The barred door closed behind Michelangelo with a clang as he was shoved into the cell with his brothers and father.

"You can't do this! Wait!" He yelled as he wrapped his stubby fingers around the metal poles of the cell. "I demand a lawyer!"

"Cut it out, Mikey." Leo sighed from across the enclosed space.

Donatello sat on a bench within the cell, rubbing his wrist whilst watching his younger sibling.

"Well at least we don't have to wear those handcuffs anymore. I can't deny I'm impressed at just how strong their equipment is. Plus, these cells are a lot nicer than the ones the Triceratons put us in."

Mikey turned to face his family, flailing his arms around in frustration.

"But they've got Klunk!" He walked over to Donatello and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him slightly. "They said 'experimentation', Donnie! What if they're doing something awful to him?!"

Leonardo walked over to his brother, gently pulling him away from Donatello.

"Calm down."

The young turtle let out a muffled whine as he clutched his head and dropped onto his knees. Leo continued over to the cell bars and held onto them, pushing his face forward to peer through the gaps as best as he could.

"We're just as worried as you are, Mikey, but we can't do anything until we figure out how to get out of here. Getting out of these cells has to be our top priority right now."

Master Splinter, who had previously been sat on the bench beside Don, got to his feet to walk over to his blue-masked son.

"Your brother is right, Michelangelo. If we are to be of any use, we must first focus on our escape."

Raphael got to his feet.

"And how do you suppose we do that? We ain't got any weapons!"

Donatello looked up thoughtfully before also shifting over to the cell bars and examining them. He lightly tapped on the slick, grey bars and took his hand to his chin, contemplating on what materials they might be made from. Considering it was an imprisonment made by aliens for aliens, there could be a large number of possibilities far beyond his own knowledge.

"Well one thing's for sure, we won't be able to break these open by brute force alone. These prisons are probably designed to constrain the strongest of living organisms." He moved his gaze over to the lock on the door of the cell. "The locks look digital too, and without my kit I'm afraid there's not much I can do about that."

Leonardo looked at him.

"So…What do we do?"

"The only other options we would have are probably the floors and walls of the cell- but even then, I'm pretty sure they'll be as tough as those bars."

Raphael grinned with confidence and stepped back from the nearest wall.

"We'll see about that!"

The rest of the group had little chance to stop him before the hot-headed turtle thrust his foot directly into the wall opposing him, the action swiftly followed by a brief howl of pain. Raph clutched his injured food and hopped over to the nearest bench, muttering complaints under his breath. Donatello held his palms upwards in a half-hearted shrug.

"I told you."

Mikey couldn't help but smirk himself.

"Hah, who's cocky now, Raph?"

"Shut it, shell for brains."

Master Splinter approached them both, hands folded behind his back.

"Boys, calm yourselves." The rat turned to look at Donatello. "We must think this through properly."

Michelangelo sighed and slumped against one of the walls, becoming fed up of all the sitting around they had to do. Klunk was in danger, and if they didn't get to him soon...

"The only thing I can conclude is that all of the digitally controlled security devices must have a power source of some kind in another room outside of the jail that we're in right now." Don continued. "If we could get to that and turn off the power, we'd probably be able to open up our cell as well as Usagi and Gen's."

Leo nodded as he listened to his brother.

"So I guess the question is, how do we get to the power source?"

"We might want to be careful." Donatello added. "The security here seems pretty tight. I wouldn't be surprised if they had cameras or even microphones set up around here."

Mikey got to his feet and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Only one way to find out!" He grinned. "Hey, alien bubble-brains! We're totally gonna get outta these cells of yours- and you all smell like rotting cheese! Y'ever heard of a bath?"

Before any of them could scold their brother, the rooms were illuminated by a vivid red light pulsing on and off throughout the cells, an alarm buzzing simultaneously with it. Michelangelo waved his hands around frantically in panic.

"Ahh-! I take it back! I take it back!"

Leonardo rushed back to the cell bars to get a good look at the hallways, watching closely as guards began to run past each other, shouting instructions back and forth.

"I don't think that was you, Mikey."

A burst of static noise was heard from speakers installed throughout the area, followed by a gruff voice.

"All guards and personnel report to the laboratories immediately! Captive Suspect 309 has escaped! I repeat, all guards and personnel report to the laboratories! Contain that creature!" Another burst of static interrupted followed by a crash in the background. "It's getting to the power grid! It's-"

The announcer's sentence was cut short by the sudden blackout that swept throughout the sector.

"Well that was convenient." Donatello commented.

Leonardo felt around the bars of the cell until he reached the door and carefully pulled it open with ease. He poked his head out with caution, gradually stepping out into the hallway and making sure the coast was clear before turning to his fellow cellmates and beckoning them with the flick of his fingers.

"This is our chance, let's go!" He whispered.

They had only taken a few steps out of the cell before the hallways once again became lit, this time with a dim orange light. Leonardo stopped in his tracks and held his arms out protectively in front of his family.

"What's going on?"

Donatello pushed his brother's arm down gently.

"Most likely a back-up power system for the prison cells." He reassured Leo. "We'd better keep going!"

'Leonardo-san!'

The group turned their heads towards the familiar voice. Usagi and Gennosuke had also freed themselves from their jail cells, and made their way over to the turtles and their sensei.

"Usagi! You got out too?"

"Only just, my friend. But we must not linger, the wardens could return at any second."

Leonardo nodded, continuing down the hallway.

"Before we do anything else, we need to find Klunk AND some weapons."

"My best guess would be to go into the laboratory they talked about." Don suggested.

Raphael frowned.

"Oh yeah, let's just waltz right into their security-filled labs completely unarmed! That'll work! I don't know if you were payin' attention, guys, but that's where all the guards went!"

"Well have you got any better ideas?"

Their argument was short-lived as Michelangelo dashed past them eagerly, overtaking the group and making his way down the hallway towards where he assumed the laboratories were.

"I'm coming, Klunk!"

"Argh- Mikey!"

The group promptly chased after him down the passageway, Donatello looking amongst the cells as they went by. He was perplexed at how empty the place was, but these thoughts were soon put to the back of his mind as they entered the main laboratory around the corner and found a much larger group than they had anticipated gathered around the room. They seemed distracted, however, by an indistinguishable blur darting around the area.

"Catch it!" One of the guards yelled.

Mikey had little time to react as he was knocked off his feet by a small object bolting straight into his stomach, followed by a pair of clumsy armored officers stumbling over his legs. The turtle grunted and lifted his head, blinking as he spotted a petite yellow creature collapsed atop his chest. He let out a brief yelp, bringing the creature to its senses. Mikey only managed to catch a short glance of its wide, grey eyes before it leapt clear over his head and ran down the hallway on its four short legs, taking the troops with it. In all of their panic, most of the guards had yet to notice the escapees, at least until Michelangelo let out another cry for his beloved cat, who had been knocked out of a cage and was cowering on the laboratory floor.

"Klunk!"

The young ninja dodged the foes that swiped at him, quickly flinging himself onto the floor and grabbing the cat as he landed. He began petting the feline's soft fur in comfort, only to then have more guards try to contain him, forcing him to roll out of the way and hop to his feet with the cat held carefully in his clutch. Donatello did a tackle slide under an officers legs and dodged his way through desks and cages to reach the end of the room where he found a glass case containing some familiar items.

"Hey, guys! Our weapons!" He beamed as he grabbed the respective arms and held them high above his head.

This moment of glory was cut short by a laser beam aiming at his hands causing him to duck. Rising to his stance again, he promptly chucked the weapons across the room towards his family members, who by this point were fending off the guards along with Usagi and Gen to prevent further capture. Leonardo jumped backwards to dodge an incoming attack, catching his katana in mid-air. He took a fighting stance as he prepared to defend himself against any further assaults.

"We need a way out of here!"

Usagi took a similar stance beside him, clenching his bare fists in anticipation.

"Our best means of escape would be one of their cruise ships."

"And where do we find one of those?" Leo grunted as he kicked one of the guards out of his way.

Master Splinter stepped over the fallen soldiers casually, making his way back out of the laboratory.

"I do believe this should lead us to an exit. We need not fight- for now we must run."

Raphael groaned.

"I hate running!"

Leonardo put his katana back into their sheaths on his shell and pulled his red-masked brother away as he too made a dash for the hallway.

"No time for moaning, Raph!"

With a reluctant grunt, Raphael followed his friends and family as they all made their way out of the laboratories and through the hallway. The hall seemed to stretch on forever, the sound of the group and their pursuers' footsteps bouncing off the walls. They soon reached a turn-off point, where a large open door led into a large wide docking bay filled with a small selection of spacecraft. Leonardo stopped at the doorway to beckon his comrades, standing by as they all went through. Michelangelo, who was at the end of the pack, caught a view of one of the extra hallways as he went past, promptly turning on his heel to go back and get a better view. In the middle of the hall he witnessed the guards from before surrounding the small creature that had previously knocked him to the ground. One of the guards had grabbed the critter with some sort of extendable clamp, its neck tightly caught within the metal collar's grip. As it tried to cause a struggle for freedom, one of the officers pressed a button on the clamp that sent a surge of visible electricity through the rod and into the creature's body. A cry of agony burst from the creature as it became weakened by the shock, this only resulting in another jolt to its seemingly non-resilient body.

"Hey!"

Mikey darted down the hallway, Klunk still tightly clutched under his arm. Leo stepped forward as he watched his brother turn an unknown corner.

"Mikey, what are you doing?!"

As he approached the guards, Mikey spun his nun-chuck with his free hand, knocking one figure to the side, and used his foot to kick the other to the ground. Keeping Klunk under his arm, he shifted so he could use his other hand, wrapping the chain of his nun-chuck around the rod of the clamp-device and pulling back with enough force to snap the rod, disconnecting the clamp from the power controls. Without wasting another minute, he put his nun-chuck back into his belt and picked up the limp animal under his other arm, making a quick dash back to where his brother waited for him. Once he reached the door, laser gunfire began to hit the frame and walls. Leonardo drew his katana once again and walked backwards with caution into the docking bay, keeping his view on the approaching enemy as he let his brother run past him. Donatello and the others had already acquired a ship, and the young engineer had started examining the controls and wires, trying to find a way to get it moving.

"There they are! They have the Suspected Experiments!" A largely built guard pointed from the doorway. "Seize them!"

Guards began to step in from various directions, broken into groups with differing weapons. Lights flashed throughout the room as gunfire began, Leonardo swiftly deflecting as many shots as he could with his katana blades and taking a couple of steps back.

"Donnie, we could use a working mode of transport right about now!"

Donatello had by this point shifted himself underneath a control desk, having opened up a panel to experiment with the wires and fixings inside.

"I'm trying! I haven't seen this kind of wiring before! Just give me some more time."

He continued to unplug and plug in combinations of cables as his brothers and father continued to fend off the ever-growing army of guards. Master Splinter stood back-to-back with Leonardo, their movements in sync as they beat off the assaulting figures with their weapons. Raphael, just a few metres away, struggled as one of the guards leapt onto his back, causing him to thrash around to try and throw him off. After eventually pushing the limp assassin off, his eyes widened as he noticed the larger of the guards approach with an extraordinary gun-like weapon. Not even wanting to find out what the weapon did, he promptly kicked a nearby guard into a pile of crates and took some steps back towards the ramp of the ship.

"Come on, brainiac!"

The purple-masked sibling clenched his teeth together as he cautiously attached two wires into certain slots, and grinned as he heard a roar from the engine.

"Got it!"

He slid out from under the control panel and ran to the door of the ship.

"All aboard the fugitive express! Next stop, home!"

At the signal from Donatello, the rest of the family retreated and made a dash for inside the ship as the ramp began to retract, leaving the guards to continue aiming their gunshots into the gradually shrinking gap. Don pressed several buttons and pulled levers at the main control panel, turning on the ships' thrusters and causing the bulky contraption to lift off the ground in a clumsy manner. The rest of the crew swayed from side to side, Mikey occasionally losing his footing, as the ship got steered out of the docking bay. The squad underneath them continued to fire, shortly giving up as the cruiser was out of range.

Within the ship, Leonardo sighed, placing a hand on Donatello's shoulder.

"Nicely done, Don."

Michelangelo sat up from having fallen on his back again, groaning.

"Could you have done that a bit less…crashy?"

Raphael turned to scold his brother for complaining, but became distracted by the sight of the two creatures huddled underneath his brother's armpits.

"What the shell is that?"

Mikey blinked and followed his gaze, smiling as he saw the yellow animal, almost as if he had forgotten it was there.

"A new friend!"

"Why'd you bring it?!"

"They were torturing it!"

"So what? You don't know where that's been- or what it even is! You can't just-"

A faint beeping heard from the front of the ship interrupted Raph's rant, Donatello looking back and forth between the screens in front of him.

"Uh, guys, we don't really have time to argue. We have some followers!"

Raphael automatically drew his Sai once again, moving over to the nearest window to try and get a view outside. He was welcomed with a display of a small fleet of similar looking spacecraft surrounding their own.

"Well that's just great!" The ship rattled violently as it took a heavy impact to the rear. "…And they even have guns on theirs! Why'd you have to go and pick the dud one, Donnie?"

Leo stepped back down to where his brother was piloting the ship.

"Then it looks like we're just going to have to outrun them. Don, can you get this thing to go any faster?"

"I can try, but I can't guarantee it'll be comfortable!"

"It doesn't matter, just get us as far from that fleet as possible."

With a nod, Donatello moved his hand to the lever beside him, gripping onto it.

"Everyone, hang on tight!"

As he shoved the lever forward, the ship shook vigorously and burst ahead at top speed, soon leaving the pursuers far behind. The roar from the engine grew louder and louder as their velocity increased, each of the passengers gripping onto something nearby to prevent them being thrown to the back of the ship. Mikey, however, kept a grip on his small companions, until he became overwhelmed with nausea and dropped them onto the floor so he could cover his mouth and heave. Donatello allowed the ship to keep at its fierce speed for a minute or so, before gradually beginning to slow the ship down again. Raphael peered out of one of the windows to look at the cruisers rear.

"I think you lost 'em, bro."

"Good." Don sighed as he pulled back the lever. "I was afraid these boosters were going to burn out, but they seem to be pretty stable. Impressive."

Michelangelo, who was on his knees by this point, heaved once more, a small belch popping from his mouth.

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna hurl."

"Please don't." Don begged, as he pressed several buttons in front of him.

Usagi walked over to join Leonardo and Donatello at the front of the ship, being sure to keep away from the controls.

"Your skill is impeccable, Donatello-san. However, I must pose this question…How are we going to return to your planet?"

"Actually, I've just about got that covered." He replied with a smile. "It looks like this ship was one of the ones that dropped down in New York, so all I have to do is reload the coordinates from the last journey and it should all be smooth sailing from there."

One press of a button finalised the order. Having set the ship into auto-pilot, Donatello got out of the chair he was sitting in and walked over to the rest of his family. Master Splinter, who had sat himself down on a small bench attached to the inner wall of the ship, rested his hands atop his cane, smiling proudly.

"Well done, my sons. And thank you, Usagi, Gennosuke."

Usagi shook his head, placing his hand on his chest to take a brief bow. Gennosuke nodded his head simultaneously.

"You would have done the same for us."

A brief silence waded through the room, each of the individuals enjoying the peace after the chaos they had just gone through. Michelangelo soon felt his stomach recover, and reached over to lift up Klunk. He noticed a small metallic mask had been clamped around the cat's muzzle.

"Oh man, Klunk! What did they do to you, huh?"

He started to try and pry the mask off the cat, only to be halted by Donatello.

"Wait, Mikey, don't!"

"Why?"

"It might be an oxygen mask- we'll take it off when we get home."

A concerned frown swept across Mikey's face as he looked back at Klunk, gently petting his scruffy fur. Raphael sat down in a nearby chair and crossed one leg over the other, resting his chin in his palm as he did so.

"Never mind Klunk, what are we supposed to do with THAT thing?"

The group blinked as Raphael gestured over to a corner of the ship with his free hand, soon shifting their gazes to look. The small extra passenger had cowered not far away from where Mikey sat, its small legs trembling as its eyes darted around in panic. Mikey turned around and picked up the creature.

"Hey, buddy! Don't be scared- Hey!"

The animal squirmed in his grasp briefly before managing to free itself and run back to its shaded corner. Donatello observed it, rubbing under his chin with his thumb. The creature had an almost lizard-like physique, but was covered in a very thin layer of fur. Its long pointed ears resembled that of a rabbit, and there were faint brown patches covering its back and the tips of its ears. It also appeared to be lacking any form of breathing apparatus, meaning it must have a different internal structure to anything seen on earth.

"Can't we just take it home?" Mikey pleaded as he tried to shuffle back over to the creature.

"Are you nuts?!" Raphael boomed.

The orange-masked turtle frowned and turned whilst still on his knees to face his brother, pointing at the creature.

"Hey! We owe this little guy big time! We have to do something! They were doing some really horrible stuff to it in there!"

"He does have a point."

Everyone turned their heads to Donatello as he spoke.

"If it weren't for…whatever this thing is, we definitely wouldn't have managed to get out of that prison as efficiently as we did. It turned off the power AND it distracted a majority of the guards."

Don walked over to where Mikey was and crouched beside him, getting a better look at the creature.

"What we don't know is why it was there in the first place. They had all sorts of organisms in that lab. Can't help but wonder exactly what it is that they're looking for back there."

Leonardo folded his arms in thought, looking over at Master Splinter for a verdict.

"What do you think, Sensei…?"

Splinter closed his eyes momentarily.

"Hmmm…" His eyes opened again. "There is little that can be done now. We shall talk about this later…at home."

Leonardo nodded, and looked back over at the creature, tilting his head slightly as Mikey managed to grab it again.

"What's that around its neck?"

The youngest turtle petted the creature's head.

"They caught it with this weird clamp thing, and it had a remote that zapped it if it tried to fight back!"

Donatello examined the metal collar as Mikey continued to hold the creature still, feeling around its fuzzy neck and ears.

"Well that explains why it's a lot more timid. Not to mention less energetic." He got to his feet again. "I can't remove it at the moment though, it's clamped on tight and it doesn't look like there are any tools in here that I can use. We'll have to wait until we get back to the lair…which will take a few hours."

Mikey held the creature close and gently began to pet its head.

"There, there." He cooed. "It's okay, you're safe now! We're your friends, we won't hurt you."

The little creature continued to tremble in his grasp, but made little effort to resist the embrace. Klunk trotted over out of curiosity and sniffed the creature's tail as it twitched back and forth, soon becoming hypnotised by the movement. Don continued to observe the small alien, feeling sympathy for it as his brother continued to caress and comfort. Whatever the creature had been through had traumatized it enough to bring it to a complete standstill, and being trapped in an enclosed space with seven unfamiliar entities definitely wouldn't help with the stress. Being as there was little else they could do within the ship, the various individuals gradually shuffled into their own spaces, giving Mikey a bit more breathing space with Klunk and their new found companion. It was going to be a long journey home, and the last thing they needed was that creature bouncing off the walls, or worse; Mikey getting frustrated and bored.

Leonardo was uncertain of exactly how many hours had passed since he had fallen asleep, but what he did know was that it had been long enough to make his eyelids feel like they were made of lead. He sat up from his spot on the floor, rubbing his eyes gently before looking over towards the control area where Donatello sat piloting the ship.

"'Bout time you woke up!"

The still drowsy turtle turned his head to look upon Raphael, who was now leaning against the wall opposite him, arms folded. Leo stood up hesitantly as he rubbed his eye once more.

"Why, what's going on?"

"We're almost home, that's what." Donatello beamed from the front of the spacecraft.

Leo walked over to the control deck and rested a hand on the back of Don's seat, squinting to look out the windscreen in front of them.

"Really?"

Just as clouds parted to give the view of their precious New York City basking in the moonlight, the vessel began to shake vigorously, Leo taking a tighter grip onto Don's seat to prevent him from falling over. Michelangelo held Klunk and the small alien close as he swayed back and forth from the tremors of the ship.

"What gives, Donnie?!"

"Hold on guys, this may get a little bumpy."

"A little?" Raphael growled as his body slammed into the nearest wall.

The next five minutes were filled with rattles and shakings within the ship as Donatello tried to steer the spacecraft as close to their home as possible, whilst trying to remain inconspicuous. This attempt was brief, for the ship landed clumsily in front of their abandoned garage, trailing smoke and the echoing clatter with it. The bridge door of the ship hit the ground with a forceful clang, dust and smoke pouring out from every gap. Donatello staggered out of the ship, coughing into his fist.

"See! I parked just in the right place!"

Raphael passed him, giving him a light shove in the shoulder.

"Yeah, real smooth sailin', Don."

Leonardo stepped out after Raph, turning to look at the ship as he set foot on the Earth's soil once again.

"We need to hide this thing somehow."

Don joined his brother, folding his arms as he set his gaze upon the spacecraft.

"It'll probably fit in my workshop. I just have to move it before anyone notices that it's here."

"Hm." Leo nodded. "Raph, you, me, and Don will try to move this thing down into the lair. Mikey, you take Master Splinter and the others on ahead. We'll catch up."

Mikey, however, was too busy kissing the ground to listen to his instructions. Only when he received a kick in the side from Raph did he come to attention. After being told for a second time what he was meant to do, the young turtle nodded and picked up Klunk and the new creature under his arms as he made his way under the opening garage door, Master Splinter and the other two comrades following shortly after.

It took a lot less effort than expected to shift the shuttle into the lair, although the constant waft of engine fumes blowing into the turtles' faces no matter where they stood did cause some minor implications. The vapour had diminished significantly by the time the ship was set up securely into Donatello's workshop, and after dusting their hands clean, the brothers joined the rest of the group in the middle of the main hall. Usagi and Gennosuke stood before the lucent portal that was about to take them home to their own worlds. Master Splinter stood forward and bowed, his sons copying the motion.

"Thank you for your help. We must sincerely apologize for dragging you into our feuds, Usagi-San."

Usagi and Gen concurred by bowing as well.

"You needn't apologize. It was inevitable, and as always, it is a privilege to fight along-side you and your family."

Leo stood up straight again, looking over at his long-eared friend.

"I hope you can fix things up back on your world."

The rabbit nodded, smiling. Gennosuke cleared his throat as the portal opened up further.

"Farewell, friends." He snorted before stepping into the portal, Usagi following shortly after.

The family waved after them as the door of light slowly subsided. A unified sigh was shared amongst the individuals, a wave of relief and exhaustion only just hitting them.

"Well I don't know about you guys, but I think I'm going to hit the sack." Leo yawned as he stretched.

Raphael gave him a confused look.

"Seriously? You slept more than all of us on that freakin' ship."

"Did I?"

Master Splinter stepped towards his sons, placing his hand on Leonardo's back.

"Don't worry, my sons. It has been a very long day. I suggest we all get some rest."

The turtles could not agree more, nodding at their father before beginning to shift off to their respective rooms. Donatello, on the other hand, walked over to Michelangelo to carefully lift the recently obtained yellow creature out of his brother's grasp.

"You guys can go ahead. First I'm going to take that mask off Klunk, and get the clamp off this poor little guy."

"Alright, Don. Just be careful." Leo warned.

The purple-masked turtle waved his family off as they made their way to their rooms, soon turning on his heels to walk over to his small work area, Mikey following not long after him. The oxygen mask attached to Klunk was surprisingly easy to remove, allowing the cat to jump off the desk and dart over to the comfort of the sofa within less than two minutes. Unfortunately the same could not be said for their new furry friend, Donatello having to dig out a small cutting torch to carefully slice through the metal collar. Mikey watched closely, keeping a firm hold on the creature to keep it still whilst his brother hacked away at the restricting piece of equipment. Not even five minutes later, Donatello lifted his protective goggles from his eyes to his head and pulled the now shredded slices of metal away from the alien.

"There, that ought to do it."

Mikey beamed as he removed his own pair of goggles and lifted up the creature.

"Awesome! You're the best, Don!"

Donatello put his hands on his hips.

"What are we going to do with it now, though?"

"We'll keep it!" The younger turtle grinned as he cradled the animal, lightly tickling its belly. "Oh I know, let's give it a name! What about…Clang? Or Rocky!"

Don yawned as he put his equipment away.

"Uh, yeah, you do that, Mikey. I'm heading off to bed."

Mikey failed to hear this, as he was already off on a tangent, reeling off lists of names to the small creature buried in his arms.

"Oh, how about Boomer? What do you think, Klunk? Or maybe…Jazz!"

Donatello sighed, not having the energy to try and repeat himself, and simply made his way to his room, leaving his energetic brother to continue thinking aloud into the early hours of the night.