It was cold. It was cold, dark, and it was raining. In way it was poetic. Almost like a bookend, as if it were some kind of scripted tragedy. But no, there was nothing scripted or fake about this night, it was very real. Four dark figures stood atop the Empire State Building, weapons in hand. A staff, a pair of nunchucks, sai, and even swords. Three figures with green skin, hard shells, and multicolored bandanna stared down the fourth, who appeared to wear armor, a cape, and even a masked helmet on his head. Lightning flashed as the three turtles circled their armored opponent, ready to strike but holding themselves back. Having had enough, the red-bandanna'd turtle lunged with an enraged growl. His attack, though strong and seemingly unstoppable, parried harmlessly off of his target's blades and he was thrown to the side. This set off the other two, who attacked simultaneously from flanking sides, but even that didn't seem to be enough and they were thrown to the ground along with their brother.
Down but not out, all three turtles got back to their feet, and attacked their enemy together. This time they fared much better, the sai-wielding turtle managing a non-lethal stab into his enemy's side. The masked swordsman staggered for a moment, but when the other two turtles went in for a finishing blow, his adrenaline reached its peak and he not only stopped their attack, but ran one of his blades through each of them before dropping them from the roof to the streets below.
With an inhuman scream, the remaining turtle leaped at his opponent in a feral rage, stabbing and cutting with his sai as much as he possibly could. The armored ninja managed to throw the angry turtle off of him, but not before his helmet was knocked off and his face suffering a rather serious cut from the forehead down across his mouth. He staggered to his feet, spat some blood onto the ground, and watched his enemy do the same.
"I told you..." grunted the turtle, his Brooklyn accent coming through slightly, "...that I'd make you look me in face before this was over! You were supposed to be the leader! The best of us! You-" before the turtle could go on, his opponent lunged forth and with expert speed and precision, thrust one of his blades in the turtle's ribs before kicking him over the edge of the roof.
Alone now, the armored ninja let the rain wash the blood from his blades before sheathing them. He silently bent down to pick up his helmet, taking a moment to notice his reflection on it before putting it back. His reflection... which bore the face of a turtle, one that once wore a tattered blue bandanna. Just before putting the helmet back on, he was approached by a small horde of black-clad ninja, one of them a woman who came closer as the others knelt down, "A well-fought victory... Master Shredder."
So basically, as you can tell from the above introduction, things haven't exactly gone well for the heroes on the half-shell. Some time after defeating the Shredder, the Foot Clan returned and, though without its master, proved to still be a threat to the city. The four turtles fought them, of course, but it became increasingly clear to Leonardo that the fighting would have no end. And so, desperate to put a stop their violent feud, Leonardo did the unthinkable. He took control of the Foot himself, allowing the mantle of Shredder to fall on his shoulders. His original intention was to use his authority as the new Shredder to put an end to the Foot Clan's criminal ways and use them as a force for good. Unfortunately this mission, like many of its kind through out history, became distorted over time. Some years after taking over the clan, the Shredder (Leo) declared New York to be under his "protection". By this time he had retrained the Foot Ninja into a much more competent and formidable fighting force than it ever had been, and so there were none who could stop their take over.
Up until this point, Leonardo's brothers had refrained from attacking him under strict orders from Master Splinter. Splinter believed that somewhere in his heart, the old Leo was still there. But Leo's takeover of New York was too much for the old rat's heart, the devastation actually sending him into a fatal cardiac arrest. Their mentor gone, the turtles had nothing restraining them any longer. They challenged Leonardo, leading to the introduction scene above.
New York is at an all-time low point. The Foot Clan seems to rule the city with a sort of martial law. Gang's have become more numerous than ever. Former vigilante Casey Jones tried to bring the former gangs together to oppose the Foot. However, old rivalries kept getting in the way, and the former leaders didn't like the idea of taking orders from Jones. There was a mutiny, and Jones was beaten nearly to death, saved only by intervention from the Foot Clan of all people, who put Jones in a hospital under their protection and control, no doubt Leo wished to save Jones for old time's sake if nothing else.
So that is where the city stands. The Foot all but rule New York, with Leonardo taking on the role of Shredder. Casey Jones hospitalized in a coma he may not be able to awaken from, and the other turtles considered dead, though Leo was only able to confirm the deaths of Mikey and Don, so Raph could still very well be alive out there, though if he is he's chosen to stay in hiding.
All that being said, anyone interested in trying to save New York from the Shredder's tyranny?
Down but not out, all three turtles got back to their feet, and attacked their enemy together. This time they fared much better, the sai-wielding turtle managing a non-lethal stab into his enemy's side. The masked swordsman staggered for a moment, but when the other two turtles went in for a finishing blow, his adrenaline reached its peak and he not only stopped their attack, but ran one of his blades through each of them before dropping them from the roof to the streets below.
With an inhuman scream, the remaining turtle leaped at his opponent in a feral rage, stabbing and cutting with his sai as much as he possibly could. The armored ninja managed to throw the angry turtle off of him, but not before his helmet was knocked off and his face suffering a rather serious cut from the forehead down across his mouth. He staggered to his feet, spat some blood onto the ground, and watched his enemy do the same.
"I told you..." grunted the turtle, his Brooklyn accent coming through slightly, "...that I'd make you look me in face before this was over! You were supposed to be the leader! The best of us! You-" before the turtle could go on, his opponent lunged forth and with expert speed and precision, thrust one of his blades in the turtle's ribs before kicking him over the edge of the roof.
Alone now, the armored ninja let the rain wash the blood from his blades before sheathing them. He silently bent down to pick up his helmet, taking a moment to notice his reflection on it before putting it back. His reflection... which bore the face of a turtle, one that once wore a tattered blue bandanna. Just before putting the helmet back on, he was approached by a small horde of black-clad ninja, one of them a woman who came closer as the others knelt down, "A well-fought victory... Master Shredder."
So basically, as you can tell from the above introduction, things haven't exactly gone well for the heroes on the half-shell. Some time after defeating the Shredder, the Foot Clan returned and, though without its master, proved to still be a threat to the city. The four turtles fought them, of course, but it became increasingly clear to Leonardo that the fighting would have no end. And so, desperate to put a stop their violent feud, Leonardo did the unthinkable. He took control of the Foot himself, allowing the mantle of Shredder to fall on his shoulders. His original intention was to use his authority as the new Shredder to put an end to the Foot Clan's criminal ways and use them as a force for good. Unfortunately this mission, like many of its kind through out history, became distorted over time. Some years after taking over the clan, the Shredder (Leo) declared New York to be under his "protection". By this time he had retrained the Foot Ninja into a much more competent and formidable fighting force than it ever had been, and so there were none who could stop their take over.
Up until this point, Leonardo's brothers had refrained from attacking him under strict orders from Master Splinter. Splinter believed that somewhere in his heart, the old Leo was still there. But Leo's takeover of New York was too much for the old rat's heart, the devastation actually sending him into a fatal cardiac arrest. Their mentor gone, the turtles had nothing restraining them any longer. They challenged Leonardo, leading to the introduction scene above.
New York is at an all-time low point. The Foot Clan seems to rule the city with a sort of martial law. Gang's have become more numerous than ever. Former vigilante Casey Jones tried to bring the former gangs together to oppose the Foot. However, old rivalries kept getting in the way, and the former leaders didn't like the idea of taking orders from Jones. There was a mutiny, and Jones was beaten nearly to death, saved only by intervention from the Foot Clan of all people, who put Jones in a hospital under their protection and control, no doubt Leo wished to save Jones for old time's sake if nothing else.
So that is where the city stands. The Foot all but rule New York, with Leonardo taking on the role of Shredder. Casey Jones hospitalized in a coma he may not be able to awaken from, and the other turtles considered dead, though Leo was only able to confirm the deaths of Mikey and Don, so Raph could still very well be alive out there, though if he is he's chosen to stay in hiding.
All that being said, anyone interested in trying to save New York from the Shredder's tyranny?