"How much of this junk do we gotta go through?" Casey asked, lifting a brightly colored vase out of a curio cabinet.

April came up next to him and took the vase from his hand, carefully returning it to its shelf. "Just this room," she answered. "The job is to catalogue, not to touch."

"So why am I here?" Casey wandered over to the one window in the room and looked out at the garden. Dusk made it difficult for him to see more than a few feet outside.

"I told you," April said. "There are some really valuable things here and I don't want to be by myself at this time of night. Mr. Hidesato's passing was in all the papers and there are thieves who can actually read."

"The way this room was locked up, I don't think a thief could get in here," Casey said, tapping the glass with the knuckle of one finger. "I'm pretty sure this is that bullet proof stuff and it's double paned. Hidesato, isn't that the name of the guy who hired you?"

"His attorney hired me," April said, correcting him. "The deceased Hidesato was the new owner's uncle."

"This is boring," Casey said, turning around and making a face at his girlfriend.

"You're being paid for your time," April said as she typed information into her tablet. "Branching out into this field helps me pay my bills too. Why don't you sit down and read a magazine or a book?"

"They're in Japanese," Casey said, strolling over to the large desk that sat on one side of the room. He pulled the leather upholstered chair back and collapsed into it, reaching over to take the letter opener out of the desk set.

"Then stare out the window," April said, continuing her work. "There aren't many Japanese gardens in the middle of New York."

"You've seen one tree, you've seen them all," Casey said, balancing the letter opener on one finger.

"If you drop that and damage the furniture, it comes out of your pay check," April said, though she wasn't even looking in his direction.

Grimacing, Casey tossed the thin blade into the air and then caught it. Placing it back into the desk set, he looked over the slightly scarred wooden desk top, seeing nothing of interest. Curious, he pushed the chair back enough so that he could open the center desk drawer and began poking around.

"You'd think a guy with so much money would have a nicer desk," Casey said, closing that drawer and opening one on the right hand side.

"That's an antique," April told him. "Most of the things in this room are antiques."

"Ain't that just another word for old?" Casey asked with a grin. He shut that drawer and opened one beneath it.

"No, it's a word meaning old and valuable," April said.

"Yeah, well the desk has to be more valuable than the crap in it," Casey said, moving to the left hand side. "All I'm finding here are papers. Don't ask me what any of them say 'cause they're in Japanese."

"Too bad Master Splinter isn't here," April replied. "He could read them."

"I have a feeling it ain't nothing very interesting," Casey said, tossing a handful of folders back into the drawer.

"Try not to make a huge mess of those things," April said. "Mr. Hidesato is supposed to be here at eight. I'd like to be finished by then so we can leave him in peace."

"Good, we can go get something to eat then," Casey said. "I'm starving."

April set her tablet down and approached a wooden black lacquer cabinet. The front was covered in hand-painted cranes and pine trees, and there was a brass lock keeping the cabinet securely fastened.

Pulling a ring of keys from her pocket, April found one that fit the cabinet's lock and opened the doors. On the shelves inside were boxes of various sizes and April opened each, finding miniature figurines in ivory and jade.

One box she could not open. It was a domed coffer, a strongbox, decorated in gold hiramaki-e and inlaid in mother-of-pearl on a black lacquer ground. There was a thick hasp keeping the box closed and April did not have the key to it on the ring that the attorney had given her.

"This is curious," April said, taking the coffer over to the desk and setting it down. "It's heavy and there are odd symbols drawn into the leaf and flower designs on the box. The design is everywhere, including the underside. I've never seen anything like it."

"Can't ya' get it open?" Casey asked, leaning forward to examine the coffer. "If it's heavy it's probably full of gold."

"I haven't a key," April said. "I'm sure this coffer is sixteenth century Japanese and quite valuable. Perhaps Mr. Hidesato has the key with him."

"That means we don't get to find out what's inside," Casey said, sounding disappointed. "This is the only interesting thing I've seen all night."

"It's only interesting because we can't open it," April retorted.

"I bet I could pick this lock," Casey said, once more reaching for the letter opener.

"Absolutely not," April said, plucking the opener from his hand. "The attorney told me if I didn't have a key to something that was locked, I wasn't to attempt to open it. Those instructions were from Mr. Hidesato himself."

Casey grumbled something under his breath and sat back with his arms crossed. After ensuring herself that he wasn't going to mess with the coffer, April went back to her inventory of the other items in the cabinet.

"It doesn't make sense to have a treasure chest and not have the key to it," Casey complained. "If the attorney had it he'd have given it to you."

"I have enough to do without worrying about one coffer," April said.

"We should look for the key," Casey insisted.

"Where?" April asked, glancing at him over her shoulder. "This house is huge and I was only asked to catalogue this one room. If I don't finish on time I don't get paid and by the way, neither do you."

"So we'll look in here," Casey said, the excitement of a hunt pushing his boredom away. "The chest is in this room and if it was mine, I'd have the key nearby."

"I've been through the room without finding any keys," April said. "You went through the desk and didn't find one. It's not here."

Casey stared at the coffer and then his eyes drifted to the desk. Snapping his fingers, he start feeling around the edges of the desk top.

"What are you doing?" April asked, turning around to watch him.

"Don't ya' remember those treasure hunting movies? Old desks always have hidden drawers, ya' just have to press on the right spot," Casey told her.

"Good luck with that," April said with a hint of sarcasm.

Happy that Casey had something to occupy his time, April returned to the job of listing the contents of the cabinet. She could hear him muttering to himself and at one point noticed that he'd crawled under the desk.

A few blissfully quiet moments passed before April heard a click and then Casey shouted triumphantly, "I found it!"

When she looked over, April saw a small drawer protruding from the underside of the desk. Casey stood next to it, holding an intricately designed metal key in his hand.

"It's got the same design on it as the lock on this box," Casey said, spinning the coffer around to face him.

April took a few steps in his direction. "We shouldn't open it. The attorney said Mr. Hidesato's instructions were specific; do not open anything we haven't got a key for."

"But we've got the key," Casey argued, inserting it into the lock despite April's protests.

"Yes, but it wasn't given to us," April said. "The intent of the instructions still stand."

"That's nitpicking," Casey said as he turned the key. The hasp immediately popped loose and Casey lifted the coffer's lid.

"What's in there?" April asked, now overcome with curiosity. She couldn't see into the coffer because Casey's body was in the way.

He turned towards her, holding something aloft. "It's full of coins," he said, displaying the one he'd extracted from the box. "They're all nestled in their own little slots."

"That looks like a Wado Kaichin," April said, examining the coin as Casey held it. The coin was round with a square cut-out in the center that had been sealed up. "I believe it's made of silver."

"Not as cool as gold, but still pretty nice," Casey said, "except that all of them have this stuff that looks like red wax filling up the middle."

"Perhaps it's a ceremonial thing," April said. "Put it back and close the box, I'll make a detailed inventory of the contents when I finish with the cabinet."

She moved back to the cabinet but Casey continued to look at the coin, holding it up to the light. "Hmm, ya' know, it looks like there's something inside the wax."

"Those are probably impurities," April said. "Just put it back Jones."

Her use of his last name was a good indication that she was serious, but Casey wasn't really listening. Using his thumb nail, he began to chip the wax seal off of the coin.

The sudden silence alerted April and she turned in time to see the flakes of red wax drifting to the floor.

"Casey, no!" April called out in alarm. "What do you think you're . . . ?"

Before she could finish the sentence a high pitched wail reverberated through the room and then a bluish mist sprang out of the center of the coin. It hung in the air for a moment, becoming a wispy shadow that quickly formed into the shape of a horridly grotesque face.

In the next second it dove at Casey. Crying out, he dropped the coin and flung himself sideways, landing on the desk and striking the coffer. The box slid across the desk top and over the edge, landing with a crash on the floor.

Coins scattered everywhere, the wax seals breaking loose on contact with the hard wooden floorboards.

Casey rolled off of the desk as what seemed like a hundred glowing wisps of smoke in varying colors flew out in every direction.

"Look out!" Casey yelled.

His warning wasn't necessary, April had already thrown herself down behind the sofa. The pair watched in horror as the clouds of smoke mingled overhead, covering the ceiling, and then separated into individual columns before disappearing through the exterior wall.

The wailing sound left with the smoke. As silence settled on the room, April and Casey slowly sat up, both wide eyed with disbelief.

Suddenly the double doors at the end of the room burst open, making the pair jump. Standing in the entrance was an elderly Japanese man, looking greatly alarmed.

"What have you done?" he demanded.

Striding into the room as April and Casey stood up, the man's eyes landed on the coins that were scattered on the floor all around the desk.

"Mr. Hidesato?" April asked.

"No, oh no," Mr. Hidesato moaned, ignoring April's question. He cautiously approached the desk and went around to the working side where he gingerly lifted the coffer. Turning his head, he told the pair, "You should not have opened this. You let them escape."

Casey sheepishly scratched at his neck and said, "That's my fault, sir. I, uh, found the key and got curious. I couldn't resist taking a closer look at one of the coins."

"Did you also feel the need to remove the wax seal that kept them bound?" Mr. Hidesato asked angrily. "Do you have any idea what you have unleashed upon this city?"

April walked over to the desk to join the men. "What were those things? What was released?"

Placing the coffer on the desk, Mr. Hidesato examined it for damage as he answered. "Those were the Legendary Creatures. The responsibility for capturing and keeping them imprisoned was entrusted to my family centuries ago. My uncle should never have left the coffer where a heta could lay hands upon it."

"Heta?" April asked.

"Unskillful, awkward," Mr. Hidesato said.

April cast a sharp look in Casey's direction. "You're right on both counts."

"Hey!" Casey protested.

"What will happen now that they've gotten out? How can we get them back?" April asked.

"They will cause much suffering and death," Mr. Hidesato said as he began gathering the coins from the floor. "Our only good fortune is that this city is large enough to satisfy their hungers. They will remain here; an entire country will not have to be searched as my ancestors were required to do."

"Then we can catch them," Casey said. "Tell us what to do and we'll stick them all back in this box."

With a frustrated huff, Mr. Hidesato straightened up and planted his fists on the desk top. Staring at Casey, he said, "You cannot recover them. Only a Warder can capture and imprison the creatures. I am too old for the task and I am the last of my family."

"How does one become a Warder?" April asked. "Maybe we can find someone here who already fits the requirements. New York City is a big place."

Mr. Hidesato shook his head. "Warders are trained to the job almost from the womb. They must have studied the tenets of Bushido from birth. Their training must include the study of martial arts under at least two different Masters. They must be physically exceptional and they must also be warriors. Where would one find such a person in New York City?"

April and Casey exchanged knowing looks. Smiling, April said, "Actually, we know of four who fit those requirements exactly. They've already saved this city more times than I can count. I'm sure that if you tell them what to do, they can recover these creatures."

"Four?" Mr. Hidesato asked, looking astonished. He appeared to think about it for a moment and then finally sighed. "It must be so since it appears that I am called upon to uphold my family's legacy once more. Can these four be reached tonight? They must meet us here as quickly as possible."

April walked over to the couch where she'd placed her backpack and extracted her shell cell. "I'll call them right now. They, um, won't want to be seen entering the house. Is there another way inside?"

"What type of warriors are they?" Mr. Hidesato asked with a frown.

"They're ninjas," April said. "Very well trained ninjas. They are also . . . rather unusual in appearance. They don't show themselves to all that many people."

Perhaps it was because Mr. Hidesato had seen many unusual things in his life that he did not push for more answers. "Upstairs you will find a terrace attached to my uncle's bedroom. It overlooks the garden. These ninjas may enter the house through there without anyone observing them."

"I'll give them directions," April said, walking out of the room to place her call.

Mr. Hidesato returned to retrieving the spilled coins and Casey helped him. Once the coins were on the desk, Mr. Hidesato began to return them to the slots inside the coffer, carefully matching each to a symbol marked in the leather alongside the slot.

"This mess is my fault," Casey said, breaking the silence. He wasn't the best at sensing what people were feeling, but he could guess that the Japanese man didn't care for him. "I want to help make it right. I'm going to help make it right."

Pausing in his efforts, Mr. Hidesato studied Casey for a moment and then said, "I can see that you are a good man. Perhaps overly curious and a tad impatient. Can you follow directions I wonder?"

"He's good in a fight, if that's what you're asking," April said, coming back into the room. "I reached the guys. It won't take them long to get here, so I'll go upstairs and wait."

"Just a moment," Mr. Hidesato said. He quickly scribbled some numbers on a piece of paper and handed it to her. "This is the code for the alarm system on my uncle's room. There are several zones within the house, each with their own separate security."

"Thank you," April said.

Casey and Mr. Hidesato continued their task while they waited for her to return. When the coins they'd piled on the desk had been placed into the coffer, Casey asked, "Did we get them all?"

Mr. Hidesato quickly surveyed the box's contents and nodded. "Yes, all of the coins are here. Would you be so kind as to retrieve my bags from the foyer? I dropped them there when I heard the noise of the escaping creatures."

Though Casey didn't much like the idea of being treated like a man servant, he went out to collect the bags without a word. He wouldn't have been in this predicament in the first place but for his own bad judgment.

There were only two suitcases and a garment bag. One of the suitcases was fitted with an intricate lock and was quite heavy, making Casey reevaluate how strong Mr. Hidesato really was.

Upon seeing Casey return with the bags, Mr. Hidesato appeared relieved. He took the heavier bag from Casey and placed it on the desk next to the coffer. "Ah, thank you. I had not planned to stay overly long, but I am glad I had the foresight to bring this with me. I must have sensed that I would be needing it."

Casey wanted to ask what the bag contained, but the sound of April's voice stopped him. When she came into the room, she was alone.

"Your friends?" Mr. Hidesato asked, looking puzzled.

"They're here," April told him. "I need to prepare you before they enter. Our friends are very . . . unique."

"So you have said," Mr. Hidesato replied. "Please, we do not have much time. The sooner we begin our preparations, the sooner we can begin to recapture these monsters."

"All right," April said. Stepping into the doorway, she signaled that it was all clear and then stood aside.

Leonardo entered the room first, followed closely by his brothers. They spread out to either side of him and faced Mr. Hidesato.

Eyes widening, Mr. Hidesato exclaimed, "They are Kame!"

"Mutant ninja turtles," Casey said, crossing his arms. "There ain't nobody better than these guys at taking on monsters."

"We've faced our fair share of them," Leo said. "My name is Leonardo."

"Raphael," Raph said next.

"Donatello," Don said with a slight bow.

"I'm Mikey," Mikey said cheerfully. "I hope we're not freaking you out dude."

"Mr. Hidesato. My uncle owned this home," Mr. Hidesato said. "Has Miss . . . ."

He paused to look at April, realizing that they had never been introduced. "My name is April O'Neil and that's Casey Jones. Your attorney hired me to catalogue the items in this room and Casey was supposed to be my bodyguard."

His eyes on Leonardo, Mr. Hidesato continued, "Has Miss O'Neil explained the situation to you?"

"Some," Leo said, moving up to the front of the desk. "Apparently Casey opened a box and released some sort of creatures into the city."

"Smooth move Case," Raph said.

Casey shot him a dirty look. A glance from Leo quieted them both and he went on. "From what I gathered, the things that escaped were Japanese legendary creatures, captured by your ancestors and held in that box under the watchful eye of your family for centuries. It is my understanding that only those who have received certain training are able to capture these creatures."

Switching to Japanese, Mr. Hidesato asked, "Do you understand my language?"

Leo answered in Japanese. "Yes. All four of us are fluent. Our father is from Japan and is a Ninjitsu Master." Shifting back to English, he said, "April knows a little and Casey none at all, so we should speak in a language they can understand."

"As you wish," Mr. Hidesato said. "I ask about your fluency because the key to re-capturing the creatures lies within the individual coins contained in the coffer. Each coin was designed specifically for the creature it will hold, each spell to bind that creature inscribed in Japanese upon the coin. Even the slots that the coins must be placed into is marked with the creature's name. If you cannot read or speak the language, you cannot become a Warder."

"Are there instructions on how to track these creatures?" Don asked.

"No, that knowledge was passed down through generations in verbal teachings," Mr. Hidesato said. "I will have to assist you in recognizing their signs. Unlike my ancestors, today we have the news media and the internet to provide us with information."

"That's my department," Don said. "If you can give me certain parameters to watch for, I can write a computer program that will continuously search for them."

"Astounding," Mr. Hidesato said, appearing impressed. "I must ask though; you said that your father, a Master ninja, trained you from birth?"

"From the time we were hatched," Leo clarified.

"As I told Miss O'Neil, you must have trained under at least two Masters to become a Gokuri – a Warder, as was my uncle and I," Mr. Hidesato said.

"We have," Mikey said. "Master Splinter trained us, and we were also trained by the Ninja Tribunal."

At Mr. Hidesato's confused expression, Leo said, "The Tribunal is a group of four Ninjitsu Masters. My brothers have trained with five martial arts Masters, I have trained with six."

"He's an overachiever," Raph said, nudging Leo with his elbow.

"Many of my ancestors were killed by these creatures," Mr. Hidesato said. "This is not a matter to be taken lightly."

"If these things are as dangerous as you say, then we ain't taking it lightly," Raph responded. "Go ahead and tell us how we start this hunt."

"You prepare by learning how to be a Warder," Mr. Hidesato said. Placing a hand on the suitcase atop the desk, he added, "This contains the tools that you will need. You must become adept at their use. Shall we begin?"

The turtles looked around at one another and then each offered a single nod to Leo.

"Yes," Leo said. "We're ready to be taught."

End Introduction