Finalchapterfinalchapterfinalchapter! I'm so excited...can you tell?

This finale is a doozy, by far the biggest chapter I've ever posted. I nearly broke it up again but I figured 13,000 words was manageable….just. But still there is so much action coming up! Warnings for swears and gore and angst.

I really really hope you like this *bites nails*

Enjoy :)


MIKEY

"Form a protective line!" One of the soldiers waved an arm as he yelled the command, the troops behind him spreading out across the street then dropping to one knee as they took aim. Behind them a heavy tank rumbled to a stop, a trail of destruction reaching out behind it from where it had cleared a path with its heavy passing. The long barrel of it's gun whirred upward, focusing on the intersection ahead in anticipation of the arrival of alien forces. The street was practically crawling with humans armed with weapons and itchy trigger fingers, there was no way they'd get past undetected. Shell, they'd probably get shot to pieces before they took three steps.

Mikey eased back into the protective cover of the doorway and shook his head at April who winced as she adjusted Donnie's arm which was draped over her shoulder. "Another detour?" The tall turtle muttered as he caught their silent communication, "what is it this time?"

"Earth Protection Force again," Mikey admitted, "they've closed the street off. We'll have to keep going around." He grimaced apologetically despite the frustration that warred in his gut. They should have been at April's ages ago.

Donnie simply nodded, following April quietly when she began leading him back the way they'd come. From the street there was a deafening boom immediately followed by shouts and the sounds of laser fire. Mikey noted that his older brother barely flinched at the barrage of noise and ran his eyes over the turtle as he fought back worry. Donnie was beginning to take on a decidedly grey cast, his eyelids drooped as if he were on the verge of nodding off and he was definitely using April as a crutch for real now instead of simply humouring her.

"Here," Mikey slipped his arm around Donnie's shell, taking his weight from April who smiled gratefully before slinking ahead to take over the role of scout.

"I'm fine," Donatello huffed into Mikey's ear and the youngest turtle smiled to cover the fear that rose at the lack of spark in his brother's voice.

"'Course you are," he replied soothingly, "but how else am I going to get the hugs I need during an apocalypse?"

A snort of laughter was his reward followed by a fond "shell for brains" that sounded way too tired for Mikey's liking. He let the smile slip, expression tightening as he focussed on following April through the narrow alley.

"There's a service lane up ahead that runs past the back of my building," the redhead whispered to them when they caught up with her. She motioned carefully towards an opening on the other side of the street and Mikey craned his neck to get a better look through the clutter of mutants that moaned as they lurched around the abandoned cars.

"Great," he looked back at her and forced another smile, pleased when his tone achieved the right amount of positivity, "so let's just ninja our way past the Kraang zombies until we are home free. I'll bet they can't see anything anyway what with all those fancy new growths on their heads. Even if Donnie finally pukes they probably won't notice us. What would they do to us anyway? Slime us with their new tentacles? Plus, you know, it'll be dark like really soon so after that we'll practically be able to stroll past them."

His verbal diarrhea was rewarded with a slowly raised eyebrow from April and a decidedly weak punch to the ribs from Donnie. He grinned a little wider, pulling the older turtle firmly against his side as he motioned for April to lead the way.

"Hey, bro," he stage whispered as they took their first steps into the street, "why did the turtle cross the road?"

Donnie's tone sounded remarkable sharper as he snapped a reply under his breath. "To find the correct tools with which to seal his annoying little brother's mouth shut for good?"

"Heh, close enough…"


SCARLETT

Pools of oncoming night were beginning to gather in the street, plunging it into deep shades of grey. A few steps later I spotted two bulky shadows as they threaded their way around the abandoned cars, but my relief at finding them was short lived. Leo was on the defence, I saw it in the vicious yellow gleam of Razar's eyes and the white snap of his impossibly large teeth as he relentlessly pursued the turtle. His massive claws made a horrific swishing noise as they cut through the air, Leo twisted and dodged each attack but his usual grace had been reduced to an almost desperate scrambling. With a sickened twist of my stomach I realised his hands were empty, Rahzar had disarmed him. I pushed myself harder, forcing my legs to cover ground faster despite the pain that pulsed with each punishing step.

I was close when a heavy thud sounded. Leo's shell had connected with the side of a car hard enough to lift the entire vehicle onto two wheels for a moment. Rahzar's closed fist descended like a cannon ball towards the turtle's head, smashing a crater into the metal and spraying shattered glass onto the street. Leo had barely dodged in time, spinning to the side and managing to place the ruined vehicle between himself and the mutant dog. With a roar Rahzar wedged his hand under the body of the car and flipped it like a child throwing a tantrum, clipping Leo in the process and knocking him from his feet. He immediately pushed himself to a sitting position but instead of rising he took a moment to shake his head, his expression dazed.

"Leo!" I couldn't help it, his name tore from my lips on a tide of desperate panic. He turned towards me, eyes widening with fear for the first time ever when he caught sight of me sprinting towards him. I could see Rahzar bearing down on him from behind as his mouth formed my name, one hand coming up as if to wave me away, and I desperately wished I could swallow the word back. In that split second I'd have given anything to stop myself from taking his focus when he needed it the most.

Rahzar gave a triumphant snarl as his hand snaked out to curl around Leo's throat. Too late Leo started, his hands coming up to pry at white boned fingers as the dog slowly raised him from the ground by his neck.

"Let him go!" I threw myself over the last few feet, claws unsheathed as a snarl split my face. Rahzar backhanded me almost lazily, sending me crashing to the ground in a groaning heap without sparing me a glance. Horrible choking noises reached my ears, wet and painful. "Stop it!" I shouted as I scrambled to my feet, "let him go!"

Still Rahzar ignored me, instead staring into the turtle's eyes with a expression of rapt fascination. Leo's legs thrashed in the air, one arm alternating between beating at Rahzar's forearm, then reaching for the dog's face, but the blue banded turtle was unable to get past the mutant's long reach. Each breath he drew became progressively more laboured

I prepared to launch myself back at the giant mutant but immediately froze when a warning growl from Rahzar was accompanied by a noticeable tightening of his fist on Leo's throat. "Stay back, runt."

"You're killing him," I trembled, letting out a sob while tears of frustration leaked from my eyes to track down my cheeks. "Stop!" My hands clenched into fists by my side, my entire body quivered with the barely repressed desire to get to Leo.

Rahzar chuckled lowly, his eyes finally sliding to my tearstained face. "That's it, scream for my master. He wants to hear you beg." He tightened his grip just a little more, this time keeping a close eye on my expression as he crushed Leo's throat into pulp.

"Stop, please!" I wailed the words, watching in horror as Leo's eyes rolled back in his head, his limbs gradually slowing until his entire body hung limply from Rahzar's grip. The choking noises faded to a low rasp, he was so still and pale he looked like he was dead. "Please, just let him go!"

"Louder." Rahzar leaned towards me as he rumbled the command, his eyes burning with hate as they bore into mine.

"Please!" my chest ached as I screamed, tears leaking down my cheeks. Through blurred vision I watched Rahzar turn back to Leo, drawing his limp form closer until they were snout to muzzle. For a moment he continued to gaze into the turtles slack face then he lifted his head when a dark shadow swooped in from nowhere to block my view of both of them.


SPLINTER

A scream unlike anything he'd ever heard before flowed through the open manhole to settle over his skin and prickle his flesh. His heart leapt into his throat. In two bounds he had scaled the ladder and was sprinting towards the street where the cries continued to sound, barely registering the feel of cool evening air as it rippled through his fur.

A quick glance down the street to his left showed him that one of Saki's mutants, the large fish he had briefly fought many months ago, was sobbing in agony as it writhed in a pool of its own fluids. It's cries were already weakening, slowing along with the twitches that wracked its body. The tortured scream had not come from that animal.

"Please, just let him go!"

He instantly recognised Scarlett's voice as it rose once more. Her pained cry tore at him, her desperation and fear an almost physical pressure on his eardrums. He whipped his head around, cold dread stabbing through him when he spotted her at the other end of the street, cowering before a shadow with yellow eyes. From one massive claw his eldest son dangled like a rag doll.

"No," the denial rushed from him on a tortured breath.

"Please!"

Please, no. He echoed her plea in his heart, racing towards his children and desperately hoping he wasn't too late. The distance was of no great consequence, he crossed it in seconds, but still he was beaten by the arrival of a third shadow. Smaller yet somehow more threatening than the monster that clutched his son. Leo's limp form was handed over to the new arrival gently, almost reverently, then the figure turned to face him and Yoshi saw his worst fear made flesh.

"I will take your son from you, just as I took your daughter many years ago." Shredder's fevered eyes burned into his with ancient hate as he held Leonardo out so that the tips of his toes just brushed the ground.

"Saki," his chest constricted around the word, tightening painfully. He held his paws out beseeching, pleading with the man within the monster. "Brother. Do not do this. He is just a child. I am here, come for me."

"I will," Shredder assured him, lifting one gauntleted fist to hover over his son's chest without breaking their stare. "But first…"

Splinter felt the blades pierce flesh as if it were his own. Metal talons tore at his insides as he watched Leonardo jerk from the force of the blow. Scarlett's tortured cry seemed faded and distant, a shriek of denial that rent the air as Saki released his son's body and let it fall to the ground.

Grief swamped him in a black tide, rising with brutal swiftness until he felt his sanity tear from its moorings. Colours flashed, crowding his vision until all he could see was green seeped in red. Black threaded through it all, beating in tandem with the blood that pounded relentlessly through his veins and grew with each pulse.

"Now it is your turn, rat."

That voice, the orchestrator of his worst fears made reality, pushed him from the edge. He snarled and snapped as he surrendered himself to the dark...


SCARLETT

Leo was dead.

My palms and knees scraped over the ground as I scrambled to his side, the world narrowed until it contained only his still form. "Oh god," I croaked through a throat that felt scraped raw. Panic swamped me as I focussed on his face, I couldn't look anywhere else, it was far too much for me to handle in that moment. "Oh god, Leo." For a second I stared at the band of swollen flesh that circled his throat but then I ripped my gaze away and reached out with shaking hands to cup his cheeks, willing him to be okay. Everything in me stilled as I brought my ear to his mouth, I swear even my heart stopped beating. I thought I felt a puff of air against my cheek but couldn't be certain. I inched closer, my ear practically pressed against his open lips, and when he let out a small groan the sob that burst from me made me sit back and slap my hands over my lower face to hold more like it in. Relief turned my limbs to jelly for a moment, I squeezed my eyes shut and took a shuddering breath. He wasn't dead, but he was really, really hurt.

"Leo?" I leaned forward again, bracing myself to look at the rest of his injuries. My hands hovered over him as I ran my gaze over his body. I couldn't bring myself to touch him for fear of making it all worse. Not that it looked like it could get much worse. Again I glanced at his poor throat before forcing myself to look at where Shredder's gauntlet had punched right into his armoured chest and left three gaping punctures that spanned the two middle plates of his plastron. The edges of each hole was webbed, his shell fractured into tiny pieces around the wounds. Already blood was everywhere, it literally poured out of him in a trio of bloody rivers. Another sob escaped me before I again stuffed my fist against my mouth, sharp teeth biting into the skin over my knuckles helped me focus.

My gaze slid sideways and from the corner of my eye I saw we were still being ignored. Not far away Splinter was attacking Shredder with mindless intensity. I could hear him hissing like a wild animal, his clawed feet clattering on the bitchumen as he scrabbled for purchase with each lunge. He was so far removed from my sensei who had held off scores of alien soldiers with lethal grace - now he was a twisting, spitting ball of pure rage. Rahzar added his own low growls to the fight as he protected his master. The three of them were ignoring Leo and I as if we no longer existed, but I knew that was only a brief reprieve. Any second we could be dragged back into the fray.

I tore my attention from them and re focussed on the unconscious turtle, I had to get him out of here. April's flat. It was my only option, the one place I had any hope of finding help. My hovering hands lowered until they covered the wounds on his chest, warm blood welled between my fingers and I choked back another sob. How could I stem the blood and move him at the same time?

Instinctively I ducked when a long, thin tail whipped past overhead. Master Splinter was suddenly there beside us, a mass of fur and teeth that growled and strained close enough for me to reach out and touch. There was no comfort to be had by his proximity, I don't think he even realised I was there and the knowledge spurred me into action. I was the only one who could do this, I had to get Leo away now. The mutant rat moved off and my chest loosened as we were given breathing space again.

My heart was in my mouth as I reached forward to slip my arms beneath each of Leo's armpits and haul him upright as gently as I could. The curve of his shell aided my efforts, tipping him towards me until he was slumped over. Blood changed course and began running down to pool in his lap. As quickly as I could I maneuvered myself so that I was crouched over his legs facing away from him. Then I felt behind me until I found Leo's wrists and one by one hauled his arms over my shoulders. As I worked I found myself watching the three 'men' fighting only a few dozen feet away. Hurry, Scarlett! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

I got a good grip and pulled on Leo's arms to bring him snug against my back, immediately feeling a wet rush of blood soak into my tank top. I tugged him even closer, praying that if I pressed his wound against me I could stem the flow at least a little. With both his arms slung over my shoulders Leo's head was forced to rest along the side of mine. As I paused for a moment to gather my strength I was comforted by his breath as it wheezed softly against my ear. At least this way I could tell he was still breathing. One less thing to worry about.

Now bring on the next thing. Was I seriously going to try and lift Leo to carry him piggyback all the way to April's flat? Leopards can haul animals three times their own weight up into trees, Scarlett. Mikey's excited voice from a million years ago flittered through my head and brought with it a sudden stab of pain when I pictured his face. I wished he was here right now more than anything. I lowered my chin to my chest, shaking my head even as I gritted my teeth and braced my feet against the ground either side of Leo's legs. You got this, Neko.

"You got this, Neko." I grunted to myself, pushing upward to test the turtles weight against my back. His bulk was spread evenly from my shoulders to my hips. So far, so good. I began pushing upwards, the heavy weight of muscle and shell pretty much exactly what I'd been expecting. I kept straining against Leo's sheer bulk with everything I had, knowing that getting him off the ground would be the hardest part. I was fighting gravity, clawing for every inch as I rose from a full squat with 200lbs of dead weight on my back. After that I just had to keep us both upright.

My breath was coming in sharp pants through my teeth by the time I felt Leo's main bulk leave the road. My legs trembled with effort and my temples pounded. I really hoped I wasn't about to have a stroke. I was almost bent double under Leo's weight when I let go of his arms, leaving them to dangle over my shoulders as I reached back for his knees. Sweat trickled down my brow as I fought not to topple forward.

As soon as I had his legs wrapped around my hips, my hands hooked under his knee pads to keep them there, I barely gave myself a second to appreciate the enormity of what I'd just accomplished. Instead I cast one last glance to where Master Splinter was still fighting Shredder and Rahzar, pushing down the sick feeling that I was about to leave my sensei alone to fight the enemy for the second time in one night, and took my first tentative step away from the fight. Then another. And another. Picking up speed as I went. By the time I reached the end of the block my focus had moved from the fear of dropping the unconscious turtle on my back to trying to work out where the hell we were and how I was going to get to April's.

Was I even heading in the right direction?


KARAI

Father.

The foreign word seeped through her mind and with it came a sensation she couldn't name but could feel. The scales along her spine lifted in the wake of a hot prickling, like thousands of tiny bites under her protective outer layer. Her long fingers clenched on the lip of the manhole, green eyes fixated on the man in silver as her forked tongue tested the air for his scent. Somehow she knew it would burn into the soft tissue of her sinus' but she searched anyway. His would be sharp, stinging as it ate away at her...

Instead of the dark odour she'd expected, an earthier scent again caressed her senses. Grounded and warm in a way that called to her instinct. The same scent she'd followed through the tunnels, tongue flicking with interest. Food. This creature sparked the desire to hunt and kill within her, yet at the same time something strong had held her back, coaxing her to simply watch and follow until she'd been drawn into the fading light.

Curiously she shifted her gaze to the animal that now hissed and clawed, wild with a fury that gave his scent a new, hard edge that had been missing until now. Father. The alien word resurfaced, bringing with it a whole new palette of emotions she was ill equipped to sort or name. She tilted her head in confusion when her eyes began to sting and tear, a weight settling on her chest that felt so real she lifted a hand to rub at it. Daughter. A new word spoken in a voice she immediately knew wasn't hers. It felt warm, filling her insides with heavy flutters.

The two fathers continued to fight, unaware of her as she slipped from her hiding place and crept closer. When she reached a safe distance she paused again to study the creatures. The human with a metal casing was even more unsettling at this proximity, she felt her fangs bare themselves in readiness to strike even though he remained oblivious to her presence. He was powerful, solid and grounded as he systematically deflected blows then landed his own with calculated movements. Beside him another creature fought, by far the largest of the three and armed with impossibly wicked claws. His scent was also dark with a raw power that promised pain, but this animal was a servant, she saw it in the way he deferred to the human even in the midst of battle.

A long, low hiss caressed her senses, sending fine tremors through the delicate bones within her head and jaw. Returned her attention to the third figure,

Miwa.

The voice spoke again in her mind, a name that conjured another rush of emotion that clouded her mind with conflicting thoughts. Was the voice his? Who was he, and why did she feel so drawn to him?

Before she could make sense of any of it the human landed a blow on the rat that sent him tumbling to the ground. The snarls morphed into pained squeals that cut short when his temple smacked hard into the raised curb of the road.

Blood was running down the man's side, the coppery tang of it scented the air, but he didn't seem to be aware of the injury. He stalked towards his prey with the monster trailing close behind.

They were going in for the kill. She saw it on the human's face and every line of his body as he strode towards the felled animal with his pet right on his heels. Her muscles trembled, straining forward as her eyes darted back and forth between them. She willed the mutant on the ground to rise and keep fighting, but the rat only managed to push himself off the ground a little way, his defiant snarl weak in the face of death that glared down upon him with hard and pitiless eyes.

"What wisdom do you have now, brother?"

As the man spat the question a visceral reaction sparked within her. She bristled at the sound of his voice, scales rippling as her mouth opened to bare her fangs. A familiar and bone deep hatred gripped her. Metal glinted sharply as it rose over the prone figure and she sprang into action, leaving the safety of her hiding place to dart forward and place herself in the path of the killing blow. She pulled herself up to her full height until she towered over the man, unleashing the full force of her hiss to warn him back while the lines of her body writhed with tension.

"Karai?!"

The man's gravelly voice rose with shock. He stumbled back into his yellow eyed shadow, one arm still raised as though he'd forgotten about the undelivered strike. As his dark eyes met hers she hissed again, not dropping her guard as she wrapped her long body around the fallen mutant until she had him cradled within her coils. She felt the rat's claws scrape along her armour as if he was trying to escape her grip but ignored its struggles and continued to drag the spitting animal backwards towards the safety of the manhole.

"Daughter," the man - liar, traitor, murderer - was recovering quickly, coming forward again with a hand out as if he were reaching for her. "Come with me, I can heal you of this sickness." He followed her as she retreated, finding the safety of the tunnel entrance and lowering herself into it without taking her eyes from her stalker. The animal held within her coils was losing strength, she felt his struggles slow as she eased him into the darkness first.

"Karai, please."

She lingered for a moment, reaching to form clumsy words with an unfamiliar tongue, "not...daughter…"

Then she dropped into safety, wasting no time in placing as much distance between herself and the man above as she could while his name floated fuzzily through her mind. Oroku Saki.


SCARLETT

I'd lost track of time. Of steps taken. How far I'd travelled. My body was a mass of pain from the soles of my feet to the tops of my shoulders. With every mInute that passed I felt Leo's weight increase until I feared he was about to drive me into the ground. My legs trembled but somehow I pushed them to take the next step. Then the next. And the next. Hugging the sides of buildings and doing my best to go unnoticed.

At some point I realised that it was growing darker and stupidly thought that my eyesight was failing me, but then I realised that the sun was finally setting completely. The grey evening giving up its light until the streets I stumbled through were full of shadows, moaning and alive. When I'd first come across one of the mutants I'd almost shrieked in fright - misshapen humans with pink growths sprouting from all over their bodies - but now I was just blocking them out. None of the things tried to stop me, although their garbled cries kept my skin puckered with goosebumps. I tried not to think about what they were...who they'd been.

Once or twice I passed by fighting, sometimes as close as a few yards away, but I didn't dare attempt to stop or try to get a closer look. I tried not to look at anything all. From all directions came the near constant rattle of gunfire that told me the humans of the city were finally pushing back against the alien forces. Strange silver ships shot overhead sporadically and not long ago a huge metal monster had marched by on a parallel street, I'd watched the top of it's enormous dome skim past the opposite roofline and known straight away that it was one of the Kraang's war machines. It had veered off, the vibrations of its footsteps fading beneath my feet until it was out of sight once more.

I came to the end of the block and paused to catch my laboured breath, using the backs of Leo's knees to hitch his weight a little higher on my hips which were beyond aching at the strain of carrying him. Although my back still felt warm and wet I no longer had the sensation of seeping blood. His breath still fluttered softly at my temple. Things were as ok as they could be.

I stayed close to the wall, huddling beneath the awning of a corner deli as I tried to work out where to go next. Everything looked alien and unfamiliar, the streets I'd grown up on were almost unrecognisable. Around my feet, clinging to the gutters and swirling beneath the abandoned cars, pink mist gathered with a soupy thickness. The newly made mutants stirred it up as they stumbled around blindly. I watched one as it passed by close enough for me to look into the milky depths of one unblinking eye that sat where it's nose should have been, then let out an unsteady breath when it lurched on without stopping.

"Left…"

When Leo groaned the word into my ear I sucked in a startled gasp, reflexively tightening my grip on his thighs as I turned my head to try and look at him. Pain sparked through the fatigued muscles of my neck but I hardly noticed, "Leo?" He didn't answer, I felt his breath pulse against my cheek and I dug my nails into his skin to try and rouse him further. "Leo?"

His chin lifted a little, "close," he muttered and then his head sunk again and I knew that was it. It was enough. I left the shelter of my resting place and set out in the direction he'd indicated, gritting my teeth against the ache in my knees and shoulder blades.

Just a little further.


RAPHAEL

"Holy shit!"

"What?" Casey jumped up from the couch, "what is it?"

Kirby flinched as he was jostled then half rose, his fearful expression laced with hope. "April?"

Raph was already blowing past them, throwing the door of the apartment open and taking the steps an entire flight at a time in his haste to get to street level.

"Just...stay here Mr O'Neil. We'll be right back!" Raph heard Casey holler over the echoes of his descent as the teen leapt to follow. "Raph, ow...crap. Slow down!"

"Leo! Scarlett!" The front door of the apartment block punctuated his yell with a bang as it flew open and hit the rail but he was already sprinting across the street, making a beeline for the pair. His guts wound tighter the closer he got and he felt utter disbelief drop his jaw. Scarlett was carrying Leo, piggyback. The turtle sprawled over her, covering her almost completely. Her legs were pretty much the only things visible as she continued to totter towards him, but even then his brothers long green limbs were practically dragging on the ground either side of her.

Scarlett heard his shout and shifted, her face coming into view just as he reached her and he heard the wrecked sob that was his name. "Raph." Her face crumpled completely, eyes squeezing shut as her chin met her chest.

He reached out to catch Leo's arm just in time as Scarlett fell into a puddle on the road. As the girl dropped his brothers feet hit the ground and for a split second the blue banded turtle was standing, his head flopping loosely on his neck, before his knees buckled too and he toppled forward. In a flash Raph darted in front of him, stepping over Scarlett to catch his brother before he crushed the kid. He let the unconscious turtle's weight fall over his shoulder, slinging Leo smoothly over his shell in a fireman's carry.

At his feet Scarlett was curling herself into a ball, grasping her knees to her stomach while her shoulders trembled. No sound escaped her, as if making any kind of noise was beyond her. Blood. She was covered in blood. "Casey!" The harsh cry had barely left his mouth before his friend was there, face grim as he scooped his arms under the girl and lifted her from the road. "We gotta get them inside." The vigilante nodded at once, following the turtle's lead as he sprang into motion once more.

Together they hurried back towards April's building, casting furtive glances around the street the whole way. As they pounded up the stairs Raph's brain began to freewheel. What the hell had happened to them on the way here? Which one of them had spilt all this blood and where the fuck was Donnie and the others when they were so desperately needed here?

The second they got through the door Raph kicked the coffee table out of the way so hard it flipped across the room end over end and smashed against the far doorway. Raph ignored the splintering wood, shouting "Call the others, now!" He knelt and placed Leo down in the middle of the floor before leaning back to get a look at his brother. The air stuttered in his lungs when his eyes latched on the holes in Leo's plastron. "Fuck," he breathed, leaning forward with shaking hands to press his palms over the wounds. The feel of freshly welling blood drove a hard spike of terror through his chest.

"Leo?" He brought one stained hand up to feel for a pulse beneath his brother's jaw, keeping the other pressed firmly over the trio of wounds, then visibly wilted when he found one, thready but there. A thick towel appeared in peripheral vision and he snatched it from Kirby's grip, pressing it over Leo's mid section and leaning heavily to apply pressure. As he bore down his gaze travelled up to his big brothers face, catching on the ring of deep purple bruises around his neck before settling on his slack features. He was so pale, the lightest shade of green Raph had ever witnessed and it scared the absolute shit outta him.

Raph finally looked around, searching out Scarlett and finding her huddled by the couch where Casey had placed her. She was using the furniture to hold herself up, gripping the back of it, her face as white as paper. "What happened?" He looked her over desperately, "Scarlett! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He pressed when she just tore her eyes away from the injured turtle to look at him dumbly.

Eventually her chin jerked as she shook her head, "I'm fine," she croaked, her eyes going back to Leo. "Is he…?"

"He's half dead." Raph spat, ignoring the voice in his head that screamed denials, "what happened Scar? What the fuck happened?"


SCARLETT

Nausea rolled through me in an unrelenting wave. I swallow it back, forced it down, all the while unable to take my eyes from Leo. Somehow we made it here, safe in April's apartment, but I'd never felt as desperate and terrified as I did right then. Everything was thrown into stark relief by the harsh overhead lights and finally, after the long brutal slog to get here, I could see everything so clearly it made by head spin - every bruise, burn and puncture. Leo was going to die.

"Are you hurt?"

I blinked as Raph's shout reached me, the words slowly sinking into my fear mushed brain. Eventually I shook my head, "no." I swallowed thickly, "Leo, is he…?" I couldn't bring myself to finish the question.

"He's half dead," Raph growled and I jerked as though he'd punched me, fresh tears clogging my throat. "What the fuck happened?" His amber eyes were dark as they bore into mine and I couldn't hold his stare. I dropped my gaze as shame drilled into me. How could I tell him that Leo was dying because I let us get separated - first from the Mikey and Donnie in the tunnels, then again while I got caught up fighting Xever? Or that I also left Master Splinter back there to face Shredder and Rahzar alone? Everything was my fault, all the way back to the guys meeting me in the first place.

"C'mon, c'mon!" I was saved by Casey when his voice suddenly rose in frustration. We both looked over to see him pacing on the other side of the lounge, phone pressed to his ear. "Donnie isn't picking up man!" He ran a hand through his hair and shot us a hopeless look.

The other's weren't here? I straightened and took my first proper look around, somehow only just noticing that the room was nowhere near as full as it should've been. There was just me, Raph, Casey, and an older guy that had to be April's dad. Despair gripped me even tighter. Where are Mikey, Donnie and April? I could feel my breathing cutting shorter and shorter. They should have beaten us here, why weren't they here yet?

Raph finally turned his attention from me, "then try Mikey! We need them now." As he yelled at Casey my gaze dropped to where he was pushing down on Leo's chest. The sight of his blood stained hands sendt spots across my vision. I can't...I couldn't be here. I had to get out.

The second I took an unsteady step away from the lounge Raph's gaze snapped back towards me. He took one look at my face then shook his head sharply, "don't." But I took a few more. "Scarlett, sit your ass down before you pass out."

My eyes dropped to Leo. The sight of his arm, slack hand unfurled like a dead flower towards the ceiling, made me swallow thickly. I clenched my own fists then looked down, surprised by the stickiness that bound my fingers together. Red coats my hands. My breath caught and I shuddered as I followed the spatters. I'm covered in it, dark splotches stained my top and pants. How could there be any left inside Leo when it was all over me?

Raph was still talking, yelling at me, when my shoulders bumped against something solid and I realised that I'd reached a wall. I pressed my palms against the smooth surface behind me and dug my nails into the plaster. I was going to be sick, it was too hot. I could feel sweat sliding down my temples as my flesh prickled.

"Still no answer..."

"Keep fucking trying, Casey!"

A cool breeze caressed my overheated skin and I turned towards it like a drowning man reaching for a life line. A few short steps away a door was open, beyond it the evening air beckoned to me. I didn't even hesitate, lunging for the escape hatch and tripping through it to find myself standing on a small balcony. The change in atmosphere was like a live wire in my lungs, I sucked in a deep breath then pressed a hand to my forehead as I let out on a sob. From within the apartment Raph was yelling my name, his voice angry and desperate as he ordered me to get back inside. I couldn't. Before I knew it my hands were grasping the metal of the fire escape that clung to the wall beside me and I was climbing upwards, ignoring the shouts that followed me.

As I clambered onto the small rooftop a pair of Kraang ships hurtled past overhead and I snapped out of my inward spiral as I craned my neck to watch them. The breeze stirred into something stronger and I folded my arms around my torso so I could rub at the gooseflesh on my upper arms. My aching feet carried me across the rooftop, my head still shifting back and forth as I took in the view. What I saw didn't help me catch my breath or slow my racing heart. The city was being torn apart. From every direction great plumes of smoke rose to join the grey clouds that blanketed the sky. A great cacophony of noise was coming from the direction of Lower Manhattan and the East Village - a faint wave of screams, squealing tyres, twisting metal and wailing sirens mixed in with the alien sounds of hissing lasers, crackling lightning and thudding whine of machinery. The main force of the invasion was moving north, trampling through the city like a tsunami.

I moved to the far edge of the roof on shaky legs and gripped the ledge as I leaned out for a better look. The streets below were stained with the aftermath of the Kraang's passing, from above I could see it all stretched out so clearly that I was hit with absolute disbelief that I'd managed to get Leo through it untouched. From three floors up the mutant humans below were mere shadows, each one easy to spot thanks to their unnaturally random movements. There were so many of them down there, dozens littering the street as they wandered amongst the alien growths that had sprung up on every surface and the pink fog that was now almost completely covering the surface of the road.

I started when there was explosion from further off, the source of it was hidden by the nearby buildings but I guessed it to be from only a block away. The heavy boom was followed by a clattering of gunfire and I could hear human voices shouting. I hobbled along the roofline in that direction, craning my head to try and get a better look. Then I pulled myself up onto the ledge, squinting desperately through the gaps between the apartment blocks. Maybe that was the direction Mikey was coming from? He, Donnie and April were fighting their way through that mess right now, trying to get to us. Seeing the chaos from above turned my heart cold with the certainty that they wouldn't make it, there was too much going on down there. What if Shredder and Rahzar had finished with Master Splinter and were now tracking them down? What if they'd been double mutated into one of the hideous monsters down there? The possibilities made my heart ache.

I was just eyeing the space between the buildings with a half baked plan of jumping it so I could set out in search of the missing group when a voice behind me caused me to whirl around on my perch.

"Scarlett! Get down…"

I wobbled slightly on the narrow wall and Raph immediately cut off mid yell. His hands came up slowly, wide fingers stretching toward me as if he was trying to pull me away from the edge. Each step he took towards me was slow, measured, as if he was approaching a wild animal. I frowned at him and the unwelcome reminder of what was happening one story below my feet.

"Scarlett, get down from there. We gotta go back inside." His eyes caught mine, calm and steady as he held my gaze. His voice was low, its gruffness almost soothing. I stared at him in confusion, puzzled by the unusual soft edge to his tone. My gaze trailed to his outstretched hands and immediately I tensed, my eye caught by a flash of red on his palm. Leo's blood, it was all over him. I flinched as I looked away, my toes curling around the lip of the ledge.

"I can't," I shook my head and the wind caught the dark strands of my hair, lifting and tangling them. I kept my gaze firmly on the street below. "There's…" there's so much blood, " there's nothing I can do back there. I've got to go look for Mikey and Donnie."

"Scarlett," his voice cracked on my name, shocking me into glancing over my shoulder. "Scarlett, please." The look on his face was too much for me, his smooth mask had dropped away and beneath it he looked so scared. Raph was scared, probably even more than I was. Moisture rushed back to blur my vision and when I blinked it scorched burning tracks into my cheeks. I turned back to face him, fisting the tears from my eyes in time to catch the relief that overtook his expression. Behind him something flashed silver.

What came next happened so quickly the individual events blurred into one. I lifted my eyes to see a piece of the dark sky above detach itself, morphing into a polished disk that descended towards us from the far side of the building. Raph's face dropped into a concerned frown. Flashes of light then spots of pain flared lightning fast up my body, ending with a burst of pink that punched the world into total darkness. The last thing I heard was him scream my name.


RAPHAEL

A neat line of holes placed itself along the rooftop beside Raph, starting several feet behind him and passing close enough for him to feel the heat bloom along his right bicep as the rapid flashes scorched the corner of his eye. The line ran towards Scarlett so fast the sound of their impact seemed slow to follow, the first pock of smouldering concrete only just registering when the first laser bolt found flesh. A rip appeared on the outside of her pyjama leg quickly followed by another along the grey fabric covering her ribs. An angry red slash of burnt skin bloomed on her shoulder close by her neck a split second before the final blast gouged a deep furrow into the side of her temple above her ear. She didn't make a sound as her head snapped around with the impact, her dark tresses fanning out to cover her face.

The breath exploded from his lungs in a sharp exhale, mouth open and eyes wide as he watched Scarlett's body jerk violently. The wave of air caused by the stealth ship's passing blew against his shell from behind, lifting the tails of his mask and whipping them into his face, but he didn't register the presence of the vessel at first. His eyes were glued to Scarlett as she folded like a puppet with its strings cut, arms flopping loosely by her sides as her knees bent and gravity dragged her backwards towards the drop.

Air shot into his lungs on a tortured gasp, "No!" His legs felt like they were moving through water as he leapt towards her, arms outstretched to catch her even though the distance between them was far too great. Beyond her crumpling body the stealth ship maneuvered unnaturally, hovering mid air above the distant street as it turned in an impossibly smooth movement.

Time slowed. Scarlett fell from the ledge an inch at a time but he still couldn't make himself move fast enough to get to her. Her right heel slipped from the ledge, quickly followed by the left as gravity sucked at her greedily. Then she was disappearing over the lip of the building, dark hair fluttering above her like a banner as she plummeted towards the street. He lunged over the remaining distance, her name freezing in his throat.

Before he could reach the edge of the rooftop the stealth ship intercepted, gliding toward him and unleashing another deadly volley of bolts that forced him to roll to the side out of pure instinct. He came back to his feet and swerved, trying to get around the deadly alien vessel to the spot where Scarlett had disappeared. Sickening dread curled in his belly. She'd fallen. Three stories between her and fatal impact. Even as he scrambled desperately to avoid the laser despair ate at him, his breath tearing harshly in his lungs while he tried to get around the alien vessel blocking his way. The image of her head snapping on her neck replayed over and over in his mind's eye.

"Raph!"

His attention slipped for just a second and immediately searing pain lanced along his forearm. "Casey, get back!" He screamed the warning, not daring to take his eyes off the stealth ship again.

"What the fuck, Raph? Run!" Casey screamed right back and Raphael knew with sickening clarity that the vigilante wouldn't budge until he did. A roar of pure frustration tore from his throat, he aimed all his boiling anger at the stealth ship and in answer it whirred, soaring higher until it was well above his head. All at once the way was clear for him to make a dash for the lip of the building, but at the same time certainty punched him right in the gut. It was getting a lock on Casey.

In that split second he made a decision that caused a wave of anguish to roll through him, one last pained snarl ripping from him as he made his choice. He shut it down, brutally closed off the part of him that felt Scarlett's loss like a physical tearing inside his chest, and chose Casey.

He whirled on his heel then broke into a full sprint back towards the O'Neil's apartment, feeling the numbness inside spread like a creeping darkness that only left room to think about the survival of those left. He had to get everyone out of here, now.

Casey's attention was fixated on a point beyond Raph's shoulder, only his head and shoulders visible where he hovered at the top of the ladder that provided the rooftop access. Raph waved an arm at his friend, shouting as he ran to to 'move out of the god damned way!' The teen started, wide eyes focussing on Raph for a second before he dropped out of sight. The turtle was right behind him. He reached the edge of the building, planted a hand on the low wall then plunged over the side, dropping the distance from roof to balcony with unconscious ease. As soon as his feet met solid ground he reached out to pluck Casey from the last rung of the ladder and physically threw him into the apartment before diving in after him.

"What is it? What's going on?" Kirby was still kneeling beside Leo exactly where Raph had left him when he'd gone to drag Scarlett back, his skinny arms trembling with the task of pressing the towel down on the turtle's wounds.

"Where's Scarlett?" Casey panted as he picked himself up, "did you find her?"

...an angry red slash of burnt skin bloomed on her shoulder close by her neck a split second before the final blast gouged a deep furrow into the side of her temple above her ear...

"We gotta go!" Raph hollered, ignoring their questions as he skidded over to Leo's body, knocking the older man out of the way so he could heave his brother up into a sitting position. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he chanted under his breath as he maneuvered the eldest turtle's limp form over his shoulder, trying to ignore the way his hands slipped in the blood that covered both shell and skin. Just as he straightened the living room windows blew out in a shower of glass and the room erupted as laser bolts peppered the space, reducing the couch and coffee table to their right into a hail of splinters and shredded wadding. "Move it!"

"What about April?" Kirby howled, arms wrapped around his head as Casey shoved him towards the door. "We have to wait for April!"

Through the shattered window the throbbing hum of the stealth ship pulsed louder as it changed positions, then another wave of pink fire snapped through the apartment, reducing a large section of the overhead ceiling to rubble. "We stay here, we die." Raph didn't spare the man a glance, just adjusted his brothers weight as he hurried from the apartment. He pounded down the first flight of stairs, trusting Casey to follow and bring Kirby with him. He could feel his fingers biting punishingly into Leo's thigh and bicep but couldn't make himself loosen his grip, instead he focussed on tackling the next flight without tripping and sending them flying in a heap to the bottom.

By the time they reached ground level Mr O'Neil was sobbing brokenly, his cries echoing off the bare walls of the stairwell. The sound of his distress was drowned out when Raph turned right, leading them away from the main doors and instead making a beeline for the exit into the service alley behind the building. In the back of his mind he knew why he was avoiding the front of the apartment block but shoved the thought away.

...he still couldn't make himself move fast enough to get to her...

He burst into the narrow alley with Casey and Kirby hot on his heels, relieved to find it empty. In the street beyond he could hear the faint yet ominous thud, thud, of an approaching war machine and imagined he could feel the vibrations trembling up through the soles of his feet. Leo's weight seemed to drag across his shoulders. They needed something to move him in...to where exactly was a bigger question he didn't have an answer for just yet. "Car, we need a car." He panted as he shifted his head awkwardly to look upward. There was no sign of the stealth ship that had attempted to blast its way into the side of the building moments before - her head snapped around with the impact, her dark tresses fanning out to cover her face - but the fucking thing was silent so they wouldn't see it until it was too late anyway.

"What about that?" Casey darted away, dragging Kirby towards a white van with GFD painted in neat blue letters across its side. It was pulled across the far end of the alley, a few feet in as though it had been run off the road, the drivers side door open and blinkers flashing in rhythmic pulses of orange light. Beyond it a group of mutants milled about, blocked from coming any further into the alley by the crashed vehicle. Raph focussed on it, his face creasing with doubt as he took in the crumpled bonnet, then trailed doubtfully in Casey's wake, knowing that this was their best option by far. The bubble they were in was about to burst any second and bring a hailstorm of shit down upon them. With every fibre of his being he prayed the van would be drivable.

"No way!" Casey let out an incredulous gasp when he peered through the windscreen with cupped hands either side of his face. "The keys are in it!" He scrambled around to slide the side door open on its tracks. His expression fell a little when he looked inside. "Ah crap. Mr O'Neil, help me with this!" The skinny teen began pulling out boxes from inside the vehicle, tossing them carelessly behind him. Kirby obediently moved to the rear doors, still sniffling miserably, and opened them so he could begin scooping out packages.

Raph shifted his weight impatiently, sweating every second it took to clear the van. As soon as the task was completed he shouldered his way past Kirby and maneuvered Leo into the back as gently as he could. The interior of the vehicle was wide, designed to be large enough to fit as many loose packages as possible within while still able to maneuver easily through busy New York traffic. Leo's sprawled form took up nearly half the floorspace and when Raph crawled in on his knees the top of his head was only a foot from the roof. "Leo? C'mon man, open your eyes." Raph shook his brother by the shoulders then pressed an ear to his plastron, almost wilting with relief when he heard the lub dub of his heart. He drew back to press on the towel again. "Casey, get this piece of shit moving!"

The van was already rocking with Casey's weight as he flung himself into the driver's seat. Mr O'Neil slid into the passenger's side and watched somberly as the dark haired teen surveyed the controls. "Good thing I know how to drive stick!" He called back over his shoulder, "now let's just hope she can still run."

There was a victorious roar when Casey wrenched the key in the ignition and the engine immediately came to life. He stomped on the accelerator a few times then slammed the gears into reverse. The entire van shuddered as he stepped on the gas again then the squeal of brick and metal sounded as the van slowly separated from the wall.


DONNIE

More than anything Donatello hated having to reply on his brothers for anything physical. Even before Master Splinter had officially begun their training, their childhood had seen him quickly relegated to the bottom of the wrestling heap. By the time their teen years had rolled around he'd found himself officially relegated to the 'B team' along with Mikey who remained happily indifferent to the stereotype for the most part. It was a juvenile attempt to establish a pecking order, but nevertheless Donnie had chafed at the dismissal of his physical prowess both in sparring and real life altercations. It wasn't always as visible as Raph's blunt mocking of his abilities, but it was there in the way all his brothers hovered around him during a fight, ready to step in at any moment and save his tail. It was frustrating. It was humiliating. And right at this moment it was grinding his gears because he was helpless to avoid it.

"Not much further, bro." Mikey's voice was soothing but it only made the brainy turtle grit his teeth harder. He fixed his gaze ahead, blinking in annoyance when the bright splash of April's t-shirt seemed to duplicate then treble before wavering back together. He brought a hand up to pinch the skin between his eyes and huffed in irritation, hating that he couldn't pull away from the support his youngest brother offered for fear of face planting on the road.

"Dad!" April's shout had him snapping his head back up, blinking away the dark spots that danced across his vision to see the red head sprinting away ahead of them.

"There they are!" Mikey let out his own delighted yell and Donnie flinched, his abused eardrum ringing in protest. Then he was being dragged along, Mikey's grip around his shell forcing him into a stumbling jog to keep up. Before he could protest the rough treatment he finally spotted the white van parked facing them up ahead, a familiar dark haired vigilante hanging out of the drivers side window and waving his arms wildly at them as if that would make them go faster. All at once he felt a rush of relief chase away his irritation. They'd finally found them and the knowledge helped him move his feet a little faster.

As they neared one of the van doors flew open, "April!" Kirby's voice cracked with emotion as he leaped for the van in time to catch his daughter up in a hug, pushing his face into her hair while he repeated her name over and over. Even as his heart warmed at the sight Donnie couldn't help the frown that crept over his features. Where were Raph and Leo?

As they neared the van, his older brothers still nowhere in sight, Donnie looked past the idling vehicle and immediately noticed that their noisy reunion was beginning to draw a crowd. Mutant humans were shuffling towards the van from the street beyond the alley and beneath his feet he could feel the telltale, rhythmic trembling that announced the arrival of heavy machinery. They needed to wrap this up and get moving - the fact that Leo wasn't currently barking that very same order only ramped up his feelings of unease.

Before he could give voice to his concerns a familiar shout rose above all the rest, but instead of filling him with relief it caused a fresh wave of concern to grip him. "Get in here, Donnie!" Raph's call came from the back of the van, sounding rough and strung out. "Leo's been injured!"

All thoughts of own physical discomfort dropped to the background as Donnie ripped away from Mikey and broke into a clumsy run, covering the remaining distance to the van in seconds. He skirted around April and Kirby and threw himself into the back of the vehicle with his little brother hot on his heels. "Bout freakin time!" Raph was waiting for him with a tight glare but he barely spared the red banded turtle a glance, his attention captivated by the sight of Leo. Behind him he heard Mikey let out a horrified gasp. He shouldered forward, forcing Raph to fall back and make room as he shuffled over on his knees. His injured arm screamed in protest but he barely felt it. His hands were steady as he reached for the blood soaked towel that was draped over Leo's midsection, slipping into the role of medic so quickly he barely had time to acknowledge the horror that screamed in the back of his mind as he lifted the makeshift bandage.

Time slowed as Donnie got his first good look at his eldest brother's injury. His eyes scanned the three deep puncture marks in Leo's plastron, surveying them with forced clinical detachment before replacing the compression, pushing down on it firmly as he began composing a mental list of all the equipment he'd need to tend to the wounds. Then he reached out to find Leo's pulse, composure faltering and causing him to suck in a sharp breath through his front teeth when he discovered the swollen flesh that ringed his brothers neck. He forced himself to keep moving, gently seeking out the artery beneath Leo's jaw and concentrating on the faint flutter he found there. Initial assessment done Donnie addressed his brothers in a clipped tone. "We need to get him somewhere safe."

Raph responded without question, reaching over to thump on the side of the van with a fist as he roared, "everyone in. Casey, get this piece of shit moving!"

Donnie focussed on keeping pressure on his brother's torso, blocking out everything else as his mind raced. Where could they go to get Leo the help he needed? How long did they have before their eldest brother succumbed to his injuries? He shifted a little when Mikey crawled up to lean against his arm, letting out a few wet sniffs as he picked up Leo's limp hand and gripped it tightly.

A sudden wave of dizziness caused Donnie to squeeze his eyes shut so, when he felt a thudding tremor go through his head he thought at first that Casey had merely revved the van's engine. Another tremor reverberated through the floor beneath him, shivering along his shell and accompanied by the sound of something incredibly heavy pounding onto the surface of the road. The third tremor and accompanying thud was strong enough to gently rock the entire van and this time his eyes flew open. He found himself sharing a horrified look with Raphael as prickles of awareness raced along the surface of his skin. He'd felt these tremors before.

"War Machine," Mikey whispered and as one the three brothers swivelled their heads to look back through the rear doors of the van. One of the enormous Kraang weapons had rounded the corner just beyond them, forcibly scattering a bunch of mutated humans out of the way as it took a few steps into the mouth of the alley. It came to a halt and although only it's legs were visible from where they huddled inside the van, they could hear the tell tale whir of its cannon as it came to bear.

An unnatural hush fell over the tiny alley as every single one of them froze, the only sound a low 'faaaaaark' from Casey who had spotted the War Machine in his side mirror and was now gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles cracked. The silence thinned out as the massive walker stilled and Donnie found himself wondering what kind of sensors it had. Proximity? Motion? Infrared? Or did it have a Kraang planted up there in its control pod that ran the whole show?

Raphael was the first to move and the brainy turtle felt his eyes bug wide when his brother began to slowly creep towards the rear doors. Beside him he sensed Mikey holding his breath and together they watched as their older brother carefully reached out to swing the rear doors shut, the click of them latching unbearably loud. For a few seconds they waited together, the silence again stretching between them, but then the hiatus was shattered when from outside the van the sounds of scuffling arose and April suddenly let out a shriek. "Dad!"

Everything exploded back into motion. A series of bangs reverberated off the side of the van then the passenger door was wrenched open. Donnie snapped his head around in time to see his friend being forcibly shoved into the front seat, struggling and sobbing as she appeared to try to stop Kirby from closing the door. The older man managed to wrestle it shut, barricading his daughter in and refusing to budge when she threw her shoulder against the door and wrenched at the handle. A second later she recoiled sharply when a splatter of green goo slapped against the glass, then let out a heartbroken wail, "Dad! No, not again!"

"Get us the fuck outta here Casey, now!" Raph's roar was punctuated by another rough shudder from the van as something smashed into its roof. Donnie automatically ducked downward, his chin practically disappearing into his shell as he flinched away from the ceiling which had buckled above him.

"Dad!" April shoved at her door again and this time it flew open without Kirby there to stop it. Casey let out a yelp, lunging sideways to grab her by the shirt and hauling her backwards. Her grip on the door caused it to slam shut again and as soon as it did the vigilante quickly let go of her to punch the central locking.

The van lurched, tyres squealing when Casey planted his foot on the accelerator. "Hold on guys, it's gonna get rough!" The vigilante had barely voiced the warning when he wrenched hard on the steering wheel and sent them screeching sideways into the main street.

Donnie yelped, fighting to keep the pressure on Leo's wounds and grateful for Raphael who had braced him with a meaty paw on his shoulder. He focussed on his injured brother, doing his best to ignore the queasy lurches his insides made as Casey drove like a maniac through alien infested streets. Stuck in the rear of the van they couldn't see a thing which he was both grateful for and sickened by with each swerve and shift in speed. Right now all their lives were in Casey's hands.

"Wait, where are Dad and Scarlett?"

Mikey's voice was small and unsure, almost confused as if he was already doubting himself even as he asked the question. A chill went through Donnie, his mind racing even though he didn't take his eyes from where his hands were pressed against Leo's chest. In all the confusion he hadn't noticed that Scarlett and Splinter were missing. Guilt and horror coiled in his stomach, if they weren't here then…

"Raph, where's Scarlett? She was with Leo..."

He felt fingers digging into his bicep as Raph gave a twitch. Without moving his head, Donnie slid his eyes sideways and saw his brother pinch his eyes shut as he drew a stuttering breath. Oh no. No no no no no.

"Raph?"

Mikey's tone was darkening into something scared yet ominous. Raph finally opened his eyes but remained quiet as he stared into space. His jaw worked, the muscle there twitching spasmodically. Donnie slowly turned his head to openly stare, willing his brother to respond but at the same time desperately hoping he wouldn't.

"Where the fuck is she?"

Everyone jumped when Mikey shouted, April's quiet sobs breaking off altogether as the redhead whipped around to stare at them with wide, bloodshot eyes. Donnie felt his jaw drop when the expletive laden shout exploded from the youngest turtle, echoing harshly within the confined space. His gaze switched to his little brother then got trapped, his heart twisting painfully at the expression of anger and grief he found there.

"She didn't make it, Mike."

Donnie felt as though he'd been sucker punched, he let out a low wheeze as Raph's words hit him. Mikey continued to stare at the red banded turtle for a second longer, brow furrowed and mouth slightly parted as he gazed into his brother's eyes as if he were trying to decipher code. Donnie's gaze flicked between them, feeling the tension rising in the air as the turtles faced off. Gradually Mikey's mouth firmed into a line and he shook his head just once before suddenly exploding into motion.

Raph had been expecting his little brother's reaction, he caught the smaller turtle around his waist and shell as he lunged for the rear of the van, trying to scramble over all of them in a bid for freedom. Donnie suddenly found himself in the middle of a furious scuffle and practically had to throw himself over Leo to protect him from being struck by a stray limb.

"Mikey!" Raph snarled the warning as he attempted to pin the struggling turtle. Mikey let out a feral snarl, kicking out violently and catching the back of the passenger seats. April cried out as her chair rocked violently and she was forced to grip the dash to stop herself from smacking into it. The leverage allowed the orange banded turtle to pry himself away from Raphael and suddenly he was clambering his way to the back doors, reaching for the handle as if he planned to simply throw himself from the back of the moving vehicle. Donnie, Raph and April all let out yells that jumbled into one horrified protest.

"Trying to drive here!" Casey hollered, pulling hard on the steering wheel as something scraped down the side of the van with a screech of tortured metal. All of them were sent skidding sideways and Mikey let out a frustrated yelp when his grasping hand missed the handle.

"Shit!" Raph lunged and managed to snag Mikey's ankle, jerking the younger turtle further off balance so that he was facedown on the floor of the van then clambering over him awkwardly in the cramped space. They lurched again as Casey swerved once more and the momentum actually helped Raph gain a firm seat on his brother's back. "You can't go out there Mikey, it's too dangerous!"

"Get offa me!" Mikey's voice cracked on the shout as he writhed beneath Raph, the muscles in his arms bulging as he tried to lift himself up and throw off the larger turtle. Their legs tangled together, hollow bangs sounding each time one of their feet, knees and elbows collided with the side of the van. "I gotta go get her!"

"There's nothing you can do!" Raph panted into his brother's ear, pushing down on Mikey's shell to keep him pinned. "She got shot, she fell, she's dead."

"NO!" The youngest turtle snarled in answer, a surge of rage giving him the strength to lever himself up onto his knees with Raph clinging to his carapace. The older turtle switched his grip, banding an arm around Mikey's neck as he sought to hold on.

Limbs thrashed wildly and Donnie let out a loud yelp as he was jostled again. "Stop! Cut it out!" He tried to push the pair away with one hand while the other kept pressure on Leo's wound, desperately trying to protect their big brother from being injured further but it was near impossible in the confined space. "You're going to hurt Leo!"

Tears were streaming down Mikey's cheeks, his face contorted with rage and grief as he strained for air as well as freedom. His grunts began to mix with sobs as he continued to fight with everything in him. When he bucked wildly Raph almost lost his grip, a string of curses flying from his mouth as he scrambled to keep a hold of the turtle.

"Mikey! Mikey, calm down!" Donnie begged, his expression impossibly sad as he turned his gaze to Raph pleadingly.

The skin around Raph's eyes tightened, mouth thinning onto a hard line as he slid his arm from around Mikey. The smaller turtle let out a grunt, straining for the doors as he felt freedom approaching. But when he felt hard fingers clamping around his neck he began struggling with a surge of renewed panic. "No!" It was too late, Raph's fingers found the pressure point and dug in relentlessly, much harder than Master Splinter had ever done. The fight left Mikey's body rapidly like water circling a drain and Donnie thought absently that it was like watching a computer power down. Within seconds their little brothers eyes slid half shut, his limbs slowly losing strength until he collapsed forward with a dull thud as his plastron and chin struck metal. Finally he was reduced to a limp mass on the floor of the van, Raph draped over his shell and panting harshly.

A tremendous shudder shook Raph from head to toe, he gulped in several deep breaths as he sank backwards onto his knees and pulled Mikey's limp form with him. With heavy movements he shuffled until his shell was propped against the side of the van, legs stretched out on awkwardly either side of Mikey who flopped back against his plastron like a rag doll, his head lolling to one side and coming to a rest on Raph's shoulder. Raph kept one arm banded around his little brother's chest, anchoring him tightly. Donnie felt his own lungs constrict as Raph's breath hitched, watching helplessly as his older brother covered his face with a large hand and fought for composure.

Eventually Donnie dropped his gaze, limbs trembling and eyes glazing over as his thoughts turned inward. Silence greeted him. He had literally no idea what to do next.


APRIL

A sea of darkness stretched out beyond the glass, a great expanse of nothing that perfectly matched her insides. She was numb, empty. Detached from the turmoil of the last few hours as she purposefully focussed on erasing any thoughts that popped to the surface of her mind and just let herself float. The inside of the van hummed with silence. It was like a thick blanket, welcome after the screams, cries and wails of a dying city that had assaulted her eardrums which now rang softly in the aftermath. She focussed on the low purr of the engine, the whisper of wheels on blacktop and the unending darkness, letting the sounds carry her further and further out as New York faded into the distance.

"What's going to happen now?" A low voice drifted through the spaces in her mind. She blinked, slowly lifting her forehead from where it rested against the window and turning to look at Casey. His face glowed softly, illuminated from beneath by the dash lights. He glanced at her, expression so unsure he seemed to be a different person and she frowned at the wrongness of it. His question tumbled over slowly in her mind until finally she sorted out the words and pieced them back together. What were they going to do now?

She tilted her head towards the rear of the van, listening for any sign that the four brothers were still back there. She was met with an oppressive stillness. She pictured them as she'd last seen them before night fell and cloaked everything in shadows. Donnie, face lined with pain and fatigue as he hovered over Leo. Raphael clasping Mikey to his chest, his blank expression belied by his fiercely protective grip on his little brother. One way or another each turtle was floundering alone, their entire lives brutally upended. They needed help. They needed her help.

April sat up a little straighter in her seat, gaze cutting back to Casey as renewed purpose stirred. As the numb layer chipped away she found determination rise to take its place. "I have a place we can go upstate. Our old family home, we used to go there every Summer. We can stay as long as we want, no one is around for miles."

"Upstate huh?" Casey returned his eyes to the road as he nodded, "lead the way, Red."

This time the silence that fell didn't feel so empty...


Wooooooooooo! *raises hands overhead, gives herself a high five then does a victory dance* I apologise for any mistakes or rough patches you spotted, I pushed myself really hard to get this done. But it's done! Yay!

I just checked and discovered that it took me nearly 2 years to write this 'book'. 245,000 + words over 51 chapters, I can't believe how much work went into this. A total labour of love :) I don't think I've ever put this much effort into a hobby (for lack of a better word) EVER!

Thank you to all my reviewers who kept me going, every single bit of feedback meant a lot to me even if it was a quick 'good job'. A special shout out to TheRedScreech, MajorCartooniac and SupernovaWolf. (And Lchocoteddy your reviews and table flips have always made me laugh.) I seriously love you guys. The feedback you've given me in the form of epically long and/or consistent reviews has been truly amazing and I can't thank you enough for the long 'chats' you've had with me about the characters and plot. Your support has meant the world to me xo

So, as you may have guessed already, the story doesn't end here. Have I outdone myself in terms of horribly mean cliffhangers? I know I probably just caused a few heads to explode, but this is the way I always meant for the book to end. Sorry! (not sorry ;p )

I have another whole book planned...but...I'm taking a quick break. I have a very busy end of year coming up so I've decided to give fanfic a little rest. I'll still write often but without the pressure of posting. Don't worry, I know exactly what is happening next and have a lot of 'one shots' written out already.

So, I guess I'll see you guys early in 2018 for book 3. I hope you have a fabulous Christmas and New Year. I'll be thinking of you all! Feel free to send me a PM if you miss me at all ;)

Cheers,

Lizzybudd


For those who have read this far, just some extra author notes on the story in no particular order...

- Kin is not far away I promise. He will feature prominently in the next book.

- Scarlett didn't shift because a) she was almost completely physically depleted after everything that has happened over previous chapters - seriously, it was a lot! b) shifting takes time and she never had enough to do it safely c) being a leopard would have got in the way of my plans for her to carry Leo to safety ;p

- Xever is probably dead. I killed a canon character...am I allowed to do that?

And that's all folks! Review :)