TMNT are the property of Mirage. HEY! 100th Episode coming March 25th! Woo-hoo!

Certainty

"What do you see?"

"Two of them. That's all- no, wait- two more just came out of the shadows- they're talking- now those two are leaving the roof."

"Raph, you and Mikey shadow them. Find out where they're headed. Meet us back home."

"I don't get it. All they're doing is watching the buildings."

"Pretty damn cold work."

"Raph! Hurry up!"

"Like I don't know what to do! C'mon, Mikey."

Don lowered his high-powered night-scoping binoculars and looked at Leo.

"The two who are still here have a little hideaway," he informed his brother. "From what I can see, it's a sweet little thing, too! Looks like it belongs on the roof, and they have all the high-tech comforts of home. Best part: that is an active warehouse! Yet it appears no one has noticed them setting that place up!"

Leo chuckled at the obvious envy in Don's voice. Then he sighed, thinking.

"Could belong to Karai, you know," he muttered, thinking of the ownership of the building in question. "Any way of finding out?"

"Oh, I could probably find out easily," Don replied, shrugging. "But I doubt any of these places are a part of the Foot's legitimate holdings. Too open here, even with the amount of closed places."

"What in the world are they up to?" Leo mused; he had picked up Don's binoculars and was looking again at the two Foot ninja. "All they appear to be doing is watching."

"Waiting for someone?"

"Or looking for someone. Like that guy that the Dragons were looking for. And that group of Foot that Raph and I fought."

Don bit his tongue. He knew better than to say anything regarding that (for Raph and Leo) humiliating experience.

"I don't know, Leo. Seems like an awful lot of speculation on their part as well as ours. Still-" and he began to rummage through his handy duffle bag of turtle tricks- "no sense in letting these babies go to waste!"

And he produced one of his remote devices that had originally been made to scope out the warehouses when they were trying to find out about this mysterious person who controlled rats. Don had been quite heartbroken that he'd never gotten to play with his new toys.

The size of small racing cars, he, Leatherhead and Professor Honeycutt had utilized Utrom technology along with their own to create these spies. They could transmit very clear color pictures back to the Lair, and could easily receive signals from the Lair as well.

"I mean, shoot- if JPL can design robots that work on Mars by remote control from Earth, this distance is a piece of cake," Don had happily said to Honeycutt and Leatherhead.

"Leo, any way you can get this onto that roof without drawing the attention of the Foot?"

Leo merely gave his brainy brother a annoyed look, then, taking the item in question, vanished from sight. Don dug out a small handset that could activate and monitor the spybot.

"Finally," he grinned "I get to see if it will actually work!"

"You didn't test them?" Leo, back as if he'd never left, whispered.

"Well, yeah- in the sewers- and in the Lair," Don defended. "But those were controlled tests, hardly a real challenge or indicator as to the success of their abilities."

"Come on- turn it on and let's go home," Leo said, ignoring his brother. "I don't think they're going to be doing anything tonight as it is, and I'm getting cold."

"Sure thing, Fearless Leader," Don grinned, activating his precious spybot. He stared at the handset long enough to get a picture ("How the hell did you get it in THERE without them seeing you?"), and then they headed home.

"Raph, I'm cold."

Silence for about five minutes.

"Raph, I'm hungry."

More silence; only it was getting harder.

"Raph, I'm cold and hungry."

Even more silence, punctuated with a barely controlled snarl.

"Raph-"

"Mikey! For the love of God, shut up!"

Mikey, getting the desired reaction, merely smiled.

They'd been "ghosting" these to for what seemed like hours- though Mikey knew that it had NOT been more than maybe twenty minutes- thirty-five tops.

But it was obvious that the Foot knew they were being followed. They were taking a tour of the City it seemed. Mikey had pointed this fact out to Raph at least three times, but the older Turtle refused to give up just yet.

"I don't think they know we're tailin' them," Raph whispered yet again. "I think they're just under orders to make sure they're not being followed."

"Paranoid bunch, aren't they?"

"Well, if you hadn't been so set on pushin' my buttons, Michelangelo, you would have noticed that they are being followed, and I don't mean by us. Look."

And Mikey, looking in the direction of Raph's pointing finger, saw someone in the shadows of an alley, eyes on the fleeing path of the two Foot soldiers, talking into a phone.

"Hmmm... The Dragons are certainly dressing sharper than they did back in the day," Mikey commented, admiring the quality of the jacket that the spy for Hun was sporting. "Wonder where they get them made?"

"Plan on orderin' some over the Internet?" Raph smirked, leading his brother back towards home. "You know what happened the last time you tried something like that."

"Hey, April said if we needed anything really important to use that credit card number!"

"I somehow don't think she was talkin' about a mint condition first issue of 'Spiderman'." Raph, dropping into the manhole that he had just uncovered, waited at the bottom for Mikey to enter and replace the lid. "Especially when you started a bidding war on ebay- and nearly won!"

"Yeah- good thing someone outbid me at the last minute," Mikey sighed as they made their long way home. "I doubt I'd still be alive. But those jackets, however- OW! What was that for?"

"For even thinking of it. I swear, Mikey, as soon as we get home, I'm gonna make sure Don puts a filter on that computer to keep you from orderin' anything."

"Not even pizza? Dude, that's harsh."

Silence.

"Raph, I'm hungry."

"I do not like this at all, but you are right. All we can do is wait and watch," Splinter said when Leonardo was through with his report. Then he had listened as Raphael told of their efforts to shadow the other two, and how it appeared that the Purple Dragons were also watching the Foot as well.

"I wonder," Don mused. "Raph said that a few months ago the Dragons were looking for this guy. Now it appears that Karai has her soldiers out looking as well. Do you suppose Hun has- well, subcontracted out?"

The others exchanged looks.

"You believe that they could be working together?" Splinter asked. He knew as well as they did that there was no love lost between Hun and Karai.

"Well, the only thing I can think of is that," Don explained. "We know that they're both looking for this Dr. Baker. They don't appear to be working hand in hand, but they also don't appear to be in competition. In fact, it looks as if the Foot are doing the search now, and the Dragons are watching the Foot. So, maybe Karai and Hun came to some agreement- only Hun doesn't trust Karai."

Splinter thought on this. Then he looked at all four.

"I do not like the idea of the Foot being so close. I do not want them entering the sewers. I am not sure if we should involve ourselves in this business or not," he admitted. "On the one hand, why should we needlessly place ourselves between two factions over a person who has caused such harm to us and our friend Leatherhead? Yet, on the other- why should we allow either of these groups to gain 'control' of this being?"

"With respect," Leonardo spoke. "I would like to prevent them from capturing this scientist. They are planning something that only this person's expertise can help them with. For him to fall into the hands of either organization can, to me, only spell trouble for the City- and for ourselves. That is my feeling."

"I'm with Leo on this," Raphael now spoke. "Though I ain't fond of the idea of riskin' my neck to save someone who worked for Bishop like that. Maybe we should consider ansatsu. Make sure that nobody gets him."

Mikey balked. He looked at Raph as if he'd just suggested they become villains.

"I don't think we should just off the guy to keep him out of their hands," he protested, initial shock turning to anger as he spoke. "This dude has been hiding for a long time! Obviously he was hiding long before Bishop died, so that must mean he quit- you know, got disgusted with his actions and stuff, and wanted to be out of it- people can change! Look at Victor! This guy probably changed and he quit- and he had to hide or else they'd kill him. Now you're suggesting we do the same-"

"Enough, Michelangelo," Splinter put a calming hand on his youngest's arm, then turned to Donatello. "Your thoughts, my son?"

Don sat there, considering all he'd heard.

"This guy was involved somehow in Bishop's genetics research," he finally said. "Hun is looking for him. Somehow, I can't picture Hun needing him for anything like that, so logic would dictate that Hun is- or was- doing this for someone else."

Splinter nodded, and gestured Donatello to continue.

"Now the Foot are involved. Karai, of the two, would or could probably utilize any expertise this man has. But again, the question would be 'why'? Unless she has some bizarre notion concerning the Shredder. But I doubt that is the case."

"So we should involve ourselves with this man?" Splinter asked his sons after thinking of all they'd said.

"I think we should do our best to make sure they do NOT capture him," Leo said, speaking for his brothers.

"No ansatsu!" Mikey was adamant. Once again Splinter placed a calming hand on his son.

"Donatello, you are able to monitor the two on the roof?"

"Hai, Sensei. I can even hear their conversations- most of it having to do with freezing their asses off and why are they stuck in such a dead-end position when others of lesser skills were given preferences and rank that should have been theirs in the first place, considering how many years of loyal service they'd given to the clan," Don laughed. "I get the general impression that, in their view, things were much more 'fair' when Oroku Saki was in charge. Mistress Karai's name is spoken with just a touch of contempt."

Splinter smiled briefly. Then he sighed.

"Very well. I doubt that it will come to anything, but should the opportunity present itself, let us ensure that this gentleman does not end up in the hands of either Karai or Hun."

Then, he fixed an eye on Leonardo.

"Only if the opportunity presents itself, my son- do not create the opportunity!"

Leo, blinking in surprise, gulped a guilty denial down and merely bowed.

How does he know what I'm thinking before I even think it?

The opportunity was not long in coming.

For several days the Turtles monitored the information that the spybot gathered. They trained daily; they got on each other's nerves (well- MIKEY got on their nerves, to be honest); Raph went out a few more times after telling Splinter where he was going; Leo once again got a verbal "smack down" from Splinter when the subject once again came up about "when am I going to be treated the same as Raph?" "When you act as mature about this matter as Raphael has."

April came by with several bags of groceries.

"What is with all the popcorn?" she asked Don as he helped her carry the bags into the kitchen. "Are you doing some strange experiment?"

"Yeah," Mikey laughed, overhearing. "He's trying to see how getting fat will keep him from getting out of the sewers!"

"Popcorn is very low in calories," Don defended. "It only is fattening when it's coated in all that junk YOU pour over it, given half a chance."

Topside, Dr. Baker was spending another day in the line with the workers, waiting for his hot lunch and cold supper order to be completed. This had been going well. He'd begun to feel secure. He'd been able to come and go without anyone noticing him; he had even managed to get hold of a few items to make himself more comfortable in that warehouse office.

The meals were a bit heavy on the grease, but they also offered salads, and he made a point of buying a few at a time for his supper. They were easier to keep in case he was unable to access this "meals on wheels".

He was still careful, but in spite of that, he was becoming complacent.

Which is why he had no idea that he was being watched, as he managed to make his way back into the warehouse with his large bag of food for the day.

Several hours later:

"That is the building? You are sure?"

"Hai, Mistress! Our operatives have watched the area closely. He has changed his looks somewhat, but fortunately, one of them today spotted him in the crowd that frequents the lunch coach that stops here, and was able to 'shadow' him back to his hiding place. He is in that warehouse."

Karai, looking at the building from a safe distance in her limo, nodded even as her brow wrinkled.

"Am I mistaken, or is that the place where the police were investigating recently?"

"Hai, Mistress, as far as we can ascertain, that is the building where they found the remains of someone who appeared to have been eaten by many sozoku."

At this news, Karai managed to keep her composure; however, even now, she remembered the experience of dealing with rodents when she was homeless and alone- the scratching, the stench, the hair, the almost battles she would wage against them in order to have a bit of food to eat!

Sozoku! And Leonardo's father was one of them; was, indeed, a nezumi!

She pushed her painful past, along with her vengeful future, from her mind, and returned her gaze to the reporting operative.

"Gather the men. We will brief them a block from here, and then move in. I do not want to attract any attention- MARK MY WORDS! I do NOT wish to draw the attention of even a nezumi!"

The man bowed as low as he could in the back seat of the limo, then departed to gather the warriors.

Karai, in the spacious room of the limo, began to change from her business clothes into her fighting gear. She would not need to battle herself, but it would look more impressive to their expected "guest" if she were dressed the part of- what was it that baka yaro Agent Bishop had called her?- oh, yes: "Warrior Princess". Well, she would present to this Dr. Baker the Warrior Princess. Such men seemed more fascinated with that aspect of her identity than her alter-ego of Oroku Karai.

Leonardo, for example, had always seemed to prefer-

With an angry snarl at the memory, she shoved the Turtle from her thoughts, and deliberately got dressed!