This one may or may not be a little confusing, but you should be cleared up a lot more at that end of the chapter. If there are any questions about anything then please don't be afraid to message and ask. I still need some people to tell me what they think about the relationship thing I mentioned in the last chapter (I think otherwise it was the one before). Thanks you kaaayyytteee for messaging me. You're the best!

Chapter 14
"Shredder Strikes Back"
Part 1

Alex rolled over in her bed with a slight groan when the light hit her eyes. She sat up to go and close the blinds when she was nearly scared to death by the other figure in the room standing above her. She could tell who it was the moment she saw them, but she couldn't help but jump. So, she wasn't the most awake person in the morning. Sue her.

"You scared the crap out of me," she said as she pulled the blanket around her more. "What the heck are you doing here, Zack? And what the heck are you wearing?"

The outfit he was wearing was different from the usual one he usually wore. He was wearing a sleeveless black shirt and black pants to match. His boats had built in guards. On his head, instead of the usual Foot mast, he had a rice planters hat and a red scarf wrapped around his mouth and noise so all you could see were his eyes. For some reason, they were glowing red and that scared Alex.

"Zack?" she asked cautiously. She reached out to touch his arm to see if she could get him to stop staring at her like he was. It was cold and heartless. It didn't seem like Zack at all. "Are you okay?"

When she touched his arm he jumped back and held his head like it was throbbing. He pinched his eyes shut and was trying not to scream. Why? Alex wished she knew. She couldn't stand to see her brother in pain like that. If there was anything she could do to stop it she could.

"Zack?" she asked as she got up and quickly walked over to him. "What's wrong? Talk to me."

"He wants you," he managed to get out.

Alex was confused to say the least. "What?"

"He wants you, Alex. You," he said rushed.

"Who wants me?" she pushed.

"He wants them gone," he said, redirecting the direction of the conversation. "You're little green friends. He wants them gone. He wants us to do it."

"The guys? Who wants them gone, Zack?" she said sternly.

Zack opened his eyes again and his arms fell to his sides. His eyes were once again red. They were cold and lifeless. They weren't him eyes. Alex didn't know who's they were, but this wasn't her brother Zack. Who didn't know who the man with red eyes was, but she wanted him out of her room and her brother back.

Alex looked at the glass of water on the table beside her bed. She picked it up and splashed it on Zack's head. Hey, it was worth a shot. Zack shook his head and looked shocked for a minute, but the red eyes are gone. It was Zack again, but Alex didn't know how long this time it would last.

"Why are you here, Zack?" she asked.

"He wanted us to come and take you," another voice said from the open window.

I don't remember leaving that open last night, Alex thought. She mentally shook her head to get herself back on track. "Who wanted you to take me? Who wants the guys gone?" she asked Nathan as he also entered Alex room. He, like Zack was wearing a different outfit. It looked exactly the same as Zack's.

"He does," Nathan said, not really answering her question.

"Who does?" She was getting a little annoyed with all the mysteriousness. She wanted answers one way or another. Maybe she needed to splash Nathan with water too…

"We need to leave," Nathan told Zack. "You've risked enough by coming here in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked grabbing Nathan's arm, preventing him from leaving the room. "Risked what? Who have you been talking about? What's going on? Why do your eyes keep turning red? I need answers."

"You're a smart girl," one last voice said from the fire escape outside Alex's window. "You should know."

"Marcus," Alex said. "What the heck is going on?"

"You need to get out of here," Marcus said to Alex. "It's not safe. April should be fine. They don't want her. They want you."

"Who wants me?" she asked like a little kid.

"Go," Marcus told Zack and Nathan. They both glanced at one another knowingly and then at their sister one last time before leaving without a single good-bye. "Alex," he started to say. but she cut him off.

"What the heck is going on?" she asked angrily. "I need answers. You can't just pop up here whenever you want and say someone is looking for you. Someone wants your best friends dead and all that crap. What is happening?"

"There are too many things that should be said but can't," he said. "He'd know. He won't be please we didn't bring you back ourselves."

"Who?" she pushed again.

"He said if we did what he wanted he'd leave you alone to live a normal life," he said. It looked as if he was going to cry. That was very unusual for Marcus. He was usually the toughest one of them all. "You can't trust anything about him, Alex."

"Who the heck can't I trust?"

"You can't," he said. It really looked like he wanted to tell her, but for some reason he wouldn't. "You should forget about the turtles. Forget about us. Forget about everything. You're better off thinking we're dead."

"I am not going back to that," she scolded. "I'm not going back in that dark hole, Marcus. I'm not giving up on you! You of all people should know that. I'll get you three back one way or another. Even if it's the last thing I do."

"Don't say that," he said getting angry himself. He grabbed her arms and shook her a little to try and get her to stop saying and thinking that. "I'm not going to be able to talk any sense into you, am I?"

"Nope," she said smiling.

"We love you," he said. "You know that, right?"

"Of course," she said. "I love you too."

"That's why saying this hurts so much," he said. "You can't trust us anymore. We're not good. He's done something to us. I don't know what, but we can't help it. We hurt people, Alex. We don't want to hurt you, but if he tells us to, I don't know if we can resist."

"What are you talking about?" she said very confused. "Who did what to you?"

"He wants us to kill the turtles," he said. "And we have to do it."

Alex took a step back and looked at her brother with confused filled eyes. "What are you talking about? You can't hurt them."

"We can and we are," he said. "That's why you need to get out of here now. Something big is going to happen and we can't do anything about it. Warn them, if you must, but whatever you do don't stick around. You need to leave. He's looking for you and he won't stop until he finds you.

"Okay," she said. "Let's pretend I know who the heck you're talking about for a minute, which I don't and say I'm not going anywhere. What would happen and why does this person what with me? What did I ever do?"

"Bad things," he said simply. "And believe it or not, you're the strongest fighter he has seen in a long time. He wants that. He wants you. You keep getting stronger and he'll keep looking."

"Then I'll keep fighting," she said. "Whoever the heck he is." She grabbed Marcus and pulled him into a hug and wouldn't let him go. "I'll fight for you. I'll fight for Nathan and Zack and the guys and April. I'll fight for whoever needs my help, but I can't do that if I'm gone. I'm not leaving my family, Marcus. I'm not leaving you or the guys."

He pulled back and walked over to the window. He started to get out, but turned and continued to talk. "That's what I thought would happen." He took in a deep breath and added, "We can no longer help you, Alex. We're just as bad as he is. You're better off associating us with him."

"I'll never do that," she said. Of course, she had no idea who he was talking about so she really could say, but it was her big brother. What else was she going to say? "I'm not going to give up on you. I'll always be here fighting to get you back."

"That's what scares me," he said before leaving her completely.

Alex stood there in front of her window for a couple minutes just looking outside. She knew she wouldn't be able to see anything. The guys were gone and that was that. But what was it they were trying to tell her? Why were they warning her about somebody they wouldn't name? It wasn't making any sense in her head.

She shook her head, changed her clothes and walked out into the kitchen to get something to eat. "And I thought my head hurt from the crystals," she muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Donny asked as Alex walked by him.

"Nothing," she replied. "I was talking to myself."

"Okay," he said. "Are you sure because you look a little shaken up."

"Yeah," Raph said. "You're really pale."

"Don't worry about it," she told them.

He wants them gone. Alex froze half way reaching for an apple when Zack's voice rang in her head. If whoever wanted them gone wanted my brothers to do it then why didn't they do it while they were here? Alex asked herself. Maybe they wanted to give time for me to warn them. But why would they do that if they wanted me out of the way so I wouldn't get hurt? They know I'd do anything to protect them.

"Alex," April said. "Are you sure your alright?"

"Yeah, why?" she lied looking over at her aunt. She had only come out of her room a couple minutes before. She was still wearing her bath robe and her hair was down.

"Because you froze picking up an apple," she replied.

Alex looked down at her hand and quickly picked up an apple. "I couldn't chose which one I wanted."

"Hey," April said. "What's burning?"

"Mikey's cooking," Raph said turning the page of the book he was reading. Alex was shocked he was actually reading a book. He didn't seem the type to read.

"Hey, scrambled is okay with everybody, right?" he called out.

"Again?" everybody complained.

"Hey guys," Mikey called out again. "Where's Leo?"

Alex dropped her apple on the floor as she scanned the room. Leo was in fact no there at all. How could she have missed that? Where was he? Was he okay? Was he safe? Now her head was really starting to bother her.

"He is engaged in his morning excursive," Master Splinter said.

"If he doesn't get back soon he's gonna get soaked," Donny said, looking out the window at the sky. "That sky's looking angry."

No, Alex thought. This can't be happening. He's fine. He's just out for a morning run and will be back soon. He's the strongest of the guys. He can take care of himself. I shouldn't be sweating over it. But then why am I?

Alex stood by the window looking out for Leo coming back. The rest of the people in the apartment were just sitting down to eat breakfast. She had lost her apatite when she heard Leo was gone and she knew she wasn't going to get it back until she knew he was safe back at the apartment.

"Shouldn't Leo have been back by now?" Mikey asked.

You're not helping Mikey, Alex thought.

"Hey, of the four of us," Donny stated to say. "Leo's the one turtle you never have to worry about."

"Then why do I have this really bad feeling," Alex said out loud before she actually thought about what she had said.

"Is that why you're acting weird," Mikey asked. "Uh, weirder."

Usually she would have scolded him or laughed, but she couldn't find it in her to do so. "Maybe," she just muttered to herself.

"Leo must be nuts to be out in this weather," Donny said after breakfast was over and he and Raph were washing the dishes.

"Ah, you know Leo and his training," Raph said. "Nothing stops him."

"I hope that's all it is," Alex said still looking out the window. She didn't know how long she was standing there, but she was going to until somebody forced her to move or Leo came back.

"May I have your attention please," Mikey announced to the people around him. Alex reluctantly tore her eyes off the window and to Mikey. He just let out a massive belch. She could have usually laughed, but she, once again, wasn't in the mood.

"That's it," Raph said. "I'm going to look for Leo so we can get this show of the road. No offense April, Alex, but we really need to get back to our Lair. I'm going stir crazy."

"You are going nowhere until your brother returns," Master Splinter scolded. "Sit."

"Man, what a jip," Raph said. "We got to sit around on our butts while Leo's out there having all the fun."

"I don't think he's having fun," Alex said.

"What do you mean?" Donny asked.

"I have a really bad feeling something's about to happen," she said not taking her eyes off the window.

"Are you feeling alright?" Donny asked. He placed a hand on Alex's forehead to take her temperature. "You're running a slight fever."

"I am?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. He took her hand and pulled her over to the couch. "Why don't you watch the football game with us and relax?"

She sat down like he suggested, but never once looked at the television. The guys were starting to worry. Something was the matter with Alex. They could tell. She wasn't telling them something and that concerned them. What if it involved Leo? If they only knew. After that they started to get a little nervous too.

"Hey guys," Mikey said. "I'm really starting to get worried. Leo should have checked in by now."

"I know this is a first, but I'm thinking Mikey's right," Donny said. "Maybe what Alex is feeling actually means something."

"Master Splinter?" Raph asked.

"Go," he replied.

"Gees," Mikey said as they all started to go to looked. "What if something really happened to him?"

Alex turned her head and instantly ran to the window. She had learned that her hearing was much better than the guys and she could hear Leo's yells coming from outside the window. She got there just in time to catch him as he fell through the window. It was rather painful. She had gotten cut by a lot of the glass, but she got Leo. That was all that mattered.

"Leo!" Donny said.

"Leo, what happened?" Raph asked. "Who did this to you?"

He just laid there in Alex lap trying to stay awake. She gently held him as if he would break if she held him too tight. She was scared. She knew who had done it. She didn't want to believe it, but she couldn't deny the facts that were right in front of her face. She had been warned and she didn't do anything to stop it.

I'm a horrible, horrible person, she thought as tear started to well up in her eyes. How could I let this happen to you, Leo? What kind of monster am I? I could have stopped this. Why didn't I do something?

"I'm going to find out who did this," Raph said, about to jump out of the window.

No! Alex thought. If Raph gets his hands on the guys they're done of. Not that I wouldn't do the same to them the next time I see them, but Raph doesn't even know they're my brothers. None of them know about my brothers being taken by the Foot and having to work for them. I thought it would have been better to not tell them and now look what happened.

"No," Leo managed to get out. "Raph wait." Raph instantly stopped and walked back over to Leo. "He's back. The Shredder."

Oh, Alex thought. That makes a little more sense. That's why my brothers didn't come home. That's why they Foot were in the sewers looking for the guys. That's why they came to warn me. They were warning me about the Shredder. He was back and I didn't catch on. If I had gotten that little clue then maybe I could have just stopped it and I could have just...

She let out a sob as Leo fell unconscious in her arms.