Donatello clambered up a fire escape and started running across the rooftops. The beaver was in hot pursuit. There was a chance he could still shake it somehow…

Suddenly, two more massive beavers materialized in front of him. One was a sick orange and the other was bright blue. He skidded to a halt. "You've gotta be kidding me! Okay, okay…this is just a dream. I've just gotta wake up. Gotta wake up…"

"Donnie!"

Donnie looked up to see Mikey running toward him, and not a moment later, Raph crawled over the side of the building onto the rooftop.

"Stay away from my brothers, you pointy-toothed freaks!" Raph shouted. "I don't care if I am just dreaming this!"

"Wait, you can't be dreaming," Donnie said. "I'm dreaming."

"What if we're all dreaming?" Mikey said.

Raph put a hand under his chin. "I hate to say this, but Mikey's right. The orange one told me that he and his three brothers were draining our life force, or something."

Donnie looked around. "Then where's Leo and the fourth beaver?"

"Hmm, yes," said the dark red beaver that had been pursuing Donnie this whole time. "Where is our brother? He knows that we like to enjoy our meal time together."

"Yay!" shouted the blue beaver.

The orange beaver shook his head. "I bet you anything that he finished eating without us again."

"You mean – " Raph sputtered, "you mean that Leo's already dead?"

The orange beaver shrugged. "Dire always eats too quickly."

Donnie's stomach twisted in knots. Leo!

"He's so inconsiderate," the dark red beaver said. "Fine. If he doesn't want to wait for us, then we won't wait for him."

Dave clapped his hands together. "I like noms!"

"Shut up, Dave!" the other two beavers chorused.

"Guys?" Donnie whispered. "I get the feeling that we should probably run while they're distracted." All three of them made to run, but suddenly, they were unable to move. They all exchange terrified glances.

"Nice try, my salty little friends," the dark red beaver said. "But you aren't getting away this time."

Then, like it was some sort of cultic ritual, the three beavers opened their mouths wide. Donnie suddenly felt himself get weaker. He wasn't sure if he saw or imagined the wisps of something like smoke that seeped out of him, but he could tell that the same thing was happening to his brothers.

The same thing had probably already happened to Leo.

Leo stared longingly up into the light.

"Please, please wake up!" April's voice was frantic; her shaky grip on Leo's finger was starting to weaken. It wasn't enough to counteract the pull of the light. "You can't go!"

I'm already gone, April, Leo thought, as the light grew stronger and warmer. There's nothing you can do.

"Leo, please, I – " Abruptly, her grip was gone. Leo didn't even feel her letting go. It was like she had completely disappeared.

He flew upward into the soft, welcoming arms of a better place.

Please, please wake up, April thought frantically, concentrating on Leo with all her might.

She thought she heard a slam or a bang. She almost opened her eyes to see what was happening.

No. She had to keep concentrating. You can't go!

The front door of the house burst open; April knew the sound all too well. But she couldn't break her concentration.

Leo, please, I –

"Red! You've got to help me with this!"

All of April's concentration disintegrated. She opened her eyes to see Casey just as he threw what appeared to be a massive book to her. Releasing Leo's head, she put up her hands and caught it.

"You've gotta open it!" Casey shouted. "Open the plug. It's the only way to save them!"

"Don't do it!" An older man burst into the room.

Casey tackled the man, pinning him to the floor. "Do it, April!"

Without a moment's hesitation, April opened the book and tried to untwist the plug that was inside. "It's too tight!"

"Just smash it, then!" Casey said.

"No!" the old man yelled.

Screaming, April lifted the book high over her head and smashed it down onto the ground. It made contact and shattered –

A vortex of energy flew up out of the pieces. A few moments later, four brightly colored beavers materialized in the living room. "Yes! Free at last!" one of them said, it's voice a high-pitched squeal.

"Um…why do we sound like chipmunks?" asked a purple one.

"More to the point, where were you, Dire?" an orange one said, pointing an accusing paw at the purple one.

"They – they're talking plush toys?" the old man said. "All this time…and this was it?"

"Whoa!" said a dark red beaver. "We are tiny! Umm…if you'll excuse us…"

With that, the four beavers turned tail and ran.

The old man passed out.

"Dude, those beavers are lucky I was too shocked to do anything," Casey said. "I woulda kicked their tails. How are the guys?"

As if on cue, there was the sound of soft moaning.

April wheeled around to see the turtles waking up. "Donnie! Mikey! Raph! L – "

Leo was as still as death.

"Leo!" April screamed. She ran to his side, feeling for a pulse. "No, no…"

Immediately, Donnie was next to her. He pushed her hand out of the way and pressed his fingers to Leo's throat. "How long has he been without a pulse?"

"At least a couple minutes," April sobbed. "Maybe more."

Mikey sniffed; tears started rolling down his face. "Leo didn't wake up?"

"Uh, okay," Donnie said, his voice panicky. "Um…give me some room…" He stretched Leo out on the floor in a classic first aid position. "I'm going to have to try CPR."

Casey's face was white. "Does that work with the shell in the way? "

"Theoretically…"

"Will that even help at this point?" Raph said, kneeling down next to Leo.

"If it doesn't, it doesn't," Donnie snapped. "But if it does…"

"Is he gonna make it?" Mikey asked, coming over and putting a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Everyone back off!" Donnie yelled. "I need room!"

April grabbed Mikey and Raph by the hand and pulled them away. "You can do this, Donnie."

Shaking, Donnie put his hands over Leo's heart and started bearing down on it. He counted under his breath, paused, and took a pulse. "Come on." His hands went back to Leo's chest, and he started pumping again, this time more forcefully.

Raph clenched his fists. "Don't give up, Leo! You can do it!"

"Wake up, bro!" Mikey wailed, pushing tears out of his face.

Donnie paused again to take a pulse. Groaning, he returned to chest compression. "You gotta fight it, Leo. We need you." Tears started to fall from his eyes. "We need you."

Time slowed down. April felt as though a year passed between each compression. When Donnie checked for a pulse again and still got nothing, she thought that her own would stop.

Donnie squeezed his eyes shut. His face was twisted in desperation, like he was about to give up. When he opened his eyes, April got chills at the sheer resolve that shone in them. He returned to compression for several counts. Finally, he administered two rescue breaths and checked Leo's pulse again.

April held her breath.

Donnie shook his head and buried his face in his hands.

The room was utterly silent. April was so grief-stricken she couldn't move.

A second later, Donnie's face contorted in rage. "No!" He slammed his fists into Leo's plastron so hard that there was an audible crack.

Again.

"Come on, Leo! Please!" Donnie cried. "You can't do this to us!"

Please, Leo, April thought, as Donnie raised his fists one more time.