New York City
Zack Paulson was leaving the Tang Shen dojo late one night, long after the other students had already left for the day. Zack was only fourteen with sandy blonde hair that was constantly falling into his eyes, but he was the longest attending student at the dojo currently. And even though his skills as a martial artist were slowly improving, he was the most trusted student to the dojo's owner and lead instructor. He even had his own key to come and go as he pleased. Zack's skills didn't lay with the martial arts so much as computer skills . It was Zack that kept the computers up and running, and even helping out when tax time came around. At first Zack wanted to quit the dojo, but then something happened to change his mind, which is a story for later. It was starting to rain as Zack started to walk home. It was far too late to catch a bus, and he didn't have the money for a cab. But the computer system needed to have a virus removed that some clown had accidentally unleashed. It took most of the day to do it, but luckily the head instructor had a pizza delivered to get him through on the promise that he locked up when he left. It wasn't long before Zack was completely drenched, which was when he ran into more trouble. A muscular young man in his early 20's wearing a black and purple jacket appeared in front of him. On the back of the jacket an emblazoned dragon breathing smoke and preparing to shoot a flame. He was soon joined by three others young men wearing the same jacket. "What do we have here?" Hun asked with a vicious smirk. "Looks like a late dinner to me." "I don't want any trouble, Hun." Zack said as the Purple Dragon members started laughing. "Trouble? Oh, we're not here to give you trouble, we're here to tell you once again about our generous offer for the final time. Join the Purple Dragons, kid. There is no second or third option. We've run out of bones to break on you, Zack. Well, except your neck." Hun said as they slowly approached. "No," Zack said, trying to sound brave. "I won't join you." "Your big brother wasn't scared," Hun told him. "At least until he turned chicken and tried to leave us. Then he screamed like a little girl when we caught up with him and taught him a lesson. Join the Purple Dragons or die." It was hard to see Zack's tears through the rain, but they were there. The boy quickly turned to run through the alley, but being blinded by the rain he didn't see the brick wall at the end. He ran into it, falling backward. "Make it look like an accident, but get his house keys, we'll make our little raid after," Hun told the others, not noticing four shadowy figures silently dropping down behind them. "And make it quick before someone else shows up." As Hun turned around, a garbage can lid being used as a shield slammed into him, sending him flying back. As one of the gang members reached for a gun, a sai flew from out of nowhere, pinning his wrist to the wall behind him, while a bo staff tripped up the guy standing next to him. The shadows moved fast and silently, taking out the Purple Dragons before they could even catch a glimpse of their attackers. Hun decided to make a run for it, just as a katana sailed through the air, slicing his pants as Hun fell forward into a mud puddle. "Aw, don't leave the party now, dude." A teenage voice said as Hun was dragged back into the alley, where the sound of punching was heard. Seconds later, the Purple Dragons were in a pile in the middle of the alley with Hun laying on top. Zack was unconscious on the ground as a green hand wearing a purple cloth on his wrist reached down to check his pulse. "Is the little dude okay?" "He'll live, but we'd better get him out of the rain before he catches pneumonia." "He's one of the kids from the dojo. We'll take him back there where he'll be safe for the night." "What about those creeps? I say we go find more of them if they're still hanging around the neighborhood." Zack was barely conscious as his eyes half-opened, looking up to see four... somethings standing over him. "The kid is hurt, we need to help him first, then if there's time we'll come back and sweep the neighborhood." "But--" "Heh heh, 'butt'." "We don't go looking for fights, Raphael. We only got involved here because someone needed us. We get the kid somewhere safe, then we make sure that no one else is in danger. That's all we were told to do." "Yeah, well, maybe we should start taking the fight to the Purple Dragons. They're expanding, Leonardo, we need to take them down before it's too late." "This isn't the time to discuss this. This kid is hurt, let's get him out of the rain and we'll talk about this with Father." The last thing Zack saw before he lost consciousness again was two green hands with blue wrist cloths on them. Each hand only had three fingers on them. Then came darkness once again. * Hours later, Zack shot up with a gasp, finding himself on a cot in the dojo's rec room. He had several blankets over him as he looked around the room, recognizing where he was. As he looked around, he found his now dry clothes neatly folded on the table, next to his shoes. Planting his bare feet on the floor while wrapping one of the blankets around his waist, Zack stumbled to the table before he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror on the wall, where he had a nasty bruise on his forehead from slamming into the brick wall. "What the hell happened to me?" Zack whispered to himself as he brushed his hair back to get a better glance at the bruise. * Deep within the sewer system there was a large lair with all the comforts of home. The furniture had all been found through garbage dumps and stuff left on the sidewalk that people were just throwing out; there was a small kitchen with appliances that had been built from other appliances to make them grander; a large training dojo with many weapons hanging off of the wall, both hand-forged and found in the afore-mentioned dump; and a living room with a large t.v. and a couch that had somehow survived the 1970's. On the couch sat a 4 foot tall rat dressed in a red kimono. Beside him was a tray of sushi, a cup of herbal tea and a remote control, with the current program on the t.v. being an old kung-fu movie. The rat was diligently watching, studying the moves he saw in the hopes of incorporating them into a future lesson plan for his students/sons, who were due home any minute. Soon the voices of four teenagers was heard from outside of the sewer lair, all talking incoherently over each other like regular teenagers. Only these weren't regular teenagers, as evidenced by them walking through the entrance of the lair. They were four 5-foot tall turtles. The leader, Leonardo, was blue-green in tone, with a blue bandana mask covering his eyes. He was the largest of the four brothers. The next through the door was Donatello, wearing purple and was brownish-green in skin tone. Donatello was lankier than the others from spending his free time in front of a computer rather than in the dojo training. Then came Raphael, wearing red with a dark green tone. While he wasn't as large as Leonardo, he was more muscular. And finally the orange clad Michelangelo, whose tone was forest-green. The fourth turtle was the smallest of the group and a half-foot shorter than the others. All of them had brown belts, with Leonardo and Donatello having shoulder straps that allowed for holsters for their Katanas and bo staff respectively. "So you're seriously going to stand there and tell me that Superman could beat down Batman? Are you freakin' kiddin' me?" Raphael asked. "Batman would curbstomp Superman into a gross paste." "But Superman's got all of those cool powers!" Michelangelo shouted. "He's got superstrength and flight and heat vision and--" "He ain't got none of those once Batman pulls out the kryptonite," Raphael told him. "Hell, Batman probably wears kryptonite underwear just to be safe." As the two younger turtles argued, Leonardo saw Splinter on the couch and immediately bowed, with the other Turtles quickly following suit, at least once Raphael smacked Michelangelo's arm. "I'm sorry we're home late, Father," Leonardo said. "Someone was in trouble." "The Purple Dragons," Splinter told them. His voice was old and worn, but was still able to command respect from his four sons with just a single glance. "I saw the news report of police taking some of them in for questioning earlier tonight. Tell me what happened." "Another one of the dojo students was attacked," Raphael said. "We actually managed to be there to save one this time." "Something was different, though," Leonardo told his master. "They were going to kill this one. The others they just beat up and sent to the hospital, but this kid was different to them." "If they are willing to murder, perhaps this student needs to be watched over," Splinter told them as he stared at his sons. "For some time, the Purple Dragon's hold over the city has been tightening. I have wanted you to stay out of this affair for fear of exposing us to a world which would fear and reject us. But perhaps the time is quickly approaching to where we must start fighting back against this tide of evil. My sons, I have raised you to resist fighting if there is no need. Your skills were only meant to defend yourselves and those weaker than you. Now those skills will be put to the ultimate test. I have listened to your stories about the Purple Dragon's fighting abilities and the way they move like ninja. It is my fear that whoever is training the Purple Dragons is from the same clan as my master, Hamato Yoshi!" "The Foot Clan? In New York?" Donatello asked. "You've always said those guys are bad news, Father. Weren't they centralized solely in Japan, though?" "They were in New York once, many years ago," Splinter said. "It appears as though they are returning. We can not take this threat lightly, for if they are here, the entire city may in grave danger." "That would explain why they're targeting kids at the dojo," Leonardo realized. "It's the last remaining good thing about the Foot Clan, back when Hamato Yoshi was in charge. But that still doesn't explain why they wanted that kid dead." "Then we gotta find out," Raphael told him. "We need to follow him and see what he knows." "Tomorrow is better than tonight," Leonardo said. "In the meantime, we practice. Donatello, Raphael, Michaelang-- Where's Michelangelo?" The youngest turtle poked his head out of the kitchenette. "Can't train on an empty stomach. I was making a pizza or twelve." "One of these days, that appetite of yours is gonna get us killed!" Raphael shouted. "At least we'll die on a full stomach!" Michelangelo shouted as Raphael threw a pillow at him. "Hey!" * After being released from police custody, from which there was nothing to hold them on at the time, the Purple Dragons returned to their warehouse headquarters in the bad part of town. While the outside looked worn down, the inside of the condemned building looked like a teenager's paradise. Arcade cabinets, pool tables, a snack bar, soda machines, everything a kid could want. Deeper within the building was a dojo where the teens were trained to fight in ninjitsu. Security cameras were hidden all over the place so that one man could monitor the activities of his children. The man, who had been expelled from the Foot Clan many years ago, now had a much grander dream than just lording over a group of ninjas. Now he was going to lord over an entire city once his army was trained and willing to do his bidding. In the bottom monitor, Hun and his group stormed through the door as the man got up and headed for the main rec room. As he walked, he glanced at his assistant standing by the door to follow. "Hey, Hun, we heard you got your ass handed to you by a kid!" one of the teens shouted, followed by more taunts and laughter. "Shut-up, it wasn't him! There was someone else there!" Hun shouted as the laughter continued. It was only when a gong sounded that the sounds of laughter stopped and the room fell dead silent. At the top of a walkway, a bald Japanese man in a black kimono stared menacingly down at the crowd. The entire room started to bow down in respect as the ninja master Tatsu descended down the stairs, quickly approaching Hun. "Master Tatsu, I--" Hun started to say before the sound of a mighty slap echoed through the warehouse. "You have embarrassed this family," Tatsu said angrily, yet in a calm tone. "You, my best warrior, were bested by an infant!" "Master, please, I--" "Silence!" Tatsu shouted. "It was you who informed me that this boy had information that could destroy what we had built. It was you who convinced me to let you handle this by either bringing this boy to join our family or removing him altogether. And you have failed." Tatsu turned and looked at the crowd of teenagers before looking at his assistant on the walkway above them.She was short with brown hair and glasses, holding a clipboard in her hand. He barely nodded at her before yelling in Japanese. "I have brought all of you together for a purpose!" the assistant shouted as she translated. "The outside world has shunned you! Made you feel unwelcome! I give you the chance to prove them wrong by turning you from not more than tossed away rubbish into something that people will have no choice but to bow down to and respect! You are all brothers here, and I am your father! And I will not tolerate disobedience or failure! The city will bow before us, but only if we act as one unit, working towards one singular goal! There is a child out there who threatens our very existence, and he must be eliminated!" "Please, master, give me one more chance," Hun begged. "I'll bring Zack to you and make him tell you what he knows." "I'll give you one final chance since I'm feeling generous this day," Tatsu said as he lifted Hun up by his collar. "If you fail, I kill the boy myself. Then it will be your turn to die as punishment." Tatsu threw Hun across the floor before ascending the walkway once again. Once both Tatsu and the assistant had closed the door, the boys started their party up again, just as a few new recruits wandered in, having just missed everything. * It was Saturday morning at the Tang Shen Dojo as Zack was heading up the path to the school. His hair was combed down to cover his bruise and he was wearing dark sunglasses over his eyes as he saw his best friend waiting for him. Kirby Jackson was a year older than Zack, with red hair and freckles. "Are you okay?" Kirby asked. "You look like you were in a fight." "I was... I think," Zack told him. "The Purple Dragons showed up on the way home.I don't know what happened, I just know I hit a wall and passed out. Then when I woke up, I was back at the dojo with a bruise on my forehead. I just know that I dreamed that I saw... something big and muscular before I passed out. It seemed... friendly." "Well, at least you're alive," Kirby said as he put an arm around Zack's shoulder. "Let's go before we're late to class." "Like it'd matter, I'm the worst student here," Zack reminded him. "If I wasn't so good with computers, I'd have probably been kicked to the curb by now." "Sensei would never do that to you," Kirby told him. "Even if you suck at ninjitsu, and let's face it, you totally do, but everyone here really likes you. You're my best buddy, I wouldn't hang out here if you weren't around." "Says the guy who's due for his orange belt any day now." "Blue, actually. I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want you feel bad that I'm getting better and better. Sensei thinks I could be an instructor here in a few years after I graduate." Kirby told him. "That's cool," Zack said as his head hung low as the two entered the school. "Congratulations." Meanwhile, the Purple Dragons, led by Hun, were standing across the street. And on top a building not too far away, Raphael was watching the Purple Dragons. * "Nofairnofairnofair!" Michelangelo shouted as he found himself bodyslammed onto the ground by Leonardo. "Life isn't fair, little brother," Leonardo told him. "Any enemies we encounter will go far worse on you. You need to focus harder on not letting them get that close to you." "You're twice as big as me," Michelangelo said as Leonardo helped him up. "How am I supposed to take down someone the size of a tank?" "It is not the size, it is the spirit," Splinter told him as he watched them spar from the sidelines. "Let your body and your mind join forces, working as one to conquer your opponent." "Alright," Michelangelo said as he got up and started jogging in place while getting pumped. "You can do this, Mikey. You can do this. Alright, Leonardo, you're going do--" As soon as the youngest turtle got into striking range, Michelangelo found himself flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Hey, that water stain looks like Elvis!" "Alright, Donatello, it's your turn." Leonardo said as Donatello was playing around with a wristmounted phone. "I'd love to, but this is delicate equipment," Donatello said. "I don't think you're humiliated Raphael lately." "Oh, yeah, hey Raph-- Where is Raphael?" "He took off earlier, said something about watching over that kid," Michelangelo said while still on his back and reading a comic. Leonardo just let out a sigh. "Gear up, we'd better go after him." "Before he gets himself killed?" Donatello asked. "Before he gets that kid killed." * Zack and Kirby were sitting among their classmates in the training area. The students were dressed in their red and black karate gi's. "You sure you're up for class today?" Kirby asked. "You still look like hell." "I'll be okay," Zack told him. Having had to take his sunglasses off, Kirby could tell how sleep deprived his best friend was. "Let's just get my daily ass-kicking over with." "Hey, Zack, the computers are offline, Sensei wants you to take a look at them." a girl named Caitlin said as she walked into the room and taking a seat with the others. "I'll be right back," Zack sighed as he stood up and walked out of the room, heading to the computer lab where he sat down at one of the monitors. "Someone's turned the server off. This shouldn't take too long to fix." Hun put his hand around Zack's mouth and pulled him out of his seat. "You have something we want," Hun told Zack, keeping his hand over his mouth. "So either tell us what we want to know or you die. I mean, you're going to die anyway, but how quickly it happens depends on you." "Excuse me," a voice said as Hun's head turned. At the door stood a woman wearing a red and black karate gi. Her brown hair was up in a bun as she held a bo staff. "What are you doing with my student?" "Who the hell are you?" Hun asked. "I'm the owner of this school and that boy is under my protection. Now let my student go or I'm going to have to get rough." April O'Neil said as she twirled her bo staff. TO BE CONTINUED...
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Tobias ChristopherAuthor, pubescent ninjitsu master Archives
February 2019
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