A/N: First off, been a busy month, five art projects, numerous jobs on at work, my boyfriend's birthday and obviously the big thing called CHRISTMASSSSSSSSS! So sorry I've only just managed to get this one up now. But now I'll be ready for the climax of this project and updates should (in theory) become more regular.

Second of all, Merry Christmas (or just happy holidays if you don't celebrate it) to all my amazing readers. You guys have given me such a great year of comments and have really made it a joy to write this chaoticly evil story. Thank you to Beakers47 , gastershadow, aicefall,Techno Dawn, Jasmine Wolfheart, 000Marie198,ramirezsohany1110, Cinnabunni. Thank you guys so much and a Merry Christmas to you all. Best wishes for the holiday season and (in case I don't update before) Happy New Year. May everything go your way. :)

Enjoy

Chapter 22

1573 Hours

Slash P.O.V

"We going yet?" Pete cooed from behind the giant turtle, making the leader roll his eyes. In the past hours the team had been sitting on the nearby rooftop, overlooking Adamu's new compound, Pete had been the least patient, his endless questions and squawks slowly driving the entire group towards insanity. With a sigh, he turned to the pigeon, clapping a large hand on his shoulder.

"Soon, Pete. We'll move in soon." Across the rooftop he swapped a glance with Casey. The young man huffed, tapping his hockey stick against his thigh, clearly as frustrated as Slash.

A beep jolted the group as the device in Leatherhead's claws flashed.

"We are ready." The alligator confirmed, and the group's leader nodded. Turning to the others, features set in determination, he spoke up.

"Splinter's team are ready for the signal and Rockwell's group will begin planting the decoys once we start causing trouble." Mondo cheered, Pete cooed, while both Leatherhead and Casey wore matching expressions of determination, with the sole human of the group adding to the enthusiasm by smacking his stick into his hand, a sadistic sneer upon his lips.

"Let's wreak havoc." He flipped his mask over his features, only is eyes showing through the dark circles of the mask's design. For some reason, the sight put Slash in mind vengeful spirit come to reap justice.

But if he was being honest with himself, he probably looked much the same.

As a mutant that had been experimented on and imprisoned by the Kraang and by Shredder's goons, his anger towards this Adamu for what he had done to his friends felt deeper, more personal maybe, than that of some of the others present – except possibly his second in command. His brothers, his family, had been hurt by this man, humiliated and tortured beyond any sense of justice – of course he had a right to angry. He ground his teeth, looking over the edge of the rooftop to the guards by the tower block's entrance.

"Let's go." He bared his teeth and jumped, rage coursing through his veins.

He landed with a thud, his bulk cracking the pavement beneath his feet yet he felt no pain. Hefting his mace from his shoulder, he grinned at the guards, watching their eyes narrow – clearly aware that they would arrive at some stage.

Good, Slash thought, at least the plan is working…

"Evening gents." He took a step closer, making sure they kept their eyes and guns trained upon his bulk form, allowing Mondo to sneak up behind.

"Get back!" One guard yelled, but for his companion, it was too late. Mondo swung his board against the second guard's skull and he went down instantly, the confusion allowing Casey to charge up, hockey stick raised, while Leatherhead easily dispatched the other man with one swipe of his tail.

"Oh yeah!" Pete clapped in excitement. "That was easy!"

Slash looked over his friend's head to the crowded lobby full of soldiers, their attention slowly turning to their little group.

"Damn. That's a lot of skulls to smash." Casey squared his shoulders, cracking his neck as he did so.

Beside him, Mondo laughed nervously. Slash could swear he heard the younger mutant mutter, "For Mikey…" under his breath.

"Get ready, Pete." He turned to the pigeon, "We're just getting started." He quickly swapped a look with the alligator and Leatherhead nodded in understanding. He'd keep an eye on their least battle hardened member.

As the first soldiers began charging towards the door, Pete turned, his beady eyes doubling in size.

"Oh sourdough…." He breathed. Leatherhead quickly clasped a hand upon his friend's shoulder.

"Just make sure you stay safe." The bird nodded, raising his trembling fists.

"Ready?" Casey's voice reached his ears. Slash smiled grimly.

"For our friends."

"For our friends." Four other voices echoed him and as one the small group charged at the oncoming army, their voices raised in war cries, their movements fuelled by desire to save those dear to them.

"GIVE US BACK OUR BROTHER!" Slash yelled, smashing the first solider he met to the ground in one blow. "GIVE HIM BACK OR PREPARE TO SHARE YOUR MASTER'S FATE!"

Yet not a single soldier backed down. Their numbers gave them confidence… And that would be their downfall.

"Mondo!" Slash called through the crowd as several guards charged him at once, a human wave of malice. "FIRE!"

As one, the small team all dropped to the ground as Mondo threw a small device of Rockwell's creation into the air. A soft thump followed and suddenly a blue wave shot out of the object, catching all those left standing in the chest and knocking them off their feet with a powerful EMP blast.

Instantly the crowd fell, knocked unconscious in one hit. Dusting himself off, Slash stood, surveying the damage. He grunted.

"Not as much fun." Casey seconded the silent opinion Slash was just having.

"Well it's a one time use thing anyway." The largest mutant kicked the burnt out object as he clambered over the fallen soldiers to his friends. "From here it's one on one."

The sole human of the group laughed, clearly in favour of the more hands on approach.

"Well then, next floor?" He winked at the smaller mutants who cheered. The leader offered his own grin to the mix, glad to hear such enthusiasm from his allies despite the odds. When they had all come together to first form the plan, Slash had been unwilling to have Mondo and Pete on his advance attack team, fearing for their safety during a mission against such a perilous foe, however now, in the mist of chaos with the two smaller mutants perfectly happy, Slash felt a warm glow deep inside, glad that despite the darkness of these past months that he and his team had grown stronger as a unit and still had the will to continue on for those they loved.

With a jolt he found himself thinking of Leonardo – the only one of the turtle brothers he had always found he had to prove himself to, over and again. Those fierce blue eyes and that unshakable confidence of a natural leader had always seemed like a threat to him, yet now, as the group marched into the lobby, ready for the next round, Slash could feel the same responsibility that Leonardo always bore weighing down upon his shoulders. He had a mission, he had his friends to worry for – but beneath the fierce guard any leader had to learn to maintain, Slash could feel the pride for his family, the knowledge that in protecting them, he was permitting them a chance to grow and develop themselves.

Behind the cool exterior, Slash had missed the way Leo's eyes had softened as they charged into battle, the way he would put himself between anything and his brothers to protect them, and the way he looked at his family as they grew stronger – not in envy, but in respect for who they had become.

Slash just hoped there would come a time where he would be able to tell the younger turtle that he now understood – now knew exactly what responsibility felt like and that – surprisingly – he didn't hate it.

As the alligator stormed past him, Leatherhead quickly put a hand on the leader's shoulder, offering a small smile before his eyes narrowed and the teeth were borne, a fierce growl closely following as he threw himself into the next wave of soldiers, followed by Casey then by Mondo and lastly Pete, making Slash grin.

Yes, he was lucky to have such allies. And when they got their brother in arms back, the larger mutant felt like Leo would be glad to hear such a heartfelt admission from him.

"Let's do it brother." Slashed muttered before taking the step and joining his friends once again.

1576 Hours

April P.O.V

From the rooftop North of the compound, April could only watch with clenched fists as Slash and his team charged the lobby. She wanted to be down there. No, she deserved to be down there. She was a Hamato as much as anyone else. It had been her who had stood beside them ever since she had met them all those years ago, her who had been chosen by Splinter to be trained as part of their clan and she who fought beside them against some of their greatest foes.

It would only be fair that she was down there with the others actively seeking out the Master to get justice for her family, yet instead she was here, upon the roof, waiting for the right time to start spreading tracker dots – safe from any danger and unaware of the goings on inside the building.

Sure, she was helping by acting as bait, yet it wasn't the same thing.

Out of nowhere a hand appeared on her shoulder. Turning up she saw the kindly face of Dan looking out towards the building, the tension clear in his shoulders.

"They'll be fine…" He murmured. April couldn't help but chuckle at that. The older man raised an eyebrow as he turned to face her.

"What?" Genuinely puzzled, the poor guy seemed (unsurprisingly) taken aback by her odd reaction. She smiled.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Her gaze drifted back to the building, wishing she could see through the tinted windows. "The guys'll be fine." Of that she was certain. "I just wish I could take down Adamu with them… He hurt my brothers. I want to be there to help them." When Dan didn't respond straight away, the young woman pulled her gaze away from the building again, afraid she sounded too self-absorbed, yet the man merely appeared thoughtful. His tongue clicked against his teeth as he screwed up his brow. Then he spoke.

"I get it… By hurting them, Adamu's hurt you… He took me and my partner, I hear it. I'm no ninja, but I would happily go against that bastard." He ground his teeth, features twisting in fury. "Leo saved me once and I'm not even allowed to try and return the favour."

Gone was the calm front that had first struck April about this man from the start, his lack of judgement and acceptance of every being no matter shape of form had vanished leaving only a man pent up with rage now ready to explode. Such a sudden transition was quite frankly horrifying.

"What he's done," The man continued, "Is needless! Nothing can justify what he did to the turtles. It's wrong, despicable, it's… It's…" His voice broke, and without a pause April took his trembling hands in her own, amazed to see real tears gathering in his wide eyes. The anger had subsided as suddenly as it appeared.

"We know. But that's why we're here…" She soothed, "We just have to trust in them as they would do for us." Dan bit his lip, desperately attempting to regain his composure.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, "I just…"

"Don't worry. We've all been there." The red-haired woman nodded. "These few months have been hell for us all. But tonight, it'll end. One way or another…" There was a bitter undertone to her words, her desire to march into the building herself still as strong as ever, yet – once again – Dan sensed her troubles. Wiping his eyes he squeezed her hands back.

"But no matter how much we want our vengeance, we can't." April took in the grave expression in Dan's face, hearing the grudging manner of which he relayed his words, "It's their fight now. They were powerless for too long and this will give them closure. We trust them to finish it, then we're showing that we still believe in them. The guys won't want to be seen as weak. I can tell that much despite everything that's happened." The tension April had been feeling all evening in her shoulders seemed to abate slightly at this, the words soothing and offering the explanation nobody (except maybe Splinter) had even dwelt upon before now.

"So we trust them." She found herself agreeing.

"We do." Dan responded, his moist eyes drifting back to the building. "We can grab Adamu's attention with these trackers, hopefully assisting our friends inside. If we can do that, we are still supporting them. We're giving them the room they need to do what they need to do and save Leonardo."

April nodded, still holding Dan's hands, and there they stayed until Rockwell received the signal to begin spreading out, laying decoys and false trails.

As they were about to part ways, Dan paused before twisting around to face her.

"They're strong." He whispered, a small smile upon his lips. "We can save jealousy over the missions for later."

With a nod he vanished into the night, leaving April to mull over his words before she grasped her own vial of nano bots and hopped onto the next roof.

Do it, guys, she found herself egging on silently, Show him that Hamatos are not to be trifled with.

1578 Hours

Splinter P.O.V

"I can see two heat signatures on the top floor, Master Splinter. The route we mapped out beforehand should aligns perfectly with their location." Rockwell's voice came through the rat's T-phone. "One of the signatures is dramatically cooler than the first. Bare it mind it could be down to your sons initially being cold bloodied, however I would suggest intervention at the soonest possible moment…" Splinter's gaze turned to the building, then back to his other three sons beside him, eyes moving from the coloured bandanas which for so long had been absent from their faces, dropping to the bandages and scars upon their only just healing form. If Adamu was with Leonardo, then the initial plan to send his sons to rescue their brother may bring them face to face to their tormenter once more, and that was an eventuality the rat did not want to come into fruition.

"Thank you, Rockwell. We are about to proceed."

"We'll all be on standby when you need us." The ape confirmed before signing off. The ninja master pocketed the phone and turned to his sons, watching all three attempting to hide the fear in their collective gazes.

"My sons," He addressed them, "If I had my way, I would not let you any closer to that monster than we are now… However, I am aware how much you want to save your brother. I couldn't stop you if I tried, I know that." He took a breath and moved closer to them, the brands on their necks standing out in the pale lights of the city, the marks of their imprisonment mocking their hopes of succeeding. Splinter shook the thoughts away. They would succeed. They had to. "I'm so proud of the courage you three are showing, yet it does sound like Adamu is near your brother." He continued, watching the slight widening of his sons' eyes and the setting of jaws. "If we are to come across him, I want you three to retreat." Donnie opened his mouth, yet the rat silenced him with a raised hand. "On this there shall be no argument. You three are still healing. You are not ready to fight against such a brutal opponent. On this I shall stand firm." Three grudging nods were his response.

"Now let us save your brother." Without another word he strode to the edge of the rooftop and grasped the grappling hook line they had strung up as the attack on the lower parts of the building had begun.

"For Leo." Raph murmured. From the corner of Splinter's eye he saw his sons grasp one another's shoulders, reaching out to each other for support against the turmoil they were all bound to be experiencing at being so close again to the man who had almost broken them before. For a moment there was no sound except bandana tails flapping in the wind. He smiled at the clear sign of their strength before sliding down the wire towards the building. It was time to begin their attack.

Landing silently, he peered through the nearest window and signalled for his sons to wait behind him when they landed on the ledge. Once they were all present, Splinter pulled a thin blade from his sleeve and pried the window open carefully, recalling how the Blueprints had shown no alarms on the upper most three floors due to the height of the building making burglars from this height extremely improbable thus an unnecessary expense.

In silence the group slipped into the room – seemingly an abandoned office – and Donnie moved towards the door, his gaze focused upon the panel just inside the door.

As Splinter watched, he noticed the way his genius son winced as though the mere thought of tinkering with such technology actually hurt him, then, shaking his head, he reached out with twisted fingers and pressed a couple of buttons.

"Raph." He beckoned the red banded turtle towards him, "I need your hands. Mine and Mikey's still aren't stable enough yet." For a moment there was a series of hurried whispers and tinkering before the door slid open.

"All doors in our path will now unlock with a simple code, and we've locked all others on these few floors so no more guards can enter. All of this is undetectable on the main system so Adamu shouldn't realise until we're there." Splinter blinked.

"My son, you never cease to amaze me." He shook his head in wonder at the speed of which Donatello had managed such a useful hack. His son smiled slightly at the compliment before opening the door and he and his brothers disappeared into the corridor.

"So what was it, again?" Mikey murmured, "End of corridor, turn left, then two rights and two doors down?"

"Three doors." Raph corrected, "But yeah, pretty much."

"Guard." Donnie hissed them quickly, pointing at the corner up ahead and the group fell silent. Splinter rushed forth, waiting at the turn, listening as the footsteps approached his position. There was a slight rattle and a hint of sulphur in the air – weapons. Two sets. Two guards.

Simple.

As they rounded the corner the ninja master slammed the side of one paw down upon the first man's neck while simultaneously using his tail to choke the other into unconsciousness.

Both fell and his two youngest sons charged over and dragged the men into a nearby supply cupboard, hiding all evidence of the scuffle – if it could even be called that, so fast the entire event occurred.

Glancing around the corner, Splinter could see another pair marching back the opposite way, their backs to the entire proceedings, before they turned down the right-hand corridor, the exact way the infiltration team needed to go.

He nodded to his sons and gestured for them to move out silently, following his lead.

One left and one right till they caught up with the soldiers, and by that stage there were a few more guards in the corridors meaning more caution had to be observed. Only one more right-hand turn and they would be within reach of Leonardo.

But then, everything happened at once.

An explosion rocked the lower levels of the building, shaking the floors beneath their feet, causing the guards to jump into defensive positions, rushing towards the door where Adamu was bound to be.

Suddenly there was the sound of a raised voice – from the way Splinter saw his sons tense, it had to be Adamu – then there was the sound of a scream.

Sharp, piercing and full of suffering.

Splinter's mind went blank and he charged forth.

He recognised the voice, and he could not wait a moment longer. Not after that.

That scream… That scream had belonged to Leonardo.

1581 Hours

Adamu P.O.V

For the past few hours, Adamu had been receiving reports from his guards about the attack on the ground floors. Mutants – known allies of Blue – had broken into the building and were slowly working their way towards the elevator shafts in the centre of the building as if to make their way to the upper levels. The collection of dots upon the monitors in his control room had shown four figures attacking, however reports were now alerting him that there was a human male with them as well. Obviously, they were hoping this snippet of information would escape him and would use this Casey Jones to get past his guard.

Unless they weren't aware of the dots after all. Perhaps Purple had been too cowardly and not told his family after all. The possibility brought a smile to the Master's face. Imagine, the beasts' entire plan brought to ruin due to one of their own's inventions. It was a truly ironic and bitter blow to their kind.

Adamu couldn't wait to see their despair up close.

And then there was the other group. Around the building, approaching from different angles were several more signatures with more heavily concentrated quantities of nano dots. From what he could tell, Adamu would assume those other collections of dots were that filthy rat the freaks used to call 'Master' and possibly – Adamu grinned in anticipation – those pets of his come to reclaim their last sibling… And instead they would fall into his trap.

Soon he would finish his quest for vengeance and his pets would meet their doom.

Leaving the matters of the security breech to his men, Adamu had returned to Blue's cell and was delighted to see fresh blood flow from the creature's wounds, suggesting it had been struggling against the blades which held it again.

"Hello Blue." The turtle's eyes widened, and it shrank back against the wall it was pinned against. "You may be receiving company soon. My other pets will soon be thrown in with you." He drawled, a sneer upon his lips.

Blue's face dropped; what little blood remained in its features instantly leaving its features.

"No…" It breathed; voice raspy. "Leave them alone! It's me you wanted!"

Adamu stepped closer, pulling a shock stick from behind his back and forcing it against the turtle's melted plastron, making it writher in agony, it's teeth clenched to stop a scream escaping.

"I will take the vengeance my brother deserves!" He snapped, the anticipation of the achievement of his goal teasing him even more with each passing second. "I broke you all once, and I will do so again and again until the life leaves your empty husks." He delivered another shock and the turtle let out a whimper this time, its entire body quivering in fear and pain. "And you know the best part?" He leant closer and teased the mutant's ear slit, "I won't regret a single moment. You can do nothing to stop me and you will regret every action you have performed that has led you and your kind to this defeat, yet I? I will continue with a successful career, content in the knowledge my brother's spirit may now rest easy." He jabbed the shock stick into the mutant's neck and listened to the blood curdling scream that echoed from its throat.

And that was when the building shook.

Adamu pulled away from the mutant, finger against his earpiece, demanding to know what the hell was going on.

"I'm sorry sir, those freaks on the ground floor just blew the elevator shaft open. The human in their midst had some sort of bombs!"

"What about those on the roofs?" The Master all but shouted over the ringing in his ears, glaring at the turtle who looked just as confused as he felt.

"They're now trying to enter via the tenth-floor window on the west side of the building. There's nothing there, just old offices." The Master nodded, glad his plan was not under jeopardy. He had plenty of soldiers at his command inside this building, and as long as the freaks were inside, his men would stand a chance of capturing his pets once more.

"Keep me updated. What about the number of guards on this floor?" He queried.

"Twenty men total. You're in good hands, sir."

"Good. Bring me all the freaks."

"Understood."

The man signed off, allowing the Master to focus back on his prey.

"Now, Blue. Know this – when your brothers" he stressed the word, "Are back with me, I am going to ensure every torture you have come to know will be thrown back onto them as well. You will die knowing that I shall tear them limb from limb –" To demonstrate his point he targeted a pressure point in the turtle's neck, bringing all the damage upon the creature's shoulders rushing back at once, filling it with agony beyond anything it would have experienced when the Master had first dislocated them. Blue roared, tears escaping its eyes, cascading down its cheeks. "And I shall pierce all their vital areas," a strike to one bleeding palm bringing another cry, "before I soften up their tender meat and disgrace them as I did to you." he let his hand slide down the plastron, towards the mutant's nether regions, reminding it how much of its being now belonged to its Master. The turtle blushed and shamefully turned its head away, chest still heaving from the waves of pain flowing through its being. Adamu shook his head.

"Once such a great warrior." He aimed a violent kick at the creature's kneecap, enjoying the next cry of pain almost as much as the first, "Now unable to grasp weapons or stand on its own feet." He stomped a foot onto Blue's own, avoiding the katana sticking through it. "Your reign of terror is at an end. You submitted to me before, and you will never get a chance to escape again." He leant in, blood pounding in his temples. Reaching out, he grasped the mutant's chin and forced its neck up, revealing the brand marring the skin forevermore. "You are weak, useless and powerless! You killed Seto and I shall repay your kindness to him in full!" He pulled a blade from his side and brought it to the creature's neck, watching the frantic pulse of it's blood through the taunt skin, making the broken katanas branded there move as if they were alive.

No more.

It would finally pay, and what better way to break his other pets' spirits than to have them discover the mangled corpse of their brother?

He raised the knife as he drank in the raw fear in Blue's eyes.

"For Seto." He breathed, heart pounding in his chest.

"Please…" Blue whimpered, trembling like a leaf.

Adamu merely smiled savagely and brought the knife down.

HO HO HO HO

MERRY EVIL CHRISTMAS!

So...

-WHAT?! Just WHAT?

- What's going to happen?

- Will Adamu escape?

- Will he regain his pets?

- How will this story end?!

- Will anyone survive/who won't make it?!

LeggoLover99 Out.

Mwahahahahahahaha