Author Note:

I wanted to thank everybody for all the amazing reviews I've been getting for this story! I get a little happy fluffy feeling every time a notification pops up, no matter how brief the review is. You have no idea how much they thrill me and inspire me to write! I will freely admit that there have been times where I sit down after work, ponder sitting down and marathoning Ghost Adventures for the rest of the evening, and then think to myself instead, 'No, there are people that apparently really want to read what you write for some reason! Don't keep them waiting!' and thus will pull out my laptop and write instead.

So I thank you, reviewers, from the bottom of my heart, for motivating me to actually do something mentally stimulating instead of just mindlessly watching men bravely provoke ghosts and then scream like little girls when something actually happens.

So, speaking of reviews, there were a few questions that came up that I thought I should clarify.

I wasn't too clear about the time passage and how long Leo was gone after waking Yoshi. He was gone for almost a full day. He snuck out in the morning, and spent almost the full day hiding out and sleeping, or, at least, trying to sleep. Poor boy was exhausted! After finally waking up/giving up on sleeping more, he immediately started planning his escape, plotting the best trains to hitch a ride on. That's where we peeked in on him.

And since Leo hasn't been beaten within an inch of his life and thrown through a window (yet?), his voice probably still sounds like Jason Biggs, from the first half of the 2k12 show, and not the deeper, gravely Seth Green.

And finally, and most importantly, the teddy bear, music cube, and empty taiyaki bag are all safely stowed away in a secure hiding spot on a rooftop close to the Hamato complex, patiently awaiting Leo's victorious return.

Now then... extra long chapter, because I'm as eager to get back to the reunion of the Hamato brothers as you are!

Chapter 19: A New Challenger Appears

Slowly cracking open the door of the stairwell, I peered out, sniffing the air cautiously.

Sensing no movement, either from humans or Mousers, I waved for the others to follow as I slipped out into the hallways of the third floor, the floor containing the living quarters of the Hamatos.

...Including a room with a now-kicked in door showing a disheveled, empty hospital bed.

I paused when I saw that, my jaw tightening with anger that was directed at myself almost as much as our foes. I should have seen this coming. I shouldn't have left my brothers or Master Yoshi unprotected, not at such a vulnerable moment.

"Leo?" Behind me, April noticed my agitation.

"They took Master Yoshi." I muttered tightly to the humans following me, feeling the guilt and worry gnaw at me.

The humans behind me all cursed.

"Why?!" April's face darkened as she looked at the trashed and wrecked room. "Why would they stoop so low as to kidnap a comatose man?! Are they trying to blackmail the Hamatos?!"

"Because he's no longer in a coma." I explained as I peeked around the corner, eyeing the twin glass doors that lead into my Sanctuary. "Master Yoshi woke up yesterday morning."

"What?!"

I winced and quickly turned to glare at the humans, who all, as one, covered their mouths and looked properly contrite for the loud outburst in the middle of a stealth mission.

"Master Yoshi is really awake?!" April whispered in a much lower but no less excited tone.

"That's why Dun betrayed the Hamatos!" Angel realized with wide eyes, looking at the others. "He's going to lose his power, and he's desperate!"

I exhaled, turning to walk up to the doors, and noting the signs of intrusion in my garden. I eyed the locked doors, and turned back to Casey. "You're a lieutenant, aren't you? Can you unlock the Sanctuary doors for us?"

"How did you know that I'm... Wait. This is the meditation garden, right?" Casey blinked, and joined me next to the doors. "They closed this off weeks ago to the entire compound." He glanced at the lock, and shook his head. "They upped the security on it as well, it looks like. That's a level five security lock. Only the Hamato family and those personally approved by the council can open those." He turned to me and shrugged. "The brothers pushed for us four to get such clearance, but the council turned down their request."

"So you can't open it?" I frowned. The only other way in was through the vents, and that would require a lot of climbing with four humans. I glanced at the black pad where the Hamatos had always pressed their hands to unlock it, then down at my green three fingered hand.

Only the Hamato family, huh?

Figuring I had nothing to lose, I shrugged and lifted my hand, pressing it against the scan pad. There was a moment as the scanner ran over my palm, and then the light turned green and the door clicked unlocked and slid open.

I blinked, then lowered my hand and looked at it.

Wait. This entire time, could I have just walked up and...?

Really?

I rolled my eyes and sighed as I stepped through the open doors. Figures.

"Weren't expected that?" Angel glanced at my facial expression, amused.

"I'll just say that my life might have been a lot easier if I knew I could do that earlier." I admitted, glancing around my Sanctuary as the humans followed me in. Then I stopped dead in my tracks, any further words I had been about to say dying on my lips.

My beautiful garden sanctuary was in the process of being destroyed.

The flow to the waterfall had been cut off, and the mossy rock that the water once tumbled playfully over was now just sitting there, silent and drying out. The dock had been completely smashed and dismantled, the fragments of boards and wood laying heaped off to the side, and now a large red mechanical pump sat running noisily at the pond's edge, slowly draining the pond and spewing water out in a steady and powerful arc out of a large outtake, turning the once lush, green lawn into a soggy mire of watery mud and upturned grass. Bushes and ferns were ripped up, also heaved into a large pile, leaving empty scars in the earth, and entire flower beds were either mowed down or trampled flat.

I swallowed hard, surprised by how much seeing this hurt.

Hesitantly moving forward, I quickly noticed that my little tiki hut that my brothers had built for me had not been spared. It was absolutely destroyed, shredded pillows strewn among wooden planks and shattered bamboo poles, and there, poking around the dismantled remains of the small chabudai, were the three humans that I had been certain I'd find in here.

My eyes narrowed. Predictable. Dr Stockman, Bradford, and Xever. They were looking for me, no doubt.

Casey noticed them as well, and a wolfish grin crossed his face. He cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders as he stepped forward. "Oh, believe me when I say I've been looking forward to this for a long time!"

At the sound of his voice, the invading humans turned, finally hearing us over the sound of the loud motor and spray of the water pump.

Bradford's eyes narrowed as he saw the group approaching. "Jones." he spat contemptuously, stepping forward. "How did you...?" He stopped when he saw me, and his eyes widened for a second, then a victorious smirk crossed his face. "Ha! Figures... The Hamato's pet turtle was with you this whole time?"

"I am not the Hamato's pet!" I spat out in a hiss, body low to the ground as I dashed forward past Casey. Bradford's eyes grew huge, caught completely by surprise as I twisted about, my foot spinning in an arc through the air to connect solidly with his bearded jaw with such force that he was knocked clean off his feet and sent flying to the ground. I landed easily, crouched and ready to attack again. "I am their brother!"

"Tortuga!" Xever snarled out, snapping out his switchblade and charging. "You and I have a score to mmph!"

I never gave him a chance to finish his threat. I was in no mood to banter or show any mercy. With lightning fast reflexes honed over years of battle and practice, I twisted about, his razor sharp blade arcing down to hit armored shell instead of vulnerable flesh. In a flash, I reached out to grab his arm and yank him off balance, and interrupted his uttered threats by grabbing him by the face with my other hand before he fell.

Bradford, by this time, had swung back up to his feet with surprising agility, rage on his face, and he charged as well, moving with all the strength and sure grace of a master of the martial arts.

I threw the startled Xever into his path, causing both of them to collide and stumble with curses, and then, before they knew what was happening, I was behind them, grabbing both of them by the back of the head firmly in each of my large, three fingered hands. I stepped forward between them and lunged downwards, slamming both of their faces into the muddy ground with nose-crunching force.

The whole scene had only taken mere seconds to play out, and before the others could even blink, I was growling down at both Xever and Bradford pinned face down underneath me, a knee in both of their backs and both of them with an arm twisted up painfully behind them in my hands.

"Huh." Casey blinked, then shrugged. "Well then..." He turned towards Stockman. "Dibs on the nerd!"

"Not if I get there first!" Angel launched forward.

Stockman took a step back, glaring at them and holding up his medical bag as a shield. "Don't you delinquents dare touch me!" he hissed fiercely in vain, before being buried under the two siblings, who shoved and punched each other almost as much as the scientist himself.

Irma jogged up, digging in some of her many deep pockets. "I have zip ties and duct tape we can use to tie them up, guys!" she offered cheerfully, pulling out the offered items.

"Uh, do I want to know why you just casually carry things like that around?" Casey asked, now sitting on a fuming but prone Stockman's back, before quickly sticking his tongue out victoriously at his sister.

"I'm an engineer." Irma scoffed. "And our motto is to always be prepared."

"I thought that was the Boy Scouts." Angel mused, coming over to help me secure my two squirming and cursing humans.

"Psh." Irma pressed one balled up hand on her hip as she waved the other derisively in the air. "Those little pretentious punks carry around little swiss army knives. I carry around a portable wielding torch!"

Thus, in a few minutes, Stockman, Brandford, and Xever sat next to one another in the grass, each covered in dirt, bruises, and bloodied faces, fuming silently with their hands securely bound behind their backs. The damned water pump was quickly shut down, stopping the water flow, and leaving the room quiet once more.

"Uh... Leo? You... okay, dude?" Casey noticed something, and hesitantly pointed at my shell. "You got a little something..."

I glanced over my right shoulder to see Xever's switchblade, its sharp point still embedded harmlessly in my shell. I reached over and plucked it out, examining it. Then I knelt down in front of the three tied up humans, my eyes narrowed dangerously and my lips pulled back in a snarl as I fingered the razor sharp knife in one hand. "My brothers! Where are they?!"

"Oh look, it talks now." Bradford sneered at me scornfully, then glanced at my human allies. "So, are there any other new tricks the beast can do? Fetch? Roll over?" He turned his glare back to me. "Play dead?"

"Want me to break his face, boss?" Angel raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

It took me a moment to realize she was referring to me. "Will it inhibit his ability to talk?" I kept my glare on the three tied up humans. "All I want right now is to know where my brothers and Master Yoshi are."

"Eh, it might make it difficult to understand them if they're blubbering through blood and shattered teeth." Casey mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "As tempting as that might be."

"You honestly think you can make us talk?" Stockman sat rigid and proud, still managing to look down his nose at us, even covered in grass and dirt and tied up. "As if you have a chance of getting out of this alive."

"We will never betray Master Dun!" Xever agreed bravely.

April gave a heavy, patient sigh, fingering the bridge of her nose. "I really hate to do this, but I'm afraid we are short on time, and our hand has been forced." She knelt down by the three men, and draped her arms casually over her knees. "So here's one extremely important question you need to answer."

They clammed up and glared at her.

She smiled sweetly at them. "What was the last animal you touched?"

The three human men blinked, obviously caught off guard, and they glanced at one another, confused and unsure.

"Uh... what?" Xever asked, taken aback.

April shrugged innocently. "Like I said, this is only a last resort tactic, so I am sorry about this." She waved a hand, explaining. "Mutagen is a compound that mixes the host's DNA with the residual DNA left from the most recently contacted living creature. That is how Leonardo here became what he is." She looked to the three men with a wicked grin. "And you may not know this, but traces of that mutagen survive in his saliva. All he has to do is bite you and..." She glanced up at me.

I quickly realized her game and saw that this was my cue. I played along, flashing them a wide, threatening grin, showing as many teeth as I could.

She sighed and shook her head sadly and dramatically. "There's no known cure, sadly."

"What utter nonsense." Stockman snorted derisively. "That is not how mutagen is transmitted."

"Are you certain of that, Stockman?" April smirked at him, looking confident and smug. "Absolutely certain?"

He hesitated for just a second, and that was enough for his two companions to notice.

"Shit, what?!" Xever's eyes turned to me, wide with panic.

"She's lying!" Stockman snapped at them angrily, struggling against his bonds. "I've read over all the latest research! That's not listed anywhere as a possibility!"

"You've been looking at the wrong research, man." Casey snickered. "Man, even I know more about this then you do! How's that for embarrassing?!" He threw up an arm and leaned against my arm casually, pointing at me. "Didn't you know that they linked the werewolf to early trials of mutagen gone out of control? I mean, half animal, half human hybrids? Isn't it pretty obvious?"

Scales prickling from the human contact, I gently took him by the shoulders and repositioned him so he was no longer touching me. He didn't seem too perturbed by that, and just leaned over to lean against Angel instead, still watching the three prisoners.

His purple haired sister didn't seem bothered by his weight, and seemed eager to join in the game as well. "And how did lycanthropy spread?" Angel smirked, then opened her mouth and chomped at the air a few times in answer. "Through their bites. Saliva, in other words."

"Of course, that was a primitive form that only transmitted one form. Leo's more refined bite has endless possibilities." April glanced at Bradford. "Don't you own a dog? How fond are you of his coat color?" Then she turned to smirk at Stockman. "Or you'd better pray that a fly didn't land on you at some point without your knowledge. Could you imagine? Being stuck as a half-insect?" She made a squicked out face and gave a shudder of disgust.

"Ooh!" Irma chirped in excitedly, digging in one of her deep pockets. "I have some dice here from my last DnD session! We can roll to see who gets transformed first!"

"No! Keep the mutant away from me!" Xever was apparently completely convinced, squeaking as he tried scooting back away from me in a panic. "I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"Xever!" Bradford snarled at him angrily. "You coward!"

"Hey man, I'm pretty certain that the last thing I touched was some freaky toothed fish down in the market!" Xever turned to fiercely defend himself. "I am NOT turning into some freaky fish face for anybody! Not even Dun!"

"So start talking." My voice was low and dangerous as I crouched next to him, my teeth only inches away from his face. "Before I lose my patience."

"And make it good." Casey added.

Xever eyed me nervously, sweat starting to bead on his forehead. "Okay, man, just... just chill out! I'll tell you everything!" He licked his dry lips, leaning back. "Dun has been working with the EPF for years. They've got an arrangement worked out, a partnership. The bigwigs at the EPF have been tired of the Hamatos being an independent rival when it comes to protecting the earth against all the weird crap that happens. They seem to figure that things would be far more efficient for all those resources and power were to be condensed under one single power. Their own, of course. And Dun was willing to give them that, if they helped him take full control of the clan and all its assets."

"I knew that asshole was up to something!" Angel snarled, her hands flexing as if fighting off a desire to punch something or someone.

"And just how exactly was he going to pull this off? Dun's was only going to be in the picture until Donnie turned twenty one." April growled, arms crossed. "I'm sure that the Hamato brothers would have had something to say about that."

Xever shrugged. "Dun had that all planned out. See, little Donatello was going to suffer an unfortunate 'accident' before he could take over."

"What." April said flatly, the word more of a deadpan threat then an actual question.

Xever was too busy nervously eyeing me to catch the tone of her voice. "I don't know all the details, of course. The boss liked to keep such plans close to his chest, so to speak, but I did overhear talk was that it was going to be a mishap in the lab or something. I think they were going to make it look like it was Raphael's fault, to break him with guilt or something. Tame that temper of his a little and make him more controllable." He smirked a little, as if he were imagining such a scenario actually taking place. "It would've put that red masked hothead in his place, that's for sure. And, failing that, if he remained too volatile to control, they'd make it look like guilt overwhelmed him and he couldn't take it anymore, though there was a little concerned that two deaths might raise more suspicions." He shrugged. "Either way, the older two Hamatos wouldn't be a problem anymore, and Dun figured poor little grief-ridden Michelangelo would be an easy puppet to manipulate as needed."

All three of the prisoners jumped as I finally erupted into a snarling growl and flung his switchblade knife to the side with such force that it embedded itself up to the hilt into a nearby tree trunk.

Xever only had to take one glance at my white eyes, and he yelped, his feet scuffing the ground as he tried to scoot back away from me in a panic."They're still alive! As far as I know, they're all still alive! Please don't bite me, man! I didn't do anything!"

"Then I suggest you keep talking." Angel said coldly. "Why did Dun attack us now, and where are the rest of the Hamatos?"

"Right." Xever whimpered. "Well, all of Dun's planning became moot when Yoshi woke up, so Dun felt like there wasn't any choice but to move fast to take it by force, with the help of the EPF. I know that he has Yoshi over at the EPF building right now under guard. They were going to try to use the old man's sons against him to force him to sign the leadership of the clan over to Dun, but then your brothers escaped Dun's trap!"

"Where are they?!" I snarled.

"All I know is that they got loose somewhere around the dock district. I don't know where exactly! We've been down here looking for you!" Xever pleaded. "We weren't supposed to leave until we found you, under threat of our lives! That's all Bishop cared about! The deal was that Dun would get the Hamatos, and Bishop would get you!"

Stockman smiled cruelly at me as he smoothly added. "That's the only reason why the EPF was willing to risk all this and lend us the use of military force, you know. Because they wanted you!"

I tensed, then stood up and abruptly turned away, feeling like I had been punched in the gut.

Bradford snickered, obviously amused greatly by the look on my face, then yelped as Angel kicked him hard.

"You had better not be hiding anything or lying." Angel growled, walking over to nudge Xever roughly with her toe. "Because trust me when I say that I've spent plenty of time coming up with creative ways to make you sorry you ever existed."

"That's all I know! I swear!" Xever snarled at her.

"Right. Let's drag these pieces of garbage out, and figure out what to do from here." Casey nodded at the others.

I had turned away, and was pacing angrily across the ruined grass.

April stood up as well and walked over to me. I stopped my pacing, freezing tensely at her simple touch on my arm and unable to completely hide the flinch.

"Leo, none of this your fault." she murmured to me. "You heard yourself that Dun was planning on attacking your brothers, even before you came into the picture."

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply through my nose, then exhaled slowly and looked over to her.

She gave me a knowing nod and a reassuring squeeze on my arm. "The only thing that you changed is that Dun was forced to show his true hand and make an outright attack, instead of stabbing them in the back when they were least expecting it. We can use that to our advantage."

I was quiet for a moment, then swallowed hard, then nodded. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Leo." she smiled sincerely up at me. "I'm glad that Donnie has a brother like you."

I returned her warm smile with one of my own, and patted her hand gratefully. "And I'm glad Donnie has someone like you." I told her quietly, so the others wouldn't hear.

She paused and blinked at me, obviously trying to figure out just how much I knew.

At that moment, Casey sidled up to us, peering sideways at our prisoners suspiciously. "So..." he murmured in a low voice. "Just so we're perfectly clear on this..." He turned and looked at me pleadingly. "We were completely bullshitting them about the wereturtle bites, right?"

I laughed.

We had just made our way back up to the second floor, discussing the information we had just learned and what we might do with it, when I sensed somebody approaching. I turned and tensed up nervously as two burgundy clad ninja came running silently down the hallway towards us.

Either not noticing my uneasiness, or tactfully ignoring it, they quickly knelt down respectfully before me. "Leonardo-sama, we have cleared the floors as requested, and managed to find and rescue others from Stockman's Mousers. We believe the building to be completely secured and under your control."

I paused and blinked down at them blankly for a second, then quickly composed myself and cleared my throat, nodding sagely. "Very good. Were there any casualties?" I sincerely hoped the answer would be 'no', and felt greatly relieved when they shook their heads.

"Only minor injuries, Leonardo-sama." That still sounded extremely strange to hear. "Everybody is gathered at the designated location, armed and ready to fight for the honor of the clan."

I nodded. "Well done." I paused. "Doctor Stockman, Bradford, and Xever are tied up down in the stairwell on the third floor. Have them retrieved and quartered in more secure locations until Master Yoshi and my brothers are rescued and we can deal with them properly." Not really sure of the protocols, I gave them a slight bow, hoping I didn't look too awkward.

"Hai, Leonardo-sama!" the two ninjas nodded respectfully from their kneeling positions, then scrambled up, turned, and raced down the hallways.

I turned to the others. "My brothers are somewhere by the docks, and are probably in trouble. I'm going to head out there and try to scout out the situation."

"Oooor..." April offered, "We can just go over to the war room down the hall. We have several surveillance drones set up down by the dock areas. It's a popular place for criminal activity, and the Hamatos like to keep an eye out for things like that. I can pull up video feed to see if there's any clues as to where we might find our boys and what sort of trouble they're in."

"Oh." I blinked, not used to having all these resources at hand. "Okay then, let's do that."

"Well then, come on." Casey nodded, stepping forward to lead the way. "And there's a ton of spare gear and weapons the Hamatos keep in there as well, just in case, so you can help yourself if you want any of it."

We entered into a room that was dominated by a large table in the middle, with screens and computers against one wall.

April immediately went over to a console, quickly typing away. "This should hopefully only take a few minutes. These types of battles are usually pretty conspicuous."

Casey gestured towards a large cabinet with wide wooden shelves against a another wall. "The extra gear in there, Leo, if you want it."

"Thanks." I nodded, going over to look through the drawers.

Oh, this was nice! I quickly found a leather utility belt that looked like it might fit me, as well as elbow and knee protectors that I could probably use. And, looking back in the drawers, there were shuriken, kunai, shukos, and everything that a ninja could possibly desire. I suddenly felt incredibly spoiled.

"Got them!" April suddenly yelped with excitement, and I quickly set aside the gear and joined the others crowding around one of the screens, eager and anxious to see what was happening to my brothers.

"Are they in that building?" I asked breathlessly, seeing a massive army of EPF soldiers, tanks, and hundreds of mousers surrounding an old warehouse, but no signs of my brothers themselves. "Are they okay?"

"Well, I haven't actually spotted the Hamatos themselves. But the Mousers and EPF have something cornered in there, and Donnie and his brothers are the only ones that would garner such a response." April said, looking at me with concern in her green eyes. "They must've holed up in there after escaping Dun's trap."

"And now they're stuck in there, cornered." Casey said worriedly. He glanced at us. "We gotta bust them out!"

I nodded, anxiously drumming my fingers on my arm as I worried and inwardly began to try and sort everything out. Oh, please, let them be unharmed in there!

"WHOA!" Irma shoved all of us to the side and grabbed the edges of the flatscreen TV in both hands. "Look at THAT!"

"What?" Casey looked startled. "What do you see?"

She turned to look at us, her brown eyes shining behind her thick glasses as if it were Christmas, and pointed at the screen. "Guys! That right there is an actual, genuine Utrom Spectrum X war engine!"

We blinked at her, then back at the screen. She was pointing at what looked like a two story tall flat and rounded tank made of exotic material, bearing giant guns and balanced on two mechanical legs.

"Uh, what?"

"I can't believe the EPF managed to get their hands on one of them!" Irma looked both awestruck and offended as she peered at the screen. "The Utrom are an extremely technologically advanced space faring race. Normally they're quite peaceful, but centuries ago, they were involved in a historic war against the Triceratons. The Spectrum X is a relic from that ancient battle, an almost unstoppable destructive mobile weapon. Most of them were either disassembled or are in utrom museums now. To have an actual functioning Utrom Spectrum X in the field?" She threw up her hands. "I can't decide whether that's genius or sacrilege!"

"Irma is absolutely obsessed with Utrom technology." April explained to me with a facepalm and a sigh.

"And there's only two organizations that have any regular contact with the Utrom, the EPF and the Hamatos." Irma looked back over her shoulder and nodded at me. She adjusted her glasses. "So I decided to lend my expertise to the non-asshole group."

"Good choice." I completely understood and agreed, glancing at the screen worriedly. "So my guess is that that Spectrum X whatever isn't going to be easy to defeat."

Irma sighed lovingly. "No, it's an army all by itself."

"So we not only have to deal with the EPF army, and the Mouser army, but now we have an Utrom war machine to contend with as well." Angel frowned. She threw up her hands and began pacing. "Awesome! What else can we throw into the mix to make it more exciting?"

"Well, the good news is that warehouse was constructed at the height of the cold war." April looked at the screen, then at the laptop she had pulled out, obviously gathering further information. "It's built like a vault, which should buy the brothers some time." She chewed her lip worriedly. "But they don't have forever. We need to get them out of there, and soon."

"Just say the word, Leo." Casey growled, eyes narrowing as he glared at the gathered army on the screen. "We'll hit them hard and fast."

I frowned, then shook my head and turned away. "The casualties would be extremely high if we just attacked them head on like that."

"They're in trouble, and they need our help! We're all loyal to the Hamato family." Casey watched me as I strode across the room. "It's a sacrifice all of us are willing to make."

"Well, it's a sacrifice I'm not willing to accept." I examined some maps rolled up in a pile, and selected one. "We need to split up the enemy forces if we can, divide their strength." I carried the map over to the table and spread it, revealing a detailed map of the city. I leaned over it, examining it closely. "And, fortunately, we have the bait needed to do that. There is one thing that they desire to get their hands on just as much as my brothers, if not more."

"What's that?" Irma asked curiously.

"Me." I said simply, standing up a little as I tilted my head and considered a particular section of the map.

"You're seriously not suggesting trading yourself in, are you, Leo?" April growled at me, her eyes narrowed and obviously preparing herself to dish out a verbal beatdown of epic proportions if necessary.

"No." I shook my head absently, arms crossed as I tapped my chin thoughtfully as I studied the city map. "Dun and Bishop would never honor such a deal, and I would be throwing my life away needlessly if I tried such a thing." I uncrossed my arms, pointed at a particular building, one that I personally knew to be an old and abandoned drug lord's hideout and deceptively well-fortified, and glanced at Casey, "Casey, do you think you could take the forces we have, bust out of here, and reach this building?"

Casey looked at the map, considered it for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah... I don't think that should be a problem." He glanced up at me. "It's kinda in the opposite direction then your brothers, though."

"Yup." I nodded and looked up at him, the barest hint of a sly smirk on my face. "Just how subtle can you be about this?"

He blinked blankly at me. "Is... this a trick question?"

Angel scoffed. "My brother has all the subtly of a rampaging elephant chasing after a marching band."

I grinned at them, nodding. "Yes. I know."

Casey blinked at me, then understanding began to slowly dawn on his face. "I'm going to be a distraction..."

"That's what I'm hoping for." I hoped he wouldn't be offended by the plan. "You'll find that building highly defensible once inside, and you only need to look like you're trying to be stealthy."

Contrary to my worries, a wicked grin crossed his face, and he chuckled darkly and rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Oh, have you picked the right guy for the job! I'm awesome at this role!"

"As for the bait to lure them after you," I stepped away from the table and walked across the room as I spoke, going towards the supply cabinet. "Bishop wants me more then anything else. The trick is going to be convincing him that the Hamato clan has decided to prioritize protecting the last Hamato in their possession. If we can pull that off convincingly, he'll hopefully react and pull some of his forces to try and chase you down."

"You talk as if you won't actually be with him." Angel observed shrewdly.

I quickly wrapped the leather utility belt I had found earlier around my shell, finding that it somehow managed to fit comfortably, and began selecting items out of the supply drawers to fill the pouches."No, I'll be going after my brothers." I closely examined a shuriken, turning it around in my hand and finding it to be expertly crafted with the Hamato sigil imprinted on the side. Nice. I pocketed several of them. "They only need to think that I'm with Casey for my plan to work."

"Hm." Casey pondered this for a moment, then held up a finger, asking us to hold for a second. He walked over to the door of the room, said a few words to the guards waiting outside, and then stepped back. In just a few minutes, four Hamato ninjas stepped in.

"You summoned us, Jones-san?" one of the ninjas asked curiously.

"Yup!" Casey nodded, putting his hands behind his back. "I asked for you four, because Leo-sama here has tasked us with a top secret, high priority mission, and I need a single, specialized man to fulfill a very vital task. So... OneTwoThreeNotIt!" He quickly touched his nose with a finger.

The ninjas all looked surprised, but three of the four ninjas caught on quickly, and hurriedly touched their noses as well.

The fourth ninja looked around, looking confused and bewildered. Then, only just then catching on, he squeaked and quickly touched his nose as well, before wilting, already realizing he was too late and had just 'volunteered' for whatever task Casey had in mind.

"Timothy, my man..." Casey said smoothly, sliding over to drape an arm over the nervous ninja. "How do you feel about the color green?"

"Sir?" Timothy glanced up at him uncertainly.

Casey looked over at the other three quicker-witted ninjas. "We need to make brave, selfless Timothy here resemble a turtle as much as possible. Find out if anybody has a ton of makeup, or, I dunno, I think there might be some green paint in one of the storage rooms that you could use? Be creative!"

"Makeup?" Timothy swallowed hard. "Green paint? Uh... Sir?"

"I'm fairly certain that Napoleon has a pair of green onesie pajamas we could use!" one of the ninjas offered helpfully. Timothy shot him a horrified look.

"Perfect!" Casey clapped his hands in approval. "See, that's what I'm talking about. That's the sort of creative thinking that will get you far in the clan! Excellent job, men!"

"We won't let you down, sir!" The three ninjas smartly saluted.

"Uh... is all this necessary?!" Timothy looked even more nervous and unsure as his three companions pounced on him with eager delight and started to carry him out. "Can't I just wear a mask or something?! Guys?!"

"You're doing the clan proud, Timothy!" Casey called out reassuringly after him, then dusted off his hands and rejoined us. He leaned against the table and grinned at me. "Operation Bait and Switch is well underway, Leo."

"Uh... thanks." I blinked at him, then glanced back at the door where the ninjas had just disappeared.

"Leo, this should be helpful as well." April, not batting an eye at what had just happened and obviously long accustomed to Casey Jones, held up a USB stick, which I recognized as the one Irma had found on one very uncomfortable Stockman as she searched him.

"Oh, yeah. You were saying that you thought it might have the programming for the Mousers on it?" I decided to let Casey be Casey and trust him to handle his men as he saw fit, and focused on this bit of news, turning my full attention to April. "Can you do something about the Mouser army then?"

She set her laptop on the table and sat down, plugging in the data stick. She typed a few things in. "Well, it's encrypted, of course, but it shouldn't take me too long to decode it." She studied the program running across the screen and frowned, tapping the top of her screen.

As she worked, I quickly buckled on the knee and elbow protectors, and grabbed a roll of athletic tape.

After only a few minutes, April looked up at me with her final verdict. "Well, good news, I should be able to figure out how to shut the Mousers down with this. Bad news? I'm fairly sure that Dun has some control of most of our network. Any attempts I make to broadcast the signal would probably get caught and shut down quickly."

"And I suppose that you really need to broadcast the signal." I finished wrapping athletic tape around my hands and wrists, and bit off the roll before flexing my fingers experimentally, testing the fit.

"Well, it's either that, or plug into each and every Mouser individually to transmit the shut down code." April sat back and shrugged. "And we're going to need a POWERFUL transmitter, if we want to cover a large area."

Irma was looking thoughtful as we spoke, tapping her chin. Finally, she looked up, and adjusted her glasses slightly. "What about the old Channel 6 News tower? That should still be functional."

"Oh! That would be perfect." April breathed. "With that, we could cover the whole city, once I had the code ready."

"Right." I nodded as I walked over to the stands where various weapons waited. I had noticed a nice pair of katanas, and experimentally picked one up, unsheathing it and testing its weight and balance. Then, with a satisfied nod, I resheathed it, picked up the other one, and started to strap them to the back of my shell. "Angel, you're the stealthier Jones sibling, correct? Take a handful of men, and escort April to the Channel Six building. This part of the plan depends on you to remain as invisible as possible, so take only those you trust, and keep to the shadows. Keep April safe at all costs."

"Understood." Angel crossed her arms and nodded.

I glanced down at myself. Let's see here, I had a fully supplied utility belt, some protective gear for my limbs, and two beautiful katana strapped to my shell. Only one more thing left to get and then I'd be ready... I went back to the supply closet, and, after searching the drawers, I found a collection of differently colored silk cloths, spare masks and extra arm bands in case my brothers needed them.

"What about me?" Irma asked curiously. "Just so you know, I'm not exactly a stealthy ninja. Should I go with Casey?"

I shook my head, fingering through the drawer in search of a particularly colored... ah. There. That would work perfectly. "No, you're with me."

"Ah... I'm going to be what?" Irma blinked behind her thick glasses, obviously not expecting that.

I pulled out a small sharp knife, and spread the silk strip on the table before me. "Well, I was just thinking that the Hamato clan could use an Utrom Spectrum X tank thing of our very own." My tongue stuck out slightly in concentration as I began to carefully cut two holes in the soft blue fabric. "I thought maybe you'd like to go shopping for one with me, since you're the resident Utrom expert."

Irma's eyes went wide, and her hands flew to her mouth. She slowly, steadily took a deep breath in and held it for a few seconds. Then she gave an excited jog in place and let all the air out in a high pitched squeal. "Ohmahgosh, you're totally serious!"

I raised my head quickly in alarm as I suddenly realized she was launching herself across the room at me, and held out my three fingered hand just in time to catch her by the face and block her attempt to hug me.

She grabbed my hand, peeling it off her face, and looked up at me with starry eyes. "Leonardo, have I ever told you that you're my favorite Hamato brother?!"

"Uh... we met like... half an hour ago." I blinked at her.

"I know, right! You? Me? It's like it's destiny!" She threw up her hands, and happily danced in a circle. "I'm going to get to touch an actual Utrom Spectrum X with my own two hands! Eeeeeee!"

"Uh... no more squealing, please." I pleaded with her.

"So that's it?" Angel looked around. "Casey's going to keep Bishop's men busy trying to catch Timothy in a turtle costume, April and I are going to hack the Channel Six transmission tower and use it to shut down all of Stockman's Mousers, and Leo and Irma are going to steal an alien war machine and use it to punch a hole for the Hamato brothers to escape through?"

"That's basically Phase One of the plan, yes." I nodded.

"Oh." She thought about it, and shrugged, grinning. "Sounds like a good time all around."

"I know, right?!" Casey sounded thrilled as well, and the siblings gave each other excited fist bumps.

I examined the strip of blue cloth and, satisfied, tied it around my face.

Then, exhaling, I straightened up, twin swords resting easily on my shell once more, and eyes narrowing with dangerous determination through the holes of my blue mask.

I was ready.

"Let's go save my family."

Author Note: I might be taking some liberties with Irma's character. Honestly, I don't remember her much from the '87 cartoon, except she was a little boy crazy, and, well, we all know how she ended up in the 2k12 show...

EDIT: OMAGOSH! If you haven't, check out the reviews page. KuraiArcoiris has been posting the cutest little drabbles there! I hearby declare the Mikey POV couch scene canon. And the Donnie and Leo with electronics story a canon after-story event.