tmnt 2007

chapter one

The smell of fire and the shouting cries reach my ears, they had been soon replaced with roars, and the crumbling crackles of fallen concrete. There was darkness, the foul smell of burnt corpses, filling within my nostrils.

I gasp sitting upright from my bed, when hearing my alarm blaring into my ear, and groaned turning off the machine.
‘ this is the third time this month,’ i sighed and looked at the calendar.
The date was the twenty third of june, and in bold blue letters, read ‘happy anniversary.’
There was a sad clench at my heart, as i sighed, looking down glumly.
“ i hope he’s doing okay.”
It has been officially two years since leo had been gone, since he had left for training in central america, and no one had heard from him at all. The group of vigilantes as i knew, had slowly drifted apart, which was tearing me on the inside.

I never got to see the other three as much, raph would be sleeping all day, whilst donnie and mikey worked. The alarm on my phone blares to life, and i got dressed, before turning it off and leaving my apartment.
‘ april and casey should be at winters corp as soon as i clock in,’ i thought when walking down the busy streets of new york.
I had started working part time for a man named max winters, the same man, who is paying april to locate and deliver three thousand year old statues.
“ ah miss shinobu,” smiled mister winters, “ on time as usual.”
“ i brought your coffee sir,” i smiled as i hand him his cup.
He nods to me in thanks, gratefully taking the cup from my hands, as he takes a sip from it.

“ april will be here soon sir,” i assured him.
He gave me a reassuring smile, when he stood up, and just like that the alarms go off.
‘ casey,’ i groaned pinching the bridge of my nose.

…………..

“ mister winters,” i looked over at april and casey when they walked in.
“ miss o’neil,” winters smiles as he greets april, “ all the pieces are coming together.”
He walks down towards april, as he kisses her on the cheek, and nearly broke casey’s hand when april introduced him.
“ you were successful?” winters asked april urgently.
“ yes the fourth general,” april nods to him, “ i want to ask you before i go if i could take one last look?”
His eyes looked at me for a moment, before he looked at april, as he smiled at her. Hinging the crate open, casey moved the wood aside, revealing the fourth and final general.

I had seen the other three from april, when she had introduced the statues, looking for my boss’s approval of her findings. The first had been gato, an animalistic type general, representing the jaguar. The second was a female general, named general serpiente, known as the snake. Mono the third, bulking muscle of the three, was known as the monkey.
And now here stood within the opened crate, the leader of the four generals, having been known as the eagle.
“ i believe this is the one they call general akuila?” she said.
“ it’s actually aguila,” winters chuckles, “ but that is a good try.”

When looking at aguila, just as i had done with the other generals, there had been a small pain within my head.
“ these statues may appear to be only stone they’re like family to me,” said winters, “ i didn’t choose them friends you can choose but never your family.”
April had looked confused when he said that, my head again began throbbing, and my hand slowly moves to grab my temple. April and casey had soon walked out the door, my attention having been focused above, as i saw someone walk out of the shadows.
“ if you’ve come to kill me make it fast,” said winters as he somehow knew they were there, “ i’ve got a shareholders meeting at ten i’d rather miss it.”
“ if we had come here to hurt you you’d be hurting already,” it had been karai, who hisses as she took off her mask, “ the foot clan and i have come to here your offer.”
‘ what offer?’

“ well well it appears that today is my lucky day,” winters turns with a smile.
“ i must warn you we do not come cheap.”
“ does it look like money is of any concern to me?” he asked as he stood near his desk, “ only time is of the essence my dear.”
“ since you are so rich and powerful what is it that we could possibly have to offer you?” she asked him.
“ i need you to be my eyes and ears,” he said as he fixes his cufflinks, “ i have some… friends coming to town that i’d like to roll out the red carpet for.”
He turns to look out the window, “ greet them warmly and bring them to me,” he orders.
“ and how will we know these ‘friends’?” she asked.

“ don’t worry they’re impossible to miss.”

…………….

When i got home that night, the conversation between karai and max, still rang within my ears. I had walked into the kitchen to grab some water, walking into the bathroom, as i dug out my migraine medicine from the cupboard.
“i didn’t choose them friends you can choose but never your family,” winters words echo within my brain as i laid in my bed.
‘Let’s hope i don’t have that dream again,’ i sighed with a yawn and darkness slowly takes over.