Beyond the Sewers || TMNT

Chapter Six

Back in their lair, Raph was talking.

"I know you're a little worried about me," Raph was saying. "Look, I'm not gonna lie to you. We've never gone into a fight like this, and I don't know what's gonna happen. But you don't have to worry. I will make it back. I love you, man." Raph was getting teary eyed as he concluded.

"Aww. Are you talking to your pet turtle?" From behind Raph, Mikey asked teasingly, causing Raph to turn around in a panic, to see his two younger siblings - Mikey and Cat — grinning at him.

"No. Shut up!" Raph yelled, embarrassed.

"That's absolutely adorable," Cat said, her head resting in her hands.

"Oh, I'm gonna crush you two!" Raph yelled. Realizing that he was completely serious, Mikey and Cat quickly took off running. "I'm gonna shellac you!"

As they ran, Raph managed to get a few hits in, causing them to let out screams.

Elswhere...

"I think this plan is gonna work," Leo told himself confidently.

"No plan ever survives contact with the enemy," Splinter said, coming up from behind him, causing Leo to glance at him. "It is how you react to the unexpected that will determine if you and your brothers and sisters succeed."

"Sensei, do you think I'm ready for this?" Leo asked him, unsure of himself and Splinter's decision.

"Leonardo," Splinter said, placing a firm hand on his oldest son's shoulder, "I made you leader for a reason."

"What is that reason?" Leo asked.

"That is for you to discover on your own," Splinter said wisely.

"But there's so much riding on this," Leo protested. "What if something goes wrong?"

"Failure is a possibility every leader must face, Leonardo," Splinter told him. "It is something I had to face in Japan during my final battle with my enemy, the Shredder," he began the flashback story. "Years ago, Oroku Saki, as Shredder was called then, had been my friend, but the love of a woman came between us. He could not accept it, and his jealousy turned outward in a vengeful attack. And while he could not defeat me that day, my world fell and crumbled around me as the battle took the life of my beloved Tang Shen, and I lost my baby daughter, Miwa," he finished sadly, his hand placed against the wall, turning away from his son.

"But that's my point, sensei," Leo told him. "You lost everything."

"I lost many things," Splinter agreed, still facing the walls, his eyes closed. "My family, my home, my name." He stopped talking, Leo looking to the ground. He turned around and gazed at his son. When he picked up taking, Leo looked up at him. "But I gained many things as well, like the six of you."

"Don't worry," Leo said, suddenly filled with determination as he clenched one of his fists. "We can handle this.

Suddenly, both Mikey and Cat ran by screaming, causing Leo to widen his eyes as the two teenagers and an angry Raph, carrying his weapon ran past him and their sensei.

"Get back here!" Raph demanded.

"Can't you scream quieter!" Mari yelled from her bedroom.

Leo exchanged looks with Splinter and then groaned.

—

"They'll be here any minute," Snake said, standing guard in front of the building, holding a large gun. Three identical men that call themselves the Kraangdroids stood behind him, also with guns.

"Kraang, are those who are coming to this place coming to this place?" Krang 1 asked.

"I lack that knowledge, Kraang," Krang 2 said. "I will inquire of Kraang about that knowledge. Do you have the knowledge if those coming to this place are near this place, Kraang?"

"They're turtles!" Snake snapped, annoyed with the Kraang's way of talking. Call them turtles! 'Are the turtles here?'"

Kraang 3 was standing above them and he pointed. "There are lights of a vehicle which contain that which you wish us to call the turtles coming to this place which you wish us to call here," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Snake demanded.

He turned around and saw a van heading toward them. All the kraang — more of which appeared — started shooting at it. Everyone moved out of the way as the van veered closer to them. The truck crashed into the hideout as Snake drops back. A big explosion went off. Some of the mutagen landed on Snake and he begin to mutant into something horrible.

The Kraang checked the van but didn't see anyone. "The ones coming to this place are not in the vehicle bringing them to this place," one of the Kraang said.

"Then in what place are the ones called the turtles?" Kraang 2 asked.

On the nearby wall, the six turtles were climbing it, wearing climbing claws that Donnie had crafted them before they left.

"Wow," Mikey says, glancing over in the direction of the Kraang, "lucky thing that van showed up to distract them."

"Definitely," Cat agreed, nodding solemnly.

Donnie facepalmed at his younger siblings stupidity, forgetting that he was wearing climbing claws. "Ow!" he exclaimed.

"That was the plan, Mikey, Cat," Leo told them. "We knew snake was hiding in the alley, so Raph, Mari and I made him think we would be in the van."

"But we weren't in the van," Mikey said, confused.

"Yeah, we're over here?" Cat made it sound like a question.

"How about you idiots just keep climbing?" Mari questioned, exasperated.

"Can do," Mikey chirped. And then frowned. "But I'm not an idiot."

"Yes, you very much are," Mari said with a slight snort.

"I'm still very confused," Cat said, glancing over at Mikey, who nodded in agreement.

"You always are." Raph rolled his eyes. "Now like Mari said, keep climbing!"

"How about we all just shut up and climb," Leo snapped. "We're wasting time!"

"Okay, fine," Cat said.

"No need to go all boss mode on us," Mari muttered.

"I am your boss!" Leo said. "How many times do I got to say keep climbing?"

"One was enough," Mikey pointed out.

And so the six — rather annoyed — turtles continued climbing the wall,