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The call woke April up way too early on a Saturday morning.

The panicked voice of the contact that had giver her the location of the warehouse greeted her on the other side, asking if she had given that location to anyone else, and if she had planted the secret camera she had planned on placing the the warehouse.

[color=f7976a]"No,"[/color] she lied. [color=f7976a]"I went and checked the warehouse out, looked for anything left behind, but didn't see anything."[/color]

The contact gave her the rundown. A mobster connected with the Kingpin Crime family had been found tied up alongside his hired muscle. A trail of blood was also found, but it was from neither of the men. They were fine, outside of currently sitting in Rikers. 

April thanked him, and rushed over to her computer. If the camera worked as she had hoped, it would have turned on when it sensed motion in the warehouse and transmitted still pictures back to her. Of course, that didn't mean she'd be able to get anything usable, but if she did she'd have enough to write her story. Fenwick wouldn't be able to ignore her anymore, and that's all that mattered to her at this point.

She powered up the laptop on her desk, and almost squealed with delight when she saw that the camera's app was displaying new images. April hungrily opened the app, and began flipping through the pictures. She couldn't believe how well this had worked. The two men in suits had to be the gangsters the contact had spoke of. And then, clear as day, three ninja appeared. A few o f the pictures showed the five of them speaking. But then the pictures went dark. Only illuminated by the dim light filtering through the grimy skylight of the warehouse.

Four new figures joined the others in these, but she could barely make them out. There was clearly a struggle. These newcomers attacked the initially members of the meeting. It must have been where the blood came from, either from one of these new entrants or the ninja that the police had found no trace of.

But the final picture caused April to gasp. One of the interlopers had appeared in front of the camera, illuminated by enough light to get a fair look at it. It stood at a bout five and a half feet at most. Its green skin was dull in the low light, but the red mask it wore over its face fluttered slightly in motion, and it draped over what was obviously a turtle shell.

[color=f7976a]"Okay, well...this story just got a whole lot more interesting,"[/color] April muttered to herself.
[hr]
Splinter looked at his sons, all four of whom were sitting stoically in front of him. They had tasted their first true battle tonight. He could sense how excited they were. It was normal for ones so young to see battle as an exciting adventure. In time they would come to find it was nothing more than an obstacle to be avoided whenever possible. But what they had told him tonight proved that, for now, battle would be their way of life.

[color=a36209]"You are sure they were Hand?"[/color] he asked Leonardo again. The rat had to admit, he was not expecting their first outing to go as well as it did. Leonardo was a capable leader, but even the most capable could fall victim if the whims he was to lead were too strong. While it was clear the brothers were not on the same page initially, Leonardo was able to get them in line when it actually mattered. That was almost more important than having a set plan going into a conflict. 

[color=0054a6]"Yes, sensei,"[/color] Leo nodded. [color=0054a6]"The lead ninja said as much. That the mob was running something into the city for them. Through some gang's territory that was not friendly to either faction."[/color]

Splinter stroked the fur on his chin, [color=a0410d]"So the Hand is still content to stay behind the curtain. Either because they do not have the strength they require, or because they are hiding from someone or something."[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"We need to crush them when we have the chance,"[/color] Raph added in characteristically. [color=ed1c24]"If they're hiding, it means they're vulnerable. We wipe them out and we find that damn helmet they have. Then we make sure the Shredder can't come back."[/color]

[color=f26522]"Yea, we kick em to the curb and we hold all the cards,"[/color] Mikey nodded. [color=f26522]"Wait, unless it's like Go Fish. That'd be bad."[/color]

[color=92278f]"This all seems a bit rash,"[/color] Donatello rolled his eyes.

[color=a0410d]"I agree, my son,"[/color] Splinter surprised Donatello with that one. [color=a0410d]"We do not yet know enough about the Hand's movements to judge their strength. What I do want is these Purple Dragons, and what their role in all this is. Find the dragons, and find out what the mob is bringing into the city for the Hand. Once we have all the puzzle pieces, we will be ready to move in earnest against our adversaries."[/color]