Early update is early. :)

The first thing they did when they entered the laboratory was spread out and check if any of the Foot's scientists were there. Life wise, it seemed as empty as the sewer tunnels had been. Donatello was checking one of the workbenches, in case a scientist was hiding behind it, when his eyes fell upon a series of papers that were on it. Curiosity getting the better of him, he placed his bo next to them and picked up one of the papers and read it.

To another member of his family, it looked like a drawing of someone with a bunch of strange words annotated next to it. However, to him, it was something completely different. It was science. He perched onto the edge of the workbench and began to read it carefully, a frown appearing on his face as his eyes drifted downwards. As soon as he had read all of it, he picked up another paper from the bench and read that as well.

Raphael was tapping his foot impatiently. He thought that they were supposed to go straight up the building to join the other two, not hang around in the basement. Don was going through their stuff, but then he liked that sort of thing. Unless there was a member of the Foot to beat up, Raph didn't see what the point of them being there was. He doubted Michelangelo was having fun either. Raph's knowledge of technology came from messing around with his motorcycle. Mikey's, however, came from playing video games. He turned around to see if he could get the youngest turtle to help him persuade Donnie to go up when-

"Ahh!" yelled Raph, stumbling away from the giant fly that was walking slowly towards him.

Don dropped the paper he had been examining and picked up his bo, before looking at what had caused his brother to cry out. He narrowed his eyes, slipping his bo staff back into his belt and crossing his arms, wearing the 'Leo' expression on his face.

"Mikey…"

The giant fly descended, revealing the grinning turtle's face. Raph regained his posture, looking between his brother and the giant fly. They were both dead… or to be more precise, one was dead and the other would be very soon.

He charged forwards, slapping the back of Mikey's head. "What the shell do ya think yer doin', playin' around with giant… giant insects?"

"Where did you find that anyway?" asked Don. He wouldn't have been surprised to see one in Agent Bishop's headquarters, but at the Foot's? He didn't think that Karai was into that sort of thing.

"Over there in one of those weird tubes," Mikey dropped the fly so that he could point to a row of large pods. Don sighed disapprovingly at Mikey's name for them, before going over so that he could examine them closely. His brothers followed him, stopping and gazing at the pods in horror.

Excluding the one Mikey had opened, each pod contained a deformed creature; sometimes they were so disfigured that it was impossible to tell what they had originally been. Raph's face went a lighter shade of green as he gazed at what seemed to be a spider-dragonfly thing, unable to take his eyes off it even though he really wanted to. Mikey tapped one of the pods, pulling a stupid face. The creature inside it opened their eyes and stared at him directly. He screamed, hiding behind Don.

Chuckling, Don bent down and studied the tube that was attached to the bottom of the pod. He noticed that all the pods had a tube connected to the base of them. Donnie frowned, puzzled, before slowly following it to see where they all led to. Mikey and Raph ignored him, far more interested in the pods to care about the tubes attached to them. The youngest turtle was standing next to his brother, where he felt safe. He knew that the monsters couldn't touch him but still… Mikey felt better being near his strongest brother.

Donnie bumped into something hard. He groaned, rubbing his head. He looked up to see that he had bumped into one of the pods. He furrowed his brow, wondering why all of the others were joined to that one in particular. He stood up to check what was in it that was so important.

"Guys! Come check this out!"

Mikey and Raph tore their eyes away and rushed over, skidding to a stop when they caught sight of what was in the container.

"Hey…" Mikey's mouth quivered slightly, "Is that-"

TMNTNMT

Sparks flew out of 'Leonardo' as Splinter withdrew his katana. The 'turtle' tipped forwards and landed on the floor, face down. From where he was positioned, Splinter could see the various wires and computer chips that were contained inside of it. He kicked the top half of it gently so that their face was looking towards the ceiling. The eyes on 'Leonardo' dulled until they were two dark holes. Grinning, the rat lifted his head and gazed at his enemy, his eyes twinkling and full of life.

Karai looked down, her eyes resting on the body's torso. She was glad that she was wearing her helmet, because that meant he couldn't see her blushing face. Picking up whatever dignity she had left, she said dryly, "Well-done."

Splinter bowed his head in response, "Thank you."

Karai curled her lip, keeping her temper to a minimum, "I am surprised you noticed that it was not your son. My scientists told me that a lot of research went into making and programming the android so that it would pass as Leonardo."

"And it would," replied Splinter, "To someone who did not know him as well as me. However, there are many things that your scientists did not take into account."

"Oh?"

"Do you want me to give you some examples?"

Karai nodded slowly.

"You did not know where our old lair was, so you had your imposter wander the sewer tunnels, knowing that sooner or later we would go and find him. Your scientists did not think to damage your imposter a bit, for when we found him it was as though he had not recently been in a fight. Your imposter was eager for all of us to go here because it was part of a trap. You knew what we had been planning because your imposter transmitted the information to your scientists, who passed their new found knowledge onto you."

Karai couldn't help but be impressed at his observations. Her scientists were the best that she could afford, and she being a billionaire meant that she could afford a lot. To see their work be destroyed in front of her own eyes so quickly annoyed her greatly, but it also made her respect Splinter a lot more than she had before. However, there was something she didn't understand.

"Then why did you come here, if you knew it was a trap?"

The smile on his face vanished, "You are keeping my son hostage; do not think I have forgotten. I came here to get Leonardo back."

They locked eyes.

"No matter what."

Karai ran forwards and tried to slash him with her katana, but Splinter managed to duck and miss her attack completely. He kicked out his leg, causing her to fall backwards and land on the floor. She growled, getting to her feet quickly and moving her katana in short, sharp movements. Splinter blocked her attacks, backing away. After a few paces, he caught her attack on his blade and pushed forwards.

Now he had taken the offence. Karai struggled to keep up with his attacks. She was younger and fitter than him, but he had much more skill. Also, she was slower than him because of the armour she was wearing. She swung her katana downwards, knocking both of their weapons out of their hands. Karai smirked, holding up her fists.

They circled each other cautiously, backing away a bit. Suddenly Karai ran forwards, getting out a metal chain and throwing it towards Splinter. He caught it and pulled hard, causing her to stumble forwards and fall on her stomach. Karai tried to get up, but Splinter had placed his foot onto her back, preventing her from returning to her feet. In a last attempt, Karai reached towards the katana. Unfortunately for her, it was just out of reach.

"Tell me… where is Leonardo?"

"I will never tell you…" she told him stubbornly, "You could kill me and I would not tell you where he is."

Splinter sighed before saying sadly, "I do not plan on killing you."

Karai blinked, trying to make sense of what he had just said. Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and Chaplin ran in. The two warriors turned to him in surprise.

"Mistress! Intruders… there are intruders in the lab…" he gasped, placing his hands onto his thighs whilst breathing heavily. His head jerked up and he saw Karai on the ground. He widened his eyes in horror, which quickly turned into rage. "Get off her!"

Splinter automatically removed his foot, stepping away from Karai. She sat up, stretching her back. She saw Splinter tuck the katana away into his belt, which she found quite rude because the weapon belonged to her. Then again, she supposed that if he didn't keep it there was a chance she would take it in her hand and stab him…

But would she? He had had the chance to finish her off a few minutes ago, but he hadn't. He had spared her, saying that he didn't plan on killing her. Was that another way of saying that he didn't want to kill her? She was in his debt now. She couldn't kill him. It wouldn't be… honourable.

"What intruders?" asked Karai.

"I don't know, but the motion sensors in the lab picked up some movement."

She smiled cruelly, tossing her head back. "It looks like your plan has failed, rodent. I will leave you to face my ninja while I go and introduce myself to our guests."

She left the room, followed by Chaplin. Splinter narrowed his eyes as a group of Foot ninjas came in, nearly filling up the room. He sighed, taking out his new katana and getting into position.

It was going to be a long night.

TMNTNMT

"Guys! Come check this out!"

Mikey and Raph tore their eyes away and rushed over, skidding to a stop when they caught sight of what was in the container.

"Hey…" Mikey's mouth quivered slightly, "Is that… Leo?"

He blinked, his stomach churning at the sight of his brother. He was glad that they had found Leo, but he was slightly bewildered. They hadn't come here to rescue their brother. In fact, he was sure that Leo had gone in with Master Splinter. He tilted his head to one side. If Leo was in the pod, then he and Splinter must have been captured.

Raph thought the same thing and began to sprint in a straight line, searching the pods for their master. Meanwhile, the other two brothers stared at the eldest turtle.

He was floating in what appeared to be pea soup, unconscious. Mikey felt a wave of anger spread across him as he examined the tubes sticking out of his brother's body. He touched the pod gently, pressing his face against the glass. He couldn't believe that Karai had done this to him. He had thought that she and Leo were friends. The pair had even arranged to meet up with each other what seemed like years ago, but had only been a few days prior.

Speaking of that meeting, hadn't Karai promised to not tell Leo that the orange masked turtle had been spying on them? They had promised to each other, yet Leo had gotten some 'air mail' telling him that Mikey had been there. The only other person who had been there, apart from the two turtles, had been her. So logically, she had not kept her side of the deal. Then again, she had promised during 'The City at War' incident that she would not kill them for causing her father's apparent death. That hadn't lasted very long.

Don tapped on the glass window of the pod before circling it, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "Hm… it looks like the other pods are getting something from Leo's one… but I can't see what."

"So they're like, eating him?" asked Mikey.

"That's… an unusual way of putting it, but I think so."

"It looks like he's floating in some soup. Do you think Karai's making him into turtle soup and feeding it to those weird creatures?"

"That's… um…"

"… An unusual way of putting it?"

"No… That's just wrong."

Don went to the computer that was connected to the pod Leo was in. Mikey gathered that the monitor was displaying some sort of readings, but what readings they were he had no idea. The bar charts and numbers didn't make any sense to him. Raph returned, having not found their Sensei in any of the other pods.

"Okay…" Don looked back at Leo, "I think, emphasis on the think, that the computer is scanning his DNA signature, as well as his physical condition."

Mikey nodded slowly, "So… why is it connected to the others?"

"Is it takin' the ooze outta him and puttin' it in the other creatures?" asked Raph. "It would explain why they're all... mutated."

"That's what I thought, but it doesn't seem like it is being transferred," replied Don.

"Ya don't happen to have any idea what it is bein', do ya?"

"Well…" Mikey and Raph exchanged pleased expressions, "I think that the solution Leo is being contained in is copying the ooze's formula, which is sent to the computer, which then recreates the ooze in the other pods and that-"

"Science magic, got it," Mikey interrupted. "How are we going to get him out?"

As if answering, Raph got out his sai and made to stab the pod. Donnie grabbed his wrist before he could. "I don't think we should do that. Who knows what side effects could occur if you were to suddenly-"

The door leading out of the lab and into the rest of the headquarters burst open. Karai stormed in, fully decked out in her father's costume. The three turtles stared at each other.

"Give me that," muttered Don, snatching his brother's sai and slamming it into the glass window of the pod. It cracked before falling inwards, only to come out again as the solution poured onto the ground. Raph reached into the pod and pulled Leo out, not caring about the glass or the liquid that went over him in the process. He slung his brother over his shoulder and took back his sai.

"Let's go," he commanded, running towards the door.

"What about Sensei?" asked Mikey, running after him. "We can't just leave him!"

"Master Splinter can look after himself," shrugged Raph, "And if he doesn't get out, we can always go back for him. Now follow my lead."

"You're leader now?" remarked Don, though he didn't sound like he was challenging him.

"Yeah, and any complaints can be sent to my shell," smirked Raph as they ran out of the lab and back into the sewers. "Donnie, we need to escape. Any ideas?"

Don furrowed his brow. He was a good thinker, sure, but he didn't like thinking when a crazed lunatic was chasing after him. He liked planning things out in advance; Leo was the one who was good at making up plans to suit the current situation.

"I have an idea," gasped Mikey, "What are turtles good at?"

"Mikey, if I want a freakin' riddle I'll go ask Sensei for one," growled Raph.

Mikey pointed to the sewer water in front of them. Raph grinned, thinking that his brother had actually come up with a good idea. He jumped into the sewer water first, gasping for breath before covering his older brother's mouth so that he didn't drink any of the water. Don dived in after him, leaving Mikey with Karai.

The youngest turtle stopped at the water's edge and heard the footsteps behind him vanish. Turning around, he saw that Karai had stopped a small distance away, out of his reach. Or, as he preferred to think, far enough so that he was out of her reach. She stared at him, daring the turtle to flee with her eyes. Stubbornly, Mikey remained where he was, even if his presence was causing an uncomfortable silence.

"What's your problem?" he burst out a second later, waving his arms. "Okay, I was annoyed you told Leo that I was spying on you two, but I wasn't really that bothered about it. Then you have to go and trash our place. I'm beginning to see why Raph thinks you're a complete-"

"Excuse me," Karai butted in. Mikey let her talk, seeing as she had been polite about it. "Your first statement is incorrect. I did not tell Leonardo that you had been spying on us. We are enemies, but I do not ever go back on my word."

"You said that you would leave us alone ages ago but you never did," argued Mikey.

"I believe I said that I would not slay you because of what you did to my father, and I did not."

"You tried to. Remember when you came to our lair and hunted us down?"

"But I did not kill you. I tried to, but I did not."

Mikey narrowed his eyes, "Whatever, you still told Leo. Who else could have told him? We were the only ones there! You sent that letter to him on that arrow like a day or so after."

"I did no such thing."

"Really?" Mikey frowned. Not that he trusted her or anything, but maybe… maybe she was telling the truth? It sounded really farfetched; it sounded completely absurd… but what if Karai wasn't lying? "Well… someone did."

"What would I gain from breaking such a promise? If word was to get out that I had been… conversing with one of you, I would be relieved of my leadership of the Foot clan."

"Good point," commented Mikey. He realized that he was having a civil conversation with Karai and felt strange. This must have been the side of her that Leo saw. "Why aren't you trying to capture me?"

"There is no point. You will get into the water before I can reach you… besides, I do not really want to capture you."

Mikey laughed. "Good one. You put Leo in that weird pod thing and Sensei's probably rotting in your dungeon."

"We do not have a dungeon."

"Really? You should invest in one or something. All evil lairs need a dungeon."

"I will bear that in mind. Also, I would prefer it if you do not laugh at what I say. I am serious when I say that I do not wish to harm your family. I only do it because if I do not, I will be dismissed of my leadership, and my life, permanently."

"That's rough. You could like… come and stay with us, if you want. I'm sure the others won't mind."

Well, they probably would, but if he said that it would put her off a bit. "We'll make sure the Foot don't try and hurt you."

Karai nearly smiled at his offer, "That would be... nice... however I am not in a job that you can easily quit. Your father… I suspect that he will escape. I sent my Elite ninja and Doctor Chaplin to guard something on the fifth floor, and your master is more than capable of getting past my lower class ninja. He is a very good fighter."

"Cool," nodded Mikey. "Well, it's getting late and my bros will be wondering where I am. It was, uh, nice chatting to you. Bye."

He turned around and was about to dive in after his brothers when he felt something touch his arm. Confused, Mikey turned around and saw that Karai was standing beside him, holding something out to him. He straightened up and took it, wondering what it was. It looked like a piece of paper that had a random set of numbers on it. He gazed at her, trying to figure out what it was.

"Recently a young girl sent me this number. I think that your brother Donatello would like to have it."

"Sure…" He had no idea why his brother would want that particular number, but it would be impolite to say no. "Okay bye."

He put the paper in his mouth and cannonballed into water before the situation could get any weirder. Karai stayed where she was for a moment before going back towards the Foot headquarters.

When she had left the scene, the Elite ninja that had been in the turtle's lair earlier rounded the corner. They narrowed their eyes at her retreating back.

I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. ._. I rewrote it completely three times because I was unsatisfied with it, but I hope it's okay now. *crosses fingers*