"Mother?" A smooth voice asked. The cloaked figure turned at the call. Her face was revealed, a gray rat face.

"Yes, Mary?" She asked her eldest daughter. The sixteen-year-old turtle mutant looked down at her hands.

"Mother, I'm worried for us. Every day there is more activity in the sewers. What if we are found?" Her voice quavered for a moment. Her only fear was that her family would be harmed.

"Don't you trust Jahanara's magic?" The old rat asked, a smile in her voice.

"Yes, but-" Mary tried to explain herself, but her voice dropped out. She couldn't shake the feeling that bad was coming their way. It could have been her powers working subconsciously; she was a mage of time. She could call up visions of the past future, and present. She was just now learning how to slow time for herself. Maybe her power was giving her a warning.

"Don't worry, dear. Why don't you go and find Cleo to spar with?" Thorn suggested. She settled back in her old reclining chair. "I'm afraid I'm a bit tired."

Mary sighed and smiled for her mother, then gave her a kiss on the forehead and left. She traveled down the side tunnel for a while until she found the room where she and her sisters slept. Usually the sleeping bags and blankets were all rolled up against the wall, but only Jahanara's and Mary's were. Suspicion rose in her chest and Mary walked down further toward the exit. Standing just inside the shield of magic that protected them from sight, Mary found her youngest sister, Van Gogh.

"Van, what are you doing here?" She demanded. Van jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Oh! Um, I'm keeping watch." She stammered. Mary raised an eyebrow. Van broke. "J and Cleo went outside again!" She exclaimed. Mary growled and rolled her eyes.

"Great." She muttered. She had just put her foot outside the barrier when she heard shouts. She turned her head to look down the long corridor she was stepping into and saw two figures running toward her. "There they are!" She growled. "They are in a heap of trouble…." Her voice trailed off as she saw more figures come into view. Her eyes widened.

"Mary!" J's voice echoed toward her, unfreezing the eldest turtle. Mary stepped out into the corridor. She slowed her breath and focused hard. Slowly but surely, the movements of everyone around her slowed down. She ran to meet her sisters. As she neared her sluggish siblings, she noticed that they didn't look like turtles. Jahanara had used her illusions to make them look human. Mary grabbed them by the shirts, bringing them up to her own speed.

"J, Cleo, what were you thinking!?" Mary demanded as she dragged them back down the corridor to the entrance. She threw them inside. Time around her suddenly sped back up. Mary fell to her knee, exhausted from the magic. She looked up through bleary vision to see the pursuers closing in upon her.

"A Turtle!" One exclaimed. "Master Shredder would love this surprise. We should bring it to him."

"But where did those two girls go?" Another piped up. The one who had spoken before waved the woman off.

"We have something much better now." He growled, a smile in his voice. "Besides, where there is a Turtle, there is a Rat.

Behind the entrance, Cleo, Van, and J were all frozen in place. Not a one knew what to do. Mary was their leader. Without her, they couldn't act. They watched as Mary was picked up and carried away. It wasn't until she was out of sight before J acted. She blinked a few times and shook her head.

"Mary!" She shouted and ran out of the entrance. Cleo followed her with Van reluctantly bringing up the rear. J continued to shout, running after where she thought they had taken Mary. They ended up in tunnels they had never before explored. Judging by the streetlights shining through the grates, night had fallen.

"J, we have to stop." Van breathed heavily.

"We can't! Mary is-" She choked.

"Mary is gone, J." Cleo said, sorrow slipping all over her vocal chords. She sat down and began to cry. Van sat beside her, tears in her eyes as well. J stood there, watching her sisters, feeling useless. She turned and continued walking in the direction they had been running. She hadn't taken more than a few steps before she heard voices.

"Dude, like, why are we even down here?"

"Because, Mikey, we need to pick up Splinter's stuff."

"What stuff, Raph? Hasn't he already got his books?"

"He thinks he forgot somethi-" The deeper voice broke off. J and her sisters had all pressed themselves up against the wall. Fear gripped their hearts. Had he detected them?

"Mikey, there's someone down here."