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Chapter Text

The soft pat-pat-pat of feet right outside her room clued Venus in on what was about to happen in the next few seconds.

Frankly, she overheard this particular plan only a week ago from her youngest brother who had been under the impression that she was too engrossed in her new novel to pay any mind to the world around her. Unfortunately for him, though, Venus had the hidden ability to multitask. So, here she was, sitting in the darkness of her room as she picked up the nervous but excited whispers beyond the ragged shower curtains that blocked her from view.

Venus hid a chuckle. Honestly, they still had a lot to learn when it came to teenage rebellion. Especially when they're living with a sister who happened to also be well-trained in ninjutsu.

"Bros, what about Vivi? Should we let her in on this?"

"What? No, she's sleepin', ya goofball. Besides, this'll be a quick run topside anyway. Out and in. Ain't that right, Fearless?"

"Exactly. It'll only be for an hour or two before Sensei and Vee wake up to start our training."

"We should hurry; you know their body clocks sync up at this time of year. We don't want a double scolding, do we?"

Venus pouted slightly upon hearing the hushed conversation. So, they were really leaving her out on the adventure? Bummer. And here she was with her original plan of taking her brothers topside anyway, with her father's permission, no less. Ah well, teens will be teens. Then, Venus had an idea.

As silently and swiftly as the wind, she crossed her room until she left through the other opening that led to the main area of their home, out of her brothers' range of sight. Knowing they were taking the time to hype themselves up for their first trip above ground on their own (well, technically third trip but who was counting?), Venus carefully approached on light footsteps, still sticking close to the sharp shadows cast by the lamp affixed to the ceiling. They haven't noticed her yet, a point she filed away for future use. 

It had been a while since she messed with her brothers like this so she was gonna milk this opportunity for all it's worth. Keeping the excitement and mischief toned down to help conceal her presence, Venus soundlessly propped herself against the wall on one shoulder, crossing her arms and one leg behind the other for more effect. This was gonna be great.

"Alright, you guys ready to go?" 

"Go where, exactly?"

The sudden silence was hilarious as it was glorious. That's what they get for thinking they could sneak out on her. In sync, all four of her brilliant, talented, incredible, and adorable little brothers stiffly turned around to where she was half-hidden in the dark, their expressions ranging from every other emotion on the spectrum in different intensities. She had no idea what they were thinking right now but what she did know was that this was officially one of her best moments which she would look back on fondly.

Venus quirked her head, a wordless prompt for them to say something that could save their shells from a "potential scolding" even though that department was solely her father's. But history proved that when it really mattered, her scoldings were surprisingly effective. Mostly.

Leonardo, this time, was the first to break. "Uh, hey, Vee. Um... How's it going?"

Venus made a show of raising an eye ridge, unimpressed. Behind Leonardo were Michelangelo and Donatello, undoubtedly lily-livered and ready for the floor to absorb them. Though, Michael was a bit more obvious in his worries than Donatello, as he kept shooting nervous glances between his three brothers and Venus. "Yeah, uh, what brings you out here, sis? Thought you were, y'know, having a good night's sleep and stuff, heh." His smile was more awkward than it was charming and she fought back a laugh with all her might.

"Oh, you know," she started, still feigning casualness as she pretended to fix her wrist wrappings. "Woke up with a feeling." Watching the panic of getting caught gradually dawn in their eyes nearly forced her to break character but Venus stayed strong, waiting for the perfect time to drop the display of an older sister taking her sweet time in doling out the sermons.

"A...feeling?" Donatello meekly asked. She shrugged.

"Yeah. Then wouldn't you know, I see you four about to do what I know you're going to do."

Raphael had been a trooper keeping his mouth shut and looking at anywhere else but Venus until he not-so-subtly elbowed Leonardo to do something, say something, Fearless, or we're dead grounded! 

She spent the next minute and a half watching her brothers exchange a wordless conversation with their eyes, eye ridges raising and dropping now and then. Probably morse code that only sneaky little brothers could decipher. She got the general sense of what they were discussing, though; who was gonna be the lucky turtle to start talking their way out of a lecture and a visit to the Hashi? Venus endeavored to maintain herself despite how much she laughed on the inside. This was too good. 

Shoved none too lightly by Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello, Leonardo stood before her as the sacrificial lamb of tonight, and he didn't look too pleased by the betrayal, glaring petulantly at his unrepentant brothers. Despite that, he squared his shoulders and Venus decided last minute to push herself off the wall to stand face to face with her brother if just to sell the "secretly pissed and ten seconds away from snitching to Sensei" act. Behind Leonardo, their brothers didn't move a muscle, quieter than they'd ever been, as though waiting for the other shoe to plummet and cause a nuclear reaction. (In this case, it was just a soft ripple from a water drop but her brothers wouldn't know that yet until the right moment.)

"Vee." 

"Lee."

Leonardo fidgeted ever so slightly at her little nickname for him while she remained stoic and calm. Years of meditation and near-heart attacks from her little brothers' shenanigans have been leading up to this moment. 

"So, uh," he started and she knew immediately what he was gonna say next. "I can explain—"

"Explain why you four, despite Sensei's warnings, were about to head out and explore New York City in the middle of the night."

Venus phrased it more as a statement rather than a question, an effective method used by Master Splinter plenty of times whenever the boys did something bad and were trying to lie their way out of it. She was a good enough strategist to conclude that it was time for the big reveal now that she had set up everything pretty well. As much as she enjoyed watching her goofball siblings panic on the inside (and outside, in Michelangelo's case) over getting caught red-handed, she wanted to experience exploring the world above the sewers with her little brothers through a fresher perspective. 

So she let the other shoe finally drop.

"You're gonna do that..." The four of them audibly swallowed whatever words they planned to say as she leaned forward and gave the sneakiest smile she could physically muster.

"And leave me out on all the fun?"

Just like that, her brothers' built-up panic left their shells and they were smiling brightly enough to light up even the darkest corners of New York. Heck, they were lighting up the entirety of the sewers already.

"You're coming with us, Vivi?" Mikey bounced on his toes eagerly at the idea and Venus reflected his grin.

"Yes. I mean, you didn't think I was going to leave you boys to see the world unsupervised, did you?"

They didn't need much supervising, she was smart enough to accept that fact ever since they'd gotten their masks upgraded and their skills refined, but call it second nature to make sure her brothers went unscathed when venturing into the unknown. After all, she was their big sister and, much more recently, their team leader. Wherever they go, she goes, and vice versa. Particular habits die last and all that.

Raphael chuckled as he, Donatello, and Michelangelo approached. "We're fifteen, Vee, we can explore the world a little unsupervised."

"I'd believe that," she said as a certain event in their lives that made Master Splinter nearly lose his marbles with worry and her seesawing between coddling them or noogie-ing their heads until they got the message came to mind, "but I remember that time when you were kids that you went out of the lair without Sensei or me knowing about it. And for a toy you found, no less."

Raphael averted his eyes, abashed. "That was one time..."

"But hey!" Michelangelo shoved past his brothers and had an arm around her shoulders. "You're here with us now, right? That means Sensei won't blow a gasket if he ever finds out since you'll be watching our shells the entire time!"

Venus didn't doubt that considering how less tense Master Splinter got when she was there to watch the boys while he was gone for a scavenging trip. But she suspected that even with her looking over them, their father wouldn't be too happy discovering they left without him in the know. Which was why Venus wanted to ask him for permission. She was older, a little wiser, and the first to earn her new mask, crafted from a childhood scarf that kept her warm during the winter. She liked to believe she earned Sensei's trust in keeping her brothers - his sons - out of harm's way now that she was a proper kunoichi. But who even had an idea as to what his answer would be regardless? 

She told the boys of her initial plans and their reactions were what she expected; a short evolution from surprise to understanding to sheepishness because they probably just remembered her "superpower" of being the eldest child and, therefore, the most responsible in looking after the family right after Master Splinter. Although even she had her scruples about testing the deeper waters of that authority and going behind her father's back about his number one rule. 

But then again, this was important for the boys, and she was gonna do everything in her power to make sure they had the best fun they could have now that they'd grown much older than five and more skilled than Venus used to be at nine. They were gonna be okay.

"No time dwelling on that now," Venus said with finality, approaching the ladder to the manhole awaiting their ascent. Good thing she packed her tessen and tanto with her. Just in case. "If Sensei finds out and gets mad when we get back, I'll explain everything to him."

Leonardo didn't seem glad about that idea. "But we don't want you to get in trouble for us, Vee. I mean, this was our plan, and you didn't know about it until you woke up and found us."

She squashed his worries with an assuring smile. Oh, Leonardo, ever her thoughtful little brother. "Don't worry about that, Leonardo, it's fine. Besides, this will be a quick run up top; like sightseeing. We won't stick our noses into any trouble. I'll make sure of that."

She aimed a pointed glance in Raphael's direction, hoping he got the message, which he did when he grumpily frowned and folded his arms but nodded. What a dork.

"Well? What're we waiting for? Let's get a move on." She started climbing, and one by one, her brothers followed.

New York City was the same as she remembered it all those years ago when she had been just a regular turtle and the years that trickled after that when she and Sensei went to pick up wayward turtle tots. The night sky didn't have a lot of stars but the moon shone brilliantly, making it easier for Venus to scope the alley for any humans under the heavy iron protection of the manhole cover.

So far, the coast was clear. Dumpsters, some cardboard boxes, and other city junk in the alley provided relatively good shielding from the main street right ahead, so Venus carefully slid the cover away and left the safety of the sewers with her brothers at her heels. 

"Woah, the air up here is way different from the sewers. Smells like gas and greasy food!" Michelangelo noted after an exaggerated sniff, turning around in a complete three-sixty just to drink in the sight of the upside world much more clearly. Well, a pocket of it. The city was a huge place, after all. And the best way to view it was from above, where no one would think to look unless they wanted to stargaze. 

She prompted her brothers to climb one side of a building by its escape ladder, retaining their ninja stealth until they reached the flat rooftop. The city looked so vast with its ocean of towers, stores, bridges, and skyscrapers, yet so small from a distance. Venus took it all in, not minding the cool breeze passing by and making the braided tail of her mask flutter.

"So, this is New York in all its glory," Donatello observed with fascination.

"It's huge!" Michelangelo said excitedly, jumping on his spot. "Hey, d'you think we could nab some pizza while we're out here?"

Then he got bopped on the head by Raphael, as usual. "Ow- hey!"

"So what now, chief?" Raphael ignored his younger brother's annoyance in favor of paying attention to what Venus's next course of action would be now that they were far enough away from unwanted eyes.

Venus scanned the area again. Admittedly, though she and Master Splinter memorized the sewer system routes throughout the years, she was unfamiliar with the terrain above them. As expected, considering she never ventured out here unless it was to bring back curious little siblings from wandering too far and too deep into the city.

But hey, there was always a first time for everything. Knowing is half the battle, she recalled her father saying. And what better way to have fun whilst scouting this maze of a new environment than a good old-fashioned game she and the boys used to play when they were little?

Hopping onto the parapet, she turned to her awaiting brothers and announced, "Why don't we start this off with a game of ninja tag race?"

Running over roofs had a different feeling from sprinting around the twists and turns of the sewers. It was freer, more open and unfamiliar, and the sky truly was the limit. Venus held back from cheering loudly, mostly for self-preservation's sake, but the thrill of leaping and jumping across the sleepless city energized her.

She chuckled when she saw Michael perform an eccentric front flip to the next building over Raphael, earning him a slightly distressed, "Careful, Mikey!" from Leonardo in the process. It was Michelangelo's turn as the tagger and, due to his faster reflexes and agility, he got his siblings. Well, all except Venus, hence her running like her life and dignity depended on it. She wasn't gonna lose tonight.

The destination they had chosen for this game was the water tower just a few blocks ahead. No prize had been decided outright yet but Venus planned for it to be pizza. They deserved a good snack for their first exploration outside.

"He's on your shell, Vee!"

"Don't let 'im tag ya or we'll never hear the end of it!"

"Don't look back, Vee!"

Venus's smile never left, even as Michelangelo complained to their brothers and their bias over who would win the game. She made it to the water tower first, landing noiselessly on the roof it stood on, and the others came seconds after. "I win."

Michelangelo, now sprawled on the ground like a turtle-shaped starfish, huffed with no real frustration, "No fair, Vivi, you had a head start!"

"Nah, it's 'cuz you were too slow," Raphael snickered and Venus saw the moment the youngest brother caught onto the opportunity to be a little menace.

"Says the turtle who got tagged first!"

And another chase began but this time it was between a ticked-off Raphael and a cackling Michael, both running around in circles, and Venus laughed softly. Whether it was from exertion or amusement at her brothers' antics, she didn't particularly care. They should do this more often.

Hm. Maybe they could; Venus had no doubt in her mind that she and the boys were skilled enough that they could take on enemies in a fight. Master Splinter saw to it that they were ready for the real world. So it stood to reason, if they were gonna go back to this side of New York, where the bad guys exist (where the monsters breathed and killed), Sensei should also be aware. She wouldn't want to put him through unnecessary worry and pain should one of them - or, heaven forbid, all of them - get seriously hurt and not return home. 

(Both Sensei and Venus went through that kind of pain once before. Once. No more, they promised long ago, when Venus hated the thought of being separated from her father for long periods. Never again.)

Maybe once they were back in the lair, she'll ask him and make their case.

"Man, we should've done this ages ago!" Michelangelo said, now spared from the headlock-noogie Raphael had trapped him in. "I get to show off my awesome gymnastics!"

"And I get to finally use my bo staff like those Olympic vaulters on TV!" Donatello contributed as he held up his bo with a satisfied grin. Venus saw him do exactly as he said, vaulting over huge gaps between apartments like a seasoned pro, and it brought a sense of pride and joy in her for her genius brother.

"I gotta say," Leonardo added. "This feels way different from training in the sewers."

"Yeah, you could actually stretch your legs out here. Plus it doesn't reek o' Mikey's garbage," Raphael said, jutting a thumb at the offended turtle in question.

"Hey!"

"Raphael, Michelangelo, play nice," Venus advised lightly before scouting the expanse of this part of the city. Car horns bleated in the distance, the gust of wind was fresh and cold, and no humans were around to gaze upon them in fear or dangerous interest. Behind her, her brothers played and messed with each other, happy and content. The moon continued to shine and life went on. Venus breathed. (No iron or electric ozone in the air.)

Yeah, they should definitely do this again.

Later, a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, lifting her slightly from the ground, and Michelangelo gave his signature hug; that is to say, a tight embrace that didn't feel suffocating. "Vivi, have I ever told you you're my favorite sister in the whole entire galaxy?"

"I'm your only sister, Michael."

"Which makes you my favorite!" Michelangelo laughed before setting her back down. "Especially because we didn't get our shells whooped to next Sunday by Master Splinter!"

"Oh yeah, that wouldn't'a ended well for us," Raphael exaggerated a shiver. "We'd be stuck doin' drills n' not watch TV for weeks. I think Vee just saved our lives."

Venus rolled her eyes but she continued to grin. "Maybe next time don't keep me out of your top-secret adventures. I am the team leader now, you know."

It was her first time mentioning that fact out loud. Suddenly, it felt a bit too real. Sure, she had figured that kind of responsibility would naturally befall the eldest (that was why Sensei didn't bat an eye when, after he brought it up, the boys immediately, unanimously turned to her) but it was a completely separate concept from the older sister title she was used to. Being a leader just had a particular weight to it that Venus knew she had to pull. And she'd hate to disappoint her family if she couldn't do it, couldn't live up to their expectations.

"And you're rocking the job pretty great so far!" Michelangelo gave her a thumbs-up to emphasize his point.

"But you shoulda seen Leo's face, Vee," Raphael snickered whilst nudging Leonardo with an elbow. "He looked like he wanted to volunteer but chickened out last minute."

Huh, well that was the first she heard of it. With his face flushed a darker shade of green, Leonardo batted away his brother's nudging. "I didn't chicken out, Raph, I just saw that Vee was a better choice as leader, that's all."

Donatello chuckled, "Right, and you totally didn't mention before that you—"

"Donnie, shush!"

Okay, now she was curious. "What is it?" She probed, watching amusedly at how Leonardo was trying to get his brothers to stop whatever they were about to say. But ultimately, he lost to the powerfully intent stares of his brothers, and he sagged his shoulders in defeat.

Then he spoke, rather shy in the beginning but resolute in the end, "I, y'know, noticed how much responsibility that is. Being leader. And I know you've got a lot on your plate already just looking after us with Sensei, and helping us train, and I just...wanted to help. Take some of the burdens off your shell too."

Venus stared, in awe at just how much her little brother grew up in front of her eyes. A gentle smile reached her face, now, at the idea of Leonardo stepping up and leading the family. He had the potential, she could see it. Master Splinter as well. While all her brothers are talented in their own right, Leonardo just had this quality to him that was fit for a leader. Perhaps one day, Venus would step down and let him take the mantle, while she acted as counsel. 

But right now, she wanted Leonardo to still be a kid, to enjoy his youth while he had it. She wanted that for all of them.

"That's thoughtful of you, Leonardo, and I appreciate it." She smirked at him. "But it's gonna take a lot more to get me exhausted. I mean, I managed to help keep you boys alive for fifteen years; what's a couple more for me now as a leader?"

The smiles she received were worth a million things in life and more. Her brothers were fifteen, she remembered. Old enough to not be coddled so much but young enough to still need some guidance. Well, a sister's job is never done. But Venus, as she always did, found that she didn't mind it at all. 

"Come on, we still have another hour before Master Splinter senses that we're not where we should be," she waved a hand in the direction of where she had a gut feeling their usual pizza place was. "And I think tonight calls for some celebratory pizza."

A chorus of cheers rang for their next activity on their impromptu itinerary and Venus instantly took off with a jump to the next building, laughing at the indignant squawks that came immediately after, most notably about her getting a head start again. The next race was on, and she couldn't wait to do this again tomorrow with her little brothers.

~

"Hey, Vivi, how did you know we were gonna leave tonight?" Michelangelo questioned later as they traveled their way home, a box of pizza in hand. How they were able to pay for it was between her, Donatello, and the greater forces up there that allowed it.

Venus simply shrugged but she had a tiny grin that held her secret. "A sister's intuition."

Chapter Text

Darkness surrounded Venus like an endless void; except, it was interrupted by a small candle right at the center of the training area, propped on the flat surface of one of her tessen and casting shadows around her. Her breaths were soft, quiet enough that they couldn't be heard in the stillness as she sat in a seiza in front of the candle. With her eyes shut, she focused on her surroundings intently, relying on sound and vibrations the most. 

Then, she felt it - movement from her two o'clock; seven o'clock; eleven o'clock; and finally her four o'clock. 

She felt a tiny grin threatening to break her composure, but she remained still. Tonight was an important night, particularly for her brothers. Venus would hate to bring their mood down with what she knew was coming next but at the moment, she was but another student acting on the instruction of her teacher; to guard the candle no matter what. And she wasn't one to do things halfway.

A disturbance in the air by her left alerted her. In one fluid motion, she carried her occupied fan and drew its twin from her belt with a practiced flick of her wrist, and the test began.

She defended the candle from Leonardo's katana, Raphael's sai, Donatello's bo staff, and Michelangelo's nunchaku with ease in the beginning but transitioned to a challenge by the middle. It was expected; it wasn't exactly a cakewalk preventing a candle from getting mutilated with one hand and actively parrying every incoming attack with the other. But she'd readily admit her brothers had gotten better at their footwork and timing.

Raphael used to charge in first at any chance he got without much of a backup plan, bulldozing his way through every problem, which constantly landed him on the ground with aching muscles and bruised pride. Now, he strikes when needed, searching for openings, and patiently waiting...

But upon the ten-minute mark of Venus's successful vigil of the candle, Raphael seemingly grew antsy. He went in for the kill with a battle cry - bulldozing his way through every problem, again - only to end up a couple of feet away by a well-placed roundhouse kick to the plastron, courtesy of Venus. Yeah, they were going to work on that very soon.

Donatello and Michelangelo were nearly successful; they had the idea of working together to distract her and get the candle. An effectively good strategy - Michael as the distraction and Donatello gunning for their target - but it ultimately fell into oblivion when Venus dropped to the floor and swept Michelangelo's ankles, forcing him to collide with a shocked Donatello (who had the bright idea to mimic Raphael and charge in with his staff ready for a swing) until they were sprawled on the floor, unable to get back up. 

By the fifteen-minute mark, it was Leonardo against Venus. 

He put up a good fight, keeping Venus on her toes. His katana blades nearly grazed the wax at any opportunity, but Venus's quick reactions and the sturdy material of her tessen stopped the swords from making so much as a nick. It was only a matter of time, though, that one of them would falter for just a moment, giving the other a chance to strike. And the first to fall had been Venus, thanks to Leonardo's wits.

He had used his katana to reflect the candlelight at her eyes, rendering her blind for a few seconds. But those few seconds were enough. Leonardo leaped and cut the top of the candle with delicate precision, leaving the wick intact and the tiny flame burning over the blade's surface, a sure sign that victory was his.

"Yame."

At Sensei's word, their training ended, with Leonardo blowing out the tiny flame. Venus, still rubbing the floating imprint of the candlelight from her eyes, felt blooming pride for her brother. It seemed those one-on-one lessons with her and Master Splinter paid off tonight.

Over the years, she grew to learn that Leonardo was a bit of a perfectionist in his unique way. He trained and meditated with Venus and Sensei even when he didn't have to, studied and learned each lesson carefully, and practiced the katas with diligence until it became muscle memory.

(Sometimes, Venus worried that he wasn't giving himself the time to be an ordinary teenager like his brothers—well, as normal as they could be, considering their whole situation. But she shelved that thought for now.)

Leonardo never slacked off in the things he did, not even in group training, which more or less earned him the nickname--

"Teacher's pet," Raphael spat with a frown.

"Ninja drop-out," Leonardo jibed back with a taunting smile, tossing the cut half of the candle to his brother like a piece of wood to a kindling spark.

And Michelangelo and Donatello just had to live up to their titles as the youngest duo and contributed to the burning pile Leonardo created with a synchronized, "Ooooh." 

Lit like a fuse, Raphael stomped over to Leonardo as if he was asking for a fight, and it seemed as though the latter was ready to give it any minute now when he stood his ground.

Venus rolled her eyes. Oh, not this again. It's always those two, I swear... "Boys, that's enough."

Leonardo backed off, as did Raphael. Barely. But Master Splinter got the boys to settle down and listen to his words of wisdom which Venus grew to memorize by heart, with her sitting at his side. "The outside world will not be so kind to you, my sons," Master Splinter advised sagely, then gave Venus a particular side-eye that she wisely pretended not to notice. "And I am sure your sister has told you four this many months ago."

Venus did her best to mask her slight wince, and the boys fidgeted a little on their spots, undoubtedly remembering the night they tried to sneak out of the lair without Sensei and Venus knowing about it (again). Well...without Sensei knowing about it, which proved to be their doom. As they expected, Splinter had not been happy by the time they got back from their safe and successful visit topside.

Venus took the brunt of the scolding that night, reprimanded for not telling him of their plans, while her brothers took the sequel of the lecture the next day, except it ended with them being sent to the Hashi for about four hours. She saw them at dinner, looking pretty dead on their feet but apologetic all the same.

So, suffice it to say, they didn't make another attempt at leaving the lair. Until now, that is, with the most significant difference being Sensei allowing it after a year of more training and a promise not to get themselves into big trouble (a promise that felt a bit too flimsy considering he wanted four teenage boys to swear on it.) 

"All of you are different in ways those living on the surface may never understand," Splinter continued. "To survive, you must be vigilant, merge with the shadows, exercise secrecy, and most importantly - look out for one another." 

Sensei placed a paw on Venus's shoulder as he gifted everyone a knowing gaze. "You only have each other in this world."

(She remembered those cold nights in the rain when it had only been her and Father. Now, it was her, and Father, and her brothers. The only ones she had in the world.)

"Yes, Sensei," they chorused at the same time Michelangelo clapped the stray fly he had been attempting to swat for a while in between his hands. Venus held back a chuckle at Splinter's unamused frown, and just when she was about to ask their father not to start up another sermon about stealth, it happened. The lair began to shake, causing dust to fall from the ceiling and the ground to quiver beneath them. 

They scrambled to their feet and soon heard a strange sound amid the shaking, something Venus could only link to army men marching in unison. But that shouldn't even be remotely possible—humans finding them? Here? Unless there was some secret government branch that specialized in aliens or something, no one should have been able to track them to the sewers, so it had to be something else causing this. Something sinister, she would think.

"Earthquake!" Michelangelo cried in a panic, latching onto Donatello, who chose the perfect time to get his thinking glasses on.

"In New York? Possible, but unlikely considering-- Woah!"

Quick on her feet, Venus pulled her brothers out of the impact range of falling concrete slabs. Next thing she knew, one wall of the lair burst open and silver...things emerged from the hole of its creation, smaller in size yet Venus was perceptive enough to know that if those things could chew through hard brick and cement without a problem, then they were strong enough to cause everyone serious harm.

They fought the silver creatures without a moment's hesitation. Venus had wrecked more than ten to realize the numbers weren't dwindling, only multiplying; how many of these things were there? 

"Just what are these things?" Venus questioned, stabbing one of them into a sparking heap with her tanto. Ugh, more and more keep popping up no matter what they did. Even with Sensei's help, they were getting outnumbered, and that spelled trouble in every measure.

"Like I said, New York City cockroaches!" Michelangelo quipped whilst knocking away another set of mechanical beasts.

"Can it, Mikey!" Raphael dug a sai into an attacking creature's head until it went limp. "Yo, Vee! If ya got a plan, now's the time to share it with the whole class!"

Before she could even spit out a vague idea, Venus immediately noticed a few of the silver creatures gnawing on the support beams of the lair like termites, causing the whole place to shudder dangerously. Hairline fractures crawled the surfaces in seconds as more dust fell from above, and when one support beam broke and fell away by sharp jaws, the rest followed, too sudden for Venus to even yell out an earlier warning. 

Instantly, the home they grew up in collapsed in stages. It was a nightmare coming to life and Venus had no way of waking up from it. Cement bricks came down, adding to the trembling, and her family scrambled through the chaos. Some of the bigger pipes dropped too. Venus dodged falling debris left and right, and halfway caught sight of the silver creatures escaping through where they first entered. She tried to run after them, to do something, but then the hole got blocked by more rubble, and the voices of her family echoed behind her, sending a jolt in her heart. She was too far away—

"Vee, look out!" 

—and she was separated from the only ones she had in the world by a wall of their broken home.

~

As a child, Venus was taught to never panic in the face of danger or a crisis. "Clear your mind," Sensei would tell her. "Think of your next move. Breathe. Focus on what is in front of you, what you can control."

That advice was much easier to remember when she was with her family. She took her job as the eldest of her brothers very seriously, so panic was off the table when it came to dealing with a problem. But this? This was a problem bigger than she'd like to handle on her own.

"Sensei? Boys?" 

Her voice bounced off the dim cavern that was her home as she faced the too-tall mountain of debris and childhood memories. Something familiar and awful blossomed slowly in her chest, to which she fought back by trying to see if she could find a way through this barrier. Maybe if there was some kind of gap, she could hear her brothers and father on the other side or see if they were okay.

None. No openings at all. Not even a little crack between the cement bricks and dirt. She was trapped.

That dreadfully familiar feeling came back stronger. It planted itself in her lungs, its roots tightening around them in a vice grip, so much so that Venus had half a mind to wonder if it was the enclosed space making it hard to breathe or simply just her. Her limbs shook and it wasn't too long ago that their home quivered in the same way. A heaviness she knew once upon a time returned. It threatened to choke her, to render her useless, mentally blind, and panicked. 

Venus didn't know what happened to her family. She had no clue if they were hurt or worse - if those silver creatures came back to finish the job. They were separated and that fact alone left her mouth dry and heart pulsing so terribly that she thought it'd explode.

What do I do, what should I do, what can I do? 

She had to think. She had to come up with a plan. Yeah, that's what she can do, something she can control right now. Focus.

"Okay, girl, let's focus here," Venus whispered to herself without spending too much attention on how her voice trembled. She assessed the debris before her and figured as much that she couldn't possibly move any of the bigger chunks out of the way without causing some sort of domino effect leading to her death via tumbling bricks and dirt. She wasn't entirely sure if the rest of the sewer system was in the same state of disarray but she didn't feel comfortable enough to find out. She had to stay in case her brothers managed to find a way to communicate with—

Wait! 

"My phone," she realized, and she barely had the time to feel embarrassed over that slip-up when her Shell Cell, coined by both the creator and the resident name-giver, rang from her belt. And just like that, the constricting feeling in her body relaxed, akin to heavy logs dropping from her shell, and she could breathe. 

"Guys? You there?" She clamped down the previous terror the moment she picked up. She didn't need her brothers to worry more than they probably were.

"Vee!"

"Thank shell you answered, we were worried something happened to you!"

"Haha! Yeah, Raph looked like he wanted to follow those weird robot things and chew his way through the rubble-- ow!"

"Keep that up and you'll be the one chewin' rubble!"

Venus was always grateful for the things she grew up having but hearing her brothers' voices together trumped any gift she found in the junkyard. "I'm glad you guys are okay. How about Sensei? Is he with you?" 

"I am here, my daughter," her sensei's voice rang, bringing more assurances to her frayed nerves.

"He's not physically here with us, though," Donatello jumped in with an explanation as always. "I managed to reach him via Shell Cell and did the same for you with some tweaking here and there on the connection so we could stay on the line simultaneously."

Honestly, that boy always manages to surprise Venus with his unique brand of genius. "Three-way calling; impressive, Donatello!"

"Heh, oh it was nothing—"

"Okay, before we inflate Einstein's head any bigger than it is, I say we get the shell outta here," Raphael interrupted and Venus put her thoughts back on track, right where they should be. Her family was okay and that's all that mattered. The next course of action would undoubtedly be to reunite someplace safer but considering the state of the lair, that would pose some problems.

"That's not gonna be easy," she said warily, eyeing the broken pieces of their home around her. "Whatever those mechanical menaces are, they managed to tear down most of the support structures of the lair. We don't even know if they did the same damage to the other tunnels."

"Then I propose we meet at the old drainage junction at the south point," Master Splinter suggested and Venus quickly pulled up a map in her head, pinpointing which available channels she could use from where she was. She could only hope those little beasts didn't devour any other tunnels on their way out.

Having heard that the boys will take the south conduit to get there, Venus concluded she'd take the north. It was admittedly one of the longer routes but it was the only passageway available in the area she was stuck in. With any luck, she'd meet the rest of her family at the junction and not cross paths with those metal creatures on the way there. 

By the time she reached the north conduit, though, her luck ran out. The tunnel up ahead was also caved in, obstructing the path. Wonderful. 

"Okay, that's a no on that one, then," she muttered. No way forward and no way back, which left right above, a.k.a the streets of New York. A risky plan but such is the life of a ninja. Venus knew she'd worry her sensei and brothers if she didn't make it to their chosen meeting place, but what good would it do for her if she decided to stay in an already compromised place just to look for another way out? 

Decision made, she went to the nearest manhole and hoped that whatever was up there, wouldn't cause much trouble for her to reach her family.

~

Venus's "brothers in peril" senses were tingling, which meant that something was a hundred percent wrong. In this case, her brothers were either in trouble, they were going to be, or they somehow attracted it, and none of those options sounded great.

Ugh, and just when she believed they were gonna have a nice, permission-granted run topside... Well, it's whatever. She needed to get to her brothers now that she was above ground. Concealed in the shadows, she leaped from roof to roof, finally landing on one that had a water tower to hide beneath in case of any late-night goers. Her hunch told her to come here and most of the time, it was always correct.

And wouldn't you know it, her brothers somehow got themselves in a situation with humans. Humans who looked like they belonged in a comic book fair with all the wacky hairstyles and odd choice of clothing, but the strange purple tattoos running along their skin grabbed her interest. Venus couldn't be precisely sure, but she guessed those tattoos were dragons. Could they be in a gang? Given the costume theme they got going on and the general feel they gave off, it was possible.

Venus wondered how well the boys would manage. While a part of her wished to get down there and help, another part tugged at her curiosity. Would her brothers go all out or would they practice self-control in the heat of battle? She got her answer as she watched her brothers duke it out with the tattooed gang, knocking them down as though they'd been doing it their whole lives. They were in sync and it made Venus feel a surge of pride. Maybe this was how Sensei felt when he saw her perfect those difficult kicks during her turtle tot training days.

It didn't take too long (it went on for about eight minutes which was impressive) before the fight was over, and the tattooed humans ran with their tails between their legs. Hmph. Serves them right for calling her boys "freaks". 

Speaking of, maybe now's a good time to get down there and pull off that mysterious and cool "I've been watching this whole time" speech that martial arts masters always used on their students. It could make for a good prank that would make Michael proud and Venus wasn't one to pass up on messing with her brothers. 

But then swift blurs of movement from around her quickly snatched her attention. With narrowed eyes, Venus focused on the shadowy figures standing on the other rooftops. It was obvious that they weren't affiliated with the tattooed gang from earlier. Rather than street clothes, they all wore matching uniforms—uniforms that ninjas typically wear. 

For some reason, they were... Familiar. Had Venus seen them before? She couldn't discern much of their features thanks to the dimness of the night but she could've sworn she saw them once long ago. Could she have seen them on TV probably?

She didn't get to ponder, though. The newcomers surrounded her siblings in an instant and already another fight began. So far, the boys were doing well. They held their own even against the large numbers. But Venus, though confident in their skills, wasn't naive enough to believe it would last. Judging from how quick the dark-clad ninjas were in recovering, and how equally skilled they were, she was sure this fight would end badly.

Leonardo was in a bind, struggling to fend off a bunch of ninjas at once with his katana, and when she saw one of them attempting to sneak behind him and drive a kunai at his head, Venus went in instantly. With a classic flying kick, she sent the guy skirting across the alley and used the momentum to propel the other ninjas away from Leonardo. And if she added a bit more power to her kicks, that was between her and the poor suckers who fell victim to them.

"Vee!"

"Well, look who's here!"

"Nice kick, Vivi!"

"Vee," Leonardo said in awe and relief. "What're you doing here? I thought you were heading over to—" he punched an incoming enemy in the face, "—the junction?"

She shrugged and without even looking, she elbowed the ninja stalking at her back in the gut. "I was, but the tunnel got blocked off and thought I could use a detour." And just because she was feeling a little bit cheeky tonight, she added, "So, first official night topside and already you guys have gotten yourselves into trouble."

Raphael snorted, using his sai to disarm an enemy's attack. "Eh, at least we get some fun. These bozos are puttin' up one shell of a fight."

No kidding. These ninjas fought well, she'd give them that. They were also just as persistent, which Venus gradually found to be a little annoying after a while. These guys were probably more irritating to deal with than those silver creatures back in the sewers (and wow, how long had that incident been? A couple of minutes? Hours?). 

A short while passed and Venus wasn't ignorant of the fact that they were slowly getting overwhelmed. Trained as they were, they were still outnumbered, five to a dozen; she'd be remiss to let this go on. At any rate, they weren't here to pick and finish fights. They were supposed to meet up with Sensei and that was what they were going to do. Plus, she was more than willing to deal with Raphael's complaints about running away for a whole week.

Finding Donatello rigging a nearby vehicle already, she called out, "Boys, time to book it!" 

"What?!" Raphael, as she had already anticipated, didn't like the plan. "C'mon, we were just getting—"

"Raphael." 

"...Fine."

With Donatello behind the wheel, they jumped in the back of the vehicle and sped off into the night, and for their first fight topside, they did pretty great, in Venus's opinion. 

("Donatello, do you - ow - want me to - ouch - take the wheel?" 

"No need, sis! I got it!"

"Tell that to our poor shells, Don; your steering needs a lotta work."

"No backseat driving, Mikey!")

Reuniting with Splinter moments later eased the rest of Venus's worries but finding their new home on top of that? One of the best nights of her life. Not to disrespect the first home she grew up in but this dwelling hidden beneath the junction took the cake in style, space, and viability. It even had a second floor with some expansive burrows lining the old walls. Her brothers would finally have rooms of their own. (Michael was already calling dibs on the "rooms" on the second floor.)

She digested everything in one turnaround, eyes scanning for any possible danger out of habit until she later sighed in relief and delicate sorrow. They may have lost their childhood home and the memories tied to it, but maybe here, they could start again. Just as they had years ago. She felt Sensei at her side, idly watching the boys try to wrestle each other for one room or another, laughter echoing around the shapely chamber.

"What do you think, my daughter?" 

Venus remembered that first night well. As much as she had been too small to throw a punch, she recalled vividly that feeling of excitement sprouting through when Sensei showed her and her then-baby brothers their first lair. It hadn't been much but it became home to them over time, a welcomed change from staying in one burrow their first few years living under the city. This place could be home too, she thought, with a little bit of elbow grease and some good ol' turtle innovation.

It'll be a good change. For all that the world threw curveballs at them, they still had each other.

"I think it's perfect, Sensei."

~

"Alright, boys, let's see you clean up for a change; the place's filthy."

"Aw, c'mon, Vivi!"

"Can't we go exploring? We only just got here!"

"I'm with Don, I wanna see that big tunnel up ahead!"

"No buts, ifs, or what-abouts about it, misters. Sister says get cleaning!"

"Hey, we're old enough for sister says, Vee, you can't tell us what to—"

"You wanna repeat that, Phael?"

"...No, ma'am."