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calliecat93 · 6 years ago

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Callie Reviews: TMNT 2012 Season 2 (Part Two)

Continuing from Part One

The Shift (Episodes 15-18)

After a silly filler episodes that you LARP-ers will probably enjoy, the plot continues in I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman. Finally fed up with Stockman’s incompetence, Shredder triggers the mutagen collar and Stockman is turned into a fly mutant. But he gets the idea to mutate himself with... I really don’t fully understand the plan. To put it simply, he plans to kidnap April due to her unique DNA and have them mutated together to restore his humanity. Such a sound and totally not insane plan!

So part of the season has had Donnie trying to develop a retro-mutagen, a mutagen antidote that will revert the person back into a human. He finally succeeds and has two batches, one for April’s dad and the other or Splinter. The gang goes to get April’s dad, leading to Stockman finding them and kidnapping April. Although April tries to escape, even whacking Stockman with her tessen, she ultimately tied over the mutagen. One of the vials got broken, so Splinter tells Donnie to use the one that’s left to cure Kirby. As Leo, Donnie, and Casey go to save April, Raph and Mikey are sent to find and capture Kirby.

While April does get dunked into the mutagen, as it turns out due to her DNA she is immune to the effects. So since that plan failed, and really? Did we expect Stockman’s B-rated horror movie plan to work? But yeah, Stockman tries to steal the retro-mutagen with Rhazar soon joining the party! They all escape and meet up with Raph and Mikey, April calming down her father. But Stockman manages to steal the mutagen, forcing a huge aerial chase to get it. Which let me just say that April is awesome this episode. When the vial gets stolen, she rounds up her dad and Casey and goes after it. The vial ends up broken, but like Hell April is going to give up the chance of saving her dad after all the shit form before. She manages to get her dad below it as it drips and he reverts back to normal. Also once she gets freed after being mutagen dunked, she kicks Stockman’s ass hard. Seriously, this episode did a MUCH better job at presenting April as a badass who deserves to fight alongside the Turtles ten times better than The Kraang Conspiracy did.

So yeah, Kirby is unmutated, yay! But Donnie’s now fresh out of retromutagen. He feels guilty as now he can’t restore Splinter’s humanity, but Splinter makes it clear that he has come to terms with his mutant status and is happy as long as he has his sons. Stockman is brought before Shredder, who has decided to give him one last chance. There is a certain mutant that he wants, and tasks Stockman with creating it for him.

Speaking of the Foot, we return to the Karai story in The Wrath of Tiger Claw where the kunoichi is having doubts about everything. We also have Tiger Claw return... so what was the point of having the worm swallow him? Anyways, Shredder has him and Karai make a move against the Turtles. After beating intel out of their friend Murakami, Tiger Claw attacks Casey while Karai confronts April. She claims that she doesn’t want to fight, even thinking of turning on Shredder. When Leo and Donnie show up, Leo decides to do what is by no means a bad decision: take Karai to the Lair without questioning if this could be a trap at all! Our fearless leader everyone! Yeah, this is all a ploy by Karai to find the location and she has a tracker so that Tiger Claw will follow suit.

However with Karai there, Splinter brings her into the dojo and shows her a photo of himself and Tang-Shen. A photo that Karai herself has. When she sees the family portrait, it hammers the revelation in further. She cant believe it, which confuses Leo, so she reveals that it was a trap. But yeah, now Karai has physical evidence, so she now knows the truth. She and the Turtles get out of the sewers and to a butcher shop to lead Tiger Claw away and proceed to fight. Mikey end sup pretty badly beaten up as Karai cements her turn of alligence. Agreed, Tiger Claw knocks her out and takes her back to face Shredder. With Mikey’s injuries, the Turtles can't follow and Raph makes it clear that despite all of this, he still doesn’t trust Karai. Leo is angered by all of this, but ultimately there’s nothing that he can do.

Karai is brought before Shredder, Tiger Claw revealing her aiding the Turtles. Angered, Karai asks Shredder to tell ehr the truth. So Shredder does just that, revealing that yes, Splinter is her real father. This murders the last bit of lingering doubt in Karai’s mind. So what does Shredder do now that all of his lies are out on the table? He has Tiger Claw throw his so-called ‘daughter’ in the dungeon below! Father of the Year everyone! Oh, but you think all of this is bad! HA! Oh just wait. JUST WAIT.

The Revelations (Episodes 19-24)

We get three filler episodes after that. The first one is stupid and not worth mentioning other than that I hate it. One involving an arms dealer named Ivan Steranko (who we saw last season in Enemy of My Enemy) and a Tron-esque thief named Anton Zeck. They try to steal Shredder’s helmet, the Turtles get invovled, and Leo tries to use this to bargain for Karai. It fails. Remember those guys names though, it’ll be important next season. The other one is a Kraang plot where Raph gets his mind switched with a Kraang. A fun episode, especially since we get to hear Sean Astin have to talk Kraang-like and it is hilarious. But the episode ends with Raph revealing that the Kraang are about to start another invasion and Donnie revealing a plan for something he’s making to fight back: a mecha!

We return to the Karai plot with her trying to escape, but she sadly gets re-captured. Shredder, in both this and the previously menitoned episode abotu his helmet, has tried to tell Karai thing slike he was trying to do what was best for her or that how she’s acting is hurting him. You know... like an abuser would talk to someone. The Turtles have mad ea plan, but Splinter has forbidden it as he refuses to lose any of his other kids. Leo goes through with it anyways and it does work. They’re able to break Karai out, fight through the Foot, and get back to the Lair safely. Shredder... takes this surprisingly well. Why? Because he knwos that Karai is going to come back of her own volition to get payback. Of course you would you sick fuck, you raised her to be that way. God I hate Shredder...

Anyways, Splinter reveals to Karai the full story of what actually happened, including his relationship with Shredder. As it turns out, the Hamato Clan had wiped out the Oroku Clan, but Splinter’s father took pity on young Saki and adopted him into the clan. So Splinter and Shredder were raised as brothers, but things got tense when Splinter got together with Tang-Shen, who Shredder has been with previously, and when Shredder discovered his true heritage. Angered and fulled by vengeance, he and Splinter fought, but Tang-Shen sacrificed herself and took a lethal blow to save her lover. Shredder came out of it disfigured and during the chaos, stole the baby away, lying to her the ame way that the Hamato’s did.

Learning this on top of everything else, Karai decides to go back and personally finish Shredder. Leo finds out... and asks to go with her, also wanting to put an end to it. Wow Leo, so responsible there... Karai responds by knocking him out. She goes back and she and Shredder have one heck of a brawl, but ultimately Karai gets pinned and Shredder has her taken to Stockman’s lab. Why? Well remember that mutant that he asked Stockman to make Well it involves using Snake DNA in Stockman’s large vat to lure the Turtles in and mutate them into snakes. What do snakes like to eat? Why rats of course! Yeah, Shredder plans to mutate Splinter’s sons and have them devour him. Wow... wow. Does this man have ANY limit to how sick he can be?! Of course not because he ties Karai over it to serve as bait! There is NO WAY that THAT could go wrong in ANY WAY possible!

The Turtles and Splinter arrive and all but Leo get caught. He reaches Karai... but Shredder attacks him and severs the link. Karai is sent into the vat, turning into a snake mutant. Oh and on top of all of that, a fire gets ignited! So Shredder had kidnapped, lied to, and emotionally abused a young girl, threatened her with violence if she didn’t obey, locked her up when the truth came out, tried to paint himself as the victim when she was understandably pissed off, he used her as bait, and because of his own blind arrogance he got her mutated. SO who’s to blame for this? Why Splinter of course! OF COURSE! Shredder swears to avenge his daughter and I just want to break things. Splinter is able to break through to Karai and she flees. As Stockman’s building burns down, Leo apologizes to Splinter... but all Splinter says is that they should go.

One small note I have to make. When Stockman was preparing the DNA, he split something and it got mixed in. Thus creating a rather unique mutation. One that allows Karai to shift back into her human form, huh...

The penultimate episode, Into Dimension X, has the Turtles receive a message from someone we haven't heard from in over 20 episodes. My friends, Leatherhead is back! He tries to contact the Turtles via communication orb to warn them of the Kraang’s plans... but Mikey gets upset and breaks the orb. They also get a working portal for Dimension X and desperate to save his friend, Mikey stupidly goes in alone. It forces the other three to go in to find him, and kudos to the animation team. Dimension X both looks and feels totally alien. Most of the environment is crystallized and there are these strange little alien creatures. Add in the pink sky and it feels like a place the Kraang would come from.

So as it turns out, Mikey had become... very adapt to how Dimension X works due to his bizarre train of logic. TO out it simply, he understands Kraang logic mroe than regular logic. The Turtles get into the Kraang’s base, rescue Leatherhead, and discover that the Kraang, after nearly two seasons of trying, have perfected the mutagen. Thy can now use it to turn the Earth into a second Dimension X. While the guys cause some damage before getting back home, it is more clear than ever that the invasion is near. But it’s okay! Our boys are ready to face whatever comes at them! They can handle this, right?

Ha... haha... HAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

I’LL LET THAT SPEAK FOR ITSELF.

But yeah, we now enter the Season Two finale. This is actually both my favorite episode of the season and my favorite in the entire series. It’s one of the best-written, but... also the most depressing. Like this episode left me numb by the end. Why? Well let us go into...

The Invasion (Episodes 25-26)

Desperate to get Karai back, Shredder once more makes a deal with the Kraang. They help him get what he wants, and he helps them get what they want. So once again, Shredder decides to leave humanity to suffer all for his own needs. You see why I hate this monster?!

April and Irma get attacked by Foot Bots and unable to evade them, April is forced to take Irma to the sewers with her. Raph and Casey are on the lookout for Karai, but that gets cut short when the cops show up and try to arrest Casey. As it turns out, these are Kraang posing as humans. Worst? Raph sees Kraang portals opening and the Kraang dishing out everything that they have. UFO’s, robotic fleets, giant walker-things straight out of Star Wars. Casey is able to get free and overwhelmed, he and Raph are forced to try and find cover.

Down in the sewers, Donnie and Leo are arguing over the best course of action to take. Donnie wants to put his faith in the Turtle Mech, confident that it’ll dot he job despite still having kinks to work out. Leo however is concerned about if things could go wrong and wants to establish a second base outside New York. April arrives with Irma, who is taken back... before her body changes and reveals that she is a robot... UMM... so yeah, Irma was actually Kraang Sub-Prime, who was trying to work form within to weasel out the location of the Lair. Now that he has it, the Kraang open portals and attack. The gang gets quickly over-whelmed so Splinter orders the Turtles and April to flee. They head into the tunnels with Leo choosing to stay behind and fend off the Kraang droids chasing them while Donnie, Mikey, and April escape back to the surface.

Everything has devolved into chaos quickly. Raph and Casey are trying to evade the Kraang’s forces. Donnie, Mikey, and April flee to the O’Neil’s apartment where they watch the chaos unfold and poor Kirby has essentially a panic attack. Poor April feels guilty for it all due to bringing Irma to the Lair, even offering to go out and bring the boys to safety herself. Leo gets to the surface, but the Foot have spotted him and Shredder sends all of his forces after him. Splinter is able to defeat SUb-Prime, but the Lair is in utter ruins. But he has little time to grieve as he still has his sons to find. To make things worst, Kraang Prime emerges and launches mutagen all over the city, mutating everything and everyone hit with it. So yeah... things are NOT looking good.

Leo eventually ends up at a construction site where Shredder is waiting. Leo tries to make him fight him, but Shredder refuses as Leo is ‘beneath him’. Instead, he sends more Foot Bots and poor Leo is just getting pushed to his limits here. He’s under a lot of stress and pressure at this moment, and the constant attacks are not helping. He bests the Foot Bots in a... pretty brutal fashion that makes you really glad that he’s dicing and stabbing Foot Bots and not actual soldiers. Shredder has Rhazar, Fishface, and Tiger Claw attack him, provoking Leo to devolve to blind fury and kick their asses. But at this point, the leader in blue is exhausted, worn down, and not thinking clearly which leaves him vulnerable to Shredder, who casts the final, and most lethal, blow.

Shredder has his men take Leo away as he finds Splinter, who is NOT happy with the evidence that something happened to his son. Shredder responds by saying that he took Leo just like he took Karai all those years ago. This pisses Splinter off for VERY understandable reasons and they fight. Meanwhile, Raph and Casey finally make it to the apartment, but the relief is short-lived. Leo gets tossed through the window, knocked out and brutally beaten up. The Foot attack, forcing the group to escape. Kirby leads them to his old van they they try to escape in, but Kirby get shit with mutagen before he can tag along. Kraang Prime totally did that just to spite April. Asshole. The group flees in the van. Splinter and Shredder continue to brawl, but Splinter eventually gets trapped under some graters. Fortunately he earlier met up with Leatherhead, who jumps into the fray to save him. Unfortunately, while t works, Shredder gets the upper hand and knocks him into the icy waters. Splinter gets so pissed that he, by sheer force of will, knocks the grates away and tackles Shredder back into the sewers. All while trying to essentially bite his face off. DAMN.

Donnie, Raph, Mikey, and April go back to the Lair to find Splinter as they leave Leo with Casey, who goes to find his family. Spoiler alert: he sadly fails. The Lair is an utter wreck and realizing that they can't stay, Donnie has the guys round up supplies and anything significant before going to find Splinter and get out of the city. It’s a... really somber scene. The Lair is where we have spent the past two years. It wasn't just the Turtles home, it was ours in a way too. I Bremen seeing it trashed for the first time and I was just... crying. Mind you they make the bad choice of having them fix it u next season, which I think was dumb because it negates the emotional significance played up in this moment and potential growth for the cast. But for this moment? It was... hard. Really hard.

April soon senses that Splinter is in trouble and the four venture into the tunnels, discovering that Splinter is still fighting Shredder. The tunnel is caged off however, so they can’t reach him. Splinter gives it his all, even using the same airbending-like maneuver that he used in I. Monster on Shredder. But unfortunately, it fails. Shredder get sup, knocks Splinter out form behind, and literally flushes Splinter away. All while three of his sons and his surrogate daughter are forced to watch helplessly. Raph is enraged, angrily pulling and bating at the bars as Shredder walks away. Mikey eventually hugs Raph to calm him down, assuring him that somehow Splinter will be okay. April, enraged, tells Donnie that they can't run. They need to stay and end this here and now.

Their decision made, the four get the Turtle Mech and fight through the Kraang to reach the Foot. But they never get the chance to face Shredder again as Kraang Prime takes them on. They give it their best, even using the city’s power to use a powerful electrical attack n Prime that knocks out the city power grid. But even that proves futile and even fries the systems as Kraang Prime simply exits his robot suit and attacks personally. The only thing that saves them is April using her powers and Casey arriving to ram Prime back. They all flee formt he city, Donnie apologizing to the still comatose Leo for not listening. April hs a place where they can go, a farmhouse in North Hampton, but it does little to raise anyone’s spirits. The Turtles, for the first time, have completely and utterly lost.

As for Splinter, he is left in the city. But fortunately he is saved form drowning by, of all people, Karai. She doesn't stick around, but Thank God that we have something good happen cause Dear God did we need it! YEAH THIS EPISODE STILL HURTS EVEN FOUR YEARS LATER!

TBC in Part Three...

#tmnt #2k12 #tmnt 2012 #callie reviews

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thenerdytomboynewb96 · 6 years ago

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Samantha Allan Park Ch. #45

Any references to TMNT or anything from popular media and culture is NOT MINE. I only own my OC's. Any references to “TMNT Out of the Shadows” DO NOT BELONG TO ME. Only my additions that I came up with myself belong to me. Anything from the films or other series ARE NOT MINE, only my OC’s and my ideas that I have added onto the story FOR FUN. Thank you.

Chapter #45

*The same day, Monday June 8th, 2015. A little after 12:50p.m. in the lair*

The fight had ended at 12:50p.m. The turtles wanted to head straight home, but Sam knew that she couldn’t run from Chief Vincent forever. Her turtle brothers however were not going to allow her to turn herself over so easily. They convinced her to at least return with them to the lair and have a full on discussion with everyone who played a role in the events that had occurred that day.

When the group of 5 returned to the lair, they met up with April, Casey, Jay, and Vern. All three men instantly began talking about how ‘badass’ they were during their fights (after Jay rushed over to hug his sister, while also mildly panicking at her injuries, and then further checking to make sure she was truly okay). Jay and Casey talked about how they teamed up and out-smarted the giant mutants they were up against, and Vern was thrilled to announce that he had taken out a Foot soldier all by himself by jumping down from a large freight shipping crate. While Raph was impressed with what these guys had accomplished, he was getting fed up that Sam kept standing up from her chair and that he had to keep gently pushing her back down to stay seated. She had stood up for the 5th time by the time he was fed up and was ready for the conversation to get back on track.

“Alright already! You guys did great, and we appreciate it, but can we please talk about how we’re going to handle THIS?” he emphasized as he shoved Sam back down into her chair for the 6th time. Sam plopped down and groaned as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Ughhhhh can I please get up so I can use the bathroom?” Raph crossed his arms and looked down at her. “I don’t buy it” he huffed. “Raph, the main bathroom is right around that corner. She’s knows that if she tries to leave that I have access to all the tunnels traps right here” Donnie said gently (but also in a tone so that she knew that even though he was facing Raph he knew Sam would get the hint). “I don’t want to escape, I just wanna pee!” Sam whined, her face literally on the table as she leaned forward in her chair. “Fine” Raph gave in. Sam then quickly scoot back in her chair and rushed to stand up. She made sure to glare at Raph before she practically ran towards the bathroom. “Don’t give me that face!” Raph called after her. “If you don’t like my face then look at my ass!” she retorted. Mikey quickly cupped his hand to his mouth to hide his laughter, but Raph smacked him across the back of the head anyway. “My sister everyone” Jay said as he shook his head and laughed. “So, you guys knew she would have turned herself in back there to, huh?” he asked. The four sighed and slumped down into the remaining chairs at the table. “If we hadn’t boxed her in then she would have walked right over towards Vincent without even thinking about it!” Donnie scream whispered, slamming his pointer finger into the table as a means to emphasize his frustration. “We have to come up with something” Mikey said softly with saddened eyes, “we can’t just let her throw her life away.” “Casey, what are the odds of Vincent meeting with Sam and discussing everything that happened the other night and why she attacked the police the way she did?” Leo asked. Casey bit his lip and rubbed his hands down his neck. “Before tonight I would have said she didn’t have a chance at all for that to happen, but after seeing how you guys saved the city and possibly the entire world, she may give her a chance to explain. I can definitely talk to her, and Jay, April, and Jade can aide me as well. If you’re willing that is” Casey said as he now turned and faced April. The woman began nodding her head as soon as she heard her name. “Of course. She’s been through hell, and Vincent needs to understand that before she makes her final decision in how to deal with Sam.” “So it’s settled,” Raph added, “we keep things down low and avoid telling Sam because who knows what she’ll try to sneak by us. You guys talk to Vincent, we keep her busy down here until the time comes for Sam to meet with the chief.” “She has to rest up anyway. Her shoulder needs to properly heal, and her hands were cut up pretty badly as well” Donnie added. “We’ll use that, and also testing out her powers as reasons as to why we want to keep her down here.” “One more thing” Mikey added. All eyes were now on the youngest in the room. Leo couldn’t explain it, but somehow he knew just what his baby brother was going to say, and he agreed with it wholeheartedly. “Whenever Vincent decides to meet Sam, we HAVE to be allowed to join her. The two don’t meet in any way unless the four of us are right behind her” Mikey demanded, using his hands to speak the same way Donnie had. Donnie and Raph looked at their youngest, and then right towards their oldest brother. They waited for him to state why this was a bad idea, but Leo just shrugged and smiled. “Couldn’t have said it better myself” he chuckled.

Just then Sam had exited the bathroom. She looked up and could tell that everyone was purposefully making sure to avoid eye contact with her, which obviously meant that they had all been talking about her. She rolled her eyes as she continued to walk towards the table. “Geez, you use the bathroom once and you turn into Medusa” she stated as she walked back and slumped down into her chair. “Well then you should be honored to see yourself as such a lovely lady” Mikey said cheerfully, thinking he was complimenting his friend. Sam squinted her eyes and formed an odd smile as she turned towards her friend. “Mikey, who’s Medusa?” she asked. He shrugged. “I dunno, some goddess right?” Sam nodded. “If that’s all you know, then I’ll take what you just said as a compliment” Sam said with a smile. “Exactly!” Mikey announced, crossing his arms with pride.

“Well we don’t want you turning men into stone so you’re going to relax down here” Jay said as he pat his sister on the shoulder and stood up. “Saw that coming” Sam mumbled. “And hey look at this” Donnie said as he held the girls hand to her face, “you’re also injured! And this isn’t your only injury either! So that means you get to head over to the med lab. Looks like you were staying here anyway” he said with too much enthusiasm as he pulled Sam along with him, even if she was groaning all the way.

With that, the turtles gave Donnie space to check on Sam (who ended up nerding out as Donnie tested some of his latest medical tech on her). Each of the remaining brothers went off on their own for a while. Meanwhile, their human friends up above were working towards arranging that meeting like they discussed. Sam had no idea this was in the works, and that’s just how they wanted it to be. Jade and Casey talked to Vincent first and provided evidence (with Jay sharing his own personal stories as well) as to how Sam ended up in her current situation. He included details of how they grew up and the tragedies they faced and how that led her to the turtles who had continued to help straighten her out. April also joined in and explained the turtles back story (after gaining permission from the turtles and Splinter to do so) and helped fill in missing details about what had happened that the turtles cared for Sam so much, why they were working together to break into headquarters that night, and why Sam had reacted the way that she did. After 4 days of discussions and research on the events that had occurred recently, Vincent finally decided that she would meet with Sam with the turtles behind her.

*4 days later, Friday June 12th, 2015 at 9p.m. at Police Headquarters. The hallway right outside the chiefs office*

The group of 5 were updated that Vincent was willing to meet with Sam and that she was kind enough to let the turtles accompany her. However, the turtles needed to remain silent and let Sam do the talking on her own. If they wanted to remain in the room with her, then they needed to remain calm. She wanted to meet with them in a private location where she could record the conversation, so she made arrangements for the group to meet her in her office once the sun would be going down. She sent the majority of her officer’s home so that the group would have the walk of the building without exposure of being seen by new faces. So here they were. Sam was sitting calmly outside the office. The brothers…not so much.

Raph was pacing as he always did, crunching a hand weight as he did so. Leo kept tapping his feet. Donnie was holding a small cellular device in his hand which he kept tapping against the palm of his other hand. Mikey was constantly twiddling his thumbs together. Sam was about to say something to them, but Jade had interrupted her thoughts as she carefully exited the office. “The chief is ready to see you now” she stated. The four boys shot right up and got into their typical formation: two brothers in front of Sam, two brothers behind.

The group entered the office. The boys stood a little further towards the back while Sam took a seat in the front. She was hooked up with patches and wires in order to conduct a lie detector test. The man reviewing the results was a member of the NYFS who had already seen the turtles before and had sworn long ago never to reveal a bit of information about them to anyone. Chief Vincent smiled as she noticed how the boys were respecting her wishes. “The four of you may sit down as well. I said you couldn’t talk over top of her, I didn’t say you had to hide yourselves.” The four nodded and then assumed their same positions. Mikey sat on Sam’s left and Leo on her right. Raph sat behind Mikey, and Donnie right behind Leo. “So,” the chief said as she stared right at Sam’s eyes, “I’m going to run through things from the very beginning, and I’m going to ask you some questions to see if they match what other voices have told me.” Sam was silent, but she nodded to show she understood. “What happened July 28th 2010?” Sam pursed her lips together before she spoke. “I lost everything, everything except for my brother.” “How?” “The Foot. They killed everyone.” “Who-” “My siblings, my family” Sam cut in. Vincent nodded her head. “I see. And you were 12 at the time. I can see how that would lead you to lash out and commit the crimes that you did” Vincent said as she held her hands together on her desk. “I see you’ve been looking at my record” Sam stated. “You have a record?” Mikey asked, slight shock in his voice. His eyes went wide and he then turned towards the chief. “Oh, I’m so sorry-” “It’s okay. Obviously your friend never told you about her criminal days. I’d advise you explain your thought process now.” Sam gulped and sighed. “You know how I bring you guys with me to explore the city? Well, it took me a few tries before I became good at it.” “Oh” the chief said with wide eyes, “you’ve included them in your breaking and entering?” Now Sam was starting to get pissed. She responded with more sass and attitude than she had meant to. “Yes. Because my family was dead, my brother was never around because he was being manipulated to work for the Foot, and every friend or anything close I ever had completed abandoned me because they knew why my family died but decided to hide the truth from me until it almost ruined my life even further. So yes, when you have nothing to look forward to, you find something that makes you feel alive again, something risky that makes you feel like you’re fighting back even though you don’t know what you’re fighting for, something that-” Just then she felt a hand from each brother on either her arm or her shoulder. She closed her eyes and didn’t open them until she had calmed herself down. “Yes. I snuck into places because I had nothing, and that’s what gave me purpose, like I was looking for any type of sign. Eventually that lead me to these guys, and for once I had something to look forward to.” “And that was?” Sam looked the chief right in the eye. “Living life to the fullest with my family.” Vincent couldn’t help but notice the small smiles that were being fought to be kept hidden away from the brothers as they listened to the girl talk. “Well, it seems these four have helped keep you out of trouble at least since after those 4 incidents of us catching you breaking into various buildings, the only things we have left on your record are all your different therapy sessions. Besides for medical and academic records, nothing comes back up under your name until last summer when you apparently joined the Foot clan. Explain that to me.” Leo and Mikey sensed Sam clenching her fists under the table. She was obviously growing frustrated from having to discuss some of the most depressing and most difficult times of her life all at this one very moment. “My brother told me to leave the city and run away because Shredder wanted me as a recruit. But I knew that leaving would lead to Jay’s death, and I wasn’t going to let that happen.” Chief Vincent tilted her head to the side. “Why exactly did Shredder want you of all people?” “Look at who’s sitting around me” Sam said matter of factly. She felt a light nudge by Leo, meaning she needed to politely answer the question again. “Shredder found out I was friends with these guys, so he demanded that I either come work for him, or Jay and I both perish. At the time plans were already being made for a rebellion to occur within the Foot clan, so I joined thinking I would be in and out quickly. Unfortunately I was in there for an entire month before the plans were put into action.”

“And that’s where these four come in, right? You became closer to them because they helped save you and everyone else.” The room was silent as everyone waited for a remark from Sam. Without moving their entire bodies, the four brothers slightly turned so they could look at Sam, confused and worried at her long pause. Finally, she figured out how she wanted to respond. “It…it was a lot more than them just showing up to save me…” she muttered. She then looked up and saw that based on the chief’s expression, she was obviously waiting for Sam to elaborate on that response. This was all really beginning to stress her out. Every dark turn her life had ever faced was being relived right now, right in this moment, and it was beginning to pull her into a brand new dark hole in itself from the upsetting emotions she was experiencing. She then felt Mikey place his leg right next to hers, and even this gentlest type of physical contact brought her back to reality. “I had just gained their trust, they had just started seeing me as family. And what happens? They see me working with the Foot clan. They felt betrayed, I felt like an idiot, I got into a fist fight with one of them and could have possibly killed him, and then the rest told me to leave.” All four brothers looked off to the side, remembering these dark days and regretting so much about how everything was handled. “All in all, I betrayed my family and once again I felt like I had lost everything. So when they showed up unexpectedly, it changed everything.” Sam then looked back up at the chief, hoping she had said enough to answer the chiefs question, and she could tell by Vincent’s expression that she had done so. “Alright. So explain to me how you gained these powers then. What caused them?” “A mix of Shredder’s experiments and also me dying” Sam said straightforward. This caught the chief off guard. “Excuse me?” “Oh, you didn’t know? Shredder was constantly testing mutagenic chemicals on humans and-” “Not that. You, you died?” “Oh yeah. Saving this one” she said, shaking her hand with her thumb pointed towards Mikey, who looked embarrassed as he was being pointed at. “But it’s okay because he used a special type of mutagen that brought me back to life. It gave me powers in regards to controlling and manipulating wind while also giving me enhanced strength. And yes, that’s what you saw at headquarters the other night, an example of what those powers can do-” “Objection!” Donnie interrupted, the thoughts in his head overriding his actions. His brothers were all staring at him with wide eyes, hoping that whatever he had to say wouldn’t get them or Sam in trouble. Sam however was smirking as she turned around to face Donnie. “Objection?” she asked. “Um, I just had something to add, if that’s allowed” Donnie stated, attempting to sound confident as he first looked at Sam and then at the chief. The chief nodded. “Alright, go on.”

“Sam gained her powers because of the mutagen that was injected into her body due to circumstances involving her time with the Foot, but we’ve been monitoring them as best as we can. We’ve learned a great deal about how they work and what she is able to do with them, but we also just recently learned that this mutagen zones in on the users temporal lobe in the brain, meaning it can affect memories and emotions. So when she attacked the other night at headquarters-” “It was out of her control” the chief interrupted. “It’s obvious she has an emotional connection to all of you, so based on what you just said, when her family was threatened she took action.” “Couldn’t control the action at the time” Sam mumbled, “but I can now. I would never harm anybody like that on purpose.” “How do you know your emotional senses are now stable?” the chief asked. “She controlled herself during our fight with Krang” Leo added. “Mikey got caught, but Sam controlled herself and helped us save him, rather than letting her protective emotions take over and just act without thinking.” ‘So she was with them’ the chief thought to herself. She was still curious and a bit worried about what risks the girl in front of her could cause to the city, but it seemed she was with a crowd that could maintain control of her. This played a major role in the chief making her final decisions about what to do with Sam.

“Alright, so here’s the deal” the chief began, “we have records of Sam, and we have records of you. Sam’s were already on file, but all my information about the four of you is pretty new. I’ve seen video files that were hidden away from the night the Foot fell, and many ex Foot in the NYFS told stories of how they were stopped because of you guys and how if it weren’t for you, Shredder would have gotten away with a lot worse in the past. As for you” she said as she now stared directly at Sam, “while you have a record, you’ve experienced things that no person should ever have to go through, let alone a child. I’m not saying that makes your early actions okay, but I see where your mind was. That and the fact that your brother eventually convinced you to clean up your act and you’re now in programs that positively represent our city, it’s obvious you’re no longer into regular criminal activity. I’m not exactly thrilled to hear you sneak into buildings after dark, but it also sounds like you’re also doing so with these four who obviously have an incredible impact on you. Oh, I read all the letters people sent to the four of you, and if you’re ever interested we’ll make sure you see them” she said with a small smile. “SO, because of your improving records and emotionally reasonable life decisions you’ve made in the past, and because of the good work your friends have done to keep this city safe, I’m letting you off with a warning.” All 5 sets of eyes were now staring wide at the chief. She smirked. “Even though you broke many obvious laws in regards to harming officers, you yourself have helped keep this city safe by taking tremendous risks to your body that aided you in stopping Shredder when you probably could work towards taking over the city yourself. So, as long as you follow my rules, then you’re safe.” “And, what exactly are your rules?” Sam asked cautiously.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the NYPD and the NYFS are officially partners now, so anytime you hear anything about this Krang or Shredder or god knows what else will come for us, you ALL need to report your findings to us. In order for our parties to respect each other, we have to trust each other and work together.” The group nodded, assuming this wasn’t such a bad rule. “I’m going to turn a blind eye to your group sneaking into places since from what I’ve understood none of you have ever stolen anything anywhere you’ve gone. As the cities heroes that hide in the shadows, we’ll pretend we don’t know anything as long as you don’t break any rules outside of sneaking in.” Again, the group nodded their heads. “My final rule, you all need to send updates to the NYFS about Sam’s powers and any progress you make in better understanding them.” The chief could sense the tension in the room once she stated her final rule. “Look,” she said as she made sure to face each person in the room at least once as she spoke, “I know that’s not what you want to hear, but if for whatever reason something goes wrong I need to know so that I can keep the people within this city safe. I have no idea what exactly could go wrong, but that’s also because I don’t know anything about these powers except for what you told me seconds ago. I’m fine with you conducting whatever tests you’re planning since the other day you made it clear that you have enough tech to do so, but we need those records after you’ve collected them. If that fails to happen, then any tests deemed important will be conducted by the NYFS. Plus, this allows the rest of us to understand what’s going on in case, somehow, Sam seems off to certain extents. The way I’m explaining it sounds horrible, but I hope you all can understand what I’m getting at.”

Leo nodded his head. “We get what you’re saying. Donnie?” he asked since this last rule would affect him the most out of his brothers. “I get it. Message received loud and clear” Donnie stated. He wasn’t thrilled with basically having to share information about what type of tech he had or would be using since this would be revealed in the tests that would be completed, but if it meant keeping Sam safe then these reveals would be worth it. “Alright” the chief said as she stood up with a smile, “in that case you’re all free to go. Oh, and I assume we’ll see you all tomorrow at this same time down around Battery Park.” The boys looked back and forth at each other in confusion. “Battery Park, ma’am?” Leo asked. Her face scrunched as she stared back at him. “Well yes, it’s one of the few places you can go in order to reach the Statue of Liberty. That’s where your ceremony is being held.” “Our ceremony?” Raph questioned. “Yes, where you’re all getting your keys to the city. Did you not tell them?” the chief asked as she looked down at Sam. Sam was trying her best not to laugh at the shocked expressions on the boys faces. “Heh, no” she stated bluntly, playfully curling up in her chair as a chorus of ‘SAMMMM!’ ‘Aw come on!’ and other claims were made aloud. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Leo asked in a mix of frustration and excitement. “Because your reactions are priceless. I wanted to see if I could go all the way up until tomorrow night before you realized. But this reveal is just as awesome” she said as all the brothers started nudging her. “We’ll be there and ready right at 9” Leo reassured to the chief. “Excellent.” “Oh, just to be sure-” “The only ones that will be there are your immediate human family and the officers who helped you enter the building” the chief said with a smile, knowing what Leo was thinking before he could speak. “Anything else I can answer for you before you go?” she asked. Leo paused, and then a huge smile grew on his face. “Can we bring our dad?”

*The next night, Saturday June 12th, 2015. 9p.m. at the Statue of Liberty monument*

And that was exactly where the group was now. Donnie had driven the truck and followed Jay and Casey’s cars all the way towards Battery Park where the group then boarded a ferry that took them over to the Statue of Liberty monument site. There the four were given their keys to the city as a small ceremony was held to congratulate and thank the turtles for their hard work. Chief Vincent stood and spoke from a speaking stand as she gave a short speech about who the turtles were and all that they had done for the city. All the participating officers stood in rows in front of the small stage where the turtles were now standing tall and proud. In the crowd stood Vern, and on his right Jade, and then Jay, Sam, April, and Casey on the far end. Splinter had also joined the group and was currently attending the event, but he could sense that multiple female officers were a bit ‘freaked out’ by his appearance as a giant rat, so in respect to them he decided to find a comfortable spot where he could bask in the warmth from the lights above and made it his own. He was still in clear and close eye sight of his boys, and that’s all that mattered. As the brothers stood on the stage, Leo, Donnie, and Mikey were all facing towards the chief as she spoke while Raph was currently facing outwards at the crowd of people who were here congratulating him and his brothers, something he never thought would ever happen. Chief Vincent was now coming towards the end of her speech. He then began to smirk as he saw Sam keep wiping at her eyes. Man she was more emotional than she allowed people to know and realize about her.

“For your incredible valor within this community, and for your uncompromising cooperation with this agency, I present to you the keys to the city. A symbol of our appreciation, respect, and for our continued partnership. To you, brothers: Leonardo” Leo had been staring out towards his father. Knowing that his dad was here to see the progress that he and his brothers had made in keeping the city safe, and in working together as a team based on everything their father had ever taught them, this was one of the greatest honors he could ever truly receive. He then looked up at the chief as he heard her announce his name and he shot her an appreciative smile, displaying how thankful he truly was for this experience. “Raphael” Raph shot a similar smile towards the chief and then shone this smile towards the crowd, specifically his human family. It all started with April, and then Vern came along and helped them (no matter how ‘macho’ he tried to be) and then came Sam and Jay, and now even Casey seemed to care and want to help lookout for the group, and Raph would be a total liar if he said he didn’t feel any type of bromance with the hockey maniac that had joined their group. “Donatello” Donnie had been watching his brothers as their names were called and was grateful just to see the two of them calm and at peace for once. While he was excited to receive this honor, right now it was his brothers that were all on his mind. Family always came first, and to see his oldest brothers so happy meant more to him than any key to the city ever could. He then turned in time to see his youngest brother have his name called, and he chuckled at the way his baby brother reacted. “Michelangelo” Mikey had been staring at all his oldest brothers the way Donnie had. As a younger brother, all he could ever want was for his oldest 3 brothers to feel happy and at peace, so seeing their reactions made his heart happier than anything else. However, he was still the baby brother, so of course his reaction was still very comical compared to Donnie’s more mature and nonchalant glanced smile to the crowd. Mikey heard his name and he whipped his body forward and his hand shot up to give a quick wave to the all those watching.

“Uh, last names?” the chief whispered to the brothers. Each of their faces went blank as they realized they had never EVER thought of this, and they also began to wonder how the heck they had never once thought of this. Donnie was about to make a comment when they all heard someone coughing, and possibly trying to speak from the crowd. “cough, cough, ama, cough, toe” Sam coughed. “I’m sorry?” the chief questioned. “Ahem” Sam said, lightly beating her hand to her chest to make it seem like she was actually coughing. “I said their last name is Hamato” she said as she held her arms down below in front of her waist and twiddled her thumbs. She then turned towards Splinters direction, as if gaining his approval. “Right Sensei?” Splinter stroked his furred beard between his claws. “Hmmm Hamato, as in the great ninja Hamato Yoshi…yes, that seems like a nice last name for our family. It blends together quite well.” He then noticed Sam giving him a thumbs up with a large smile on her face, and the old rat couldn’t help but laugh as he shot her a thumbs up in return.

“In that case, to the Hamato brothers, congratulations” the chief announced as a round of applause pursued for the brothers. People then began to disperse and talk amongst each other. Sam was smiling and watching over the brothers, who were now excitedly talking amongst each other, as she felt a light nudge in her right side. “Well, looks like someone had to copy me, huh?” April teased. “Psh, you named all of them, it’s only fair that I get to give them one last name to share” she said as she nudged the woman back. “She’s got a point” Casey added. April then teasingly shot him a confused look. “Okay, who’s side are you on?” she asked. Sam noticed the obvious fliting going on between these two, so she turned to talk to Jay, only to notice that he was talking to Jade and Vern, so she decided it was time to move forward and congratulate her brothers. She took a few steps forward and hopped up onto the small stage. She then paused for a moment before deciding which brother to stand by and from which direction, trying not to obviously walk right over towards him first. She then shook her head, deciding that it didn’t matter if she walked towards him or any other brother, they were all family and that’s what mattered. “Wooooooooooow” she said as she leaned in close towards Leo’s chest, “these things really shine.” Leo gently pushed her back as he laughed. “Thank you for respecting me by not touching the key, but you’re invading my personal space.” “Dude, personal space doesn’t exist within this family” Sam teased. Leo shrugged. “Fair enough” he said as he threw his arm around her, although he did so in a way where Sam now had an arm basically covering her head so that she couldn’t stand up, similar to what he’d do if he were wrestling Mikey. “Okay! Okay I get it!” she said through laughs. Leo turned to face her once he let go. “Hamato Leonardo. I like it. It rolls off the tongue well” he said with a smile. “Right?! Like they all sound good when pronounced it the English format-” “English format?” Mikey questioned. “Yeah, like first name then last. Michelangelo Hamato. It sounds good right. But when said like how names are pronounced in Japan, last name then first, so Hamato Michelangelo-” “That sounds badass!” Mikey stated with wide excited eyes. Sam snapped her fingers and then pointed at him. “Exactly!” “What made you choose that name?” Donnie asked. “What, you don’t like it?” She groaned as a means to tease him. He chuckled in response. “Actually, I love it. It sounds perfect. I’m just curious why seaside.” “Why what?” Raph asked. “That’s what Hamato is known to stand for” Sam responded. “But I chose it more so because of who the name belonged to rather than its meaning. The Hamato clan was known to defend and protect each other until their final breath. They were true warriors who honored the codes of the ninja, but also strongly believed in protecting one another. They lived in the shadows, but they made sure the rest of their clan was their waiting for them when they came back. They didn’t go behind each other’s back and they didn’t betray each other. They were a true family” she said with pride. “Awww look at you getting all mushy” Raph said as he ruffled the girl’s hair, in which she playfully scowled at him in response.

“Oh that’s Sam alright” Jay said as he hopped up onto the small stage. “She has more emotions bottled up in here than she lets on” he said as he rubbed his knuckle against the top of her head. He then faced the four brothers. “Alright so I have three comments and questions for the four of you. First of all, congratulations Mr, Mr, Mr, and Mr. Hamato” he said as he waved his arm in front of him and then bowed. “Second. I wanted to ask this in front of all of you so that no one is keeping secrets from anyone, but this mostly pertains to you” he said as he now pointed straight at Donnie. “Me?” Donnie asked, pointing to himself. “Yes. So, there’s a project that various scientists in the NYFS are working on and we were curious to know if you’d be willing to join us. Now that the Mutanimals live in the sewers they’ve been exploring and found an awesome underground space that we can use for this project. Don’t worry, it’s nowhere near your lair, and the few guys working on this project have already seen all of you before and have sworn to keep their mouths shut. What do you guys think?” Leo paused for a second. He wanted to trust and assume this would all be safe, but he also needed to take precautions both as leader and also as the ‘always worried older brother,’ Leo looked at Jay and then back towards the rest of his brothers. “We all go and check it out the first time to see what precautions you’re taking and to meet the people you’re working with, and also to learn more about what this project is. That will determine whether he officially participates or not.” Leo then turned and faced Donatello. “Fair?” he questioned cautiously. Donnie nodded with a smile. “Fair.” Jay clapped and rubbed his hands together in excitement. “Awwww this is gonna be awesome! Alright, final comment. PLEASEEEEEE RSVP as soon as possible whether you guys are attending or not. We’re still trying to figure out how much food we need and we don’t know whether or not we’ll be sending plates up to you guys or not so once you know for sure please contact me” he said, holding his hands in front of him as if he was praying for their cooperation. Leo chuckled but shot him a puzzled look. “Um, sure. But what are we RSVPing for exactly?” Then the brothers paused as they began to realize what Jay was talking about. “Wait, you don’t mean what I think you mean!” Mikey exclaimed with a huge smile on his face. “But, how? No way!” Raph stated. Jay’s eyes were wide and his jaw dropped low. “Wait, are you guys serious?” he asked as he looked at the mix of puzzled and thrilled faces in front of him. “SAM!” While Jay had been talking to the boys, Sam had momentarily gone over and talked to Casey and Jade, but she was now returning to the stage as she heard her brother shout her name and then frantically wave her over. “What’s up?” Jay stood there with one arm crossed over his stomach and the opposite knuckle resting on his chin. He then stood in front of Sam so that she was turned so that her back was to the guys as he spoke to her. “Sam, you told the guys they’re invited to the wedding, right?” Because Sam was facing Jay she couldn’t see the jumping Michelangelo, the jaw dropped older duo, and the smiling-arms behind his head Donatello. “Of course I did!” Sam stated, waving her brother away. “Really? Tell me how they reacted” Jay said. “Well…they…huh” Sam said with her arms crossed as she looked up towards the sky as she tried to remember what she told the turtles…only to realize that she had not, and that meant they were all reacting right now behind her. Her eyes widened as she spun around and stared at the now calm brothers after getting their excitement out. “Awwwwww you boob you did that on purpose! You didn’t even record their reactions for me” she pouted. “Well that’s what you get for keeping us in the dark!” Donnie teased as he slapped his hands down on her pouting shoulders as he stood behind her. “I didn’t mean to” she mumbled, “I’ve just been very busy lately.” “So, what else haven’t you told us?” Raph asked. “Oh! Did she tell you she got accepted to Blair?” Mikey asked. This time Sam was able to see the boys animated reactions. Of course, right after they decided to tease her as much as possible. “Great, so that means we’re stuck with you for the next four years?” Raph asked. “Oh you’re stuck with me way longer than that!” Sam exclaimed. “Right, I keep forgetting you’re the headache that just keeps coming back over, and over, and over again” he said, rolling his wrist. “Exactly! Now even the strongest pill can get rid of me” Sam said with a beaming smile. “Man you suck at updating people on important info” Leo mocked. Sam opened her mouth to defend herself, but then gritted her teeth together. “It’s definitely not my strongest quality” she said, scooting back a bit in embarrassment. “Soooooo we’re going right?” Mikey asked his brothers. “How exactly will all of that work?” Donnie asked. “So we have two way mirrors that will cover the top pews, that way you guys can sneak in and no one can see you, and then the church we’re holding the wedding at has this huge back room where we’re holding the reception” Jay informed them. “We’ll have the few people who have actually met you guys keeping you up to date on what’s happening, and yes we’ll feed you” he said as he stared straight at Mikey. “Yeah, exactly as I told all of you” Sam said, before she was playfully shoved by all four brothers. “We’ll be there” Leo said to Jay. “WE WILL?!” Mikey basically shrieked. “Yes, we will. But only if you behave” Leo said as he now pointed his finger at his youngest brother. “What? I’m always…uhhh never mind” he backed off as he saw the glares from his three older brothers.

Just then Chief Vincent returned back to the stage to talk to the brothers. Sam and Jay walked back over towards the small crowd and continued to mingle with familiar faces. Of course, Sam was eavesdropping as best as she could even from the further away distance where she was currently standing. “I think you should give people more credit” the chief said, “they’ll accept you now.” ‘They already did, it’s your guys who didn’t’ Sam thought to herself. “You’re probably right” said Raph’s voice, “but uh, I think we’ll stick to the arrangement that we already had.” Sam smiled to herself, happy to hear that she would still get her quality time with the brothers. But then her face became more sunken and serious. ‘Wait…why am I so happy to hear that? I want them to be able to share their uniqueness and quirky abilities with others someday. What the hell?’ Sam thought to herself. “If you ever need us, April knows where to find us” Leo stated calmly. Sam didn’t know it, but the reason Leo had only mentioned April’s name was because he wanted to keep Sam away from having to talk to the cops (unless she was in danger of course) as much as possible based on everything that had recently happened. “Really? You could live a normal life, like the rest of us” the chief stated with enthusiasm. This made Sam role her eyes. Of course she wanted the turtles to experience all that life had to offer, but she also loved how different they were. But then she heard Raph say: “Normal? What fun is that?”

Sam then turned around when she heard this and stared at the brothers, but she did so at an angle so that she could see them as she stared through the crowd of people, but from their angles they could not see her (or so she thought, since one of them wearing orange had been keeping his eyes on her in secret the entire time without her knowing). The chief chuckled. “Well based on what I already know, you four have had some interesting adventures. So I can understand and respect you choosing your lifestyle over ours. Besides, it seems you found some great family members even if you do spend most of your time underground.” The boys smiled as they each looked out in the same direction that the chief now was at the family they had within the crowd. Mikey however was the only one that noticed Sam spin around once she saw the brothers gaze wash over the crowd. He chuckled. “Yeah, our extended family is pretty great” he said in a relaxed tone. The chief stared back at the turtles one final time. “Any last requests for the night before we all head home?” she asked. The brothers looked at each other and noticed that Leo kept looking back at the towering monument behind them. “You’re allowed up there you know” the chief stated with a smile. Leo whipped back around. “We are?” She nodded. “I just have to tell the officers that guard this monument so that they know not to leave until you come back down.” “Whoaaaaaaa. Thanks!” Mikey said enthusiastically. The chief laughed. “My pleasure. I’ll be right back.”

At that moment, Splinter joined the boys on stage. “My sons, I’m so proud of each and every one of you” he said with a heartwarming smile. “I’m so happy, yet so sad to see each of you grow and mature the way you are” he said genuinely. Mikey shot him a confused look. “Why would you be sad dad?” The old rat chuckled. “Simple. This means you are no longer the baby boys that I have watched over all these years” he said as he placed his hand on his youngest sons shoulder. The four brothers smiled. “Dad, you know we’re always gonna be around no matter how old we get, right?” Leo reassured with a smile. “I know, but all parents feel this way as they see their children grow over time. BUT, tonight is a time for all of you to celebrate together. I on the other hand am going to head home. Don’t do anything crazy now” he said with a playful glare towards his sons. “Pffff what, us?” Raph teased. “As if.” “Wait, who are you leaving with? You’re not heading home by yourself” Donnie stated. Splinter shook his head. “Do not worry my son, I’m heading home with our human companions since it seems they’re all leaving now as well.” The group looked over and saw their human friends walking over to say their final goodbyes. While April, Casey, Vern, Jay, and Jade all said goodbye to the oldest three brothers, Mikey pulled Sam away from the group to talk to her. “Okay what’s happening?” Sam asked a little more awkwardly than she meant to. “You’re leaving?” he asked as if he had just been punched in the gut. “Only for 8 years.” “WHAT?!” “I’m kidding!” she laughed as she pushed his shoulder. “I’m just heading home with Jay so I can help him and Brenda plan their upcoming wedding since important planning was put on hold due to this crazy alien invasion that happened a few days ago. You should have been there for it, it was all over the news!-” “Why are you heading home?” Mikey said, interrupting her teasing. She shot him a confused look. “I just told you, to help with wedding-” “But you can do that any day. Why tonight?” he asked timidly. Sam could sense that her friend felt hurt, as if she was ditching him to go hangout with someone else and like she was avoiding them. She smiled and began to talk in a more serious tone. “Look, when I still had my siblings, there were times where we would all hang out as a family while also inviting all are friends that were as close as family, but there were also times where we wanted people to respect our need to hang out with those that were just family. Sometimes siblings have to just focus on each other. That doesn’t mean I’m going away, it means I’m respecting that you guys need time where it’s just you. Plus, I know I’m the greatest tomboy out there, but brothers still need times to just be themselves. Just like how there were times I wanted to be alone with my sisters, no matter how different Amber and I were from the other two” she said with a light laugh. Mikey shot her a genuine smile. “You look out for us too much” he teased, although this type of teasing had sincerity to it. Sam looked him right in the eye and smiled. “Well that’s what happens when you have four new younger brothers that take over your life.” As she spoke, Mikey could sense from the sparkle in her eyes alone how much he and his brothers truly meant to Sam. He hoped that she realized that they all felt the same way about her. “Now come on” she said as she spun him around and began to pull on his arm, “let’s get back to the group before they start getting suspicious.” “Heh, okay” he said, although in his mind he was thinking ‘suspicious of what?’

Once the two joined the rest of the group Sam updated them that she would be heading home with Jay and Jade (who was also involved in the wedding) to help with wedding planning. The remaining three brothers teased her some, but they didn’t need her to go into full details about why she was truly leaving. They all knew her well enough to know where her mindset was at.

With that, the human group began to head out. Splinter went with April, Casey, and Vern, and Sam went with her older brother and Jade. As the group was beginning to board the ferry to head back to Battery Park, they all turned around to see the four boys cheering from the top of the statue of liberty. “Man they’re fast” Jade said with a smile. “They’re also just insane” Jay teased, knowing his Sensei could hear him. “I’d defend them, but they all have their interesting moments. But you didn’t hear that from me” the old rat teased. Sam laughed and then looked back up at her four turtle brothers. She was happy to see them united as a group once again, and although she had just stated to Mikey that she knew they needed time to hangout by themselves, she’d be a liar if she wasn’t hoping that the time she would get to hang out with them again would come by soon. ‘Then again, a small, extremely short break from these guys wouldn’t be horrible, especially after those weird random thoughts I had about him the other night’ she thought to herself with a shudder (to which she informed a suspicious Jay that it was just the breeze from the cold night’s air). Minutes later the group arrived back at the port where Sam decided that once she met back up with her brothers, everything would be back to normal…she hoped.

Random info: so I listen to a wide variety of music and many times I listen to songs that motivate me to plan out and come up with ideas for future and current events throughout the series. If anyone is interested, I would highly recommend listening to the song Beautiful Creatures by Illenium. Like if you listen to the lyrics you can twist them so that it fits the lives and goals of the turtles, at least those are the images I’ve been picturing as I listen to that song (that and the vocals and more techno instrumental sound is insanely addicting). But seriously I could see this song being a perfect way to end a TMNT film as the credits come up. Kind of like how at the end of Out of the Shadows they had a new remixed version of the 80’s theme playing while those cartoon images of the cast were played along the with the cast’s names, I could see this song being used for something like that and being the perfect end to a TMNT movie.

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt 2014 #tmnt 2016 #tmnt movie #TMNT Out of the Shadows #tmnt oc #tmnt romance #tmnt leonardo #tmnt ra #tmnt donatello #tmnt michelangelo #leonardo #raphael #donatello #michelangelo

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raifestrykar-blog · 7 years ago

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Flight to Freedom

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fanfic, a Leonardo/OC romance, that takes place after the events in Out of the Shadows.

My first attempt at fanfiction, figured I would post it as I finish a section, almost like mini chapters. I will probably edit and clean it up as I go.

Chapter Thirteen

There was this…thing…hanging over her, a thing Feronia could not figure out. Intangible and elusive, and yet it was something that strung coils of unease deep in her belly. And the most frustrating element of it? Feronia did not know exactly where it stemmed from.

Undoubtedly a large part was due to the overhanging shadow of the elusivity of the General and Dr. Grayston’s presence. It seemed that no matter how diligent the brothers remained with their unending patrols of New York City, they could not unearth the duo’s location.

And ever since her relationship with the katana-wielding leader had so recently bloomed into something more, Leonardo had become even more determined to hunt out and stop the ever present threat to her existence. His focus, already as lethally honed as the edge of his sword, became even more deadly.

Feronia shuddered as she thought being on the business end of that steely, blue-eyed gaze. But that shudder swiftly morphed, turning sensual and deep and toe curling with heat as she thought of being on the receiving end of that unwavering blue focus for entirely different reasons – a look that demanded her acquiescence, and if she did, promised intense pleasure.

She would have never fathomed such hot, passionate sensations existed at all.

And yet Leo would stalk toward her, his hulking, shelled bulk strung taught with the tension of leadership and the responsibility of thousands of innocent’s safety laid upon his shoulders, and her whole body would quiver.

Not in fear. Never in fear.

But in anticipation of surrendering to him.

She was unsure if their relationship was in the normal category or not, but then again Leonardo was a badass ninja warrior mutated from the genes of a turtle, and she had giant, bird-of-prey wings sprouting from her back. None of their lives would ever be normal.

Over the last few weeks of her existence at the farmhouse, her relationship with the deadly warrior continued to morph and grow. True to his word, they both continued to discover what either of them liked or disliked.

For instance, the first and only time he spanked her, a stinging swat from one large, green, three-fingered hand had shut her down cold. It had been done in fun and excitement, a teasing move as she had been running through the trees, laughter bubbling from her chest, a deadly, shelled ninja in hot pursuit. The case was exilerating as she tucked her wings close to her back and wove quickly around tree after tree.

She had known he could catch her easily at any time, and it wasn’t long before a frantic glance over her shoulder only to see no shelled bulk tailing after had her slamming full force into a plastron-protected muscled chest. Laughing, he had spun her up against the bark of a tree and swatted her backside. Hard.

The blooming pain had driven every ounce of exhilaration and building passion from her as surely as if she had been dunked into a tub of ice. Leo had gone stock still behind her as she froze in place, her mind beginning to panic. But, as he always seemed to do, he read her like a book penned just for him.

Feronia had felt herself gently turned, and when she could look everywhere but at him, a solid grip on her chin lifted her gaze to his and held it unrelentingly.

And like he did all those months ago during that fateful night at NexGen Labs, those intense cobalt blue pools grounded her.

“Alright, Sweetheart. This is a good thing to know.”

And in playful excitement or in dominating passion, he had never swatted her backside again. And he was always careful to never intentionally deliver pain.

Yet even now, as she was being lead toward the farmhouse from after a long walk, two large palms covering her eyes and effectively blinding her, something insidious lurked beneath the sea of happiness swelling inside her. And Feronia could not figure out what it was. She didn’t think it stemmed from the man leading her across the yard…

“Why can’t I go to the house on my own?” Feronia giggled, choosing to ignore that gnawing portent of doom and focus on that source of happiness behind her.

Firm lips dropped a kiss to the crown of her head. “Because I said so.”

Feronia grumbled half-heartedly, circling a hand around the warmth of each thick wrist. Her mind buzzed with curiosity. What was her surprise? All four brothers, April and Casey, and even Splinter was at the farmhouse today. Her quiet little refuge practically buzzed with energy.

With her wings wrapped around her body like a feathered cloak, she manaed to remain quiet for all of two seconds as she was directed across the farmyard. As her booted feet cringed over the gravel-strewn driveway, Feronia couldn’t help the plaintive whine that escaped her throat. “Leo! I’m dying of curiosity here!”

The chuckle that rumbled against her back sent a fission of awareness through her. “My Fer, you are so bad with surprises. But that was a hot little sound you made…maybe I will try to make you do that sound again later.”

The heady promise in his words sent her heart racing. But then the heat of a warm, strong palm slid under a wing and along her waist as a muscled band of steel wound around her middle. Like she weighed nothing, Leo plucked her back up against him, and then her booted feet were deposited on solid ground once again, the dull sound of boots on wood planks telling her he had lifted her up the few stairs of the front porch.

Reaching out blindly, she felt for the knob to the door only to feel Leo reach around her and nudge it open.

“She’s here, brah’s!”

Thump.

“What the hell, Raph? You are always punching me!”

“Shut it, Mikey. You will ruin the surprise.”

“I’m fairly certain there is a 99.924% chance Fer already knows a surprise is immenant.

“So? He doesn’t always have to slug me.”

“I’m findin’ it therapeutic.”

She kept her bark of laughter in as Leo propelled her forward until the coolness of the kitchen spread out before her.

Then the warmth of his hands fell away from her face, and she blearily blinked her eyes open. As soon as one lid cracked, boisterous shouts from those she loved so dearly assailed her, along with a faceful of tiny bits of colored paper doused over her head.

“Surprise!” several voiced shouted in unison.

Feronia blinked at the scene before her, her mind numbly kicking into gear.

The kitchen table was piled with several boxes all wrapped in bright paper. A large, extremely large, cake with bright red letters scrawled across the surface of the white frosting sat in the middle of the wrapped boxes, and the powerful forms of the three mutant turtles, an elderly human-sized rat, and April and Casey lingered around the kitchen table, huge grins plastered over their faces.

Warm lips teased the shell of her ear. “Happy birthday, Feronia,” Leo rumbled.

She seemed stunned even as Mieky bounded forward to scoop her up in a bear hug, wings and all, twirling her around.

“Yeah! Happy birthday, Fer-bear!”

She had not even realized the passage of days!

Donnie nodded eagerly, pushing his glasses further on the wide bridge of his nose. Yes, I have been going through any and all files recovered from the night NexGen Labs was shut down. This is the date recorded as being the first you drew breath. Hence, your birthday.”

Tears made her vision swim as she turned to look at her tall, dangerous ninja. “I’ve never had a birthday party!”

One large, green forefinger swept a stray black curl of hair off her brow. “I want to give you everything, you know.”

The look burning in his deep, blue eyes was something entirely different, yet no less intense. She opened her mouth to reply just as she was yanked eagerly over to the table and tugged in front of Raphael’s bulked out form. “Enough teary shit…let’s party!”

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of fun and games, and Feronia couldn’t possibly imagine being any happier. Evening was drawing near as they finally let her open the brightly wrapped boxes. Opening each present surrounded by this strangely put together family was paradise.

Until she opened the second to last gift, given from the bo-staff wielding warrior.

Reaching into the box she had just opened, her breath caught in her throat. Feronia couldn’t imagine anything better than the gift from Raphael and Michelangelo; all Superman DVDs, from the classic television series to the most recently made movies. They had given her months of viewing at her disposal.

But at the bottom of the box from the tech-loving warrior was something that made her breath catch. Even before her hand grasped around the handle, this one gift was making her feel powerful and capable.

Donnie fidgeted in his seat. “I hope you like it. I figured you would have an aerial advantage that even we,” and he gestured to himself and his brothers, “can achieve…”

His words seemed to be drowned out as Feronia brought out the gift. An intricately made, small and compact crossbow, it looked small enough to be no bigger than a handgun. Complicated gears filled the body, and Donnie surged forward. “It even has cartridges of bolts you can snap in that will automatically load every time you pull the string back and lock it—”

One large, green hand dropped into view as Leonardo reached over and plucked the mini crossbow right out of her grasp. “What the hell were you thinking, Donnie?” This is the big secret project you have been working on?”

“Well, as a matter of fact, Leo, yes. With her flying now, she can easily—”

“No.”

Feronia surged to her feet, rounding on the blue-eyed leader. “What do you mean, no? It’s my gift, and I should be able to defend myself. You all have weapons!” Even as she pointed out that fact, a small part of her dimly realized she sounded juvenile and petty. But holding that small crossbow even a few moments had her feeling much less like a victim.

Leo had been glaring at his younger brother, but at her rant, those intense eyes slammed into hers. “I said no. You do not need weapons.”

Something cold and hard began to spread within her chest. “You don’t get to dictate what I get to do with my life, Leo. Give me my gift back.”

The towering hulk of turtle actually leaned down, getting right in her face. “I said no.” he repeated. “We will stop the general—”

Black, indigo tinted wings snapped up into a poised hold as Feronia’s back straightened. “Whatever we have, Leonardo, does not give you the right to control every aspect of my existence. I will never allow that.”

Silence reigned down around them as the two faced off, glaring at one another. And there in the glittering depths of his eyes, she saw it. She saw the unwavering resolve. Leo would not bend on this.

Anger, swift and sure, overshadowed everything she was feeling. Blinking back the tears of frustration that threatened to fall, she gave a small nod. Turning, she spared everyone at her party a glance. “I apologize, but I feel the need for some air.”

And before anyone could utter another peep, Feronia stalked from the farmhouse and out into the dawning night.

That was three days ago.

***

Leo had worked his body to exhaustion in the training room, pushing his brothers gruelingly in a series of new moves they were all working on. All four of them sported green hides that glistened with sweat, and yet he pushed himself on. When his brothers became fed up with the grueling training, he had turned to weights, punching a bag as if it was the General himself.

Yet his mind continued to circle the day of Feronia’s birthday party. Everything had been going so perfectly, and yet at the end of the day, he had stalked from that house and roared his bike to life, speeding down the highways back to the lab. Leo knew he had to talk to Feronia. But he was still working on a way to do so without bringing his own volatile frustrations into the mix.

With a growl, the finally stalked away from the training room. It wasn’t until he was sinking his sore body onto the edge of his bed, stooping forward to let his head fall into his hands, that Leonardo allowed himself to ponder his dilemma. Glancing up, his gaze alighted on the very object that had caused the fracture, this maddening chasm, between he and his girl.

She didn’t need a weapon! He could keep her safe. He and his brothers worked tirelessly to make certain nothing threatened Feronia’s existence…

Reaching down into a deep pocket of his black cargo pants, his hands fisted around a small, velvet covered object.

A gentle nock on his door had him lifting his head as the door to his private room opened. Splinter’s head peered around. Spotting him, the old ran moved further into the room, closing it softly behind him.

For a long moment, his Sensai merely leaned back against the closed door, crossing his arms over his chest and simply peering at him with those fathomless black eyes of his.

Leo felt a muscle tick in his jaw, waiting for his father to speak.

Yet time continued to tick on. Until Leo surged to his feet, pacing the length of his room. It wasn’t a large space, and he could stalk across the distance from one wall to the other in three long strides, his hand never leaving his pocket.

“She doesn’t need a weapon, Dad.”

Silence.

“I can ensure her safety. I know it.”

Silence.

Leo stalked back toward the opposite wall, finally brandishing forth the object he clutched desparately. Turning toward his father, Leo held out his hand, opening his fingers. Nestled in his palm was a velvet covered box. The old rat reached out, carefully taking it.

His throat worked as he tried to swallow, watching Splinter open the small jewelry box. A simple band of silver sporting a sapphire of deepest blue winked up at the old rat. “I was going to ask her to be mine, Dad. But I never got the chance to bring it up. To give it to her. And now? Now I don’t know if she would accept it. I may have just ruined everything.”

With a groan, Leo sank back down to his mattress, sitting at the edge. For once, he was finding himself in territory he did not know how to navigate. He was on unsure ground with Feronia.

The slight weight of his father dipped the mattress as the old rat settled down beside him, still holding the open ring box.

“I remember trying my best to keep four young turtles safe from the cruelties of the outside world.”

Turning, Leo’s gaze met the dark pools of his father’s.

“I seem to remember none of you being truly happy. Not until you went out, defying me and my wishes, to discover your true potentials.”

The emotion rocketing through Leonardo was so intense, it threatened to choke him. “She is everything, dad. Losing her would hollow me.”

Gently, Splinter closed the ring case and handed it back to him, rising to his feet. One, long fingered hand gnarled by the ever-turning passage of time settled atop the smooth dome of his head. “Have you told her what you hold in your heart?”

Silently, Leonardo shook his head.

“Even the greatest leaders, the most hardened of warriors, face their most terrifying adversary when it comes to matters of the heart. I fashioned you into the leader you are now because of what I could see burgeoning in your soul; a just, fair mind and an honorable soul. You know the answer, my son. And it takes immeasurable bravery to trust in that.”

Just as silently as he had slipped in, his father left him.

Leo did know his ultimate decision. His gaze landed on the small crossbow he couldn’t bring himself to destroy. Rising to his feet, he snatched up the small weapon and flung his door open, stalking toward Donnie’s lab.

The following day, Leonardo rumbled his bike to a halt before the farmhouse. His heart was hammering against his ribs, anxiety not an emotion he was usually afflicted with. Would she forgive him? Would Feronia…

Pushing such thoughts from his mind, Leo stalked through the house, only to find the large, two story home empty and quiet. Unease curled through him as he searched the barn with no sight of his girl. She wouldn’t leave him without a word, would she?

It was an early autumn mid-day, and the cheery sunlight and twittering birds did little to calm his rising paranoia as he began to search the farmyard for the sweep of black wings.

Leondardo eventually found Feronia near the hayfield that stretched onward, the alfalfa tall enough to roll like waves of the sea as the breeze gusted across the field. At first, it took every ounce of training he possessed to keep the alarm coiling through him at bay when he searched the farmhouse and grounds for nearly half an hour for the winged human with no results.

It wasn’t until he decided to walk down to the pon that a flutter of smoky black caught his eye.

There in the grass, under the shade of a willow tree, he found Feronia. Dressed in a flowing, airy yellow sundress that ruffled in the breeze, she was a vision that made his heart nearly stop in his chest. Flat on her stomach, one cheek pillowed on an arm tucked under her head, and the impressive expanse of her unique, perfectly formed wings spread out on either side of her as if she had languorously stretched out the tired, sore wing muscles and dosed off mid stretch, Leo found her fast asleep.

Moving in silently, he drew close and lowered himself until he sat beside her, taking the rare chance to take her in without the prying eyes of others around.

Inky black curls tumbled out and around her like a silky cloud, the brisk breeze ruffling a few glossy tresses. It was amazing how her health had improved so greatly since her stay at the farmhouse. He could see it in the new shine to her wild curls of silky hair, the sun-kissed glow of her smooth skin.

The features of her face looked so peaceful in the dream world found only in sleep’s embrace. She looked so relaxed, her brow smooth and free of the stress that often creased it. Those full, kissable lips rested a hairsbreadth apart, her breath puffing across the hand tucked under her chin to stir several blades of grass with each exhale.

Her beauty drew him like a moth to flame. And the six feet wings of black and indigo feathers that swept out from her back only made her more remarkable to him.

Even if Leonardo stopped the General and Dr. Grayston, those wings of hers were sure to bring her more trouble.

Tearing his eyes away from the sleeping woman, he stared down at his own palm. It still was difficult for him to believe someone could see past the differences his own form had to offer.

A murmur snapped his attention back to her, and as he watched, a crease furrowed her brow as the wing closest to him jerked against the grass before it was drawn in to tuck against her back.

“Noooo…”

The word wrenched from her lips and Leondardo know Feronia had slipped into one of her nightmares.

Reaching out with one green-skinned hand, he gently slid his hand against the back of her neck until he had her in a solid grip. “Fer, relax.” He let a command slip into the words.

Her whole body went lax as if every ounce of tension from the nightmare that gripped her bled out, and her tensed wing relaxed outward again.

That bolt of awareness shot through him. Even in her slumber, she subconsciously submitted to his authority as if she trusted he would keep her safe.

Holy hell, he was in deep. Splinter had trained him from day one to be the leader he and his brothers needed. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined having his order obeyed so sweetly, so innocently, would awaken a side of him he never knew existed.

Leo remained there, sitting in the grass beside her, one hand still firmly on the back of her neck. Gently, he let his thumb draw circles along the column of her throat until she began to stir from slumber.

***

Slowly coming awake, Feronia nearly stretched like a cat at the warm, caressing touch at the back of her neck. Blinking awake blearily, strong thighs encased in black cargo pants greeted her confused gaze, and as she moved to rise to her knees, a warm smile began to lift the corners of her lips.

Until the memories of her birthday, now a week ago, assailed her as her gaze met pools of intense blue. All the warm fuzzy feelings that had began bubbling through her fizzled as her angry, sad frustration overrode everything.

She moved to shove his hand from her neck, but Leo’s grip remained solid. He was not going to let her go. “Unhand me.”

The warrior shook his head. “We are going to talk.”

Feronia stilled, and at that small halt in movement, Leo had his free arm snagged around her waist and began settling her down on his lap, her legs spread to straddle his thighs. It was an intimate position, the heat of their groins pressed together. She did her damnest to ignore the stiff bulge beginning to strain the confines of his cargo pants.

“I’m not sure I want to talk to you like this. Not if you are going to just tell me how to live my life. Dr. Grayston and the General won’t be a problem forever, you know.” Feronia cursed the hammering of her heart against her ribs, willing her voice to remain steady and unwavering while she tried to face this powerful man with just as much conviction as he was looking at her now.

A strong hand ran down the wide blade of one wing. “Even after them, these wings will always make you a target, Fer.”

She actually growled at him, her hands tightening in small little fists against the broad planes of his chest. “I know, but I can’t—”

Winding one arm solidly around her waist to keep her held against him, he reached behind him with the other, picking an object up out of the grass she hadn’t even noticed was there. Feronia gasped, her eyes going wide as she watched him bring the small crossbow between them. Tentatively, she reached out, one hand wrapping around the handle of the weapon.

When she tugged though, he did not relent Donatelo’s gift to her. Her eyes flicked up, captured and held resolutely in his.

“I promised you we would work on figuring out what this is we have growing between us. What we have is unique, Fer, and there are no guidebooks or map showing me the way. And that takes compromise, takes give and take, from both of us.”

Both of their hands still gripping the dainty crossbow, Feronia nodded as Leonardo’s smooth baritone washed over her.

“I can’t expect to control every aspect of your life. Nor do I want to. Donnie’s gift was just a fact I was not ready to accept…the fact that no matter how hard I strive to keep you safe, something will always be gunning for you, Feronia. Just like my brothers and I have to deal with. So you can have the weapon.”

A huge smile burst across her face.

“You can have the weapon,” Leonardo continued succinctly, “if you train with Donnie and me on how to fight with it correctly. You shouldn’t be shooting bolts to kill, but to incapacitate. Donnie is working now on several ideas…I believe he said something about bolts that would shock, some that would smoke...uh…honestly it was a bunch of techno mumbo jumbo I didn’t all grasp at the time. Can you do that? Will you train with me, Fer?”

Days of building frustration and anger, of lingering sadness, fell completely to the wayside. Abandoning her grip on the weapon, Feronia flung her arms around him, sliding her hands between the thick, strong column of his neck and the rise of his hard shell.

Leo shifted, the weapon clinking as he set it aside once more in the grass. Then his two arms were around her under her wings, holding her tight to him with a desperation she had never felt before. The ninja buried his face in the cascade of curls at her shoulder, breathing deep. You mean the world to me, Sweetheart. I will always work with you, Fer, if you work with me. This I vow. But until my brothers and I can hunt down the General and Dr. Grayston, I need you to remain hidden. Promise?”

Feronia nodded, leaning back to catch his look with her own. “I promise.”

He shifted under her, and the bulge in his cargo pants that had yet to abate rubbed up against her center, and she groaned aloud, causing the dangerous turtle to still for a beat. His low chuckle sent a tingle down her spine. “We will get to that in a bit. But I have a gift for you. I never got to give it to you at your party.”

Reaching into his pants, she curiously eyed the object he withdrew. It was a sheethed blade, easily as long as her forearm. The leather sheath looked like it had been tooled with great forethought…blue tinted leather made intricate stitching along the edges of the sheath, and a black metal handle sported from the open end of the sheath.

“Up on your knees a bit, Fer.”

Swallowing hard, she rose up until she straddled over him. A breath rushed from her lungs as one, battle calloused hand slipped under the edge of her yellow sundress, drawing the skirt up over the silky expanse of her smooth thigh. Glancing down, she watched him as he tied the sheathed dagger snuggly to her upper thigh, the pads of his fingers ghosting along her skin where the weapon’s sheath sat against her flesh. He never let her skirt fall back down, either.

“I want you to train with this, too. It will make me feel better knowing you have something a little less mechanical to protect yourself with.”

But Leo’s hand was beginning to trail up the back of her thigh, now beginning to slide over her right cheek as that one large hand cupped her ass.

One eye ridge rose.

Feronia gulped, words tumbling from her lips on instinct alone. “Yes, Sir.”

A growl rumbled from him even as his other hand snaked up under her wing to delve in the long curls of her hair. “God, what you do to me, Sweetheart.”

As he drew her mouth to his to take her lips in a demanding possession, hope flickered anew within the depths of her heart.

***

Author’s Note - largely a rough draft, and had to be split into two chapters otherwise with the action coming next, this would have been a 30 page chapter. Thank you for being patient with me, and hopefully I will be able to have the last two chapters cranked out soon.

#flight to freedom #feronia #wumpusinthetardis #tmnt 2016 #tmnt leonardo #raifestrykar #romance #action #tmnt fanfiction

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all-things-tmnt · 8 years ago

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Thoughts on “The Tale of Tiger Claw”:

He’s been one of our fiercest enemies since season two, and after so many intense battles, it’s time to finally learn a little bit more about Tiger Claw. When a new and dangerous fox assassin arrives in town with a vendetta against TC, the turtles and their friends set out to uncover just who Tiger Claw is and where he came from. Throw in an ancient curse and an unlikely ally, and we’ve got us one crazy adventure. There’s a lot to look into, so let’s get started.

Warning: this review contains some pretty SHARP spoilers (like possibly that one), so if you’re not sure if you’re UP TO THE CUT, don’t keep reading. If you’re ready for a fast-paced fight, watch the episode by clicking here!

Alopex, Alopex, Alopex, ALOPEX.........

Interesting things: - Tiger Claw’s room is pretty sweet. And I’m pretty sure he’s using a brick to sharpen his sword. (I know it’s not a brick, but at first glance, that definitely looked like a brick. Hahaaa.) - Umm...I think it’s canon that Tiger Claw gets high. - But on a serious note, this scene with the hologram is pretty interesting and I saw we look at it later on. - “I asked to see Xever and Bradford.” Translation: we haven’t done anything notable in the plot in a while so the writers put us in this episode and Xever and Bradford weren’t in the budget. Lol let’s have fun. - HIS NAME IS NOW KITTY CAT MAN. DON’T EVER SAY TIGER CLAW TO ME AGAIN. IT’S ONLY KITTY CAT MAN. - Um.......I think it’s canon that Splinter just got drunk to train with his sons and their friends. - The fact that Leo just thought that openly running, yelling and trying to stab his dad would work is mind blowing. - The fact that Splinter spits on Leo is also mind blowing, but in a disgusting way. - I mean, all things considered, this training scene is hilarious and the boys can’t even beat their dad when he’s wasted. But at the same time, I’m sitting here wondering what in the hell I just watched. - “Leonardo and Michelangelo have the strongest ability to sharpen their intuition.” I’ve been waiting for this to be openly stated for so long now and I’m just crying because someone finally said it. - I’m literally just as offended as Casey is, TBH. How do we go from having Casey do great things in one episode to him sucking again in the next one? - Apritello Shippers – 1; Capril Shippers – 0. - Apparently Karai and the Mighty Mutanimals are a thing now? Okay? - “Karai’s not a kid anymore; she wants her independence. I get that.” I wonder what Leo meant by, I get that, because it can mean a lot of things. Like, does he understand her side because he gets what she’s saying or does he himself want independence as well? Either way, nice subtle way to remind us she has reasons for not staying with the boys, EVEN THOUGH SHE SHOULD BE. - THAT OLD LADY HOLDING ON TO THE LAMP POST FOR DEAR LIFE. BAHAHAHAAAA. - Super appreciation bullet for Casey still having his race car he made way back at the farm house because they took it with them when they left and I just appreciate that little bit of continuity so much more than I could ever tell you guys. - I would sell my soul to hear Bebop’s mixtape and for Rocksteady to keep beatboxing. - “Drop the blades, sweetheart.” Oh, Raphael...wait, how did you know she was a girl? - Welcome to 2012, Alopex! (I’m sure glad that I have in fact been saying your name correctly all these years!) - I don’t know you or know anything about you or why you’re here to stop me but let me monologue and tell you all about these two blades. (Kudos for the violent back story, though.) - ALOPEX JUST STOLE CASEY’S...SHE TOOK HIS...WHICH MEANS SHE GRABBED......ON THE.................OH MY GOD. - No, Raph, Casey doesn’t need you to help as he gets beaten up. - That extremely convenient moment when you run into the guy you were going to hunt down right after stealing the weapons you were going to hunt him with! - Did not notice she was wearing the tail. 10/10, would recommend. - That fox fast tho. - Casey actually thanking Raph for saving him instead of making some dumb or stuck up quip. 10/10, would recommend. - Look, there’s Chompy! Remember him, from last episode?! Remember how he’s important?! Yay Chompy! ........ - I like that little nod they just gave the IDW Raph and Alopex with that line. Hahaaa. - That awkward moment when there’s Timothy...just waiting for some resolution...... - That poster did not burn...at all. Nor did Casey’s shirt. - That awkward moment when we have to remember Karai and Casey kissed. - Does anyone else find it hilarious that the bad guys follow traffic laws? - Kitty Cat Man and Alopex’s backstory had me hooked until the part when they went from the circus to being total badass assassins happened. then I burst into laughter, because that shot of them in suits was just too much. - Wait...so if Alopex only took Tiger Claw’s tail...who took his eye? - Leo is apparently the only one who buckles up in the Shellraiser. - ......That’s why it’s important to buckle up. - This Mikey saying they’re okay thing kinda bothered me and I’ll give it a break down later. - Now how on earth did they know she’d run down there to meet them? This plot is full of conveniences. - Casey having to dodge death continuously is hilarious. - Nice guys finish last, Leonardo. - “The only way to lift the curse is to use them against me.....OR THIS SUPER SECRET OTHER OPTION THAT LEAVES NEITHER OF US CURSED! LOL GREAT RIGHT?!” - GUYS WE HAVE TO HURRY!!!!!! As they all slowly walk. Bahahahaaa. - A part of me will always wonder what Tiger Claw would have said to his sister had she let him speak to her...but there’s not enough time in the episode left so we gotta fight it out. - Omg. There’s more to their backstory. OMGGGGG. - “Back off, Tony!” DEAD. - This entire fight sequence is really cool and I loved every moment of it, but the absolute best part throughout the whole thing is Raph just screaming and carrying Bebop while he runs. I was choking I laughed so hard. - Everybody working hard to keep Casey from dying is so great. Hahaaa. Team work makes the dream work. And keeps the crazy kid alive. - Love the camera angles when Alopex grabs the ice bullet. Seriously cool. - OH SNAP. OHHHHHH SNAPPPPPPPPP. OH SNAP CRACKLE POP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - I LOVE HOW IT JUST ENDS WITH THEM CASUALLY WALKING AWAY AFTER TIGER CLAW GOT HIS ARM HACKED OFF AND ALOPEX JUST GOING I tried to come up with a pun on how Tiger Claw’s arm got chopped off and tie that in with the break downs, but I couldn’t think of anything so...here’s some break downs. If you are unfamiliar with Alopex, let me take a second to give those of you a super quick background. Alopex is a fox mutant originally from the IDW series. In the IDW comics, she’s originally a part of the Foot Clan before she changes sides to fight with the turtles, and that’s leaving out so much amazing detail. Needless to say, she has a hugely different backstory/character in the IDW comics, but let’s just say she’s absolutely badass, and if you needed any reason to read the already phenomenal TMNT IDW comics, let Alopex be your reason.(Seriously, she’s one of my favorite characters in IDW.) Right off the bat, we have an interesting scene with Tiger Claw. He’s using a mouser to project an image of Shredder, and he’s interacting with it as if it’s real, which he clearly knows it isn’t (and he’s sniffing catnip which is a whole other topic to touch on, but one I don’t want to get into too much yet until we know more about that). But he’s talking to this Shredder and trying to reason with him. It begs the question, is he practicing to speak to the real Shredder? We’ve seen Tiger Claw throughout the series question some of Shredder’s choices, and he’s openly questioned some of them with little success. Ever since Shredder’s mutation, TC has been very against almost every choice he’s made, and Shredder has never listened to his concerns. So now, we have Shredder pushing himself to dangerous points with this mutation, and Tiger Claw is more concerned than he’s ever been. Knowing Shredder won’t listen, he’s trying to figure out the wording that will bring him success in this endeavor, because it’s so important to him. Say what you will about Tiger Claw, but if he’s anything at all, it’s definitely loyal. Shoutout to Master Splinter for FINALLY pointing out that Leo and Mikey have the most potential of the four, but most notably, MIKEY! We’ve always known that Mikey can be so great, but we get such few glances of his real skills that it’s so easy to forget that fact. On those all too few occasions that we do get to see Mikey be the best (like no one ever was), we can see the truth behind that statement. But I emphasize the “all too few” part of that fact. So for the writers to openly acknowledge that fact for us is like a breath of fresh air. I can’t wait to see Mikey have more great moments. I think I’m going to start a petition to get Casey the respect he deserves. Honestly, last week, when I finally got to do a break down about Casey doing some things right, I was ecstatic. Now here I am having to complain about him again. He’s shoved aside and made off to be the character that screws everything up. I mean, the line when Splinter basically says Casey has no intuition whatsoever? I was lowkey offended. Casey has done some awesome things in this series so far, and he definitely has skills as a fighter. So to say he’s void of intuition is pretty hard to take with a grain of salt. Writers, PLEASE give Casey some love. I really want to like this version of him, and you guys are making it so hard. Remember the good old days in season one, where our existence was supposed to be a super secret and it was absolute law that no human could see us? Remember how much fun and more suspenseful and more overall ninja-y that made the show? Remember how three season later, they have no qualms about showing themselves to humans? Does that bother anyone else or is that just me? Because seriously, I get that the people of New York are aware of mutants and all of those things now, but I wish the boys were a bit more concerned with keeping their existence a secret like they used to be. Mikey just openly greeting the truck driver dude kinda killed me. I wish I had a better sense of who Alopex is, but we’ve seen very little of her. She clearly values honor and wants to distance herself from a life of doing bad things, but she’s also incredibly loyal to her family. Her and Tiger Claw’s past still have a lot of mystery to it, and I hope we’ll get to see more of it. Alopex has a lot of potential to be a great ally to the turtles. So far, I like her. Let me see her again, though. Lastly, Kitty Cat Man seems to have lost something... Seriously, I’m pretty impressed they went through with the violent action of severing his arm straight off. Of course we don’t see blood, but you can see the inside of his arm in one shot, which was nuts. I mean, seriously...2012 has turned it up. I haven’t kept it a secret that season four has failed to impress me on a lot of levels, but they’ve definitely hit their stride with getting darker and doing more violent things, which is how this show has always needed to be. There is a saying that if you live by the sword, you die by the sword, and it’s nice to finally see these consequences playing out. Plus, it’s definitely going to be interesting to see how Kitty Cat Man recovers from this. How will he go on fighting? Will he get a replacement arm? I can’t wait to look more into this. So let’s end this with some final thoughts. I enjoyed this episode overall. It wasn’t my favorite by any means, but I liked it a whole lot more than last week’s. I’ve been waiting to hear Tiger Claw’s backstory since he was introduced, and it’s so much more complex than I imagined it would be...and there’s still parts we don’t know! What happened to and and Alopex’s parents? So much mystery...but this episode does something great; it makes us excited about one of our major villains all over again. Tiger Claw had kind of faded into the background for me, but I’m pumped about him all over again. There are a few things this plot falls short on, and definitely a few weird moments, like Splinter drinking and Tiger Claw...getting high. Casey’s role was a bit of a let down for me. I wish we had more time to get to know Alopex. All in all, this episode is REALLY fast-paced, and it doesn’t leave a lot of time to absorb everything we see happen. Here’s to hoping we’ll get to know our fox mutant friend more in the future! Her character has potential.And let’s acknowledge that 2012 has gotten so bold as to cut off Tiger Claw’s arm. What does that means for his future role in the series? So much to think about! But for now, let’s close out this episode with a solid 7/10. And now, we’ve come to the the end of a season...there are only two episodes left, and with titles like ˆRequiem” (which means a celebration for the dead and/or an act of remembrance) and “Owari” (which literally means the end), I have a feeling 2012 is about to close out this season with a lot of pain and loss, and hopefully some resolution. It’s time to take the Super Shredder down once and for all, and we’ve got to go all out. We’ve got a few days before all things come to an end for season four, so let’s discuss this last regular episode while we’re all still emotionally alive. What did you guys think of Alopex? How did you feel about the episode overall? Any theories? Let me know here. Previous review for Tokka VS the World here. All season four reviews here. All episode reviews index here. Podcast review here.

#teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #tmnt 2012 #tmnt 2k12 #the tale of tiger claw #episode review #tmnt spoilers

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