Author's Note: Well, I've gotten another chapter up pretty quick, haven't I? I wanted to have this done already while I got a few days off. So we're still continuing with the Turtles vs the Kraang and Triceratons. Just as I said in the last chapter, this is going to be one of those you'll want to have some tissues on hand for. I won't spoil anything, but something bad is going to happen to one character in particular. Who will it be? Well, you'll just have to read and find out! I hope I don't sound sadistic writing this.

Chapter 35: Sacrifice

"Let's get to the engine room and blow it to pieces! That'll take down the Technodrome for sure!"

"If the Kraang know we're on board, they'll have the engine room heavily guarded. There's no telling WHAT they have waiting for us!"

"Or WHO! What if that annoying Kraang Subprime's here?"

"Or worse…Kraang PRIME."

If they could see it right now, the Turtles would realize the entire city had its eyes on them…well, more specifically, their actions and what they did to the Technodrome. When they entered the structure to do battle, they didn't expect to have both Kraang Prime and Kraang Subprime in the engine room, waiting for their capture. As if that weren't bad enough, Slash and Leatherhead ended up surrounded shortly after. This wasn't part of the plan; it should've been easier to destroy this place. Having the head honchos here meant they would either find a way out or fail miserably trying.

Fortunately, they had a secret weapon they didn't expect…and that secret weapon was Bishop.

Bishop came aboard the ship unnoticed, sporting his own blaster and a few Kraang Droids beside him, only these droids were white in color and possessed blue lights, as opposed to the classic Kraang grey and magenta. These had to be fellow Utroms, maybe lower rank. Needless to say, Kraang Prime and especially Kraang Subprime were flabbergasted by the appearance of the Utrom.

"Bishop!?" Kraang Subprime spat disbelievingly. "What're YOU doing here!? You're not the type to get your hands dirty!"

"On the contrary, Knight." Bishop addressed, anger hidden in his tone. "You are the one who enjoys forcing other to do your dirty work…and that ends here." He turned to the Turtles after his Utrom allies subdued the surprised Kraang guards. "Turtles, we will hold them off. Plant this explosive onto the engine core NOW."

The Utrom tossed a small detonation device in Donnie's direction, the turtle instantly catching it and examining it carefully. It looked no bigger than a softball, but the genius turtle already surmised that it had enough firepower to blow the Technodrome to smithereens. While that would probably do enough damage to Kraang Prime, that would also mean killing other Kraang-Utroms-under his control; did Bishop already realize this? No time for sentimental thinking, as he and his brothers bolted for the engine core in the middle of the room.

"STOP THEM!" Kraang Prime roared, teeth bared.

The Kraang soldiers started shooting at the terrapins, but help arrived when Leatherhead ferociously threw them to the ground and clamped them in his terrifying jaws, shaking them like ragdolls. Slash proceeded to let out a battle cry and pummel them with his humongous mace, sending them away like home-run baseballs. Bishop decided to engage in combat with Kraang Subprime, formerly known as Knight, to reopen old wounds and settle the score once and for all. All they had to do was plant the bomb, steal the Stealth Ships, and get out…simple, right? Well, not so simple with booms coming from outside. These weren't the booms of bombs from the outside; these were booms that resulted from the Technodrome being fired upon.

"The Triceratons are attacking!" Mikey shouted, hands on his head.

That prompted Donnie to growl out, pressing a button on the detonation device and shove it onto the engine core with more force than he intended. "Let's get out of here, NOW! Bishop, come on!"

Bishop and his fellow Utroms left their positions and quickly began the evacuation plan, Slash and Leatherhead following behind before the Turtles trailed seconds later. Kraang Subprime panicked at the sight of the bomb, and took it upon himself to reach over and deactivate it; he did it plenty of times before. What ended up hindering that goal was another set of blasts from the incoming Triceraton stealth fighters…one thing the Turtles would thank the reptilian invaders for right now. The mutants and Utroms found the Stealth Ship hangars and split into groups, jumped into them, and piloted them out of the Technodrome. It only took a few seconds before…

BOOM

The spherical ship had a great chunk of it missing now, and black smoke billowed from it, much to the shock of the New York denizens. They all watched, eyes filled with relief and horror, as the Technodrome slowly took plummeted and made impact with the deep ocean, sending waves crashing upon the beaches and docks of the shipyard. They paid no heed to the three Stealth Ships zooming away from the scene of the explosion or the groups celebrating the first victory. That celebration proved short-lived when they found themselves being shot at by black, arrow-shaped ships…Triceraton stealth-fighters.

"Take 'em down!" Leo commanded, panic in his voice. "Don't let them hurt any people! Slash, Leatherhead, watch out-"

A shot from a Triceraton fighter hit the Stealth Ship Slash and Leatherhead occupied, making them quickly descend towards the ocean; if they didn't get out, they would surely die. Fortunately, to the relief of the Turtles and the Utroms, the two Mutanimals were smart enough to jump out and dive into the ocean at a safe distance before the ship crashed and exploded, leaving the two floating in the water and swimming towards shore.

"T-That was close…" Mikey breathed out in relief. "Leatherhead's okay…"

"Y-Yeah…Slash, too." Raph nodded feverishly. "What do we do now, Fearless? We keep shooting them down?"

"I don't know if we have to worry about that." Donnie interjected, pointing towards the display showing the outside and onto a particular group of ships. "Look there!"

All the Turtles saw a triad of ships fly by, only they weren't intent on shooting down the two remaining Stealth Ships. No, they were more concerned with carrying precious cargo towards the center of the city…something that looked akin to a large bomb. Bishop and Fugitoid weren't kidding; they really were going to blow up the city if the android didn't surrender. Before any of them could speak, Donnie's T-Phone rang and he promptly picked it up. Who could be calling right now?

"Donatello, this is Professor Honeycutt!" It was the Fugitoid. "I can see from the news feed in the lair…they're transporting the bomb, aren't they? Oh dear…Turtles, to save your planet, I fear I have no choice but to surrender myself. If I can do that, then…"

"No Professor, you're NOT surrendering yourself to them!" The purple-masked turtle barked, louder than he intended. "Give me enough time, and I can deactivate it! We'll stop the Triceratons from blowing up the city; just don't make any stupid decisions!"

"…All right…I have faith in you, my boy." The android relented, albeit begrudgingly. "Good luck to you all."

Once the Fugitoid disconnected the call, Donnie took to the controls and began flying towards land. "Bishop, if you can hear me, we need to get to the center of the city and deactivate that bomb! Hurry!"

"…That's the bomb, isn't it?" Casey questioned, his eyes glued to the ships in the sky. "C-Can we stop it?"

April, Splinter, Rockwell, and Pigeon Pete didn't answer that question. They were too preoccupied watching said bomb being transported to its intended location by the Triceraton ships, thousands of thoughts going through their heads on what to do next. They too watched the Technodrome go down, and they also saw their friends escape without much harm…but now they had to deal with this. If they didn't get to that bomb in time, they could very well say goodbye to New York, or even the planet Earth. One option would be…no, they couldn't go as low as to surrendering the Fugitoid to the Triceratons; that would basically mean surrendering Earth itself!

"I apologize Splinter, but Pete and I must go tend to Slash and Leatherhead." Rockwell spoke, bowing his head. "We will meet with you again shortly!"

Splinter nodded in understanding. "Go to them. We will continue on…be careful, my friends."

Once the two Mutanimals rushed to help their teammates, the rat stared towards Central Park as he pondered what to do next. Even with his skills, they were out-matched by the Triceratons, who were much bigger, stronger, and deadlier. He would honestly take all the help they could get right now…even if it meant he had to ask the last person he wanted to for help in defeating these invaders.

"What are we gonna do, Master Splinter?" April asked, pleadingly.

Splinter lowered his head and closed his eyes. "I did not want to do this, April…but I am afraid we will have to ask for someone of my level to help us defeat these foes."

"Don't even THINK about asking the Shredder for help!"

Splinter, April, and Casey jumped at the voice, prompting them to turn around and see who it was. To their astonishment, it was none-other than Cheyloe, Anna, and Kaitlyn, but they weren't alone. A moment later, slithering in, was Karai herself, fully shifted into snake form and ready for a fight.

"Miwa?" The rat gasped, quickly growing angry. "Miwa, I made it clear that you do not need to fight! You are still recovering! It is too dangerous to fight the Triceratons!"

"Lisssten to me, Father!" Karai hissed, eyes narrowed. "Weak or strong, I'm not going to ssstand by and watch my brothersss be killed! They need ALL of usss!"

Splinter remained unconvinced, shooting a small glare at the young women behind the snake, and went back to arguing. "I will not lose you like I lost your mother! You were taken from me all your life by Saki, and I will not allow these Triceratons to take away my only daughter!"

"If we just ssstand by arguing, they'll be killed, and you know it!" Karai shot back. "You'd give anything to protect Leo and the othersss, well, sssso will I! You're not ssstopping me, Father, no matter what!"

"Splinter…" Cheyloe interjected, glancing at Central park for a moment before staring back at the rat. "You can't convince her otherwise…she's ready. We all have to be there for them, no matter what happens out there."

The rat huffed and lowered his head again, mulling over the words spoken by Karai and Cheyloe. True, he still feared that Karai would end up lost for another many years, or killed just like Tang Shen. However, for her behavior, he could blame his own stubbornness and the fighting spirit Shen had since the day they met. She really did take after her parents…and even he knew he couldn't convince Karai to go back and rest during this invasion. Besides…they needed all the help they could get, right? "…Very well…but I shall be keeping a close eye on you, my daughter. After this invasion, expect a round of randori in the dojo!"

At that, Kaitlyn cracked her knuckles and gritted her teeth. "Awright, how are we gonna crack some dino skulls?"

"Allow me to provide you with some assistance."

Everyone turned and saw none-other than Bishop arriving, along with this two Utrom allies. The leading Utrom came forward and had his followers present multiple items to the group, the first one being Chey. What she received looked like an upgraded gun; it certainly felt heavier compared to a standard pistol.

"It has bullets strong enough to pierce through Triceraton hides." Bishop stated matter-of-factly. "Use the ammo wisely." He went on to present items to April and Casey, which were a small blaster and advanced-looking pucks. "Use this laser pistol and these photon pucks wisely, as well. Do the rest of you require weapons?"

Splinter shook his head. "I do not, and I believe Anna and Kaitlyn will use their abilities to their advantage…my daughter as well. I thank you, Bishop."

The Utrom gave a bow of respect. "Good. Now, let us make our way to Central Park. The Turtles and Mutanimals will meet us shortly."

As they left for the park, April stopped and stared ahead with a heavy chest and mind. She certainly wished she had the power to see the future right now, because it scared her to death not knowing how everything would go down in the end...

The Turtles rushed as fast as they could to reach the bomb, and going through the city proved more difficult than anticipated. That was because Triceraton troops already entered the city, attacking anyone even daring to go towards Central Park. Several humans fled in terror, others trying in vain to fight back against the reptilian invaders, and many stayed in their homes in protest of evacuation. Whether or not any people saw them didn't matter anymore; saving the planet proved more important than secret identities.

"Hurry guys!" Leo demanded, panting heavily. "We're almost there!"

"Guys!" A familiar voice called, prompting the Turtles to stop and turn to the side. Once they took a moment, they saw Splinter, April, Casey, Karai, the ladies, and the Utroms gaining up behind them. In an alleyway behind some overturned cars, the Mutanimals quickly emerged to join in as well. Finally, much unexpected, came Muckman and Mondo Gecko, mutants they encountered previously, emerging to offer their assistance.

"Wait, Karai's here, too!?" Raphael asked in surprise.

"Who did you expect, Shredder?" The snake asked, dripping with sarcasm. "I'm helping too, whether you like it or not, brother."

Even Leo looked surprised, but he was able to shake it off and focus on what was important. "Well, all the help we can get is great. Let's focus on a plan…our main objective is to disarm that bomb and find a way to get rid of it. Fugitoid sent us info on exactly how to disarm it. Donnie?"

"Well, if the Triceratons press the timer button to activate it…" Donatello began, examining the text and schematics Fugitoid sent him moments earlier. "…We just have to press it again to deactivate it. Then I can move in and render it harmless! But there's the matter of the Triceratons."

"If we get stuck in a fight, someone'll have to fend off the Triceratons until Donnie can deactivate it." Leonardo added in, catching everyone off-guard. "I'll volunteer to do that once the bomb's halted-"

"I'll do it."

The group stared at the one who spoke up: Cheyloe. While they wanted to ask exactly why she would volunteer herself to guard the bomb, the brunette spoke up first. "I can hold them off at long-range; Bishop gave me the ammo to do so. If I have to, I can borrow April's laser pistol, too. You guys have more of a fighting chance against those fossils…I don't. If it comes down to it, I could even make a fire trap…"

Donnie gulped at this; why would she want to play the guard over the bomb against killer dinosaurs? This had to be another 'go-in-reckless-because-I-have-a-death-wish' situation for her, and he wasn't going to allow it. "It's too dangerous! Let one of us guard it!"

"I've made up my mind, Donnie." Cheyloe confirmed, her voice straining. "Just have faith in me."

The genius turtle wanted to argue further, but Leo cut him off by replying, "All right, but we'll fight quickly so you won't have to do it long. Guys…I don't know if all of us will make it through this, but I for one can say that I'm glad to have fought alongside my family and friends to the bitter end."

"Don't act like we're gonna die, Leo!" Michelangelo retorted. "We're all gonna go home alive, right after we beat these creeps!" Getting out his nunchucks, the freckled turtle smirked and added, "All right…let's kick their Jurassic!"

Everyone let out a cry of battle, except for Bishop and his Utroms, before charging for Central Park to end things once and for all. The Triceratons weren't going to destroy their city, their planet, their home, and get away with it. One way or another, they would fall and fall hard. They charged further into the park and found the bomb…and the timer already set to go off in just a few minutes. Among the Triceratons setting the bomb up was the very Triceraton who made the televised broadcast hours earlier…Commander Mozar. The leading Triceraton noticed the group of mutants, humans, superhumans, and Utroms coming to oppose him, and he couldn't help but chuckle at their resolve.

"So, you Earthlings decided to stick around and stop us?" Mozar smirked arrogantly. "Don't you realize we're only doing this for the good of all? Surely the Kraang have terrorized you for too long!"

"That's not a good excuse ta destroy our planet, ya scum!" Raphael spat venomously. "Yer no different from the Kraang!"

At that comparison, the Triceraton commander growled lowly. "So you would risk your planet being terraformed just to halt our work? I can make it easier for you…just hand over the Fugitoid and we MAY spare your ball of dirt."

"Not a chance!" Leo retorted, katanas drawn. "LET'S GO!"

The group charged at the Triceratons, locking into brutal combat. While the Turtles attacked and landed a few blows on the troops, the Mutanimals also landed jabs at the reptilian aliens, bringing a few down to their knees and disabling their rifles. Karai spat acid at a few troops and hit them in the sides with her armored tail, Anna and Rockwell teamed up to psychically fling a few into the air, and Kaitlyn used her strength to slam a Sedan onto an unsuspecting troop's head. Of course, as hard-headed as the Triceratons were, they kept on coming at the defenders of Earth. Splinter was the first to take notice of the bomb's timer and remembered what Donatello said: press the button again to stop the timer. With that, the rat dashed past several Triceratons, avoiding their laser blasts and their attempts to grab him. The timer already had less than a minute left; Mozar's mini-speech had them distracted. But if he could just make it…just a little more…

Before the timer could go off, it immediately stopped on the last time bar…and revealed Splinter's fingers on the precious button. The others noticed, and felt great relief wash over them, though they knew it wasn't over just yet. Now it was Cheyloe's cue. The brunette immediately dashed forward and took her place in front of the bomb's timer.

"I've got this, Splinter!" She shouted, loading the gun Bishop gave her. "Now go and help them, sir!"

The rat gave a quick nod before going and helping his sons take down some troublesome Triceratons. While they were all putting up a good fight, their numbers began to dwindle. It started with Muckman and Mondo Gecko getting thrown to the ground and placed in prison bubbles. Rockwell followed, having his helmet knocked off and his powers disabled. Slash followed next, then Casey, and then Bishop ended up having his robotic body destroyed, prompting the small Utrom to flee. Karai kept up a decent fight, but found herself laying on the ground exhausted; she pushed her body too much and paid the price for it. Before she could be captured, she found herself saved by her father and a laser blast from April. As much as she didn't want to…she'd give Princess O'Neil her thanks.

Cheyloe managed to keep up her fight, shooting several Triceratons with the specialized bullets as they came closer. A few were dead instantly, while others lay on the ground in pain. However, the gun suddenly jammed on her, making her throw it down on the ground in frustration. Well, maybe she could pry the timer off with her knife until something could be done, so she pulled the switchblade out and began the delicate task of trying to gently pry the device off…but that didn't go unnoticed by Mozar.

"…If you want something done right, you may as well do it yourself."

The commanding Triceraton went to the fountain and picked up a piece of cargo brought by his troops…a traditional Triceraton sword, courtesy of his old and long-dead rival, Traximus. A chuckle escaped his beak at the human female's attempts to take apart the bomb with 'primitive' tools, but she and these other rebels wouldn't be a problem for long. Once she was down, he would easily reactivate the bomb and coax the Fugitoid out of hiding.

When Donatello had a troop down, he happened to glance over and see Cheyloe distracted, and Mozar swiftly stomping towards her with that huge sword. His auburn eyes widened and his heart raced; if she didn't get out of there, she would be killed instantly! He wanted to shout, but found himself unable to speak a word. A tiny shuriken wouldn't even be enough to deter Mozar; what was he going to do? How was he going to save her!?

That's when time slowed, and the genius turtle felt his body immediately begin to move, his breathing matching his racing heart in speed. The sounds of laser blasts, katanas, nunchucks, sai…everything became a dull echo in his ears. He didn't even pay attention to the Bo staff slipping from his hands and to the ground, or some of the others stopping to see what he was doing. Mozar lifted the sword in the air with his right hand, and he could see Chey's nose twitch at catching the Triceraton's scent. He could see her slowly turning around and looking at the alien in horror, grinning menacingly at the miniscule human he was about to cut down. He couldn't let that happen, he couldn't let that happen, he couldn't let that happen…

As the blade started coming down, Cheyloe closed her eyes in terror and braced herself for death…until a voice forced her eyes open.

"NOOOOOOO!"

At that moment, Donatello stood in front of her, arms stretched out, shouting at the Triceraton commander. At that moment, the blade came down with a deafening slice. Before anyone actually processed what happened…Donnie absorbed the blow of the sword, giving him a large wound in his plastron, extending from his left shoulder all the way down to the top of his right thigh. A large, DEEP wound. Blood flew out of the wound, along with small pieces of plastron and his cut belt, as Donnie slowly collapsed backwards in front of the screaming Cheyloe. That's when everyone else turned around and realized what happened…right in time to see the genius turtle collapse onto the ground…and not moving.

"DONATELLO!" They shouted in unison.

April stood agape at the scene before her, now feeling a burning pain coursing through her skull. It was the same feeling she got during their last confrontation with Kraang Prime, right before they fled New York…and now it came again with the damage done to her best friend. Gripping her head in agony, the redhead suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream as a golden aura erupted from her in shockwave form. That shockwave was enough to not only knock Mozar and the other Triceratons backwards, but short-circuit the bomb and render it completely useless.

Not paying attention to the others attempting to help their brother, Cheyloe stared at Mozar slowly getting up and felt unbridled rage overtake her mind. With an animalistic yell, she picked the gun off of the ground and pulled the trigger…leaving a fresh bullet hole in the commander's head. With Mozar now dead on the ground and a few horrified Triceratons staring, she threw the weapon down and turned her attention back to Donnie. Just looking at him, the damage was worse than just a slice. Pieces of his plastron came off from the metal blade, and the thin skin separating his plastron from his muscles and organs was all but obliterated. The continual bleeding was the worst of the problems, however.

"Donatello!" Leo screamed as he got to his knees and stared down at his brother. "This isn't happening…he can't be…"

"Donnie!" Raph shouted, shaking his brother's bloodied shoulder. "D-Donnie, c'mon man, wake up!"

"D-Donnie!" Mikey sobbed as he grabbed his brother's head and cradled it. "Donnie, don't be dead! G-Get up!"

"Get out of the way!" Cheyloe forcefully shoved the other turtles aside and leaned over Donatello, who remained deathly still. No…no, he couldn't be gone. She had to save him! Not caring that her hands got coated in fresh blood, she placed them on top of his plastron and immediately began chest compressions, followed by her blowing air into his mouth. "Come on, c-come on…breathe, dammit!"

"Stop!" Splinter shouted in a cracked voice, noticing the compressions making more blood ooze from Donnie's gaping wound. "He is still bleeding! Stop now!"

"Shut up and let me do this!" The brunette shrieked, continuing feverishly with the CPR administration. As she stared at Donnie with burning eyes, an image formed next to him in her mind, one that she didn't want to imagine ever again. Right next to him…she saw the ghostly image of Embry's dead body mirroring his. Just as she feared, it happened again…Donnie sacrificed himself to save her, just like Embry did those two years ago.

"Donnie, breathe!"

April collapsed against Raph in sobs, and Mikey held onto Leo as they both cried. Anna, Kaitlyn, Casey, and Karai watched the scene in horror, while the Mutanimals got up and already began the mourning process. Splinter had to turn his head away, to hide his tears and painful sobs over his second-youngest son.

Not my son…not my son…none of them are supposed to die before me…

No matter how many compressions Cheyloe did, enough to probably do more damage to his ribs than the blade already inflicted, Donatello remained akin to a corpse…

Cheyloe finally stopped the chest compressions after almost five minutes; her hands were too tired to do more. The brunette breathed rapidly and stared down at the turtle's body as tears now flowed freely from her eyes. Feeling her strength give out, both physically and mentally, she simply leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Donnie's, her tears hitting his paled face like rain.

"Donnie, no…please…" She sobbed, ignoring everyone else sobbing as well. "I can't lose you, too…I can't lose you like Embry…p-please come back…please…"

Donatello didn't respond. He remained on the ground with the gaping wound in his chest.

No one paid attention to the Triceratons calling a retreat and dragging away Mozar's body.

Well, here's a tense cliffhanger to end this chapter! Next chapter, a certain mother and a young boy are going to play big roles in determining the fate of our dear turtle in purple. Will Donatello survive? Or will he be dead and gone, mourned by his loved ones? Stay tuned to learn of his fate and get ready for the next arc!