Golden Angel

“…MICHELANGELO!”

“AH! ARTIE, DON’T KILL ME!”

An orange and green blur bolted into the living room, and there was an aggravated growl from behind him.

The turtle that followed him was clearly female, with deep jade green color, with a dark black shell.

Dark crimson eyes narrowed on the turtle hiding behind the couch, and she put her hands on her hips.

She was averagely built, with balanced hips and chest, the latter hidden behind her plastron.

“Michelangelo, you may be my brother, but I’m going to kill you!”

“EEP!”

She jumped for him, tackling him to the ground.

“ARTIE, PLEASE-! MY SHELL IS CRACKING-! MY ARM DOESN’T BEND THAT WAY-!”

“ARTEMISIA!”

Jumping away, she turned to her blue-banded brother.

“Oh, uh…hey, Leo…”

She smiled sheepishly.

“Um…”

“What did he do now?”

“He broke bed!” She accused, pointing at him.

“He threw his heavy shell on it and the whole frame broke down!”

“It was an accident!” Mikey protested, hiding behind Leo now.

“And it looked so SOFT…”

“YOU TORE UP MY STUFFED ANIMALS!”

“Well…You’re too old for them.”

“…Where are your comic books?”

“MY BABIES!”

Mikey ran to save them, but she just shook her head.

“Artemis, you weren’t really…?”

“Gotta get rid of him somehow.” She replied with a smirk.

“Now to get my stuff…”

She’d probably still been sleeping when Mikey had jumped on the bed, since she didn’t have on her gear or mask.

Feeling strangely uncomfortable, Leo normally would’ve looked away.

But his eyes were glued to her shell as she walked away, a subtle sway to her hips…

She stopped at the doorway to her room, and turned to close the door when she caught his stare.

“Something wrong?”

He snapped out of his trance, feeling embarrassed.

“No, I’m okay.”

“Alright…” She replied, unsure, before closing her door.

Pulling on her ankle and wrist bands, along with her belt, she tied on her mask.

It was deep gold, dark, and reached the bottom edge of her shell like a ponytail.

She had two large metal fans that she strapped to her back in an x formation, and the metal was a deep gold, like her mask.

Heading back into the living room, she found Mikey hugging his comics.

“…Maybe I went too far…”

She looked thoughtful, then shook her head.

“Nah…”

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“Remember, to become a true ninja, you must become one with the shadows. Darkness gives the ninja power, while light reveals the ninja’s presence.”

Watching the candle intently, she was crouched, staying silent.

“Now…can you extinguish this flame without revealing yourselves?”

She saw shadows move before their master did, and closed her eyes at the impact each made with the floor.

Donatello…

“Too noisy, Donatello.”

Michelangelo…

“Too clumsy, Michelangelo.”

Raphael…

“Poor choice, Raphael…”

A kunai slid from her wristband and into her hand, and her eyes snapped up to see Leo.

‘Wait…aim…’

He jumped down, cutting the candle in Splinter’s hand.

However, when it landed on his blade, her kunai flew, cutting the wick and extinguishing the flame.

Standing, she smiled, using ninja wire to pull the kunai knife back to her.

The lights were turned on in the dojo once more, and she slipped her weapon away.

“Well done, Leonardo. Artemisia.”

Both bowed, and Raph growled.

“Teacher’s pet.”

“Ninja drop-out.” The blue-banded turtle countered.

“OOOOO…” Don and Mikey stated at once.

Artemis rolled her eyes as the two threatened to strike each other, but the elderly rat got between them.

“My children…if you wish to become true ninja, you must work harder.”

The five turtles knelt in a line before their sensei, ready to listen.

“Your path in life will not be an easy one.”

Mikey started watching a fly…

“The outside world will not be a friendly place for you. You five are different in a way that the surface-dwellers will never understand. To survive, you must master these skills I teach you.”

Mikey was now trying to CATCH the fly…

“Ninjitsu powers of stealth and secrecy. You must become kage, shadow warriors, and you must never be discovered by the outside world.”

Mikey clapped his hands, effectively killing the fly, but the look he received from Splinter made Artemis laugh on the inside.

Unfortunately, the moment was shattered when the whole room seemed to shake.

“What is that noise?”

Artemis was already on her feet, closed fans, each reaching her chest in height, in her hands.

Bricks were falling from the ceiling as her brothers stood, looking confused.

“Whoa. Earthquake!” Mikey stated.

“In New York? Possible, but not likely…” Don answered.

Artemis pulled him back before a brick hit his head, and gave him a hard look.

“Smart comments can wait until bricks stop falling from the ceiling, Donnie.”

A hole blew through the wall, and strange little metal monsters came through.

They had teeth like a sharks, and a single glowing yellow eye.

Opening her fans as her brothers brought out their own weapons, the sharpened edges cut the bricks as they glided over them.

“New York City cockroaches?” Mikey joked.

“I think they’re too METAL for that, Mikey.” She replied, swinging on large fan and cutting one right in half.

“…And they die easier…”

Jumping into action, the five turtles were defeating the machines at a fast rate.

Artemis stopped, closing her fans with a quick snap, when she saw Splinter cut off from them, outnumbered by machines.

“We’ve got to help Master Splinter!” Leo shouted.

The darn little things were eating at the supports, and she stopped to throw kunai through their heads.

Pulling the projectiles back with ninja wire, she blocked sharp teeth with her folded fan.

A crack was forming in the ceiling from the stress, and she saw Splinter on the other side.

“SENSEI!”

Someone grabbed her arm, pulling her back, and bricks narrowly missed her head.

Falling back on her shell, she rubbed her head before looking up at her eldest brother.

“Thanks…”

Dust filled the air, and the solid wall of rubble seemed to make her heart stop.

“Oh God…”

“Master Splinter!” Leo called, running to try and dig through.

Artemis stood, worried, and strapped her fans to her shell.

Raph seemed pleased enough to crush the machines underfoot, while Don seemed more intent on studying them.

“What the shell ARE those things?” Mikey questioned, poking one metal carcass with his ‘chucks.

“Whatever they were…”

Raph kicked one away.

“They’re junk now.”

“Oh, how clever.” Artemis stated sarcastically.

Before he replied, she turned to Leo and Don.

“How are we going to get to him-?”

Her question was interrupted by beeping, and she turned to Don.

“…Donnie?”

“Shell Cell. I’m calling Splinter.”

…

“Hmmm…which button do you press to answer this thing?”

A smile crossed her face at the voice, along with the beeping of buttons being pressed.

“Hello?”

Leo took the Shell Cell.

“Master Splinter?”

“HELLO?”

“Master Splinter-.”

“Stupid device!”

“You don’t have to press any buttons. You already answered it.”

Shaking her head in amusement at the thought that her father, master of Ninjitsu and ‘rat of a thousand eyes’, could hardly work a cell phone properly.

“Ah…Leonardo, whatever those mechanical menaces are, they managed to eat through the support structure of our home. We must leave right away.”

The brothers crowded around the phone, but Artemis found that where she was felt much less cramped…

“Meet me at the old drainage junction in the south.”

Don pulled out a map of some sort, and blew dust off.

“If we take the south conduit…It’ll intersect with old drainage tunnel.”

“We’ll meet you there, sensei.”

“What’d he say? What’d he say?” Mikey asked, acting like an annoying child.

“Did he mention me?”

Raph shoved his youngest brother over, and Artemis shook her head.

“Couldn’t just smack him, could you?”

“It kinda gets old.”

Punching him in the arm hard enough to hurt, she helped up Mikey.

They headed out into the tunnel, and she closed her eyes as she pulled on her kunai and shuriken.

“Goodbye, broken pipe. Goodbye, grungy payphone. Goodbye, dented manhole cover. Goodbye-.”

“MIKEY!”

He turned to Artemis, who had an irritated look in her eyes.

“Before you start saying goodbye to that brick, let’s GO.”

Grabbing the youngest turtle by his mask tails, she dragged him out into the tunnel.

“Looks like our little friends have been through here.” She muttered, looking at the wall.

“These walls are seriously compromised…It’s lucky this roof hasn’t caved in-.”

Don stopped when he saw the blocked tunnel.

“…Ya were sayin’?”

“Can’t go forward…Can’t go back…” Leo muttered.

“Looks like we go up.” Raph stated, heading to a ladder that led topside.

“Hitting the surface is a bad idea!” Leo warned.

“We have no other way to go.” Artemis reasoned.

He seemed to think for a moment, and sighed in exasperation.

“Fine. But we’re only going up to go down the next manhole. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

She even did a mock-salute, smiling.

“No fooling around.” He warned.

“Remember what sensei said. It’s dangerous for us to be seen, let alone captured. We need to stay out of sight.”

“We got it the first thousand times, Leo.” Raph interrupted.

“Just follow my lead.”

Artemis rolled her eyes.

“Yeah…THAT’LL go well…”

A pebble fell, hitting her on the head.

“OW!”

Rubbing her head, she scowled up at her brother.

“Just wait till I get up there, wise guy…”

Unfortunately, Leo insisted on going after Raph, but she used her seniority to at least go ahead of Mikey.

The blue-banded turtle stopped at the top, and she blushed when she realized that she was basically looking at his butt.

“Yo, Leo. You have a hot butt and all, but I’d prefer to be topside.”

Without her knowledge, Leo was blushing, and hastened his movement upward.

They hid in the shadows when a car went by, and Raph sped on ahead of them as Artemis jumped up.

She was crouched on the fire escape like a gargoyle, crimson eyes studying the streets.

‘The city that never sleeps…’

It seemed her red-banded brother had found a manhole, but an armored truck parked…

RIGHT on top of it…

‘…WHY is nothing EVER easy?’ She asked herself, jumping and flipping across the street.

Landing on a pipe going down the building, she slid down once the people inside were gone.

“Great…Just GREAT…The ol’ turtle luck workin’ true ta form…” She heard Raph mutter from the other side of the metal vehicle.

Jumping onto the roof, she looked down in time to see him kick it.

“Way to be stealthy, Raph!” Leo whispered from around the corner with Mikey and Don.

“Yeah. I’m sure no one heard you in Jersey.”

“Shut up, Artie…”

“Make me!”

Raph growled at her, and went to the back of the truck to try and push it.

Jumping down and landing behind him, she quirked an eye-ridge.

“Not so easy, huh?”

Her eyes turned to the door, hearing someone on the other side.

“Raph-!”

He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the vehicle.

Hidden on the ceiling, she held her breath as the gangsters threw in duffel bags.

The doors closed with a solid click, and the engine revved.

Artemis glared at her brother.

“…Next time, leave the hiding places to ME.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“Next time you pull this, I’m going to have to hurt you.”

Raph snorted as he looked out the back windows.

“What are ya gonna do? Wave yer fans at me?”

“…Remember what happened last time I ‘waved my fans’ at you?”

“…No?”

“Do you need me to remind you?”

“No!”

She smirked.

“Thought so…”

When the truck stopped in another alley, both disappeared from sight inside.

One guy was left to guard them, but Mikey took care of him.

Don took out a couple screwdrivers from his Bag ‘A Tricks, and started working.

Artemis knocked on the glass.

“Hey! How long is this gonna take?”

“What’s that, Artie? You’re gonna have to speak up, sis! I can’t HEAR you!”

Glaring at Mikey, she held up an arm when Raph, antagonized already, seemed ready to bust straight through the doors.

“Leave him to me…”

Knowing how bad it would be, the red-banded turtle just got ready to watch a great show.

Hearing a click that meant the doors were unlocked, she gave a feral grin.

“Uh, hey, Artie…Great to have you back, sis-.”

The orange-banded turtle was cut off when she tackled him.

“Think that was funny, wise guy?”

“N-No…” He gasped, since she was choking him.

“Uh, Artie…”

“We don’t have time for this…”

“Since when don’t I have time to maim my own brother?” She asked, looking over her shoulder.

“OH…Well, that’s a good reason why I should stop…”

Getting up and turning, she pulled out her closed fans.

“Look at the freaks.”

“What’s with the dweeby costumes?”

Leaning on one steadily, she quirked an eye-ridge.

“Dweeby? Excuse me, but I think you’re talking about my brother over here.”

“HEY…” Mikey whined.

“This ain’t Halloween.”

“You’re going down, freaks. Nobody messes with the Purple Dragons, especially not wearing STUPID turtle costumes.”

“OH. I’m shaking in my shell.” She taunted, opening her other fan lazily.

In a united front, all five attacked.

Not using the sharp edges of her fan, she blocked pipes and chains, kicking her opponents down easily.

Really, the fight was rather quick, and they ran like little sissies, tails between their legs.

“…That was easy…”

Don nodded in agreement.

“I hope there’s more ‘a those guys, ‘cause I’m just gettin’ warmed up.” Raph stated.

“Well…looks like you got your wish, Raphie-boy…” Mikey pointed out, and everyone looked up at the shadowy figures.

“…OKAY…” Artemis muttered, both fans cutting into the concrete.

“Are those guy…ninja?” Leo questioned.

The black shadows jumped down, surrounding them.

“They’re certainly ninja-like…” The crimson-eyed turtle answered.

“Be ready for anything…”

“I am SO gonna enjoy this…”

The five jumped into action, and Artemis closed her fans in midair, flipping and bringing both down on four ninja’s heads.

They crumpled, unconscious, and she spun around, smacking away more.

“Come ON. You guys are ninja.”

She did a ‘Matrix move’, leaning back to dodge the blade of a katana before bringing her feet up and striking the hilt of the katana into the air.

Flipping backwards, she stabbed one of her fans into the ground, caught the katana, and threw it like a kunai.

“I thought you’d be just a LITTLE more kick-ass. Just a little more.”

Pulling her fan free, she spotted the ten ninja surrounding her.

“Really now? MAN, if I beat you guys, you’ll be SO embarrassed.” She teased.

“And I’ll really wonder if the quality of shinobi has gone down SO far…”

They all jumped for her, and she opened her fans to block their weapons.

With a flick of her wrist, they were disarmed and then smacked away, and the jade-skinned turtle jumped up to avoid a wakizashi.

Throwing her two kunai down at the culprit, she landed on a pipe and pulled the projectiles back.

“LEO!”

He was ganged up on by at least five ninja, and she pulled back her fans.

With a strong swing, a huge gust of wind smacked at least two away.

He knocked the rest away, and she jumped to join her brothers by the truck.

“How many ‘a these goons do we have ta bat ‘fere they get the hint?!” Raph asked irritably.

“SERIOUSLY. They just keep coming!” Mikey agreed.

“Like cockroaches.” She growled.

A spark and the rev of an engine showed Don had hot-wired the truck.

“Alright, brother’s go IN the truck!”

Snapping her weapons shut, she practically THREW Mikey into the back.

“Leo! Raph! MOVE YOUR SHELLS!”

Leaping into the now-moving truck, she breathed out when her blue and red-banded brothers joined her.

They swerved a bit as she closed the door…

Actually, they swerved a LOT…

“Whoa! Nice driving, Don! For a turtle with no license!” Mikey joked.

“Hey! Do you want pretty, or do you want effective?”

Artemis hit her head roughly on the wall.

“I want the one where I’m not flying into the walls!”

Raph rooted through the duffel bags.

“Whoa…check this out.”

Dumping it, everyone’s eyes widened at the bundles of money.

“Show me the money, baby! WHOO-HOO!” Mikey cheered.

“This isn’t Finder’s Keeper’s, Mikey.” Leo said sternly.

“AWWW…”

They happened to pass by a police car, and threw the duffel bags onto the hood before driving off.

“…I wish I could’ve seen their faces…”

Don decided to drive INTO the sewers and THREW the tunnels to the drainage junction.

“…Donnie…don’t do that EVER again…until you get more practice…”

Artemis rubbed her head, jumping out and joining her brother’s in the group hug with their father.

“I’m glad to see you too, my children.”

“Master Splinter, so much has happened today.”

“Yes, yes. There will be plenty of time to tell me later, Leonardo. But first, I’d like to take you all home.”

As he started to walk, the five turtles shared a glance.

“Uh, sensei? Our home collapsed, remember?” She stated.

“Yeah. Those robots trashed our pad.”

“Do not worry. I believe I have found the solution to our current housing problem.”

The elderly rat stopped next to a large whole in the floor.

“Follow me, my children.”

When he jumped down, Artemis quirked an eye-ridge.

“Well…why not?”

She flashed a reassuring smile, running and doing a fancy flip before going down.

She KNEW she heard Raph mutter “Show-off…”

Landing on her feet, she started following her sensei when a turtle-pile formed itself behind her.

“…NOW, I’m kinda glad I moved…”

“No offense, Master Splinter, but this place doesn’t seem very great…” Mikey stated as the pile stood and separated, following their father.

“Look with your heart, Michelangelo, and not your eyes.”

“Um…Okay?”

“And walk this way.”

Artemis furrowed her brow, thinking.

‘Look with your heart, and not your eyes. Reminds me of Cupid, I guess. He’s painted blind, or something.’

Mikey copied Splinter’s stooped walk, and Don promptly smacked him with his Bo staff.

“OW!”

Stepping through a prominent doorway with a laugh on her lips, she stopped at the gigantic room before her.

There was a second floor lined with doors, and there were plenty of rooms below.

“This is beyond AWESOME!”

“I could really tune this place up…”

Knowing her youngest brothers were happy with the space, she grinned.

Mikey started claiming rooms, and Artemis rubbed her forehead.

“You see, my children. Change is good.”

“We couldn’t agree more, Master Splinter.” Leo agreed.

“Good. So, let’s see you boys clean up for a change. This chamber is filthy!”

“What about Artie?” Mikey whined.

“She cleaned up the whole lair at least five times every week before.” Don pointed out.

“I think she deserves a break.” Leo added.

The gold-banded turtle smiled.

“See? THAT’S why they’re my favorite brothers!”

Mikey groaned at the thought of work, and the look on his face made her laugh.

“It’s alright, bro. There’ll be lemonade.”

“YIPEE!”