By the time we got our stuff together, and of course Cris and I had to change, the winter sun was setting over the city. It was a weird feeling driving through the blacked out streets, there wasn't even any kind of backup systems coming on. "Well at least the slight delay," Leo glared Cris and I. "gave us the cover of night to work in." He had been in foul humor ever since we left the lair.

"Well I sure wasn't going to come out here in sweats." I snapped at him.

"I always thought it was supposed to be Leo and Raph butting heads." Donnie said mildly. "Has something changed in the rulebook?"

"Don't push it, Donnie." Leo growled at him.

"Yeah bro, that's my job." Mikey said with his boyish grin.

"Mikey, one of these days I'm going to glue your damn mouth shut." Leo told his brother.

"No, you will try to glue my mouth shut." He ducked before Leo could get a smack in, but Raph was closer and did it for is older brother. "Oww."

"Seriously, Mikey. Just shut up." Raph told him.

"Why is everyone one so crabby tonight?" Cris asked.

Leo just turned his eyes towards her but didn't say anything. Suddenly I think I knew what was going on. "This is our first time actually going out on a major mission with them. This isn't us helping them out, this is them taking us into danger, on purpose." Leo's eyes flashed over to mine and I could see him clench his jaw. I knew then that I was right. All the other times that I had gone out with them was minor stuff, go in, turn them loose and get out. We always had at least a basic idea of what was going on. This time however we had no idea what we were in for and it was eating at them. Leo just turned back around towards the front of the van. Raph had also grown quiet, looking out a window. I sighed in the now quiet van then looked out a window myself.

Donnie halted the van in a parking garage a couple of blocks away from the Sachs building and we made our way on foot the rest of the way. At first glance the building seemed to be as blacked out as the rest of the city. Donnie figured out really quick that was not the case. "There is a huge power buildup in an underground level."

"So we go down it seems." Leo said. "Find us a way in."

"This way." Donnie began walking around the building until he came to a vent shaft, a small vent shaft.

"No way I can fit through that." Raph said.

"I can." I spoke up.

"I'll go with her. Just as soon as you tell us where we are going." Cris added.

"Take the first floor vent you come across out and drop down. It should leave you in a hallway. Follow it to the left until you come to that door." He pointed to a side door about fifty feet away. "Open the door from the inside. The electronic locking devices should be disabled due to the power outage. Unfortunately that means I can't hack it."

"What if the power outage has them forced into the locked position?" I asked him.

"It's not allowed to do that. There has to be a way for folks inside to get out during an emergency. Yes we know Sachs is corrupt but they still have to keep face to the public. That means they have to follow the safety codes."

"You better be right." Cris mumbled as Donnie opened the cover. He then turned around to boost us in.

Before I could walk over to him Leo grabbed me and pulled me close. "Be careful. We can't help you if something goes wrong." He said into my ear.

"I will." I pulled away from him just in time to see Cris pulling out of Raph's arms. Apparently she got the same message from him. "Alright Donnie boost me up." And up I went.

I moved forward and Cris came in right behind me, then the cover snapped back on. We were now on our own, for a few minutes anyway. We kept going, slowly as to avoid making any vent popping noises. Then came to the cover we needed. Cris pulled out a kunai and slipped it in the cover slits and popped it loose, then she pulled it up. I popped my head down as she placed it aside. I couldn't see a good damn thing down there. There was absolutely no windows and all the lights were out. Great. "When we get down go to the left wall, then hold on to me." I whispered to her. I then lowered myself slowly out. At least I didn't fall on my ass this time. I quickly moved over to the left wall. Cris took Donnie's lead from outside and hung there for a sec as she slid the cover back into place then she joined me.

We hugged the wall as we made our way down the corridor, figuring if someone was in there we wouldn't run into them. I could tell we were close to the door, it wasn't very sound proof. "You shouldn't have let them go in alone!" Raph.

"What else were we supposed to do?" Leo. "This was the fastest way. I didn't want them to go either."

"Fast isn't always best!" Raph.

"Dudes just chill!" Mikey with double slap. "C'mon! Seriously guys. Quit worrying so much about them. It's hard for any of us to do what we need to with you hovering over them like that. I have faith in them."

"For once I agree with Mikey. Give them a chance before you freak out." Donnie.

I sighed softly. I guess that meant that there wasn't a guard, if there was he would be screaming for back up right about now. I got to the door and felt my way around for the handle and clasped my hands around it as the arguing continued outside. "If you guys don't shut the hell up your going to let the whole place know we are here." I snapped as the door opened. Cris was giggling behind me. "For guys who are supposed to be trained ninjas you sure do make a lot of fucking noise!" Stunned silence met me on the other side, then Mikey laughed softly.

Then they filed into the hallway and let the door close behind them. "This way." Donnie said softly. I felt Leo grab my hand to guide me as we walked along behind him. It's always creepy on how well they managed even the deepest darkness with ease but comforting as well, I could trust them not to run me into a wall. Donnie stopped after a few minutes. "Here. It's an elevator shaft, we need it to go down."

"You do realize if the elevator fires up we won't be able to see shit in there, right?" Raph asked him.

"Yes I do. That's why I had planned on turning a light on once we were in. I doubt anyone would see that, unless they have a coffee shop set up in there."

"Just get it open." Leo sighed.

I heard the sound of metal doors being pulled open against their will as Raph groaned to pull the apart. "Oh my..." Cris murmured softly. I poked her. "Focus on what we are doing."

Donnie turned on his light and lept inside holding onto a cable. Raph was still straining to hold the doors open as they tried to snap back shut. "Hurry. These doors are heavier than they look."

Mikey and Leo went in next, Cris hesitated. "Not now Cris, please." I told her. "Go they will catch you if you fall, you know they will." She took a deep breath and made the leap, she hit the cable and wrapped herself around it for dear life. I launched myself in right behind clinging to it myself. I'll admit I was scared shitless, that would be one long drop... Raph sprung forward, letting the doors snap shut behind him. After he hit the cable Donnie tossed him a rope since he was the closet one to us and Raph quickly tied us to him then tossed the other end to Mikey who tied himself to us also. That made me feel a lot better, they wouldn't carry us down but they wouldn't let us fall either. This way if something came up they had their hands free and us secured.

We made our way down, probably not as fast as they were used to but they didn't complain. My arms were though and my legs, I was really so not ready for this. "Are you able to make it?" Mikey asked me, Leo looked up from where he was below me.

"For right now, yes." I said through clenched teeth as I kept making my way down.

"It's not much farther." Donnie said. He pointed to a maintenance shaft. "That's where we are headed."

Once we were even with the shaft Donnie and Leo hopped over. I looked over at them, there was no way on gods green earth I would be able to do that. Cris' groan informed me she felt the same way. Raph began to undo the rope around him then tossed the end to Leo who held on tight with Donnie and pulled the slack in. "Let go." Raph told me as he grabbed the rope right under me.

"Say what?"

"Let go of the fucking cable. I got you here and Leo and Donnie have you over there, not to mention your still tied off to bone head. You won't fall. Now let go."

"If I splat I'm going to haunt you." I muttered.

"I'll deal with it. Let go or I'll make you let go."

I gave up and turned loose. I dipped a little but the guys held the rope tight and slowly worked me over to the shaft. Donnie pulled me in and undid the rope and then held it again as we waited for Cris. I think her courage was pretty much used up by this point. I thought she did pretty good, considering. Raph didn't even talk to her, he just pried her loose from the cable. Again I had to give her some credit as she didn't scream as she was dangling over the empty elevator shaft. I pulled her in and she collapsed to the floor then scrambled quickly away from the edge. Raph and Mikey then joined us and Donnie coiled the rope back up and tucked it away.

Again we followed him as he led the way, leading us further down. Thank good we didn't have to go down any more elevator shafts, there were ladders in the maintenance tunnel. Finally Donnie stopped at a door. "In here." He said softly.

"Can you open it?" Leo asked him.

"Are we green?" He hooked something up to the panel. A panel, I couldn't help but notice, that had electricity hooked up to it. A moment later he softly opened the door, just a crack. The room beyond was dim, as if the lights weren't fully working dim. Donnie looked at Leo and he nodded to his younger brother and Donnie slipped in. Leo took my hand and we slipped in behind him. He didn't have to tell me to be quiet, the sudden lack of even the whispered conversation told me to keep my trap shut. We quickly moved along what appeared to be a walk way set high above the actual floor of the room. The very large room, with a very large...portal? Oh, this wasn't good...

There were a cluster of forms gathered close to the the portal, though we were still to far away to make anything out in the dim light. We began to move softly in the shadows towards the portal. We got about half way when Leo sucked in his breath in a hiss and stopped. I looked up at him and he had a hate filled glare aimed at the dim figures down below. There was only one time I saw his face filled with such hate. Oh, no. I looked down to where his stare was fixed, to see an identical form staring back up at us. Well this just got a whole lot more complicated.

"Still trying to right the wrongs of your world I see." Dark Leo called up to us. "It's to bad you can't sneak up on yourself though isn't it?" As he spoke his dark brothers fanned out around him. There were still two other forms down there, one I knew right away was Stockman. The other made my eyes widen as I took in the blue top, black pants, white fur and long ears. He didn't look to happy as he was tied up and lying on the floor. "Usagi! Oh my lord guys they have Usagi!"

"Who?" Raph asked.

"A very good friend of yours!" I tried to explain.

"I don't recall any giant rabbits being on my friends list." Mikey said.

I sighed in frustration as Cris slapped Mikey on the shoulder. "She's right stupid. He's a good guy."

Leo looked down below. "Can you two handle Stockman?"

"I can if i have to." I said.

"Then let's go help this friend we haven't met yet." Leo said. He grabbed me and launched himself over the rail. As we were coming down I saw the dark turtles moving in. Leo hit the floor in a roll, letting me go as he passed over me, then sprang to his feet weapons in hand just as a matching set came down towards him.

"Stop them You fools! They will ruin everything!" I heard Stockman screaming as I got up and ran towards him, Cris now right by my side. We couldn't take on the dark turtles but we sure as hell could deal with one pompous ass scientist. Well we could right up until he pulled a gun out. "Shit!" Rang out in stereo as we ducked for cover as he fired. Yeah a straight on frontal attack wasn't going to work, I didn't have a bullet proof shell. Now there was an idea, maybe Donnie could...I brought my mind back to reality as he fired again. We scrambled to get out of the way as his shots went wide. Thank god he couldn't shoot for shit.

"Cris, is he close enough for you to hit him?" I dodged behind a crate and she followed me. We were about thirty feet away from him at this point

"Hit him yes. I'm not sure if I can take him out."

"Just throw something at him." She pulled out her stash of kunais and launched the first one as I dodged around the crate. Stockman's shot went wide as the first one hit him in the shoulder. He was about to aim again and I was now dangerously close to him. This time she got him in the arm and he dropped the gun, it fired off a stray shot as it hit the floor and the bullet hit the control panel. I had my asp out and ready by this point and landed a blow into his stomach he doubled over and I placed another one onto the back of his neck. He crumpled to the floor.

I turned my attention to the portal that was acting weird, really weird. It was constantly changing colors and it looked like it was about to collapse into itself. I was pretty sure that wasn't a good thing. I was about to help Usagi when I heard Cris. "Vicky! Look out!" She screamed.

I looked up to see Dark Leo running towards me, murder in his eyes. Leo was chasing him but it was clear he wouldn't get to me in time. Dark Leo sprung into a leap, fully intending to knock me over but I dropped under him. As he flew over me he reached out and grabbed the back of my shirt and his momentum carried me with him, right through the portal. I could hear Leo's shout of horror as it snapped shut behind us.