I waited patiently in the lair as I always have when my sons were forced to journey to the surface for a fight. I cleaned and meditated as TV news reports played in the background. I waited, anxious for any news, any sign, any clue as to what was happening to my sons, knowing that anything newsworthy would risk revealing them to the outside world more than they should be. Usually I only waited for hours. This time I waited for days.
At long last I heard footsteps approaching in the sewer tunnels. At first my heart rose and then I realized that the footsteps were too unsteady, and too few. Though it was only moments it felt as though many hours had passed before my son staggered through the door. My worst fear entered with him- yes, even Master Splinter is afraid of something.
His face, his body, was badly injured. Blood, sweat and tears made him almost unrecognizable from across the room. But where was his mask I wondered.
With a groan he collapsed at last just inside the door and I rushed to kneel at his side. To save the one son who had returned to me. To learn of what had happened to his brothers. That is when I saw the masks in his right hand. Four masks, blue, purple, red, and orange. If he had their masks then… I could not finish the thought.
Then I noticed something moving near his left hand. Something small.
...
I rushed to contact our friend April. I knew that she would want to know what had transpired. I knew that I would need her help. I could not bring myself to explain it to her over the phone. She listened anxiously as I made such strange sounding requests.
"An aquarium, a heat lamp, rocks and all those books? What's going on? Is this one of Donny's experiments? Why couldn't he call me himself?"
"Please hurry April, I will explain further when you are here. It's… please hurry."
"I- I'm on my way Master Splinter."
When she arrived at last with her arms filled with heavy bags I explained to her what little I knew.
"I heard only one set of footsteps echo through the tunnels. Only one turtle collapsed upon the floor of our lair. I knelt at his side and I saw all my sons' masks in his one trembling hand. For him to have all of their masks like that... I had to wipe the blood off his face to look at my only returning son. After a moment I noticed something unusual at his side. Crawling slowly from his left hand and curling up close against his barely warm body were three small turtles. His three older brothers."