Lisa crept through the halls, her head down but her eyes alert. Her stomach was in knots as she approached the far end door, ready to report her 'successful' mission. She would hardly call it a success since she felt the guilt gnaw at her bones every step she took. She needn't worry about that though. All she had to do was tell Mr. Filch. Then, maybe, just maybe he would give her what she needed.

She saw it perfectly in her mind. A small beaker filled to the top with an orange liquid. To any average person it didn't seem worthy of any interest. But to her, it was everything.

'Wait a little longer, and then it'll be mine."

radraphie: Hey guys! Just checking up on y'all ! I'm leaving the costume party now but there's a seafood restaurant next door. We could check it out for dinner 7:15 maybe? :) neonleon Bootyyyshaker9000 drpartyd00d apriloneil

Raph frowned at his phone. He was currently waiting outside said glorious seafood restaurant and so far had heard nothing from any of his family members. Radio silence for nearly an hour. Now, the restaurant in question was in a quieter location from the party, in fact it was right by the boiler room.

Sure, Leo had seen the message and for a second, the bubbles appearing indicating that he was typing showed up after Raph's message had been sent. But they disappeared as quickly as they arrived.

"Don't worry Raph, they're probably having so much fun that they lost track of time! That's it!" He said, leaning against the wall as he tried to slow his breathing.

"Really? All of them?" Mind Raph appeared on his shoulder with a knowing look. "Please, it's obvious they decided to ditch you. Or worse."

"Worse?" Raph stuttered, sweating profusely.

"They could have died or gotten captured by an evil yōkai...or mauled by a bear."

"We're in the middle of the ocean!" Regular Raph exclaimed. "How would a bear even get here?"

"You never know, your life is pretty crazy like that."

"No! No they're fine, they're fine." Real Raph shook his head. "Breathe, relax. Think calming thoughts. Calming breaths."

They're already dead. You've failed them. What kind of older brother are you? No wonder you're not the leader anymore.

Raph purposely bonked himself in the head. "Stupid anxiety! Those thoughts aren't at all calm! This is supposed to be a nice vacation and I'm stressing over nothing!

"Aren't you supposed to give me advice?" Raph asked himself angrily.

"Sorry, I'm needed elsewhere," Mind Raph said simply. "But I'll be here in spirit!" And his consciousness had disappeared.

"I should try calling them." Reaching for his phone once more, he dialed April's number. He waited a few seconds and it went straight to voice-mail. He tried once more, then the rest of his siblings. Nothing. He gulped. "Something isn't right here."

Raph pocketed his phone and walked down the hallway nervously. Maybe there was some kind of clue or something leading him to their whereabouts.

And what better place to check than a mysterious corridor with barely any lighting?

The halls seemed to drag on forever, an endless loop of doors and turns. Raph occasionally glanced at his phone for any notification from his family. Still nothing. Near the end of the hall, he stopped at the last door. "Maybe I'm being ridiculous. They could just be back in our rooms. I should..."

Suddenly, he heard voices from inside the main door. Thinking fast, he darted inside a broom closet, holding his breath to prevent any noise from escaping as he listened to the conversation. Two people he gathered. If he pressed his ear against the wall, he could just barely make out what they were saying.

"I managed to capture a mutant for you, Mr Filch- er I mean Doctor Filch, sir." The first voice said, feminine and young, but slightly nasally.

"It's about time. I already caught two. But, well done,``a gravelly voice said. "And you tested to make sure he isn't another one of those fools in costume?"

"No, he's definitely a mutant, I extracted some blood samples from him, like you asked. He was looking for his friends and that human girl. The ones you already captured a few hours ago. He's a turtle too."

Raph's eyes wide.

"Another one?" The male voice replied, then chuckled. "Their reptilian DNA will be perfect for the final stages of my plan. Freshwater or saltwater?"

"Freshwater."

"Ah, no matter. He will do just nicely with the rest."

'Well, that can't be good. Those creeps must have kidnapped my siblings. I've gotta stop them, once they're done conveniently explaining the plan!'

There was a long pause before the younger voice spoke again, "I don't want to help anymore. It's wrong. I told you I'd only help you get onto the ship."

"Ah, but you're indebted to me, remember?" Though Raph couldn't see this guy, somehow he had a strong feeling he was crusty looking. "You have no choice but to do as I say. Which includes finding more mutants."

"...yes sir." croaked the second voice, sounding closer to a teenager than an actual, professional guard. She sounded scared.

The man spoke again.

"Don't worry, I will repay you for your handy work, like I promised." There was an audible gasp from the girl. "Up up up. Not yet," he tsked. "Once you complete your mission, I will reward you."

"Thank you sir."

"Naturally, Lisa."

Wait, what?

Raph felt his heart plummet to the floor, as though he was punched in the stomach. His muscles tensed, mouth agape, and completely rigid as he slowly processed what he just heard. Lisa...not the same Lisa he danced with for just a few hours. Not Lisa with the sweet, wide eyes and soft dimpled smile.

"No...it can't be. Lisa is a fairly common name!"

"Did you hear that?"

'Aw crud, did I just say that out loud?' Raph silently scolded himself, staying as still as possible.

"I'll see what it is," 'Lisa' said calmly. "It sounded like a rat or something."

"Good, I have work to do, and I don't have time to deal with pesky rodents."

The door closed behind her with a creak. Footsteps were headed in his general direction.

Frozen in fear, Raph squeezed his eyes shut. Please don't find my hiding place, please don't-

The doorknob turned. Double crud!

He gripped his sai and stayed in his crouch position. He had the size advantage at least. If this really was Lisa, and if Lisa was evil, he could take her down. Even without his mystic weapon, his sai were pretty lethal.

Even though he wasn't the leader anymore, his family always came first.

The door creaked open and Raphael braced himself. He didn't know who she was anymore. She wasn't the same girl he thought he could trust. If she was one of the people behind his siblings' disappearance, she had to be destroyed.

A hooded figure walked through, carefully shutting the door behind her. She was petite, but stealthy, sneaking in the storage closet as swift as a shadow, a flicking reptilian tail trailing behind her. And then she stopped abruptly, realizing exactly who she was facing. "Raphael?" Her gold eyes widened, slamming the door shut. "What are you doing here?" She hissed, more anxious than angry.

"I could ask you the same thing, Lisa!" Raph snapped, already preparing to chew her out. "So that's why you left the party! You're on some kinda kidnapping mutant spree, is that it? Here I thought we were friends, Lisa but you openly admitted to nabbing my family- I mean innocent mutants! Well, good luck trying to catch me..." He hesitated awkwardly. "Whatever evil business you're doing. Even though I'm just a guy in a costume."

Lisa blinked, deep in thought as though she was analyzing his wild, but valid accusations. "I'll explain everything." She pulled down her hood, still in her lizard costume oddly enough.

"No, I need you to tell me where my siblings are right now. I mean...those random mutants you captured. Who I don't know, and I'm absolutely not related to." The last thing he wanted was for her to know he was a mutant too.

'Nailed it!'

She rolled her eyes so far back that only the ivory whites of her sclera were visible. "You can stop pretending, I know you're a mutant, Raph." She ignored his gaped expression. "Please, just let me explain. I promise it'll make some sense."

"Do you really expect me to believe you?"

She sighed. "I suppose not. But I know where your family is, and I can help you and save the people on this cruise. You need to listen to me, Raphael."

Raph had no reason to trust her, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. And he really was desperate to find his siblings. He nodded. "Tell me the truth. What's going on?"

"The first thing you need to know is that I'm not evil. More like, morally grey since I've made quite a few mistakes but that's besides the point. I'm trying to save the people on this cruise, not the other way around." She took a deep breath. "The real evil behind this scheme is Doctor Phineas Filch."

Even that name sent a shiver up his spine. "Who's that?"

Lisa snorted. "He was my tenth grade bio teacher before things got really weird. Like a science fiction movie type weird." She sat down, elaborating further. "One day, I was doing some extra credit for his class, studying for a quiz or whatever. Halfway through, a neon green mosquito flew into the classroom. It wouldn't stop buzzing."

"An oozesquito." He supplied helpfully.

"Yeah, that. I swatted it away because it was driving me crazy, and it landed on Filch's shoulder. I didn't think much of it until it bit him. It happened so fast. I saw him contort and transform before my very eyes in the most horrifying way into some freaky mutant piranha man." She shuddered as she recalled the events. "Something in that oozesquito warped his mind. He kidnapped me shortly after, since I was the only one there," She swallowed slowly, catching his anxious glance. "And he started creating homemade ooze using his fish DNA and some from the mosquito that bit him. Like I said, the man lost his marbles."

Raph sat beside her, listening intently to her story. "And then what happened?" He had no Doctor Feelings, but he had a tendency to care a little too much about people, and therefore was extremely concerned.

She inhaled a shaky breath, her eyes downcasting. "I don't...I..."

"Take it easy, Lisa." He rested a hand on her knee. "Calming breaths..."

Lisa bit her lip. "He told me his plans right away. To create a fake cruise vacation and use his 'improved' mutagen to lure innocent people in and create a whole army of fish and aquatic mutants. But he needed some help first before he tried it. I told him he was insane, that I would never help him even if my life depended on it."

"I'm assuming he didn't react well to that."

"Nope. So he made the decision to test his perfected mutagen, to see if it worked." There was a pregnant pause.

Raph shifted his weight uncomfortably, wondering if she was going to say more.

"He tested it on me." Lisa turned to face Raph directly, moving closer so he had a proper look at her face.

"He did WHAT?" Raph growled. "What did he do to you?"

"It didn't work, at least not the way he intended it to be." Her eyes met his. "What I'm saying is...I'm not wearing a costume either."

"What do you-" As Raph moved closer, he noticed the supposed freckles were in fact tiny scales dotting across her cheeks. Her hands were noticeably webbed with tiny claws and her pupils were white slits. He let out a gasp. "You're a mutant too." he murmured in stunned realization.

Lisa looked down in shame. "Yep, this is the real me." She gestured at her scaly skin and her reptilian tail. "I figured out you were a mutant due to my enhanced sense of smell," she explained after noticing Raphael's confused stare. "So, will you help me?"

Raph stayed silent, gears turning inside his head full of suspicion and uneasiness. He didn't trust her at all, especially not after she lied and admitted to capturing his family- even if it wasn't entirely her fault.

"If not for me," she continued. "Do it for the sake of the innocent people on this cruise."

Raph closed his eyes, opened them, then finally nodded. Lisa perked up, instantly moving closer before he stopped her with one hand. "Just so we're clear, I'm helping the people on this cruise and finding my family. We're not..." He gestured vaguely. "A team or anything. Let alone friends."

"But I'm trying to help—"

"I know," he said quickly. "But I can't fully trust you yet. Not until you show me where my family is."

Lisa's smile faded slightly, but she nodded too,"Of course. Here's my plan."