Race. [TMNT 2012]

Prologue

Soon after the Kraang had abducted New York citizens, my brothers and I went to their rescue. With the help of 'Savage Mikey', we were able to return the humans to earth and blow up Dimension X. We found our lair again and rid it of any signs of the Kraang. Everything seemed to be going back to normal.

   How wrong we were.

   At the time, we thought the invasion had only affected New York City. News about it spread, sending the whole country into hysteria. The economy crashed with the stock market. Food is scarce because everyone is hoarding it. Criminals have established places in the higher ranks. Every neighborhood seems to be controlled by some evil force. Donatello says it's like the Great Depression all over again, though most of us aren't completely sure what that is.

   In the midst of all the panic, the world begged their savior to reveal himself. Of course, we couldn't do that. They would have probed us rather than thanked us. So we stayed in the shadows, knowing they won't believe us if we claimed that title.

   Then something bazaar happened. The Shedder stepped forward in a nationwide broadcast, announcing to the public that he had saved them from the 'mysterious alien force'.

   He stole our victory. We know he is corrupt and selfish, but we never expected him to go that far.

   But it got worse. As soon as the broadcast was over, everyone began supporting him. They elected him as their leader, out of desperation and admiration. They entrust him with every little thing. And he has a plan for them all: use it against the turtles.

   To add to all of the stress, Casey can't find his father and sister. He goes out several times a day to search for them, but he always came back empty-handed and his eyes downcast.

    April puts all of her time into focusing on becoming a full Kunoichi. She trains day and night and never seems to grow tired, no matter how much Donatello urges her to rest properly.

   Speaking of Donatello, he is far more paranoid than usual. It's impossible to get him out of his lab anymore. It's even harder to get him to talk about something other than Shredder. He is consumed in coming up with a plan to defeat him.

   Leonardo, our leader, spends most of his time with Master Splinter. He wants to become just like our father so he can protect us. I can't tell you the last time he even sat down to watch his favorite T.V. show, Space Heroes.  The only thing that sometimes has his attention is Elizabetta.

   Elizabetta is in a strange condition.  Wiping her memory didn't exactly do all of its job.  As soon as she woke up, she remembered Leonardo.  Well, sort of- she says she can recall flashes of him, but nothing more.  She doesn't know anything else about him.  The rest of us are even less fortunate, as she doesn't remember a single pattern on our shells.

   She now trains almost as much as April does, striving to become better at Ninjutsu.  She wants to be able to protect herself against the Shredder, and who can blame her?  This is the perfect opportunity to learn, anyway.  And Master Splinter is, surprisingly, more than willing to help.

   Master Splinter has changed. He looks constantly harassed. He's quiet, more focused on something unseen than on his own sons. He meditates twice as much as normal, but he never finds comfort in it. I know he has informed Leonardo of some of his problems, because the blue-clad turtle always switches the subject whenever our sensei is mentioned.

   We had Karai on our side at the beginning of this battle.  Unfortunately, she wanted to leave us once she was healed.  She wished to go dig around Shredder's lab for herself and see what she could find.  I don't know where she is now, or if she's even still alive.  I just hope she finds what she's looking for.

   Despite all of this, Michelangelo is the exact same. He runs around doing stupid things, shouting phrases that none of us understand. He's obviously trying to ease the tension in the air, but it only ends up making us mad.

   And I, Raphael, am angrier than ever. I want to take back what is rightfully ours. We deserve the praise that the Shredder is receiving. Instead, we're being shunned. We're the enemies because the Shredder has poisoned people's minds with that thought. After we risked our shells for them, everyone hates us. And that's what makes me furious. But that isn't the most horrifying part.

   The worst part is having no real home. It's not knowing where you belong.  It's being shooed away, or even chased away, because you're a freak. It's never having a break without almost getting killed.

   It's being in a race for freedom.