Disclaimer: Dont own or make money off of TMNT

Chapter 4: Light at the end of the Tunnel

They had paused again, sitting and resting. Kat watched as Mikey once again took the small phone out and held it almost lovingly. She had tried more then once to get him to let her look at it, But he would only shake his head and slip it back into his belt. He wouldn't talk about it, but she knew it held some deep meaning for him. She had only seen the phone once, when she had first opened it. It was strange looking, but even with the little power it had, she was sure she could get it working.

They were moving again, slowly. Mikey glanced at Kat, not noticing the ground change from dirt to cement. The sudden change in footing startled him and he fell forward. Twisting in mid-air he tried to catch himself, catching hold on Kats tail instead. They tumbled down a short shaft, then seemed to hover in the air for a sec before plummeting into the icy water that lay below them.

Kat knew one thing instantly. She hated water. Hated it with a passion. Yet instinct allowed her to keep her head above the water. She saw Mikey near her and made her way to him. He wasn't moving. Worried, she quickly moved to his side. She wrapped her arms around him and tried to stand. Gratefully the water was low enough she could get her feet. She moved them to the ledge and slid Mikey up out of the water. She followed soon after, and began to check him over. As best as she could tell he was simply unconscious. Though he was very cold. She wasn't sure how to warm him up. Her own body was soaking wet and would provide little comfort.She suddenly noticed the shell cell sticking out from his belt. Reaching forward, she hesitated then pulled it free. Looking it over she began to work on the small phone.

At the Lair.

Still deep in meditation, Leonardo shivered slightly at the vision before his eyes. He could see Michelangelo trip, go flying through the air, and watched as he was submerged. He had a vague image of someone following his brother in. But it was just a shadow. Jerking out of the meditation, Leo leaned forward and brought his knees up. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he dropped his head down onto his knees. Leo sighed, unsure if he should believe his vision or not. Had it simply been brought on by the hope that had risen in him earlier? Debating on what to do, he remained in that position for some time.

Donnies Lab

Donatello had run several tests on the equipment. There was nothing wrong with it. So why did the warning sirens keep going off? Debating silently for a moment he then pushed a button bring up the image that had been first caught by the underground camera. Using several filters he lightened the picture. Now he could definitely make out the brown shape seemed to be more of a long tail then a rodent. Blinking he noticed something unusual on the ground in the very back of the image. Zooming in on the image, he caught his breath. A shell cell! Looking it over, he quickly realized it was an older version. Frowning he tried to piece together how one of their phones had come to be down there.

A year ago and some months...

Mikey came into the lair carrying the stack of pizzas, he avoided his brothers eyes. Donnie had found it unusual and had pestered Mikey till he told him what had happened to the shell cell. He had been mad at first, but the look of sadness on his brothers face quickly quenched it. He had told his brother that he had planned on making new ones and left it at that. Grinning as Mikeys face transformed to the normal bright face that was his trademark.

Present day Donnies Lab

Donnie was on his way out the door to tell his brothers about the shell cell when the alarms went off again. Darting back to the security station, his eyes widened as he saw the orange button on the panel blinking. Silencing the alarm, he raised a shaky finger to the blinking button.

Pressing the button lightly, almost scared he would break it, Donnie whispered."M-Mikey?"

For a minute there was no answer, then so soft he almost missed it."Whose there? Please if someones there we need help" It wasn't Mikeys voice, it was too feminine. HIs heart dropped. Then he heard a sputtering, thinking he was losing the signal he began to trace it. It wasn't far, barely even half a mile away.

"Kat, Where are we?" Mikeys voice, weak and cracking could be heard in the background.

The voice forced Donnie to move, grabbing a handful of items, then he was darting back to press the orange button once again."Stay where you are!. We'll be there shortly." Turning he ran out the door, yelling at the top of his lungs for his brothers.

Leonardo jerked his head up and was on his feet in an instant, heart pounding. Darting out of the room, he and Raph both made it at the same time. Donnie however was already climbing onto the shell cycle. "Donnie where are you going?!"

"No time to explain, get the Sewer Slider and follow me!" Don left, sending the cycle charging out of the lair. The two brothers glanced at each other and quickly went to get the Slider.

Back with Kat and Mikey

Kat rolled her eyes as the voice told her not to move. Really. Where was she going to go? She just hoped she had done the right thing by activating the phone.

"Donnie?" MIkeys voice quivered and he tried to sit up. Groaning in pain he quickly gave up and settled back down.

Kat jumped to her feet, swaying slightly as dizziness clouded her head. It passed quickly and she could hear the roaring of a vehicle approaching. Sliding into an attack stance she moved so she was between the newcomer and her friend. The person on the bike slid to a halt nearby and slid off the red helmet. Her eyes widened as she realized he was the same species as Mikey.

"Its ok, My names Donnie. I think I talked to you a few minutes ago. Im not going to hurt you." Keeping a warily eye on the cat/human, he slid past her and moved to his brothers side. His emotions were torn, He was elated to see his brother alive after so long, but the state he was in, made him very worried. His body looked like it had shrunk, his shell hung on him like a too big jacket. Glancing at the cat mutant he noticed she was in a similar state.

Kat watched quietly as the new turtle ran a check on Mikey. Hearing another noise she growled and slid into another fighting crouch as another vehicle slid into view. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Its ok its just my brothers, they're coming to help" Donnie smiled at her reassuringly. She nodded slightly and the dizziness returned in full force. Groaning softly she barely registered hands catching her as she fell. Donnie felt a connection to the creature, even though he didn't know her. Her loyalty to his brother was obvious, and for that he was eternally grateful. He was just lowering her to the ground when His other two brothers came close enough to see what was going on.

A few moments earlier with Leo and Raph

Raphael piloted the sewer slider at full speed through the tunnels, a tracking device on the dash gave the only clue to where his brother had went. Frowning he was a bit angry that Don hadn't explained where they were going. He had been in such a damn hurry.

Leo shifted in his seat, both anxiously and nervously waiting for what was coming. A part of him wished they were there already, and another wanted to turn the other way and run. As the vehicle slid around a turn, a strange sight met their eyes. A human, no a mutant, stood and faced them. She slid into a battle ready stance, which had Raph growling. Leo saw Donnie move to stand next to the girl and put his hand on her shoulder. Next thing they knew he was catching her and laying her down.

Both Leo and Raphs eyes widened at the other figure on the ground, in unison they yelled. "Mikey?!" Both turtles were at their youngest brothers side in a matter of seconds.

Leonardo glanced over to where Donnie was retrieving medical supplies from the sewer slider. "How is he Don?"

"Its hard to tell, both of them look like they've been through alot. We need to get them back to the lair, so I can have proper lighting to see what damage their might be as well as have access to my medical supplies." Donnie motioned his brothers to help him and they soon had Mikey in the sewer slider. But Leo and Raph balked slightly when he went back for the cat mutant.

"How do we know she's not the reason for our brothers current state?" Raphael voiced his worries.

"I trust her. She was ready to fight me when I got here. She was defending Mikey. Even though she knew in her state that she would lose! We can't just leave her here.!" Donnie rarely yelled at his brothers, but in this case, he wasn't going to back down. "Im also pretty sure she fixed the old shell cell enough to contact us. If she hadn't we wouldn't have known they were here, until we ran across their bodies!" Donnie moved to the cat girls side and began to try to lift her on his own, she wasn't that heavy, but it was still awkward. Feeling the weight diminish, he grinned as his brothers helped him slide the girl into the vehicle.

Authors Note: I can no longer keep my eyes open, but thought i would go ahead and post it for those that were waiting for it. This chapter is actually one of the longest ive written, though i didnt realise it till a few seconds ago. Thank you for the kind reviews everyone. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Authors Note 2: Im already antisipating how Master Splinter will react to his sons new cat friend. And how she will react towards him. As long as she doesnt eat him...