I'm going to start writing shorter chapters that way I can upload faster. My job is getting in the way but I'm trying! Lol I'll try shorter chapters for a while and see how it goes.

: Chapter 18:

Bringing Angel wasn't as bad of an idea as I thought it would have been. I was also surprised when Casey didn't object to her coming along either. For some reason, when I looked at her now, I felt like she could handle herself better then she could before. Maybe experiencing her grandmother's horrific death toughened her up a bit more (not that she wasn't hard as nails already).

I was really curious as to how in the world Angel knew how to get into the hideout in the center of the city. As far as I was concerned, she had never been there, then again, that girl knew how to break into every kind of building you could think of.

"Through here." Angel pulled the back door open and let Casey and I get through. Once she got in, she closed the door and the light from the star-lit sky vanished. We were in complete darkness and I was in heaven.

"Trippy. I smell a t-r-a-p." Casey snorted.

"Keep talkin and you're ganna smell b-l-o-o-d." I warned him. If Casey's loud mouth didn't get us caught, I didn't know what would.

"Come on, guys. The main floor is over here." Angel led the way.

I was glad Angel knew where to go because I sure as hell didn't. Hun never let me come over here and now I was starting to wonder if it was because how close it was to the Foot building.

As we walked through the dark, wooden corridor, a bit of light began to shine in the distance. Once we reached it, we could see wooden boards were keeping us from falling 5 stories under.

"Check it out." Angel pointed downward. I looked through the boards and got just enough visual to see about 15 or 20 Dragons down below.

"Is that it? That's all that's left of the hundreds?" I whispered. I couldn't believe it. The Foot really did on number on these guys.

"I come down here sometimes and watch them. There used to be more but I think they all went home to their families or somethin. These must be the ones who were reliant on this gang for shelter and security. They're nothing now." Angel sighed. "I kinda feel bad for em'."

"Don't. Raph here is ganna fix em up. Aren't yah, Raph?" Casey asked confidently.

"You said your plan was to take over the Dragons. You ganna lead em, too?" Angel asked me.

"Well, that's the plan." I said.

"Don't most of them hate you?"

I turned to her and watched a small strip of light dance around her face.

"What makes yah say that?"

"Uh…"

"Look, it's not important. Can we please just go down there and kick butt?" Casey interrupted.

"We're not kickin butt, Casey. We're compromising. Yah can only kick butt if they struggle, which they won't." I pulled out my Sais. "Stay here and if anything happens you'll know when to jump in."

I walked down the corridor and to the nearest flight of stairs. Sadly, the last set of stairs was out in the open of the giant room in the warehouse. This one was almost similar to the one by the docks, but the celling went up higher and the structure was much sounder.

I walked normally down the creaking steps. I wasn't trying to sneak around, I was here on business and I needed them to know I wasn't going to hurt them, even though I wanted to so badly.

"Raphael? Damn we thought you were dead." The first and only Dragon to greet me like this was Lucas. We had been pretty good friends before all this shit happened. "Those ninjas really beat the hell outta you, didn't they?" I could hear the other Dragons growling as I walked into the warehouse.

"You were there?" I asked.

"Look man, whatever happened with you and Hun…most of us had no idea about it. I didn't know he wanted to kill you. Some of them were in on it but…"

"You don't have to explain. Hun didn't want to kill me. That's probably the part you guys didn't know about."

"He didn't? They why did he say he did?" A lot of the other Dragons had gathered tightly around us. I could feel the hate pouring out their ears.

"Apparently he was trying to protect me from the Foot who are now after me. Hun's still alive too, but different. They brainwashed him."

"Damn, they can do that?"

"Yes and it's what they want to do to me. That's why I need your help."

Lucas looked at his pals surrounding him before looking back at me. "I don't know man, we're pretty beat up. I'm doing everything I can just to keep this small group alive from those ninjas and it still isn't enough."

"The Foot is after you too?"

"Yah, word on the street is there trying to wipe out all the gangs in the city. I heard the Thunderbirds got lured to the edge of the river and drowned. I guess we're next, huh? So what exactly do you need help with? I don't know if we can though, man. You aint exactly one of us anymore."

Lucas was right, if they didn't figure out I abandoned them by now then they surely would soon enough. "I know and I left for a good reason. Stuff happened, I met some new people and…" I stopped and changed the subject. "Let's put it this way." I sheathed my Sais. "If you can help get me into the Foot building, you won't have them chasing after you anymore. Your name can be cleared, with them at least."

"You want to get in? Didn't they just take you hostage a month or two ago or was I seeing something else happen?" Lucas popped a hip.

"Yes, they did, and that's how I found out about what they're planning on using me for. Lucas, it won't be good if they get their hands on me and I aint being self-centered here. You and whatever is left of the Purple Dragons will be wiped off the surface of the earth." I swiped me hand across the air.

"What exactly do they want with you?" A Dragon asked.

"I'm not entirely sure but I know they want to use me as some sort of weapon. They said they can take out all my memories and implant new ones, make me a sort of slave or something." For a slight moment, I felt completely in power as all eyes were on me. They were listening and taking in what I had to say as if I was already their leader.

Lucas sighed and rubbed one hand across his sandy blond hair. Him and the rest of these men looked like they got thrown under a lawnmower. They looked awful, sleep deprived, hungry and exhausted. Looks like the Foot really have them on the run.

"I don't know what to do anymore. We have nowhere else to go and disbanding the Dragons aint an option. If yah think this will clear us up then we'll do it." Lucas finally said and almost immediately a few of the Dragons started to protest.

"Listen up!" It was time for me to take charge and show these low lives who was boss. Lucas looked like the leader now but soon it wouldn't be that way anymore. "You're all more than welcome to walk out that door." I pointed to the exit. "But don't you think for a second that the Foot doesn't have your name on a piece of paper with "exterminate" written across the top of it. Yah can try to run somewhere else and be safe…but they'll find you and rip your guts out just like they did a month ago. Don't remember? Then leave and get a good reminder. So who's feeling lucky?" I paused and looked each and every one of them in the eye. A few of them I recognized and wouldn't have expected to see here. Some of them I hated; some of them I loathed. After a minute, no one had left. "Good, let's talk details."

"Yes lets." Casey came down the stairs with Angel close behind him. You wouldn't believe how quickly all the Dragons pulled out there weapons and jumped into a defensive position.

"Don't piss all over yourselves!" I put my hands up in the air. "I knew yah guys hated Casey but I didn't know yah hated him this much." I looked at him crossly.

"Right, about that…"

"What's that asshole doing here?!" Lucas shouted out.

"He's on our side. Well, he's helping me escape which means he's also helping you escape. Once this is all done and over, yah can beat the hell outta each other till your hearts contend." I grabbed the hockey stick from Casey's hand and chucked it across the room. "For now, I'm in charge and you are going to get along." No one said anything when I announced I was in charge. Not even Lucas attempted to dissent.

"Now, I aint sugar coatin' anything for you people. Ya'll suck at kicking ass. Always have, always will UNLESS we do something about it." I started to pace with my hands behind my back. "You can expect lots of training whether yah like it or not because the fact is, yah don't stand a chance against the Foot."

They looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "We have approximately one week to get all…" I counted heads "19 of you in shape and well disciplined. I'm not sure who will be training you yet but just know its ganna happen."

"What will we be doing?" Lucas asked.

"You will be coming with us to the Foot building and escorting us inside so we can get into Oroku Saki's headquarters and take care of him. He is and never again will be the leader of the Foot." I grinned. As far as I could tell, they liked the idea of getting even with the Foot.

"Any questions?" I asked.

"When do we begin?" Lucas returned my grin.