Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long, I got writers block and have been super busy x_x But this chapter is long, so I hope that makes up for it!

Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, faved and followed this story! Please continue to do so, because I worry that people might not like this story when they don't review and tell me what they think X_x Remember, reviews are powerful! XD

Disclaimer's on my prof.!

Sorry for any spelling errors (spellcheck really dislikes me)!

Enjoy reading and please review to tell me if you like the story so far!

Jack was better than his brothers at stealth (at least marginally) thanks to his size. Compared to his giant brothers, Jack was little more than a small shadow dancing across the walls. And so entering the warehouse wasn't all that hard for him, as he managed to wriggle in through a hole in the metal wall where rust had eaten through. Mikey and Don, on the other hand, took a bit longer, and Jack was already crouching on a steel support beam in the rafters, peeking at the goings on bellow when the two terrapin's finally managed to sneak in.

While Mikey perched on a separate beam across from Jack, Donnie went to crouch on one of the metal runways that were three-fourths the way up the walls.

The soldiers below didn't speak, only working quickly and efficiently, stacking crate after crate. Jack glanced at Donnie, who had pulled on his goggles and was fiddling with them, trying to figure out the contents of the crates. Donnie shook his head then. He couldn't tell. They would have to wait until all of the soldiers were outside before they could check.

Jack and Mikey both nodded, looking back to the ground bellow, Mikey fiddling with the beaded necklaces that loosely hung about his neck boredly.

Finally, a few long minutes and one foot falling asleep later, the warehouse emptied out. Don, Mikey and Jack all dropped down, the older two going to one crate and prying it open using their combined strength while Jack kept a look out.

"Woah..."

Jack looked away from the door at Mikey's hushed exclamation.

There, in the crate, was a large hunk of strange machinery. It looked so alien that even Donnie appeared perplexed.

"What is all that?" Jack asked, gesturing to the mass of wires and gears. Donnie slowly shook his head.

"I...I don't know."

"Dude, you don't know?" Mikey gasped dramatically. "The world is ending!"

"Keep it down, shellhead!" Jack hissed, motioning with a hand for him to quiet down. "Do you want them to attack us?!"

Mikey winced.

"Sorry."

Jack and Donnie rolled their eyes before looking back to the strange mechanisms.

"So, what should we do now?" Jack asked warily. "Should we get Leo, or..?"

Don hummed, thinking deeply for a moment, then,

"We probably should, I don't know what to make of this stuff so-"

They all jumped when there was sudden gunfire from outside. Jack felt panic grab at his chest.

"Raph and Leo..!"

Mikey and Donnie exchanged looks, seeming to have a silent conversation before Mikey took off ahead to investigate. Jack went to follow, but Donnie grabbed his arm.

"No, stay here and wait for us."

"But-!"

A stern look from behind large glasses.

"You aren't bullet proof like us. Stay here, Jack. I mean it."

Jack hesitated momentarily, dark eyes flickering away momentarily before returning to his older brother, lips pressing into a thin line as he nodded. Donnie pointed at him.

"And what do you do if someone other than us comes in?"

Jack sighed, crossing his arms and looking to the ground.

"Hide and wait for you guys."

"And if one of us is captured?"

Jack rolled his eyes, head lolling back in exasperation.

"I hide and don't try to play hero."

Donnie nodded, satisfied with this. Grabbing his staff from its place on his shell, Donnie patted Jack's shoulder and ran to join their three brothers. Jack slouched slightly, frowning to himself as he went to continue inspecting the strange machinery in the crate, trying to ignore the growing irritation at the protectiveness of his brothers towards him.

But he couldn't ignore it. He wasn't a little kid anymore! Sure, he wasn't a mutant with a bulletproof plastron and shell, or enhanced strength, but he had been training just as hard, if not harder than the others! He'd been working his non-existent shell off for six years to catch up to his brothers' own training, he'd pushed himself everyday to get himself to be as fast as them, as stealthy as them and as close to their strength as he could get.

Yet it all seemed to be worth nothing. He still was the 'baby' of the family, still the weak little Human they'd found in a basket after a storm.

Scowling, Jack's hands clenched tightly at his sides, knuckles turning white.

He wasn't a kid, he could fight by their side and win!

He was startled from his thoughts when there was the sound of voices and he whipped around, drawing his Kyoketsu-shoge. Son of a- He'd been so distracted he hadn't noticed the masked soldiers enter the warehouse!

The moment the group of soldiers saw him, they drew their guns, preparing to shoot-

Jack bolted, swinging his weapon in a wide arc. Seven of the men ducked, while the last two were clocked over the head with a pair sickening crack, and the men collapsed in a pile of limbs, unconscious.

Swinging again, he managed to get the end of his Kyoketsu-shoge wrapped around the rail of the catwalk above, and Jack climbed up it with the ease of a squirrel climbing a tree. He managed to get up on the catwalk just in time to avoid several bullets. Pressing himself low to the ground, Jack carefully peeked over the edge, ducking back when several bullets ricocheted off the metal walkway.

He really hoped that his brothers would get here soon. He couldn't hide forever, especially not when these men could injure him at far range.

Jack peeked over again-

With a yelp, the boy ducked back, grabbing at his shoulder. One of those idiots had gotten him in the arm (well, the upper arm, if he had to be accurate). That bullet had ripped right through and dug into a cluster of veins, and shell, it hurt!

Forcing himself to breathe before he did anything rash, Jack groped at his side with his free hand, undoing the sash that served as his belt. Once he had it undone, Jack used it to wrap up his arm, knotting it tightly and hoping that this make-shift bandage of his would work well enough, because at the rate he was bleeding, he wouldn't be conscious long enough to dodge his attackers until his brothers came if this on-the-spot patch job didn't work.

Wiping the sticky, warm blood off his hands on his pants, Jack grabbed the end of his Kyoketsu-shoge, giving a few sharp tugs until the end unwrapped from the railing, and he coiled it back up.

Then he settled down to watch and wait, unable to get much of anywhere while the rather dimwitted soldiers continued to rain bullets down along the edge of the catwalk. If Jack had to give them one thing, it was that they were persistent (and seemingly had an endless supply of ammo. Seriously, how were they shooting like that and not running dry on ammunition?).

Jack could feel his arm going numb now, and his makeshift bandage was being stained darkly with blood (he really hoped April could find him a new one, he'd really liked it...)

Where were his brothers? Were they okay? He was faintly aware of the distant sound of fighting from outside the warehouse. He hoped none of them were hurt.

Finally a lull came in the barrage of bullets, and Jack took the opportunity to run farther down the walkway, hoping to get close to the entrance of the warehouse. If he could get near enough, maybe he could slip out.

His vision wavered momentarily, but he quickly shook off the disorientation. He could pass out once he got to his brothers and they all got back into the safety of the sewers. The bullets began bouncing off of the catwalk again as the soldiers bellow began firing again, hoping a lucky shot would catch Jack despite the metal walkway blocking him. One shot narrowly missed Jack's head, and the teen quickly pressed himself closer to the catwalk, trying to ignore the numbness in his arm and the pounding in his head.

It wasn't that Jack hadn't been shot at before. In fact, it had happened numerous times, he'd just never been hit straight on. A graze wound now and then, sure, but usually one of his brothers was around and would protect him using their shells or plastrons. No, this blood hammering against his skull was a nasty combination of blood-loss and the beginnings of an adrenaline rush, and one way or another his body was going to give out at some point and he'd collapse. The only thing Jack had any real control over right now was deciding where he would black out: in the warehouse or in the sewer with his brothers.

After a few long, dragging minutes that felt endless, another lull in the soldiers' shooting came, and Jack forced himself to his feet, managing to get even closer to the entryway before being forced to duck down once more as more bullets flew.

At least now he was close enough to the entrance. The heavy door had been left open, if only a jar, but it was wide enough for a person to get in and out (It must've taken team work to get that beast of a door open, Jack absently mused, even if it had wheels along its bottom). If he could manage to position himself correctly, he could jump down and duck outside, even tuck and roll if he really had to.

And so he hunkered down at waited. When the soldiers again had to reload (and Jack really had to wonder just how big the magazines on their guns were because shell, they took forever to run out!) the teen prepared to jump-

A vortex of green and blue suddenly appeared at the back wall, reaching from the floor to just under the ceiling (and considering how tall the warehouse was, that was severely impressive, the weird vortex had to be at least fifty feet wide in all directions). The soldiers bellow all looked stunned, some seeming to consider running, while others prepared their weapons. Jack pressed himself to the catwalk, peeking out with a mix of curiosity and cautiousness. What was going on? Sure, this was New York, but this? This was completely and utterly weird.

Then, something even stranger happened.

Three giant robots- robots of all things! Stepped out of the strange vortex. Jack gulped, shrinking back slightly. Even his brothers were tiny compared to these three!

The shortest of the group looked to be feminine, with blue plates, silver-pink rims and optics that glowed light blue. She was roughly twenty or so feet, and when she saw the soldiers aiming guns at her and her companions, she was undoubtedly unhappy.

Beside her was a big robot who was decidedly male, with dark green plates and a pair of bright blue optics similar to the female robot's. He was at the very least forty feet tall, and had a wide girth that Jack had a sneaking suspicion could be considered as the robotic version of pure muscle. He seemed confused- probably not the brightest of the trio, but definitely the strongest.

The third robot looked male as well, and was a very flashy shade of yellow with stripes of black. He was taller than the femme robot, but shorter than the other male, thirty to thirty-five feet, if Jack had to guess. He looked more like he was built for speed rather than strength, and seemed to almost, of all things, pout when he saw the soldiers, as if he was disappointed to see them.

The female of the group shifted, arm changing into a strange blaster that she aimed at the soldiers.

"Don't even think about it." She growled lowly. "Your bullets won't do anything to us, but our blasters can make you all nothing more than blood smears on the floor."

The soldiers all hesitated, shuffling about slightly...Then bolted.

The femme robot scoffed, lowering her weapon.

"Yeah. That's what I thought." She turned towards the large rolling door of the warehouse. "Let's go clear out the rest of them so we can-"

Jack winced when, as he tried to move, he sent an empty can that had been abandoned on the catwalk down to the floor. The noise was enough to draw the attention of the robots, and Jack gulped when three large blasters turned to his hiding spot. He really didn't feel very ninja-like right this second...

"Whoever's over there, show yourself!" The blue female demanded, aim never wavering.

Jack weighed his options before sighing and slowly, hesitantly standing up and moving into full view, one hand pressed to his bleeding arm.

The three robots looked shocked to see him, and Jack couldn't blame them, since finding a teenager in a warehouse guarded by soldiers was almost impossible in likelihood.

Jack regarded the trio with a cautious, curious gaze, while the robots in turn stared at him with wide optics. The green one was even gaping and, had this situation not been so tense, Jack would've laughed.

"A kid?" The blue femme mumbled, brow furrowing.

Beside her, the yellow robot buzzed and chirped, looking alarmed and concerned as his blaster changed back into a hand and he pointed at Jack's arm. Jack looked at the injury, then back to the yellow robot, smiling wearily.

"Just...Just a flesh wound." He whispered, voice hoarse. Shell, his vision was going all fuzzy...

He fell forward, hitting the walkway with a clang. He could vaguely hear worried voices, the femme barking orders, and he felt himself lifted up in a surprisingly gentle, metal hand.

The last of his thoughts were towards his brothers, hoping that they had at least gotten away from those horrible soldiers...

Everything went black.

Raph growled under his breath as he clocked the last soldier over the head, watching the man fall to the ground, unconscious. That had taken way too long for his liking, and these men, these soldiers bothered him. They weren't just some weird gang, they had not only been well organized but well armed, and they had the weirdest guns with bullets that could undoubtedly rip through flesh like a knife through paper. It made his back itch under his shell, and his skin crawl.

Sai clutched between his large fingers, Raph turned to his brothers. Mikey and Don had joined in the fray when Leo and Raph had been spotted, but Jack was no where to be seen, and that set Raph on edge. He was protective of their little brother who Mikey had long ago affectionately dubbed 'blue eyes' ( a nickname Jack loathed, much to everyone's amusement), and not seeing his youngest brother around made Raph antsy.

"Where's Jack?" Raph asked, sharp eyes locking on Don. The purple-banded turtle jabbed a thumb back at the warehouse nearby.

"I told him to stay put, figured it'd be safer for him in there than it is out here."

Leo had moved over as well, one katana sheathed while the other remained in his right hand.

"What did you guys find in those crates?" He asked. "Drugs? Weapons?"

Donnie frowned, shaking his head, pushing his glasses back up properly onto his beak.

"Strangely enough, no. It's some weird tech, I've never seen anything like it before. I'll have to do some research back at the lair. Until then, I have no clue what these guys are using it for, though I doubt it has anything to do with the Purple Dragons or any of the other gangs in this area."

Raph scowled, pacing slightly.

"These ain't gang members, not by a long shot."

Leo nodded in agreement, watching his immediate younger brother as he paced back and forth.

"I agree. They're organized and armed better. They're some sort of soldiers. An anti-government group, maybe some government personal gone rogue."

Mikey as staring at something now, looking nervous.

"Uh, dudes...?"

Don waved him off dismissively.

"Not now, Mikey." He looked at one of the men on the ground. "Looking at their guns, I'd say those are experimental weapons, we should gather them up so we can keep them from being taken by any gang members who pass by."

"Guys-"

"Shut it, Mikey!" Raph muttered, frowning as he turned his gave to the large, empty ship nearby. "We're trying to think!"

Mikey lept at Leo, grabbing his head and making him turn it despite his older brother's protests.

"Look!"

Everyone looked at where Mikey was pointing...

They all froze.

The warehouse, the one Jack was in, had the door cracked open and there was a bright green glow.

Raph was the first to move, bolting for the warehouse with the others following closely behind. The red-clad turtle shoved the gigantic door open as though it were as light as a feather, the wheels creaking in protest against their rusted tracks.

For a split second, all four mutants could see a large, glowing vortex, but it vanished within seconds, leaving them alone in the warehouse with two unconscious soldiers. Raph's head whipped around, eyes searching for his little brother.

"Jack!" He called, jumping to the catwalk above for a better view of the area. "Jack! This isn' th' time for games, answer me!"

He took a few steps forward, only to pause when his foot found something warm, thick and wet. Leo, who had joined him at his side, knelt down to inspect the liquid. Raph already had a good idea of what it was, but was too afraid to confirm his suspicions.

Leo gingerly touched the dark liquid, lifting it close to his face and squinting in the dim light, sniffing it slightly.

"Blood..."

Raph squeezed his eyes shut. No, no this blood couldn't belong to Jack, not his little brother. It had to be someone else's, one of the soldiers or- or something!

Donnie and Mikey jumped up as well. The youngest of the four turtles looked worried, almost heart-broken, while the genius of the group knelt beside Leo to inspect it as well, sniffing at it too. Their senses were strong, and scent helped them keep track of each other, this was no different.

"Its Jack's..." Donnie muttered. Raph felt a lump grow in his throat, but then Don added. "But it isn't a lot, he was injured, but this isn't enough to kill him. Someone must've grabbed him." The purple-clad turtle's gaze turned to where the vortex had been only a minute or two before. "Whoever it was took him with them."

"Well then we gotta find them!" Raph snapped, eyes blazing like fire. "Who knows what they'll do to him! Ya saw how those guys fought!" He gestured towards the two unconscious soldiers below. "Who knows what they'll-!"

"I don't think it was them who took him." Leo interjected, straightening. Raph looked at him, taken aback, and Leo continued. "If it was them, they would've killed Jack and left him here. They had no reason to take him for questioning, they didn't know that we were all together here as a group, Jack was in here all alone, they probably thought it was just a coincidence. They would've shot him and left his body here. I think there's a third party in all of this..."

A long silence fell, the four deep in thought. It was Mikey who finally spoke.

"We have to find him, right?" He said hesitantly. For once he lacked his usual enthusiasm, no doubt because of the grave situation at hand. "Didn't he have his shellcell with him? He never left without it, just in case, so can't Donnie track it or something?"

Everyone looked at Don, hopeful. The genius lit up.

"For once, Mikey, you're brilliant!" Ignoring the indignant 'hey!' from Mikey, Don grinned at Leo. "It'll take time, but once we're back at the lair I can start a global search for the tracking device I have on his shellcell."

"What're we waitin' for then?!" Raph demanded, leaping down from the catwalk. "Let's get movin'!"

When Jack awoke, it was to a stinging pain in his arm and a pounding in his head. For a moment, the teen just laid where he was, struggling to recall what had happened. He and his brothers had been on patrol...They'd seen some strange men in masks...Then...

Jack bolted upright with a gasp, only to yelp and curl up when his arm protested rather violently. He cringed as he touched his arm, and was surprised to find it was wrapped in gauze. Someone had helped him, had his brothers gotten to him in time?

Dark blue eyes turned up, searching the room. It was unfamiliar, but reminded Jack of Donnie's part-lab-part-medbay. It was sterile in here, and odd equipment that appeared to be medical machinery littered the room. The floor was plain concrete, and the walls were white metal. Jack found he was on a cot of sorts, like the kind he'd seen in the old war movies he and his brothers watched when they were kids...

Feeling the beginnings of panic swell in his chest, Jack managed to squash down his fear for the most part and forced himself to think. Leo had told him time and time again that he was smart, that he had to use his brain when he got into situations, and this was one of those 'situations', Jack supposed.

From what he could see, he was alone. The medical equipment was all gigantic, the size of the strange robots. If the robots needed medical treatment, then that meant they weren't robots, it meant they were living beings who could bleed an hurt like Humans could.

The robots- maybe mecha would be a better term? Either way, they hadn't shot him, they'd taken him somewhere and he'd been patched up. They'd saved his life, made sure he didn't die from bloodloss, that had to be a good sign, right?

He really hoped so.

Carefully swinging his legs off the cot, Jack managed to stand on shaking legs. He stumbled a bit, but was quick to catch his balance. Now, first order of business: find a way out-

A chilly breeze made Jack look down at himself.

Okay, scratch that. First order of business: find his shirt. And his Kyoketsu-shoge, while he was at it.

Wow, he felt kind of exposed right now...

Shaking his head to rid himself of this thought, Jack's gaze swept back over the room. There was a gigantic door, if he could find a way to open it, he could find his things and escape this place (wherever 'this place' was).

The teen nearly jumped out of his skin when the door slid open with a mechanical hiss, and he found himself staring at a pair of humongous metal feet. And so Jack tilted his head back, looking up...and up...and up...Finally meeting a pair of surprised, bright blue optics set in a white and orange plated face.

Great, Jack mused. Another robot. Today just wasn't his day.