NOT QUITE HUMAN

Part Two: The Secret Comes Out

"Whoa! That is one big rock!" Kento exclaimed. The six boys were in the space exhibit, looking at a giant rock supported on metal posts.

"That's no mere rock, Kento. That's a meteorite," Rowen revealed as he read the sign next to the display. "According to this, this particular meteorite is just a small fragment off of a much larger meteor that's still floating somewhere in outer space."

"How much does this meteorite weigh?" Cye asked curiously.

"Over three tons!" Donatello announced. "That's over six thousand pounds!" Ryo, Cye, Sage, and Kento gasped when they heard this.

"That's pretty awesome!" Kento admitted as they left the space exhibit.

"See, Kento? I told you that there were some things in the Museum of Natural History that even you would be interested in," Rowen remarked.

"Yeah, I guess it's not so bad," Kento reluctantly admitted.

"Looks likes there's hope for you yet, Kento," Cye remarked.

Rowen glanced over at Donatello, who was suspiciously looking around the main lobby that they had just entered. "Is there something wrong, Donatello?" Rowen asked curiously.

"Nothing, I guess. It's just that I expected the museum to be more crowded," Donatello explained. "Even on a Sunday, there's usually a bigger crowd around here. We're practically the only ones here."

"Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" Ryo asked.

"I've been to the Museum of Natural History a ton of times, and even on slow days, there's bigger crowds than this. I have a feeling that something's up," Donatello muttered thoughtfully.

"Well, since it's around noontime, a lot of people must be out for lunch now," Rowen pointed out.

"I guess that would explain why the museum's not so busy," Donatello admitted.

"Hey, Donatello? Since you know so much about this place, where's the dinosaur exhibit?" Kento asked.

"It's straight ahead. Just follow me," Donatello instructed as the six boys cut through the main lobby. Donatello and his five friends never noticed something unusual going on in the security office, which they passed on their way to the dinosaur exhibit.

"Hurry it up, Bebop!" Rocksteady complained. "We have to meet the boss in the gem room with the Foot Soldiers!"

"Hold on! I'm almost done," Bebop muttered out loud as he finished tying up one of the two security guards. The two security guards had their hands and legs tied, and their mouths gagged.

"There. Finished," Bebop announced as he finished tying the last knot.

"Come on! Let's meet the boss!" Rocksteady announced as he headed for the door, followed by Bebop.

Rocksteady slowly opened the door a little bit and stuck his head out. He looked around to see if there was anyone there, but all he could see was a group of six teenage boys looking at a skeleton of a tyrannosaurus rex, with their backs turned to him.

"Come on, Bebop. Let's get going," Rocksteady whispered. He slowly opened the door all the way and crept out into the lobby, followed by Bebop. Bebop turned around and accidentally slammed the door behind him. Rocksteady and Bebop froze dead in their tracks, hoping that neither of the six boys would turn around. After a few agonizing moments, the two mutants realized that the boys didn't hear them.

"Phew! That was close!" Bebop whispered as he let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Way to go, you dolt!" Rocksteady whispered loudly as he smacked Bebop upside the head.

"Huh?" Donatello muttered to himself. He had just heard a familiar voice coming from the lobby. He carefully turned his head to see who it was and gasped slightly when he recognized the two mutants tiptoeing in the opposite direction.

Bebop and Rocksteady! What are they doing here? And how did they get past all of the security?" Donatello thought.

"Donatello, is there something wrong?" Rowen asked curiously.

"Umm...nothing," Donatello lied. "Excuse me for a minute. I need to use the bathroom. I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?"

"Sure, Donatello," Rowen replied as he, Ryo, Cye, Kento, and Sage walked further into the dinosaur exhibit, while Donatello headed back into the lobby. Rowen turned around and was surprised to see Donatello walk right past the restrooms.

That's strange. Donatello said that he knew the Museum of Natural History like the back of his hand, so of course he'd know where the bathroom is...unless he was covering up for something else, Rowen thought.

Donatello carefully walked down the lobby and approached the security office. He peered through the glass window in the door and gasped when he saw the two security guards tied up.

"So that's how they did it," Donatello muttered thoughtfully. He looked at the entrance to the gem room, where Bebop and Rocksteady went. "I better see what they're up to," Donatello told himself as he slowly crept up to the doorway and entered the gem room. He knelt behind a small guardrail surrounding the room and carefully peered over the top. "Shredder! And the Foot Soldiers!" Donatello gasped.

"Hurry up, you numbskulls! We don't have all day!" Shredder shouted at Bebop and Rocksteady as they quickly approached him and the fifteen Foot Soldiers. "Sorry, boss," Bebop apologized with a snort.

"Did you remember to turn off the alarms?" Shredder asked.

"We sure did, boss," Rocksteady replied.

"You better have. If the alarm goes off, the police will be here in no time!" Shredder warned his mutants as he approached the glass case covering the huge green gemstone. Using the sharp metal prawns on his steel gauntlets, Shredder slowly started to carve a circle in the glass.

"I better let the Turtles know about this," Donatello muttered to himself as he took out his Turtle Com and turned it on. "This is Donatello. Come in, guys!"

"Raphael here. What's going on, Donatello?" Raphael asked.

"You and the others need to come to the Museum of Natural History right away!" Donatello whispered.

"Why? So you can give us some boring lecture on a new exhibit?" Raphael retorted.

"No, Raphael. Shredder and his goons are here!" Donatello whispered.

"What? No way!" Raphael exclaimed.

"It's true, Raphael," Donatello explained. "I need you to get here right away, along with Leonardo and Michelangelo."

"You got it, Donatello. We're on our way!" Raphael announced before turning off his Turtle Com.

Donatello put away his Turtle Com and peered over the guardrail again. He could see that Shredder has finished cutting the circle in the glass. Shredder made a fist and punched the circle he just made, which knocked out the portion of glass.

"Quickly, get the emerald!" Shredder ordered Bebop.

"Right, boss," Bebop replied.

As the mutant warthog carefully reached into the glass case to pull out the emerald, Donatello whispered to himself, "I have to stop Shredder! If I wait any longer, he's gonna get away!" He reached behind him and was about to pull out the bo that was concealed underneath his clothes when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Huh? Rowen?" Donatello gasped when he saw his blue-haired friend crouched down next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question, Donatello. What's going on?" Rowen asked curiously. Donatello hesitated for a few moments, wondering whether he should tell Rowen the truth about the creeps in the same room as them and himself.

"You see that guy dressed like a human can opener, Rowen?" Donatello asked as he and Rowen both peered over the edge of the guardrail. Rowen slowly nodded his head.

"That guy is known as the Shredder. He's bad news," Donatello explained.

"So he's a criminal?" Rowen asked.

"Sure is," Donatello replied. "You probably saw for yourself that his mutant henchmen tied up the museum's security guards. Unless we do something, Shredder's gonna get away with that emerald."

"Then we have to stop him," Rowen announced, which caught Donatello a bit off guard.

"You have an idea?" Donatello asked.

"I sure do. Those mutants aren't exactly on the bright side, are they?" Rowen asked.

"You definitely got that right," Donatello muttered out loud.

"Then we can use that to our advantage, Donatello. You wouldn't happen to have some rope on you, would you?" Rowen asked.

While Rowen and Donatello were quickly formulating a plan, Bebop was carefully pulling the emerald out of the glass case.

"I got it!" Bebop shouted triumphantly as he held up the emerald.

"Excellent! Now let's get back to the Techno-Drome," Shredder announced.

"I don't think so!" a voice shouted from somewhere in the room.

"Who was that?" Rocksteady asked as he, Bebop, Shredder, and the Foot Soldiers looked around the room.

"Up here, you boneheads!" Rowen shouted. The group of thieves looked up and saw the blue-haired teenage boy standing by the entrance.

Shredder laughed sinisterly at the sight of Rowen. "And how do you plan on stopping us, little man?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'll have you know that the police are already on their way here," Rowen lied.

"He's bluffing. Rocksteady, Bebop, get him!" Shredder ordered his two mutant henchmen.

"You got it, boss!" Rocksteady agreed as he and Bebop started to walk toward Rowen.

"Rowen, who's holding the emerald?" Donatello whispered, who was concealed behind the guardrail.

"That huge mutant warthog has it," Rowen whispered just loud enough for Donatello to hear.

"You got to make him come to you, so we can get that emerald away from him," Donatello instructed.

"Gotcha," Rowen whispered.

"You're gonna get it now, Little Boy Blue!" Bebop remarked sarcastically with a snort.

"I'd like to see you try, pig face!" Rowen shouted. Bebop was obviously ticked off by Rowen's insult.

"You're about to get mashed, wimp!" Bebop shouted as he charged towards Rowen.

When Bebop was just a few feet away from him, Rowen shouted, "Now!" Donatello quickly responded by pulling the rope in his hands. The rope was quickly pulled taunt across the entrance in front of Bebop. Before he could stop himself, Bebop tripped over the rope and dropped the emerald in the process, which skidded across the lobby floor.

"Hurry, let's go now!" Donatello shouted as he let go of the rope.

As Rowen and Donatello ran into the lobby after the emerald, Shredder shouted, "After them, you klutz!"

"Sure thing, boss," Bebop muttered out loud as he stood up.

"I got it," Rowen replied as he picked up the emerald from the floor.

"We better find your friends and let them know what's going on," Donatello announced.

"Right," Rowen agreed as he and Donatello ran toward the dinosaur exhibit.

"Rowen, Donatello, where have you two been?" Cye asked curiously when he saw Rowen and Donatello running towards him, Kento, Ryo, and Sage.

"Whoa! Where the heck did you get that from?" Kento asked suspiciously, pointing at the emerald in Rowen's hand.

"There's no time to explain, guys," Rowen interrupted as he put the emerald in his pocket. "There are some thieves in the museum that are after this emerald."

"Where are the security guards?" Sage asked.

"Shredder's goons already tied them up," Donatello replied.

"Shredder? Who's that?" Ryo asked.

"Him!" Rowen shouted as he pointed at the entrance to the lobby. Ryo, Sage, Kento, Cye, and Donatello looked up and gasped when they saw Shredder, Bebop, Rocksteady, and the Foot Soldiers blocking the entrance.

"Hey, it's a walking can opener!" Kento retorted with a snicker.

"Silence, boy!" Shredder shouted.

"He's got some nerve, calling me a boy!" Kento remarked angrily as he started to charge towards Shredder.

"Kento, don't!" Cye shouted as he and Sage held Kento back.

"Now, give me that emerald!" Shredder demanded.

"You'll have to catch us first!" Ryo shouted as he, Sage, Kento, Cye, Rowen, and Donatello ran through the dinosaur exhibit.

"After them!" Shredder ordered Bebop, Rocksteady, and the Foot Soldiers.

"With great pleasure, Master Shredder," Rocksteady agreed as he, Bebop, the Foot Soldiers, and Shredder ran after the teenage boys.

"We have to lose those creeps, but how?" Sage asked as he and his five friends continued running down the corridor.

"We'll have to split up. That way, it'll be easier to lose them," Donatello suggested. "There's an intersection coming up right...now!"

When the six boys reached the intersection in the corridor, Ryo and Sage turned left, Rowen and Donatello turned right, and Kento and Cye ran straight ahead.

"Blast it! They've split up!" Shredder shouted as he, his army of fifteen Foot Soldiers, and two mutants stopped at the intersection. "That kid with the blue hair could have passed that emerald to any one of his friends!"

"What do we do now, boss?" Bebop asked.

"We have no choice but to split up and hunt those boys down one by one until they hand over that emerald to us," Shredder muttered thoughtfully. "Rocksteady, you head down the right corridor. Bebop, you go straight ahead. I'll take the corridor on the left. Now, get going!"

"Yes, Master Shredder," Bebop replied as he headed down the corridor with five Foot Soldiers. Rocksteady ran down the right corridor, followed by five more Foot Soldiers, while Shredder ran down the left corridor with the remaining Foot Soldiers...

"Hurry, Sage, in here!" Ryo shouted as he ran into a large room, followed by Sage.

"What is this place?" Sage asked as they walked past display cases of antique oriental weapons and armor.

"It must be the feudal Japan exhibit that I heard about," Ryo muttered out loud as they walked through the room.

"Hey, Ryo, maybe we can use some of these weapons to fight back," Sage suggested as he studied a display case containing decorative antique katanas and battle swords.

"No, Sage. It would be wrong to use these weapons," Ryo protested. "That would be disrespecting our ancestors."

"What else are we supposed to do, Ryo?" Sage asked. "We can't transform into our armor here, and we can't keep running from those creeps. We have to fight back."

"I'd like to see you try!" a familiar voice shouted. Ryo and Sage turned around and gasped when they saw Shredder and five of his ninja soldiers standing in the doorway.

"It's that Shredder guy again!" Sage shouted.

"Now, which one of you has the emerald?" Shredder asked.

"Try and guess, metal head!" Ryo shouted as he and Sage stood ready to fight off Shredder and his Foot Soldiers.

"If you want it that way...Foot Soldiers, attack!" Shredder ordered his ninja soldiers. The Foot Soldiers responded by lifting up their laser blasters and firing them at Ryo and Sage.

"Jump!" Sage shouted. Ryo and Sage quickly jumped out of the way of the red lasers, which reflected off the glass protecting the feudal weapons.

"You're going down!" Ryo shouted as he charged toward two of the Foot Soldiers. He jumped high above their heads, landed behind them, and quickly punched the two Foot Soldiers in the face, knocking them down to the floor.

"Sorry to do this, Ryo, but desperate times call for desperate measures!" Sage muttered out loud as he grabbed a fire extinguisher and used it to break the glass covering the Japanese swords. He took out a long battle sword and a pair of katanas from the display case.

"Hey, Ryo! Catch!" Sage shouted as he threw the katanas high in the air. The pair of twin swords flew over all of the Foot Soldiers' heads and Ryo caught both of them by the handles.

"Now, this is more like it!" Ryo admitted as he removed the katanas from their sheaths. The two Foot Soldiers got back up and fired their laser blasters at Ryo. Ryo quickly responded by crossing the twin blades in the form of an X. The red lasers reflected off of the katanas' blades and headed back to the Foot Soldiers. To Ryo's surprise, the lasers burned large holes through the Foot Soldiers' stomachs, revealing metal parts, wires, and circuitry.

"What the...Hey, Sage! These soldiers are robots!" Ryo shouted.

"Then we should have no problem taking care of them, Ryo," Sage replied as he removed the battle sword from its sheath.

"I'll handle these robots, Sage. Think you can take on that Shredder guy?" Ryo asked as he swung his katanas at the two Foot Soldiers with the holes in their stomachs, cutting them both in half.

"You got it, Ryo," Sage replied as he turned his attention toward Shredder.

"You'll find me more of a challenge than you think, boy!" Shredder muttered sinisterly as he withdrew his own sword from the sheath attached to his belt.

"The same goes for me, too, chrome face!" Sage shouted.

"You will pay for that insult!" Shredder shouted as he swung his sword at Sage's feet in an attempt to trip him. Sage quickly jumped over the razor- sharp blade and swung his sword at Shredder. Shredder quickly used his sword to block Sage's sword.

"I must admit, you have excellent fighting skills for someone so young," Shredder admitted. "Perhaps you would be interested in joining my gang of Foot Soldiers."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass," Sage retorted. As the two were locked in combat, Ryo was continuing to fight off the three remaining Foot Soldiers.

"Sage, I can use a little help here," Ryo shouted as he chopped one of the Foot Soldiers' laser blasters in half.

"I'm a little busy here, Ryo," Sage muttered out loud as he blocked another swing from Shredder's sword.

"Perhaps I can be of some help!" a voice shouted from above them. Ryo gasped when a giant turtle wearing a blue mask dropped down from the ceiling.

"It's one of those wretched reptiles! Just what I need!" Shredder retorted under his breath as he continued his sword fight with Sage.

"Who or what are you?" Ryo asked as Leonardo removed his katanas from behind his shell.

"There's no time to explain," Leonardo interrupted. "First, we have to take care of these Foot Soldiers. Hi-ya!" Leonardo somersaulted over one of the remaining Foot Soldiers, turned around, and swung his katanas at his waist, cutting him in half.

"Look out!" Ryo shouted when the two remaining Foot Soldiers stared firing their laser blasters at him and Leonardo.

"Quickly, do exactly as I do!" Leonardo instructed as he held up his katanas.

"You got it," Ryo agreed.

"Now!" Leonardo shouted as he swung his katana at the incoming lasers, followed by Ryo. The lasers reflected off of their katanas and headed right back to the remaining Foot Soldiers, causing them to explode into piles of singed metal bits and fabric.

"All right! We smoked them!" Ryo admitted.

"Leave the Shredder to me! You two get out of here and call the police!" Leonardo instructed.

"Okay, if you say so," Ryo replied as he dropped the katanas. "Come on, Sage! Let's get out of here and find our friends!"

"I'm right behind you, Ryo!" Sage shouted as he dropped his sword and followed Ryo out of the room.

"I'll get them later, but for now, I'll finish you off, shellback!" Shredder shouted as he charged at Leonardo.

"I don't think so, Shred-Head! Turtles fight with honor!" Leonardo shouted as he blocked Shredder's sword with his katanas.

"And I fight dirty!" Shredder retorted as he tried to trip Leonardo with a roundhouse kick. Leonardo quickly jumped high in the air to avoid Shredder's cheap trick...

"Those two kids has gotta be in here somewheres," Bebop muttered out loud as he and his five Foot Soldiers entered a large room. The room contained several displays of stuffed African animals protected by panels of Plexiglas. In the center of the room was a display of a massive African bull elephant.

"Check the displays for 'em!" Bebop ordered the Foot Soldiers. The ninja robots nodded as they started to carefully examine the displays. They were all unaware that someone was watching them.

"What's going on out there, Cye?" Kento whispered to his friend, who was peering over the edge of the elephant display.

"Those Foot Soldiers and that huge warthog are searching for us, Kento," Cye whispered. "We best be getting out of here."

"I don't get why we can't just transform into our armors and take care of those ugly creeps!" Kento whispered a bit angrily as he smacked his fist in his other hand.

"Not a good idea, Kento. It's not like we're fighting Talpa all over again. This is different," Cye whispered. "Besides, this museum has security cameras recording our every move. Who knows how the people of this country would react if they see five foreign visitors transform into mystical armor? They'll think we're some sort of a threat to the nation and send the armed forces after us!"

"I guess you're right, Cye," Kento mumbled to himself.

"I found youse!" Bebop announced gleefully. Kento and Cye turned around and gasped when they saw the mutant warthog standing on the elephant display behind them. He jumped down from the display and landed on the marble floor.

"Oh, great! It's that ugly excuse for a football again!" Kento retorted.

"You wimps are about to get mashed!" Bebop shouted angrily.

Before he could grab Cye and Kento, a voice from above them shouted, "Cowabunga!" Bebop looked up and gasped loudly when a giant turtle wearing an orange mask swung down from the second floor on a rope and kicked him hard, sending him flying until he collided with the wall.

"Who the heck are you?" Kento asked.

"I'll explain it later, man," Michelangelo interrupted. "Gotta take of those Foot Soldiers first!" Michelangelo looked up at the second floor, cupped his hands over his mouth, and shouted, "Yo, Raphael! Come on down and join the party!"

"You got it, Michelangelo! Bonsai!" another voice shouted as a second turtle wearing a red mask swung down from the same rope and landed in front of Kento and Cye.

"What are you guys?" Cye asked.

"Don't tell me you never heard of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" Raphael asked.

"Afraid not," Cye replied as he and Kento shook their heads no.

"What did you expect, dude?" Michelangelo asked Raphael. "They're from way, way outta town!"

"And youse shellbacks are gonna be turtle mush!" Bebop shouted as he stood up. "Get them!" The five Foot Soldiers quickly surrounded Cye, Kento, Raphael, and Michelangelo.

"Let's see, six against two. My kind of odds!" Raphael admitted as he and Michelangelo took out their weapons.

"Don't you mean six against four?" Cye asked.

"No offense, dudes, but let us handle this, okay?" Michelangelo asked. "We've had plenty of experience dealing with these guys."

"What makes you think we can't fight them?" Kento retorted.

"Save it for later, okay?" Raphael interrupted when he saw two Foot Soldiers charging towards them.

"Hey, dudes? What goes quack-quack?" Michelangelo asked.

"That's easy. A duck," Cye replied.

"Exactamundo!" Michelangelo shouted as he and Raphael intentionally fell back on their shells and used their feet to send the two Foot Soldiers flying.

"Now I get it. Get down, Kento!" Cye shouted. The two boys dropped down to the ground as the Foot Soldiers flew over them and crashed onto the marble floor behind them. Kento and Cye turned around and gasped when they saw two small piles of smoldering metal parts and fabric.

"Those ninjas were robots?" Kento gasped loudly out of shock.

"Exactamundo, dudes!" Michelangelo replied with a grin as he spun his nunchucks around. Meanwhile, two Foot Soldiers had cornered Raphael.

"Have you two ever met face-to-face?" Raphael asked sarcastically as he grabbed the Foot Soldiers by their heads and smacked them together, smashing them both into little pieces.

"They just don't make them like they used to." Raphael was startled when Bebop started firing his laser blaster at him. "I don't think so!" Raphael shouted as he threw one of his sais at Bebop.

"Hey! No fair!" Bebop complained as the sai implanted itself into his laser blaster, causing it to blow up in his hands.

"Come on, Cye! We can take those robots, even without our armor," Kento admitted.

"I'm right behind you!" Cye shouted. Together, the two boys tackled the last Foot Soldier and punched him repeatedly in the head, which soon exploded from the damage they caused.

"Bebop, you're about to get injured by a ninja!" Michelangelo shouted as he, Raphael, Kento, and Cye surrounded the mutant warthog.

"Umm...I just remembered something. I'm late for, umm...a dentist appointment! Mama!" Bebop shouted as he ran out of the room as fast as he could.

"We sure took care of old hog-breath, huh, Michelangelo?" Raphael asked.

"We sure did, dude!" Michelangelo agreed as they exchanged a high three.

"Hey, we helped out, too!" Kento pointed out.

"Knock it off, Kento! We have to find our friends," Cye interrupted.

"Yeah, we better find our buds, too, Raphael," Michelangelo admitted.

"You mean there's more of you?" Kento asked out of disbelief.

"Totally, dude! We have two more bros in here-" Michelangelo was stopped short by Raphael putting his hand over his mouth.

"You need to learn when to keep that big beak of yours shut, Michelangelo!" Raphael retorted. "We better book it!"

"Right, dude," Michelangelo agreed as the two Turtles ran out of the room.

"That's strange," Cye muttered thoughtfully.

"Yeah, and I thought giant alligators lived in the sewers, not giant turtles!" Kento remarked.

"Not that, Kento," Cye interrupted. "Those turtles, they said their names were Michelangelo and Raphael."

"Yeah, so?" Kento asked.

"Well, don't you find it a bit ironic that Rowen's friend, Donatello, has two brothers with the exact same names?" Cye asked. "You know, I thought Donatello looked a bit odd. He's rather short, he has only three fingers on each hand, and he has a massive hump on his back...Kento, do you know what this means?"

"Not exactly, but I have a feeling you're gonna tell me," Kento remarked.

"I know this sounds outrageous, but I think that Donatello is one of those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in disguise!" Cye announced.

"You really think so?" Kento asked.

"It has to be. There are just too many coincidences that add up. Come on, Kento. We better find Ryo, Sage, Rowen, and Donatello!" Cye shouted.

"You got it!" Kento agreed as he followed Cye out of the exhibit...

"They're catching up to us, Donatello!" Rowen shouted as he and Donatello turned into yet another corridor.

"Just hang on, Rowen! We're almost there!" Donatello shouted. The two boys soon reached a door at the end of the long corridor. Donatello tried to open the door, but came across a slight problem. "It's locked. We have to go back."

"Too late for that!" Rowen shouted. Donatello looked up and gasped when he saw Rocksteady and five Foot Soldiers heading towards them.

"We're trapped...like rats!" Donatello reluctantly admitted.

"Now you two are gonna get it!" Rocksteady taunted in a singsong tone. "Where's the emerald?"

"What makes you think that we have it?" Rowen asked.

"You can forget that. I'm not falling for any more of your tricks!" Rocksteady proclaimed.

"You should talk, rhino breath!" Donatello retorted.

"Hey, wait a minute! That voice sounds familiar," Rocksteady muttered thoughtfully.

"Uh-oh!" Donatello murmured under his breath.

"Donatello, what is he talking about?" Rowen asked.

"Donatello? Now I remember! You're one of them Turtles!" Rocksteady announced, pointing an accusing finger at Donatello.

"What is that overgrown rhinoceros talking about?" Rowen asked curiously.

Donatello was silent for a few moments, now knowing that there was only one way out of their predicament. "I meant to tell you about this, but it looks like you're about to see for yourself," Donatello muttered just loud enough for Rowen to hear. Rowen's eyes widened out of shock when Donatello pulled off a rubber mask, revealing a green face with a purple mask.

"I knew you was one of them shellbacks!" Rocksteady admitted gleefully as Donatello ripped of the remainder of his disguise.

"Congratulations! You win the grand prize!" Donatello retorted as he withdrew his bo.

"Really? Oh, goody! What did I win?" Rocksteady asked curiously.

"A free ninja lesson, courtesy of Donatello!" Donatello announced. Using his bo as a vault pole, Donatello hurdled over Rocksteady and the Foot Soldiers.

"Get that Turtle!" Rocksteady ordered the Foot Soldiers. The Foot Soldiers responded by charging towards Donatello.

"Fore!" Donatello shouted as he swung his bo, sending two of the Foot Soldiers flying towards the remaining Foot Soldiers, knocking them all down in a pile of tangled robotic parts.

"Let's see ya swing your way outta this!" Rocksteady announced sinisterly.

"Rowen!" Donatello gasped when he saw that Rocksteady had his human friend held tightly in a headlock.

"Let me go, you boneheaded imbecile!" Rowen shouted as he struggled to get out of Rocksteady's grip.

"Drop your weapon or your geeky friend here is gonna get it!" Rocksteady announced as he held his laser blaster against Rowen's back.

"Fine, Rocksteady," Donatello reluctantly agreed as he dropped his bo on the floor. "Now let him go!"

"Uh-uh! Not until I get that emerald! Now, where is it?" Rocksteady demanded.

"It's in my pocket," Rowen reluctantly revealed.

"You better give it to me, if ya know what's good for youse!" Rocksteady told Rowen as he poked him in the back with the laser blaster to prove his point. Rowen hesitated for a moment before he reached into his pocket, pulled out the emerald, and handed it to Rocksteady.

"All right! I got it!" Rocksteady announced as he held up the emerald triumphantly in his free hand.

"That's what you think!" Raphael shouted as he threw both of his sais at the mutant rhinoceros. One of the small weapons knocked the emerald right out of Rocksteady's hand, while the other sai destroyed Rocksteady's laser blaster.

"Good timing, guys!" Donatello admitted as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo joined him.

"Hey, we can't let you have all the fun, Donatello!" Michelangelo exclaimed.

"You better give up, Rocksteady! You're outnumbered four to one!" Leonardo shouted. "Let that kid go!"

"If you say so! Catch!" Rocksteady shouted as he lifted Rowen over his head and threw him towards the four Turtles.

"We got you, Rowen!" Donatello announced as he and the other Turtles stood ready to catch Rowen. The four Turtles ended up getting knocked down to the ground in their attempt to save Donatello's human friend.

"Thanks for breaking my fall," Rowen admitted.

"No problemo, dude," Michelangelo groaned.

"Just drop in any time!" Raphael retorted.

"Come on, Turtles! Rocksteady is getting away!" Leonardo shouted as he pointed at the retreating mutant rhinoceros.

"Stay here, Rowen," Donatello instructed as he and his three brothers ran after Rocksteady.

"Where did he go, dude?" Michelangelo asked.

"That way!" Leonardo shouted when he saw Rocksteady running down a flight of stairs. "Why would rhino breath go down into the basement?" Raphael asked as the four Turtles ran down the stairs.

"The modules must be down there," Donatello muttered thoughtfully. "So that's how Shredder and his mutants broke into the museum!"

"We better hurry or Rocksteady's going to get away!" Leonardo announced.

"Looks like we're too late!" Michelangelo reluctantly admitted when they reached the basement.

Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello looked up and gasped when they saw a transport module drill a hole into the basement's concrete floor. As soon as the module disappeared into the freshly drilled hole, the tunnel was immediately flooded with molten lava.

"Bummer, dudes! They got away!" Michelangelo remarked.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Michelangelo," Raphael retorted.

"Look on the bright side, guys. At least they didn't get that emerald they came for," Donatello pointed out.

"Speaking of which, whatever happened to that emerald, Donatello?" Leonardo asked.

"I have it right here," Rowen announced as he entered the basement, carrying the emerald in his hand.

"Rowen!" Donatello gasped.

"That's good. When the police arrive, you can turn the emerald over to them," Leonardo admitted.

"Speaking of the boys in blue, we better beat it!" Raphael announced. "I totally dig that notion!" Michelangelo added

Leonardo looked around and spotted a steel grate in the concrete floor. "There's our way out. Come on, Turtles!" Leonardo announced as he removed the grate from the floor.

"Donatello, aren't you coming?" Raphael asked.

"Give me a minute, guys. I need to do something first," Donatello revealed.

"If you say so! Later, dude!" Michelangelo shouted as he headed down the hole leading into the sewer, followed by Leonardo and Raphael.

Donatello let out a deep sigh as he turned around to face Rowen. "Rowen, I'm sorry I never told you the truth about me," Donatello apologized. "It's kinda hard to explain something like this in a letter, you know."

"That's understandable," Rowen replied.

"You mean you're not freaked out about this?" Donatello asked curiously.

"I'll admit that I definitely wasn't expecting this, but after I got over the initial shock, it's no big deal," Rowen admitted.

"That's good...I guess," Donatello replied. "Listen, I have to go now, Rowen."

"What for, Donatello?" Rowen asked as Donatello headed for the sewer opening.

"Well, let's just say the police have a bit of a problem accepting the fact that we're on their side because we happen to be mutants," Donatello explained.

"I guess that makes sense. Most people tend to fear what they don't understand," Rowen replied.

"I can definitely vouch for that!" Donatello remarked.

"Rowen, where are you?" Rowen and Donatello heard Ryo shout.

"Sounds like your friends are looking for you," Donatello muttered out loud. "You should go back up there and join them."

"Am I ever going to see you again, Donatello?" Rowen asked curiously as Donatello stepped into the opening.

"I don't know if I'll be able to," Donatello reluctantly replied. "I'll have to call you later. Goodbye, Rowen."

"Donatello, wait!" Rowen protested as Donatello picked up the grating and put it back over his head. Rowen looked through the grating into the sewer below, but there was no sign of his friend.

"I hope Donatello keeps his promise," Rowen muttered to himself as he climbed up the basement stairs. "I have no idea how to contact him." When Rowen reached the top of the stairs, he noticed a round object lying on the floor.

"What is this?" Rowen asked himself as he picked up the small electronic device shaped like a turtle shell.

"Rowen! Over here!" Cye shouted.

Rowen turned his head around and saw his four friends running towards him, along with two security guards. He quickly shoved the turtle shell into his pocket before he turned around to face them.

"Where have you been, Rowen?" Sage asked curiously.

"Yeah! You missed all the excitement," Kento added.

"Believe me, I didn't miss all of it," Rowen muttered out loud.

"Listen up, Rowen. Sage and I found these security guards tied up and the police are also on their way here," Ryo explained.

"Well, they should be very relieved to know that those crooks didn't get away with this," Rowen revealed as he handed the emerald to one of the security guards.

"Thank you very much. You boys are heroes!" the security guard admitted.

"If you don't mind, boys, you'll have to stay here for a few minutes until the police arrive so you can give them a statement and explain to them what happened," the other security guard explained.

"We don't have any problem with that," Ryo admitted.

"Just come with us to the lobby," the first security guard instructed as he and the other guard led the five boys to the lobby.

"We don't exactly deserve all of this credit," Cye whispered to his friends. "If those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles didn't show up when they did..."

"You're right, Cye, but what can we do?" Sage asked. "It's not like we can find those Turtles and thank them personally."

"Maybe there is a way," Rowen murmured thoughtfully to himself as he looked back down at his pocket, which held the turtle shell-shaped electronic device that he found earlier...TO BE CONTINUED