees. He watched as they looked down at Mikey, tail lashing while they studied the youngest closely.


    "Drop your weapon" An unfamiliar voice soon demanded, composed and unwavering in tone. Judging by the pitch, it became apparent that they were actually dealing with a tigress, for her voice was woman-like. "I won't ask again" She told Mikey, giving his arm a slight twist to emphasis her words, "Drop your weapon."

    When the enemy moved out of the way at the last second, Mikey let out a noise of surprise. Before he could even chance directions, his foe had grabbed his wrist. His arm was forced behind his back painfully, making the teenaged turtle wince. He heard Leo’s voice ring out, and he glanced over at his oldest brother. The person holding his arm, whoever they were, was not someone to take lightly. They were far more skilled than the three men they had fought just a few minutes ago. Mikey tried to move, to try and put up some kind of struggle. But, the position his arm was in prevented him from moving without hurting himself. The metsubushi’s effect on his vision had begun to clear up, meaning Mikey could now see who had attacked them. Whiskers, tail, fur. It was a tiger! Mikey stared up at them, surprised. They had been fighting mutant the entire time. When they spoke, he realized that the tiger was a female. When she commanded that she drop his weapon and twisted his arm, Mikey winced and glanced towards his brothers.


    Donnie’s head throbbed painfully as he tried to sit up. He wasn’t able to even get to his knees, but he was able to lift his head to look around. At least his vision was clearing up. Hearing Leo call out Mikey’s name, Donnie looked up quickly. His head throbbed at the motion, but he did his best to ignore it. Upon seeing that Mikey was held by their attacker, Donnie felt his heart fall into his stomach. “Mikey!” He called out. That was when Donnie got a look at who had attacked him. They were mutant, just like him and his brothers. But, rather than being a turtle, they were a tiger. When Donnie heard the tiger, or tigress he quickly realized, demand that Mikey drop his weapons, Donnie called out. “Do it, Mikey,” he called out, realizing that if Mikey didn’t do what the tigress was saying, his arm could wind up broken. Or he could be killed. Slowly, Mikey dropped his nunchucks. Donnie then glanced up at the tigress, wondering what she’d do. He was practically holding his breath as he waited for her next move.

    Her expression did not change when Mikey had dropped his nunchucks, "Good." She said before letting go of Mikey's arm and shoving him towards his brothers, Leo breathing a sigh of relief as she did so. The tigress watched the brothers closely, making sure that none of them tried anything while one of the crooks had gone up from the floor, clutching his head. "You" She said, her voice alone causing the crook to stand up straight despite his injuries, it showed what kind of influence she had over them.


    "These are the ones who apprehended the other part of your group a few nights ago, correct?" She asked the crook, though it seemed as though she already knew the answer.


    "...Yes, Night Claw..."


    "Hm... It shows how much dedication you have put towards your training, when a group of children is able to stop you twice."


    "But they-"


    "I will not hear an explanation from you, now get the others and go... We'll discuss this later."


    The crook bowed his head in understanding, glancing at the turtles before he went to do as instructed. As he retrieved the other members of his group, Night Claw stepped towards the brothers, kicking Mikey's discarded nunchucks towards him. She didn't seem too worried about him trying to use them again, at least not against her anyway. The tigress said nothing as she studied them with a sharp gaze, ears flicking forward in an attentive manner. "You fight well, but you should be more aware of your surroundings" She told them, whiskers twitching as she spoke. Raph narrowed his eyes at her, having recovered somewhat from the nerve strike and seated himself on his knees. "What do you know" He spat at her, earning a raised brow from the tigress. "For one... Fighting while your emotions run rampant exhausts energy, and it's a good way to get yourself killed. Fighting an opponent while your judgement is clouded will result in your defeat, especially when your opponent has a clear mind. Have you paid more attention, you would of noticed all of those opportunities I had to kill you, you were lucky I wasn't looking to do that."


    Leo couldn't help but tense at this words, the tigress openly admitting that she could have killed Raphael but chose not to. Night Claw exhaled sharply through her nose, taking one final glance at them all. "Consider this your warning" She said before turning her attention towards the three crooks, the other two having been awoken and brought to their feet. After a few moments, the group left, leaving the brothers alone on the rooftop.

    When Mikey was pushed towards then, Donnie felt himself relax somewhat. At least he hadn’t been hurt. Mikey stood by his brothers, looking back at the tigress with wide eyes. When the tigress spoke to one of her henchmen, the man sprung up despite his injuries. She had a lot of power over them. They must have really feared her. And for good reason, Donnie thought. That fight had proven just how tough this tigress was. She was formidable foe. The man called her Night Claw. Donnie figured it wasn’t a real name, just an alias. Donnie remained silent as the men left the scene, watching Night Claw warily. Would she kill them? She had made no move to so far, so part of him doubted it. When she told them they fought well, but they needed to be more aware of their surroundings, he blinked in surprise. It wasn’t every day that one of their foes gave them advice. He frowned slightly at her next words, knowing that she was right. After she had left the roof, leaving him and his brothers alone, Donnie tried again to sit up and this time he was able to get to his knees. “You alright, Mikey?” he asked, looking to his younger brother.


    “I’m fine,” Mikey replied hurriedly, giving the others a worried look. “What about you guys? How badly are you guys hurt?” They had been banged up pretty badly. Whoever this Night Claw individual was, she wasn’t to be taken lightly. She was really good at fighting. Scarily good. He had felt a little indignant when she had called them children, but he hadn’t said anything. He glanced towards his nunchucks. She had kicked them back over to him, like she hadn’t even be worried about him wielding them against her again.


    Donnie offered a small smile at Mikey’s question, “I’ll be okay. My head and face hurts, but just give me a few minutes.” He’d be alright again in a few minutes; he just needed to get his bearings. Blinking, he looked over at Leo and Raph, hoping they hadn’t been too badly hurt.