From the Shadows: Warriors || BOOK 2 (TMNT)

Chapter 19. Turned Enemy

     The team ran out of the lair, developing a plan as they went. They knew they needed all the time they could get.

      "They'll be waiting for us," Donnie points out. "Hard lockdown around Baxter's lab."

     "Shredder's going to be the biggest problem, as always," April adds.

      "I will keep Shredder busy," Takao says.

     "Even with Shredder out of our way, we'll still have to deal with all of his other mutants," Donnie reminds. "Not to mention they're going to be much more cautious of all the entrances, including the vents and air ducts we've been using to get in."

     "That just means we'll have to be more careful," Raph says. "We get in and we get out."

     "Woah. That's totally not like you, dude!" Mikey exclaims.

      Raph shrugs. "I'd prefer a huge battle but we can't afford to fail again."

     Leo glances down at the ground. He watches his feet, counting every step. It was bad enough that the team had to return to Shredder's lair and for that, he felt incredibly guilty. He knew that, even though his brother was much calmer now, Raphael was still irritated. His statement proved so. But Raph was right. They couldn't fail. Leo couldn't fail again. It was unlikely that they'd get another chance to fix their mistakes.

     They came up out of the sewers and leaped across the rooftops. They moved swiftly, coming upon Shredder's lair within minutes. The team climbed through the broken glass ceiling. The throne room was empty. Most of the hallways were as well. It was much quieter than usual.

     "Everyone is going to be at the lab." April taps her chin. "How should..."

     April stops herself. A faint scream, although barely audible, could be heard.

     "We have to hurry," Leo says as he takes off down the dark corridor.

     Everyone else follows, rather surprised. They didn't have time to adjust how they'll enter the lab. Trying to enter the vents would take too long. The scream they heard meant there wasn't much time and that left them with only one option: the front door.

     Leonardo stopped before the hallway where the entrance to Baxter's lab was located. A series of Foot Bots stood guard. There were too many to take out all at once and if they were too slow, one of them would surely alert the inside before the team was ready.

     Another piercing scream.

     "We have to be quick," Leo mumbles. "If we target the bots closest to the door first, we won't have to worry about them alerting anyone else."

     "Whatever we're doing, let's do it quickly," Raph grumbles. Although he kept his cool, the screams made him particularly upset.

      Before Leo could give the order, Takao rushed the robots. He advanced quickly and struck fiercely. The Foot Bots could hardly make a move.

     The rest of them had never seen anyone move like that. They knew Takao was skilled but they had never witnessed such precision from him. Granted, it had been a while since they'd seen him in action. But they hadn't even seen their own Sensei perform in such a way. It was almost like Takao had been holding out on them those entire time.

     "Woah," Donnie whispers.

     "How long has he been training for?" April questions.

     "Probably as long as Master Splinter," Mikey says.

     "It feels nice to have someone at that level helping us," Donnie adds.

     "Don't get used to it," Leo mutters. He appreciated the help but it put into perspective just how underprepared he and his team were. They still had a lot to learn and improve. "He won't be around all the time, remember that. We can't be celebrating yet. We still have to get past Shredder."