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The five of them were perched above the Hand compound, and Leonardo could feel the tension running through his brothers. They didn't trust her, whether he vouched for the girl or not. She was an outsider to them, and after everything they had gone through in their youth, it would still be a while before they could ever truly trust an outsider.

It was one of the ways Leonardo was different from the rest of his family. He knew the war they were about to be in meant they were going to need help from the outside, from people who were able to walk in broad daylight without others freaking out and calling the cops. There was only so much the ninja would be able to do, and that would almost always be restricted to the dark of night.

[color=0054a6]"We all know what we're here to do,"[/color] he said to the assembled group, breaking the silence that had fallen over them during the trek here. [color=0054a6]"Karai and I will get the helmet. The three of you will give the Hand hell while we do that. Remember, they don't know we're coming. Hell, they don't even know we exist. And once they get a look at us, it's going to throw them off their game, I don't care how good their training is."[/color]

[color=f26522]"Mean green gonna drop some ninjutsu on their ass,"[/color] Mikey fist pumped in approval.

[color=ed1c24]"Never, ever say that again,"[/color] Raph shook his head in disbelief.

[color=9e0039]"I actually agree with you on something,"[/color] Karai added in.

[color=f26522]"But we need a battle cry,"[/color] Mikey pleaded.

[color=92278f]"Well, it's certainly not gonna be that,"[/color] Donatello patted him on the shoulder.

[color=0054a6]"Give us a few minutes to get into position. Once we are, you can drop in and start tearing the place apart. We all good?"[/color]

[color=92278f]"As good as we'll ever be,"[/color] Donnie was nervous.

[color=f26522]"I've been waiting my whole life for this,"[/color] Raph twirled his sai.

[color=f26522]"Bonzai?"[/color] Mikey looked around for approval.

[color=0054a6]"Definitely not,"[/color] Leo looked over his shoulder at the youngest turtle, before disappearing into the darkness with Karai.
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Raphael shifted his weight from one foot to the other in anticipation of the coming battle. He wasn't exaggerating when he told Leo he had been waiting for this moment his entire life. Sitting in the sewers for a decade and a half, being trained for just this moment. The fight against the Dragons the other night was nothing but an appetizer, and served outside his parameters. Tonight they could be ninja. Tonight they were the ones with the upper hand, and would be the ones to come away with the victory.

[color=f26522]"Think it's been long enough?"[/color] Mikey asked as he hung off the side of the fire escape by his knees, twirling his nunchuk idly.

[color=92278f]"Few more minutes, I think,"[/color] Donnie shook his head.

After a few more seconds, Raph grumbled, [color=ed1c24]"Forget a few more minutes. I'm going now."[/color]

Vaulting off the building and rolling towards the warehouse. From his belt he pulled the smoke bombs that Donnie had designed for this plan. He said they'd cover ten times the space they usually did and would linger for longer. Raph hoped the egg head was right, because they needed as much time as they could possibly get.

He tossed one over the fence of the truck yard of the warehouse, and sent himself into a spiraling flip after it. The bomb went off, releasing a rush of smoke as far as the eye could see.

He heard a Hand member coughing down the fog close by. Raphael swung around the side of one of the nearby shipping containers, and struck the man in the side of the head, knocking him out. 

He was startled by another body slamming against the container. From the fog came Mikey, twirling his weapons, [color=f26522]"Bro, this is like that movie! With the ghost pirates! In the fog. You know."[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"The Fog?"[/color] Raph responded as he ducked an incoming blow from a new combatant. 

[color=f26522]"Yea, the movie with the fog. What was it called?"[/color] Mike slid into the newcomer, knocking him off balance.

A bo staff came in and knocked the human ninja to the ground, [color=92278f]"Mikey, the movie is called 'The Fog'."[/color]

[color=f26522]"Ohhh...right,"[/color] he chuckled. [color=f26522]"Let's go get our ghost pirate on, bros. Avast ye mateys!"[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"Mike, you need to stop." [/color]
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Behind Karai and Leonardo, the smoke from Donatello's smoke bombs began to filter through the truck graveyard that made up the Hand compound. Orders were being shouted below them, and the ninja of the Hand charged into the foggy darkness. But left inside was someone familiar to Leonardo.

[color=0054a6]"It's not possible,"[/color] the turtle shook his head as he looked down on the Hand leader who he had stabbed through the gut in their first altercation during the Hand's meeting with the mob bosses.

[color=9e0039]"What isn't possible?"[/color] Karai was confused.

Leo nodded to the ninja master who now paced in the main dojo where the helmet was being kept, [color=0054a6]"I fought that one, the first night we found the hand. My sword went right through him, but there he is. Like nothing happened to him. That was only a few days ago."[/color]

[color=9e0039]"Welcome to the magics of the Hand,"[/color] she warned him. [color=9e0039]"Many ninja cults, the ones that have survived, that is, are trained in unnatural abilities. There is a reason that helmet is so coveted. Maybe you and your brothers think it's just a symbol. That the 'return' of the Shredder is nothing more than the return of him symbolically. But it is not true. If the armor, the heart, and the helmet are reunited, Oroku Saki will rise. This is magic, Leonardo. This is all so much bigger than anything you can imagine."[/color]

He could see her passion boiling over. She believed in all this. Leonardo had trusted his father's guidance on this matter, but he still had no idea to what level it could possibly be true. Karai's vigor told him it was, or at the very least she truly believed it was. That was enough for him.

[color=0054a6]"Ready?"[/color] he asked, readying his swords.

[color=9e0039]"Ready,"[/color] she smiled meekly.

They crashed down into the Hand lair together. Leonardo landed closest to the lead ninja, who rolled out of the way. Leo's sword dug into the padded mat that lined the dojo. Their enemy quickly got to his feet and drove his heel into Karai's chest, driving her backk.

"So, you come to try and kill me yet again, freak," the ninja growled at Leo. "But as you can see, you cannot kill me. The power of the Beast flows through me."

[color=0054a6]"Clearly not the power of shutting the hell up,"[/color] Leo grumbled and came at the ninja. His swords were like the wind, but the ninja seemed to be even faster. Every time one of Leo's blades seemed like it was about to hit home, his opponent barely got out of the way in time. He would also parry with his own blade. He seemed to be playing with Leonardo more than fighting the mutant turtle. It was a great sign of disrespect. Leonardo centered himself and watched the Hand ninja's movement. He continued to attack, but in a more meticulous way, drawing the man into a trap. With a feint with his left sword, he spun around like a flash, once again driving his sword through his enemy.

The Hand ninja fell to the ground in a heap, and Leo called out, [color=0054a6]"Karai, it's time! Let's..."[/color]

He saw her at the exit of the warehouse, but she wasn't alone. Standing beside her were a group of ninja, not unlike the Hand. But instead of them dressed in red, their ninja-yoroi were black as night. Karai shrugged at the turtle, "Thank you for your assistance. You have made the Foot's rebirth easier than it could have been. I will remember you for that."

The ninjas parted, and one of them from the back stepped up with a rocket launcher. The next moments happened in slow motion. The rocket flew in a flash of light and smoke towards Leonardo. He managed to get out of the way, watching the projectile as it flew by and struck one of the support beams for the warehouse. It exploded in a flash of heat and force, flinging the turtle through the air and crashing into a weapon stand.

Before he lost consciousness, Leonardo saw the place starting to go up in flames and a white blur race towards him.
[center]**********[/center] 
When he came to, he found himself in an alley with his brothers.

[color=0054a6]"So that was a royal screw up, huh?"[/color] he said groggily.

[color=00aeef]"You got that right,"[/color] Alopex's voice came from his side. He turned to find his surrogate sister standing over him. [color=00aeef]"You're lucky I came and got you out in time."[/color]

[color=0054a6]"I thought this wasn't your fight?"[/color] Leo looked at her suspiciously. 

[color=00aeef]"It's not,"[/color] she shook her head. Turning to leave, she looked over her shoulder, [color=00aeef]"Doesn't mean I can't come save your ass when you need it."[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"You could do a whole lot more than that,"[/color] Raphael shot back.

Alopex bared her teeth at the red-masked turtle and climbed the nearby wall to head back home.

[color=0054a6]"Splinter isn't gonna be happy,"[/color] Leo sighed as they made their way towards a nearby manhole.

[color=f26522]"Major bummer,"[/color] Mikey lamented.

[color=92278f]"We really screwed up,"[/color] Donatello agreed.

[color=0054a6]"No, I did,"[/color] Leo admitted. [color=0054a6]"If I didn't insist on bringing Karai in we could have done this on our own. I just wanted to believe someone up here would be willing to be on our side."[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"Yea, well, you gotta get over that delusion,"[/color] Raphael snapped back. [color=ed1c24]"We're freaks, Leo. Okay. We're giant, talking, walking, fighting turtles. Ain't no one up here gonna be on our side. Hell, they don't even like the super powered people that look like them. How do you think they're gonna react to us. This fight we got on our hands? It's ours and ours alone. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we can get to really fighting it. Ain't no one coming to help us."[/color]

Raphael's words stung, but Leo knew there was a kernel of truth to them. The only reason Karai agreed to help was to ensure she could get the helmet for the Foot. She also figured she could kill multiple enemies in the process. She almost succeeded, all because he was too naive to see through her ploy.

The four brothers, wounded from their failure, prepared to slink down into the sewers. But before they could, a bright flash illuminated the alley, and they heard footsteps running from them.

[color=0054a6]"Terrific. Things go from bad to worse."[/color]