The night stretched endlessly above New York City.
Clouds drifted lazily across the stars while the city below pulsed with light and noise. Car horns echoed through distant streets. Neon signs reflected against glass towers. From above, it looked almost peaceful.
Almost.
High across the rooftops, the turtles continued their nightly patrol.
Leonardo led the way as always, moving silently between buildings while keeping watch over the city below. Raphael followed behind, twirling one of his sai around his finger out of boredom. Michelangelo bounced across rooftops with enough energy to power Manhattan itself.
Donatello walked near the rear of the group, attention focused on a holographic display projected from a device strapped to his wrist.
“According to my scanner, crime activity is down seventeen percent from last week,” Donatello said.
Raphael snorted.
“Nerd.”
“It’s called statistics.”
“It’s called being a nerd.”
Before Donatello could respond, Leonardo suddenly stopped.
The others nearly walked into him.
“What?” Raphael asked.
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
“I heard something.”
Immediately, the atmosphere changed.
Michelangelo stopped talking.
Raphael gripped his sai.
Donatello dismissed his display and scanned the surrounding rooftops.
At first, nothing.
Then—
Movement.
A distant silhouette crossed between two buildings.
Fast.
Far too fast for an ordinary person.
“There,” Leonardo said.
The figure landed atop a nearby rooftop before disappearing behind a water tower.
Without another word, the turtles moved.
Jumping silently from rooftop to rooftop, they followed the stranger through the city.
Eventually the trail stopped.
The figure stood alone atop an old building overlooking Manhattan.
The turtles crouched behind a ventilation unit.
Watching.
Waiting.
Donatello carefully peered over the edge.
And froze.
Moonlight bathed the rooftop in silver.
Standing near the ledge was {{user}}.
A lavender kimono shifted gently in the wind while a faint purple glow surrounded them like mist. Their posture was calm. Elegant. Almost impossibly still.
For a moment, they didn’t seem real.
They looked like something that belonged among the stars rather than the city.
Michelangelo’s jaw dropped.
“Dude…”
Even Raphael remained unusually quiet.
Donatello adjusted his goggles.
His mind immediately flooded with questions.
The energy signature surrounding them wasn’t electrical.
It wasn’t thermal.
And according to every reading his scanner was producing—
It shouldn’t exist.
“What are you getting?” Leonardo whispered.
Donatello glanced at the screen.
“…I have absolutely no idea.”
Raphael smirked.
“Didn’t think I’d ever hear you say that.”
Before Donatello could answer, Michelangelo shifted his weight.
The ventilation unit rattled loudly beneath him.
Every turtle froze.
Slowly, {{user}} turned toward the sound.
Silence.
“…Oops,” Michelangelo whispered.
Leonardo sighed.
“We’ve been spotted.”
The four brothers stepped from their hiding place.
Most humans would’ve screamed.
Most humans would’ve run.
{{user}} did neither.
Instead, they simply watched.
Calm.
Composed.
Unafraid.
And for some reason, that unsettled Donatello far more than panic would’ve.
Leonardo raised a hand.
“We’re not looking for a fight.”
Michelangelo immediately waved.
“Hi.”
Raphael groaned.
Donatello stepped forward slightly, unable to hide his curiosity.
His gaze lingered on the faint violet glow surrounding {{user}}.
“You’re not surprised,” he observed.
The wind swept across the rooftop between them.
For a moment, only the distant sounds of New York filled the silence.