Thanks everybody for being so patient and being concerned enough to send me a message asking if was okay. I love you guys and how supportive you are. I hope you're ready, because the next couple chapters are going to be intense!

Promising

The first night Noelle was allowed to go back up to the surface after being ill was a snowy one. She was partnered with April and Leo to go to the China town district, where they positioned themselves on top of the Fortune Cookie factory. There was just something about winter and snow that brought a sense of serenity to the normally loud and bustling city. The blonde closed her eyes and basked in the tranquility of the night air while April texted Casey on her phone and Leo kept watch over one of the front ledges. The late evening was calm, with the pitch black sky concealed by a scattering of multiple stars that glowed like diamonds in the ocean. It was a beautiful and calming sight that had Noelle at ease with a hope that she wouldn't have to pull out her Jitte out for combat.

So far, the trio had been at their post for about an hour without any disturbances except for the rude honking of an irate taxi driver or the random bouts of laughter from small groups of people promenading throughout the streets for some late-night shopping or meals. Leo remained alert and ready, his narrowed as he observed everything that moved.

"Jones says there's nothing exciting on his and Raph's end either," April announced as she put her phone away and rubbed her mitten-covered hands together. Little white puffs of air floated out of her mouth as she spoke. "This is probably the slowest night we've had in a while."

"Don't let your guard down," Leo ordered without taking his gaze off the street. "You never know what will happen. Always be prepared."

"Whatever you say, Captain." The redhead did a mock salute before she walked over to Noelle's side. "So do you have any ideas what to get everybody for Christmas yet? I've gotten some of my shopping done, but the only people that covers so far is you, Mikey, my aunt, and Casey. Wanna head to the store with me tomorrow or something?"

"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything," Noelle instantly stated but with a shy smile on her face. "That was really nice of you though. Thank you. I'd love to go shopping tomorrow. I should probably figure out what to buy first, though."

"It's okay for friends to buy each other stuff," April laughed, though she knew it was just her timid friend being unused to such a thing. "As for the shopping, sometimes it's fun to just go out and impulse buy. Unless the boys gave you a list, anything is fair game. I'll even help you out since I've known them longer."

"Alright, thank you."

"I hate to interrupt such a nice conversation, but we've got a Kraang wandering down the alley."

The two girls rushed over to Leo's side just in time to see one of the Kraang robots suspiciously looking around as it headed towards a seemingly abandoned building. Usually the Kraang bots traveled together in small groups, so it was strange to see one by itself. Leo pulled out his swords and nodded his head at their enemy while mouthing the words "be quiet". He snuck ahead, the girls following silently after him with their own weapons out. Noelle nervously gripped her Jitte, still not used to combat and the idea of attacking somebody. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to such a thing, but used to it or not, she didn't have a choice. She just hoped that maybe this Kraang would lead them to her mother and that the wild goose chase would stop.

The robot entered in the building while the three teens stayed hidden in the shadows, waiting until the door started to shut before Leo rushed forward and blocked it from closing with the tip of his blade. He placed a finger over his lips and propped the door open, revealing a warehouse of some sort that had rows upon rows of shelves lined with various box sizes. The overhead lights were dim but provided enough illumination for the three of them to navigate around. The Kraang bot was nowhere to be seen.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place," April muttered as she peered into a box and discovered several human Kraang heads, including a few of Mrs. Campbell. "I'm going to text Donnie and tell him where we're at."

"I don't think we really need them, but if you're going to do it then be quiet."

"Mikey was right. You really do say that a lot," the redhead irritably whispered as she texted the genius brother. Noelle remained mute but agreed with April, not about Leo continually ordering them to be silent when he didn't need to, but about contacting for backup. If there was a Kraang around then there was bound to be more hiding nearby, and she definitely didn't have the confidence that the three of them would be fine on their own.

All of them froze and ducked when a creaking sound was suddenly heard nearby. Noelle peeked over one of the shelves and saw five Kraang bots emerging out of a secret panel in one of the walls. The metal covering slid back into place as the alien creatures stood in a row with their guns drawn out like they were guarding something important. The blonde eyed their weapons nervously and tightened the grip on her own, hoping that she wouldn't have to use it.

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Dim lighting lit the wide corridor as Razhar ambled down the hallway with irritated growling while he lugged a tray of food. For the past few weeks, he and other members of Shredder's lackeys had taken turns bringing meals to the imprisoned Karai. Nearly every time she had tried some sort of escape attempt that left the henchmen in a sour mood as they rubbed bruised limbs from her assaults. She didn't give up in trying to escape her room, and was positively relentless when it came to fighting for her freedom. Shredder had merely called his followers weak for allowing a young girl to walk all over them, but he had promised that if the fighting continued he would deal with her himself.

Razhar only hoped that the punishment came soon, otherwise he'd be forced to take matters into his own unforgiving claws.

The lanky dog knocked on the door once before he unlocked it, permitting himself passage into the chamber. A flickering candle was lit in the corner on Karai's desk, spewing shadows on her brick wall. Her bed was neatly made, and a piece of unrolled parchment lay on top of the tucked in sheets. Setting the tray on her desk, Razhar growled and picked the paper up, holding it near the candlelight so he could read the skillfully curved words blotted down in ink.

The food you bring me is vile, so I hope you enjoy eating it instead tonight.

Karai

The door suddenly slammed shut, trapping the canine in the darkened room as all light from the hallway vanished. When he heard the lock click, he bounded to the door and tried to open it, only to find out that he was stuck in the cell until somebody came along to help him.

"Karai! You little brat! Unlock this door at once!" Razhar barked as he clawed at the wood and roared in frustration.

"No thanks. Be a good dog and enjoy your stay!" He heard her footsteps fade away with clever laughter as she ran off, forcing him to howl as loudly as he could in hopes that somebody heard him. The Kunoichi bolted from the noise while staying close to the shadows, hope blossoming in her chest as she realized she actually just might escape this time. She hovered near the walls when she heard the sound of Foot Soldiers running down to aid the mutant hound, then pushed her legs to run as fast as she could towards the doors. It was almost ridiculous how easy it all was, and when she finally reached the outdoors and took in a gasp of the frigid air, she swore she was dreaming. Without wasting a precious moment she ran up to the nearest building and began pulling herself up until she reached the roof. She didn't look back as she took off, so she didn't notice the Shredder watching her from the shadows of the door way. He tightened his fingers into a clenched fist and slammed the door shut to banish the world from view.

"Shall we go after her?" Fish Face asked from his master's side, more than eager to do the villainous man's bidding.

"No. Get me Kraang." Shredder's scarred eyes narrowed beneath his helmet. "I have a deal to strike."

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Ten minutes had passed by since the Kraang bots appeared, and so far the only terrible thing going on was listening to their repetitive and drawling way of speaking. The three teens hiding behind the shelves had waited to hear if there was useful information, but so far it had been pointless droning of the Kraang complimenting each other's appearance nonstop. Noelle could see Leo getting restless by the way his foot rapidly tapped against the concrete floor, and was about ready to suggest that they maybe sneak out when somebody landed right in front, forcing her to jump up and nearly cry out in surprise. She calmed down when she saw it was only Mikey, who offered her a smirk before he lowered himself to the ground next to Raph, Casey and Donnie.

"You guys couldn't have taken these losers on by yourselves?" Raph grumbled out, disbelieving that Leo hadn't just taken down the five robots. It was something that could have been done with ease, and the red-masked terrapin hated having his time wasted to help out his big brother, who was more than capable of defeating the lousy Kraang by himself.

"We're going to bust in there and see if we can find information on Noelle's mom," Leo hissed out with a glare. "If I'd just defeated these guys then there might be an alert that went off to send the rest of them out here. You really think I need all seven of us to take down the five of them?"

"Coulda fooled me!"

"Are we doing this or not?" Donnie interrupted with a frown on his face. "We don't have all night for you two to argue."

"Yeah, what D said!" Mikey cockily agreed before he cheekily waved when all three of his brothers shot him a dirty look."What?"

"Goongala!" Casey burst out of his hiding spot with a bat raised over his head as he charged towards the now defensive robots and swung the weapon into the side of one of their heads. Sparks flew out of the alien's temporary body as it fell limply to the ground in front of the brothers and girls, earning a shrug from Raph as he grinned and bolted forward to help his friend out.

"Well, I guess that's one way to make an entrance," Leo stated as he ran ahead. "Let those two handle the Kraang; the rest of us will check the inside to see what we can find. Noelle, stay near somebody at all times."

"O-Okay!" the blonde confirmed, the Jitte clutched in her hands as she patiently waited for Donnie to solve the door's code. She stood next to Mikey, where she felt the safest, and took deep breaths. The fights they'd been in before hadn't been nearly as overwhelming as the one they were currently about to engage in. She was used to the scarce numbers of the Purple Dragons, but if they were going to go into combat against a vast team of Kraang then she was pretty anxious. Her training was going well; she could block decently, and her offense had increased significantly, but she still didn't feel ready. What if she let everybody down or just got in the way? What if her mom really was inside and she failed to rescue her? What if she tripped and fell or set off an alarm? What if-

"You'll be awesome. Just relax, I'm with you," Mikey encouraged her with a gentle pat on her head. "We've got this, okay? Besides, maybe we can come up with some super sweet combo move that's got this killer name, and then everybody will be afraid of us! We can destroy all the Kraang! Bwahahaha!" He beamed when he saw his friend smile, happy to at least ease some of her nerves while fighting took place in the background. There was still a nervous shift in her eyes from inwardly disputing with herself, as this was the moment where they could find Savannah, but she at least had the sense to keep calm during the whole thing.

There was a sudden click and the door slid up. "Okay, we're in," Donnie announced before he and Leo took charge. Casey and Raph finished off the last Kraang before they cantered in with April, leaving Noelle and Mikey to take up the rear. The tunnel was murkily lit by circular lights attached at the top of the wall near the ceiling, and the interior was rather cold, prompting the blonde to shudder as she attempted to keep up with her team mates. She absolutely refused to let them down, and she hoped that maybe she could prove to herself that really could handle fighting and overcoming their enemies. Maybe a few months ago she would've hid and felt embarrassed, but she'd come so far since then; she couldn't give up now.

They came across a round room with purple streaks lighting up the ceilings, and what appeared to be a data base of some sort in the middle. Donnie ran forward and began hacking into the system, only for a gun shot to land right next to his arm. He yelped in surprise and turned around to see at least ten more Kraang surrounding the group, their guns loaded and pointed at their targets. Noelle sharply inhaled in both fear and alarm as one of the weapons pointed straight at her chest, her insides transformed into a quivering mess as death stared her right in the face.

"We'll be fine," Mikey whispered to her when he noticed how pale her face had turned. He squeezed her arm. "I promise we'll be okay."

"The ones known as the turtles will remain what is known as silent," one of the robots declared as it stepped forward and pushed its gun out even more. "Or Kraang will do that which is called shooting."

The group remained quiet, but all eyes landed on their leader for some confirmation that he had a plan of some sort. Not even Casey was foolish enough to just start attacking when he and his friends were at a disadvantage, though the way his grip tightened on the handle of his bat showed that he was more than ready to get a few hits in. Raph also had his Sais up and ready for action, his foot tapping on the ground as he eagerly awaited for a signal of some sort.

"Go!" Leo suddenly called out as he threw a bomb on the ground that released thick clouds of purple smoke, causing the Kraang to become disoriented as they frantically looked around to spot one of the ninjas. Noelle tried not to breath the smoke in as she pushed herself forward like everybody else and aimed at the first pair of robot legs she came across. She put all her strength into swinging her Jitte against the metallic ankles and knocking the Kraang backwards onto the ground. Raph jumped up from behind her and stabbed his weapons into the Kraang's eyes, causing the bot to short circuit before it became immobile with sparks flying off its neck.

"Good job," Raph complimented the blonde with a smirk before he turned around to assist Mikey. Like Noelle, the freckled terrapin had also used his weapons around the robot's feet, but he'd managed to do it to two at once with each of his Nunchucks wrapping tightly around the knee area of both unsuspecting Kraang droids. Their heads bonked together, and their chests were sliced into by the red-masked brother.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey whooped out victoriously when he noticed all the other robots had also been taken down. Ten bodies with empty stomachs lay immobile on the ground in one perfect circle, their pink operators hastily crawling down a pathway on the opposite side of the room. The group took off after the brain-like creatures, armed and prepared for anything else to cross their path. Noelle secretly hoped that they didn't come across something else for the sake of not having to fight again, but she was proud of herself for not hesitating to attack even though her stomach had felt twisted up in nerves.

All seven teenagers came across a room at the end of the hallway that was empty except for what appeared to be a giant computer screen with a control panel of buttons positioned beneath it. Donnie had been left behind in the other room to see if there was any information on the data base, so Leo was the one who went up to the monitor and began pressing buttons on the panel to see if he could uncover anything. There wasn't any sight of the aliens.

"Casey and Raph, you two go make sure Donnie is doing okay in case there are reinforcements," Leo ordered without pausing his movements. "I'll try and figure this thing out until he's done."

[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Out of the Shadows-Become Human]

"Sure thing Fearless," Raph established before he and Casey exited the room to go aid the genius brother. Noelle watched Leo play around with the buttons while swatting Mikey's fingers away from the panel. As the youngest turtle pouted over not being to press anything, the monitor suddenly lit up. It was static at first, but then the chaos fizzled away into a clear picture of a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair sitting in what appeared to be a cell wearing only a white gown that nearly blended into her ivory skin. A Kraang droid without the human skin stood in front of the woman with a gun drawn out, forcing her to lift her head up and look at him.

Noelle's eyes narrowed in concentration as she peered closely at the screen before they widened in realization. Her hand flew to her mouth and tears filled her eyes, relief filling her so immensely that she thought she'd fall to the ground. Mikey noticed her reaction and eyed her with concern, one of his hands reaching out to clasp onto her shoulder in a gentle grip.

"Noelle?"

"That-that's my mom," she breathed out, causing the others to stare at her in bewilderment before they returned their attention back to the screen.

"I'm not helping you," Savannah declared in a weak but firm tone. "I told you before that I won't. Nothing's changed."

"The one known as Savannah will do what is known as help Kraang take over that which is Earth, or there will be what is known as consequences," the droid warned before marching away, leaving the blonde woman to slump back against the wall and tuck her head away.

"I'm sorry Noelle."

The screen suddenly went back to static before fading away completely. Noelle choked back a sob and leaned over to press her fingers against the glass. "I'm sorry too mom."

"At least we know she is alive," April comforted her friend before she pulled her into a hug. "It's alright; we'll find her." The others stared at the blonde teen with sympathetic looks on their faces until Donnie ran into the room followed by Casey and Raph. The lanky terrapin waved a small flash drive around proudly.

"I've got the information. Let's hurry up and get back to the lair so I can try and translate it." He stared at April questioningly when he saw Noelle, but the redhead just shook her head and mouthed "I'll tell you later" to him. When Noelle pulled away, she scrubbed away her tears and stared at the blank monitor screen, her hand squeezing April's in appreciation.

"We are going to get her back, right?"

"Of course we are!" Leo confidently responded. He stood up with a smile and nodded at the blonde teen. "She's strong like you. She'll make it until we find her. I promise."

Noelle held her fingers up to her heart, the tips curling inwardly to make a fist against her chest as she stared at the screen that was devoid of any remnants of activity. She concentrated on the machine like she could somehow will her mother's image to return, her eyes closing when she realized that she couldn't.

"Everything is gonna be okay," Mikey reassured her with a gentle squeeze of her wrist, his blue eyes scanning her face in concern. He smiled in relief when she opened her eyes and offered him a tiny smile of her own, her cheeks pink as his fingers rubbed against her soft skin. He felt his heart pound as her jade pupils twinkled and she timidly nodded before she began walking away, and he realized that he definitely needed to talk to Donnie again. He felt sick more than ever now, but he knew that whatever was going on with him wasn't just "puberty".

[+]

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When the group returned back to the lair, Noelle silently went to her room, only announcing that she wanted some time to draw. It was understandable since that was how she usually got her feelings out, and after the whole thing with her mom it was a wonder she didn't break out the paint as soon as she walked past the turnstile. Splinter greeted his students from the front of the dojo, noticing right away that his newest pupil had a far-off look in her eyes but he didn't draw attention to it. He waited until she had walked to her room before he brought up the mission.

"Have you discovered anything?"

"I think so," Donnie responded as he waved the drive around. "I downloaded something that I'm gonna translate. Once I find something I'll call everybody to the lab." As he turned on his heel to head to the lab, he was met face-to-face by his younger brother, whose lips had stubbornly twisted up into a pout while his pupils enlarged into their adorable, pleading size.

"D, can I come with you? I gotta talk to somebody," Mikey asked with his voice a tone higher than usual. He needed to ask the genius terrapin some questions, and there was no way Donnie would allow the freckled turtle into his lab without good reason, especially when a project was being worked on.

Donnie studied his brother's face suspiciously before he sighed in defeat and rubbed the side of his face. "Fine, but stay out of the way. You mess with one thing you're gone, understand?"

"Duh, of course bro! I'm not stupid or something." Mikey laughed off his brother's concern as he walked towards the lab, Donnie following behind as he shook his head and let out a sigh of regret.

Once the door was shut Donnie took his seat at the desk and plugged his drive into the monitor of his computer, tongue stuck out of the side of his mouth in concentration. Mikey sat on the edge of the desk and impatiently swung his feet around while he waited for his older brother to do what he needed to do.

"Now, what is so important that you had to talk to me and nobody else about?" the purple-banded turtle asked once he was satisfied that the translating process had finally begun. Mikey wasn't the type of person who just wanted to talk alone with people, so he couldn't even imagine what his little brother was so determined to speak to him about.

"I think my puberty is way worse now."

"How so?"

"Because I'm being creepy like you now!" Mikey ignored Donnie's glare as he pulled out his phone and displayed the picture of him and Noelle. "I keep looking at her face, and the other night, when she was, like, sick, I kissed her on the head and she was sleeping! Like, that's super creepy! What if she hates me for that? Why do I always wonder if she's awake when I wake up, or what pizza she might like, or-"

"Woah, woah, slow down," Donnie interrupted. He was a bit irritated that his younger brother viewed him as a creepy, but he was fascinated with everything he was hearing, and in a way, it made him feel good to know he wasn't the only one who had thoughts and feelings like that. He studied his brother's distraught face, trying to figure out a way to break the answer down to avoid confusion. "So you think about her a lot, right? That's okay. It's a normal part of puberty."

"But I thought Leo and Raph were going through this too? What's normal about it?" Mikey turned his phone around and focused on the picture. "Dude, I can't stop thinking about her. What wrong with me?"

It was on that note that Donnie decided that he needed to step into his role of being a big brother, and guide his younger one towards the right answer. "I promise there's nothing wrong with you. What you're experiencing is a different part of puberty that most people go through at some point in their life. What you have is a large crush on Noelle."

It took Mikey a moment to process the information for a large smile spread widely across his face. "Oh! You mean, I like like her?"

"Yup, you sure do."

"Wow." The freckled turtle acted like he had just come across some fantastic treasure with the way he beamed at the blonde's picture, his thumb caressing her face while his heart hammered away happily in his chest. It just made so much sense now, and to think that'd he fallen for somebody as wonderful as his best friend made him feel incredibly lucky until a look of horror crossed his eyes. "Wait, what do I do now?!"

"Well, uh, you can always tell her?"

"You mean the way you haven't told April?"

"Uh-"A sudden beep cut through the air much to Donnie's fortune, as he really didn't have an answer to tell Mikey. He couldn't just tell his little brother how afraid of being turned down he was since that wouldn't help the situation at all. He sighed in relief and glanced at his screen to see what the results were, only to sharply suck in his breath before he broke into a grin.

"What is it D?"

Donnie pointed at a very detailed layout on his monitor with a proud smirk, glad that his technological uses could once again be advantageous for the group. "It's time to call everybody in. I think we've found the hideout."