Here we go, getting back into the action. Will try and update again soon, please review.

Chapter 16

Ghost stretched out and limbered up. Getting her blood pumping and warming up her muscles so they wouldn't be damaged during the intensive exercise she planned.

From tonight she was back in the saddle, no more slacking off. She had to get the contracts finalised before the Guild called her in.

It didn't help that her time alone with them was ending. Their human friends, April and Casey, were due back soon. She had done everything she could to delay their return. Flight cancellations, hotel stuff-ups, even basic environmental issues. Poor Casey had spent three days in a bathroom with food poisoning; Raine had winced when she'd heard that.

April and Casey were perfectly nice people, the only thing that made them a target was their association with the turtles. It hadn't taken much to engineer a relationship with them. Contrary to what Sara believed; Raine hadn't flown straight to her side after their father's death. She had already been in New York for a few days scouting when the news had come through. She had stayed on long enough to plant some seeds and learn what she could before leaving to collect her sister.

Ghost regretted that she had needed to use so many civilians this time around. It made extraction a lot harder and the whole situation was messier with more people.

Shoving the big mess to the back of her mind Ghost finished her preparations for tonight's run. Hopefully she would get into a fight tonight and sharpen up her skills.

She inspected the video screens set up in her headquarters. Each screen showed a different known exit that the turtles used. So far none of them had come out. The motion sensors placed under the manholes blinked a steady green at her.

Satisfied that she wouldn't run into them just yet, Ghost locked up her hideout and melted into the shadows.

Ghost poked her head over the edge of the building, idly wondering what the thugs in the alley were doing. She'd been following them for twenty minutes and was bored with what she saw. Ghost rolled over onto her back and stared at the haze over the city where the stars should have been. Soft clouds drifted past to hide the starless night and Ghost contemplated going down to harass the Purple Dragons. It wasn't what she'd planned for tonight but a work out would be good for her.

Ghost rose and worked out a few kinks she'd earned while lying in the rooftop. She crept silently down the fire escape hugging the building over their heads. She paused momentarily to pet a cat on a windowsill and continued downward.

The lead Dragon, Hun, was large for a man. Larger than most men, she had no doubts that he was using steroids to get such a hugely muscled torso. She'd seen Hun fight a couple of times and was aware of his style. He didn't have much technique behind his brute strength so Ghost would have to use other methods to bring him down. She was no match for him if they went head to head.

The apparent second in command cracked a whip at some of the grunts. It was a short stock whip and Ghost wondered briefly where he had gotten it from. He wore a nasty grin as he played with his unusual weapon. Ghost recognised his type; the sort of person that inflicted pain because he liked the power it gave him and the fear it inspired.

From what she could see of their operation, this was a warehouse for their stolen goods. A line of Dragons carried a variety of goods into the squat building next to her and came out empty handed.

Curiosity got the better of her and she made her way back up to the roof and over to the adjoining building. The roof was smooth and treacherous; pressure in the wrong place would shower everything below her in glass. She climbed like a monkey to the top of the structure and slipped through a broken section of glass, careful not to catch herself on the sharp edges.

A soft whistle slipped through her lips before she could stop it. The warehouse was full of just about everything that could be stolen in a city. Cars of all sorts took up a third of the space, waiting for their turn in a chop shop. The rest of the space was taken up by furniture, antiques, televisions, gym equipment and stacks of crates ready for shipment.

In a section off to the side she could see a man sorting through jewellery and another man counting cash. Every few minutes one or both men would disappear through a door to their left. She slipped a small telescope from her leg and studied the merchandise. Quality stones were scattered over one side of the bench and stacks of money sat on the other side.

Dropping down behind a midnight blue Mercedes, Ghost skirted the dim warehouse. Never one to let an opportunity for wealth pass her by, Ghost crept to the bench the men were working at. A lumpy brown bag sat on top of a pile to her left and as the men turned to the big safe behind them she reached up and felt around until her fingers closed on a small velveteen bag.

She pulled away her prize just in time and army crawled to the safety of the shadows. When the men went though the side door Ghost stretched her leg out and snagged the brown satchel with her foot.

By the time the two men had realized that some of their loot was missing she was already climbing back onto the rooftop.

A decidedly feminine pleasure rolled through her as she inspected the shine and sparkle of her new jewels. She pulled an exquisite emerald and diamond necklace out of the bag. The streetlights caught in the facets, making the stones glow softly.

Eagerly she sought the small soft bag she had taken first and poured its contents into her palm. Diamonds, good quality ones too as she recognised the name on the bag.

She sighed happily to herself as she tucked her expensive goods away. Not what she had expected for tonight but not exactly an undesirable detour.

Shouting and the faint sound of metal striking metal drew Ghosts attention away from her current task. She has spent the last fifteen minutes sorting through the big bag and wrapping the more delicate pieces in towelling she'd stolen from an open bathroom window nearby.

Hoping a gang war had started on the street, a quick peek over the side showed her that her hopes were for nought. The turtles were at it again.

Ghost turned back to her lucrative haul and hid it carefully under some rubbish before dropping down the fire escape once again.

She watched for a few minutes, trying to gauge how the fight was going and when she should join in. there was no doubt in her mind that she would be down there, she couldn't allow Red or Blue to be harmed until their trials were complete.

Movement caught her eye and she saw a dozen gang bangers running out of the warehouse to join the fray. Taking that as her cue, Ghost thanked her lucky stars that Hun was not around and she leapt from the fire escape to join the fight.

Ghost worked her way from the far side of the group to near the centre, leaving a trail of bodies behind her; she didn't even kill all of them.

She ducked a strike from an enthusiastic young gangster and countered with a direct punch to his crotch. The boy dropped like a stone, gasping and crying, holding is junk protectively. Ghost dismissed him and turned to the next player. This one was taller than her and at least thirty pounds heavier. His downfall turned out to be slowness and stupidity, Ghost considered his death to be a boon to the rest of intelligent life on Earth.

She stepped back into something hard and turned quickly, coming face to face with Michelangelo.

"Hi Betty."

"Why are you still calling me that? You know my name." She asked before darting to the side and skewering another man on her sword.

Mikey shrugged. "You're a girl."

Ghost rolled her eyes and saw a Purple Dragon coming up behind the turtle. She held out her hand. "Behind you."

With only a moments hesitation Michelangelo grabbed her wrist and propelled her around him. Ghost brought her feet up and collected the man in the chest.

"Nice." Mike grinned as they looked down at their foe. "We work well together."

Ghost shot him an amused look and walked away to find more Dragons. She made her way back towards the warehouse when she heard the whip crack.

She looked around, there were only a few stragglers left, most of the Purple Dragons had run off when they saw they were getting beaten. The main fighters were circled around the turtles. Michelangelo and Donatello were back-to-back while Leonardo faced off with three men. She searched out the cracking sound again and saw Raphael fighting off two men while the man Hun had obviously left in charge snapped the whip at him. Even from this distance Ghost could see the red marks the whip left behind.

Anger boiled her blood until she saw red. She slipped her shuriken from their place on her belt and loosed them at the two men fighting Red. The darts landed on target in the backs of the men's necks. The two Dragons screamed and thrashed, trying to get at whatever had stung them, giving Red enough time to smack their heads together and deal with the one whipping him.

Ghost leapt to the side and rounded on the Dragons crowding Blue.

Raph saw the dark figure out of the corner of his eye as the two Purple Dragons dropped to the ground. Ghost! Fury filled his thoughts.

Sharp pain across his shoulders and loud crack of a whip distracted him. Who the hell used a whip these days?

He turned on the man, anger pouring out of him. He wanted to kill Ghost but this douchebag, who been whipping him fro the last five minutes, would have to be taken down first.

The gangster was cackling and Raph didn't think he'd noticed the other Purple Dragons on the ground yet.

The whip struck out again this time Raph caught it, ignoring the harsh sting across his palm. He twisted his wrist and began to wrap the leather around his fist. The Dragon's leader came out of his euphoria and swore. Raph grinned and adjusted the grip on his sai as a large knife appeared in the man's hand.

With a sai in one hand and the whip tail wrapped around the other, Raph advanced on the Dragon. Behind him he could hear his brother's dealing with the rest of the gangsters and, he assumed, Leo would be having his turn fighting Ghost.

An emotion similar to jealousy ran through Raph, making his attacks more vicious than normal. He dodged the knife and aimed a kick at the man's midsection. The Dragon flew back several yards but managed to get back on his feet before Raph could strike again. They clashed, sai and machete locking together over and over again as their owners struck at each other in any way possible.

Ghost stood back and watched the fury between Raphael and the Purple Dragon. They were fighting with nothing held back. Pure hate seemed to push both combatants. It was mesmerising, a vicious dance that could only end in bloodshed.

She felt the presence of the other turtles nearby and turned. Michelangelo was smiling at her, Leonardo watched her suspiciously and Donatello waved shyly.

She smiled under her mask, there was something compelling about these guys that she knew she'd never forget.

She nodded to them. "Orange, Purple, Blue. I wasn't expecting to see you tonight."

She was careful not to use their names, if only for her own comfort.

Leonardo opened his mouth but was railroaded when Mikey jumped in and hurried to her side. "That was awesome; I think you should switch sides and fight with us." He paused, smiling. "Or you and I can partner up and be like the Lone Ranger, protecting the city from evil."

Ghost rolled her eyes and caught Leonardo doing the same thing. He was dividing his attention between her and Raphael's fight. She could tell he wanted to help his brother but stayed back. To watch her?

Leonardo caught her eyes; he seemed to size her up and rolled his fingers over the katana grips. Raine shook her head slightly and frowned, her gaze going over his shoulders noting each cut. Disappointment and anger welled in her heart; she couldn't put Leo or Raph on trial if they were injured. Her time was running out.

"Not tonight, Blue. You will face me when you are not injured." Ghost said, not disguising the anger in her voice.

A sudden cry of pain drew their attention back to the fight. Ghost saw Raphael turn and throw his assailant to the ground. The man's head hit the concrete with a sharp crack. She felt pride as Raph stood victorious over his fallen opponent, pride turned to concern when he faced them and she saw a large cut across his upper arm. Anger bloomed as she catalogued his injuries, her eyes locking on to the wound dripping blood down his arm onto the whip still attached to him.

Ghost sensed that the other turtles were a heartbeat away from running over and aiding their brother. She was a step ahead of them, running towards Raphael as he adjusted his weapons on his belt.

A quick sound behind her had Raphael turning to her before she could get into position. Ducking his lunge, Ghost scooped up the handle of the whip still wrapped around his hand and looped it over Raph's head dragging his arm across his body. She pulled, unbalancing the weakening turtle, and pivoted to drag him the other way. He crashed to the ground, his wounded arm trapped across his chest by the leather of the whip.

Ghost pounced, she straddled him, catching his free arm under her knee to keep him still. A small blade against his throat kept his brother's at bay.

Anger that they were making her job harder, on various levels, burned in her veins; she could see matching fire in his eyes.

"Is this how ya going ta kill me?"

She growled, the sound coming from deep in her throat. "You are mine. No one else gets to kill you, do you understand? Do not engage in fights outside of your trial. When you are healed you will face me."

Ghost press her fingers against the gash in his arm when he started to struggle. Raphael cried out as her fingertips went into his wound. She pushed closer until their faces were only inches apart.

"You are mine, do not forget that."

Raphael glared at her and for just a moment Raine appeared. Her eyes drifted down to his mouth, twisted in derision. Her mind went back to days earlier when they had been sitting on top of her building watching the city and stealing kisses from each other. His body tensed and his eyes widened as if he could see what she was thinking.

Ghost reasserted herself before Raine did something them to give them away. She pushed off Raphael and walked away. She heard the turtles pulling their brother to his feet but didn't turn around. She scaled to the rooftop, collected her stolen jewels and returned to her hideout, the whole time refusing to look back at the turtles.

Raphael let the others help him to his feet; his arm burned where the Purple Dragon's machete had sliced him and where Ghost's fingers had dug into him. His fingers were slick with blood around the leather of the whip.

He looked up at the rooftop where she'd disappeared. What the hell had that been all about?

You are mine.

Her words reverberated around his head. Why had she sounded so possessive if she planned to kill him? More disturbingly, for Raph, why had he felt his body react? For a moment there he thought she'd been about to kiss him. She had stared at his mouth in such a way that Raph had felt trapped.

He winced as Donny checked the cut in his arm; blood was still flowing out of it steadily.

"We have to get you home, that arm needs to be sutured."

Raph grunted, the pain wasn't as bad as the weakness that was growing. He loosened his bandana with his good hand and handed it to Don. The red material soaked up the blood and the pressure slowed the bleeding. Mikey unwound the whip-tail from his hand.

"Come one guys, there could be more Purple Dragons." Leo said as he pushed his shoulder under Raph's good arm.

"Was that weird for anyone else?" Raph asked as they left the alleyway. He flexed his newly freed hand and pain spiked up his arm.

Mike grinned slyly. "Only for you. She hasn't gotten touchy-feely with the rest of us." He made kissing sounds.

Raph was glad his loss of blood stopped any from staining his cheeks. He was sure Mike was right; she hadn't gotten close to any of the others like that. It baffled him that she had looked him like she wanted to make a meal of him. It worried him that he hadn't wanted to hurt her at the time. He had just lain there, doing nothing, with her pressed against him. The anger he usually felt at simply hearing her name had been absent.

Around him, his brothers behaved as expected; Mikey teased, Leo lectured and Don watched quietly. Raph gratefully let the pain distract him from any further disturbing thoughts.

I would appreciate reviews, please and thank you. I'll be back shortly :)

TammyCat