Wassup! Here's another chapter. Just so you know, the rest of this story will be mostly from Xander's POV. I will try to tell it from other POVs, though. :) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.

In The Shadows

Chapter 6

-Xander's POV-

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Raph said. "Xander, I just learned your name, like, a half hour ago." I couldn't believe he was lying to my face. Well, okay. I guess I could. He's probably undercover at school for secret reasons.

"Raph, come on. I know it's you. I see a lot of similarities, in fact," I said. "You're eyes, smile, voice, attitude, and name."

"You seriously didn't use an alias?" Leo asked.

"Well I never expected to make friends," he shot back, then looked at me and said "No offense."

"Why would I be offended?" I said. "You just said you never expected to. You never said it was a bad thing." I heard a faint beeping sound coming from somewhere in the apartment. "Hold up, guys. I think I hear something," I told them. There was a brief silence.

"I don't hear anything," Donnie said.

"Well I do," I said. "Leo, hand me that can of spray paint,"

He tossed me a canister of metallic silver spray paint, and I sprayed it in the air over my floor. I took a few steps forward, and the silver mist revealed a thin red laser light grid.

"Bingo," I said.

"I'm guessing if we touch this laser, something bad will happen," Mikey predicted. I tried to think of a way to get over the laser to find its origin, then it hit me.

"Do any of you have any knives I can borrow? Anything that can hold my weight?" I asked them.

"You can borrow my sais," Raph said, handing me his weapons.

"I hope the building's owner won't be mad about this," I said to myself before I stabbed the sais into the drywall.

'Noodle arms, don't fail me now,' I thought, gathering all my upper body strength. I carefully climbed across the precarious wall, spraying as I go along, when I noticed the grid extend out into the hallway. I climbed through the doorway and followed it until I reached the dining room.

Upon looking under the table occupying the small room, I notice a red flashing light on what looked to be a disk, a bit larger than a hockey puck. It wasn't a puck, though. It was a bomb!

"Fuck!" I whispered in terror. I took a few deep breaths, then called out to the Turtles. "Guys, whatever you do, don't touch the laser grid!"

"Why not?" Leo asked.

"Because if you do, you'll be demolishing everything within, oh, about a ten mile radius, give or take!" I said. I had to warn everyone, but how? I spotted the PA system on the wall in the living room and decided to contact Dimitri.

I took a sai out of the wall and the other one slipped out half a second after. I reacted quickly and stabbed both back into the wall, just barely avoiding falling onto the grid. "Holy shit, that was close!" I said, breathing heavily.

I climbed up, putting some distance between me and the grid, and headed for the PA. I hit the button.

"Hello?" Dimitri said.

"Dimitri, it's Xander," I told him. "Get everyone out of the building now!"

"Xander what's going on?" he asked.

"There's a bomb in here! Evacuate the premises, ASANow!"

"A bomb!" Dimitri shouted. "Please tell me you're joking!" I was shocked by his accusation.

"Why the hell would I be joking!? Get! Everyone! OUT!"

"On it!" he said. Seconds after, I heard the ear piercing sound of an emergency alarm.

"What's with the freaky alarm?!" I heard Mikey shout.

"It's the evacuation alarm," I responded.

"We'd better get moving," said Leo.

"I'll meet you guys out there," I said. I carefully backtracked and made my way back to my room. Raphael was waiting on the window sill for me. "Are we gonna have to jump?" I asked.

"Yup," he answered.

"Alright," I said casually, "let's get outta here." I handed him his sais, he grabbed my hand, and we 'carefully' jumped out of the brick apartment building.

We landed on a large van that looked like a modified subway car. This was litterally the coolest van i've ever seen.

"Nice wheels," i said.

"Thanks," Donnie said. "I built her myself." I hopped off the roof of the impressive vehicle and started walking to the front of the building to the increasing crowd of worried citizens.

"Wait, where are you going?" Leo asked me.

"To tell Dimitri that i'm okay," I explained. "He's like a brother to me. He has the right to know my wherabouts in emergency situations." I heard sirens and saw red and blue lights flashing. Three police cruisers pulled up.

"Cops," Raph whispered. "Let's get going." I reluctantly followed the guys into the van. We drove to the nearest warehouse and a trap door opened to an abandoned subway rail. All the while, i was thinking about my mother. I had to do something to get her back, but i didn't know what. At that point, i felt so useless that i may or may not have started to cry. I think Raphael was the first to take notice.

"You okay, Xander?" he asked.

"I guess so," i responded quietly, "but i'll be way better when i find my mom and then mutilate the fuckers who took her in the first place." He gently put his arms over my shoulders and pulled me in closer.

"We'll get her back," he whispered. "I swear on my life that i won't rest until you're mother's okay." This is the closest i've ever felt with anyone since i've moved here from Miami.

"Thanks Raph." i said

"No problem."