We Are Heroes

April

She stands in front of her found family. Everybody is here, even Splinter who left his TV shows to listen. She's the only one he'll do that for.

She makes sure she has their full attention. Her gestures, her voice, everything shows how important this matter is.

"They're refusing to listen to me."

She's talking about the newspapers. She has proof that dangerous experiments happen within the walls of her university, experiments that wouldn't be approved by honest citizens. But the newspapers are dismissing her, saying her big reveal can wait. She suspects that they didn't even read her emails.

"Maybe they have something else to think about. You know, with the alien invasion."

Leo's voice carries the familiar irony she has learnt to appreciate. She smiles at him. The fact that she can see him, talk to him, be teased by him, is a miracle. She had thought she would never see him again–the cold that spread inside her body while she listened to his calm voice, devoid of any sarcasm, share his ultimate plan isn't something that she'll ever forget.

"It's still important. Have you seen how dangerous that stuff is?"

April shakes the last canister of the bluish substance, miraculously saved from the wreck caused by their fight against the Kraang. Mikey and Raph cautiously take a step backwards.

Donnie, however, comes closer to her.

"You have one left? Let me analyze it for you."

She tilts her head. She knows that Donnie is well capable of destroying the precious sample before the analysis is complete. Maybe he would condescend to proceed carefully, for her–but she has a better idea.

"How about you come with me and take one directly from the source?" She spins, puts an arm around his shoulder. "Or more than one," she whispers. Her left hand describes semi-circles in the air, just in front of Donnie's eyes. The chemical glows. Its light reflects in Donnie's pupils, and she reads the desire on his face. She knows that he's already planning his future experiments.

Donnie has his hands full with his new mystic powers–she knows he's going to amaze them, she just hopes he won't destroy the lair by accident in the process–but he can't resist good old science.

"Yes," Donnie whispers. "Yes, that's exactly what should happen." He straightens up, using the move to get rid of her arm. "Alright guys, I have an appointment tonight. With these lovely canisters filled with unknown chemicals and no Mikey you can't have one for a lava lamp."

Mikey deflates. April rubs her chin, looking at the can in her hand. "Are you sure? It looks like it would make a great lava lamp."

"Exactly!" Mikey puts an arm around her while glaring at Donnie. "April has the artistic sense that eludes you."

She grins. It's good to see Mikey bicker with his brother–it's a familiar feeling. Safe.

She's heard the story. She knows what he's done to bring Leo back, and how his powers are only going to grow. She has always believed in him, in all of them–and she's proud to see she was right. But she's also glad they're still their good old selves. Even Raph, who was possessed by Kraang, is back to normal.

Well. Back to what she considers normal for them.

"I am an artist," Donnie says. "Haven't you seen this masterpiece?"

Donnie grabs his staff, and all of a sudden there is a purple mystic drill at its end, spinning threateningly. He looks at it like a proud father.

This time, Raph takes a step back from Donnie. "Nobody doubts that, Donnie. How about you switch this thing off before it collapses the ceiling on us?"

"Yeah, the ceiling might still be of use," Leo adds.

"This thing? This thing?" Donnie shakes his head. "Oh, how my genius remains ignored, even in its blatant glory."

April chuckles. It's not that the drill isn't impressive–it is. It's the way Donnie's here, in top shape, like he should.

She meets Casey's eye. He looks surprised, shocked even–like he has a hard time believing what he's seeing. Her smile softens. Everything is still very new to Casey, and matching his memories of the turtles to the real deal has to be a challenge. Even though they saved the world–with her decisive help, it has to be said–they're still teenagers, not the adults he knows.

That is, the adults he knew.

April doesn't know how Casey's holding on. She hasn't dared to ask him about it; she's afraid to hurt him in ways she can't guess. But she does make sure that he's having a sweet time with them. Later, she'll ask him if he wants to go to university–surely Donnie could fake an ID for him. But for that to happen, Casey needs to be able to consider his future. It's a whole other can of worms.

Splinter's voice brings her back to the present.

"My son, your brothers are right. We need this ceiling. What's more, if it collapses, it could destroy the TV too–and that would be a disaster."

Splinter's voice carries just enough threat that Donnie decides to switch his drill off.

"Anyway, I'm going with April," Donnie says. "Who else?"

April is totally unsurprised when his brothers and Casey jump in. Splinter strokes his whiskers.

"I'm counting on you to be careful, boys."

"We need a plan," Raph says.

April knows that it's more than a general statement. She glances at Leo, to see if he's going to dismiss his brother like he has done many times in the past months, but no. It looks like he learnt his lesson.

Leo looks at them, seriously. "Alright. April, what can you tell us about the place?"

April has prepared as best she could. She shows them the pictures and the plans, she talks about the magnetic card that you need to enter–Donnie rolls his eyes–and she tells them everything she knows about the rounds of security guards. Donnie's typing on his wrist as she talks, no doubt looking for more information about the building.

April's smile holds her gratitude and relief. Thanks to her family's help, she'll gather more evidence; she'll find the names of the officials involved in this new Big Chem scandal.

Then the newspapers will have to listen to her, and the citizens will know.

Leo

Leo's taking his role very seriously. As they plan their mission, he makes sure that everyone can weight in, that all objections are listened to. Their final plan is not soundproof, but it's a good one–and they made it together.

Later, when they jump across the last rooftop separating them from the entrance of April's university–they left the Turtle Tank a few streets away, it was too obvious–he makes sure that everyone stays focused. A few times, he wants to joke, but it would distract the others. A leader isn't supposed to distract his team on the start of an important mission.

It's their first serious one since the invasion. The stuff they're going to steal is dangerous; it was able to hurt a Kraang.

Leo is all too aware of the fact it could hurt them, too.

Tonight, they'll enter that building–stealthily–and find the laboratory April told them about. Raph and Leo will take all the canisters they can find, April and Mikey will take pictures of all paper documents, Donnie will hack the computer system and Casey will stand guard.

April has high hopes about this operation. Leo wonders whether it's going to blow up the way she hopes. He was only half-joking when he said the newspapers were busy elsewhere. The city is rebuilding, and a new scandal isn't something people want to hear about.

Still, they'll help April without a second thought. She's family, and her fights are their fights–at least the ones she's willing to share with them.

"We're here," April whispers.

They all stop at the edge of the rooftop. From here, they have a perfect view on the university building. They won't use the front door–the probability of running into a student or a teacher, even in the middle of the night, is too high. They'll use a back door, and Donnie will deactivate the cameras. Donnie acted offended when Leo asked him whether he could, but Leo had to.

Before the Kraang invasion, he wouldn't have asked. He would have assumed Donnie could, confident in his belief that his family was so much better than anything the world could throw at them.

He stands corrected.

The others' eyes are on him, he can feel it. They're waiting for his signal.

There is a tension in Leo's chest, one that he doesn't understand. This is dangerous, yes, but it's by far not the most dangerous mission they've undertaken. And they're stronger, too, with their new mystic powers. They're a force to be reckoned with, the saviors of humanity. The heroes of New York City.

Leo's family waits, patiently.

The tension in Leo's chest grows. He wants to say the words, but his mouth has become dry. He suddenly doubts their plan, the one they've so carefully designed. What if something goes wrong? What if someone gets hurt?

It's his responsibility to make sure his family gets in and out safely.

Casey's gaze weighs especially heavily on him. Despite everything, Casey looks up to him; expects greatness from him.

Yet another responsibility Leo didn't ask for.

His thoughts are drifting and spinning in waves he can't control.

They don't have to do this; they don't have to put themselves in danger. If not for April. And the people of New York City. And the people of the entire world.

Heroes protect others, even when they don't want to, even if it costs them their life–even when they end up in a dreadful dimension, with only a hateful enemy as company.

It's what heroes do, and they're heroes.

Leo takes a deep breath.

"Let's go."