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Some TMNT stuff really isn't for little kids. |
Tasked by her estranged grandfather, the Shredder, to protect New York City, Oroku Karai faces her first true test as master of the Foot Clan when four mysterious mutant ninja turtles unleash seemingly random acts of violence against the city. The Armageddon Game has begun, and the rules have changed. Will Karai have what it takes to play her part and lead her forces against these strange new threats, especially when some of her own mutant allies are questioning what side the Foot Clan should be playing for in the first place? Official tie-in to TMNT: The Armageddon Game!
Appearing in #1[]
Major characters[]
Minor characters[]
- Bludgeon (Dream)
- Dark Leonardo (Dream)
- Keystone (debut)
- Masato (Dream/vision)
- Maureen Lin
- Natsu
- Shredder (Dream)
- Toshiro (On-screen)
Locations[]
Synopsis[]
Oroku Karai bows before her grandfather, and expects praise for her accomplishments. Unfortunately, Shredder deems all of her accomplishments a byproduct of following orders and that she never did anything of her own agency, and thus declares her a disappointment. He leaps from his throne to attack Karai, demanding that those of his blood prove that they are fit to lead. Karai strikes back, only to find herself alone in a forest, swinging at empty air. An old man speaking Japanese to her, and identifies himself as Masato. Given his old-style of speech, the fact that Saki launched a clumsy attack, and her sudden transposition from one location to another, Karai deduces that she is in a dream.
Karai asks if Masato is a ghost, or a "godling" like Kitsune. Masato responds that he is not like Kitsune, and when Karai asserts he's a ghost, he discusses Saki's visitation to her dreams. Karai wonders why, since Saki came to her because of their familial ties, a stranger like Masato is visiting her. Masato says that Saki was one of his greatest students, even though he eventually killed him (to which Masato adds, he has no hard feelings), and that he has been watching her since she first opened the Ashi no Himitsu, as he believes she alone is capable of deciding the future of the Foot Clan. Karai is still skeptical of Masato, as he sounds more like a psychoanalyst than a master ninja. Masato throws a shuriken at her and she wakes up.
Karai finds fresh blood on her face from the shuriken, and realizes that Masato was truthful. Her phone beeps with an alert, and she watches the news coverage on the Impostor Turtles attacking Baxter Stockman. She realizes that theses are not the Ninja Turtles she knows, as their movements are stiff and awkward. She dismisses the ruse, but then turns her thoughts toward the Armageddon Game, her encounter with Masato, and now these "Turtles"... something is adding up to more than just mere coincidence to her.
Since she's never been able to clear her mind enough to meditate, Karai opts to do the only thing she's been able to do to focus: "move" - running and leaping along the rooftops, reflecting on recent events. Suddenly, another shuriken comes hurtling past her, and she sees the Impostor Turtles. Karai notes that even if she were hunting for them, in a city that size, it would be near impossible for them to cross paths like this. Although these "Turtles" are sloppy and untrained, they still pose somewhat of a threat, especially all at once. After stealing a bō from one of them, she fights them, and is tackled off of the roof by the bō wielder, claiming revenge for the weapon theft. Karai pivots just in time to send the Turtle to the ground alone and gracefully rebound away.
The remaining Turtles attack her and the katana-wielding one gets an advantage, striking her and then grabbing her. Karai uses this close proximity to her advantage and stuns him with a brutal headbutt. Karai demands answers for the assassination attempt on Stockman, but the police sirens approaching cause them to "fall back" - a term Karai derides. Karai too, takes off to avoid the police.
Officers Lin and Keystone investigate the area, as there were three calls about a fight there and two of them were adamant that Stockman's attempted assassins. Keystone thinks that since there's very likely a reward out for their capture, they were probably fake calls just like hundreds more that the precinct had been getting. Lin, however, finds the shuriken that the Impostor Turtles threw and realizes there probably was merit to this report.
Back at her penthouse, Karai decides she's leaving out on her own for a bit, despite Saki's orders to stay put. Natsu calls Karai out on this, but she says Shredder no longer controls the clan and his word no longer is as important. Until she returns, she puts Natsu and Toshiro in charge, and directs them to follow Shredder's orders regardless, except in the event that they contradict with hers. As she prepares to leave, she tells Natsu to have Bebop and Rocksteady meet her at the Foot Clan's training facility in Queens, as despite their idiocy, they are loyal, and that's what she needs going forward.
At the training compound an about an hour later, Bebop and Rocksteady work over an abandoned car with their bare fists, but begin to grow bored just as Karai arrives. The two mutants are confused as to why Karai called on them, and as Bebop notes, not the "crabby bird" or zen shark". Karai says that she is changing the way the Foot is changing the way it does business, and they are now going to build and enhance alliances with others, whether it be via mutual profit, respect, or fear. She also speaks of protecting people through these avenues. She says she didn't call on Koya and Bludgeon, because she's not sure she can trust them to subscribe to Karai's new vision of the future, but for now, she needs Bebop & Rocksteady's help convincing another potential ally to join them....