Ninja Mutant Turtle Teenagers in New York

Family Reunion

Tara's POV:

I glance at Leo before looking at the ground in shame. Father jerks my head up to face him.

Father: "It's been too long."

Me: "Not long enough if you ask me."

Shredder: "Even after retrieving the mutagen I lost 15 years ago, you still look at me with disdain. Daughter, why so resentful?"

Me: "Resentful is putting it mildly. After Mom died, you seemed to forget I was even there. Now, you threaten my family and think I'll come running back to you without a second thought?"

Shredder: "You think they are your family? I raised you, trained you, shaped you into the person you are today. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have this family."

Me: "I know. Still-"

I shove him backward and get into a battle stance.

Me: "It'd be a shame if all that training went to waste."

Splinter walks to stand by my side with a knowing nod. He knew?! He knew, and he still let me into his home? Into his family?

Shredder: "Stubborn child."

Splinter & I lunge toward Shredder as he shoots various blades at us. We dodge them and deflect his advances. Then, Shredder uses a magnetic force to bring his knives back to him, which we still dodge. We continue to fight against one another before Shredder shoves me into a wall and pins Splinter to the ground.

Leo & I: "Sensei!"

Leo rushes to his aid, only to fall on his shell as a group of Foot soldiers tase him.

Me: "Donnie, help Leo!"

Donnie: "Hang on, guys! Be right there!"

Splinter rises to stand, but Shredder repeatedly knocks him over. April rushes to his aid, using one of Raph's spare sais to stab Shredder's armor from behind. Splinter uses his tail to fling her over to safety. Meanwhile, I fight off Leo's attackers and help him up. We join Donnie & Mikey as we rush to stand before Shredder as he holds them up in the air.

Shredder: "Children, drop your weapons, or your 'father' will die."

We have no choice. Alive or not, I lost my 'father' long before I ran off. I won't let the same fate fall to the turtles. We each drop our weapons to the ground in dismay. Shredder disregards this and hits Splinter in the chest while his men tase the turtles.

Me: "No! Father, please! Take me instead. I'll do whatever you want; just don't hurt them any longer."

Shredder drops Splinter to the ground as he stalks towards me.

Shredder: "How many times have I told you? Compassion is weakness. It will only bring you failure and pain."

Me: "You're wrong. I've seen what compassion does, and it brings nothing but strength, bravery, and love."

Shredder: "Love? Love is what once made me weak. I loved your mother, and fate took her away from me and left a child for me to raise alone."

Me: "Oh, and what a fine job you did. Training me to be a weapon, tossing me aside once the next 'aspiring pupil' turned up. Love did not make you weak. Ignorance and self-absorbed thinking are what make you weaker still. You're no warrior. You're just a lonely shell of a man trying to cheat your way out of the justice you deserve."

Shredder: "Hmm, such confidence, such heart, such a waste of time in your defeat. Take her away."

A pair of his men grab me tightly from behind.

Leo: "Let her go!"

No matter how much I writhe around to escape, their grip only tightens.

Me: "Mark my words, Shredder, this is not the end of our fight."

Shredder: "So you believe.-*to his other men*-Destroy this place."

They follow his order, a larger explosion going off behind us as we're dragged through an empty street in the pouring rain. The men then lead me to stand a few feet from where the turtles are being held. Leo does his best to fight through the pain and encourages the others to keep their morale up.

Leo: "Stay strong. Remember, pain is only in the mind."

I'm then yanked forward to sit in the passenger seat of the van the turtles are being hauled into. A woman named Karai pulls my wrists behind my back and places a pair of handcuffs on them with a condescending smirk.

Karai: "So, you're the famous Tara-chan. I've heard quite a lot about you. Nothing like what I've just seen."

Me (Translation): "If you think Shredder gives a slice of pizza about you, you're in for a rude awakening, you little kanojo-akuma." (she-devil)

Karai tugs on my wrists in anger before calling Sacks on her phone. I smirk in reply. Raph hits harder than that during training.

Karai: "Package is secure. En route. We're carrying three specimens, along with Shredder's daughter, and we'll be arriving at the state in approximately 45 minutes."

Karai is silent before putting the phone on speaker and holding it to my face.

Sacks: "Hi, Tara. What's it been? 7 years?"

Me: "Try 8, Slacks. Oops, I mean Sacks."

Sacks: "Aw, still as funny as you were when we met. Shame you had to run off before we could get properly acquainted, though. Funny how you happened to run right into my experiments."

Me: "They're not 'experiments'. They're citizens of New York, heroes, and way too important to spend time with the likes of you."

Sacks: "Careful, or our little friend here might just rough you up a little for such disrespect towards your master."

Me: "You are not my master. I serve no one but my family, which you aren't a part of. Also, it seems like she's all bark and no bite. You sure you want such a weak link in your employ?"

Sacks: "We'll see if you've still got that fire when your friends are chained up in cages, the mutagen being drained from their systems while you watch."

Me: "You & Shredder deserve each other."

Karai hangs up the call before anything else is said. Raph, wherever you are, you better be on your way. Or a cage will be the least of your problems.

TO BE CONTINUED