Together As Mutants (Book Six)

Chapter 29: A New Deal

"I'll be straight with you, Destiny," Karai says. Shinigami giggles as if she told a joke, only serving to make Karai's serious expression lift into a smirk. "I want to take down Shredder's remaining assets and we could use the extra woman power. I want you to join me."

Destiny keeps her arms crossed tightly over her chest, tail swaying, eyes narrowed. The throne room is cold, dark, and the moonlight streams into the water beneath their feet, casting ripples of shadow. Destiny's arms tighten around her, holding herself together, and she starts to wonder whether she should have brought Leonardo along. He helps her keep the memories at bay.

"What do I get out of it?" she says.

"Well..." Karai bobs her head from side to side. "Shredder's got quite a bit of cash just laying around. I think if you, say...took some, it wouldn't be missed. We'll be burning the rest."

Destiny bristles. "Burn it?" she repeats.

"It'll be suspicious if we keep it, plus it'll make us a target. You don't exist, as far as the government knows, so it won't harm you," Karai says. "If you take a portion, I'll consider it your pay."

She purses her lips tightly. It's attractive, for sure, and she can't deny that having cash for once in her life would be amazing. The Hamatos heavily rely on April for all their needs (mostly of the pizza variety), and what April doesn't provide, they scavenge. Their only income is from lost bills and coins they find on the streets.

Destiny doesn't want them to have to rely on April. She feels guilty enough that April has basically provided her with her entire wardrobe, from her shirts to her bras to her pyjamas. It's the one area of her life where she doesn't feel independent and she hates it.

"Sound good?" Karai asks, making Destiny startle from her thoughts. "Don't tell me you've got cold feet about stealing."

Destiny grits her teeth. She hasn't stolen anything in a long time, not since the turtles came into her life, but she did before. She had to if she wanted to survive, even with the charity of Mr. Murakami backing her up, and maybe she isn't proud of it now, but it is what it is.

"No, I'm not," she says. "I'll do it, but I've got one condition."

"Yeah?"

She isn't sure whether she'll regret this, but she knows she can't do this without him. "Leo joins us on this," she says.

"He wasn't interested when I brought it up before."

"He..." Destiny pauses, her lips pursing. "It was a lot to take in. You couldn't expect him to have an answer right away, but he said he'd think about it." Her eyes narrow. "He cares about you, Karai, and if you're going to be bringing me into this, he'll want to be there."

"That's why I wanted to talk to you first," Karai admits. "You're his soft spot, always have been, and we can use that."

Destiny's body goes rigid, heart pounding, and the fragile hold she had on her stability snaps like a stick underfoot. She remembers a cold cell, phone calls, Leonardo's voice and water and blades and being used, being used to hurt them, right in this room, right in this room where there are still broken pieces of brick from where Michelangelo and Donatello and Casey were—

"Don't," she croaks, claws digging into her leg. She turns away, breaths sharp. "Just..."

Karai doesn't say anything as Destiny gives herself more space, moving a solid ten feet away from them and sitting down cross-legged on the floor. She closes her eyes, trying to focus on her breathing as her brain spirals and every nerve in her body goes deeper into attack mode. Meditate, grasp onto something solid, breathe...