On her way out, April stopped briefly in her office. Dialing a familiar number on the phone on her desk, and waited impatiently to be connected. "Come on... Answerphone... Great. OK, fine... Hi, guys, it's me, I just... well, I just wanted to see if you were back yet. I guess not. It's been a while. I, uh, miss you. Call me at home, if you get this, OK...?"

On her way out again, April managed to duck past Ed once more as he was addressing the newsroom in a loud voice. "Listen up, people, for those who don't know, for the ten o'clock we are leading with that missing police car story..." He noticed April leave with irritation and shook his head.

"Stolen from right under their noses..."

"Yeah, Chief Sterns went ballistic..."

"No kidding..."

In her hurry, April hadn't quite closed her office door properly. Irma, still lingering to watch the office go about its business, helpfully stepped in to close it... or so a casual bystander would have sworn. Gauging the right moment, Irma quickly slipped into the office and hurried over to the desk.

Her eye was drawn to a sheet of paper next to the phone on which lots of numbers were scrawled, and her attention quickly went to one in particular. A long number with lots of unusual prefixes, beneath an underlined Renaissance boys.

Before anyone even noticed she was there, Irma was back in the newsroom and pulling the door shut behind her.

***

In the subway station, Splinter's head snapped round at a sudden noise. The phone installed by Donatello in the railway carriage rang once, then a click interrupted it and a voice issued from the speaker. "Hi, guys, it's me, I just... well, I just wanted to see if you guys were back yet..."

***

Pizza. Yuck. April carefully stepped over the congealed mess that had once been a wedge-shaped slice of the Turtles' favorite, and onto the sidewalk, noting all the other debris scattered around the strangely deserted street. The tipped over baby buggy gave her a moment's troubled pause. Fortunately, it was empty. Strange. This place was usually pretty busy around now.

A number of police cars arrived at the end of the street, sirens blaring - she turned to see cars arrive at the other end too. Instinct kicked in and she ducked into a doorway, concealing herself from view. "What's going on here...?"

One way to find out...

***

"What have you got?" asked an exhausted Ed, nearing the home strait at the end of a very long day.

"Well..."- started Irma, before being quickly interrupted.

-"I want you to realize, Irma, I don't normally go around spying on my staff. April is giving me very genuine concern for her safety."

"Yeah, absolutely... Understood." Irma bit her lip. "Um, has she ever talked about the... renaissance? You know, Italian art, thirteen-hundreds, fourteen-hundreds..."

"What...?" Ed looked distracted. "Uh, yeah, I suppose. She covered some kind of international art exhibition a while ago, I forget the details..."

"Oh." Whatever Irma had hoped for, this wasn't it - she felt it in her gut. "OK. Never mind, it's probably nothing. You know what, I think I'm going to need more time on this, boss. But don't worry, you can rely on me."

***

"That's it, Chief. Cordons are in place. Everything's sewn up tight." The uniformed police officer handed Police Chief Sterns a megaphone and stood well back. Today, the Chief didn't wear his usual relatively approachable look of a disappointed bulldog, but that of a disappointed bulldog chewing several pine cones. Sterns fiddled with the switch and a moment later his voice blasted out of the device and filled the street with his not so gentle tones.

"ALL RIGHT, PEOPLE! HERE'S HOW IT IS! IN A MINUTE, WE'RE UNPACKING THESE THINGS AND LETTING THEM LOOSE! THEN IT'S GOODBYE TO OUR LITTLE PROBLEM!" He handed the megaphone back, muttering irritably. "THOUGH WHY I'M-!" He again fiddled with the switch and this time successfully switched the megaphone off. "Though why I'm expected to do Pest Control's job for them..."

"Chief, hi... What's going on?" a familiar voice asked cheerfully.

Even without the voice, April's yellow plastic rain jacket was recognizable in the periphery of his vision. Perfect. Just as his day was going so well. Sterns turned. "Miss O'Neil," he forced himself to say politely, and as slowly as possible to give himself time to think. Then a brief pause, as it hadn't been quite long enough. "How did you get past the cordon?" he asked casually.

"Oh, I was already inside," said April, seemingly oblivious to his annoyance, peering curiously at a van surrounded by a mixture of police officers and overall-clad engineers. They seemed to be unloading something from the back. "What's a... Mous-?"

-"Never mind that...!" Sterns snarled, before getting his temper in line. "I mean, I don't know what you're"-

-"Is this something to do with the rats?" April watched as the tarpaulin was lifted from a large trolley and several mechanical devices, some kind of robots possibly, were lowered carefully to the ground. "I was just on my way home, noticed something was going on down here."

"Great. That's just the sort of delightful co-incidence my days are constantly blessed with," said Sterns, rather too sweetly. They stood in awkward silence for a moment, watching the ongoing preparations at the other end of the street.

"Any word on that stolen patrol car...?" April asked with a casualness that would fool no one, let alone someone as alert to a trick as Chief Sterns.

"Investigation is proceeding," he replied, teeth gritted just a little. "Listen, Miss O'Neil, don't take this the wrong way, but... But out!"

April smiled. "Chief, do you see any cameras? I'm off duty."

"Oh, you mean we're off the record?" Sterns sounded hyper-reasonable, unnaturally calm.

"Yeah, OK, sure."

"And you know where I stand on that." Sterns smugly clicked his fingers and beckoned a couple of nearby young cops. "Here. Escort this civilian outside the cordon." The cops looked startled, even a little wary.

"Chief Sterns, look..." said April earnestly. "You know I've really never tried to make a fool out of you...! I've only ever given you a chance to speak!" Sterns frowned, thinking about that one carefully and, regretting her dig, she tried a different tack. "Look, Chief," she said more congenially, "I'm sorry if I"-

-"Look alive!" Sterns prompted the two young cops, and they came over. One of them, seeming very surprised and even a little nervous, hesitantly touched April's arm and led her away from Sterns, the other one following with a grim backward glance at the Police Chief. Sterns was happy, pleased with his handling of the situation, for about a second.

There was a bang and a sort of fizzing sound, followed by a cloud of thick smoke from the robots. One of the engineers came running over, and Sterns threw a glance at the departing reporter.

April paused, looking back. "Sorry, Chief!" she called. "I promise, I won't say a word." Sterns cursed under his breath, and turned to hear the man's report.

"Like we said, Chief, it's just too soon. We've still got a problem with the power cells. The Mou- um, the devices - just aren't ready. Give us a month and we'll have it"- Sterns curtly stopped the man with a gesture. Without another word, he turned back to his car, adjusted his uniform with great dignity, and got in the back seat.

"Drive," he said, wearily. "Anywhere. Just away."

"Chief, we got the Deputy Mayor on the 'phone... Chief...?"

***

The cops manning the cordon let April through and she smiled at them as she passed. The other two escorting her moved to follow, and she turned. "Uh, thanks guys, I know my way from here." One of them looked questioningly at the other, who shook his head curtly. Slightly bemused, April nodded at them, and went on her way. That was... different.

After walking a few feet, she stopped and looked back, then smiled again and waved. "'Bye, guys," she breathed. "Take a hint."

"Do you think she knows?" demanded Jake. Agitated, he took off his cap and ran a hand through his very non-regulation mop of center-parted dark hair.

"A minute. Then we follow," said Matt - blond, steely-eyed, unmistakably the alpha. Both of them were in their early 20s. The two of them stepped back and wandered away from the barrier.

"What do you think he wants her followed for?" asked Jake uneasily.

"You got a quarter? Call and ask..." replied Matt calmly, keeping April in sight. "Yeah, looks like she's going back to her apartment."

Sulking, Jake voiced another concern. "Are you sure the car will be all right?"

"The new plates will keep them off our backs for just long enough... What's got you so tense...?" He snorted. "Oh yeah, right..."

"What?" Jake demanded defensively.

"You know what."

***

April heard the faint sound of the TV as soon as she got in, less than ten minutes of brisk walking after passing the police cordon, the convenient location being one of the perks of a hastily-assembled pay-deal. Smiling, she took off her jacket, moved over to the breakfast bar and picked up a notepad. "Hey! Where've you guys been...?" she called.

On her way to the sofa, she looked down into the sitting area and was surprised to see no one there. Surprised, and a little disappointed. "Donny...? Raph...? Mikey...?" No answer. She supposed there was little point calling for Leo - if he was here he would probably have spoken up by now. So, who switched on the TV...?

The fallen remote caught her eye, and April picked it up, noticing the slightly open window. "Hey... Careless, O'Neil, careless..." She closed the window and went back to the notepad. "Now..." she said to herself, reading her way down a bullet-pointed list on the top sheet of the pad. "Done... Done. Done, tank's full. Called them, nobody there. That can wait. That can wait. He can definitely wait... Indefinitely." A moment of doubt, maybe even guilt, at that last one, then she moved on.

"New item..." she continued. In private, the neutral accent of the TV professional was nudged out by the vowels of a New York girl. "Make sure turn TV off." April tapped the pen lightly against her cheek for a moment before absently tucking hair behind her ear, an action which jogged her memory. "Ooh-! Muriel downstairs... Needs her straighteners back... OK, that can wait till tomorrow... I'm sure there's something else..."

She considered for a moment, and smiled at the thought that occurred. "Stop talking to myself... No, that one can wait too." She paused, looking round. "OK. Ready."

Kicking off her shoes, she ran up the spiral stairs to the apartment's upper floor.

***

The new arrival to the derelict apartment was watched as he approached. Hidden by his long dark coat and wide-brimmed hat, he didn't see the eyes on him but he knew they were there and he approved. As he climbed stairway after stairway, as he walked along the echoing hallway and arrived at the nondescript door, one among many, they continued to watch.

He knocked three times.

Freddy put the bag that he had been carrying on a table along with the coat and hat, and moved to the center of the room. A dozen or so sullen, demoralized youths watched him warily - Boys, only a few of them over twenty. Like him, they were in civilian garb, remnants of their old life. Freddy looked round them calculatingly, his long face impassive, his light blue eyes intense.

"You all OK?" he asked, in a concerned voice. Most of them nodded, a few avoided his gaze completely. None were prepared for what came next.

"Well, you shouldn't be!" he yelled fiercely. He let them consider that for a few moments, staring at each in turn. "Master Shredder is dead," he said more calmly. "For real this time. Our territories are invaded. Those who once feared the Foot Clan, now they openly laugh at us." He paused. "But that's going to change. And all that's needed to change that is a leader worthy of Master Shredder's legacy..." Looking round to gauge the reaction, Freddy noticed that some of them were actually looking past him, at the door that led to the rest of the apartment. A floorboard creaked a few feet behind him.

He stopped talking, rapidly thinking back. Replaying everything he had just said in his head. He didn't look behind him; he already knew what he would find. "Agreed." A low, guttural voice spoke from over his shoulder. "These things must be put right."

The squat form of Tatsu, the Shredder's right-hand-man, came into view. Freddy swallowed nervously. Tatsu was the one who had taught Freddy everything he knew about fighting, but Freddy had never deluded himself that he had been taught everything Tatsu knew.

"Master Tatsu," he said. "You live. I am... pleased." It didn't matter how transparent the lie was. All that mattered was he must be seen to show respect. The Foot Clan's most senior living member in New York peered at Freddy closely, and seemed satisfied that was the case.

Tatsu moved to the center of the room, and Freddy moved to stand at his right hand. The symbolism was not lost on any of them, and none objected to their positions in this new hierarchy. At least for now.

"Master, if I may begin..." offered Freddy, and at Tatsu's nod, continued. "The Foot Clan in New York has suffered a defeat, but we are not finished. There are three more safe-houses just like this one, with at least the same numbers in each... Our enemies, the four mutant turtles and their trainer, the rat... have not been seen for some time. Now, that is no surprise, since unlike us they can't exactly take off their masks and go see a movie..."

If Freddy had more to say, Tatsu cut him short, stifling the half-hearted laughter. "I follow Master Shredder's last orders, before he... was distracted. We will strike these Turtles. Use our full strength against them. If they will not show themselves, we will make them!"

That intrigued Freddy. He searched his very precise memory. Before he was distracted – he supposed that meant distracted by the ooze canisters and the strange events that had resulted. The strangest few days of his life. Giant flowers. Working for TV news Channel 3. Tokka and Rahzar. Their final, musical showdown with the Turtles, from which he had barely escaped. Then...

No, that memory was still too painful. Rewind a little. He remembered the night Shredder had shown up out of the blue when all had been thought lost. Tatsu had picked Freddy out to follow Shredder's instructions. Those instructions had been... Freddy smiled as he recalled.

Follow the reporter.

***

The motorcycle rider was anonymous in black - Jacket, pants, boots and gloves all of close-fitting black leather, gleaming with a waxy sheen under the streetlights, and a helmet with a tinted visor. The bike, a modified 1978 Honda, had seen better days, but it was fast. Right now, it was cruising, traversing more or less the same route again and again, in a bad neighborhood till very recently dominated by the Foot Clan. If trouble threatened, the bike's turn of speed would leave pursuers eating dust. The rider knew what to look for, so it was just a matter of waiting for it to show up.

In the event anyone tried to find the owner of the bike from the plates, the trail would eventually lead to an angry boarding house proprietor demanding rent arrears. A truly dedicated investigation would uncover lots of conflicting stories of a man who had never held a steady job for long, may not even be using his real name and for now at least was definitely nowhere to be found in New York...

A flash of movement down an alley caught the rider's attention. The bike turned at the next corner and circled the block, arriving a couple of minutes later at the other end of the alley. Down the alley, shadowy figures were at work, loading up the back of a van with crates.

Leather-gloved hands gripped the handlebars more tightly, such was the rider's excitement. This was it... The rumors were true...

The Foot Clan was back.

Notes:

- Lots of things here that rely on the story taking place in the early 90s. For the most part, we didn't have cell phones, which made a lot of everyday life less convenient, but it really helps when constructing adventure stories.

- The return of April's yellow PVC jacket from the first movie! And Chief Sterns. How could I leave either of them out? Oh, and of course, Mou-

- Tatsu! And the perhaps not quite so popular Freddy - or as many people know him, Who? He gets quite a big role in this one. Played in Secret of the Ooze by an actor called Mark Doerr.

- Muriel was the rather tall neighbor April ran into on her way into her building at the beginning of Secret of the Ooze. It seems her instinctively catty response to her diminutive partner's flirty interactions with their celebrity neighbor has given way to friendship, at least as far as letting April borrow her hair straighteners. Funny how a brief line can imply a whole offscreen relationship.