Author's Note: Finally, I have a new chapter up! Just a few more chapters, and this story will be complete! Don't worry, like I said before, I've got a sequel planned out, and you'll still get action from Turtle Dove Tidbits! You can still send in requests for any scenes you'd like to see! Back to the main subject, Donnie is ready to go back to battle, see some more Raph and April moments, a surprise encounter, and a plan to stop Shredder and Farrah once and for all! Read and review, but no flames!


Chapter 44: Spark of Rebellion

"Casey…when was th' last time you cleaned yer room!?"

Despite the piles of sweat-drenched clothes, hockey magazines, scrap metal, and first-aid items all over the floor and dresser, Casey offered only a shrug and a cheesy grin at Raphael's growling question. "Hey, in case ya forgot, I've been confined in 'ere since I got home. Besides, Dad Febreeze'd it yesterday."

April cringed and held her hand next to her nose. "That's…not exactly reassuring, Casey. But let's forget that. Feeling better than before?"

Casey's grin vanished and he instantly gritted his teeth, wrapping his arms around himself and making his sore abdomen throb again. He could deal with that pain, though. What he couldn't deal with was being on the sidelines while bad things were about to go down very soon. Now he understood why Donatello go so frustrated since his injuries, but at least he was almost fully healed…he'd been like this for a few weeks, and he still needed to be confined to his apartment. "I'll be fine once I can give Shred-Head another blind eye to match th' one he's got. I can't believe he's dumb enough to work wit' Farrah when she's plannin' on mutatin' 'im behind 'is back."

April quickly glanced away. "He's been so desperate to get Karai back, I'm sure he's not even paid attention to her plans. Imagine his surprise once he learns the truth."

"Imagine what'll happen once everyone knows the truth." Raph snorted nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "Unless some of these people are so deluded by her crap, they'll turn on 'er. Donnie's been gathering up more info on 'er, so once he's done with catch-up, we're gonna let 'em have it."

Right in the middle of the temperamental turtle's speech, the bedroom door suddenly opened to reveal Arnold Sr. staring into the room holding a bologna sandwich for Casey. The three stared at the burly man for a moment, and that's when Casey started to panic. "D-Dad, I-I can explain!"

"Mr. Jones, don't scream!" April cried out, hands held up. "Th-This is-"

"Yer Raphael, right? Th' one Casey's always hangin' out with?" The older man questioned as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. He saw the turtle be taken aback by his calm demeanor, so it was best to explain the reason behind it. "Casey told me about you after he woke up. I ain't gonna threaten ya or anything like that…I actually wanna thank ya for saving my kid's life."

Raph didn't know what to say. For one, he found himself shell-shocked that he actually came face-to-face with Casey's DAD and didn't get shouted at or chased off or whatever. Secondly, saving Casey from random things wasn't that much of a deal…except last time, they really could have lost him to Shredder. If it hadn't been for Karai, Casey would be dead at the bottom of the ocean, and Mr. Jones would be blaming the mutants for it for the rest of his life. It didn't turn out that way, though; unlike Mr. O'Neil, Mr. Jones knew not to blame the wrong people. His son was still alive.

"Mr. Jones…I…y-you're welcome." The red-masked turtle stuttered. "I mean…Casey's my best friend; there's no way I'm gonna let 'im get killed."

"Well, if he's still doin' this vigilante stuff when I told 'im not to, it's good yer keepin' an eye on 'im." Arnold Sr. deadpanned. "If he does somethin' stupid, smack 'im around when I can't."

Casey frowned. "Dad, I'm right here, ya know."

After giving a quick nod, Raph got up from his seat at the window and began stepping out. "We'd better get goin', April. We can't be out long, or everyone's gonna worry. I'll make sure ya get home safe."

The redhead in question scoffed and grabbed her bag. "Raph, I've gotten much better in my training; I can take care of myself just fine." Seeing him frown, she sighed and gave a relenting smile at the turtle. "…But I appreciate it." Turning to Casey and his dad, she spoke, "We'll come back for another visit, and be careful if you go out…the riots and anti-mutant propaganda are getting worse."

Raph and April swiftly exited the window and made their way to the rooftops. A few seconds after they left, Casey gave a snort and turned to his father. "Those two act like they're attached at th' hips or somethin'."

Dashing on the rooftops, the sounds of people arguing over mutants could be heard beneath them, and they wanted it all to be done already. The only difference now was that there were steadily more people arguing on their behalf against the ones spreading mutant slander. That was thanks to the combined efforts of Donatello and Jack Kurtzman. Since Donnie dug up the information on Farrah's master plan, he passed that info to Kurtzman, who took to the Internet and anonymous articles to launch a smear campaign against Rosenberg. While many were disbelieving of their designated messiah being called a liar, others were smart enough to put the pieces together that her benevolent front didn't mix with her hate-mongering towards mutants.

"At least some people are wakin' up." Raph snorted, watching two college-aged people argue in front of the local gypsy parlor.

"Even they don't know the whole truth, but at least it's a start." April said dryly. Making note of the time, she got up from her hiding spot and started running again. "I'll drop you off first; the manhole's just around the corner."

The temperamental turtle offered a snort, grinning smugly. "Oh, you dropping ME off? I thought it was supposed to be th' guy that drops th' girl off. Are ya saying I'm the girl when it comes to us?"

As much as she tried staying serious, April snickered before erupting in a laughing fit, punching Raph on the shoulder as he kept grinning. "Be serious, Raph! You've put pictures in my head I can't get out now!"

Their chuckling and cutting up went on as they climbed from the rooftop to the alleyway of the familiar manhole cover. April waited patiently while Raph worked on lifting the metal lid, checking her nails and tessen every few seconds. Once Raph got back to the lair, she'd make her way back to Cheyloe's apartment and work on applying for a job somewhere in the city; she didn't want her dad's help in paying for college. Just thinking about him made her stomach turn…here she thought she knew her father so well, but now she didn't know if all she knew stayed true. In times like these, she wished her mother was still around. But at least she found herself fortunate to have the Turtles, Casey, Karai, Splinter, the superhumans…and right now, she found herself very fortunate to have Raphael.

"Well, well…so all the rumors're true."

Raph and April froze at the eerily-calm voice, one they didn't recognize. Both stood side-by-side and found themselves approached by a group of thuggish-looking people. They saw badges pinned to their clothes, and immediately recognized the symbol on them representing members of the anti-mutant movement. Right then, April recognized the person calling her out: her old classmate, Vernon Fenwick.

"Vern!? What do you want!?" April asked warily.

"O'Neil, I didn't wanna believe you of all people hung around with those…freaks." Fenwick sneered, and the redhead took notice of the metal pipe in his hand. "You sympathize with 'em? Or is it also true you're a freak, too?"

Raph gave a low growl and drew out his sai, but April held him back and glared at the group with a steely gaze. "The only freaks are people like you who buy into Farrah's lies! You're all just using this movement as an excuse to do whatever you want, no matter who gets hurt!"

Vern and the rest of the group tensed up and immediately drew their weapons. "O'Neil, I really wish you would've joined your old man and saw the light…but it looks like we'll have to make you see the light. If you join up, maybe Farrah'll spare your friend over there."

Raph raised his sai again, and April wasted no time in unfolding her tessen. Just as they feared, they'd have to take on fellow citizens of New York; the ones unyieldingly loyal to Rosenberg's crusade. As the fight was about to commence and one of the anti-mutant thugs reached for a gun, a voice from the street shouted, "Get away from my daughter!"

Vern quickly turned around, only to see a large wooden board come slamming down on his skull. He collapsed to the pavement a second later, making the other thugs turn and see who their attacker's identity was. They looked shocked, and even Raph and April couldn't hide their disbelief.

"Dad!?"

There stood Kirby O'Neil, eyes narrowed, teeth gritted, and holding the wooden board. Raph's jaw slacked open, April kept staring and found herself petrified, and the anti-mutant thugs found themselves confused.

"Kirby, what're you doing!?" One anti-mutant advocate sputtered. "You're on OUR side!"

"….If I'd know what kind of monsters would be in this group, I would have NEVER joined the likes of you. I was only so caught up in protect April I didn't see the truth." Kirby stole a glance at his daughter before eyeing his former allies once again. "I want NOTHING to do with people who use unrest to kill others!"

The other thugs proceeded to gang up on the traitor to their cause, when they were swiftly taken out by Raphael and April. Several jabs with the sai and swings of the tessen later, the anti-mutant thugs lay on the ground, bloodied and groaning in pain. Kirby dropped the board with a sigh and stared hopefully at his daughter and the red-masked turtle. Despite what he hoped, however, their faces were unreadable. Raph only grunted and gave a curt nod, the only form of thanks he would get right now, while April stared quietly at the ground.

"A-April…" Kirby began, his voice cracked in sorrow. "I-I'm so sorry-"

"You still have a lot to think about." April spat, fists clenched tightly, before walking off into the night.

Raph looked between the two and quickly decided to head into the sewers before backup arrived. As for Mr. O'Neil, he sighed and hung his head in defeat. He wanted April to say 'It's okay Dad, I forgive you', but he only fooled himself if he thought forgiveness would be instantaneous. He broke his daughter's trust, and he broke the Turtles' trust, so he knew it would be a long time before he could be fully forgiven. Reality sunk in just a few seconds later…if he wanted their forgiveness, he would have to earn it back, no matter how long it took.


Donatello gave his Bo staff another twirl before slamming it into the unsuspecting training dummy, making it swing backwards and hit the wall of the dojo. With the cloth and sand creature laying still on the floor, he didn't feel satisfied; he needed to hit something that would actually hit back. That's when his auburn eyes immediately went to Leonardo. As if on cue, Leo readied his swords and positioned himself into a fighting stance, Donnie doing the same. Near the tree, Splinter sat watching, while Michelangelo and Cheyloe sat close to the wall, the latter on standby in case medical intervention was required. Everything became silent, not even the breaths everyone took made a sound. A single leaf fell from the tree and drifted in front of Splinter's face.

"Hajime!"

Leo and Donnie cried out and charged. Each delivered blows, dodged blows, countered, all the while keeping a close eye on Donnie's plastron. Instead of bandages covering it, something akin to a bulletproof vest was wrapped around his shell and plastron, hiding the bandages underneath as to keep him from being the first target. Fortunately, his wound was almost fully healed, and he started catching up on training once giving the green light by Splinter and Chey. However, he knew the brunette remained wary; when Leo kicked him in the shoulder, he could see Mikey stopping her from getting up. The purple-masked turtle ignored the twinge of pain in his plastron and kept up his attacks.

In the place of Leo, he envisioned Shredder, then Farrah, even the long-dead Syzygy. He envisioned what he would do to them if they were right there. His attacks became much more heated, and he managed to knock Leo to his shell with a forceful swing of his Bo staff. Groaning, the blue-masked turtle got up, and both kept their eyes locked on each other. After a moment of silently standing off, the two stood straight and offered bows.

"You've improved greatly, Donatello." Splinter acknowledged, rising to his feet and walking to his sons. Arms behind his back, he gave a smile and added, "I believe you are ready to be back on the battlefield. Just remember to wear that covering at all times."

Donnie grinned brightly and feverishly nodded his head. "H-Hai, Sensei! Thank you!"

Leo couldn't help but grin himself, both at the news and his brother's excitement. "Congrats, bro. It feels good to have our team whole again. We've missed you out there."

"Yeah, D! It sucks when one of us has to miss out on a fight or patrol!" Mikey chimed in. "It's more fun when all of us are out there!"

Donnie cut his celebration short when Cheyloe approached him and started unhooking the vest. Seeing the brunette hovering around him like a stereotypical mother hen made him chuckle and roll his eyes. "Cheyloe, it just hurt for a second. I'm fine, okay?"

"Well, I have to check to be sure. You know me." She insisted, a wry smile on her lips. Her eyes went to the bandages and she studied them for blood and any foreign material that could've lodged in them. Seeing neither, Chey smiled and fixed the vest back. "You look clean." After giving him the good news, she cast her eyes down and kept her hands on his shoulders. "I can't believe it's already time...you're ready to fight again."

"I know…it feels like forever." The genius turtle noted somberly. "But we're ready to take down Farrah now, and we're all going to beat her and Shredder once and for all."

Donnie placed a hand on Cheyloe's cheek to give her reassurance, but the affectionate moment was interrupted when a voice called from the entrance, "Leonardo, Donatello, we've arrived!"

"Oh, it's Fugitoid and his assistant." Leo spoke, heading for the dojo exit. "Seriously, does she have an actual name?"

"We can ask Fugitoid, Leo. Right now, let's focus on the important reason we need them over."

Once Leo and Donnie left, that left Splinter, Chey, and Mikey in the dojo. The brunette fidgeted her fingers, turning to the orange-masked turtle and requesting, "Mikey…could you give me and Master Splinter a moment alone, please?"

Mikey blinked, but gave an understanding nod and quickly exited the dojo. Splinter found himself curious as to why Cheyloe wanted to speak to him alone, and his curiosity grew when the brunette suddenly sat in front of him. This had to be important if she suddenly sat back down, therefore the rat took a seat in front of her with the tree facing behind him like a protective wall. "Cheyloe…are you all right?"

Chey kept her head down, digging her nails into the fabric of her knees before forcing herself to face Splinter. The rat could see in her teal eyes that she looked, to put it bluntly, apprehensive. Though he knew the possible cause, he wanted to hear it from her own mouth. "Master Splinter…I'm scared. We're going to face Shredder and Farrah, and I'm absolutely terrified. I know, I'm usually keeping up a happy appearance and giving out positivity, but…but it's just a front to hide how scared I am."

Splinter stroked his beard and mulled over Cheyloe's words. Truthfully, he found himself scared as well; if this was indeed the final confrontation with Saki, would he come out alive to see his sons grow into wise, seasoned men, or see his daughter grow into a woman as beautiful as her mother? However, he could already sense that the approaching confrontation wasn't the only thing causing fright for Cheyloe. "…You are also scared for Donatello, am I correct? Not just for him going back to battle, I believe."

Seeing the brunette's eyes widen, the rat decided to explain what he meant. "I have observed the interactions between you two for a while. I had a feeling that your optimism and smiles were ways to hide the pain of your past; I learned that much from Michelangelo's low points. Because of the mask you wore…you also attempted to push Donatello away."

Cheyloe opened and closed her mouth like a fish gasping for air. "D-Did I really…"

"From the story Donatello told me of Embry Karnes, you desired to push him out of your heart and mind for fear that he would suffer the same fate as the boy. Yet the more you tried to keep him out…the more you wished for him to stay. Believe me, it is something I've seen before." When he saw her staring at him with tear-glistened eyes, he knew he hit is mark. Now, he had to find confirmation on another matter. "Cheyloe…do you love Donatello?"

The brunette nodded quickly. "Yes, without question!"

"Good…now answer another question. Do you LOVE Donatello?"

Why was he repeating the question; she'd answer yes as many times as it took. Then it clicked that he was spoke of another kind of love; THAT kind of love. To the others, they expected that it started the moment Donnie returned from the brink of death and confessed that he loved her. They didn't know it started earlier…it started the moment Donnie told her that he knew of her cheerful façade and of Embry. That night, when Donnie held her as she cried over the boy, when he told her that it was all beyond her control…and even in her sleep, she could feel him kiss he forehead. That's when the seed was planted, and it came into full bloom when Donnie told her twice that he loved her.

What Master Splinter said was indeed true; she wanted to push him away because she feared he would be another Embry, and he almost was. But the more she tried to get him out of her heart, the more he came in and stayed, and she didn't want him out. She was scared of him being let in, and now she was scared of letting him go, so scared that she wanted to keep him off the battlefield…but she couldn't do that. He had to fight, and she would be right there with all of them…with Donnie. The answer to Splinter's question came easily.

"…Yes, I do." Chey looked the rat in the eyes and added, "Without question."

Splinter searched her eyes for any deception, and found himself relieved to find none. He wouldn't have to worry about Donatello's affections being all for naught; he had the same worries when it came to his son's long-gone crush on April. "I thank you for your honesty, Cheyloe. Now, to show you my appreciation for taking care of my son, I would like to give you something."


"Thanks for coming over, Fugitoid and…" Leo looked over at the assistant, scratching the back of his neck and clearing his throat. "I-I'm sorry…what's your name?"

The assistant glanced through a book she happened to find on Donatello's bookshelf before her eyes locked on to Leonardo. Since the Turtles met this girl, she didn't speak a word, and they no longer really expected her to. Before the lead turtle could dismiss his own question, the assistant replied, "I apologize for disappointing you, but I do not have an Earth name, Hamato Leonardo. Father never gave me one, and I do not remember my D'Hoonib name."

Leo and Donnie blinked rapidly before turning to Fugitoid and sputtering in unison, "F-Father?"

Fugitoid sighed and twiddled his metallic fingers before giving a nod of his head. "Yes…she is not only my assistant, but she is my daughter. Though like me, she is a highly-sophisticated android, no thanks to those Triceratons, yet we both possess pieces of our previous lives. She did have another name, but she doesn't seem to be fond of it anymore. I suppose it just brings up bad memories…"

"Bad memories?" Leo questioned curiously, ignoring the comment about the assistant being an android as well.

"N-Never mind!" Fugitoid dismissed hurriedly. "I haven't had the time to give her a new name, and I thought of actually letting her pick out one herself. Something she can be comfortable with."

That was when Leo took notice of the book the assistant started reading, and wondered why a turtle of science like Donnie would own a book about Greek mythology. Shrugging off the thought, he looked at the chapter the young woman found herself enthralled in: the story of Perseus and the princess Andromeda. Huh, that name actually seemed catchy; beautiful, too. The blue-masked turtle blushed slightly at the thought and cleared his throat again. "Well, if you're open to suggestions, how about this one? I think you'd like it."

The assistant stared down at the name written in bold, where the tip of Leo's finger rested. After a few seconds of silence, she read aloud, "Andromeda. It is a strange Earth name, but I do admit I find it likeable." She closed the book and put it back in the exact spot she discovered it. "I thank you for your suggestion, Hamato Leonardo. I shall use that name."

Fugitoid looked surprised, and Leo could only chuckle and blush from the newly-named Andromeda's monotonous-yet-kind words. Donnie allowed them to revel in it for a moment, but soon opened up his laptop and placed it on his desk. "All right, let's focus on the task at hand. Fugitoid, did you analyze all the data I sent you?"

The android walked over to the desk and brought up a holographic screen from a projector in his palm. "I did, Donatello. While I am impressed with Miss Rosenberg's biochemical knowledge, she does not treat her test subjects well, does she? From the data you sent me, what she used on that man was a combination of a radioactive isotope and the superhuman gene extracted from her own DNA. Clearly, she was attempting to replicate the effects of mutagen radiation birthing superhuman abilities." Fugitoid suddenly pointed to a simulation created from the data, showing several cells radiated by an energy source before bursting one by one. "However, because it's not exactly like mutagen radiation, the man's body rejected the forced mutation, therefore his body literally destroyed itself. If Farrah were to use a high concentration of this substance and distribute it all over New York…anyone who isn't already a superhuman would die in a matter of days."

Donnie frowned over the information, and Leo ground his teeth at the callousness behind Rosenberg's plan. Now a new question popped up in their minds: did she really want to turn people into superhumans, or did she know the process would kill them and wanted to use it to eliminate the human population? Either way, something had to be done to destroy that chemical and whatever she'd use to distribute it. Then there was the matter of her alliance with Shredder, and with that, they possibly had allies in the Purple Dragons, the mob, and local citizens in general.

"I do have something to add; information you may find of value." Andromeda cut in before producing a map from her own palm projector. "Farrah Rosenberg will be holding a special conference at the Broadway Theatre, and many prominent figures will be present. The mayor of New York, city council members, and even New York's governor."

"Ordinary people will be there, too. But if they have political figures there…she might want to use them as guinea pigs first." Leo concluded morbidly before turning back to Fugitoid and Andromeda. "Will this conference be broadcast all over the city?"

Fugitoid nodded slowly. "If Farrah plans to distribute this chemical, she will most likely have machines to do the job in important locations. Actually, Andromeda and I have been searching the city, and we found two active distributors: one at the Statue of Liberty, the other on top of the Chrysler Building."

That's when part of a plan started coming together in Donnie's brain. "A group of us can go directly to Farrah, and the rest of us can take out the distributors. We'll need the Mutanimals to help out, and if it comes down to it we'll get Casey as well. But then there's the matter of getting New York away from Farrah's side…"

The conversation died when Donnie's T-Phone rang like crazy. The turtle in question picked it up and found a number he didn't recognize. Was this some sort of hack done by Baxter Stockman, or maybe by an anti-mutant nut? Only one way to find out. "…Hello?"

"…Oh…thank goodness I could reach you." The voice was that of an elderly-sounding man, aged and on shallow breaths as he spoke. "You are Donatello, correct?"

"Who is this?" The purple-masked turtle demanded. "How did you get this number?"

The elderly man seemed to chuckle. "Miss Doggett did say you were very inquisitive. Don't worry, I mean you no harm, my boy. I wanted to give you vital information, because you'll be more important in the campaign against Farrah Rosenberg than you could imagine."

Cheyloe knew this man, and he knew Farrah? Donnie sat himself back down, pushing aside the stares from everyone in the lab and Raph suddenly coming in rambling about something. "…You have my attention."

"Good, good. First off, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nicodemus Rosenberg…and Farrah Rosenberg is my granddaughter."

"Farrah is your granddaughter!?" Donnie shouted into the phone.

"Yes…and I take full responsibility for everything she's done to you and your city. She wasn't always like this, she was actually much more docile compared to how she is now. But I filled her head with so many things; words spoken by an idiotic man angry at the world. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have the idea that superhumans needed to be superior to everyone else." The man rambled on, his voice filled with tremendous regret that Donnie could feel radiate through the phone. "I'm sorry, Donatello…I got carried away. Let me get back to the subject in focus. I happened to discover the smear campaign on the Internet, so I contacted Miss Doggett, and she told me to talk to you. I want to give you vital information you can use to snap the people of New York out of her spell."

The genius turtle cleared his throat and found himself putting both hands on his T-Phone, his mouth opening and closing slightly. "What…kind of information do you have?"

"I wish to tell you the true motive behind Farrah's actions, and something very important about her mutation…and I want to tell you what really happened the night my son and daughter-in-law died."


"So, wait, Mr. O'Neil's back on OUR side!?" Mikey asked in shock. "He turned on the anti-mutant people!?"

Raphael nodded feverishly, now standing outside the lab with Michelangelo and Splinter after being told to leave until he calmed down. A call from Anna just a moment ago confirmed the story, and they were left wondering if Kirby actually joining the movement before was just some crazy dream. "Yeah, I can't believe it, either. He tried apologizin' to April, but she ain't ready for it yet. Really, I'm not, either. It doesn't hurt me as much that he turned on us, but turning on his own daughter? That's a little harder to forgive, and I kinda wished I'd punched 'im…but not in front of April."

The freckled turtle suddenly flashed a cheesy smile. "Since when'd you get so protective over April, Raph? I thought Donnie used to be bad about that. Could it be that something's in the air, and it's not even spring?"

Before Raph could smack his brother upside the head, Splinter beat him to the punch, only he lightly bonked Mikey's head with the top of his jade cane. "That will be enough, Michelangelo." His attention quickly went to his second-eldest son, "Raphael, while I do insist that you should not hold a grudge, I also understand that forgiveness is not always swift. Mr. O'Neil's return to the side of light is admirable, but he will have to put in a lot of work to earn back our trust and forgiveness, especially that of April's. Your concerns are legitimate, my son."

"I just don't wanna see 'er get hurt like that anymore; she got hurt enough when 'er dad mutated an' she saw that fake mom. I think we can all agree on that." Raph concluded, sinking into the couch with a sigh. "Maybe they'll make up, maybe they won't, I don't know-"

The lab doors suddenly slid open, and their brothers, Fugitoid, and Andromeda rushed out in a frenzy. Donatello and Leonardo were the ones displaying the most concern, and it showed even more when they both tried to speak at the same time. Their rambling and overlapping of words prompted Splinter to give a warning tap of his cane and silence his sons immediately.

"One at a time, my sons." The rat sighed. "Donatello, you speak first."

Giving a nod, Donnie explained, "We just got a LOT of helpful info that'll make people see Farrah for what she really is! That's the good news, anyway. The bad news is she's going to have a conference at the Broadway theatre tomorrow, and there's going to be a lot of political figures present. If the gets their complete trust, the citizens are doomed!"

"That'll make it easier for her to mutate everybody!" Raph growled when he abruptly got to his feet.

"So what do we do to stop her, D?" Mikey wondered aloud.

"First thing's first, we call everyone over here. I'll get the webcam feed set up so Casey can hear this, too. This'll be really important."

"So I guess you spoke with Nicodemus?"

Donnie turned to the dojo and saw Cheyloe emerge, looking somewhat scuffed-up and sporting a few fresh bruises. The genius turtle paled; did she request a training session with Splinter in his absence? His instincts told him to start checking over her and treating the injuries, but he knew he couldn't be so scared and end up worrying her. Instead, he took a few steps and asked cautiously, "Cheyloe, are you okay? You look like you've been hit by a car!"

"Oh, this? It's nothing, Donnie, really!" Chey waved off, wearing a huge smile and rubbing a bruise. "I just asked Splinter to teach me a move or two real quick, and I wanted to get some practice with my new gifts."

Donnie blinked. "Uh…gifts?"

The brunette quickly produced two sets of items now meticulously strapped to her belt. One looked like a folding pack, and Donnie recognized the pack as a traditional first-aid kit Splinter kept when they were kids. Perhaps Splinter wanted her to be accustomed to both ancient and 'modern' forms of medicine. The second item was another pack, but the genius turtle didn't know what it contained.

"What's in that pack?"

Instead of saying anything, Cheyloe glanced at the training dummy next to the arcade machines before reaching into the pack, drawing back her arm, and slinging it forward. The next thing everyone knew, a long, metallic needle landed in the neck of the dummy, and a thin stream of sand trickled out onto the floor. Everyone except Splinter and Andromeda gasped in surprise, and Cheyloe chuckled when she took out another needle and twirled it between her fingers.

"Throwing needles. Figured I'd need more than a gun and fire-starting in a fight. Now, let's get everyone and get down to business."

A few hours and many phone calls later, April, the superhumans, Karai, the Mutanimals, and Casey via webcam assembled in the main area of the lair. While Donnie had a premade chart set up, the others were gearing up their current weapons along with new grappling vests made courtesy of the genius turtle and other smorgasbords of weaponry available. Cheyloe, apart from the newly-gifted needles, fitted her pistol with a new clip and secured it in the holster on her arm, while April twirled her tessen, Slash polished his mace, and the other Turtles stocked up on shuriken and smoke bombs. Seeing everyone almost finished, Donnie cleared his throat, waited for everyone to turn their heads to him, and tapped his pointer stick against his chart.

"All right, do I have everyone's undivided attention? Even Mikey's? Good. Now, according to what Fugitoid and Andromeda gathered, Farrah's set up two mutagenic distributors over at the Statue of Liberty's head and the top of the Chrysler building. From what we can estimate, once she's earned the full trust of all the political officials in New York, and with everyone drawn out to view the broadcast, she'll activate them and possible others to forcibly mutate a majority of the New York populace." Donnie suddenly pointed to Foot Headquarters. "It's possible she'll even have one hidden in Baxter's lab, just in case anything goes wrong. She's keeping it hidden from Shredder so they'll keep their alliance going."

Turning the paper, the genius turtle went on, "This is what we'll do. Since her conference is going to be airing live from the Broadway Theatre, I'll hack into the sound and video systems to expose her lies; I'll need Cheyloe, Rockwell, and Casey with me as backup witnesses and cover. Don't worry, Casey won't be in any harsh fights. Meanwhile, Raph, April, and Anna will work on destroying the distributor at the Statue of Liberty, while Mikey, Kaitlyn, and Leatherhead take out the one for the Chrysler Building." He turned to the last of the group, "Leo, Karai, Splinter, and the rest of the Mutanimals will take out the majority of Foot Headquarters while Fugitoid and Andromeda locate and deactivate any distributors we've missed."

"Wait!" April called out. "How exactly will we destroy them without getting mutated by accident?"

That's when Donnie tossed a large, cylindrical object for her to catch. The redhead noticed it had blue lighting on it and a latch mechanism on the side; it looked a lot like a futuristic pipe-bomb. "Fugitoid helped me craft these. They'll first short-out the distributors, neutralize the chemical within, and then blow it up with as little damage as possible to anything nearby. I've also been brewing some of this while I've been down." He proceeded to toss several shooters and darts to the group, the darts containing a familiar orange liquid. "Use this on any of Shredder's henchmen. If we can't kill them, we can at least make them human and let them face authorities."

"Are you saying we actually have to kill them, D?" Mikey asked apprehensively. "I mean, I know they've done horrible things, and I'm not trying to justify it, but…"

Donnie sighed and stared at his brother in sympathy. "I know, Mikey…but if it comes down to it, we may just have to. Some people just can't be redeemed, no matter how much you want them to or how hard you try. Shredder and Farrah are two of those people."

"Donatello is correct. For a long time, I had hoped Saki would amend his ways, and take responsibility for his wrongdoing." Splinter closed his eyes, recalling the bittersweet memories of him and his former brother before everything went south. He remembered how it all started with jealousy over Tang Shen and the discovery of Saki's true heritage, and how he often wished things were different. "However, he refuses to take that responsibility, continuing to blame others for his wrongs and willing to risk the lives of others for revenge. As for Farrah, she is far too arrogant to see herself as wrong, and sees everyone who isn't superhuman as expendable. Both of them are simply too evil to be left alone."

Karai glanced away at the description of her former father because it hit home hard. After she found out the truth of her origins, she wanted revenge so bad she didn't care who got hurt in the process. What did her own desires for revenge get her? She almost killed her real father, she got mutated into a serpent, and she fell victim to mind control. The urges remained, but she began understanding the cost of revenge, and it made her even more determined to be less and less like Shredder. "We'll have no choice but to kill them, won't we?" She asked softly. "If we leave them alone, they'll just keep hurting people, and the authorities won't be able to do anything."

Splinter instantly flattened his ears, prompting Donatello to clear his throat once again. "Let's not worry about that part now. Right now, we need to rest up and get prepared for the fight of our lives tomorrow."

"Well, have fun convincing my dad yer gonna need me as a character witness!" Casey chimed in from the computer screen. "My stitches ain't out yet!"

"Don't worry, we'll outfit you with a vest like I've got on." Donnie assured, smirking. "They won't even see your injuries."

Anna was the first to address the need for rest and preparation when she got up from the sofa. "I suggest we meet back here tomorrow evening before the conference. Right now, we should get as much rest as we can; we'll take off work tomorrow so we can prepare. I should wear my hair in a battle bun tomorrow…"

"It's a fight fer our lives, not a fashion show, Anna!" Kaitlyn grunted. "Th' bad guys ain't gonna care how ya wear yer hair!"

The group shared a laugh at the hair comment, but quickly settled down when they remembered what would happen the next night. Donnie closed up his pointer stick and took a deep breath, stealing a glance at the concerned Cheyloe. "Everyone…this is going to be the biggest battle of our lives, probably just as big as the Triceraton invasion. Whatever happens out there, I just want to say…I'm glad you all are my family and friends. I'm glad to know I can count on a bunch of wonderful people, be they mutant, human, or superhuman. Let me say that I…" He paused to wipe away the moisture threatening to fall down his cheeks, "I love all of you."

That's what prompted his brothers to jump up and crush him in a group hug. Splinter followed, then April, even Cheyloe, Anna, and Kaitlyn. While the Mutanimals and androids stood back and marveled the scene, Karai found herself biting back her pride and joining in the hug.

Tomorrow, they would either live or die defeating Shredder and Farrah. Whatever it took, no matter what happened to them, they would defeat their enemies once and for all.


The final battle's about to commence. Will our heroes make it out alive? Will New York be ready for the can of worms about to open concerning their so-called savior, Farrah? What'll happen when Shredder finds out what she's been planning behind his back? Well, just stay tuned and find out!