All right, I'm a bit rusty because I haven't written a TMNT fic in a while; bit I hope you can enjoy this story. Please review me to help make this a more enjoyable fic for everyone. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT! Although I wish I did so I could get rid of that stupid Fast Forward series they've got going on…--'

&&&&&&

Location: Area 51 Naval Base

The young Asian woman paced the floor outside of a cell at Area 51 rather impatiently. She should have heard from Agent Bishop by now with the status…Worthless imbecile.

Karai let out an exasperated sigh and sat down outside of the sealed cell waiting for some sign that everything was going the way she wanted. She had been working on this 'project' for two years…And finally after many miscalculations and frustrations, her plan was on the verge of being complete.

After the Shredder was banished onto that pitiful frozen planet by those ungrateful terrapins, she knew that she must somehow bring her Master back. She could not run the Foot clan by herself in both New York and Japan, and most of the Foot was refusing to listen to her because they could not accept her as their new leader, and being most unworthy in the process. This was mostly due to the fact that she had sided with the turtles and played the role as her father, if it hadn't been for the return of her father shortly after that, they probably would have killed her.

Of course, once she realized that the Foot would not listen to her willingly, she knew that she had to bring back her Father, if only to set things right. The Foot mainly did as they pleased, and it appeared that another City War had started…One that Karai did not want to put up with again. So, for weeks she puzzled over how to bring her father back. It then occurred to her that the Shredder still had some ootrom technology stored away for future uses. Her father had taught her the ways of the ootroms and how to work their technology; therefore her idea should be no problem.

With hope in her heart she was able to retrieve the assistance of the Foot ninjas, who only did so willingly because of the fact their Master would return after this project was complete most likely. The problem was that Karai did not know the exact coordinates of the plant's location that the Shredder was banished to for all eternity. That task in and of itself took painstaking months of hard work to track it down. Once doing that, they had to discover more about the planet, such as its atmosphere. Once that was complete, it was time to get down to business of retrieving her father. For those two years she went through frustrations and miscalculations, judging either too high or too low, before finding the perfect tool to make her experiment a success. She had managed to create a transportation system using advanced ootrom technology.

Now, Karai waited anxiously outside of the cell where Agent Bishop was working diligently to repair her father's frozen and somewhat deteriorated body back to the way it once was.

The young ninja warrior knew what her father's plans were. As punishment to the ootroms for their treachery on banishing him on such a planet, he would most likely destroy the entire clan of ootroms. Then he would most likely want to gain his rightful place in New York before destroying the turtles for stopping him for doing what he needed to do.

Karai felt a great rush of anger hit her hard in her gut at the thought of the turtles. And to think she had once had feelings for Leonardo. Those feelings were long over. She felt betrayed by what he had done. Although it still pained her to fight his family, she had soon grown accustomed to it, and she knew that they deserved that and whatever it was her father had in store for them…Even if it was death. Karai no longer felt any remorse. She had waited two years for her father's return and she would not lose him again to the turtles.

Just as Karai was about ready to bust down the door to her father herself, a green light glowed above the door signaling that after three days the deed was done and her father was restored.

"Finally." Karai muttered as she cautiously opened the door and stepped inside to the somewhat dim room.

"Welcome back." Karai said smoothly as she knelt before her father's body.

Agent Bishop waited in the shadows to see if there were any further orders needed for him.

"I believe that it is about time we caught up with some of our old friends…Don't you Karai?" A cold sinister voice asked, making Karai shiver.

Despite herself, Karai smirked, knowing what was in store. "Yes Master…"

"You're suit is being created as we speak." Bishop's voice replied monotonously.

"Excellent."

"I do believe that that time has come." Karai said, her eyes flashing with a fury she had never felt before in her life.

&&&&&&

Location: New York City, Underground sewer systems

"You guys! I know you're happy for me, but…Don't you think this 'bridal shower' is a little extreme?" Twenty-five year old April O'Neil asked, trying to hide her smile. She once again gazed around at the elaborately decorated lair, and was still slightly shocked that the guys had gone so far over the top for her.

It had been two years since Shredder's banishment, and it was after that that April and Casey finally decided to give into temptation and become an official couple. It seemed like a perfect time with the Shredder finally gone, and the amount of violence in their lives diminishing slightly. Now, just six months away, was they're wedding…And the guys had really gotten into the spirit of things. They had been waiting so long for this moment, and even Leo, who had been under such a great deal of depression for so long, had gotten into the spirit of 'young love'.

"Come on April! Lighten up! After all…It's not everyday you're engaged!" Raph said cheerfully.

"Besides…We won't have you to ourselves much longer…So we better enjoy the good times while we can." Donnie piped up. He instantly regretted ever saying something like that. He mentally slapped himself, knowing that he sounded like a bitter, stupid old dope that was jealous of April getting married.

April chuckled and flicked Donnie in the forehead. "Silly…You act as if I'm about to move to another planet."

Donnie blushed and grinned bashfully up at April. Although, he was mentally thinking how she really was going to another planet…Yes…The wonderful world of blissful matrimony.

April grinned at Donnie's bashful expression as he quickly turned away from her. April had to admit that there was definitely a change in character in all of the guys. A huge burden had been lifted off their shoulders with the Shredder gone. They were much happier and seemed…Free almost. Of course, they still had the occasional street thugs to break up, but for the most part there were really no more late night patrols, or any plans for taking down the Shredder when the next attack came.

April was pulled out of her reverie however, when Mikey popped in between April and Donnie.

"Can I have the cake now?" Mikey whined. Donnie shot Mikey a menacing glare signaling that he would deal with him later. Mike responded with a confused look and Donnie shook his head in exasperation.

"For crying out loud Mikey! April just got here! We can't have the cake now!" Raph snapped.

"But I'm hungry!" Mikey whined.

"You just ate!" Raph exclaimed in exasperation.

Mikey was about to come back with a retort before he saw Leo and Splinter approaching them from their afternoon meditation.

Mikey grinned innocently and pointed at Raph quickly. "He started it." And with that, Mikey darted into the kitchen for escape.

Leo and Splinter exchanged puzzled looks while Raph shook his fist and shouted at Mikey.

Donnie and April looked on throughout all of this. Donnie had to admit that he was pretty amazed with Leo's change in character. He was more fun, and seemed to enjoy life a lot more. He still took training seriously, that would never change, but his perspective and attitude was more uplifting, and that was what Donnie liked to see. He still often worried that Leo would slip slowly back into his depression, but so far no signs of that seemed to be appearing, at least, any that Don could see anyway.

Meanwhile, April was concerned about Mikey. It was odd…As soon as Mikey saw Splinter; he had left the room. It was almost as if he had been…Afraid of him. April glanced at Donnie to see if he had also noticed Mikey's sudden change in behavior as well, but Donnie only showed amusement as Raph tried to explain what had happened to Leo, who looked just as perplexed as ever. April shrugged off the feeling of uneasiness and decided to enjoy the show between the two siblings.

"Wait…Why can't we have the cake now?" Leo asked.

"Because—" Raph began.

"—It's not ruined is it?" Leo asked, panic growing in his voice.

"No, but—"

"—Raph, I can't understand you when you're angry so just calmly spit it out." Leo said.

"I'M TRYING! Oh…Forget it!" Raph snapped before storming into the kitchen where Mikey had escaped.

Leo made eye contact with Donnie who was grinning at him.

"Excellent acting skills. I think that took less that two minutes to get him really peeved." Donnie said triumphantly.

Leo beamed. "Thanks…I try."

And with that, Leo waltzed into the kitchen, not before hearing April mutter a "You guys are hopeless" after him.

As soon as Leo entered the kitchen he saw Mikey cornered against a wall while Raph stood over him with his fist raised.

Leo calmly retrieved a few tea bags and began to boil some water.

"Raph…Try not to kill Mikey while company is over…Save it until after please."

Raph growled and whipped around to let off steam in his room.

Leo shook his head and smacked Mikey in the back of the head affectionately. Mikey grinned at him in return.

"Watch it shell-for-brains, I'm not always going to be around to protect you."

Mikey froze in the doorway, his face becoming grim. "What do you mean?"

Leo turned around and slapped Mikey on the shoulder with a grin. "Cool it Mikey…I mean I'm not going to be around to protect you from the Big Bad Raphie. Eventually I might just let him pelt you…Why? What did you think I meant?"

Mikey smirked. "Nothing…Forget it."

As soon as Mikey was no longer within the proximity of the kitchen he gave out a relieved sigh. Even though Leo seemed to have snapped out of his depression, Mikey still wondered that he might be hiding it. His comment back there had made him instantly think that Leo was thinking of committing suicide, and that was his little message to Mikey. Thank God that wasn't what it was. Mikey shuddered. Despite the fact that Leo was older than he was, he had still secretly took on the task of looking after Leo even if he may not realize it. This was due to the fact that Leo's attitude had scared him. He could never turn the corner back then without worrying about Leo jumping down his throat about training, or finding him training so hard he might hurt himself. Then there were those odd moments where Leo would just sit and stare at nothing and ask what the point of living was. Mikey shuddered again. He never wanted to see Leo look that depressed again, let alone act like that.

He turned the corner after collecting his bearings and found Donnie, April, and Splinter sitting in the living room chatting and laughing. Mikey smiled slightly and went to go sit with them…After all; it was time to be the entertainer again.

&&&&&&

Later that night Donnie gave out an exasperated sigh. It was no use. He had been trying for three hours now to get back to sleep from the dream he had, that he could no longer remember, but sleep was to no avail. He was either too hot, or too cold, or he just couldn't get comfortable. 'Damn sewers.' Donnie thought bitterly to himself.

Finally, Donnie decided to get up and make some warm milk or something to see if that might relax him. Donnie cautiously crept down the stairs, cautious to not to disturb his brothers. As he passed his lab, he noticed a green light glowing from his computer screen with a blinking message blipping onto the screen warning him about some intergalactic web mail he had just received. Curiously, Donnie walked over and clicked onto the blipping message. Instantly, his eyes widened.

"LEO!" He shouted.

&&&&&&

The four brothers stood gathered around Don's computer and were shocked at the footage displayed on the screen. The footage was sent by the ootroms, and from the looks of it, they had been ambushed. Charred bits and pieces left of buildings were left with thousands…Possibly millions…Of dead and burnt ootroms littering the battlefield. Again and again the footage replayed the horrifying attack of explosions going off with screaming victims fleeing everywhere, then being either shot or worse. Leo surveyed the video grimly and kept watching intently for any sign of whom would send this to them, and why.

All of sudden Leo called out a loud shout to stop the camera and Donnie quickly froze the screen.

"Back up the tape in slow motion," Donnie complied. "There! Right there! Zoom in on that craft right there!" Donnie did so and was shocked to find the Foot symbol etched onto the side of the craft.

"The Foot? But…Why would they have any interest in the ootroms? Unless…" Donnie trailed off as realization donned on him.

"The Shredder has returned," Leo said, his voice shaking with fury. "Millions of lives gone under his hands, and he shows no remorse."

"Leo…Calm down…" Mikey pleaded.

"CALM DOWN? The whole planet is destroyed in case you didn't notice Mikey! Are there any remaining victims?" Leo asked whipping around to face Donnie.

Donnie cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. "Unfortunately, no. Whoever sent us this was the last one to be alive before he or she died. Obviously they knew that we could help them, even though by now it's too late. As you can see from the footage, most of their weapons or explosives are either triceraton, which most likely came from Bishop might I add, or ootrom weaponry. After most of the damage was done, they unleashed a poisonous gas that took out the last of the ootroms, there are no more ootroms that could possibly have survived. You can notice the gaseous fumes rising up from the ground here."

"Genocide…He committed a genocide all because of one stupid sentence that he deserved…" Leo seethed through his gritted teeth.

"I think this probably goes back farther than that…He would've done this eventually Leo, that was his plans…The ootroms knew that. I'm sure he also got some other alliances to help him with this, he couldn't have done this alone…But more likely than not he formed an alliance with some sort of terrorist group from another planet." Donnie said.

"I want to kill him." Leo said seriously before he slammed his fist down hard on the desk.

Mikey flinched and took a step back, knowing better than to get in the way of Leo's fury.

"Where do we go from here?" Raph asked grimly.

"We find him and we stop him no matter what it takes. He could destroy more innocent lives if we let this continue any more than this has all ready gone on. We don't even know how long he's been around for so he could have destroyed more lives without our knowledge. I will not stand here and allow him to hurt anymore people! He's done this for years, centuries…And we cannot let it continue. This ends now!" Leo said dangerously.

"But…Leo…The Shredder most likely wants to kill us and get us out of the way so he can continue on with his plans." Mikey said meekly.

Leo whipped around. "Your point is what exactly?" He lashed out at him.

Mikey bit his lip and remained silent while Donnie and Raph looked away.

Leo turned back to them. "Training starts at four tomorrow and we think of a strategy to stop him and bring him down. He knows our weakness, now we just have to find his." Leo said before abruptly leaving the lab and slamming the door to his room leaving three concerned brothers in his wake.

&&&&&&

Shredder smirked as he replayed the two footages again and again. One on the attack on the cursed ootroms, one less enemy he had to worry about, and the other of the scene Leonardo had made as soon as he had seen the footage.

So they would be trying to stop him, a minor annoyance. They had no more alliances as far as he was concerned, and even if they did, he had far more powerful alliances on his side. Phase one was complete and now he moved into the second phase before going into the third phase. And the second phase was simple and would be over with quickly…

Shredder flicked on a third scene and smirked at the two people most dear to the turtles.

…The destruction of Casey Jones and April O'Neil.

"You can come to me all you want Leonardo, and you may drag your brothers and your poor decrepit father, but you know that I am better and I will win and destroy you…And not anyone and anything will stand in my way. After all, this war is all about revenge."

&&&&&&

Yay! I'm finally done with the first chapter! You have no idea how long this took me to write! I know that whole thing with Shredder taking down the ootroms in one moment like that is next to impossible, but everyone will learn to deal with it. ;; Please review me and give me any advice you may have for improvement. If I receive no reviews, I won't continue, because how can I know if I'm bringing enjoyment to my readers if I receive no reviews? Anyway, thanks for reading, and please click the little blue button before exiting!