Hey guys! Guess what – I now have SPELLCHECK! Everyone bow to Pacphys, who told me an age ago about open office and which I downloaded, but it didn't seem to be working so I forgot about it. Then she reminded me of it in a recent review and curious, I checked out my files – I hadn't enabled it! Although in fairness, I still haven't actually worked it out properly – the computer keeps telling me the spellcheck is compete in spite of glaring errors. Anyone wanna call SS dumb? Form an orderly queue!

The next chapter will probably be the epilogue. I'm thinking of a sequel, which would be the readjustment of the TMNT to life after the Foot. Let me know what ya think of the idea!

This is the longgest chapter of the fic, running to a staggering 15 pages. Get yaself a coffee, snack or whatever coz ya gonna be here awhile!

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Consciousness was slow in coming.

There was the light through his eyelids and he grimaced, not wanting to waken, but the light was to powerful to ignore for long.

Sensation was next. He was laid down on a cold steel table, the feeling of something wrapped around his wrists and ankles, straps across his torso. How he got there was still a mystery, but restraints proved that it was unlikely it was by choice.

Memory came after that. He had been angry, hurt, betrayed, deciding to free the being he believed to be truthful about his origins - but he had been cornered by the one person he had been brought up to trust. They had fought but he had been outmatched, knocked out and then. . .

He had been somewhere else. A room, stark white walls and no windows. He had been restrained then too, but this time by a person, holding him by his arms and never giving him the chance to break free. Someone who towered above him, whose strength was a match for his own and then some.

Hun.

And then the interrogation had begun. How did he know of the rat? Whom had he told? What other measures had he taken?

And the pain, of course. There had to be pain. How else could they know he was telling all he knew? The pain was insurance, that should he hold back on them, there would be more pain, then more pain, then more. And if he were lucky, death. If they did not believe him; more pain.

He had hung on for as long as he could, then told them a partial truth in the hopes that they would just stop hurting him, just for a while.

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed about a different life. . .

The Master had grinned as he heard the details of the dream and then asked for more information. He had held on for a while longer and then told more.

I didn't want Yuriko to be hurt and I told her I would help her by doing her chores while she practised, take the meals and no one would ever know. . .

No one else knew. We knew we couldn't tell anyone else. I wasn't supposed to be there - but it was just one time and I didn't want her hurt. . .

I spoke to Splinter. He told me what Saki did. I didn't know if I should believe him but after what happened to Yuriko, I knew Saki wasn't a good man and I needed to get away, to get Splinter away too if what he said was the truth. . .

I didn't tell anyone. . .

After that, he stuck to the story. He kept the secret to himself. He hadn't told anyone, not his brothers, not Yuriko, no one. He was the only one who knew about Splinter, trapped in solitary. It had been him and him alone who had intended the break out. Otherwise, where had they been?

On occasion, he wanted to tell the truth, if it would stop the hurt. If they would leave him alone, he would tell them that he and Raph and Donnie had conspired to speak to the rat and they all knew about him. But that wouldn't stop it. All it would do would to be to put them in the same position he was in now. And the more he told, the more they hurt him. If they thought he had told them all he had to tell, they would have to leave him alone - or kill him. Either would be a relief. Anything - anything - to stop the pain that coursed through him, that made them leave him be, that made him unable to feel it anymore. Anything.

Then the familiar voice, saying he had nothing more to give them and the pain giving way to blessed nothingness as he was allowed to lose consciousness. . .

Nothing more until that moment.

There was an argument going on, one he hadn't really been aware of as more than background noise until then.

". . .Can't be serious?"

"He is more than just a freak to me. He has talent, has always served the Foot well. This is merely a momentary thing. Can you do anything to return him to us?"

"With all due respect, I'm an engineer not a psychologist."

"Engineering is fine. I need compliance, not some Freudian experiment."

"If you would allow me to experiment on his DNA, as I suggested I do to his brother, then I would be able to give you an army of warriors such as he, more agile, more able. . ."

"That takes time I do not have. His brothers have already asked for him. I refuse to do without them at a time like this."

My brothers? He tried to play comatose and listen in further.

"I am satisfied that he is the one amongst them causing problems. He is the one who discovered the rat."

"Rat?"

"Nothing you need be concerned with. He can destroy decades of work with a mere word. I need to know that he will not. I need the loyal Foot soldier back. I cannot afford him to disappear, nor can I afford him to speak of what he knows. I have a window of mere days. That is where you come in."

"Continue."

"I need him to - forget about the last few weeks. I can have him say it's due to a recent illness. He must never remember what he knows now."

"I'll certainly be able to do that - master." Tha last word dripped with sarcasm.

He held his breath at footsteps came toward him, then a tight grip, etched with metal, grabbed him by his cheeks and puckered his mouth.

"Do you think I do not know when you are faking it, turtle?" A cold laugh. "It is of no matter. Soon, you will remember none of this. All that you shall know. . ."

The face closed in on his sight, mask removed, but the merciless visage of Oruku Saki filling his vision.

"You are still my son. Now and forever."

"I. Am. NOT. Your. Son."

"Brave words. And meaningless." Saki laughed. "You have no choice. You are mine."

&&&&&&&&

Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael stood atop a building opposite the only home they had ever known. Even thought they were several storeys up, the Foot Headquarters was taller and seemed to loom above them, dark and imposing, Saki's traditional Japanese retreat atop it out of sight.

"We shouldn't have to go that far up," said Leo, eyeing the rooftop. "If anything, Mikey should be in high security. It's the most secure place in the building."

Don sat cross-legged on the roof and reached into his bag, pulling out a laptop computer. "I might be able to find out for sure."

"No way," said Raph. "Saki knows that ya can hack into the computer. He won't be dumb enough ta put the information on the system."

"Perhaps not," said Donnie, typing rapidly. "But that doesn't mean there aren't other ways to find out."

Leo and Raph exchanged blank looks over the top of his head. "Uh, bro?" said Leo hesitantly. "Care to run that by us again?"

"Shredder's pet genetacist – remember him?"

Raph grimaced. "Like we could forget. Blood samples, skin samples, tissue samples – that guy was so fonda needles, he shoulda taken up acupuncture."

Leo nodded. "But he vanished, years ago. He was on the mission under the city and the whole team went missing. Don't you remember how Ma- how Saki yelled?"

"I'd managed to repress it, until now," replied Donnie, most of his attention taken up by the laptop. "Which means the most brilliant scientist in Saki's employ by now is Stockman."

Leo allowed himself to feel a glimmer of hope. "You think you might be able to get something from Stockman?"

Donnie nodded absently. "I've never met someone so full of his own importance, his own intellect. He thinks that no matter what he does, he can never be outwitted. He works in riddles a lot on the computer. His last E-mail password was his own name in binary."

Raph raised an eyeridge. "You read his E-mail?"

"No, I just hacked in to it. Wanted to see if I could."

"But why would he be talking about Mikey on his mails?" Leo could feel the brief flare of hope fading.

"He wouldn't. He's self-important, not suicidal. But he keeps meticulous notes on everything else he does, so if he knows something about Mikey, he would have kept records. Maybe at home, but there might be something on the Stocktronics computer, which of course I can access. After that it's just a matter of breaking the encryptions, bypassing the system and – got it!"

Raph and Leo leaned in, trying to see the screen. Leo rested a hand on his shell. "What have you got?"

"Here." Donnie pointed at the screen, at a line of text that the other two were too far away to make out clearly. "Look what it says. 'Test subject resistant to re-education. Insists that he was the only person involved in the plan was himself and after intensive questioning, it seems logical to believe this is the case. OS has also questioned the test subject, hereafter referred to as OM, with no further success. OS requests that the next step be the reintegration of OM to his clan. The feasability of this plan is under some question, OM somewhat agitated and has mindset that he has been betrayed. This scientist is an engineer and not a psychologist. However, OS understandably reticent to introduce another doctor to this matter due to the unique genetic makeup of OM and has pledged further financial donations to Stocktronics should this be quickly dealt with. I am of course easily the intellectual equal of any psycologist and do not anticipate one of such inferior intelligence will be a challenge. And should OM prove more stubborn than first thought, this is a rare opportunity to obtain genetic material that would otherwise be inaccessible. . .' Guys! Do you know what this means?"

Leo tried not to grin, realising for the first time just how afraid he had been for the welfare of his brother. "This 'test subject', OM – Oruku Michelangelo?"

Raph didn't bother trying to hide his joy. "Mikey's alive!"

Leo pondered over the rest of what Donnie had read to them, his eyes narrowing as he glared over to Foot Headquarters. "But Mikey's still a prisoner and it doesn't sound like they're going easy on him because they want him in the Foot. Donnie, is there anything to pinpoint where he might be?"

"Here." Donnie scowled at the screen. "Guys, we might have a problem. Mikey's not in high security. They have him in a private room up where the labs are."

Leo could see his perfectly thought out plan going straight to hell. "But – but that's a seven storey difference! If we get Mikey first, the Fott will know where we're heading and be waiting before we can get anywhere near Splinter. And if we get Splinter first, Shredder might get the chance to reach Mikey before we do!"

"We get Mikey first," said Raph in a voice that brooked no argument, even from their leader. "I don't know much about Splinter, but Mikey is one of us. He's our brother."

Leo nodded. "Agreed. We don't know if Splinter can help us fight our way through the Foot but. . ." He trailed off, realising that if Mikey had been hurt, he might not be much help to them either.

"There is one thing we could do," said Donnie, looking away from the laptop. "I could rig the security system to cut out – maybe. Saki trusted me to work on most of it, but I'll bet he has backups that I didn't work on. Not a very trusting person. If I could fix it on those two floors only, there's less likelihood they'll be noticed and maybe, Splinter can work out for himself how to get free in case we aren't able to get down to high security."

Leo stared at Foot Headquarters, a frown on his face. "If anyone were to notice, it could tip off the Foot that we're arriving."

"Maybe," said Donnie. "But I might be able to set up some kind of virus, something that takes a few minutes to infect the system. That way, it won't matter if the Foot do notice something – they'll already be aware of us. It'll affect the whole system too and could conceivably add to the confusion."

"Good thinking Don. Do it."

Don nodded and began typing again. "It'll take a few minutes."

Raphael leaned out, unconcerned about the height, sun and moon daggers already in hand. "Man, I can't wait to get in there."

"Stick to the plan Raph," said Leo sharply. "Find Mikey, find Splinter, leave. We're outnumbered and the Foot know our fighting styles. I trained half of them myself."

"I hope ya a bad teacher," said Raph and Leo almost laughed.

"It's kinda – weird," continued Raph. "This is probably the last time we'll be in there. It's the only home we remember and it's, y'know, strange to think in a few minutes we'll be fighting our own clan."

"Yeah." Leo grew sombre thinking about it. "A part of me says I'm going against everything we ever learned about honour, Bushido, the things we were taught to respect. That we're spitting in the face of our Sensei. That we're about to make our biggest mistake ever, one that we can't take back. But you know what? Mikey's missing and Don's computer says he's in the science lab being questioned and you know what that means. We might have been members of the Foot but the four of us, we're a family and I don't care about honour or mistakes or what happens next. We get Mikey and we get out. Revenge can come later. All that matters is our brother."

Raph glanced over at Leo. "And Splinter?"

"If we can get him, we do. If not. . . then that's not what's important. Mikey is. I want to get Splinter out too, but he's not the priority."

Raph nodded slowly. "Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry we didn't trust ya. Ya really came through for us."

"Why would you trust me? Mikey was right about a lot of things. I was obsessed with being the perfect Foot ninja, proving to Saki that I was worth the effort he spent on us – I neglected everything else. It took all this to remind me what was important." Leo smiled without humour. "I guess you could say it was a wake up call. Just wish it wouldn't have been at Mikey's expense."

"Done it," said Don from behind them. They turned to see him switching off the computer and shoving it in his bag. "Twenty minutes from now, every security door and camera in the building is going to be useless."

Leo nodded. "Ready guys?"

"Ready," replied Don.

Raph rested a hand on Leo's shell. "We're with ya bro."

"Then let's go get our brother."

&&&&&&&&

No one paid any attention when the three turtles walked through the front door of Foot Headquarters. Why would they? The trio and their absent brother were just another part of life with the clan. They strolled through the building and took the stairs up to the floor where the science labs were situated. It was a long way up, but Leo thought it more appropriate to use the stairs rather than advertise their destination.

"It's been ten minutes," Don advised them in a low voice.

"Let's go," said Leo determinedly.

They stepped out of the stairwell, sticking to the shadows, but realising immediately that the bright lighting wasn't aiding them. There were ten Foot ninjas in the corridor, most of them congregated around a room about half way down.

None of the Foot were especially worried to see them, but one strode forward. "Sorry guys. Master Saki personally requested that no one is allowed here without his supervision."

"I know," replied Leo and punched the ninja in the face with such force that the guy flew backwards, hitting the floor and sliding another two feet.

The other nine ninja didn't hesitate, merely unsheathed a variety of weapons and advanced.

Raphael unsheathed his sun and moon daggers and ran forward, grateful to at last have a target for his anger. He took down two without blinking, but two more avoided his attack and leapt at him. Don swung around his nagitana and slashed one of them deeply. The other fell victim to a leaping split kick from Leo.

Five left.

They ran for the turtles and Leo used a reverse dragon punch to fell the nearest to him. Raph leapt and kicked two more in the face, knocking them down and out. Don sliced the fourth across the stomach, wincing slightly as blood flowed, jerking the weapon backward as he sensed the last one behind him and connecting with balls. The final ninja doubled over and sank to the floor, all the fight knocked out of him.

Leo made sure the concious ninja wouldn't be calling for help by using a nerve grip and rendering him unconcious. "Be alert. That was too easy."

Don eyed the security camera. "They'll be watching us."

"Let them watch." Raph sheathed his daggers again. "They ain't gonna stop us. Not tonight."

Leo pushed the door where most of the Foot had been situated. Locked. Rather than wait for the virus in the system to do its work, he leapt at the door and with one kick, knocked it off its hinges. Landing in the room, he quickly pulled out a sword in case there were more ninja within. The light was harsh, overbright and there were no shadows for concealment. Nor were there any Foot ninja within.

The room was windowless, spartan in comparison to many of the other science labs. What little equipment there was had been shoved against the wall out of the way and unworking. In the centre of the room was a steel table, restraint straps attached. And held down by the straps was Michelangelo.

"He's here!" Leo rushed over to the table, hearing his brothers follow but most of his attention taken up by Mikey. He looked terrible. As well as the permenant scarring on his face, Mikey had been used as someone's punching bag. There were bruises all over him and another tear on his mouth. His plastron rose and fell in accordance with his breathing, but his eyes were closed. Leo doubted he was asleep though. The lights in the room wouldn't let anyone get any rest. They were so bright that the eyelids would be of little use in blocking it out.

"Mikey?"

Mikey opened his eyes and squinted up. "Leo? Is that really you?"

"It's me." Leo used his sword to cut through the restraints that bound his brother to the table. "We're getting you out of here bro. We're all leaving."

Mikey coughed weakly as the last of the restraints were cut away. "I'm . . . sorry Leo."

"Huh?"

"What I said . . . I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

"I know Mikey." Leo helped Mikey to sit up and decided to give him a moment to gather himself. "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I didn't notice what was going on."

"We can do the regrets later." Raph checked out Mikey and gave his brother a one-armed hug. "Jeez Mikey, ya scared the crap outta us."

"Time up," said Donnie, the tension he felt evident in his voice. "The virus should have infiltrated the system by now. They should be having all kinds of problems with the security measures. Mikey, are you – OK?"

"Ready to party," replied Mikey, getting off the table and stumbling. Leo caught him and supported him into standing.

"We have to get moving," he said, glancing toward the door. "They'll be here any second! Don, help Mikey. Raph, scout the corridor. We need to leave."

Don put an arm around Mikey, letting his brother rest most of his weight on him. Raph took off for the door, pullling out his daggers as he did. Leo dared to take his arm off Mikey and go to the door with Raph.

Foot ninja were pouring into the corridor, from the stairwell, from the elevator shaft. Grimacing, Leo pulled out his swords and stood his ground, preparing to fight.

"Donnie, we got Foot!" Raph shouted, never taking his eyes off the scene in the corridor.

"I hear you!" Donnie was torn. On the one hand, he couldn't leave his injured brother. On the other, Leo and Raph couldn't take on the entire Foot alone. Hell, even with Mikey at full stregnth, the four of them couldn't take the Foot alone. But they had to try.

"Go help them," said Mikey, trying to stand without Donnie's help. "I'll be right behind you."

"You're in no shape to fight," replied Don. "Stay here. I'll help them."

Mikey leant against a wall and Don raced to the door, mind working overtime. He still had his bag and he thought he might still be able to give the Foot a few surprises. . .

His heart sank as he glanced into the corridor. Although they had yet to attack, the Foot were positioned between them and any possible escape. He had grappling hooks, but to leave through a window they had to find a window. The room where Mikey had been kept had none. And with the Foot after them, even if they did find a window, the ropes would probably be cut before they could climb down.

"Why are they just standing there?" Raph was tensed, ready to fight, but no one was advancing. "What are they waiting for?"

Leo narrowed his eyes. "Orders."

"Very astute, Leonardo."

The hoardes of Foot ninja parted, letting through their master, the Shredder, in full armour. Donatello sensed rather than saw Mikey join them. He couldn't take his eyes from his Master – his father – who was ready to kill them.

"You always were smart. But you have done something very foolish in going against what I ordered. You three have only one chance – Michelangelo wasted his already. Pledge your loyalty to me and the Foot. Or die. Your choice."

Leo stood in front of his brothers, swords unsheathed. "Saki, we would rather die, with honour, than serve you another day."

"Fine." The Shredder's expression was impossible to see due to his helmet, but his voice was cold. "You four think you can do this to me? Betray me? You are wrong. The rat, the one that Michelangelo was trying to save before he ran afoul of me, is still in my custody. You will obey me, or I shall have him executed. This insolent act shall see him suffer. Any further attempts at rebellion and he shall die. I am a man of my word, as you should know by now. Whatever tale he spun you is a lie. Continue with your futile efforts and you shall be sentencing him to death, and yourself to pain and misery. Assuming that I don't choose to kill you all for this – this dishonour."

The four turtles exchanged uneasy glances. It was one thing to give Splinter the chance to escape and leave without him, another to imagine that Shredder might actually torture him, kill him.

Decision time.

Leo tightened his grip on his double-edged sword. "Forget it Saki. "You can't bully or intimaidate us any more. We leave, tonight. You stand in our way, we cut through you."

"This is how you want it?"

"That's how it is."

"Then prepare to be annihilated."

Shredder motioned to the Foot to stand back. The turtles tensed as he took up a fighting stance. For several seconds there was a stand-off – then Raphael let his fury get the better of him. With a yell of defiance, he raced for Shredder, sun and moon daggers in hand. He thrust them at Shredder, only for the jabs to be blocked and a spinning kick to his shell sending him flying into a wall.

Donnie leapt for their former Sensei, nagitana out and wealded in the most lethal way he could think of. Much as he hated violence, he knew their only hope was to go through the Shredder. He never even laid a blow. Shredder ducked his strike, a punch to the back of Donnie's neck rendering him temporarily unable to even move, let alone mount an offensive strike.

Leo glanced back at Mikey and shook his head. He knew his brother was going to try to attack but in his weakened state would be no match for the Shredder. Hell, even at full strength Mikey hadn't been able to best him. Leo cursed to himself. Why didn't I see that we were too far apart? Why did I leave it until now for us to practise teamwork? Saki taught us everything we know – but not everything HE knows.

"Stay here Mike," he said and advanced on their Sensei, not in the rushed way that Raph and Donnie did, hoping he could pinpoint a weak spot. It was not to be. Shredder foresaw his every move, blocking every attack, countering his attepts at offence.

Shredder threw a punch that Leo just managed to raise an arm in time to block, the momentum sending him stumbling into a wall and almost tripping over Don. Shredder's eyes bored into him, a sadistic chuckle coming from behind the mask.

"I plan to re-educate you all," he said. "You will be subservient to me. Failing that, I could sell you off to the highest bidder, who will vivisect you without the benefit of anesthetic just to discover how you came to be. I think I'll start with your disobediant brother."

Leo turned his head to notice that Mikey had discovered a pipe in the science lab and was limping toward Shredder, intent on helping his brothers.

"You wouldn't – you kept him here for a reason. . ."

"Re-education, until you three decided to play the hero." Shredder leapt at Mikey and Leo scrambled to his feet, aware that in the short time it took him, Shredder had already rendered Mikey no longer a threat. "You four could be useful to me, if you choose to be. Although I am at loathe to lose your services, I shall not hesitate to make you an example should your defiance continue."

"We won't do it Saki," replied Leo. "We're leaving the Foot."

"Fine," said Saki, laying a blow on Leo with his clawed fist that opened Leo's head on the left side. Immediately, blood began to pour from the wound. "You shall leave the Foot, if that is what you desire. You shall leave through death!"

Leo clapped a hand to his wound and then left it alone. What was done was done. He had to protect the others. Raising his swords, he faced off against Shredder.

Shredder moved fast. One moment, Leo was facing him, the next there was no one there. Barely blinking, remembereing his ninjitsu training, Leo turned to his left and fended a blow from Saki. But he failed to notice a kick coming immediately after and his swords flew out of his grasp. Saki capitalised on the distraction with a low sweeping kick that knocked Leo off his feet.

Grabbing one of Leo's own swords, Shredder held it against his throat. "I was proud at one point to call you my son. But now, you have betrayed me and the price of dishonour is death. Sayonara."

Leo grimiced in anticipation of what would be the final blow. . .

"NO!"

One moment Shredder was stood above Leo, ready to deliver the final strike – then he was gone. Leo blinked and sat up in a hurry.

Shredder was fending off an attack by a – creature of some description. The Foot were unsure of what to do, hesitated. Scrambling to his feet, Leo tried to weigh up what was happening while helping his brothers.

The – thing – was maybe four and a half foot tall, hairy and wore a tattered robe. Leo didn't need an introduction to realise that this must be the 'Splinter' to whom he had spoken, whom he had never set eyes upon save for a hand, until this moment.

Donnie's plan – it worked.

"Guys!" He wanted to get them the hell away. Donnie was closest and he went over there, shaking the turtle. "You OK?"

"I think I can move. Maybe."

"Try harder. We have to get out of here!" He moved over to Mikey. "Mike? Sorry bro. You have to get up!"

"Can't I have another S'mores?"

"Maybe if you get moving." He hurried over to Raph. "You OK?"

"I will be and then I get to kill him."

"No! Splinter gave us the distraction and now we leave."

Finally, the Foot decided to get involved. Leo looked up and saw the swarm advancing on him. With a grimace, he weilded his swords – then belatedly rememebered the other sword. The one he wore on his back, possibly their only chance.

Looking around, he saw his brothers felled, Splinter engaged in one on one combat witht the Shredder. Decided, he grabbed the glove from hisbelt and put it on, snatching the Sword of Tengu from his back and pointing it at the Foot.

He could feel the energy through the glove, sending vibrations up his arm. A pulse of energy emitted from the sword, knocking Foot ninja flying. Glancing around, Leo could see his brothers getting to their feet and hurrying over.

"Splinter!" Mikey made as if to go after the rat, but Donnie stopped him.

"You're in no condition Mike." Donnie reached into his bag and pulled out a smoke grenade, throwing it in the general direction of the two fighters. "Splinter! We're leaving!"

An explosion of smoke erupted, cloaking everything in a cloud. Putting an arm around Mikey to support him, Donnie made in the direction of the stairwell. Truth be known, he hadn't really expected to come out of the confrontation alive. Now that he thought that he might, he wanted nothing more than to make it to April's place and rest for a while.

"Go!" A voice penetrated the smoke, not one of his brothers, and Donnie knew it had to be Splinter. "I shall cover the rear!"

"Shredder won't let us leave," said Raph's voice through the smoke.

"Unusually astute." Shredder's voice, followed by the noise of armour hitting flesh. "I will not lose.You will not leave here alive!"

"Watch us." Leo's voice was cold and through the smoke, the others could see the glow of the Sword of Tengu. But the mist was clearing and the figure of Leonardo, bearing the sword, became evident. He pointed the sword in the direction of Shredder and Splinter.

"Splinter! Move!"

Splinter didn't hesitate, leaping away from Shredder as the energy beam emerged from the sword. Shredder was not so swift and the beam hit him, knocking him flying backward several feet.

"Go!" Leo gestured at his brothers and the rat. "We can't fight them off. We have to get out of here!"

The five headed down the stairwell, Donnie supporting Mikey, Splinter watching their backs and Raph and Leo making sure that no one attacked them from the front. Butmost of the Foot in the building had piled into the science floor behind Shredder and were left upstairs, leaving the turtles unattacked.

"There's gonna be more of them in the lobby," warned Leo. "The kunoichi too. We're gonna have to fight our way through them."

"Perfect," growled Raph. "We have to get Mikey out of here!"

"Don't worry about me bro," muttered Mikey. "I'll be fine."

Entering the lobby, Mikey wondered if he should reconsider that statement. The rooom was crawling with Foot ninja, standing between them and the exit. All of them were armed, just waiting for them.

"Think we can take all of them out?" asked Don.

"No way," said Raph bluntly. "But we're gonna try."

Leo nodded. "We go through them if necessary. But we need to get out." He flourished the sword at the Foot as they advanced, feeling the familiar thrum of energy as a concussive beam emerged. The ninja dived for cover as the beam shot across the room, shattering the reinforced glass in the doors and twisting the frame out of shape.

"Don, get Mikey out," ordered Leo. Splinter, you go with them. Raph, we need to cover them."

"Happy to," replied Raph with a smirk.

The Foot recovered and advanced again, more catiously this time. Leo waved the sword around menacingly, hoping they'd back off. Unlikely. If the turtles escaped, the Shredder's wrath would be immense. No one would want him to direct his fury at them.

Don and Mikey reached the door, Splinter fending off attacks from Foot ninja who were willing to brave the swords energy or realised that Leo wouldn't aim so close to his brothers. Most of the Foot were intent on the sword in Leo's hand, trying to work out a way to disarm him. Raphael watched his back, making sure that none of the Foot could attack from the rear.

Forcing the mangled door open, Don allowed himself a small grin. Freedom, so close he could almost taste it. Once out of the building they could lose themselves in the shadows and elude the Foot. Of course, they all had to get out of the building first.

"Almost there Mikey."

"We're not out of the woods yet," said Mikey. "They'll be waiting on the rooftops outside."

"We can lose 'em," said Don, more confidently than he felt.

The Foot chose that moment to attack en mass. Not having enough time to aim the sword at them, Leo opted to use the weapon as its design indicated, slashing and blocking. Raph used his sun and moon daggers to deadly effect, fending off blows. Still more went for Don, Mikey and Splinter and Don was forced to let go of his brother in order to defend them.Using his nagitana to strike them down, he wondered just how long they could keep this up. It was some kind of cruel game, letting them get all the way to the door only to snatch them back at the last minute. If he just had a moment to get to his bag. . .

Knocking away a ninja, he realised Splinter was close by, fighting a couple of the Foot. "Splinter! Cover me!"

Nodding, Splinter felled the ninja he was fighting and leapt in front of Don. Pulling the bag open, Don found what he was looking for – exploding shuriken. Throwing them with practised ease, he threw them in the direction of his brothers, who knew what to expect and jumped out of the way in a hurry. The small explosions distracted the Foot who weren't in range and injured the ones who were, giving Leo the chance to use the Sword of Tengu as a blaster, knocking more ninja down and out.

"Go!" he yelled, turning for the door and running, Raph close by. Don let Mikey lean on him as they hurried through the twisted doors and outside, toward freedom.

Only to find still more Foot ninja awaiting them.

Raph narrowed his eyes. "This is not our day."

As one, the Foot attacked. Once again, the turtles and Splinter were forced to fend off attacks. But now they were tiring and the latest wave of ninjas were fresh. They were being beaten down by sheer numbers.

A particularly vicious kick knocked the Sword of Tengu from Leo's hand, sending it skittering into the road. Before he could retrieve his own swords, he was set upon by three ninja and had to defend himself unarmed.

Raph let himself go, trusting his reflexes to guide him, allowing his anger free rein. But fatigue was setting in and he was starting to slow down. A punch to his head made his ears ring and furious, he turned and slashed the ninjas throat with a dagger, immediately jumping and kicking to the sides as more of them attacked.

Don had to leave his brother as he was set upon. His nagitana moved so fast it was a blur, laying out ninjas left and right, but there were always more of them and he could feel his energy ebbing, along with his hope of getting away from the Foot alive.

Mikey clenched his fists in frustation. His brothers were being worn down and there was nothing he could do to help them. He could barely even walk, let alone fight. For some reason, the Foot were ignoring him. Maybe because they knew he was no threat and going nowhere. They could safely leave him until last.

And then he was grabbed by the throat, pulled backward and arn arm around his throat. Claws pressed against his head and punctured the skin, thin trails of blood running down his face.

"Cease!"

the other turtles and Splinter looked over and froze as the Foot stopped their attacks. Shredder had Mikey trapped.

"Drop your weapons and I'll kill him swiftly. Don't, and I shall draw out all of your deaths."

"Guys, get outta here!" Mikey tried to get free from Shredder, to know avail.

Hesitating, not sure what to do, the turtles paused. . .

And the Shredder suddenly stumbled forward, letting his grip on Mikey go. Mikey broke free, hurrying over to his brothers as the Foot once again moved in on them.

The Shredder regainsed his composure, turning to confont the masked vigilante behind him, baseball bat in hand.

"You dare interfere?"

Eyes cold behind the mask, Casey twirled the bat. "You pajama freaks only outnumber them about a zillion to one."

"You shall regret your foolishness," snapped the Shredder, lashing out with his claw. Casey managed to block with his bat but was already beginning to regret his bravado. This guy was good and the claw damn sharp, slicing halfway through the bat.

Dodging a Foot ninja, Leo retrieved the fallen Sword of Tengu, leaping at the Shredder, who didn't even hear him coming. Using all his momentum, Leo buried the Sword in Shredder's back.

For a second the Shredder remained motionless before falling to his knees, sword still embedded in his armour. Casey dodged out of the way as gravity took over and he collapsed on the floor.

"Don, we need some cover! Let's get out of here!"

Don nodded, dodging a ninja and grabbing some smoke bombs from his bag. One was enough to cover them, but to be on the safe side he threw three. Immediately visability was reduced to zero.

Grabbing the Sword of Tengu and pulling it from his former Sensei's back, Leo grabbed Casey by the arm and pulled him in the direction of the others. "We have to leave, now!"

"Hey, no arguments from me." Casey willingly followed Leo's lead.

"We can use the sewers to get away from the area," said Splinter quietly. "And beware, the Foot will try to follow us."

Still covered by the smoke, they hurried over to the nearbby manhole. A few Foot ninja did manage to find them but were quickly disposed off by Raph, who was still in shock after seeing his brother stab their Sensei. In the back no less. Who would have thought Leo could do such a thing?

Through the smoke, none of them could see the Shredder as he sat up, apparently feeling no ill effects from the wound.

Leo and Raph removed the manhole cover and waited until everyone else was down before first Leo then Raph descended, replcing the manhole cover behind them. There was no conversation among them, not wanting to draaw attention to themselves should any of the Foot have seen where they hid. All of them were lost in their own thoughts and wondered what the future held. Maybe it wasn't important. They had done it. All of them had escaped the Foot and the intimidation and uncertainty.

They were free.