Mikey would never admit it, but he was scared. Scared and frustrated.

Absolutely nothing could go right for their family, could it?

Their dad had just woken up from a coma that he had been in for most of their lives mere hours ago, only for their home to be attacked from the inside. Mikey licked his lips as he watched Donnie and Raph barricade the door against the army of mousers that were outside. He tried not to think about the fact that only a few feet of concrete separated them and certain death.

"That should hold them." Donnie grunted as he shoved the last barricade in place. "For a little bit at least."

Mikey worried his lip, trying to keep his mind focused on the here and now. But he couldn't. "What's going to happen to Leo and Dad?"

Raph growled. "If they lay one finger on either of them, they're going to regret every single life choice that they made."

"We can't focus on that right now. We need to be focused and come up with a plan to get out of here. Otherwise, we're not going to be in a position to help Leo or Father."

Mikey nodded, blinking the tears out of his eyes before he nodded. His heart was thundering, with adrenaline soaring through his veins…. but he focused his mind until it was a narrow point, focusing only on Dee's orders and plan.

"Looks like we've got several hundred thousand mousers." He returned to the window and poked his head upward cautiously, ducking quickly, his eyes wide. "Aaaand several human forces, headed in bound."

"We already know that we're trapped, Dee. What we need is a way out!"

"Just give me a second Raph!"

Great. Mikey thought. He's freaking out. He doesn't think well when he's freaking out.

Donnie took a deep breath, calming himself down in the process. Mikey watched him walk about, and he could almost see the wheels turning in his genius brother's mind.

"Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay." He was muttering as he paced. He stopped. "Okay!"

"'Okay'? You have a plan?" Mikey perked up.

"No! Not yet!"

The two brothers deflated.

"But!" They perked up again as Donnie continued, "We will be safe here, for a while at least."

"And how do you figure that?" Raph demanded.

"The walls." Donnie gestured to the walls that separated them from an army of mousers that would tear them apart as soon as they got to them. Mikey forced himself to listen to his brother. "They were built at the height of the Cold War. It's practically a vault."

"But it won't keep those metal freaks out for long." Raph growled.

"We'll figure it out, Raph!"

Mikey chewed his lip worriedly.

"What about our cells? Why don't we try to call for backup?" He winced when Raph growled again, this time though it was in frustration, and not in anger.

"They've blocked all communications." Donnie announced. He sighed and Mikey could see the worry.

For them. For New York. For their clan. Their father, and their brother, and their friends.

"Dee?"

The dark-haired brother turned around.

"Whatever you decide to do, we're right behind you."

"Yeah. We'll find a way to get out of this mess. Somehow, we always do. And we do it together."

Donnie smiled, placing his hand out, with his palm downward. Mikey and Raph joined their hands into the huddle, each smiling softly as they did so. Rumbling outside had them turning around, and Donnie peered through the window. Mikey's breath caught in his throat as Donnie's face turned pale, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"Oh shit!"

"Dee?" Mikey whispered.

"What it is, Donnie?"

"The EPF…...they have Utrom….eh."

Mikey and Raph glanced at each other, before darting to the window. They moved toward the window, peering over the pane and their eyes going wide when they saw what waited for them outside. Hundreds of tanks, EPF soldiers, and thousands of mousers waited for them on the outside, the mousers still chewing on the concrete. It looked like, from where they stood, that the mousers were still chewing at the wall, and….

Oh.

That wasn't good.

An Utrom Spectrum X was headed their way.

Even though years of training taught him that panicking was never good, Mikey couldn't help the cold wash of fear that washed over him like a tidal wave. It slammed into him, making it difficult to breath. There was no way they could go up against that thing.

"Uh….is it just me or is that thing about to fire?"

Donnie gathered him and Raph, shoving the two of them behind him. Mikey glanced over to his hotheaded brother, tears prickling his eyes. Could they…...they wouldn't survive a blast from that thing. Could they?

He never got a chance to show Dad how much they had grown. Never got to introduce Sensei to Leo. But Mikey took comfort in the fact that he would die side-by-side with his brothers.

"I love you guys." Raph muttered.

Mikey couldn't speak. He braced for the impact of the explosion…. only when he felt the building rock with the force of an explosion, he didn't feel any heat. Cautiously, he cracked his eyelid opened, surprised to see the building they were in was still standing and not on fire. His brothers were huddled together, but when Mikey moved to peak out the window, they stirred, moving with him. Mikey glanced at the window with wide eyes.

"Whoa, dudes!"

The Spectrum X was attacking…..the EPF.

A smile split Mikey's face as the Spectrum X fired a bolt of lightning. The EPF was fighting back, but it appeared that none of the volleys were having any affect.

"So. Who do you think's driving that thing?" Donnie asked. Mikey raised an eyebrow as he watched the Spectrum X fight.

"My money's on Casey." Raph muttered. There was a crash, causing all of them to wince. "Yeah, definitely Casey."

"Uhm, bros?" There was a loud bang. Everyone glanced out the window, their eyes going wide at the sight of a long wire shooting out and wrapping around the legs of the Spectrum X. "I think they're in trouble."

"Oh yeah." Raph twirled his sais. "Time to beat some heads!"

"We have to be coordinated about this, Raph. Our friends are in trouble. And we're still outnumbered and outgunned."

Raph rolled his eyes. "Okay, Genius. What's the plan then?"

Donnie smiled. Raph and Mikey glanced at each other.

X

"Whooo! Now that's what I call a beat down!" Raph declared. All three where on top of the Spectrum X, watching with relief as the warehouse, along with the EPF and all of those Mousers, got smaller and smaller. Mikey was grinning from ear to ear, still charged up and ready to fight.

"That. Was. Totally. AWESOME!" Mikey exclaimed, swinging his nun-chucks around excitedly. "Let's do that again!"

Donnie rolled his eyes. Mikey could hear the sarcasm as he said, "As much I want to do that again, we still have to find out where they took Leo and Sensei."

Mikey sobered up. Underneath them, the Spectrum X jolted as it turned down an alleyway, the EPF far behind them. Raph smirked.

"How will we get inside?" Mikey asked.

"The person or persons inside the Spectrum will just have to let us in."

"I wonder who it is."

Raph rolled his eyes. "There's a million possibilities. But whoever it is, it's somebody crazy enough to steal a giant war machine from the EPF."

Mikey smirked and Donnie rolled his eyes. A hatch at their feet opened up and the three brothers piled in.

"I'll give you two guesses as to who…. that…could."

Mikey glanced down, confused why his brother had trailed off. The hot-head had stopped talking, and from his position still on the top of the Spectrum X. He glanced at Donnie, who just shrugged as he moved down the ladder.

"What? Raph?" Mikey heard Donnie ask as he dropped down next to his brother. Mikey did a couple of air punches before dropping down himself.

He was left as speechless as his brothers as he beheld Leo.

Except, instead of cowering on all-fours, he was standing on two legs, decked out in full ninja gear. Including, Mikey noted with some tightening of his heart, the blue mask.

"So…..uh…." Mikey couldn't help beam hugely at the voice that sounded so right. "I thought maybe you could use some help."

"Duuuuuude. I KNEW IT!"