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Chapter Twenty Five: City At War Part Three

Leo struggled as Karai had him pinned down to the ground, tanto had his throat. He had no where to go and he was at the female ninja's mercy.

"Now drop your weapons," ordered Karai. "Do it now!"

Don, Mikey, and Harry looked on with a few seconds reluctance before throwing their respective weapons to the ground. Raph, however, continued to twirl his Sais while glaring at Karai menacingly.

"I said drop your weapons," said Karai a bit more forcefully as she placed the blade just about an inch closer to Leo's throat.

Raph remained unmoving, still having his Sais in his hands.

"Uh, Raph, didn't you hear the nice lady with the knife," said Don slowly.

"Don't do me any favors, Raph," said Leo in a low, sarcastic voice.

Raph gritted his teeth before tossing his Sais, causing them to land a few inches away from Leo's head.

"Good, now perhaps we can talk," said Karai.

"Oh, talk, that's what you wanted to do," said Harry in a slightly agitated tone of voice. "You attacking us seems to have given me the distinct impression that you wanted to slice us into ribbons while scattering our bloody remains of the city streets. I was never given the occasion that this would end up being a civil conversation."

"If I wanted to destroy you, then I wouldn't have left you alive to talk," said Karai in calm, even voice.

"Okay, let's talk," said Leo, struggling to breath. "But, I think it may be just a little bit difficult with your tanto at my head."

Karai slowly pulled her foot off of Leo's chest before putting her tanto away. At that moment, Raph sprang into action, pulling his Sais out of the ground and attempting to lob them at the back of Karai but Leo blocked Raph's Sais with his Katana.

"Leo, what is your problem!" snapped Raph.

"I gave her my word of honor," said Leo.

"Your word, bro you are really getting on my nerves," said Raph.

"Raph, cool it," said Harry in a tired voice. "I suppose we better here what she has to say; even through I am not too comfortable about trusting anyone who has any dealings with the Foot whatsoever."

Raph gritted his teeth but nodded reluctantly.

"As I have told you, I am Karai and I lead the Foot clan in Japan," said Karai, as one of her aides pulled out a medallion with a seal with the logo of the Foot Clan on it. Harry's right eye twitched, he despised that symbol and everything that it stood for but he didn't say anything. "When you, Turtle men, destroyed the Shredder, you threw the city into chaos. Many were thrown into the crossfire due to the Shredder's demise and the fact many factions attempted to grab control of New York. We had hoped that all parties would destroy each other, like a snake that consumes itself. Unfortunately, we had not foreseen the fact that the city would have been consumed in the process. However, I am here to restore order but I will need your help."

"Enough talk, is it time to fight?" asked Raph stubbornly.

"You are impudent!" snapped Karai. "If you are my retainer I would have you beaten."

"Oh she's Foot alright, she even sounds like the Shredder," said Raph as Mikey and Harry held him back from leaping on Karai. Don turned to address Karai.

"Look, lady, in case you didn't notice it, we are in way over our heads in this," said Don. "It's not like we have a plan that we can put into action to stop this war."

"You may not have a plan, but I do in fact have a course of action that I can implement that will bring this war to a screeching halt," said Karai.

"And why do you need us?" asked Mikey.

"All plans need their contingences," said Karai. "Make your decision. I will await your answer."

The Turtles and Harry huddled up to make a decision.

"So, what do you guys think?" asked Leo.

"I think she can swim her butt back to Japan for all I care," said Raph.

"I'm extremely leery about trusting the Foot personally, even through it was the New York branch of the operations that has given us the most grief," said Harry. "Still, I'm afraid we don't have much of a choice, unless we want this war to tear the city into shreds and perhaps spread over into other place where it'd really become too difficult to handle."

"Yeah, but what does she mean by contingencies?" questioned Mikey.

"We're plan B," said Leo darkly. "Still, I think we should form this..."

"Whoa, Leo, are you actually considering joining up with them?" asked Raph. "I think that's just a little too much to swallow."

"We have to take this opportunity," said Leo. "But Raph, if you don't like it, leave."

"Fine, I will, you can be the Foot's little toes if you want but not me," said Raph storming off angrily as Harry shook his head in frustration. This didn't go all too well.

"Fine, go, we don't need you, we can stop this war without you Raph," said Leo as he watched Raph storm before turning to address the others. "So..."

"There seems to be one thing missing from this equation," said Don quietly before turning to Karai. "What's in it for us?"

"Three things," said Karai. "First of all, there will be no more innocents being caught in the crossfire of this war. Second, your streets will be freed from the Mob and the Purple Dragons. Last but certainly not least, the Foot and Foot Elite are honor bond to slay the one who defeated their Master. They will hunt you ruthlessly in the name of their vendetta. They will destroy you, your Master, and your comrades. However, if you assist me in ending this war, I will give you my word that the Foot will not seek any acts of retribution."

Leo turned to the other three. Don, Mikey, and Harry nodded, even through the last one did very reluctantly, having a feeling of deep skepticism that this would actually go as planned. Still on the off chance everything went completely as planned without a hitch, Harry felt it would be worth it to never cross paths with the Foot again after this day.

"So, do we have a deal?" asked Karai.

"Deal," said Leo.

"But no funny stuff," said Mikey.

"We've never had too much reason to ever trust the Foot," said Don.

"The Foot has never had reason to ask for aid before," said Karai. "Now, let us begin, we have little time. Listen closely..."

Later that night, the Foot Elite flew down from the rooftops, looking around on the streets before they heard a sadistic, yet familiar laugh up from above. The Foot Elite looked up to the rooftops above. The Shredder was standing high above them, looking down at them.

"Master, you're alive!" exclaimed the Foot Elite member with the battle axe. "But how..."

"That is of no concern," said the Shredder, waving his hand to silence the Elite. "Follow me."

The Shredder turned and walked off as mysteriously as he appeared.

"Our Master has returned," said the Trident wielding Foot Elite member as the Foot Elite and the Foot hastened to follow their Master to see what he had in store for them.

In another part of the city, the tipped over armored van that was driven by Big Louie and Stockman had sounds of pounding coming from the inside. After about a minute, Stockman punched through the wall, shattering the side of the van. Stockman and Big Louie walked out of the van, looking a bit shaking up but otherwise alive.

"Alive, I'm alive, once again I, Baxter Stockman, have made a fool of fate," said Stockman.

"Man, I thought we were going to sleep with the fishes for sure. Let's get back into the fight," said Big Louie before pausing to see a group of Purple Dragons led by a very angry looking Hun standing in front. "How ya doing boys?"

Hun simply growled as the Purple Dragons looked at their leader for instruction.

"Hun!" yelped Stockman, hiding behind Big Louie's massive frame.

"Don't worry, I'll make them an offer they can't understand," said Big Louie in an undertone to Stockman before turning to the Purple Dragons and Hun to address them. "Gentlemen...whoa!"

The Shredder was standing on the roof, looking down at the scene below. Hun turned around, shouldering his bazooka before putting it down to see who was on the roof.

"The Shredder, I'm doomed, doomed I tell you," said Stockman in a dramatic voice. "Doomed!"

"Master?" asked Hun.

"Come with me, I have work for you all to do," said the Shredder before walking off.

"Purple Dragons, move out," ordered Hun.

The Purple Dragons looked at Stockman and Big Louie before reluctantly turning and leaving.

"They're leaving," said Stockman before jumping up and down happily. "We're going to live, we're going to live."

At that moment, a group of limousines pulled up the street. Big Louie walked up to the first one, opening one of the doors and Weasel stuck his head out.

"Weasel, the Shredder's back, I guess that guy doesn't know when to stay in the morgue," said Big Louie. "We're going to own this city, no matter what. Let's just see if we can put that guy down for good."

Big Louie got the limo and they drove off, following the Purple Dragons and Hun as they ran down the street towards the abandoned Foot Headquarters skyscraper. The Foot and the Foot Elite followed on the rooftops, running towards the Foot Headquarters as the Mob drove towards the building in their limos.

At what was once the Shredder's throne room before the Turtles destroyed the Foot Headquarters almost a year ago, there was an extremely peculiar sight. The Shredder arrived, meeting up with Mikey, Don, Leo, and Harry without any bloodshed or fight.

"So," said Don to the Shredder.

"Ha, they have swallowed my bait, they will all be here shortly, they will be in for..." said the Shredder before the helmet was pulled off, revealing it was Karai underneath the armor instead of Oroku Saki, using a voice syntasizer that altered her voice to sound like the Shredder built into the helmet. "A surprise."

"Nice voice sync technology," said Don in awe. "You sound exactly like the Shredder."

"Hearing the Shredder's voice gives me the shivers," said Mikey.

"Not to mention it brings back a lot of bad memories," said Harry underneath his breath.

"So, I really don't understand, Karai, how does someone like you serve someone as dishonorable and ruthless as the Shredder?" asked Leo.

"You know the Shredder only as a merciless enemy, but I knew another side of him. It was the Shredder who found me when my parents abandoned me many years ago in Japan," said Karai. "He brought me inside his home, allowing me to train right beside him. Through him, I learned the art of ninjitsu. I respected him and he trusted me. To me he was Oroku Saki. He became more than just my Sensei. He became my father. It became my duty to serve him, just as it became your fate to slay him. Unfortunately, we are all servants of fate."

"I'm not quite sure about that, Master Splinter says that we are free to choose our own path, that our choices dictate who we are," said Leo.

Before Karai could answer, her aides entered the throne room, looking towards her.

"They are here, Mistress," said the shorter of the two aides.

"Looks like your plan is working so far," said Don.

"So far, but one must always plan for the unexpected," said Karai nodding her head.

"That's why we're here," said Leo.

"Yes, now conceal yourselves and see what fate awaits us," said Karai before putting the helmet back on as Don, Mikey, Leo, and Harry scurried up to the rafters to keep a look out. Karai turned to her aides before speaking to them in the Shredder's voice. "Prepare yourselves."

Karai and her aides pulled out swords as the mob, led by Big Louie and Weasel walked into the picture. Behind them, Hun and the Purple Dragons walked in from the other end.

"Steady boys," said Big Louie to his fellow mobsters as they pointed their laser blasters. In turn, the Purple Dragons pointed their guns, with Hun with his Bazooka at the ready.

A group of Foot Ninjas leaped through the window, standing on the side of Karai and her two aides. Then in a flash of smoke, the Foot Elite teleported in front of their fellow Foot Ninja, weapons at the ready.

"You know something, this plan really stinks," whispered Mikey before turning to the others. "What are we supposed to do again?"

"If Karai's plan works, nothing," said Leo. "She'll get the Purple Dragons and the Foot to wipe out the Mob and then she'll have the Purple Dragons and the Foot stand down. The war will be over."

"And if her plan doesn't work," said Mikey.

"Then, it's us against all of them," said Harry grimly.

"Like I said before, this plan really stinks," said Mikey.

Karai looked around at everyone before addressing all parties involved.

"This war is at an end, I have returned so I can restore order to the city," said Karai, using her voice synthesizer device built into the helmet to sound exactly like the Shredder.

"Master, we thought of you destroyed," said the spear wielding member of the Foot Elite. "We remain your servants, as always."

"Master, I remain your faithful servant, as do the Purple Dragons," said Hun.

"Good," said Karai before turning towards the Mob. "Then rid me of this pestilence."

"Foot Ninja attack," said the Foot Elite member with the double edged sword.

"Purple Dragons take them down," said Hun.

"Wait, this ain't right, we want to take over Shredder's turf, not get it back for him," said Dragonface.

"Traitor!" snapped Hun. "You dare..."

"Shredder, we have a saying in our family...but you'll never live long enough to hear it," said Big Louie before turning to his fellow mobsters. "Open fire, blast him into pieces."

The Mobsters began shooting at Karai and her two aides but they managed to deflect most of the blasts with their swords.

"Purple Dragons, wipe them off the face of existence," said Hun as the Purple Dragons began to fire back at the Mobsters.

"Forget it Hun, every man for himself," said Dragonface who began firing wildly in all directions, saving his own neck as one of the Purple Dragons was shot in the hand, causing him to drop it.

The Foot and the Elite began to form a circle around Karai and her two aides, deflecting most of the gunfire.

"Foot, protect your master," said double edged sword Foot Elite member as one of the Foot Ninjas sprang up, kicking a mobster back before impaling him with an expertly thrown spear.

Big Louie blasted a miniature missile towards Hun and the Purple Dragons but they scattered before Hun aimed his bazooka, blasting a rocket at the mobsters. The wall blew up, causing the mobsters to be crushed underneath the rubble. They struggled vainly but they could not pull themselves free.

The Foot Elite member with the trident pulled the laser blaster out of one of the mobster's hand before kicking him back.

Hun turned to Dragonface who seemed to be trying to slip out.

"Yo, Dragonface, catch!" yelled Hun before blasting a rocket towards him. Dragonface's eyes went wide, before the rocket blew him into pieces, with blood splattering across the walls on the floor from the impact.

More blasts and more mobsters were blown back and it looked like the remaining mobsters were slowly backing off from the fight.

"Well, it looks like Karai's plan is going to work after all," said Leo, sighing in relief.

Big Louie looked at his downed men in disgust before pulling an explosion device from his pocket and pressing a button on it.

"Hey, Shredder, I almost forgot, this is from your good pal, Baxter Stockman. Sayonara!" said Big Louie before lobbing the explosive device at Karai, causing her to get blasted back. Big Louie and the remaining mobsters then split the scene, to fight another day. In the explosion, her Shredder helmet fell off and rolled around the ground at Hun's feet.

"Master?" said Hun uncertainly before picking up the helmet and seeing Karai's two aides help her up. "Karai."

Hun spat out the last word as if it was distasteful as the Foot Elite turned to Karai, not looking too happy that they were tricked.

"To impersonate our Master is sacrilege, you have dishonored him!" said the Foot Elite member with the double edged sword in a sharp, angry voice. "Now, you will have to be executed for your crimes of treason against the Shredder."

"Looks like it's time for Plan B," said Leo before jumping from the ceiling with Mikey, Don, and Harry. Harry quickly aimed a double leaping kick at two Foot Ninjas back before blocking a spear shot with his double edged sword and flipping the Foot Ninja wielding the weapon over with his feet.

Don blocked a pair of sickles with his Bo before Mikey rushed over, knocking the two Foot Ninjas back who wielded them. Two Kusari-Gama chains whipped out, wrapping around Mikey's nunchucks and pulling the Turtle in, causing him to get clubbed across the back of the head with the flat end of the sickle. Before the Foot Ninjas could cut Mikey into shreds, Leo severed the chains with a well placed katana slice.

Harry deflected a couple of daggers thrown with his double edged sword. Karai found herself knocked to the ground by the Foot Elite member with the spear and the battle axe. Her two aides battled valiantly against the double edge sword Foot Elite member but a couple of kicks and a backhand knocked the aides back. The Foot Ninjas, the Purple Dragons, and the Elite were now all surround Karai, her aides, Leo, Don, Mikey, and Harry.

"Well isn't this lovely," said Harry sarcastically. "We are outnumbered, out weaponed, and quite frankly we are surrounded without a hope in hell. I doubt even Custer had it this bad."

"So what do we do now?" asked Mikey.

"We make peace with ourselves and prepare our bodies for destruction," said Karai.

"Like I said, lovely, extremely lovely, that is just the way I wanted to spend my day, getting sliced by a bunch of Foot Ninja, this is so definitely the way I wanted to perish" said Harry in a sarcastic tone of voice. "Although the funny part is, you didn't seem to mention this little part of the plan earlier."

The Foot circled their prey like vultures.

"Mistress Karai, you must leave immediately," said the larger of the two aides.

"No, I will see this through," said Karai, with beads of sweat rolling down her forehead as the Foot moved in towards the kill.

"Karai, you may have been raised by the Shredder, but you aren't anything like him," said Leo.

"How so?" asked Karai in a curious voice.

"You understand the meaning of honor," said Leo.

The Foot Elite member with the double edged sword turned slowly to Hun, who had his bazooka in his hand.

"Hun, eliminate them all, and the Elite will not forget your help when we rule New York City," said the Double Edged Sword Foot Elite member.

"That's the first thing I've heard since this stupid war began that makes sense," said Hun before turning his bazooka towards everyone as the Foot stepped aside. Hun grinned eagerly and evilly, preparing to push the trigger to blow them all to their doom.

In a flash three shurikens flew through the air, impacting the bazooka just as Hun pressed the trigger. Instead of the Bazooka firing, it began to smoke and was about to blow up in Hun's hand. Quickly, Hun tossed the bazooka to the side and not a second too soon as it blew up, engulfing the entire room in smoke.

The Foot Ninjas looked around as a shadowed figure snuck up from behind them. A punch to the face knocked one of the Foot Ninja down. A second punch to the back of the head, followed by a kick. The Foot Ninjas began to drop one by one, before the smoke cleared revealing Raph standing there his hands on his Sais.

"Hey guys, miss me," said Raph.

"Raph, all right!"

The Foot Ninjas and the Foot Elite along with the Purple Dragons charged into battle but were met by the Turtles, Harry, Karai, and her aides.

"I thought you were going to, sit this one out," said Leo, blocking a sickle from one of the Foot Ninja before kicking him back.

"Well, I thought about it and realized, I was being an idiot," said Raph, knocking two of the Foot Ninja back with his Sais.

"You did that..." started Mikey, leaping up and whacking a Foot Ninja in the chest with the nunchucks, causing him to fall back. "All by yourself."

"Actually, I had a little help," said Raph and on cue, Master Splinter somersaulted into action from out of nowhere, sweeping the legs of one of the Foot Ninja out from underneath him with his walking stick.

"My sons, I was worried we would be too late," said Master Splinter, knocking two Foot Ninja back with his walking stick.

"No we had it all under control," said Don, using his Bo staff as a catapult kicking a couple of Purple Dragons back. "Kind of."

"Yeah, real control," said Harry sarcastically, blocking the trident from one of the Foot Elite members before leaping up and kicking him from behind. Harry then rolled underneath a spear jab, before he propelled himself into the air, striking the Foot Elite member wielding that particular weapon, causing him to collide with the battle axe wielding Foot Elite member.

"Turtles, let us finish this," declared Karai, before snapping the katana of one of the Foot Elite members back before grabbing one of the Purple Dragons by the neck and snapping it back, causing him to fall to the ground, killed from getting his neck broken.

"Exactly," said Leo, leaping up and ducking underneath a double edged sword swing of the Foot Elite member before kicking him back. Raph sprang up and kicked the double edged sword wielding Foot Elite member on his own. Harry rolled into action, avoiding getting the sword jabbed into his stomach before sweeping the legs out from underneath the Foot Elite Guard ninja before kicking him into the wall.

Karai walked up towards the Foot Elite member with the double edged sword, stomping on the head of one of the standard Foot Ninja as she walked up to the Foot Elite member. Pulling out the medallion, she held it right in front of the Foot Elite ninja's face.

"Do you not know this seal?" asked Karai.

"Yes, it is the Shredder's seal, the seal of the Foot," said the Foot Elite guard quietly.

"Then you are honor bound to serve me as I represent the Shredder," said Karai.

"We will not!" said the Foot Elite member definitely. Karai gave him a disgusted look before raising her sword into the air. The Turtles, Harry, and the other three Foot Elite members looked on in horror as Karai brought her sword down on the head of the Foot Elite member.

The Foot Elite gasped as the mushroom hat split in half before sliding off the head of their fellow Foot Elite member to either side. Karai then turned her blade onto the throat of the Foot Elite Ninja.

"Swear fealty to me, swear it!" yelled Karai.

"I swear it," said the Foot Elite member, conceding defeat before giving the other Foot Elite Guards and Foot Ninja a look who all dropped to their knees.

"No! I will never serve you!" yelled Hun, whacking Karai in the back with a steel support beam causing her to go flying. Another shot to the stomach sent Karai flying up into the air. A pair of taps greeted Hun on the shoulder. "Huh?"

Leo and Raph punched Hun in the face, causing him to stagger back. Hun attempted to take out the two Turtles with his weapon but they kicked and punched at Hun causing him to drop it and stagger towards the window. Hun was barely able to stand, his knees rocking back and he was now standing on one foot.

"Ah crud," said Hun as Karai leaped at Hun, kicking him in the chest hard sending him out the window.

Hun freefell a long distance before landing right on a police car that had been apparently called to investigate the sounds of a fight at the old Foot Headquarters. The car was crushed but it managed to break Hun's fall.

"Ah," said Hun in agony, before passing out from the pain of falling on the police car.

Karai then turned to the Turtles, Harry, and Master Splinter.

"It is done, the war is over and I shall keep my promise," said Karai. "The vendetta will be lifted; the Foot will not avenge the slaying of their Master. You all fought to me to the last. You all have great strength and courage. When our paths cross in the future, hopefully we will not be enemies."

"Only fate will tell," said Leo.

"Regrettably, fate is not the only Master we must serve," said Karai. On those cryptic words, Karai and her two aides leapt out the window. Leo then turned to Master Splinter with an apologetic look.

"Master Splinter I'm sorry, it's just that..." started Leo but Splinter held up his hand to stop Leo.

"It is alright my son, sometimes you must listen to your heart when others tell you not to," said Splinter. "Now let us also go."

Without another word Master Splinter, the Turtles, and Harry left for the lair. Harry figured he needed to get a few hours of sleep before departing for Hogwarts during the afternoon. This had been an eventful weekend to be sure.

In a dojo on a ship in the middle of the ocean that served at the new Foot Headquarters, Karai was sitting behind a wooden desk as her two subordinates walked up to her.

"Mistress Karai, we are nearly one hundred percent functional," said the shorter of the two aides.

"Excellent, you may leave me now," said Karai. As the two left, Karai walked over to the wall, pushing a few buttons on the wall. A secret door opened and Karai stepped in to the room.

In the room, a Shredder exosuit was propped up against the wall. Karai turned her attention to the container with fluid in it that contained the Shredder, who had worms crawling around on his face, slowly piecing back together his body from when it was blown to bits at the implosion of the TCRI building.

"All proceeds as planned, Master," said Karai to the Shredder.

"Good," said the evil Utrom in a weak raspy voice. "My recuperation is going as planned and the biocites will finish piecing my flesh back together within the next few months. At that time, I will be myself once more. Then we will destroy the Turtles and Harry Potter."

Karai frowned as the Shredder laughed evilly at the prospect of that happening. She would have to make an extremely difficult choice of keeping her word of honor or her duty to her master.