Chapter 13: Invasion.

3 ½ years later. London, England.

Life and its many complications only became worse for the turtles. After Bonesteel had successfully captured Silver and transferred him into the same zoo the turtles had once been in, he returned to London to continue his hunting spree. However, even though the fearful hunter was back on their tails, he was now the least of their problems.

Experts in numerous fields spent hours of their day searching the sewers either physically or electronically. After years of close calls, the scientists gradually developed a system of high-tech equipment where the city would be scanned below ground for any unusual heat emissions. Along with that, video cameras were set up around the sewers, in addition to traps and ultraviolet powders used for tracking. Yet naturally, the more the scientists' techniques developed, the better the turtles became in avoiding them; because of their cold blood they radiated less heat than some of the sewer rats; while the traps, powders and cameras were simply avoided with ninja stealth.

But still, no matter how adept the turtles became with avoiding the scientists' technology, life was challenging. Sightings were growing more and more common and being recaptured was a frightening possibility. Just getting food was a problem and usually due to the scientists' intervention, the turtle clan had to starve for a number of days to avoid being caught. When things became really bad, the turtles either spent the night at Sarah's apartment or, in rare cases, traveled towards the country where the scientists weren't focusing their attention. However, with the clan being spotted more frequently, the noose, their era of freedom was tightening and coming to a close. And Leonardo knew it.

It was late morning and Venus and Mike were out, hopefully getting some much-needed food. To occupy the children's tired and hungry minds, Leonardo gave Raphael a ninjitsu lesson. The adult watched with interest as the seven year old performed the kicking kata he'd learned the other day. Though some of his movements were slightly sloppy and lacked focus, the little turtle still produced rather strong and solid kicks. Leonardo grinned even wider when he saw Diana harmlessly mimicking her older half-brother's attacks in the background.

She was three years of age and was already showing potential and interest in ninjitsu, much to her parent's delight. Diana, eager to learn, usually tried to copy either her sibling's or parent's movements so she could feel included and helpful. Though sometimes when it came to the more dangerous techniques, it was considered harmful when she tried to imitate due to her lack of training. But Leo had decided to change all of that today, knowing exactly what colour would suit his daughter.

As Raphael performed a straight rising kick as part of his kata, his eyes slid to the side and caught Diana copying his every move. Feeling cheeky, he performed a flying back kick. He smiled to himself when all Diana could do was pout. Leo frowned, knowing that Mikey must have taught him another technique way above his level even though he seemed to have executed it with extreme precision. "Stick to the kata Raph," Leonardo warned him nonetheless.

Mike and Venus suddenly entered the lair, making Leonardo sigh with relief when he saw the loaf of bread in their grip. Diana quickly abandoned her mimicking and ran over to give her mother a cuddle around the legs, causing the adult female to nearly trip over.

After Raphael had finished his kata, Leo and Raph joined the rest of the family in a late breakfast. While Raph munched on his plain bread, Diana started to curiously play with his arm. Thinking nothing of it, Raphael ignored his little sister until he began to feel a sharp pain in his hand. It didn't take him long to realise that Diana was practicing her wrist locks. "Ow!" he exclaimed, yanking his hand from her tiny grip. Diana simply beamed a smile. "Who taught you that?" Raphael demanded, partly impressed that she'd remembered such a precise move. With a giggle Diana pointed to her uncle.

"Hey! It was supposed to be a secret!" Mike said to his niece with a wink.

"Mike will you stop teaching them techniques without my acknowledgment," Leonardo said more as a command than a question.

"But you're teaching them all the boring moves!" Mikey whined.

"Daddy, when, when, when can I learn mooves cause, cause I want to learn," Diana asked meekly, pulling her bread apart into tiny squares with her little fingers. Venus and Leo only smiled to each other.

"Well I'm glad you asked because I have something special for you," Leo said slyly. Diana's eyes brightened at the thought of receiving a rare gift. After taking a minute to search through a nearby bag, Leo retrieved a small piece of white material. Diana looked at it with curiosity and interest. With a proud smile on his face, Leo wrapped the strip of material around his daughter's forehead, transforming it into a white bandanna. Diana grinned with delight when she realised what it meant; she was finally going to be taught to live like a ninja.

With a tender hand, she felt the back of her new bandanna. "It's short," she commented, feeling the material tails.

"You'll get used to it," Raphael reassured her while he gave her a cuddle of congratulations. Raphael's bandanna tails had lengthened considerably, now with the material ending at the nape of his neck. Yet he still had a long way to go especially when the adults' bandannas ended halfway down their backs.

After swallowing the last part of his crust, Mike excused himself from the gathering saying that he was going to head over to Sarah's apartment to pick up something. Venus and Leo, although they were extremely worried about whether or not he'll be okay due to the constant whereabouts of inquisitive scientists, they knew that this secret errand was particularly special and important.

*****

Mike lightly tapped on Sarah's bedroom window while cautiously looking around to see if anyone could see him from the balcony. The turtle sighed with relief Sarah finally came to let him in. Stepping into her apartment, he observed the desk in the corner smothered with costume designs and sketches. After working and living in London for a couple of years, Sarah finally applied for British citizenship. Having being successful in the retail industry, Sarah then decided to take another step forward by working in fashion design, creating some of the new looks for the season.

With a gentle and welcoming smile, Sarah led Mike into the kitchen and showed him the precooked iced cake that she bought from the bakery.

"Raph's going to love this! He's never gotten a cake for his birthday. Thanks for doing this," Mike said while admiring the fiery red icing and the white lettering that spelt out the boy's name.

"It was nothing. Glad I could help," Sarah said with a smile, handing Mike the eight candles that he could use. They stared into each other's eyes creating an awkward moment.

"So how's the family?" Sarah asked to break the silence.

"Oh they're fine. Never been better," Mike said with a wide grin.

"Don't lie," Sarah said bluntly, seeing through his façade. Mike sighed, not really wanting to answer her original question.

"I, I just don't know how much longer we can run…" Mike finally said with a soft tone.

"I know what you mean…" Sarah admitted after failing to find defensive words to what the turtle had said. Mike nodded sadly. "But you guys will pull through. You always do," Sarah added, trying to see the bright side.

"They're… The scientists are getting closer. It took me an hour just to avoid them when coming here," Mike explained, little tears forming in his eyes. Sarah gently pulled him into a hug as an attempt to calm him down, knowing how emotional the turtle could get. It wasn't the first time he'd cried in front of her. In fact, he usually saved his tears for her. Whether it was because he didn't want to cry in front of the children, or if it was just a sneaky way in getting a free hug, she didn't know. But she always offered friendship and comfort nonetheless.

After a minute or so, Mike pulled away fully composed. "Thanks," he said with a smile. Sarah only smiled back. "I should be going. I don't want Leo to worry," Mike excused himself. He picked the cake up and checked to see if the plastic cover was completely on. Sarah then moved in and gave him a kiss on the cheek; a ritual that had developed over the past two years. The turtle blushed in the same way Raphael did when he was kissed by April.

"I'll see you later," Sarah said.

"Yeah…" Mike said still blushing. Sarah giggled, having no idea how strong Mike's crush was. After finding his feet again, Mike slowly shuffled back towards the bedroom window, and, with a smile and a wave, disappeared from sight.

*****

Sydney Australia.

It was late. Yet time never really did matter when living underground. Donatello munched on a slice of pizza while watching television. It took many months for Donatello to fully equip his lair so that it had the bare minimum entertainment features that existed back in his old home in America. He looked around and admired his computer humming in the corner, the television in the middle of the room and the fully operational security alarm system.

The turtle sighed at his mismatched creations before taking another bite out of the slice of pizza he had acquired by sneaking through the back door to a restaurant. As he chewed, Don closed his eyes and tried to remember what pizzas used to taste like back in New York, preferring the juicy dripping cheese compared with the stiffness of the Australian pizza.

He licked his fingers to preserve the taste knowing that it would be a while before he got his hands on another one. Don yawned and looked at his watch, astonished at how late it was. He stood up and turned the television off before considering going to bed. Yet for some reason he didn't feel like sleeping right at that moment.

Bored, Donatello sat down at the table he'd acquired somewhere along the line of the many years he'd lived in Sydney. Like an obsession, the turtle reached the scrapbook that was permanently positioned on the furniture's slick surface. He flicked through the thin-papered book, studying some the news articles he'd collected over the years. Naturally they all featured his family. Although there were few photos, Donatello still treasured the scrapbook as though it was an album.

Don stopped flicking and came to rest on a popularly viewed page. It was a newspaper article with a large black and white photo included. It depicted an unconscious young turtle trapped in a cage. The photo had been taken by Bonesteel himself a couple of years ago. Donatello stared at it, knowing by the date and the size of the turtle that this was Raph and Venus' child, yet the picture was too faded and fuzzy to see whether or not the kid was a boy or girl.

As he continued to stare at the photo, a small tear dribbled down his cheek. Although he didn't know Venus' gestation period, Don assumed that the child would be turning eight this year. 'Eight!' Don thought. 'I've missed so much…' he worried as another tear dripped down. Don continued to glance through the articles he'd glued into his scrapbook over the years. There were so many close calls… He even recorded an episode of the Heathrow reality television show 'Airport' when his family was mentioned as one of the many problems.

A cascade of tears unexpectedly streamed down his cheeks forcing him to close the scrapbook. Don was tired and his emotions were getting the better of him. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and tried to compose himself for the next couple of minutes. With a sigh and a slight headache left over from his emotional outburst, Donatello trudged over to his warm bed in hopes that his dreams would cheer him up back to his old self.

*****

The next day. London, England. Raphael's eighth birthay.

Raphael grinned when he looked over the presents he'd been given. From his mother he received a lovely warm red scarf; an item that he really needed in the colder months. Leo had given him two red boxing gloves so they could do more sparring in lessons, while Mike had presented him with a book filled with quirky short stories. Diana, feeling slightly left out, made her older half-brother a paper birthday card using pencils and markers. Raphael nodded to himself. This was one of the best birthdays he'd ever had.

Yet nothing compared to Sarah's present. The boy's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the delicious looking fluffy, fiery red icing on top of a golden baked cake. Raph licked his lips in anticipation. Please by his response, Mike placed the eight candles on top and lighted them, creating an eerie glow.

A scientist sipped a can of coke while staring at a computer screen. Bored, the man clicked his mouse for another heat scan under the city to be made. Taking another sip, he waited for the computer to finish. He was curious at what he found. Eight tiny high heat emissions showed up on the screen. On closer inspection he realised that it could only be fire. But why was there fire underneath the city, especially in eight neat flames? There was nothing to burn. It was all concrete. Placing down his can of coke, the scientist quickly made a phone call.

"-Raphael. Happy Birthday to you!" the turtle family sung the famous tune, Michelangelo on purposely singing out of key. Raphael smiled with childlike delight at the flickering candles on the cake. Sucking in a breath, the boy blew them out all at once, making a wish in the process. After being handed a plastic knife, Raphael was allowed to do the honours and cut the cake.

"Don't touch the bottom!" Mike warned him. Raphael stopped his downward cut halfway.

"Why not?" he asked with confusion written all over his face.

"Because it means your wish won't come true," Leonardo informed him.

"I thought it meant you had to kiss the nearest girl?" Mike pondered, wondering where he had heard his version. Diana's eyes widened and backed away from Raphael. The boy simply rolled his eyes and groaned at the silly superstitions. Not believing in the tradition, Raphael cheekily sliced the cake all the way to the bottom. Mike mocked a gasp, not really caring at what he had done; he would get cake faster this way if Raphael just kept cutting.

Once the cake was divided into five slices, they each took one and began eat the delicious fluffy baked pastry. Silence swept over the clan as they chewed, savoring the taste. That's when they heard the invasion.

People; humans were coming!

Swallowing their last bite, the adults rushed for their weapons as a large group of about twenty-five humans stormed into the lair. Diana gasped in fright and stayed near her older brother for comfort as the other turtles engaged in battle.

There was no mercy. The turtles tried their best to make one hit kills; Leo performed the first by skewering an approaching human with his single sword. Yet the scientists and army personnel out numbered them greatly and soon they had the mutant reptiles hopelessly surrounded. Tranquilizer dart guns were raised armed and ready. Immediately the three adults moved in close, knowing it would be more difficult to shoot if they were only a couple of inches away from the humans.

Swinging his blood-drenched sword, Leo managed to knock out two more people. Yet because he was the most aggressive of the lot, he was sedated first. Venus and Mike continued to fight, trying not to show their concern for their fallen comrade.

As Mike briskly fought, in his peripheral vision he saw someone raise their dart gun. Knowing that it could be the end, Mike raised both of his tonfas to cover his face and closed his eyes. The shot was heard, yet Mike felt nothing. He opened his eyes and almost jumped for joy when he found the dart safely lodged into his weapon. Though his relief was short lived when another dart was fired. After staggering for a few seconds, Mike dropped to the ground with a dart in his thigh.

Now it was time to panic. Venus knew it was over. Even if she did win the fight, she knew that her children and herself couldn't move both Leo and Mike in time before reinforcements arrived. Venus retreated back to the centre of the circle where her two kids were. She was their last line of defense. With her maternal instincts kicking in, she gripped her kai mi balls filled to the brim with chi energy even tighter. She only had two, so she had to make them worth it. With one last glance, she admired her children, yet she also wondered why they hadn't been sedated. Suddenly she knew.

"Raphael. Take your sister and run," Venus advised him.

"But mum-"

"Just do it! They won't sedate you! They don't know your correct dosage," she said to him.

"I'm not going to leave you!" Raphael protested, Diana still clinging onto him for safety. Venus successfully ducked a dart by going into a roll. From her new position on the floor, she threw one of her kai mi's, causing a small group of humans to fly back in pain. Panicking, she quickly threw her second and last ball, rendering herself unarmed. She hadn't knocked down enough.

"Just go!" she screamed to her son while tears of defeat streamed down her face. A single dart appeared in her neck, causing her to suffer the same fate of both Leo and Mike. Trembling, Diana and Raphael huddled together while the humans emerged with a large net. Adrenaline kicking in, Raphael detached himself from Diana's scared grip and nimbly crawled through the legs of an approaching person. Almost stumbling over himself, Raphael picked up his two sais, not willing to give up just yet.

"Hey, calm down," a scientist coaxed the boy while trying to approach him with a net. Raphael growled and rammed a single sai into the man's foot, making him scream and hop in agony. Three army soldiers approached at once; one managed to successfully grab the turtle. Yet Raphael elbowed him in the stomach before kicking another in the groin with a rising straight kick, and knocking the wind out of another with his illegally learnt flying back kick.

An uproar was heard amongst the twelve remaining humans. They all tried to approach at once, yet they all stopped when Raphael raised his sais. "Drop your weapon!" a demanding voice was heard. Raphael stood in shock as a knife was held at ransom at Diana's throat. A tidal wave of guilt washed over him. He shouldn't have left her. He should have been by her side. Raphael stared into the little three-year-old's face. He could tell she was extremely frightened. Tears swept down her cheeks as shuddering sobs were emitted. Her body stood trembling like a leaf. "Drop your weapon!" the human demanded again, bringing the knife closer to his sister's throat.

Maybe he was scared that he'd lose his sister. Maybe he knew that he'd already lost. Maybe he was just simply tired of running all of his life. None of the humans knew why Raphael gave up and placed his two sais on the ground in defeat.