Im gonna hate myself for this later but who cares

Prolog

New York was never silent, but tonight the only things apparent was that of passerby's on the street and ongoing car alarms roaring in the distance. The night beamed a gleaming green hue throughout the underground of the city. The ruckus from the tunnels echoed deep below the mudded bricks and would leave the surface slightly vibrating from the grating motions of the sewer's chaos. Most people wouldn't notice it at all, paying no attention to the ravaging battle that took place underneath their feet. And if they did, they would surely regret it. In truth, this would have been like any other ordinary night of binging space heroes and beating Mikey's high scores (or him) as Donnie was researching the dangerous purple substance collected from one of the Krangdroids bases the night before, but was instead turned into a warfare before the brother's had any time to process. It wasn't just the foot soldiers swinging their blades, but they also had to look out for the exploding debris, poisoned gas fumes from smoke bombs and alien technology very determined to kill every mutant in sight. That being only the turtles. So, all in all, not a great night. Leo was exhausted as he rose to his feet, impaling two footbots before kicking a third into a table and running over by Raph's side who just finished barbequing three mousers with his sai, "So, what's the plan now, fearless leader!? Any ideas?! Well?"

"Eh…" Leo ducked and swept the leg on another footbot, before regaining his balance and swinging his sword at its head "Try not to get killed?"

"You don't have a plan, do ya?"

"Well excuse me but in case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit preoccupied here!"

Mikey roared his battle cry and dodged another explosion. He swung his nunchucks at a nearby beam before clinging to the chain like a monkey swinging back and forth. "Dudes, why do I get the feeling that isn't the last of them? AH!" another blast nearly hit Mikey in the head if he hadn't swung himself out of harms way. Both brothers let out a sigh of relief as they scouted for Donnie probably still in his lab.

"Donnie!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming! Just give ME A MINUTE!" The purple one appeared hastily from the corner, smoke bombs in hand and a mysterious vile in the other as he used his bo to swing himself across the room towards the others. Before anyone could argue, the egg was thrown, and all remaining was the purple powder leaving no trace of the turtles.

But hidden underneath the massive debris and rumbling explosives lay a secret tunnel, also known as the 'escape pipe of stealth', named by yours truly, Michalangelo, reinstalled after the last time their home was invaded. None of them would've ever thought they would have to use it, and especially not after Shredder was defeated. But while an army of foot boots and robots where one things, explosives and poisoned gas was another.

"What the heck are we gonna do?" Raph turned to Leo who was in the midst of ceiling the entrance shut with the scattered debris. There was something frightening in his eyes. Like he'd seen a ghost. Last time he looked like that had been right after Sensei's funeral and as much as Raph hated to admit it, it made him uneasy to his stomach. "Leo?"

Donnie's scanning device started to flicker vividly in his hands, "I was afraid this would happen. They're tracking us"

"How is that even possible?!" groaned Leo, putting his katanas back in their holsters.
"Look I don't know! But what I do know is that until we figure it out we're not safe here anymore… or anywhere for that matter. sigh I hope April's okay"

"Great… just perfect! Awesome!" sighed Raph before giving the wall a solid punch of aggression. Mikey, who still had about as much of a clue what was going on as the robots attacking them, tried to put on an optimistic smile, "Well there's gotta be some way we can lose them! It's not like they can just keep hunting us forever, right Donnie?"

"There isn't… Guys, this isn't just some tracker jack like that freaky yellow goo Snakeweed pulled on us. This is biometric components we're talking about. DNA modeled links, meaning anywhere we go, they'll be able to pinpoint our exact location. Just like the ones they experimented with when working on the purple ooze. I knew this would happen!"

"So, whatever it is that they're up to, it must be pretty darn important for them that we're not a part of it. "

Donnie sighed, "In other words, they're not gonna stop coming after us unless we're dead. At least not if…"

Leo took a deep breath, calming his thoughts. Ever since their last mission he'd have this pit in his stomach. This feeling that there was something off, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. But even Leo had to admit it: this was bad. And the worst part was that he had a good idea as to why… why now, why he should've acted on his suspicion sooner or else this wouldn't have happened. But since he was the leader, he'd figured it was better not to enlighten his brothers, who'd already been so busy trying to put an end to the war still brewing in the foot clan. What use would running and hiding do? They'd done that already. It had took everything in them to find their way back home only to have it destroyed the moment they felt safe. They were out of options… well, all except for the least sane one. The one thing he had feared most of all. "Then that's what we're gonna do" Leo finally said, and the gang joined in on a collective: "Huh?!" All except for Donnie, who as usual read Leo's suggestion with surprise and uncertainty before he'd even said a word.

"Donnie, do you still have the purple ooze?"

Donnie couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're not serious-

"Okay, is anyone going to explain what the shell you two knucleheads are talking about?! Because In case you two have forgotten, there is a CEILING OF BRICKS WAITING TO POUND US INTO SAWDUST!"

Raph's outburst was only emphasized by the rattling of the ceiling. Donnie started unpacking the vile, four purple pills pouring out into his hand, almost glowing in the dark like alien fireflies. He had to slap Mikey's hand away before their little brother would have a change to take one out of curiosity. He and Leo shared a look, gloom filling the tunnel as Raph's exhausted gleam faded into confusion when he recognized the color from the ooze. "I'm sorry, Raph. I should've told you. Basically, the purple ooze, it's not genetically improbable as a I thought it would be"

"English?!"

Donnie sighed. "I've been studying the effects of the mutagen for days now, but I didn't believe it until the Kraangdroids morphed that weird pidgeon monster into a human, and like the DNA it was exposed to, well… like we were exposed to sensei's DNA… I figured…"

"Basically, we take one of these, and chances are it'll turn us, well… human" Leo finished, aware of the absurdity of it all. He'd already anticipated Raph's reaction and was therefore not surprised in the slightest when his younger brother went right up into his face, fire in his eyes and the veins in his neck about ready to pop, "Wha- you knew about this?! And you didn't TELL US?!"

"Does that mean that I can name more of my toes? "

"NO" they all collectively yelled to Mikey's disappointment. Out of all of them he'd probably be the most excited by the idea of mutating into people. However risky it was. Going to the surface like human beings… it would all seem too good to be true if it wasn't for the fact that their home was under attack and there were hundreds of foot soldiers ready to kill every last one of them slowly. Leo tried to control his panic, straightening his back in an attempt to over tower his already less-heightened brother, "Donnie said it himself, the ooze is unstable! We don't know for certain if it's gonna work, but we're kinda out of options here! They're never gonna stop hunting us unless we do something. And right now, that something, might just be the only shot we got!"

"and you didn't think that just maybe bringing that purple junk back here wasn't such a good idea?!"

"Raph! We're doing this, like it or not"

"You don't get to make that decision Leo! Don't think you can just force us to hide like cowards when you didn't even bother consulting us in the first place! I am not going anywhere and especially not as a butt naked freak!"

Donnie didn't know what to say, feeling the weight of this discovery compelling him to step in and say something at least, but he knew as well as anyone that breaking up their fight wasn't an easy task. When they were younger sure, he'd be able to stand his ground when necessary, but as the years passed the more and more Leo and Raph argued, the more pointless it seemed to try and prevent it. He just waited for the inevitable I was wrong, you were right routine, and then they'd all move on like usual. This time however… he really didn't know what to do. Leo had told him to keep this a secret, and since the purple ooze still left about a dozen different questions about it's functionality, he'd reluctantly agreed.

Mikey luckily, didn't have that off switch. "Dude, just think about it. You might actually grow taller than Donnie for a change. Or smaller, you never really know with science- Ouch!"

The sound of enemies kept creeping closer and they all realized if they didn't make a decision soon, it would all be pretty pointless anyway. Leo let out a sigh, "It's not forever! Just long enough for the foot to think we're gone for good, and then we'll turn back into turtles and stop whatever they're up to before it's too late. Problem solved"

"And how exactly are you planning on doing that, chief?" asked Raph, arms crossed to underline his very prominent disapproval of this plan.

"Well, actually it shouldn't be that hard to reverse engineer the oozes retromutagen into a biochemical-

Donnie paused, noticing the ever encompassing what are you even talking about painted on his brother's faces. "You know, pill like this one only it reverses the change?" he continued, facepalming so hard he could've left a bruise, "Secret anti ooze stash no one but us can find? The anti-purple mutagen that can stop the cells from diverging and why am I still talking to you?"

A few seconds passed of absolute silence while Leo wacked his brain trying not to strangle his brothers for wasting time. But even he had to admit… maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Of course, Raph was the one who broke the silence, making the distracted Mikey jump into the ceiling in the process, and Donnie having to make sure he didn't accidentally hurt himself. "You guys, this is crazy! I mean I can't be the only one thinking this is absolutely bonkers, right?! You're talking about becoming human! "

"Temporarily" Leo added.

"Ohhh, that means we can finally visit that cool chinese restaurant on fifth we've always talked about! Aweeeesoooome!"

Leo was relived to see Mikey at least being able to see the positive side of things, even if his other brothers were reluctant to. He was sure if master Splinter was here he would say the same thing. Of course, with the added clever metaphor made to confuse and inspire, before inevitably teaching them a valuable lesson. It was hard to think it had been two years since that day, and yet here he was… needing his father's advice more than ever. But alas, it was up to him.

"How long then?" Raph finally asked, leaving Donnie scratching the back of his head nervously in the corner.

When he didn't answer they all turned to Leo who, as of now, was frantically searching his mind for motivational speeches, most of which came from Space Heroes. After all, it wasn't hard to figure out that he was as unsure about this as Raph. But it was still his responsibility to take that burden and make an actual decision. Probably the most unbelievably stupid and riskiest one yet, but still. "We'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Great! Cause I was just worried you were gonna be vague about it for a second!"
"But by calculating the foot's efficiency these last few weeks, in statistical terms, probably only a few weeks" Donnie broke in.

"A few weeks?!"

"Eh, guys, I think we better move!"

And Mikey actually had a point, given the entire back entrance of the tunnel was now crowded with angry foot soldiers coming their direction. It was now or never.

"Donnie" Leo grabbed Donnie's shoulder, urging him to focus. Donnie quickly shook his head, handing out the pill to each of his brothers while strongly emphasizing to Mikey not to swallow it yet or accidentally choking on it. Swallowing pills had never been his forte.

"Okay, okay, everybody take one. Now on my count, swallow it quickly but not too drastically, remember we don't know exactly how it's going to work. Better be safe than sorry-

But Donnie didn't get to finish the sentence, before a loud crash suddenly send their older brother flying into the wall, the back of his head emanating a loud crack before he collapsed on the ground.

"LEO!" they all shouted, Raph wiping away the blood from a cut on his chin before hurrying over to check on him. Mikey helped a dizzy Donnie to his feet, grabbing his nun chucks and facing the foot boots to defend them. They didn't have much time to fight however, before Leo quickly arose to his feet faster than all of them had time to register. He swung out his swords, blood running down his face as he ran towards the enemy, Raph grabbing his sai in a panic.

"GO! GO NOW! I'll hold them back!"

"But Leo-

"NOW!" he yelled, landing a blow on the first robot, before slicing another in half.

"Oh no you don't!" Raph protested, quickly followed by Mikey and Donnie. If there was one thing they all could agree on, it was no turtle left behind. And though Leo persistently yelled for the others to run down the opposite tunnel and back to the surface, that didn't stop them from fighting each and every enemy that blocked their way. Leo was already badly wounded, and even Raph knew that if they didn't get him medical attention soon it would be seriously bad.

"Booyakashaaaa!"

But what none of them saw coming, was the second explosion sending their youngest brother to the ground in a flash, a solid blow from a foot boot to keep him down. "MIKEY!" Donnie was the first to reach him, decapitating two bots on his way. He still had a pulse, but other than that his brother was out cold, groaning in pain from what he assumed was a fractured rib, maybe worse.

"Donnie, grab Mikey and get out of here!" Raph yelled, his back towards Leo's who exhaustedly let out a painful grown as he balanced himself on the wall, stabbing the bot charging him with a surprising difficulty. This wasn't good. Donnie's mind was racing. He wanted to help, he did, but Mikey… Leo's condition seemed to only worsen for every enemy that charged him. If Raph wasn't there beside him, he would surely not- but Mikey-
"What about Leo!?" he yelled, slinging his little brother over his back.

"I'll take care of it, just get out of here! NOW!" Raph roared angrily, his eyes pleading for his brother to follow his command. And if it wasn't for Mikey, maybe he would've actually fought back for once, but it was becoming very apparent that this was a fight he couldn't win. So, when Leonardo finally collapsed from his wounds, all he could do was to give both a reluctant nod, before carrying Mikey in the opposite direction as fast as he could. I'm sorry, he mumbled, but realizing that if they didn't get out of the tunnels and now none of them would stand a chance either way. Raph was right. What else could he do?

Raph silently thanked Donnie for listening, but feeling his heart sink as he realized Leo's breathing was becoming more and more rapid. As he lay there shaking Raph felt himself doze into a panic. His every muscle doubling over inside him. I gotta pull myself together. We don't have time for this, he mumbled anxiously. Like a river over stone, he reminded himself, calming his breathing as best as he could. Not today, freaks, he thought, sparing his brother one last glance before rising to his feet. He readied his sai, ready to slice up every last junk of metal coming his way. "Come on Leonardo… Come on…"

Donnie didn't know how long he had been running, the only sound being the splash of water from his steps and the heavy breathing escaping his gap tooth like a tiny whizzle. He tried to get Mikey to wake up, but to no avail. He was out cold. Still breathing of course, so Donnie came to the conclusion that it was probably just a slight concussion, but it was hard not to let his worries get the best of him. Even harder when he realized the army of mousers waiting for them when he reached the subway. "Damn it, Raph… Where are you?" He realized he had no choice. It was fight or flight, and Donnie had already tried the ladder. No time to wait for Raph and Leo who he prayed was doing okay. He took a deep breath, clutching the purple pill in his hand and carefully placing Mikey on the ground, head tilted. Before the first mouser could release its animalistic screech, Donnie placed the pill inside his brother's mouth and forced him to swallow. "I'm sorry, Mikey… But this is for your own good" Swallowing his own, Donnie gave Mikey's hand one last squeeze before grabbing his bo in a fighting stance.

"What's gonna happen now?"

"For the first time in my life… I have no idea"

Donnie remembered Raph's words like echoes of yesterday. Now it was like that day all over again. But he was all alone.

He didn't know how long it took him. Sure, Donnie was able to drive the mousers away from Mikey, but what about the others? Were they safe? Did they take the pill? Did it work? How were they gonna find each other now? All these questions and all Donnie could do was keep pondering them, heart beating heavily in his chest as he reached the nearest roof, trying to focus. "Guys? GUYS?! Any…one?" He called, hoping to god that they would answer their T-phones, but no one seemed to respond. Trying to figure out what to do, his head suddenly and without warning began to hurt, aching like it was slowly detaching itself from his shoulders. And as if that wasn't enough, his limbs became numb and it was like he lost all sense of balance, shell tightening horribly, like it was slowly crushing him, and the blurry vision threatened to leave him in complete darkness. No… no it c-an't be… how? Did I miscalculate the serum? Is this supposed to happen? Is it a side effect? It hurts… What have I done? What have I done? Donnie tried stand, his legs failing him as the burning sensation in his scull only grew and grew, until he couldn't contain his scream. It was like a million different waves crashed over him, frying every nerve in his body and rendering him unable to think properly. He tried to call out for help, for his brothers, sensei, anyone, the thought of his own pain only making him fear their even more. But in the end, as he lay there bruised and burning inside, all that came out was a pained scream.

Safe to say, New York didn't stay silent for long.