Truth and Lies

Chapter 1: Missing

A/N: Hey, guys, I thought I'd introduce you to another plot bunny that's bitten me. This will take place within the 2012 universe. I don't think anything like this has been done before, and I'm eager to share this with you guys. So, I hope you enjoy it. I'll explain more about it at the end and what I want to accomplish with this story.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and any other characters you may not recognize.

Summary: When April mysteriously disappears, the Turtles are determined to find out what happened to her. Three years later, they begin receiving text messages. Has April returned, or is someone playing a cruel game to lure the Turtles into a trap?

"I'm so glad school is over," sixteen-year-old April O'Neil said as she sank onto the couch in her friends' living area. It was always such a relief for April to be able to spend time with her four best friends, who she often thought of as her brothers. The fact that they were mutant turtles hadn't bothered her after they rescued her from a group of aliens known as the Kraang. These same aliens had kidnapped her father, but the Turtles had been able to rescue him as well.

"Yeah, now we can have you here more often," Michelangelo said as he carried some pizza boxes over to them. "This'll be the best slumber party ever!"

"It's not a slumber party, Mikey," April reminded him. "I still have to go home. Dad and I are going to Florida on vacation, remember?"

Mikey's face fell. "Oh, yeah, I forgot," he said. "I wish we could come with you."

"Don't worry, I'll bring something cool for you," she told him.

Mikey's face instantly lit up. "Sweet!" he cried. "I want a seashell so I can listen to the ocean talking to me."

"The sea doesn't talk from inside the shell, Mikey," Donatello corrected him. "It's just a noise that mimics the sound of the sea."

"Hey, some of us like to use our imagination!" replied Mikey.

"Keep it down, you two!" chastised Leonardo. "I'm trying to watch this." He was engrossed in another exciting episode of Space Heroes.

"Leo, you've seen this one about five times," complained Raphael. "I doubt April wants to watch this anyway. Let her pick the channel."

"Well, I did bring a movie for us to watch," suggested April. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a DVD.

Raph took it and looked at the cover. "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," he read from the cover. "You want us to watch a girl movie?"

"Yeah, it's about friendship, and we are friends, aren't we?"

"Oooh, I love this book series!" Mikey cried. "Let's watch it!"

"It could be interesting," Don said. "I'm in."

"So am I," added Leo.

Raph sighed. "Okay, but I'm not gonna like it," he warned them.

But as it turned out, Raph did end up liking it. As the plot progressed, the Turtles became engrossed in the four stories the film showed and how they all connected. Mikey cried during the scene where Tibby begs Bailey to take the Pants, and all of the Turtles felt sad during that scene, though Raph denied it.

"Man, that was great," said Mikey as the movie ended. "I'd love to go out with Bridget."

"She's not real, you idiot," Raph reminded him.

"I know, but it would still be cool," replied Mikey. "I think you'd get along with Carmen, Raph, since you both have bad tempers."

"Oh, I wouldn't go out with her," grumbled Raph. "She's too ugly."

"She's got a nice rack," answered Mikey.

"Mikey, would you please not say that?" April begged. "It's so demeaning. I hate how men base a woman's worth on the size of their breasts. They should worry more about personality. Besides, I think Raph is a combination of Carmen and Tibby."

"I think I'm like Bridget," Mikey declared. "I'm pretty athletic like she is."

"Raph has some of Bee in him, too," April said. "He's reckless like she is."

"Hey, I resent that!" Raph said, offended.

"Don's a lot like Lena," Mikey said. "He's kind of shy and afraid to really open up sometimes."

"Okay, then who am I like?" Leo asked them.

"You're a little like Tibby," April said. "You have an interest and you are dedicated to it like she is."

"I feel sorry for Bridget," said Leo. "She has to deal with not having a mom around, and I'm sure it's hard to deal with that."

"I know how she feels," said April sadly.

The Turtles exchanged sad looks. They had only recently learned that April's mother had died in a car crash while on her way home from work. It had taken April a long time to trust them before she told them, and she revealed that only a few select people knew about it.

The sad moment passed as Mikey passed around more pizza, and they began to talk about other subjects. April talked about Florida and how excited she was to go there. Mikey asked her to bring Mickey Mouse's autograph as well as a seashell, and she said she'd try her best.

"We're going to miss you, April," said Don dejectedly.

"Hey, it's only for a few weeks," she replied. "It'll go by so fast, and you'll see me again before you know it." She looked at her T-Phone to check the time. "Well, I guess I'd better get going. Our plane leaves early."

"Do you want us to take you home?" Leo asked her.

"Nah, you can just walk me to the nearest manhole cover," she said. "I'll be fine."

Leo nodded even though he couldn't shake the funny feeling that something was wrong.

The Turtles escorted her to the nearest manhole cover, laughing and joking along the way. They were going to miss her so much and she them. As they neared the manhole cover that would take April to the surface, she turned and gave each Turtle a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"See you guys in a few weeks," she said. "Stay out of trouble."

"We'll try, April," said Leo. "Have a safe trip."

"I will," she promised. "'Bye."

They watched as she ascended the ladder and disappeared out of the manhole. Then they headed back to their own home, realizing how empty the days were going to be without their friend. Shaking off the feeling, the four of them headed to bed so they could get some sleep before morning training.

But a few hours later, Don was awakened by the sound of his T-Phone ringing. Cursing himself for not turning it off, Don picked up the phone and saw that April's father was calling.

"Hello?" he said.

"Donnie, have you seen April?" Kirby asked. "Did she decide to spend the night with you?"

"No, we escorted her to the manhole cover and watched her leave," Don replied. "Leo wanted us to take her home, but she said she'd be fine."

"Well, I'm calling to let you know that April isn't home yet, and she never forgets to call me if she'll be late," Kirby explained.

"She's not there?" Don cried, panic lacing his voice. April never forgot to check in after she made it home. It was an agreement they had all made with her. "Have you called the police?"

"Not yet," Kirby answered. "I was hoping you would know something. But now it looks like I'll have no choice. I can't think of anywhere else she'd be."

"She may have been kidnapped by the Kraang," Don mused.

"I thought of that myself," Kirby told him. "I don't know if going to the police is a good idea if she has been kidnapped by them though. And if I tell her she was out with friends, they're going to want to question you guys, and I don't want that to happen."

Don sighed. "I know, but we may not have a choice," he said. "Hang on, Mr. O'Neil, I'm going to get my brothers and tell them what's going on." He ran from his room and woke his brothers and father up. They gathered in the living room, and Don put Kirby on speaker phone so he could relay what had happened to April.

"It could be the Kraang, the Foot, or the Purple Dragons who took April," Leo said. "We need to search all of these avenues and see if there are any leads. In the meantime, you'd better call the police, Mr. O'Neil. If you don't, it'll look suspicious, and we can't do anything during the day, so maybe they'll have more luck. If we find anything, we'll let you know."

"Thanks, Leo," Kirby said. "April is so lucky to have friends like you. I'll still be in touch, okay? Just try to get some sleep for now. I know you'll do everything you can to get April back. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"That will be fine, Kirby," Splinter said. "I wish you the best of luck with the police."

"Thank you, Master Splinter," Kirby replied. "Goodbye."

After Kirby hung up, the Turtles exchanged sad looks. This couldn't be happening to them. How could April just disappear without a trace?

"Man, this sucks," Raph grumbled. "How could someone do this?"

"I bet she's scared," Mikey mused. "She's all alone with no one to be with her. We have to find her."

"We'll try our best, Mikey," Leo reassured him. "I knew we should have taken her home. We could have prevented this from happening."

Splinter laid a paw on his son's shoulder. "There is nothing you can do now," he said gently. "And even if you had taken her home, there would be no guarantee that this would not have happened then. Do not blame yourselves for what happened. All we can do is wait and hope for the best. I know this is hard on you, my sons, but we cannot give up. For now, you should try and get some rest. We will discuss this tomorrow."

"Hai, Sensei," answered the Turtles. They bowed to him and left for their rooms, wondering what the next morning would bring. Sleep didn't come easy for any of them. Leo was still blaming himself for what happened to April and wondered if they'd ever get her back. Raph was remembering the time April had taken care of Spike when he was sick and hadn't laughed at him for being so concerned. Don was worried about April and remembering something that happened between them and a letter he'd sent to her shortly after that. Mikey was crying in his pillow and was remembering the time April had stuck up for him when Raph teased him. And all of them were thinking the same thing: Was she ever coming back?

22222

The next day was a hard one for the Turtles as they remembered what had happened to April. Kirby called them to explain that he'd phoned the police and they were working on an investigation. He had told them that April had been at Murakami's noodle shop before she disappeared and had the story with Mr. Murakami, who had had agreed to help out in order to protect the Turtles. Kirby promised to keep them updated, and they promised him that they'd look into their leads that night.

Splinter had decided to postpone training as he felt his sons wouldn't be up to it under these circumstances. He felt badly for them and also felt his own sadness. He had begun to regard April as a second daughter though he knew no one could replace Miwa. And now that April was gone, he felt that same sadness he'd felt at the loss of Teng Shen and his daughter. His dearest hope was that April would come back to them so that he and his sons could be happy again.

That night, the Turtles set out on their mission to find their friend. Don had made some devices that would pick up conversation and transmit it to the Lair. The plan was to implant these devices on the Kraang, Foot, and Purple Dragons so that they could get information on April's whereabouts. Don had offered to stay in the Lair to test whether these devices worked while the others went to plant the devices on their targets.

"Okay, Raph, you've got The Purple Dragons," Leo instructed. "I've got the Foot Ninja, and Mikey, you've got the Kraang."

"Why do I have to be the one to do that to the Kraang?" Mikey complained.

"Because that's the way it works," Raph replied.

"Just remind yourself that you're doing it for April," Leo encouraged him. "You do want to find her, don't you?"

Mikey's blue eyes flashed in anger. "Of course I want to find her!" he said defensively.

"Good, now let's get moving," said Leo. "We'll meet back here when we're done and then head back to the Lair. Be careful, guys."

"You, too, bro," said Raph.

"I will," replied Leo.

The three of them gave each other a high three for luck and then departed their separate ways.

22222

Raph raced across the rooftops until he spotted a group of Purple Dragons in an alley. It looked like they were doing a drug deal of some sort. He waited for a minute and then dropped down behind them. He had been planning to just drop the device on the first Purple Dragon who came his way, but this seemed like a better plan.

"So, you guys havin' a party?" he asked.

One of the Dragons growled, "Stay out of this, freak."

"I'd love to, but if you're givin' that stuff to kids, I can't let that happen," Raph replied as he took out his sai.

"Bring it on, freak!" one of the Dragons said. He made a motion to his fellow members, and they advanced on the red-clad Turtle.

Raph smirked and waited for their attack. As one of the Dragons came at him, he parried the attack from the pipe and swept the Dragon's legs out from under him. Another Dragon came at him from behind with a long chain, but Raph was prepared and caught the chain between the prong of his sai and whipped it forward, causing the Dragon to land face fist into the concrete. Raph pinned the member down and discreetly put the device on him without the Dragon's knowledge before the third member came to try and pry Raph off of his friend. Raph threw his head back and hit the Dragon square in the nose. The other Dragons got ready to defend their comrade, but before they could do anything, Raph used a smoke bomb to escape from them.

"Donnie, Operation Purple Dragon was a success," he reported.

"Good," Don replied. "Let's hope it works."

"I just hope Mikey and Leo will get theirs planted without any trouble," Raph answered.

22222

Meanwhile, Leo was doing his best to try and find a Foot Ninja to plant his device on. He was determined to get answers about what happened to April. Suddenly, he spotted some Foot Ninjas across from where he was and immediately gave chase. He planned on being very stealthy about this and hoped that Mikey and Raph remembered that as well. Leo followed the Ninjas until they disappeared into an alleyway and waited to sew what they would do.

"Why are we wasting our time out here?" one of them complained.

"Because Master Shredder told us to," another answered. "The Turtles normally patrol the city, and if we see one of them, we should take them to Master Shredder. He wants to take care of them himself."

Leo hesitated, unsure of how he was going to pull this off. He thought about just dropping the device and hoping that it landed where he wanted it to, but he thought that there was a possibility it wouldn't go well if he tried that. He shifted a little, and some pieces of the building came loose and fell. One of the Foot Ninjas immediately looked up and spotted him.

"Shit!" he cursed. How could he have been so careless? Seeing no other option, Leo jumped down and confronted the Foot Ninjas, his katanas in hand.

"Why are you spying on us, Turtle?" one of them demanded.

"I wasn't," Leo answered. "I was passing by when I heard you discussing my brothers and me, so I decided to keep listening."

"Well, it's a shame you won't live long enough to tell your family what you heard," the second Ninja growled.

"No, you idiot!" the first one snapped. "Master Shredder wants to finish them off himself."

"But if we do it, we'll be honored for getting rid of one of his enemies," the second Ninja replied.

Leo had heard enough. Before the first one could respond, he used the handle of his katana to knock the man out cold. The second Ninja gasped and then became angry.

"How dare you hurt my comrade?" he shouted.

"Sorry, he was getting on my nerves," replied Leo.

The second Ninja growled and attacked Leo, his katana raised. Leo feinted to the left, and the Ninja fell for it, causing Leo to sweep his legs out from under him. Leo pinned him, pointing his katana at the Ninja's throat.

"Listen, a friend of ours disappeared yesterday, and I want answers," Leo growled. "What have you done with her?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" spat the Foot Ninja.

"So, you didn't kidnap April O'Neil as a way to get back at us?"

"The Master doesn't want your friend," the Ninja answered. "He wants you. If you come quietly, it will be easier for you."

Leo smirked. "Sorry, I prefer to go home," he said. Then in one swift motion, he slit the Ninja's throat. He went to the first one and planted the device on him. Then he escaped as quickly as he could before more Ninjas arrived on the scene.

"Donnie, Operation Foot Ninja was a success," he said.

"Great," said Don. "Raph was successful, too. Now all we need to do is hope that Mikey is successful in his attempt."

"Do you think Raph and I should go help him?" Leo asked.

"Maybe you should go there just in case," Don replied.

"Good thinking," Leo responded.

22222

Mikey was not a happy Turtle at the moment. He couldn't believe that he was the one who had to plant a device on the Kraang. It should have been either Leo or Raph since they were better at this stuff. But then he thought of April and how she was missing. They had to get answers, and if this was the way to do it, then he would do his best to get the answers they needed.

"You're doing this for April," he said to himself. "You want to get her back." The words became a mantra to him, and he kept repeating them as he made his way to the Kraang's hideout. He slipped inside through a window and spotted a whole group of Kraang milling around inside. How was he going to be able to do this?

Mikey spotted a Kraang droid among some boxes. The orange-clad Turtle took out some rope and tied it to a beam. Then he slowly lowered the rope carefully and inched his way down to the Kraang. His hands were sweaty due to his nervousness, but he kept on going until he was able to put the device on the back of the Kraang's suit. Satisfied that he'd succeeded, Mikey began to climb up the rope, but his sweaty hands caused him to lose his grip. With a cry, he landed on his shell in the midst of the Kraang.

"Uh-oh," he said as the Kraang spotted him. He knew he was in trouble now.

"Kraang, it is one of the ones who call themselves the Turtles," one of the Kraang said.

"Yes, Kraang, he has invaded the place where he is not supposed to be in this place," another said. "Therefore, he should be eliminated from this place where he is not supposed to be."

"Oh yeah?" said Mikey. "Well, you'll have to catch me first. So long, suckers!" He threw down a smoke bomb, which enveloped him in purple smoke. When it cleared, Mikey wasn't there.

"Kraang, where is the one who invaded this place?" asked one of the Kraang.

"I do not know, Kraang," answered another one. "Perhaps we should look for the one who invaded this place where he was not supposed to be."

"That is a good idea, Kraang," said the first one.

Meanwhile, Mikey had escaped and was on his way to meet his brothers. "Don, Operation Kraang was a success," he reported.

"Good job, Mikey," Don said. "I guess Leo and Raph won't have to help you after all."

"Wait, you were gonna send them after me?" Mikey asked him.

"Well, yeah, just as a precaution," Don answered. "But I don't need to now."

"I'll see you at the Lair," Mikey said as he arrived at the meeting place. He couldn't believe Don was going to send Leo and Raph after him as though he couldn't do anything himself. Not too long after, Leo and Raph showed up.

"Don told us you plated the devices on the Kraang," Leo reported. "Good job, Mikey."

"Yeah, it's about time you did something on your own," Raph added.

"Hey, I can do stuff on my own!" Mikey replied, offended.

"That's enough, guys," Leo said. "Let's get back to the Lair and see what we can find."

22222

The devices did what Don wanted them to do, but while the Turtles listened to other conversations, they found no information on what happened to April. Don continued to listen in, hoping he would hear something, but none of their enemies had any information regarding their best friend. A year went by, and April still didn't come home. The police questioned everyone they knew, but no one knew where April was. Two years later, Kirby left for a job in California and lost touch with the Turtles.

As time went on, the Turtles began to lose hope of ever finding out what happened to April. They continued to search and wait, but they soon had to face a fact that had been haunting them ever since April's disappearance.

April wasn't coming back.

A/N: Wow. I can't believe I've written fifteen pages. So, my intention for this story is for it to be like the book series Pretty Little Liars, except that some of the things that happened in that series won't happen in this story. It'll be my own version of that series with a Turtles twist. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try my best to get it up soon. Please feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.