Hello! Thank you for reading! This is just a warning that there are trigger warnings of blood and gore, and there is a very brief NSFW scene. It is tagged below. If you are not 18+ please bypass it! :)
Chapter Thirteen:
67 days.
Donatello carved the last nick in the wall on his half of the cell, feeling his bones scraping against his muscles. They'd taken away food about a week and a half ago. His arm trembled as he moved to lie back on his shell, and he listened intently to the shallow breathing of his brother. His stomach clenched painfully as he tried to turn his thoughts away from the protein bar being unraveled down the hall. He could smell the flavor- the honey nut ones that Leonardo liked. Raph would call it "turtle luck", but they somehow didn't notice the missing ID card he'd swiped from a guard. He noticed he drank from a flask on his breaks. The guy probably kept it quiet, blaming himself for losing it. Donatello hoped that his inference was true.
He found a crack in the brick foundation to slip it in when they came for them.
Which was more and more often.
He was thankful that Bishop was in a position that he needed them- his patience was growing thin, but he wasn't done with them yet- which gave them time to devise a plan. The worst part of it all was that Donnie really couldn't tell him where the others were. He knew that they were alive. Or he hoped, at least. But how could he tell where they had ended up? Or if they had survived that second blast? He and Raph almost didn't. They shouldn't have… I almost wish..., he thought, as a jolt of pain went through his stomach as it contracted. He scolded himself for being foolish. But really, what kind of existence were they leading? Enduring torture, day after day, only water to live on… Even if they did escape, how could they know their family was out there somewhere? He had a feeling, though. Maybe it was her continued presence in his dreams, or maybe he just wished it so much, he started believing it. He tried to tell himself not to get his hopes up. It was very possible that the reason Bishop couldn't find them was because the Shredder had already picked off the survivors. He shuddered thinking about what he would've done to them.
"Don, look alive."
He sighed as the noisy guards approached the cell.
"Get up" the taller of the two said.
"He only sent two this time?" Raph said, followed by a glare from Don.
"Shut up mutie, hands out. Don't make me have to use this!" He put a hand on his baton and flipped the switch, the air echoing with the buzzing of electricity. Raph rolled his eyes and shakily stood, as did Don. They cuffed them and shoved them out of the cell. The light of the hallway made them squint as they were led down the familiar path to the room. Inside, Agent Bishop stood, waiting. They both lifted their arms for the cuffs to be removed, but he held a hand out.
"No. We're doing things a little differently today." The soldiers nodded, and stood at the door. The room fell silent as they awaited his speech. The man strolled to a table and pulled out a knife. He turned it over in his hand, the light catching it. "Let's have a little fun, shall we?" he said over his shoulder.
Michelangelo sat on the porch, coffee in hand. He never liked the stuff. No matter how much cream he added, it was just never sweet enough. How Don and April drank it black, he couldn't fathom. The steam rolled up into the cold morning air and he grimaced as he took another sip. Birds chirped somewhere in the woods and the sun was beginning to rise. He took a deep breath, and held it for a little extra time before letting it go. A tear escaped down his cheek and he wiped it away. He hoped Leo was alright. He hoped he would come back. He wondered, suddenly, if Mondo had heard. The mutant community in New York was pretty vast, but still small enough for word to spread. They were like royalty among some of them. He heard once that they had a mutant speakeasy bar with blurry images of them on the walls. Stories were told about the "infamous turtles". He wondered if Murakami knew, and hoped the Purple Dragons were staying out of his way. He took another sip of coffee, when he felt a brush of wind and turned.
"Renet."
She smiled.
"Mikey."
He stood and met her halfway down the porch. He wrapped her in an embrace, and she laughed lightly against his neck. He stepped back, and grabbed her hands.
"Long time no see," he said.
"Sorry… I've had exams and then I got in trouble, which was totally not cold and- anyway, you don't care about that stuff." She took her hands from his, and stepped past him. "Coffee?"
"Yeah, I… guess I just wanted to see what all the hype was about. Don loved the stuff."
"Do you mind if I try it? We have no need for it where I live. If you're feeling tired, I can bring you some caffeine supplements. We have pills, patches, candy…"
"Nah, go ahead. I'll warn you, though-"
She cut him off, spraying the liquid all over the steps.
"Oh, gross!"
"Okay, so I'm not crazy!" he said, laughing. She set the mug down, attempting to wipe herself off. He walked over and took the cup from her, setting it down. He brushed a few drops of coffee off of her arm and shoulders, freezing as his hand nearly grazed her breast. He looked up at her, and she smiled warmly down at him.
"Renet-" he began, but it was for naught. She grabbed him by the skull and crushed her lips to his. He slid a hand to her waist, the other to her cheek. Her tongue glided across his bottom lip and his lungs began to gasp for air just as they pulled away from each other, panting. Mikey rested his forehead against hers, and she smiled.
"You taste like coffee," she whispered.
"I was gonna say the same thing!"
They laughed, until they heard a thud in the barn, followed by a cry of anger. A flash of light coming from within made lines dance across the grass. His face fell.
"Mikey?"
He sat in the chair, and she walked over to him.
"I just wish she would forget it. As if losing-" He stopped, swallowing. "As if losing them wasn't enough, getting my hopes up just to go through that all again, I… I can't do it."
She sat too, laying a hand on his.
"She needs to go through her process. Grief is… tricky. Everyone's is different. When I lost my Dad-"
"What? You never told me that…"
"It was… a long time ago. Before I met you. I was around ten years old. That's actually just before I started studying with Lord Simultaneous. I remember feeling so angry. Especially at the doctors that couldn't save him. But, then at all the people who showed up for his funeral. People he barely knew. I remember thinking 'why are they here? They don't know him anymore'. People we hadn't seen in years were crying over his casket and all I could focus on was that he was my dad. They had no right to mourn him… But they did. And they were doing it in their own way. You have to let her go through it."
He sighed, taking her hand. He rubbed his thumb back and forth across her knuckles and she glanced out into the yard. The fog was lifting.
When Karai woke, it took awhile for her eyes to adjust. It was early morning, probably around 6am, the sun dimly lighting the sky. Longer days, now. For a moment, the place looked beautiful, in its own way. Light shining through the broken windows, the summer breeze wafting in from the caved in ceiling.
"You're up," a voice said from behind her. She grit her teeth. He stalked around her, almost silently. When he stood before her, he looked like he hadn't slept. The turtle offered her a sip of water, but she turned her head away- he shrugged, and gulped it down himself. He leaned against the wall to her left, and looked up at her, his eyes narrowing. "Splinter told me a story about your mother… She had to choose between them, you know." He began pacing in front of her. "When Shredder found out that he was adopted, he began to realize that the Hamato clan hadn't always been as honorable as they let on. And he started lashing out. He was the only survivor. He needed to get what he was owed." Leonardo stopped and looked her in the eye. "Shen-"
"Don't you dare say her name!" Karai shouted. He ignored her.
"... had originally had her eye on Saki… He and Yoshi were in the town over, shopping for groceries, and she spotted them by the ginger. Yoshi noticed her immediately. Saki, too busy brooding, didn't notice him sneak over and politely introduce himself… After awhile, she began to come around more often. They were her friends. But rather quickly, she began to develop feelings for both of them. The nature of which, she was unsure. Eventually, she realized that she liked them both, but… what she felt for Yoshi was love. Of course, as he began to spend more time with her, Saki became jealous. The only friend and brother he had was walking away with the woman he loved. And he started to spiral."
He took a step toward her.
"He plotted to murder Yoshi. And I know you know this story, but you should know the one that's true. They got married. And then there was you."
She clenched her jaw, wishing she could punch his teeth in. He continued, eyeing her after every couple of words.
"And although his jealousy still burned inside him, still made him want his plan to come to fruition, he realized that it was not the time. Not yet. He was there, when you were born. Their closest friend and brother. And still had thoughts of homicide. A few months go by. Shen-"
"I told you-"
"-decided that with the new Foot activity, it was no longer safe. Not for you, not for anyone. Yoshi disagreed. As long as he was there, they were always protected. They argued. She wanted to bring you here, to the United States. But he wanted to remain loyal to his clan. She turned to Saki for advice and naturally, he said of course they would leave. He would always love and protect them… Until he didn't."
Leonardo took a couple steps closer, keeping his gaze on her, intently looking for a reaction.
"It wasn't the fire that killed her."
She blinked.
"It was Saki who delivered the fatal blow. He killed her."
"That's not true. He loved her. He wouldn't-"
"Have you noticed… talented kunoichi like you… How willing he's always been to put you in harm's way? To experiment. To give you dangerous tasks, with dangerous men. To leave you suspended above a vat of mutagen-"
"ENOUGH!" she screamed, yanking her arm free of the rope and landing a blow against his jaw. He staggered back, holding his cheek, and growled. The chair fell over with the effort, and she yelped as her shoulder hit the ground. She attempted to free her other arm, but it was trapped beneath the chair, and her feet were still tied. In almost no time, he had her arm pinned against her back again, kicking the chair up with his leg. He yanked a little too hard as he tied her arm back in place, tight enough to cut off her circulation. He said nothing, as his lip bled and as she struggled against her binds.
"Do you really think, as hell-bent on murdering us and Splinter as he was, he would leave Yoshi alive that day at the dojo?"
She blinked.
"He barely escaped because it was his blade that took her life. It wasn't the fire, it wasn't Splinter… She jumped between them…" He looked back at her then, sincerity in his eyes. "I know you're in there. I know you know the truth. Please just- think of my brothers. Think of Mikey and Raph and Donnie. Think of our father. It broke his heart when you disappeared. He said a prayer for you every day. His children are all important to him, but you… You were his flesh and blood. He spent sixteen years thinking you had died, and he finally got you back just for you to leave again. Just imagine-"
"AAARRGHH!" She yelled, writhing beneath the rope. Her body contorted as she fought against Shredder's control. Her back arched off of the chair and his eyes widened as he watched her shoulder pop out of place. She screamed in agony, then drooped against the chair, her head swaying as it hung down.
"Karai! Karai!" Leonardo yelled, crouching down to her level. His eyes frantically searched her unconscious face, before her eyes suddenly sprung open. She blanched and gagged, and he jumped back just in time for her to vomit the worm out. It shrieked as he stabbed it with a katana and turned to her.
She looked up at him with wide eyes, and he fell to his knees to embrace her. Her breathing slowed and she finally spoke up.
"When I said I wanted to be tied up, I was expecting something a little kinkier," she whispered, followed by a breathy laugh. He smiled.
"Let's set this shoulder-"
"Leo, I know where they are."
"Some ninjas you are," Bishop exclaimed. His hair was damp with sweat, and fell across his forehead. Between the slits of his swollen eye, Raphael could see the glint in his eye- this motherfucker was certifiable. He pushed himself up again with his legs, the cuffs on his wrists had already dug their way into his skin. "Fight back, damnit!"
Raphael dodged a blow that would've likely rendered him unconscious and tried to search the room for Donatello. He saw him getting up to his left and dodged again in that direction. He finally got in a swift kick to the gut, causing the man to double over. Donatello rushed him while he was down, jutting his knee up and colliding it with his face. He faltered back, turning back to smile at them with bloody teeth. Just then, he reached into his jacket and threw a knife that lodged itself in Donatello's shoulder.
"Ahh!" He yelled, his lip turning up in a snarl. He felt the warm blood slide down his arm like a faucet as he somersaulted on the other shoulder across the room. The beam of a Kraang gun whizzed by his face and he had no time before Bishop's foot came down against his head. He regained consciousness not too long after, to see the blurry image of Raphael being restrained by two guards. Bishop wiped blood from his mouth, before turning around to face him. The guards got Raphael locked in and stood stock still beside him as he struggled against the metal confines. Donatello was too weak to stand- he'd lost a lot of blood and reckoned he had a mild concussion from the kick to his head -which made it easy for the guards to follow Bishop's orders and restrain him. The stronger of the two held him in a chokehold while the other switched the cuffs and pinned his arms against his shell.
"Clearly you need a bit of persuading," Bishop said, pushing his hair back. He reached for a handkerchief to wipe his hands. His fingers danced over a table of knives and utensils, before lifting one into the light. He softly glided the blade across Raphael's legs, pressing hard enough to make him bleed in some spots. He moved it to his arms, digging into the flesh on his left forearm. He could see his brother wince and he grit his teeth. "Now Donatello, you're smart… So you'll do well to answer my questions honestly. Where are the others?"
"I told you-"
"Ah, ah, ah," he said, flipping the knife and stabbing it cleanly into Raphael's thigh.
"AGH!" he cried out, breathing heavily through his nose.
"The truth, Donatello."
"They're dead! How many times do I have to-"
With the snap of his fingers, Bishop ordered the guard to tighten his grip against Donatello's throat. Bishop pulled the knife out of his brother's leg, and he rolled the handle around in his hand. The other pulled out a cellphone.
"How would you explain this?!" He yelled, shoving the screen in his face. There was no mistaking.
It was Leonardo.
"My patrols caught this image near the explosion site yesterday. So imagine my surprise when you've told me for two months that they were gone!"
Bishop turned and walked back to Raphael, who's eyes were starting to flutter. He swiftly kicked his shin hard enough for them all to hear a crack, and the red banded turtle barely yelped before passing out.
"I had no idea, please, you have to believe me! The blast should've killed him too!"
"WHERE ARE THEY?!" he boomed, landing a fist against Donatello's jaw.
"Even if I did know-" he was cut off by another blow. He spat blood onto the man's face and he snarled. Before he could even blink, Bishop had a knife to his throat.
"Tell me. Where. They are."
Donatello's Adam's apple bobbed and the knife pressed harder against his skin.
"You see, I have a client. They help take care of alien freaks like you. And this client… well, they're growing impatient. After the Kraang invasion, those corporate fucks rescinded our funding because they didn't see fit to keep the Earth Protection Force around- after all, we couldn't even do the task we were paid to do. Which got me thinking… What were we missing? Where did we go wrong? Then it came to my attention that you were living among us. Eating our food. Siphoning our water. Our electricity. As if you were us." Bishop in his rage, spit on the terrapin's face, and he was starting to grow impatient. "I've made it my duty to wipe out all of this… filth from the planet. It's simply unnatural. Those monstrosities with conditions such as yours, well… Don't you think they deserve better? They don't deserve to suffer a life of solitude."
"So you would kill them?!"
"Wouldn't you want to be put out of this misery? Be free of this… monstrous form?"
Donatello grit his teeth. He had to admit that sometimes the misery was too much- sometimes, the solitude and the idea of perpetual loneliness was overwhelming… Until they met April. And Casey. Until their acceptance gave them hope. He wished suddenly that they'd never met. He was just so tired. Couldn't he just get it over with?
The man's phone rang again and he slicked his hair back with one hand, leaving traces of Raphael's blood in it.
"Agent Bishop," he said after a beat. "Yes sir. In fact, I've got them right-"
A siren wailed the signal of a breach and with a snap of his fingers, the guards yanked the brothers down the hall toward their cell. Red lights flashed and groups of soldiers sprinted past them, shouting. All the creatures they held captive buzzed.
"What's happening?"
"Are they just gonna leave us here?"
"Mommy! Mommy, where are you?!"
Donatello's head jerked back in time to watch a guard slip a baton through the bars and electrocute a small mutant child. He tried to break free, but a blow to the back of his head rendered him unconscious.
He dreamt of her.
I'm going to find you. No matter what it takes.
"They'll be looking for me," Karai stated, flatly, as Leonardo settled her arm into a makeshift sling. She hissed as the small movement disrupted her aching shoulder. Normally she could shake it off, but he really did a number on her. She absentmindedly grazed her fingers over the ligature marks on her wrists.
"I'm so sorry," he said again. For the hundredth time. She rolled her eyes.
"No reason," she said, adjusting her position in the chair. "Thanks for bringing me back."
He stared up at her, like if he blinked, she'd vanish. She didn't blame him- disappearing acts were her specialty. His hand rested gently on her thigh, and she blushed. She opened her mouth to say something when he suddenly stood and packed up his suture kit and bandages. She recognized the backpack- it had hung on the wall at the farmhouse when she padded through each room by the light of the moon. She almost woke him, but-
"TCRI?" he asked, confirming. She noticed the slightest waver in his voice.
"That's what I heard. Shredder's been working with some rogue EPF agent, doing some experiments and kidnapping mutants." She shuddered. If what he did to her was any indication of what those poor mutants were going through- what Donatello and Raphael were…
The shink of his katana settling into their sheaths pulled her back.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"You shouldn't have to ask."
"Leo, you can't. I'm sorry, it's… we're not just talking Foot bots and goons. This facility is heavily armed and guarded by hundreds of soldiers. You can't just wing it and find a way in."
"Then what would you suggest I do? I won't let them desecrate my brothers' bodies like that. They deserve to be buried. To be at peace."
She blinked.
He didn't know.
"No, Leo you have to listen-"
She reached out for his arm.
"You can't stop me!" he yelled, yanking it out of her grip. Her good arm twitched to protect her face, but he lowered it. "I've waited too long already."
The turtle turned to leave, and she stepped in front of him.
"Move," he said through grit teeth.
"No."
She knew with her arm in a sling and no weapon, he had the advantage. In one swift movement, she was behind him, her good arm pulled taut against his neck. He was quick to jab an elbow into her ribs. She used her knee to buckle his, careful to fall with him and keep her arm around his neck.
"Just let me-"
She was interrupted by a punch to her jaw, causing her to loosen her grip. He broke free and leapt away, wind blowing the tarp behind him.
"Goddamnit!" she shouted, and ran a hand through her hair.
"Mikey!" April shouted. "Turn on Channel Six. Now!" He'd learned not to question her "premonitions" or whatever they were called a long time ago, but these days it came with a price. These days all it did was pour salt in wounds he spent too much time closing up.
The unmistakable sound of civilians screaming played in the background as the anchor talked.
"This is Channel Six reporting live in front of what we thought was the abandoned TCRI building. The building was set to be demolished at the end of the week, but reports came in of strange people frequenting the site. It was previously home to-
"KRAANG!" someone in the background shouted. Just then, a beam of green light sunk into their chest, instantly transforming them. The crew began to run just as the mutated human's body began to grow tentacles. The camera was eventually dropped, unveiling the horror live to everyone at home- the sky suddenly filled with Kraang ships, monstrous sounds of mutated humans tearing at their own burning flesh. A ship landed in front of the camera, deploying a group of alien robots. A woman running away from them screamed and fell to the ground as a shot blew a hole straight through her head. Just before the feed cut, the familiar sound of metal against metal. The camera showed only a blade slicing through the aliens.
"Leo," he whispered.
Karai sunk into the shadows of the old apartment as she heard the Foot soldiers below. News of the Kraang had spread to the neighboring buildings who had left their windows open to let in the summer air. They'd chosen to wait until nightfall to attack, just as they had before. She heard a young woman calling all her relatives.
She doesn't have a clue how bad it really is.
"The last transmission from her cell came from around here. Search the area."
When she focused, she heard two go around the front of the building and two go around the back. One's steps were uneven- she could tell he was limping. Probably some punishment for a minor inconvenience- her eyes twitched to her crooked pinky. A stark reminder of what happened when she lost a spar match.
Please, let this have been a recon mission- he's not that stupid, she let herself think, before pressing her back to the cold wall. She followed the sound to the stairs below. Her shoulder was finally feeling better and she slipped the sling off. The two who had entered in the front began climbing the stairs, buying her some time to sneak into the hallway and wait to drop in through the gaping hole in the floor from above. The two split off and she crept behind one, following him around the corner. In seconds, he was disarmed and she wrapped the fabric around his neck.
"Shut the fuck up," she whispered before feeling his head separate from his neck, almost too easily. He slumped to the floor. Silently, she made her way around the opposite corner, tanto in hand. Lucky Leo left me a weapon, she thought.
He came into view and she got the best of him, her blade parting his flesh easily. The sound gurgled and came to a stop in his throat, blood pooling down his face. She pulled it out of his neck and glanced through the window down to the street, where the final two soldiers never made it in. Karai felt the air shift and swiftly turned to strike in time to hold her blade up to Leonardo's throat. He didn't even flinch.
She dropped her weapon and tucked it back into her boot, her nose flaring at the coppery scent of blood. She gave him a once over, seeing his left bicep had a deep, oozing burn.
"Kraang gun grazed me. It'll be fine." She took a second look down to the street to make sure it was clear. The road below was starting to fill up with cars and taxis.
"Don't worry. We're safe here," he said.
NSFW! NSFW! NSFW! NSFW!
The two disappeared into the shadows again, flinching as sirens wailed and bombs shook the earth. At least the government had updated their efforts to keep aliens from invading- they were actually putting up a pretty good fight, giving the citizens time to prepare. She read somewhere that the President had approved funding for underground bunkers to protect New York residents and wondered if they went through with it. Doubtful, she thought.
Someone set fire to a car below, and Karai used the flickering light of the flames to stitch Leonardo up. He winced as she tightened the bandage around his arm, letting her hand linger just above his skin. He took a deep breath and adjusted himself to sit against the wall. The mattress beneath him creaked slightly with the movement. It was then she noticed a gash swelled up next to his eye.
"You've got-" she reached for the wound and his hand shot up, gripping tightly around her wrist. She yanked it away, embarrassed that her skin tingled where he'd grabbed her. All the training in the world couldn't hide her own longing from her, no matter how hard she tried to bury it.
He grabbed a bottle of peroxide, dumped it onto a gauze pad and pressed it to the wound. She saw his jaw working. He was always strong, but at the end of the day he bled too. He felt the pain of his injuries just as they all did. She stared up at him, the light dancing around on his face. Karai watched as his lips parted and he stared back. He dropped the gauze, grabbing her hair and crashing his lips to hers.
She gasped into his mouth as he flipped her on her back and tugged down her sweatpants. When she freed them from her feet, she pinned him up against the wall and threw her leg over his lap, kissing him over and over, gliding her tongue down his jaw and drawing circles on his neck. She felt him press up against her and she shuddered when his large hand yanked her panties to the side. He groaned into her neck as she settled down onto him, throwing her head back. He wasted no time, meeting her halfway, and the world around them felt muted. For just a moment, it was just the two of them, fucking. No alien invasions, no dead dads, no mutants, no bullshit.
"Karai," he whispered, as he wrapped an arm around her, his hand snaking up her back and gripping the back of her neck. His breath was hot on her chest.
They didn't know it would be the last time.
NSFW! NSFW! NSFW! NSFW!
"Don! Donnie!" Raphael yelled. Just outside their cell, a guard writhed and shrieked as the mutagen transformed him. He bent down, shaking his brother, ignoring the painful tug of his skin where Bishop sliced his leg, and the ache of his shin where he'd likely broken it. The turtle pressed a finger to his brother's neck, feeling a faint pulse. He glanced desperately around to find something, anything to-
The guard's baton was just outside the bars of the cell. As he reached his arm through the bar, an explosion rocked the building, sending debris tumbling from the ceiling. A piece fell next to the device, pushing it within his reach. Turtle luck, he thought.
He ran back to Donatello and pressed the end under his collar bone, above his heart.
"I'm sorry, man," he said, and tapped the button. He heard the crackle of it gearing up, and the brief, sudden shock made the genius brother bolt upright. Just around the corner, Raph heard the metal clang of Kraang bots marching down the hallway.
"GAH!" he gasped, clutching his chest. "What-"
In a split second, he reached around and covered his mouth, pulling him into the dark corner of the cell just in time for the Kraang soldiers to come into view.
"No survivors," the metallic voice said. "Order of Kraang Prime."
Another explosion shook the building.
"Check the cells. They could be hiding."
The brothers closed their eyes and lied still, carefully using the breathing their father taught them all those years ago. A ninja must never be seen, yes, but the smallest sound will tip off an enemy.
"Captain! Turtles!" one shouted. Donatello's eyelids glowed a bright green as they dragged their flashlights through the cell. With a brief transformation of the finger, the alien overrode the mechanical door and it hissed as it opened. The Captain pushed through and bent down to get a closer look. It's cold hand grabbed Raphael's face and squeezed, tossing him back down. He could hear the tick and whirr of the machinery inside. It held the back of it's other hand in front of Donatello's open mouth.
"Dead," he said. "Pity."
Their english has evolved, Don thought.
Just then, as they began to walk away, he felt his brother raise silently. Before they knew what hit them, Raphael grabbed the Captain from behind and knocked it's weapon from it's hand, sliding it toward his brother. Donatello shot each one through the gut and they tumbled to the ground.
"No! Wait! I can help you!" the Captain begged. "Please-"
He shoved the gun into it's mouth.
"You've helped enough," he said, before pulling the trigger.
Raph cocked an eyebrow at him as he let the Krasng bot tumble to the ground. Angry Donnie makin' it happen.
Don took a deep breath and started toward the hallway. An explosion shook the building again. Three explosions already, he noted. The two made their way through the maze of cells, most of them emptied or already graves to innocent mutants. He swallowed the bile rising up his throat and kept running.
Don had memorized the schematics of the building a long time ago, when they captured April, but it had been updated since then.
"We need to get some weapons," his brother said behind him. "Didn't they take ours when-"
Another boom sounded, and the tunnel before them caved in. They shielded their faces and turned their shells to the explosion, lucky to be far enough away that it only brought them to their knees. The fire from the level above burned hot.
"Help!" someone shouted.
The kid.
The debris just missed her cell. The two ran over and crouched in front of the bars.
"Please help me!" she cried.
"We're gonna get you out of here. What's your name?" Donatello asked, calmly.
"Lily," she replied. He noticed a tail tucked between her legs and soft, floppy ears. Huh, he thought. A golden retriever maybe? His mind wondered if it was accidental, or if they brought her here human- focus.
"Lily. I'm Donatello. This is Raphael. We're gonna find a way to help, alright?"
"M-my mommy. I can't find my mommy!"
"Let's get you out of here and then we can-"
"LOOK OUT!" Raphael shouted. Don ducked just in time to miss a blast from a Kraang gun. The turtle in red leapt in the other direction, drawing it's fire. Donatello managed to get it's weapon, and cocked it. Raphael held it by the neck.
"Open the cell," Don said firmly.
"You think I would help-"
He pressed the barrel against the fleshy alien.
"Open. The cell."
"Alright, alright!" it yelled. Raph loosened his grip.
"Try anything funny, and I'll tear each slimy tentacle off one by one."
They shoved it forward, gun still aimed at it's middle, and watched as the mechanical whirr of the technology hacked the door. It slid up from the ground, and the girl ran out and hid behind Donatello. He felt her hand shaking on his shell.
The alien raised it's hand to strike but fell to the ground with a smoking hole right between the eyes.
"Let's go," he said.
Leonardo cleared his throat, trying to keep his eyes from her flushed face. She was slow to rise, pulling her sweatpants on with the beginnings of what he thought might be a smile. He was used to it being… transactional. All those stolen moments on rooftops or at the docks. For a moment, he would pretend she cared enough, and she got what she came for. But this time it was different, it was instinctual, primal. His mouth watered as he briefly relived the shudder of her body when-
"What's the bag for?" she asked, tilting her chin toward the empty doorway, where it sat. The thought fizzled and brought him back to the present. Right, he thought. The end of the world.
"Just some supplies I picked up. Oh-" He got up and made his way over to it, pulling out her own bag. "I hid it until I knew for sure, but… Figured you might want this." He tossed it to her and she expertly caught it.
"Thanks," she said, swiping her hair behind her ear. In the bag was her armor, her weapons, and her cell phone. She briefly remembered Shredder telling her to scout when her shift was done at the club. She grit her teeth- hating that she was always punished for not being her. For not being her mother. Splinter never would've-
Nope.
"I was already surveilling the building when the Kraang showed up," Leonardo said, breaking the silence between them. His voice changed to a more authoritative tone, and his brow furrowed. "And you're right. It was heavily guarded, but now they're all…" Mutated he thinks, unable to say the word. "The Kraang's weapons are nothing like I've ever seen. They're much more sophisticated than we thought. But time moves differently there- where we had years, they had decades to plan. I was thinking…"
She straightened her spine, forcing herself to ignore the rippling muscles glinting in the dim light. God, you're pathetic.
"Shredder probably has clearance there, which means you would. Am I correct in assuming?" She was already picking up what he was putting down. Now seemed like as good a time as any…
His eyes narrowed as he studied her face.
"Leo, there's-"
"I know it's a long shot, but if you could somehow get in-"
"Leo."
"- we could fight our way through. That's the easy part. But then we'd need some kind of vehicle-"
"Leonardo," she half-shouted, standing. She took a step back, unconsciously putting space between them. He raised a browridge, and she couldn't read the expression on his face. "Before you go making plans, you have to know…" What way could she say this to lessen the blow? How could she say after all these months, your brothers-
"They're alive," she blurted.
Mikey knew how to drive. He wasn't great at it by any means, but he could do it. They all had to learn.
He thought of that night, how she had distracted Leo- how she lured him in, just in time for Rahzar to catch him off-guard.
He remembered it was the first time he'd seen skin sliced to bone and how afraid he was that his brother would bleed out as Donnie whipped the Shell Raiser through the streets.
Donnie, he thought, picking up his speed. God, they were so young then. At least, it felt that way. In truth, it wasn't too long ago…
He glanced out the window as the skyline came into view. It would be beautiful, if the sky wasn't the color of ash and a fleet of Kraang ships weren't coloring the clouds green with every zap of their new mutagenic weapons. He tiredly wondered if there would ever be a time when their enemies would truly be defeated.
When they got to the tunnel, just as he expected, it was littered with abandoned cars and people still trying to get out of the city. There were a few accidents, and he could smell smoke. It was worth a shot, but he knew where he had to go- they'd marked a few vehicle entrances to the sewers around the city in case they needed to leave without detection. He drove a few miles, carefully glancing in Casey's direction. He wasn't ready to fight, but his leg still bounced in anticipation. They'd already agreed- as soon as they got Leo, he'd be their getaway driver. No use sticking around for the end of the world.
He didn't tell April what he and Casey'd planned. She would just ask them to stay and search and he couldn't handle it. He could think of about a million reasons why throwing a search party for his dead brothers was a horrible idea. He knew it was petty, but she'd just have to stay out of the loop until she got her shit together.
What if she's right? A voice asked in the back of his mind. He shuts it down.
April muttered to herself in the back, gently pressing her hand to her temple and closing her eyes. Blood leaked from her nose.
"Turn right," she said.
"But-"
"Just do it!" she shouted. The tires screeched as he turned, and Casey flailed for something to hold on to as his leg hit the dash. His face scrunched up and Mikey made a note to check on it later.
He slammed on the brakes as they rounded the corner, their view opening to reveal Shredder's church engulfed in flames and the cries of his soldiers as the Kraang mutated them. Tiger Claw flew a few stories up, the all-too-familiar sound of his blaster going off.
And then his eyes darted toward movement on the east end of the building, and he saw them.
Karai and Leo, sneaking across the rooftops.
He shoved the gear into park and threw his seatbelt off, his hand itching for his nunchaku. He gulped, watching his brother and Karai drop into an opening in the back of the building, and tried to steady himself.
"Go," Casey said. "I got this."
He nods slowly, before his eyes go white, and he slips into the darkness, April on his heels, slinking up the fire escape and across the street.
He ignores the smell of burning flesh wafting from the streets and meets her eyes.
You ready? He asks, without words.
As I'll ever be, she thinks.
And they dropped in.
Finally. The street, Donnie thought, as they round the corner into the lobby of the TCRI building. Somewhere along the way, he found a small, loose pipe to use as a stand-in for his bo. Raph flanked him with a Kraang blaster in each hand. Between them, Lily cowered and ran with them. Don made a mental note to tell her how brave she was later.
Fire licked the walls around them and he made sure they weren't being followed as he sprinted to the door and flung it open. His nose curled as the smell of burning flesh hit them like a wall. The outside was even more chaotic- Kraang soldiers marched through the streets and those who didn't get away, got mutated. They dodged a few blasters again, when he spotted their exit. Raph gasped and fell back a few feet, favoring the leg Bishop had hurt. But he caught up. Run now, assess the damage later he heard Leo say.
He was headed for the nearest manhole cover when he felt the girl fall out of line.
"LILY!" someone screamed to his right. He tried to stop her, but her hand slipped out of his reach and she was already halfway to her mother.
"MOMMY!" she shouted after her. She scooped her up off the ground in an embrace and turned to leave. She looked back and found Donatello's eyes just as a green beam sunk into her back, another immediately hitting her mother. She staggered back, clutching her chest, and Donnie forced himself to look away as they shrieked and yanked at their mutated skin.
And then he remembered- Lily. As in Lily and Jennifer Thompson. Their names were plastered all over the city and Splinter warned them there'd be extra police patrols for awhile. He remembered her husband's face on the news, crumpled and tired, begging his family be returned to him. He took one last glance before he slid the cover down over their heads. He could feel the quiet pause before the inevitable boom and felt the earth shake under the blast of the building going up in flames.
He hoped Bishop was inside.
Leonardo looked her over, coolly watching her every move, waiting for the trick. How many times had he put his faith in her only to be disappointed, embarrassed, and even pummeled within inches of his life. Deception is the ninja's greatest weapon.
"What do you mean, they're alive?" he asked, calculated. She could see the vein in his arm speed up with his heart.
"I just- remembered, after-"
"Karai. Are you sure?"
She started pacing, a deep scowl darkening her face.
"It was his plan all along- strip your numbers down, attack when you're weak, and give your bodies to the EPF."
"That doesn't add up," he whispered, mostly to himself, then turned to her. "Why would they need us? They already have access to the same mutagen that created us- Joan Grody interviewed the Earth Protection Force coordinator on her show, and he said they were recovering the mutagen to study it."
She smacked the heel of her palm on her forehead, and tried to ignore the feeling of Leonardo's eyes on her. I promise it's not a trick this time, she thought. But how could she expect him to trust her? All those games, all the lies… All the times she lured him in, caught him off guard.
"They're trying to weaponize the mutagen. With the worms," she gasped, remembering. "Oh my God it makes sense now-"
"How do you know?" He asked. Karai noticed the small emphasis on "you", trying. It to admit it stung a little.
"He told me everything. Tonight's just a diversion- more are coming, after this. They're all in cahoots holy shit-"
"Karai. Are you sure they're at TCRI?"
She nodded once, and reached for her bag.
She was going to need her armor.
"How far?" Raph asked, nearly tripping over his own feet. The dull pain in his leg was turning to a consistent ache, making him a little more nauseous with each step.
"One more mile. We're almost there, I promise." Donatello was no stranger to the sounds Raph was making. He was out of breath and straining. "Are you sure you don't-"
"Seriously, Don. Let's- let's keep movin'."
At least he's on his feet. That's a good sign.
When they finally rounded the last corner, he gave Raph a signal and their eyes turned white. While the red banded turtle kept watch below, sinking into the shadows, Donatello silently lifted the manhole cover. He scanned the area, locating the marker, then scoped out their best routes. Least amount of light, higher probability of getting there safely.
"Clear," he whispered, only loud enough for his brother to hear, and bolted across the alley, easily climbing the steps of the fire escape. He reached back to help Raph when he saw something. Out of the corner of his eye, it was-
The Foot Emblem.
Donatello heaved his brother up the last of the steps and ducked into the window. When he looked down again, he took note that it was a vehicle of some sort-a van. He crept silently through the building, checking each room. It seemed to be empty-
He froze as he stepped in something sticky- and he smelled it before his eyes dared glance at the floor. The memory of his father's eyes finding him in the dark of the lab, already fading of life…
He nearly jumped when he saw the men, at least fifteen feet apart. Whoever did this was skilled, or at least stealthy. The man ahead of them had a strip of fabric around his neck, his head twisted unnaturally. The second fell victim to a quick sever of the carotid. They looked to be Foot ninja.
"Raph-"
"Hey, check this out," he interrupted, jutting his thumb down to the street. Don walked over, trying to rub his feet off on what little carpet was left. Down below, two more were down. Then it dawned on him…
He hurried past Raph and shoved the tarp out of the way.
"Raph, hurry!" He stage whispered, his eyes bright. An extra set of katana laid against the wall, newly polished and sharpened.
Leonardo was surprised by Karai. Again. She was never one to take orders- especially his. But there she was, flanking him, following his every move. Like she'd always belonged there, in the absent space that they kept there for their human allies. Mikey's voice rang in his head: Dude, we have to at least try. We owe them that much. That first night at the farmhouse was the worst- Casey's empty eyes, April finally waking up after all the surgery and poking and prodding. Where's my dad? She had asked. Then Mikey's muted voice, and then her soft wails. No, nooo, no… And then his youngest brother pleading with him. What if it were us? They'd be out looking- or they'd at least have a plan! He shook his head.
His brothers were alive.
In the back of his head, a small warning went off: itsatrapyoufellforitagaingetoutbeforeitstoolate. He shoved the thought away. He would happily welcome a trap if it meant he could see his brothers alive. He had to know, for sure.
From two blocks away he could see the fire, smoke billowing up toward the sky, and picked up his pace. All around them, sounds of civilians screaming and Kraang pistols blasting echoed from the streets. The two ducked behind a ledge, carefully watching the chaos beneath them. He faced her, ignoring the gravel sinking itself into the soles of his feet.
"The front door is the only one not secured. We should get down there before-"
BOOM!
With a flash of white hot light, the two were launched across the rooftop.
Leonardo lifted himself off the roof, his ears ringing, searching for Karai. She sat up next to him, gripping her head.
"Are you alright?" she asked, coughing.
They locked eyes, and her gaze widened.
He was up in seconds, stumbling to the edge of the rooftop. What was left of TCRI burned hot, and the building threatened to sink into the crater beneath it.
"No!" he yelled. "NO!"
He felt Karai's hand on his arm.
"Leo, we have to go!"
Not again.
"Let's move!" she shouted, dragging him away. They leapt to another building and watched the foundation of the last one start to crumble. They were quick to keep moving, getting a few blocks away before taking a break. Somewhere in the distance, sirens wailed. Tears stung Leonardo's eyes and he clenched his jaw, anger rising up his throat. I've failed them. Again. What will Mikey say? Without realizing it, he started running. She was right behind him.
"Where are you going? The hideout's-"
He whirled around, his eyes white, stopping in his tracks. She came to a halt just behind him.
"This ends. Tonight." She blinked. "Are you with me?" he asked.
She couldn't help but wonder just how loaded that question was as she nodded and took off after him.
Mikey held a finger up to his lips as they snuck into the top level of Shredder's lair, blinking his membranes away. A familiar chill ran down his back. April nodded once, and he noticed the slight quiver of her arm. She caught his glance and steadied herself. She could be sore later.
Down below, he could hear Saki fighting, and saw a man in a suit. Behind him, Kraang prime fought off a slew of foot soldiers with the help of a few men in full riot gear. A closer look revealed the initials EPF. He furrowed his brow to April and she gave him a knowing look. She saw it too.
"How dare you betray me, Bishop!" he cried, slicing the air in front of him. The man quickly evaded the attack. "And with these-these freaks!"
"You have to understand," the man said calmly. "You can have what you desire…" Shredder finally found a vulnerable spot and kicked the man square in his gut. He keeled over, spitting blood. "Join us-"
"NEVER!" Saki roared, deftly throwing punch after punch, only to be eluded. April could feel his frustration growing, and Mikey signaled for them to keep moving. Just as they dropped onto the main level, the lights went completely out, the barely-lit street offering the only source of light. To their right, they noticed the figures working in the dark, efficiently snapping the necks of their opponents and slicing through the robots. When the generators came back up, Leonardo was closer to them than he had been in months, holding off an attack from Shredder.
"Stupid child!" he hissed, pushing off of his katana and putting space between them. Behind them, Kraang Prime and Bishop tried to sneak away.
"Oh no you don't!" Mikey cried, leaping in front of the door. Bishop slid under his grip and landed a blow against his jaw, giving the alien time to get away.
April ran after it, feeling her fists heat up as her powers surged within her- she lifted her hand to yank it to it's knees but narrowly missed just as a Kraang escape pod picked it up and carried it away. It cackled down at her, slime gathering in the corners of it's mouth. Hundreds of them flew above, making their way to a giant technodrome.
"Damnit!" she yelled, taking a moment to catch her breath, then bolted inside. The building threatened to cave in around them all. When she reached the entrance, Leo got in a good hit, knocking one of Saki's steel claws clear across the room. But he countered, launching his fist into Leo's leg, bringing him to his knee with a cry. Mikey leapt over Bishop's head to evade a punch and wrapped an arm around him. He tried to claw at the turtle, but the turtle used his free hand to grab his wrists and jutted his foot into the back of his knees. He fell to the ground and Mikey squeezed his bicep around his neck- Bishop gasped for air as the action crushed his windpipe, and he let him go just in time to swiftly kick him in the head, rendering him unconscious. It was then that April noticed Karai in the corners, setting pipe bombs.
Are they seri-
She fell backward, cracking her skull against the pavement and looked up to see Tiger Claw hovering above her. A missing, oozing part of his face revealed his sharp teeth and she could hear his blood pooling on the floor from his wrist, where his hand had been cut off. His mad eyes bore into her and he raised his gun- but before he could pull the trigger she pressed a hand to her temple and launched energy from her fingertips, sending him flying into the flames. She turned back to leave, trying to ignore his cries, when she scarcely avoided a shot to the head. Another came flying toward her, but she swiftly flicked it away. It ricocheted off of a metal beam and sunk itself straight between his eyes.
"Good riddance," she said to herself, and ran back to join the turtles and Karai.
"They're there. I just know it," Donatello said, leaping to the next rooftop. Raph jumped after him, his adrenaline pumping so hard he could barely feel the pain in his leg anymore. He hoped his genius brother was right.
"You fools!" Shredder cried. The brothers had him pinned- nowhere to go but out of a ten story window. His weapons were long gone. "You would perish with me in this fire?!" Leo swung his weapon at him and he barely missed the blade. "You would die here, without ever seeing your brothers again?!" he asked. Mikey's form relaxed and Leo glanced at him.
"Dude, what's he talking ab-"
Shredder landed a kick to the head and the orange clad turtle flew back, rolling down the steps.
"Aaagghh!" Leonardo yelled, unsheathing his second katana. Saki used his armor to block, his arms shaking under the mutant's strength. He slid the blades along the metal and up his arms, knocking the kabuto down the steps.
"No!" he yelled, evading a strike and starting to crawl away, before April flung him back behind his throne, the glass cracking as he hit it. Leo looked back to meet her eyes when Mikey yelled.
"LOOK OUT!"
A shuriken lodged itself in the blue masked turtle's shoulder and he stumbled back. Saki took his opportunity and kicked him square in the plastron, casting him to the side.
"Leo!" April shouted, as more Kraang entered the building, blasting through the glass around them. Blood trickled down her face as she picked a group of them up with her hand, clenched her fist and crushed them together, making a squelching sound as the aliens inside turned to mush. She gasped for air but held off a second wave as the brothers charged him.
A few escaped her as a familiar feeling tugged at her mind, pulling her attention from the fight.
She almost didn't want to look, but she found herself doing it anyway.
Donatello.
He swung his bo and knocked a bot out of the window into the fire, evading the strike of another in time to release the blade and slice the alien open, his eyes white. Raphael jumped down behind him and threw a sai, lodging it through a Kraang's mouth, spraying black blood all over him.
Leo yanked the shuriken from his skin and ran, but an explosion rocked the building and tossed them down the steps. A piece of rubble fell and pinned his legs down and April ran over to help, the Kraang blood making her hands slip off the cement. Raph met her there, his arms trembling under the weight of it.
Mikey landed on his feet and started running again, but a stray bot grabbed him from behind and shoved him to the ground. It pointed it's gun at him, but someone hit the device with a shuriken and he ducked away in time for it to blow up.
He turned to thank Leo, but froze.
Donnie smiled at him before another group of Kraang surrounded him.
They're alive! Holy shit, they're alive!
"No!" the Shredder yelled, getting Mikey's attention. Again, he charged him, and got a forceful kick in. The man fell to the ground, and he kicked a cloud of dirt and rubble into his face.
"Ah!" he yelled, shielding himself. With a growl, he lifted up off the pavement and hurled a fist, striking Michelangelo with an uppercut. The blow pushed him over the edge of the window and he swung his nunchucks over a piece of stone, the weight of him falling pulling on his shoulder. Saki chuckled deeply as he slowly walked over to him, producing a knife from his belt. Just then, Karai leapt into view long enough to hit him with blinding powder, before disappearing into the shadows again. "What?!" he hissed, desperately looking around and blinking through the blur. His knife slid halfway across the room. Raphael threw a shuriken that grazed his cheek, slicing deep enough to reveal the bone. Donatello leapt up the steps and smacked his bo across Shredder's face, knocking him off balance. He recovered quickly and returned a blow to the purple clad turtle's jaw, making him stagger. April and Raph finally freed Leo just in time for Karai to leap out of the shadows and prepare to strike.
But he blocked her.
Within seconds, he struck her across the face, sending her sliding a few feet back. She ran at him again, only getting in a solid punch to the eye before he twisted her tanto out of her hand, grabbed the weapon and sunk the blade between her ribs.
Her eyes widened and she coughed, blood sputtering down her face.
"NO!" Leonardo howled.
Saki grinned wickedly and lifted her off the ground, chuckling. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and blood coated his spit as he heaved each breath. With a snap of his wrist, he twisted the weapon and she dug her nails into his arm.
"Fitting you should perish in a fire, just as your mother did!" he spat.
With the last of her strength, she pulled a kunai from her sleeve and sliced his abdomen.
"AHH!"
He threw her to the ground and doubled over, red spilling over his arms as he clutched his insides. April grit her teeth and used a hand to slam him to his knees just in time for Michelangelo to throw his kusarigama chain around him, pulling hard enough for the metal to dig into the wound.
"RRAAAAAAGGGGHH!!" Leonardo screamed, feeling his grief rise up in him like bile. Eyes white, he looked directly into the Shredder's face as he raised his katana and struck, separating his head from his shoulders. Blood sprayed across his plastron, and he struck again. And again. Saki's head lay across the room, face twisted in horror and jaw slack against the pavement.
Finally.
"L-Leo!" Karai gasped, a pool of blood growing around her. He blinked his membranes back, ran, and slid on the cement, not caring that it tore up his legs. He cupped her head in his hand, and pressed the other to her wound. Blood seeped through his fingers and soaked his wraps. She gripped his hand.
"Hey, hey I'm right here-"
"Y-you have to get out." Her voice gurgled in the back of her throat, and she coughed up more blood. His eyes met hers and she blinked back tears. "You have to…"
Her hand slid and fell to the ground.
"No, no, no, no, no," he cried, turning her face to his. "Look at me, look at me."
Karai's head lolled to the side. Her empty eyes stared past him.
"Leo!" Mikey stumbled over to him as an explosion shook the ground. "Let's go!"
He took one last look at her before he closed her eyes and foundered to his feet. He ran to the middle of the room and picked up the kuro kabuto, before April shoved him toward the exit. Raphael limped behind him, and Donnie quickly scooped him up, catching up to the rest. One of the pipe bombs detonated, and April tripped, no longer able to carry her own weight, weak from her powers. Mikey held her up as they made their way through the building, eluding falling debris and flames stretching toward them. They made it onto the street in the nick of time, where Casey was waiting for them. Leo glanced back at the inferno.
Just then, a fresh troop of Kraang droids marched down the street, their blasters gearing up. The purple clad turtle tossed his brother into the van and stood outside to usher them in. April could barely comprehend the feeling of his hand on her shoulder.
"C'mon bro, get in!" he heard Mikey from behind him, and turned to face his brothers.
"I'll draw their fire, you get out of here!"
"What?! No!"
"I promise it'll be okay- you have to leave! Now!" He took off running, pink beams of light shooting past him like fireworks.
"LEO!"
Casey slammed on the gas, the doors swinging shut and raced down the street.
Above them, a second technodrome shrouded the city in darkness.
A/N: OMG ITS BEEN WAY TOO LONG! I graduated college and a pandemic happened... Also, I had to take some time to plan this one! I hope you liked it, see you soon!