As the giant mutant towered over them, both teens gulped, grabbing their weapons.

"You think?" Casey exclaimed, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You think, maybe, just maybe that's the mutant? Well, that's good to know! Glad to have you by my side, Donnie!" He raised his hockey stick, ready to smash this freaky mutant's brains out, when a bō staff smacked him in the stomach. "Ow!"

"You idiot!" Donnie snapped. "Run!"

"Run? What kind of ninja are you?"

"A smart one! Now go!" The tall turtle snatched his arm and broke into a sprint, barely avoiding the reptile's snapping jaws. They ducked behind a large chimney, panting.

"What the heck was that?" Casey demanded. "Your best idea was to run away like a couple of cowards?"

"It was a tactful retreat. Think for one second, I am begging you!" Donnie retorted furiously. "Do you know what that is?"

"Uh...a big lizard?"

He facepalmed. "Varanus komodoensis. A komodo dragon. The largest, most deadly lizard on the entire planet. It's been known to eat humans, Jones! And that's just the unmutated kind." His dark eyes dilated, looking grim. "Who knows what this mutant is capable of?" He glared at Casey, who opened his mouth to answer. "Don't answer that. They're only native to Indonesia, I'm not sure how one traveled all the way here..."

Any rational part of his brain decided to leave as he desperately tried to figure out how she got here in the first place. That could wait until after they escaped her clutches.

"Ooh...yeah that sounds bad. I mean, I only understood half of what you said, but that doesn't sound good."

Donnie stared at him in disbelief. "Just a little bit!" His voice raised several octaves. "Their bites are also venomous! So, you either die by her venom, or you die by her snapping you in half. Take your pick!" He yelped, rolling over so he missed an acidic spit that landed by his toes. "Sense of sight isn't perfect, nor is her hearing but she can smell us with her tail."

"With her tail?"

"Yes, with her tail!" Leaning against the wall, he groaned. "When we get back, I seriously need to lecture Leo about his taste in women. This is starting to get ridiculous."

"No kidding! Shit. Well Casey Jones ain't backing down from no fight!"

He barely had a second to catch his breath. Both heads popped animatedly over the chimney to get a better look. There she was, silvering towards them closer and closer.

"Found you." She purred.

"We weren't hiding." Donnie snarked.

Looking equally smug, Casey said: "Ready?"

"Ready." He confirmed, both leaping in front of the chimney to face their opponent head on.

"GOONGALA!"

"LOOK OUT!" Donatello gasped, running after him desperately. The entire movement was in slow motion. Every hit they made with their weapons were useless. Even Donnie's naginata blade made no impact. Her scales were strong, and her teeth even more powerful.

"Is that the best you've got?" Nova mocked, lifting Casey easily into their air and tossing him with a sickening thud. With her other arm, she shoved Donnie to the ground.

Both were breathless and tired, and neither had so much as given her a single mark. Meanwhile bruises littered their broken bodies.

"This is hopeless. We've gotta-" Donnie reached out, silently praying his friend was still awake.

"No!" Casey said, forcing himself to get up. "I'm not givin' up yet." Wiping blood from his mouth, he smirked. "Hey, let's dance, Scaleysnout!" He stood up, pain shooting through his body, but he refused to retreat. Even with his legs begging him to stop, burning inside him. He gritted his teeth, rushing forward with all of his remaining energy and let out a fearsome roar.

"You little-"

Whack!

The hockey stick came flying, but at least it had hit her.

Nova, now furious, effortlessly grabbed the human teen with one claw. Her grip tightened, and Donatello felt a pit in his stomach as he could only watch helplessly as his friend- the person he cared about was tossed to the ground like a ragdoll. The cracking of bones made him recoil, terrified but determined to save him. How could he stand there and watch, when Casey depended on him?

"CASEY!"

Donnie hadn't realized he had been screaming, nor had he realized that he hadn't shouted at Jones, instead referring to him by his name.

Memories flooded through as he remembered the last time they had saved each other.

Why did you help me ?" Donnie snapped, pulling away. "You could have left."

"Because I'm not a monster, alright? We're a team, and we help each other. That's the deal."

That had felt like eons ago.

We're a team. A team.

Casey...I promise I won't leave you either.

"You!" He roared, approaching Nova with fear in his bones. This mutant was beyond his abilities. Even a regular komodo dragon would be difficult. But he refused to back down. Remembering a pressure point Sensei had taught him long ago, he raised his bō, revealing the naginata blade in front of her eye. He used her shock as an added advantage, stabbing it directly in her cornea, blood spraying the ground. Her sight may be weak, but the eyes were incredibly sensitive no matter what.

Ignoring her deafening howls of agony, Donnie crawled towards the battered form of Casey Jones. He felt his pulse carefully. Weak, but still there.

"It'll be alright, I swear." He reached for his T-Phone, dialing Raph's number. "Just hang in there, buddy."

His chest was rising at least.

"You fool." The cold, reptilian voice growled menacingly sending a chill up his spine. "Did you really think you could stop me that easily? I may not be able to see you, little one, but I can smell you..." He turned fearfully, watching as the bloodied eyes of Nova now dripped down her cheeks, somehow making her look more ferocious. She didn't seem affected by it, and the second he held up his staff, she roared once again, biting it in half with her razor sharp teeth. The T-Phone tossed to the ground lazily. "Pathetic." It was hopeless trying to reach for it, as it had been smashed into pieces simply by the impact of the throw.

He didn't have a chance to scream before he slipped into unconsciousness, knocked out by the force of her scaly claws.

"Sleep tight."

~•~

Calm before the storm. Michaelangelo remembered Master Splinter making that statement not too long ago, and he felt as if it applied now more than ever. Everything had been quiet, relaxing for him at least. He had gotten some cooking done, and was about to head out for patrol when he had heard his brothers arguing. Again.

Mikey was often known to space out. He never thought as critically and had a tendency to get distracted easily. He was berated so many times for these flaws. But he wasn't stupid. Far from it actually. And he thought more than his brothers gave him credit for.

He hadn't meant to eavesdrop. Really, he had only wanted them to stop yelling so loudly since it was disrupting the peace for everyone. But then he saw Donnie storm out, and he knew things weren't right. This wasn't the normal arguing over video games type of arguing. This was the serious no nonsense Raphael exploding into a volcano kind of arguing. Though whenever Donnie was angry, he retreated to his lab to blow off some steam. Usual stuff. At least it was a healthier way to express anger than Raph...

Calm before the storm.

Mikey's concern and sensitivity for his brothers were too powerful for his own good. Swallowing his pride, (and the jellybean pizza he ate for lunch), he stepped inside Leo's room without knocking. His oldest brother was hunched over with glassy eyes and looking terribly distraught.

"Hey bro! I made some food." He said quietly. "If you want some."

"Not hungry."

He leaned against the wall casually, kicking the rolled up tatami mat aside. "D and I were supposed to hang out tonight." He added, hoping his brother would take the not so subtle hint.

"That's nice."

Frowning, Mikey tried another tactic. A bit more obvious one. "Why'd he run off?"

"Who?"

"Donnie, duh."

"We had a little disagreement. It'll be fine, Mikey." Leo patted his brother's shoulder with a watery smile. "I'm sure he's in his lab if you need him."

"You were yelling pretty loudly...we all could hear it." He chuckled. "Even Ice Cream Kitty could hear it from her freezer." He thought a little added humor would open Leo up or even reveal a little smile but he still looked grim.

He sighed. "It really isn't a big deal. Why don't you go talk with Raph or April."

For a second, Mikey considered it. He considered walking away without a care, probably off to pester Raph or drink orange soda until his stomach hurt. It was a simple solution. But he hated how Leo looked at him. Dismissive, once again. He was only Mikey, after all.

"No." He said bluntly. "Not until you tell me what happened."

Leo looked startled. "I told you-"

"No you didn't. You dodged the question."

"I said you should go hang with the others. I'm the-"

"Yeah, yeah you're the leader." He barked, agitated. "But I'm not a kid. So stop treating me like one for once! It's so ...exhausting." His grey blue eyes had a sense of maturity beyond his years, something Leo was unfamiliar to.

They were interrupted by the red clad turtle striding in. Raph glared at them both, eager to accuse someone of something. "Anyone wanna tell me why Donnie went topside?" He shoved Leo's plastron with one finger. "You said we didn't have patrol tonight. What gives?"

"I thought he was in his lab." Leo said.

"Nah, I saw him leave about an hour ago."

"And you didn't stop him?"

"I mean, I thought about it. Isn't that good enough?"

"No, no it isn't."

"Maybe he went to the junkyard." Mikey piped up.

"Shut up Mikey, no one cares." Raph shoved his littlest brother out of the way. "I know, maybe he went to the junkyard? The dork's always looking for weird shit over there."

"That's what I said!" Mikey said, insulted.

Leo shook his head. "I don't think so." Hesitating, he continued. "See...we got into an argument. About the mutant."

And predictably, Leo immediately explained everything to Raph.

"So let me get this straight," Raph narrowed his electric green eyes. "You told Donnie his inventions were bullshit, which by the way, would make Sensei beat the green off ya if he heard you speaking like that."

"I didn't exactly say..."

"You lied to us all, by meeting up with...what's her face? Nova? And now, you're saying he's topside with said insane mutant that you /also/ happen to have the hots for?"

"I agree, it doesn't sound good-"

"I'm not finished! You're always babbling on about how I need to cool my temper. Now this? This is just rich. Once again, you need to start thinking with your head," He pointed at his temple for emphasis. "Instead of with your-"

"Raphael!" Leo scolded. "I know, I know I messed up. And I'm sorry. I'll properly apologize to him later. But we can fix this. If we just think...logically." It hurt to even say that. "We'll track Donnie down."

"That's your best idea? Putting you in charge was the worst decision Sensei ever made. You're hopeless."

Leo scowled, pretending that the hurtful jab at his leadership wasn't affecting him. "Do you have any better ideas? We have to act swiftly, or it might be too late!"

"Listen, Fearless, you n' your hero complex-"

"Enough!" Mikey snarled, shaking the room with the force of his voice. He glowered at both of his older brothers. Everyone turned to him, taken aback and shocked by his outburst. "You're both acting so stupid! Donnie is out there, alone, and all you can think about is arguing? What kind of brothers are you?"

"That's not- this is none of your concern."

"Yeah Mikey, stay out of this-"

"HE'S MY BROTHER TOO!" He choked out. "How can I stay out of this? He could be hurt or-" He paused, fat tears trickling down his freckled green cheeks. "Or worse. So don't tell me to shut up. You guys always do this to me and it isn't fair. But it's not about me. Donnie doesn't deserve this. He doesn't have time."

"Mikey's right. We don't have time for this." He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, who rejected the gesture, flinching away. He had expected a hug, a word of encouragement maybe. Not this.

Leo had never seen his brother act like this before. His tone was icy and terrifyingly low.

"I didn't say I forgive you. If we don't find him... I don't know how I could ever forgive you." Mikey's harsh word cut like knives. The fact that they were coming from the most innocent and fun loving of the brothers made it more disturbing.

Leo looked down solemnly. He was right, and they all knew it. It was he who had truly messed up. His naive, eagerness to believe the best in everyone was ultimately his greatest weakness. And worse, it was causing a rift between his family. How could he have been so idiotic to think Nova wasn't a threat? His carelessness was going to be the death of him.

Or Donnie.

He had to do something.

"You don't have to forgive me." He replied, careful not to pat Mikey's shoulder. "In fact, I'd be surprised if you did. But I need you both to help me. I can't do this alone. I realize that now. I admit, I thought she- Nova was misunderstood. Maybe she still is. But we won't know unless we act now."

"We're a team." Mikey agreed.

"And if that monster actually hurt Donnie?" Raph asked, fear hidden by his gruff tone, but it was clear that he was terrified too. "Then what?"

He clenched his fist. "We make her pay."

"Guys!" April burst in the room frantically. "Have any of you seen Casey? He didn't show up for school and he won't answer my texts." Pausing, she looked at the scene awkwardly. "Sorry I meant to knock."

"What? Casey's missing too?"

Raph crossed his arms. "Jeez, you'd think one kidnapping was bad enough."

"Are you sure he wasn't sick or something?"

She nibbled at her lip. "I don't know. Riley said she hasn't heard from him either."

"Donnie and Casey?" Mikey looked anxious.

"Let's call them both." Raph said firmly. "Maybe they'll pick up. Casey's glued to his phone anyway."

"Good idea."

"Wait a sec," He glared at his phone. "It says Donnie tried to call me ten minutes ago." He glanced at it guiltily. "My T-Phone was silent."

"It was silent?" repeated an exasperated Leo. "Raph, are you serious right now? He could have been calling for help!"

"Oh don't put this all on /me/! How was I supposed to know?"

"Don't make any assumptions!" April assured them. "Let's try to call them again."

April tried calling Donnie, Raph tried Casey. Two, three times. Nothing.

"Voicemail..." Leo growled. "We have to move. Now."

As the brothers exited the room, Mikey turned to his surrogate sister who was still waiting by the doorway. "Whatcha standing around for? You're coming too, dude!"

"Are you sure?" She looked at him warily.

"You're coming." Raph confirmed. "You're part of this team, ain't ya?"

Touched, she nodded. "Let's do this."

~•~

Casey was supposed to pick her up at Kung Fu class a whole hour ago. That was the routine since she was nine. He never failed to pick her up, even if he had hockey practice. His sister always came first.

But, here Riley was, sitting by the curb. It had felt like hours of waiting. She had tried calling, texting, sending message after message. Nothing worked. Zilch actually. Her muscles ached from training, she had finished all of her homework since she had nothing else to do and she was downright miserable.

"At least it isn't raining..." She mumbled, just as a droplet of rain plopped on her head. Groaning, she rested her head in her hands. "Crap. Me and my big mouth."

"Are you sure your parents can't come pick you up?" Sensei asked her, concerned for his pupil.

She shook her head. Dad was at work, and she knew Sara didn't even know she took this class. Sara didn't give a shit about her interests. And her real mom lived in Pennsylvania with her new family.

"We can't have you waiting all night, Riley. Especially not in this weather. Perhaps I could call a taxi for you?"

"I can walk." She stood up with her iconic toothless grin. "I'm a green belt now, Sensei. And I've got Genevieve." She pointed at her baseball bat sticking out of her backpack. It was covered in rainbow stickers. "I'm armed. Well, until I get a real weapon." Riley glanced up hopefully.

Her sensei cringed. "You have talent in this art, Riley. Despite your impulsiveness...but you're not ready for a weapon. Not yet. You're still a child. And I would not be comfortable with you walking home alone at night."

Ugh she figured that as much. Being a girl, especially one as small as she was really sucked sometimes. So she tried another idea.

Grinning innocently, she fixed her messy hair. "Actually I just remembered! I was supposed to meet my brother Casey at Antonio's Pizza. Not at the dojo. My bad." She lied easily.

Surprisingly, her sweet demeanor actually worked. Sensei looked relieved. "Oh, good. I was worried. That's only a few minutes away."

"Yep! Well, I'll see you on Monday!" She bowed, then broke off into a run, forgetting her perfect posture.

Sparky popped his head out of her backpack, chewing on some leftover pizza. After a soft head pat, she turned a corner to an alleyway.

Riley smirked cheekily. Twirling her bat, she readied herself for a potential rescue mission. "Ready?"

The raccoon squeaked out a cheerful affirmed noise.

"It's go time."