Turtles' Big Sister

The Super Shredder

"Focus. Do not let your attention flitter away from you," Father instructed. Pepper and her siblings, along with April and the twins, are meditating in the dojo as a bell rang rhythmically in the background to give them a sense of calm. "All random thoughts are transitory, like dreams. Let them disappear. Bask in the emptiness of the void."

Pepper breathed out slowly. It was calm, peaceful. There was a feeling of safety in the dojo, surrounded by her family and friends.

Father gasped, prompting them to open their eyes. Except for Mikey, who had fallen asleep, though he woke up when Nyx smacked him. Father put a hand to his head. "That is enough for today."

"Really, Sensei?" Donnie asked. "'Cause we only meditated for, like, ten minutes."

Father sighed. "Yes. I am not feeling very well."

"Are you okay, Master Splinter?" April asked as Father stood. "You seem worried about something."

"My dream last night, it was very powerful," Father responded as they got to their feet. "I fell into a vast pit, where I fought the Shredder. My memory is hazy, but I did not survive."

"But it was nothing," Pepper said. "Just a dream. Right, Father?"

Father rested a hand on her shoulder. "Do not fret, my family," he said. "Dreams are often symbolic, not literal. I am not going anywhere."

They left the dojo and scattered to do their own things, Samirah and Donnie heading to the lab while the others settled in the pit for a marathon of Chris Bradford and his 2Ruff Crew. At least, until Father interrupted them by walking in front of the TV.

"Aw, Sensei!" Mikey whined. "You're ruining our cartoon-a-thon!"

"We're missing the best part!" Raph added.

"No, the best part is when you get your lazy shells off the floor and do something!" Father countered. "Too much television is a poison that ruins both body and mind!"

"We already cleaned our rooms and took out the trash," Leo said. "What do you--" He cut off as the power went out.

"Oh, great," Astra huffed. "Now what?"

"It's like the whole universe hates TV!" Mikey shouted, falling back on the floor dramatically.

"I bet it's Donnie and Samirah messing with some kind of experiment," Nyx said, getting up. "Come on." She walked away to the lab, the others getting up and following. Except for Mikey, who just kind of rolled across the floor.

"We didn't do it," Samirah said when they inquired about the power outage. "We're checking the grid now." She read Donnie's screen over his shoulder as he typed on his laptop.

"There's a pretty big power outage," Donnie commented, "over ten square blocks, all the way up to...Shredder's old lair."

Raya gasped. "Karai!"

"Go," Father said. "See if she is alright."

April nodded. "Hai, Sensei. We're on it."

"Meh, probably just a waste of time," Max said, pulling out zir swords and spinning them in zir hands. "Goodbye, Bradford marathon."

----------

Shinigami walked into the throne room and Karai leaned forward in her chair. "Shini. Any word on the power outage?"

"No, but it appears to be the entire neighborhood," Shinigami responded.

"Suspicious," Karai commented, standing up. "Double the guards. Send them out to cover both ends of the street."