Leatherhead, half sleeps, his body not used to blissful slumber. he sleeps with one eye open and his body ready for a flight or fight response at the first sign of something wrong. Footsteps… Leatherhead hears them echoing through the tunnel, he arches his body and faces the entrance to the lair and waits.

She enters ignorant of the large reptile perhaps due to the lair being dark unfortunately for her he can see her, he slides forward ready to lunge, lunge at the Utrom.

The women is saying something but the alligator simply ignores her, her words stop when she flashes a flashlight over the crocodilian, his eyes glow red, she steps back frightened, the smell of fear engulfs his senses, instinct takes over and he lunges at the girl as she screams running away.

Leatherhead would have followed in suit if not for several forces holding him back he hears the familiar voices call out his newly dubbed name and his friend breaking him out of his trance like state.

"Leatherhead, calm down, please she's a friend" the small turtle repeats gently holding down his snout and looking him in the eyes, meeting his gaze the turtle lets go of him and the large alligator looks up at the scene in front of him, the woman is sitting on the floor scared out of her mind while the other turtles and rat surround her, the small freckled turtle simply watches from where he stands with a sad expression.

"I'm so sorry" the large whispered horrified at the sight before him. Mikey shot him a sad understanding glance but no one else acknowledged him.

"April are you alright?" Donatello askes, concern very evident in his voice. April is still shaken up by what has happened but she seems to be trying to calm down, Splinter is going through breathing exercises with her.

"I knew this would happen if we let this 'ova grown lizard stay here!" Raph yelled as he pointed to the giant with his sai in hand. Mikey moved in front of his brother much to his annoyance of the red brother "Mike move out of the way!"

"Raph, he didn't mean it he-"

"Shut up Mikey, this is all your fault!" he thundered

"Raphael that's enough" Leo started only to be cut off by Mikey.

"No, he's right, this is my fault" He stated sadly, gripping leatherheads hand "come on LH lets go, were not welcome here"

"Michelangelo wait" Splinter called to his son.

"Sorry Sensai, I'm going to help Leatherhead whether you guys are with me or not" And with that he left.

Splinter turned to his sons and April "I apologize miss O'Neil; our guest wasn't in a good state of mind"

"It's alright, I don't know what's just happened but think I'm alright now, just scared the bejeebers out of me"

"S-should we go after Mikey?" Leonardo asked. "I don't think it's safe to leave him alone with Leatherhead"

"Yes, I believe you should my sons but be careful, I shall stay here with April"

Leatherhead POV

"Michelangelo, I'm so sorry about what happened with your family" I whisper, my mind just can't understand what has happened why the small orange turtle would do such a thing for me, walk out on a loving family for me.

"Hey, don't sweat it LH, anything for a friend" This was an act of friendship? Is this what friends do?

"Michelangelo was it worth it?" This causes the small turtle to stop dead in his tracks this is the first time I've seen him really stop and think. A grin spreads across his face.

"Of course, LH, despite my charming good looks I don't have many friends, it has always just been my brothers, dad and I. But you, you've never had anyone have you? I can't leave you with no one that doesn't seem right" he smiles at me as a think over his words.

"what are you going to do?"

"We, are going to…" He stops again, he truly doesn't know.

The two walk silently down the sewer tunnels quietly thinking on their situation when the other turtles voices echoed through the tunnels calling out their lost brothers name. they keep moving but the three other turtles find them.

"Mikey!" they call out to him.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?!" Mikey snapped, slapping way Leo's hand

"Mikey, your being childish" Leo stated.

"Of course, I am, because I'm Michelangelo and I'm always childish and a goofball and am never right about anything!" he ranted on to himself more than them.

"Mikey…" Donnie whispered in disbelief.

"Mikey I'm sor-"Leo started but was interrupted by April running through the tunnel.

"Guys, guys! Splinters gone!" April panicked

"Gone where?" Raph demanded

"He's gone, the utom things invaded the lair." She replied before shamelessly looking at the ground "There was nothing I could do"

"It's okay April we understand" Donnie stated sadly his master was gone he could barely believe it.

"Splinters gone! What? how?" Raph muttered to himself and punched the tunnel wall

"We must go to the TCRI building" Leatherhead stated quietly as everyone silently panicked. "You must save Splinter"

The turtles looked at each other "Lead the way, Leatherhead" Leo nodded to him and they retreated to the lair to plan for the rescue.

The turtles moved silently just as their missing master had taught them, there guide wasn't so silent but his speed more than made up for it.

"Just around this corner" Leatherhead said all five of them running towards the building in question, April sat on a nearby roof as look out.

Once they were in front of the large building marked TCRI the large alligator stopped dead in his tracks, his body shock and his ears showed terror. "t-this is it" he breathed out sharply, he didn't want to go back but he must.

"alright guys, we go in get Splinter and get out, got it?" Leo asked and they nodded.

They snuck in from the roof, careful not to slip, guards littered the hallway carrying sci-fi guns, the turtles wouldn't be able to enter undetected. Donnie rolled a coin as a distraction.

The coin rolls on the floor the small noise it makes is enough to get the guards attention "anomaly detected" one stated "be on high alert." He moved towards the coin and a shuriken threw through the air into the stomach of the Utrom exoskeleton, the suit dropped with a hard thump and several other Utrom came to investigate.

During the commotion the turtles and alligator snuck through, Leatherhead leading them to another room.

It was dark, no one else was in the room but a faint shadow towards the back, the smell was a oblivious indicator of a laboratory, the scent of the chemicals being almost intoxicating. They got to the end of the room and to their horror the shadow was none other than their sensei suspended in a strange liquid.

"D-donnie, you can get him out, right?" Mikey asked, Donnie looked nervously at the tank but nodded.

While they worked to free their master Leatherhead found the source of his woes, Mutagen. "Save your father my friends, I'll destroy the mutagen"

He pulls cords and slashes wires, causing a siren to go off "INTRUDER ALERT" the alarm screeched.

"Donnie you've got to hurry" Leo asserted

"I'm going as fast as I can!" he retorted, looking over the buttons again.

"it's this one" Mikey said trying to push a button but Donnie slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch it!, you don't know what it could do." Utroms flooded into the room and three of the turtles turned to fight.

Weapons flew, shots were fired and havoc as far as can be seen, Donnie stood over the console while his brothers fought, sweat beading down his face, finger hovering over the buttons

"Can ya hurry it up Donnie" Raph shouted

Donnie closed his eyes and pressed the button Mikey picked earlier "it's a good of a guess then any" he whispered.

The capsule fluid drained and the rat master dropped on the floor and the glass opened. Donnie lifted his sensei and helped him to his feet hobbling behind his brothers with sensei limping beside him with his arm over his shoulder.

"Thank you for the assistance my sons, but we must get out of here" his voice was weak and hoarse but the turtles were just glad to hear it again.

Leatherhead ran into the Utrom horde "Run!" he shouted to them and they did making it to the entrance of the building once more.

"You guys take Sensei back, I'll go get Leatherhead" Mikey stated but was stopped by a strong grip on his shoulder.

"No Mikey-"

"Really Leo he helped us save Splinter and- "

"No Mikey, it's too dangerous, you stay here and help get Splinter home, I'll go get Leatherhead"

"Okay Leo" Mikey nodded in understanding before turning back to Splinter. "come on sensei"

Leatherhead lay there in pain, he will surely be made a prisoner once again, back to the life of torture he only just escaped from but through his fuzzy vison he made out green movement and Utrom seemed to no longer be making noise.

"Come on Leatherhead, I'm not leaving you here" came the voice of the blue turtle as he lifted the alligator's giant hand. Leatherhead forced himself up and let himself be guided by the turtle.

Once everyone was outside and reunited, they congratulated each other on a mission well done before noticing that the building was exploding, they looked on in horror as debris flew everywhere.

"How did that happen?" Donnie asked confused.

"It doesn't matter, we are safe now" Splinter stated simply.

"We may not be…" Leatherhead shuttered looking up at the sky where canisters full of mutagen were soaring through the sky and scattering across New York.