A/N: Hey all! Sorry for the long wait! Thank you everyone who has read and reviewed this story thus far!

Here we have a little 'girl-power' in this one!

I OWN NOTHING!

Enjoy!

Chapter 14

"Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness."

–Euripides

He could hear them.

Despite how hard he tried to block it all out, to focus only on his training, he could still hear them.

Leonardo was in the dojo that late afternoon, attempting to wake himself up after a long nap by simply practicing his katas against one of the punching bags at the far corner of the room. As he swung his kicks and punches as the bag, his eyes were narrowed angrily, as if he were facing a live opponent. It had already been three days since he'd met…them for the first time in twelve years.

When Karai managed to bring him back to Shredder's lair after he'd calmed down enough, he'd been a blank and emotionless husk almost, and he hadn't been out into the city again since. His anger had been over boiling point that night, worse than it had ever been before. But upon detecting oncoming consequences from that, Tiger Claw had decided that the two of them would meditate together more often, see to it that Leo could restrain that anger before he lost control of it completely. Leo complied without complaint, simply due to the fact that he had no wish to unleash his anger on the wrong person, like Karai or even Tiger Claw…

He had no wish to be driven only on hatred like The Shredder was.

His next meditation session with Tiger Claw was in another two hours, and so he busied himself with personal training as usual. However, he was no longer alone as three Foot Soldiers entered the dojo, talking amongst themselves before one of them noticed the blue clad turtle in the corner. It was then that they began to whisper to each other, thinking they were being discreet, but Leo could hear every word they spouted…

"You guys know about those three ninjas that Master Shredder's after, right?"

"Yeah. What about 'em?"

"Well, I heard from one of the guys up in the higher ranks that they were just like him over there. They're all freaky mutant turtles."

Leo's left eye twitched at that jab, and he struck his fist harder into the bag than was really necessary.

"Whoa, are you serious?!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought too."

"So, wait…wouldn't that mean that they're related or something?"

"Huh?"

"Oh yeah, you're right! I heard that they were supposed to be brothers or something."

Leo's eyes narrowed darkly as he added more force to his strikes. He noticed that he had begun to leave deep impressions in the bag, but he didn't care.

"…then what's he doing here?"

"Yeah, if they're brothers, then isn't he a prisoner or a spy or something?"

"Nah, he's one of the Foot. Why would he be in here if he was a prisoner? Believe it or not, he's in the higher ranks with that giant tiger guy. Apparently, the cat took Leo in when he was a kid back in Japan after the other three turtles dumped him. Well, that's what I heard anyways, but I don't buy it."

"Freaking what?! That ain't true, someone's making up stories."

"Uh, guys? I think he can hear us –"

"–I mean, why would a tiger adopt a turtle? I would've eaten it."

"You think that's what he's planning to do?"

"Possibly."

"Guys, really, we'd better knock it off. You don't wanna tick him off. He's supposed to be one of Shredder's strongest guys; he'll kick our asses straight to New Jersey and back again if we don't shut up."

"Oh stop, he can't be that strong; I heard he couldn't even finish off the turtles after seeing them. If he can't even kill his own brothers, then –"

Leo halted entirely in his attacks against the bag, which had actually begun to burst at the seams from how hard he'd been punching it. What was that he said? He couldn't hear the rest of his sentence for his mind had gone completely blank in a mixture of blind anger and…shock? Why was he shocked? Wasn't the death of his brothers what he wanted? Wasn't that his mission, his desire, to finally give them what they deserved? His thoughts were once more cut off by the sounds of hushed gasps of surprise from the ninjas behind him.

"Whoa, dude, really?!"

"That was twisted, man!"

"What? Shredder needs only the best, most ruthless soldiers he can find, soldiers that aren't weak or too sentimental to finish the job. If he doesn't have the backbone to do it, then –"

Their conversation was abruptly cut short when three knives were thrown in their direction, just inches away from the bridge of their masked noses as they sailed past them, imbedding into the wall behind them. They let out a yelp of surprise, and they turned to find the source of the knives, only to find Leonardo glaring at them from where he stood in front of the brutally damaged punching bag. They gulped nervously as his angry blue eyes stared at them, before he broke the silence.

"Next time you wanna run your mouths on something you know next to nothing about…don't." he growled warningly as he picked up his Katanas and blue scarf from off the bench on the side, and he left the dojo without another word, leaving three stunned ninjas left alone to calm their rapidly beating hearts.

As Leo made his way back to their room, an odd thought came to him, and his brows creased in confusion. Why did he get so mad? It wasn't the insults they indirectly threw at him, but something else, something he didn't understand. It was only when they'd mentioned him killing his own kin that set him off. But why? He wanted to kill them, repay them for casting him out, and then find their rat sensei and put an end to him as well. That was his mission, his drive, his desire…

…or was it really?

The side of his head started to throb again, and he let out a frustrated hiss as he brought up his hands and rubbed his aching temples. It seemed that he was having another headache again; all of his bottled up frustration was taking its toll on him. As he entered their room and shut the door behind him, he fished through Tiger Claws' bags in search for some pills to ease the dulling pain. He found two pills and popped them into his mouth, swallowing them dry (a habit he'd 'perfected' when he was younger) and then he sighed as he let himself fall onto his futon with a long resigned breath, staring blankly at the ceiling as he waited for the pills to take effect.

He didn't understand why, but it was whenever he thought of the day he would finally be rid of them, finally be free from his past, that his head began to throb painfully. It was almost as if there was an enormous red siren blaring on repeat inside his brain, trying to tell him something, but Leo couldn't comprehend what it was, and it was starting to irritate him. He lifted his hand to his head again, trying to rub the pain away…

…and then stopped when he felt traces of a little line imbedded onto his green skin.

He was confused and quite startled for a moment, but then relaxed as he remembered what it was. It was just a scar, something he'd gotten a long time ago, but he couldn't remember when exactly. Perhaps it was on one of his first few missions with Tiger Claw…Maybe it was his scar that was bothering him? Or had he been infected by something he didn't know about until now?

Leo scoffed; now he was just worrying himself. Karai warned him about this constantly.

There was a knock on his door, and he looked up to find that Karai was letting herself in, smiling at him as she shut the door with her foot. Speak of the devil, Leo mused inwardly.

"Hey there, three-toes," she greeted as she made her way towards him. She wasn't wearing her armour this time, and was instead wearing a jet black, long-sleeved shirt with a white skull pattern on the front, and blue skinny jeans that were ripped at the knees. It appeared that she was on a day off or something, or was she just slacking off again?

Leo smiled back. "Hey," he greeted back, sitting himself up just as she made herself comfortable beside him on Tiger Claws' futon. He looked her up and down, and sent her a coy smirk. "Looking good today, aren't we Karai?" he teased, which earned him a playful swat on the back of the head as he chuckled. "I haven't seen you in a few days…did he…was he too hard on you?" he asked with a guilty edge to his voice. He knew that Karai shouldn't have gone out without permission from her father and master, but she had done so for his sake. He was glad she was there, but the price had been that he didn't see her again for another three days until now, undoubtedly due to some form of punishment Shredder had sentenced her with.

Karai darted her eyes to the side, her mouth twisted into a thoughtful pout as she picked up Tiger Claws' pillow and hugged it to her chest, looking like the punk girl at a teenage girls' slumber party. When she finally turned back to look at Leo, her eyes sparked with her usual mischief. "…no, not really," she answered nonchalantly, rocking slightly as she held the pillow and idly picking at the fluffy edges, "all he did was forbid me from going out ever again until he said so…and he made me do extra training…and he –"

"Cut the excuses, helmet-head," Leo deadpanned, earning an insulted look from Karai who was already about protest before Leo held up a hand to stop her. "I know you, Karai, probably better than anyone else in this entire lair. I know when you're lying. What did Shredder do to you?" he asked again, a worried frown creasing his features despite the sharpness in his voice. He knew that Shredder's punishments were cruel and unyielding depending on who you were and how much you dissatisfied him, though he himself had tactfully avoided them. He hated Shredder with a passion, but he wasn't stupid enough to not follow orders and get himself killed.

And on top of that, he knew for a fact that even though Karai was Shredder's daughter, he would sometimes treat her as if she were just another Foot soldier, and so his punishments on her, though not nearly as lethal, were still very severe. All Leo ever got from Tiger Claw was a bite in the head that was just shy of actually hurting him, in fact in the wild it was also a form of play for big cat cubs. For Karai…play wasn't even part of the deal.

The young woman finally rolled her eyes and sighed, tossing the pillow aside idly as she turned around so that her back was to the turtle. Carefully, she tugged the shirt over her head, revealing her pale, bare back. Leo couldn't stifle the gasp as he stared with wide eyes at the two symmetrical red marks marring her flesh. They were only a few days old and were slowly healing, but Leo knew that they would leave a permanent scar. He heard her let out another sigh as she craned her neck to look at him, her golden eyes rather dull now.

Leo reached out, but then drew back instantly as he looked into her eyes. "…how…how bad was it?" he asked, trying to keep his anger hidden from her as it began to bubble to the surface again. The last time Karai had been punished by Shredder, she'd been left with a black eye, and it had taken everything within him (with a little restraint from Tiger Claw) to keep him from going out there and beating that man to a pulp.

Karai only shrugged in response, her expression indifferent. "It only hurt little…" she answered. When Leo raised an impatient brow at her, she rolled her eyes again. "Okay, okay…it hurt a lot. But seriously, what do you expect from The Shredder? He's called that for a reason, and he has no qualms in showing it…even to me. But don't worry, I'll be fine. I treated them already," she huffed as she put her shirt back on again, barely able to stifle a hiss of pain as she tugged it back on. She turned around to face Leo fully, and saw that he was no longer looking at her, but had cast his stormy gaze to the side, his eyes narrowed darkly as his fists clenched in his lap.

Karai let out a breath through her nose as she gazed at him. She knew how much he worried about her, and though at times it was flattering and slightly funny, it was also a little annoying. But right now, as she looked at him, that didn't matter. Her best friend, her brother, was hurting in more ways than she could possibly count. In the space of a few hours, he'd met his old family again, and upon realizing that it was his previous father that had taken away Karai's mother, his world had been flipped upside down. For days she'd watched him go through the motions of the day, looking so lost and unsure of what to do, and bottling so much of those feelings inside him…

Karai, of course, could relate to that. She had been forced to hold her feelings back, for on the battlefield, it only hindered you and made you weak, or so her father had told her.

She reached out and gently lifted Leo's head by his chin, making him finally look up at her. Worried blue eyes met serene golden as Karai finally spoke. "…Stop worrying, Leo," she said softly, laying her hand on his cheek instead. "I'll be fine. You have more than enough to think about besides me…" She then offered her brother a faint smile. Leonardo had always been there for her when she needed someone…so it was her turn to return the favour.

Despite the doubt in his eyes, Leonardo smiled back as he covered her hand with his larger one. He understood that this was the only way she could say 'thanks'. "No problem," he said, and then shrugged with a playful smirk, "but what can I say? I'm a worrier. But next time…just try and stay out of trouble, okay? I don't want to see you getting anymore hurt than you are now…"

Karai smirked back, the glint back in her eyes. "What can I say? I'm a trouble maker," she teased, and then placed both hands on Leo's cheeks and squished them together. "And stop pouting, you'll ruin you pretty, squishy face," she laughed.

Leo's eyes flattened with slight irritation as the young kunoichi squished his face. He dared not say anything whilst in this position, otherwise he'd just make a bigger fool out of himself and fuel her delight. So instead, he managed to pry her hands off his cheeks, giving her a playful push that sent her rolling backwards onto her back with a tiny yelp of surprise before he stood up and folded his arms. "Very funny, helmet head," he taunted as she laid flat on her back on Tiger Claw's futon, "And for the record, my face is not squishy."

Karai didn't get up, and instead stretched out fully onto the futon like a cat, and grabbed the pillow again. "That's debatable," she countered with a yawn. "I've had a long day. I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me when you get back from your session with Tiger Claw, will you?"

Rolling his eyes with a tolerant smile, he nodded. "Will do," he said, and then made his way to the door just as she was making herself comfortable again. He stopped just before he closed the door as a thought hit him. "Hey…Karai? One more thing…"

She rolled her head to the side, looking up at him with drowsy eyes. "Hm?" she answered.

Leo smiled down at her. "…thanks. You always know just how to cheer me up."

After a moment of silence, Karai allowed herself to smile back at him, before yawing and stretching again, rolling onto her side as she began to fall asleep. "…yeah…that's what friends do, I guess…whatever…" she mumbled tiredly, before finally drifting off as Leo closed the door, leaving her alone in the silence of the room.

And as she slept, for the first time in days, she seemed utterly at peace, knowing that she'd succeeded in helping her best friend.

Life was full of unpredictable possibilities. Some were good, some were bad, but all the same, they were always unforgettable, and changed for better or worse in the very end. And for April O'Neil, this was definitely the case. She never would have thought that in the space of a few weeks, three talking mutant ninja turtles would become a normal aspect of her life. Sure, she may have been afraid of them at first, but then again, who wouldn't have been at first sight?

But then they'd actually come back for her that night after she and her father were kidnapped, risking their lives to save them both from those alien creeps who called themselves the Kraang, despite the fact that there were only three of them against dozens of Kraang, plus a giant weed monster. They could have died, but they pushed on despite the odds, for her. And even though they hadn't been able to save her father as well, they vowed to help her find him, no matter what it took. And it was in that instant that she loved them all. And now, she regularly visited them in their hidden sewer home, by means of permission from their father and teacher, Master Splinter, of course, forming a somewhat unbreakable bond with the family.

April had managed to get to know and connect with each of the turtles in her own way: Michelangelo was the obvious youngest of the three, and his freckled smile and bubbly personality couldn't be matched by anyone. He'd loved her instantly, and treated her like a part of their little family regardless of only having known her for a short time, but she didn't complain in the slightest. He was an open book to her on just about everything, and she was always willing to listen.

Donatello was the middle child, and surprisingly enough, he was also the leader of the three of them. He was the one who had caught her when she fell from the helicopter, something she would never forget and was eternally grateful for. She quickly discovered that he was, to be blunt, a genius. He'd built nearly everything in their lair that helped them survive through harshest weather and typical sewer conditions. Heck, he'd even built their very own robot, Metalhead, though in the end it hadn't worked out, but it was still amazing whilst it lasted. Donnie was a little shy around her at times, and preferred to keep to himself, but when you got him talking, there was no stopping him. He reminded her of her dad in that respect. Also, he was always there when she needed to get something off her chest, something only Donnie would understand.

Raphael, the oldest of the brothers, was a tough guy all around, as well as one to figure out. They barely talked at first, one of the reasons being that she was slightly intimidated by him due to his hot temper, but after a few days (and after seeing him talk to his pet turtle in the kitchen, which she found absolutely adorable) they began to get closer and closer, especially now that she was training under Master Splinter to become a Kunoichi – a female ninja – so that the next time those Kraang creeps came her way, she'd be ready for them.

Indeed, life for April, though it was strange and very dangerous, couldn't be any better with her three amazing ninja friends by her side.

Well, that was what she'd thought.

Two days ago, she'd gone over to the lair to visit the turtles as usual, only to find that Raphael had his left shoulder slightly bloodied and covered in bandages, and both Donatello and Michelangelo were covered in dark bruises that discoloured their skins. She shouldn't have been too worried about that; they got hurt all the time whenever they fought the bad guys. But it was more than just their wounds that worried her.

It was the hollow, lost look in their eyes, especially Mikey's, which undeniably frightened her.

When she'd asked Donnie what happened, he had taken her inside his lab so that Mikey and Raph wouldn't hear them, and he told her everything.

By the end of his tale, April had been left wide eyed, frozen, and utterly speechless.

During one of her many visits to the lair, April had gone into the dojo and noticed the teddy bear on the shrine that Splinter had made. She'd asked one of the turtles about it, but it was Mikey who had enthusiastically explained everything to her. It was what was left of their deceased older brother, Leonardo his name was, who had sacrificed himself for Mikey back when they were in japan, escaping from what they now knew was the Kraang. Leonardo had given Mikey the bear out of kindness, and in order to keep the bad dreams away when they were little, but since Mikey feared it would get worn or damaged, he decided it was best if he left it on the shrine, in memory of their brave, late brother.

One night, April had even caught him talking to the bear, and told her this was how he communicated with him wherever he was. He allowed her to introduce herself and hug the bear. She'd played along for his sake at first, but then she realized that it was just how much they loved and missed him that they did this. It both warmed and broke her heart all at once, and gave her yet another reason to love this family.

Now, however, they had realized an amazing yet bitter truth.

Leonardo was alive. But he wasn't here to reunite with them…he was here to kill them. And worse still, by Splinter's assumptions, he was also trained and raised by The Shredder himself.

Donnie told her that at first, he had attacked them thinking that they were no more than normal humans, but after the lights returned, he'd been frozen just as they were. Donnie didn't know what they did or said that set him off, but it was only seconds later that he once again tried to kill them, cursing them and shouting at them that they had abandoned him, left him to die…that was far from the truth, but something or someone had made him think that.

April hadn't known what to say after that. What could she say? Their older brother, the child they'd all looked up to as infants, was in reality still alive, and was trying to kill them out of a cruel lie; there was nothing she could say to make it any better, or any easier to bear.

That was two days ago. Now, as she walked down the sewer paths that led to the turtles' lair, she was determined to somehow help them in any way that she could. They were her friends, and whether they liked it or not, she was going to help them.

When she entered the lair, it was unusually quiet. The pit was unoccupied, as was the kitchen. She could hear Donnie tinkering away on something in his lab as usual, but the closed doors indicated that he wanted to be left alone. She turned to where she knew the boys' bedrooms were. Donnie and Mikey's were wide open, but Raph's remained shut. April frowned at that. Since the incident at the park, training had been somewhat looked over by the distraught mutant family, leaving the brothers to drift around as they pleased. Raph had all but shut himself in his room, refusing to so much as look at anybody right now, probably letting out his anger, frustration and sadness with Spike. Donnie had been in his lab all the time, working away his troubles. Master Splinter was meditating in his room, and Mikey was…

Mikey was worse. In fact, it scared April more than the others did. His grief was so bad that he refused to talk to the bear anymore. He must have thought that all this time, Leonardo was never really listening to him…and instead, ignored and hated him.

April sighed softly. Perhaps Mikey was the first person she should find. But where was he? It was still too early for them to leave the lair just yet, and the bedrooms (save for Raph's) were empty as well as the pit and the kitchen –

She heard footsteps in the dojo, and her eyes widened a fraction. Was Mikey in the dojo? But he hadn't set foot in there since…that night. Setting her school bag on the bench, she made her way up the stairs and into the dojo, where she found, much to her surprise, that her hunch had been correct.

Mikey was sat underneath the dojo tree…with the bear out in front of him.

He didn't talk to it. He just stared down at it sadly, not moving an inch. The frown on his face appeared as though it was permanently engraved on his usually elated features, and the longer April watched him from shadows of the doorway, the worse she felt for him; this was not how Mikey, the lovable ball of joy that she had come to know and love, was supposed to act. But could she really blame him?

He must have been so heartbroken, the poor boy…

Suddenly, Mikey finally moved as he lifted up his hand and laid it softly on the bears' head. His saddened face turned into one full of determination, something that was also very rare to see on Mikey's freckled features. "…we're gonna get you back, Leo," he said, his voice ringing with resolve. "…I promise, brother."

In that moment, April felt like a proud mother watching her child grow into a strong young man, and she smiled as tears began to form. When it came to never giving up, Mikey was undoubtedly the champion of perseverance. He was the one to cheer everyone up in dark times, making the situation seem lighter than it really was. In fact, he'd been there to cheer April up as well, when the loss of her father had hit her hard one night; he'd stayed by her side and listened to her, never averting his attention away from her or cutting in. And with the knowledge she had of his issues with ADHD, this was very impressive.

Mikey was there for everyone. Now it was April's turn to be there for him.

Wiping away a stray tear from her eye, she stepped in the dojo and walked over to the youngest turtle, who remained unaware of her presence until she was standing right next to him. He looked up at her in mild surprise, either due to the fact that he hadn't seen her in a few days, or that he just hadn't seen her coming. "Hey, April," Mikey greeted, only smiling a little bit as he gazed up at his human friend.

April smiled, sitting down next to Mikey and crossing her legs as she looked down at the little bear sat before them. She reached out and lightly laid her hand over the one Mikey still had on the bears' head, noting how small and fragile her hand appeared to be in comparison with his. With that, April turned to Mikey, her expression firm and filled with resolve just as his had been before. "You were right before, Mikey," April said, "We will get Leonardo back, no matter what. And this time, I promise you that you won't be alone."

Mikey blinked, comprehension dawning on his features. "…but April…you don't have to do this," Mikey argued, "I mean, it's gonna be dangerous –"

"That never stopped me before," April interjected with a stubborn frown, and Mikey's mouth shut with an audible click. When she was sure he wasn't going to argue again, she continued, "I can do this, Mikey. I'm that same weak girl you guys saved at the Kraang lab; I'm stronger than that now. And besides, if you guys are going to help me find my father, then I'm going to help you guys find your brother, and help Splinter find his son…" April then gave Mikey's larger hand a reassuring squeeze, and then sent him a smile that shone like the sun. "…you guys are here for me, so I'm gonna be there for you. That's what families are for, Mikey. You should know that better than me."

Mikey let out a tiny gasp, staring nonplussed at April for several moments. Then, at long last, that smile that she loved to see finally made its appearance, and before April knew what was happening, he launched himself at her and wrapped his arms tightly around her smaller frame, nuzzling his face into her shoulder as he held her. After blinking the stars from her vision, April smiled again and returned the embrace with equal force. He needed this just as much as anyone right now…

"…thanks April," Mikey sniffed as he fought to restrain the tears, "you're the best."

April laid her hand on the back of Mikey's head, stroking it lightly. "You're welcome, Mikey. That's what friends do."

"You're both gonna make Donnie cry if you keep this up."

Snapping their heads up, the two of them whirled around to find that Raphael had finally emerged from the walls of his room, leaning against the doorframe of the dojo as he smirked at the two baffled teens under the tree. His left arm was now free from the bandages, leaving the bolt shaped cracked in his plastron for all to see. April couldn't help but stare at it in both wonder and sympathy at the crack; it was in the exact shape of a lightning bolt, making it look like some kind of cool tattoo or something, but the fact that it left a deep scar on Raph's shoulder made her shiver inwardly. Imagine if he hadn't had his shell to protect him, it would have gone through bone, or worse…taken his arm clean off.

Donatello materialized beside his brother seconds later, leaning on Raph's uninjured shoulder as he smiled at the two of them inside the dojo. "Yeah, Raph's kinda right," he smirked, but his smile wasn't teasing or demeaning…it was warm. "All this mush is going to make me tear up, I swear," he pretended to sniffle, wiping off a fake tear.

Shaking her head and letting out a chuckle, April smiled at the newcomers, standing up and helping Mikey to his feet as she planted her hands on her hips. "Well, I meant what I said," she retorted with a smirk of her own, "And I'm going to stick to it. I'm with you guys 'till the end of the line. Got it?"

Raph and Donnie shared a surprised look. They'd known April for well over a month now, but they never would have thought this this girl would be so determined to help them…better yet, they never would have thought that any human would've even come close to liking them in the first place, yet here she was. She could have left them and never come back after they saved her, but she didn't. She stayed by their side, befriended them and loved them for who and what they were.

The three turtles grinned at the human girl. Whether they liked it or not, there was no stopping April O'Neil.

Raph reached out and rested a large green hand on April's head, ruffling her red hair. "Thanks, Ape," he chuckled, "You always know juuust how to cheer us up."

Underneath Raph's hand, April let out a giggle. "Well, that's what I'm here for. And…if you guys want…I know a place where you guys something to eat up top, since I know you probably haven't eaten at all since yesterday." The boys then shared a sheepish look that told April all that she needed to know, and she rolled her eyes skyward. Though she couldn't really blame them for not eating or training at all. The week has been pretty hard on them…

So it was after Mikey quickly and gently put back the teddy bear back on its rightful place on the shrine, patting it on the head one last time, he grabbed April by the hand and tugged her excitedly out of the dojo, with Raph and Donnie close behind. And as the sounds of laughter once again filled the lair, a proud father watched with a warm smile as his three sons, and the young human girl they had taken into their lives, walked out of the lair together, a new sense of hope in their hearts.

Master Splinter stole a glance at the bear on the shrine. A sad but no less hopeful smile graced his lips as he gazed at the button-eyed toy. Though he knew it would by no means be an easy feat to accomplish, Splinter had hope that his sons would bring their lost brother back to them, lead him back to where he belonged…

Lead him back to their home, and let them back into his torn, dark heart.

A/N: You go girls! Next chapter, a run in with The Purple Dragons, Bradford, Xever...and Leo, spurs up more trouble.

Looks like its time for Shredder to put his plans into motion...by dealing with the turtles himself!