(taps foot) Okay, I'm gonna let you guys in on something. Remember how when I started this, I said I knew it would be exactly twelve chapters?

So you know, my beta reader laughed at me on that; said I would no doubt make it longer. I said no way. It would definitely be twelve.

Okay, it's gonna be longer. But not because I can't fit it into twelve! I can! But, I got a review for this last chapter that basically said that it had moved kinda fast rather suddenly. I thought about it and realized that this reviewer was correct.

While we all enjoy long chapters, it's no fun if the story's over like that (snaps). Besides, it's horror. (Grins) Gotta have more suspense! (laughs)

But, choosing to be obnoxious in this situation, it will not be fourteen chapters, like Janajyo guaranteed I'd make it! It'll be fifteen! Ha-ha! (sticks tongue out)

Anyways, back to the story. Now remember! We're back to the present time; where the first chapter left off. Now, Callis has them, leaving two Ardors to stand guard.

I hope you enjoy!

Beta read by Janajyo.

Disclaimer: I guess the stars I've been wishing on aren't the right ones, 'cause the TMNT still ain't mine.

&&&&&

New York City. November 27, 2306 AD. 3:27 AM.

Sitting absolutely still, head tilted to one side, Don briefly wondered if he had a concussion. Half the time, everything going on made little sense; it was all jumbled up. He felt sick, and he was very tired.

If he did have a concussion, he knew it was important to stay awake. Problem was, Donny could barely even remember that and thus often nearly drifted off. He had no idea what kept bringing him back to that semi-awake state.

But now, the purple-clad turtle had something to occupy his mind with. That alien code he'd seen in that last room kept flashing through his head. He'd looked it over so many times there that he could now recall it as perfectly as if he had a photographic memory.

Foreign symbols danced about before him, an intergalactic cryptogram waiting to be translated. Even in moments when unconsciousness began to descend upon him for another short period or two, it was there.

And that was how, eventually, in some manner he couldn't comprehend, Don managed to make sense of it. Put in English, his own terms, he was allowed to understand how he and his brothers had come to be here- in a somewhat dazed way, anyhow.

But, more importantly, he was given further insight as to why their enemy was here, as well as what they were doing.

Smiling slightly, Don again wondered about that concussion even as he slipped into another odd slumber.

&&&&&

God, his leg hurt. Actually, everything hurt- the leg, as broken as it had been ten minutes ago, had just become the current focal point of his pain; for the time being, anyway. There was a good chance it would change in the minutes to follow.

At least forty of them had passed since Mikey had awoken; Raph wouldn't doubt that it had been over an hour, considering that that was how it felt. Thankfully, neither of them had broken any of the Ardors' unspoken rules, and thus, remained conscious.

However, there had been no change in Donny or Leo- as far as he knew, at least. Raph was growing more concerned with each second.

But as far as he could tell, both were still breathing. And that would always be a good thing in his book.

During their wait, Raph's mind was divided between so many things. He and Mikey didn't talk much. Most of what they had to say dwelt on their current situation, which was, obviously, by no means pleasant. Nearly everything else involved how they were going to get out of this mess, something they certainly weren't about to discuss in front of their captors. Even a bonehead like Casey Jones would've understood the reasoning behind that.

Though they didn't speak of these things, their thoughts were definitely spent upon them. The silence did nothing to help this, either; rather, it fueled them, leaving Raphael between these conceptions, accompanied with those of his fury at the Ardors, vivid imaginings of revenge against them, and an intense worry for his and his brothers' lives, worthy of that of his unconscious leader's own anxiety. He wondered what levels Leo's would reach were he awake now.

And of course, underlying all of these thoughts was the perception of that agonizing pain. Always pain.

"Hey, Raph?" Mikey whispered lowly.

Just as softly, Raph replied, "Huh?"

"Nothin'." Mike said, sounding a tad bit happier. "Just wanted to make sure you were still with me."

It didn't take long to figure out what that met. Besides wanting them all to be well enough to get out of here, as did Raph, Mike also didn't want to be alone.

And to be honest, in this place, neither did he.

Another few minutes passed, feeling like ten. Working his brain at its hardest, Raph tried to figure out an escape plan. So far, he had nothing.

To his left, a quiet groan sounded, followed by an even softer whimper. Turning, his head, hearing Michelangelo do the same, he looked at Leo, who had since shifted his own.

Never had he heard that sound come out of their older brother.

They watched the blue-clad turtle in the darkness, looked even closer when the mysterious light flashed. Little by little, he fidgeted; little by little, he clearly hurt more and more.

Careful not to break a rule, not when they were nearly all together, in mind, anyways, Raph reached his hand over and placed his hand on top of Leo's wrist, shaking it gently. "Leo? C'mon, bro, wake up."

Groaning, half-opening his eyes, the ninja looked around before finding his brothers. He breathed out, then winced at the pain it brought to his ribs. "I was hoping this was just a really bad dream." He mumbled slowly.

Trying to see him without lifting his head, Mikey responded, "Yeah, me too."

Raph seconded that feeling, but didn't say anything. Within an hour or so, Leo looked about ten times worse. Heck, so did Mikey. He could only imagine how he himself appeared.

The eldest smiled when hearing Mike's voice. The younger of the four had been unconscious again by the time he'd woken up the first time. "Hey, Mike. You okay?"

"What do you think?" The youngest said sarcastically, smirking.

"I guess that's a no." Leo looked back at Raph. "Don?"

Stretching his neck, Raph whispered. "I don't know- I still can't see." Just before his brother raised his head to look again, he gave him the same explanation he had for Mikey, saving the leader from another, short electrocution.

Understanding, Leo turned his head, careful not to lift it off the table, and looked at their remaining brother. "Don?" Raph heard him whisper.

There was no answer.

This time Raph started counting the seconds, figuring the minutes. He'd gotten to about five, starting to worry about Leo again, who hadn't turned back around or spoken since, when the blue-banded turtle finally responded. "He moved."

"What?" Both he and Mike hissed.

"He moved." Leo repeated. "Shifted a little; scratched his arm. I think he'll be okay, once we get out of here." His words became quieter with each one spoken.

Stiffly, the leader turned over, back onto his shell, eyes squeezed shut, gritting his teeth in pain. Once in position, he breathed out, then in, repeating the pattern a few more times before opening his eyes. He stared up at the ceiling, lost in that land of guilt and fear and self-loathing, shaded, disguised in an enveloping cloak of poised control.

Raph was about to talk to him about it when the door opened and the monster known to them as Callis stepped into the room, back into their lives once more.

&&&&&

Exhaustion was thicker than the first time he'd woken up. In certain places, he felt sticky and wet; for a moment, he feared that he had wet himself, something he hadn't done for many, many years- not since he was two. Leo feared he'd never be able to live it down.

It wasn't until the intense pain registered in his mind once more did he realize it was blood, the small amount that hadn't dried.

Oddly, for a few seconds, he was almost relieved.

Then he recalled everything that had happened, what bad shape they were all in. The blue-clad turtle was grateful that Mike and Raph were awake, but, despite what he'd said after watching the fourth turtle, he worried about Donatello's condition.

He worried about all of their well-beings. Spending his life fluctuating between optimistic and pessimistic moods, Leo was in that of the latter, for the time being. This was how it worked with him. He started one mini-adventure with hope and trust in the common man, only to end it in a pool of harsh reality and self-loathing.

Thinking back to when they were safe in their own time, really not all that long ago, leaving April's, Leo shook his head slightly. We should've just gone home. It was my job to make sure we went home. What kind of leader am I? He thought of another mistake. When they first found the mansion and Mikey had gone inside. I shouldn't have given in. We should've moved on.

Before he could continue with his silent ranting, he being the solitary audience, the door opened, and Callis was in the room. Calmly, hands clasped behind his back, the old man stepped in front of each of their tables, silently examining their individual conditions.

Turning his head, Raph could see his brother was doing his best to hold his tongue.

"None of ya are dead yet, are ya?" Callis asked, he asked in a low and sinister voice. "That's good- I haf pl'ns for ya."

Leo could see him frown when he came to Don. Carefully, he poked the turtle, checking him out. Moving behind him, he checked the purple-banded ninja's head and tisked. "Co'cussi'n." His lips tightened in disappointment. "I s'pose we'll haf to wait."

Out of nowhere, it seemed, the Ardor, disguised as a man, pulled a stool close and sat closer to his 'kin', in the middle of his prisoners line of sight. Just barely, Leo noticed one of the other two slip away behind the chair.

Well, that was a relief. He'd hate to see magic added to the list of his foe's abilities. They were bad enough already.

Looking at the three conscious ones, Callis grinned widely. "It hurts, doesn' it?" He hissed. "It's painful, am I right?"

None of them answered, just glared.

It only made the alien's smile broaden. "Sil'nce says more than any w'rds."

Then, he took in a deep breath; frail body, deceitful as it was, shuddering as it did so. Leo realized he was smelling their blood.

He laid his head back down and stared up at the ceiling in disgust.

After what seemed like a millennium, Callis exhaled happily. "While we're waitin', how 'bout I tell ya'll a st'ry?" He suggested, in almost a grandfatherly tone. He raised his hand, as if to pledge his innocence. "'N this time it's true, I swear."

Forcing himself to stay awake, Leo listened carefully. He felt- knew, that somewhere in this monologue, there had to be something he could use to get his brothers and himself out of here. There just had to be.

He'd failed his family too many times. He couldn't do so again.

Therefore, checking on his siblings constantly throughout the tale, yet keeping an ear out for important information, Leo waited for his opportunity.

&&&&&

The guy was monologuing. If Mike had learned anything from comic books, television shows, and movies, it was that once an evil villain started monologuing, they typically became reduced to a complete idiot and revealed some crucial plot points or other details. Thus, the hero had a better chance of figuring out how to escape, save the day, and be home in time to have a quiet, civilian supper with the missus.

And while he wasn't married, he was hoping for the rest of that typical ending, even if it still usually only happened in those fictive stories or scripts. At the moment though, Mikey really wished that that were all this was.

Looking very pleased to have an audience, Callis gazed up at the ceiling. "Now, the full st'ry. Ya see, me 'n my kin came here in the year twen'y-two hundred. After blen'in' in with the pop'lati'n for a year, my group, 'long with sev'ral ot'ers 'round the world, slowly b'gan to feed on it's spoils, uh, that's you, 'n gat'er it's r'sources for our own uses."

Mikey rolled his eyes. They'd already heard this part before. Unable to lift his head much, not really even wanting to watch their storyteller, he couldn't see Callis the whole time. The situation quickly became something like watching a television rerun, only with nothing but the sound working.

And God knew that during those reruns, picture was about the only thing that made them interesting, not to mention bearable, at times.

But Mike figured that, just this once; he'd found an exception.

The shape-shifter continued. "Your kind had no idea what hit 'em. We struck when they didn' know it. Once the 'lectricity was gone, we Ardors were like, as you say, snakes in the grass, huntin' our prey. T'anks to our work, fuel no longer worked for 'em; cars 'topped in the middle of the roads. There were no c'mmunications; no one knew what was happenin' anywhere but right in fron' of 'em." He snickered. "'N haf the time, they didn' even know that."

Grimacing, Mike turned his head and looked at Raph, who was gritting his teeth in anger. He could barely see Leo beyond his red-clad brother, but the eldest seemed to maintain his features: stoic.

Almost dreamily, Callis got to the gruesome parts. "Ya should've seen it- blood 'n bodies in the streets, ev'ry home, ev'ry tree. Same t'ing for the an'mals. Ev'ry't'ing so… rich. 'N the hunts were thrillin'." Another laugh. "Them humans- they like to run, eh?"

No response. But the alien didn't seem to care.

He knew he was getting his point across- that he was disgusting them.

Lacing his bony fingers, Callis grinned. "It went on for fifty years. Our food was plen'iful; there's always some strag'lers. 'N we can always play the in'cent card- like we did with ya." He made sure to flash them a special smile, sweet- and yellowed. "E'rthlings- so naïve."

His face slowly began to change. "Seven billion of 'em. That should've been enough. But now, it's been over a cent'ry." He paused. "We're runnin' out of food."

Raphael snorted. "Forgive us if we don't feel sorry for ya." He said sarcastically.

Callis' eyes flashed. "What a mouth." He turned to his comrades. "'Mazin', isn't it? These te'nagers, ruder than the ones b'fore 'em." Back to the four in front of him. "As disre'pectful as ya are, I say the same to you."

&&&&&

Insolent as the terrapins were, they were strong; Callis would give them that. He and his kin hadn't had such a good hunt in over a decade. This lot was clever, skilled, and determined. They were also dangerous, having taken down four Ardors, despite the unknown terrain.

That, in itself, was unforgivable. Nevertheless, it had made the hunt more thrilling. He believed his departed kin had felt that as well before they had died.

After the short banter between the red-clad turtle, there was little from them as he continued. The first mostly glared, adding a few remarks in from time to time. The one in orange mostly listened, said little as well. Of the three, he was the one Callis seemed to be getting to the deepest. As for the leader, he also paid close attention. His focus and demeanor was chilling, aware, yet silent. But he said nothing- something the Ardor attributed to his injuries, which had sucked most of the strength out of him, much like his brothers.

Callis simply could not wait to finish what he'd started with that one. At least in that shoulder area, the turtle's well-toned muscles were exceptionally delicious.

Ignoring most of what the group said, he continued. He never left his victims with lies of the Ardors' victories at their death. He had to crush any feeling of power or superiority they had left in their bones.

This was an exceedingly pleasant case; since the four knew nothing at all of even their invasion, he could start from the beginning. However, it was also slow going. They were particularly strong-minded- even convinced that they still stood a chance.

Ooh… that was funny. He and his remaining kin would certainly have a laugh about that once they began feeding, in a toast to their fallen allies.

It was a shame that the purple one wasn't awake. He was going to miss out on all the things Callis had to say before he fed upon them.

&&&&&

It had gone into another rant; now, one about the time the Ardors had spent here in this mansion, feeding off of all of the remaining humans that came their way.

Slowly, it explained each of the rooms they'd been in. Raph wanted to puke, but didn't want to give Callis the satisfaction.

He couldn't help but notice that he left out the one they'd had their little battle in.

When finished, the Ardor was clearly disappointed- he stopped talking for a minute or two. Raph was hoping he'd run out of topics.

Turning his head, the ninja looked at his little brother, who was staring at the glass ceiling, looking for the source of the light each time it flashed.

A light blue around them, pulsing; always pulsing.

"Ah, yes. Forgot 'bout that one. Ya see, this light doesn' keep us Ardors out, as I said b'fore. It attracts 'em; it's a special min'ral from our home that rad'ates a light per'odic'ly. It even allows us to cam'flauge ourselves, but you've seen that b'fore."

Mike shifted a little at that, suddenly looking a little more hopeful, though he tried to hide it. Callis didn't notice at all.

Finally, Leo spoke. "So," he asked, "I couldn't help but notice you can't change back into your little Ardor form for very long." He grinned. "You like looking like that all the time, huh?"

The not-so-human man reddened. "That," he spat, "is none of your b'is'ness. Who would want to look like this?" He glared, first at them, then his own body. "It's vile, hideous; it can't even d'gest it's own kind."

A familiar voice to Leo's left sounded, slowly, a little slurred, but understandable. "That why you're tryin' to get home, Callis?"

"Don?" All three of them asked as Callis looked to the other turtle.

The ninja laughed quietly before turning his head to look at the Ardor. "What's the problem? Can't stand this planet anymore?" Don's look slowly became more serious. "You made a mistake, ya know."

Callis got to his feet. "What the hell are ya talkin' 'bout, boy?"

"You messed up." Don stated bluntly. "Your message didn't work." He laughed again. "And from what I've seen, I can guarantee that you're never gonna get home."

&&&&&

Another cliffy! Fun!

Don't kill me!

Oh, and if you want to know all the purposes for those rooms, check out my section of Stealthy Stories under OC Profiles. I have one for the Ardors now that goes into that.

Okay, I hope you enjoyed! Please review! Please!