A/N: As I promised, an extra long chapter. Let's see how this is gonna turn out, shall we

Chapter 11: Got em'

Alright, we're in, Leo confirmed as he and his brothers dropped down from the ventilation shaft and into the Kraang facility.

"Which way?" Leo asked quietly.

"According to the blueprints Mr. Torst found," Donnie said checking his T-Phone, "Sandrum's lab is just down that hall. Any of the other scientists should also be in the area."

"Alright," Leo said, "Donnie, you and Raph take care of the virus. Me and Mikey will check the other rooms. Keep your coms open, and try not to set off any alarms. If there're other people, it'll be easier to get them out of here if the Kraang aren't shooting at us."

His brothers nodded then they separated to accomplish their tasks.

Oo0oO

Laura sat at her computer, typing up the report of the preliminary findings on the mutant tree. On the desk next to her broken ruler, sat the fuzzy, purple fruit. She finished imputing the data and saved the report, making sure to create a copy on her USB. She hung the strap around her neck when the door to the lab slid open.

Laura spun her chair around to greet the Professor returning from reporting to the Kraang, or at least she was expecting the Professor. Instead, she was greeted with by . . . no one.

Weird, she thought, did the door open on its own?

Then she saw a head poke around the corner. A green head, followed by a red mask. Another green head soon followed, this one had a purple mask. And Laura did the most sensible thing that anyone would do when confronted by someone she knew, in a place where she wasn't supposed to be.

She hid behind the desk.

Oo0oO

"This is that Sandrum guy's lab?" Raphael asked as he and Donatello looked around the lab. It was a spacious room, with lots of equipment and the trade mark tank of mutagen, only this tank had a freaking tree growing out of it, with blue leaves that sent random lights flying all over the room. Trippy much.

"According to the files Mr. Torst found," Donnie replied, looking up from his phone in amazement at the blue tree.

"I thought he was working on viruses. What's with the giant tree?"
"Maybe he's working on more than one project?"

"Aw, who cares. Let's just find the stupid virus so we can start trashing the place!"

The two started searching through the room. Raph was randomly opening the fridges and cupboards and stared stubbornly at the many clear bottles of chemicals before realizing that he didn't know what he was looking for.

"Hey Donnie," he said as he slammed a fridge door closed, "what's this virus even supposed to look like?"

"It'll probably be a clear liquid," Donnie said, making his way over to the one of the computer in the room that was tucked away in the corner.

"Are you kidding! Half the things in here are clear liquids."

"So read the labels," Donnie snapped as the computer woke up. If he would have paid more attention, he would have noticed a broken, scorched, wooden ruler sitting next to the monitor and the figure crouched only a few feet away behind the desk.

The last report was still open on the computer when it lit up with life. Donnie started to skim through it but dismissed it when he saw it was about the giant tree. As interesting as it was, it wasn't what they were here for.

Moving on, he started to search the database for anything related to the virus.

"Aw, to hell with it," Raph exclaimed after trying to read the small print on a couple of bottles and not being able to pronounce even one of the names. "This isn't getting us anywhere. Let's just grab someone and make them tell us where it is. Where's that Sandrum guy? He should know!"

"Be quiet!" Donnie snapped, and opened a new file. "Here we go," he managed to pull up all the files about the virus, and started scanning through them. "What?" he breathed out in confusion.

"What is it now?" Raph huffed.

"According to this file," Donnie said hesitantly, "Sandrum isn't the one working on the virus."

"Then who is?"

"One of the Kraang, not even a human scientist. But it looks like they're working in this building. Right across the hall actually."

Before any more could be said, a crackle in their ear pieces brought them back to reality.

"We've cleared the building. Have you guys found the virus yet?" Leo asked over the coms.

"We'll have it in a second," Donnie reported.

"Hang on . . . alright, we're making our way over to you now." The line went silent.

The two brothers silently made their way out of the lab with the tree and into the one with the virus across the hall. Laura didn't release her sigh of relief until after the doors had sealed shut once again. She slumped down in her hiding place behind the desk where Donatello had come within a few feet of her.

Why did I tell them to come to Sandrum's lab, Laura thought to herself angrily, I totally should have seen this one coming.

Oo0oO

"What have you got," Leo asked as he and Mikey entered the virus lab where Donnie and Raph had found the mutagenic virus. There was a large tank of cloudy liquid along the back wall of the small room. Donnie stood it, emptying the contents of the neutralizing agent into the tank.

"We've got one batch of useless viruses," Donnie announced as the neutralizing agent caused the cloudy liquid to turn a dull green colour.

"Uh, should it be turning green?" Mikey asked.

"That's the mutagen that was inside the phages," Donnie explained. "Like Mrs. Kennington said last night, the neutralizing agent just destroys the phage, not the mutagen inside."

"Either way, it's a win," Leo said. "The building's clear, none of the kidnapped scientists are here. We're good to blow the place."

"Now you're talking!" Raph exclaimed with a viscous grin.

"Hold on, hot head," Donnie said. "Something's been bugging me."

"What do you mean, Donnie," Leo asked.

"Last night, Laura said Sandrum was working on the virus."

"Yeah."

"But he's not, a Kraang scientist is. And if he's not the one working on it, then how did Laura know about it?"

"What are you getting at?" Raph asked wearily.

"I'm saying that there's no way that she should know about the mutagen virus. The only way she could have learned about the virus is if she had direct access to the Kraang's data base," Donnie explained. "Which could only indicate . . ."

"She's here," Raph finished, balling his hands into fists. "Oh, she's is so gonna get it."

"Mr. Torst said that the Kraang brought Sandrum and his assistanthere," Leo said, realizing what Donnie was getting at.

"I told you guys that Laura was their top scientist!" Mikey exclaimed a little too loudly, getting himself glares all around and a shush from Leo.

"If she's in the building," Raph demanded, "then we gotta get h–?" He was cut off by Leo's raised hand, gesturing for silence.

Listening for what alerted their leader, the others heard the metallic clanking of Kraang droids coming their way and the pleadings of a man, human by the sounds of it. Leo signaled for continued silence as he drew closer to the door to try and catch a few words.

"You can't destroy it," Leo heard a man say, "it's the breakthrough of the century!"

"The thing which is known as the tree is a danger to what Kraang is doing in this place," a robotic voice sounded. "That which is known as—" The sentence was cut off by the opening and closing of another door, cutting them off from the rest.

"What is it?" Mikey whispered.

"They want to destroy something," Leo said slowly, "and someone else is trying to talk them out of it. I didn't catch the end of it, they went into another room."

"Wait," Donnie said, "did they go into the room across the hall?"
"I think so," Leo said and noticed his brother's face pale, "Why? What's in there?"

"That's Sandrum's lab," Raph said.

"And if Laura were anywhere in this facility," Donnie continued, "she would be in there."

Oo0oO

I can't believe I didn't see it coming, Laura thought to herself as she gathered herself from her hiding spot behind the desk. She was actually rather impressed with herself that she went unnoticed by Grape despite their close proximity. Or maybe he's just slipping. Either way, it was a close one.

At least they're dealing with the virus. . . just didn't think they'd find this place that fast. Their intelligence seems to be more extensive than normal. Did Grape find some new source of info, or did something happen. . .

Laura's thoughts were interrupted when the door to the lab suddenly opened again. She flinched, thinking that maybe Red and Grape decided to come back for some reason. What she got instead was worse.

A handful of Kraang droids came barreling in, wheeling some kind of giant plasma canon behind them. Sandrum was at the heels of the droid in front, and was obviously distraught.

"You can't destroy it," Sandrum pleaded, "it's the breakthrough of the century!"

"The thing which is known as the tree is a danger to what Kraang is doing in this place," a robotic voice sounded as the lab door closed behind the group. "That which is known as the tree must be destroyed."

"What? NO!" Laura exclaimed. She should have seen this coming, too. Of course the Kraang wouldn't allow something that can destroy the mutagen to exist. If someone were to destroy their main supply with a serum made from the tree, then their whole plan to mutate the world would be screwed. But despite the Kraang threat, she had just found a way to fix her brother, and she'd be damned if it was all going to be for nothing.

"No one touches my damn tree!" She declared, placing herself stubbornly in between the Kraang and the mutant tree, despite the jab of fear that ran through her chest.

"The one known as the Assistant will move out of what which is known as, the way, or be destroyed by Kraang." The droid that spoke leveled his blaster at Laura and the weapon started to hum and glowed with a deadly pink light.

"Damn it all," Laura muttered and squeezed her eyes shut. Her body started to tremble, but she refused to move. She was so close to fixing Tim and she wasn't about to back down now. Maybe it was seeing Red and Grape that gave her the courage to stand up against the Kraang like this. Maybe she knew on some level that she would come out of this alright since they were there, somewhere. But none of that registered as she stood between a humming, alien, plasma gun and her brother's one hope at restoration, waiting for the scream of laser fire to put an end to everything . . .

Tense moments passed in silence as Laura waited for the searing pain of being shot. But instead, all she heard was a metallic clunk, followed by a small explosion. Flinching at the sudden bang, she opened her eyes one at a time when she realized that nothing had hurt her. Laura saw that the blaster that had been about to fire had been hit with a projectile, causing it to short circuit and explode. On the floor where it fell, still imbedded in the ruined blaster was the in distinctive tool that no ninja should leave home without, a throwing star.

"Oh, thank God," Laura said, wilting in relief, as four figures descended from the rafters, landing between herself and the enemy, ready to defend. In that moment, Laura knew that everything would work out.

"Robot smashing time," Sunshine danced, spinning his nunchucks over head, "Aw yeah!"

Then the Kraang started shooting, and the turtles went leapt into action. Blue, Grape, and Sunshine ripped through their front lines while Red hung back, staying close to Laura. She knew that he always protective, and she'd never been so relieved. She decided to apologize after this for that one time he tried to follow her home . . .

"We are so having a talk about this later," Red yelled at Laura over the sound of battle. He drove his sai into the face of a Kraang and kicked it into another that Grape sent flying his way, sending them both to the ground in a smoking pile that had the small aliens pulling themselves out of and scurrying away.

"Whatever you say, Red," Laura said as she managed to keep her knees from buckling.

"Dude, you don't have 'talks'," Sunshine said as he danced around blaster fire, "You just yell and hit stuff."

Laura braced herself against one of the giants roots that protruded from the vat of mutagen and watched as the turtles dispatched the Kraang. She didn't care what kind of speech she was going to get, she was just relieved that they were there and that the tree was alright.

The sudden whir of the canon caught the ninjas' attention. "This thing again!" Grape exclaimed, recognizing the same canon from their fight at the warehouse. "Why are they bringing a canon into a lab in the first place!"

"They're going to destroy it!" Laura watching in horror as the canon gathered energy. "NO!" She leapt towards the canon in a vain attempt to stop it from discharging, not caring that she was plunging herself into the mess of battle that was laid out between herself and it. Although she may not have cared, Raphael sure did.

"Oh no you don't," Raph grabbed Laura's arm as she tried to pass by. He pushed her behind him and deflected a shot that would have hit her square in the chest. "Stay behind me!" He yelled through the chaos, throwing a few stars for good measure.

"But their gonna destroy it!" Laura yelled back desperately, but Raph was busy fending off more droids process her distress. Laura could only watch in horror as the canon finished charging and fired.

"Take cover!" Leo yelled from somewhere in the mess of battle. Acting on instinct, Raph pulled Laura down to the ground with him, making sure he was in front, shielding her from the laser blast.

An ear-splitting crack echoed around the room as the laser tore through the blue leaved tree, sending large slivers of razor sharp wooden fragments over the room. Raph felt several shards bounce off his shell and tore into his exposed arms. He gritted his teeth as he got back up on his feet, facing the last few remaining droids.

Before he could join the battle again, a groan filled the room and the top half of the blue tree started to fall. The branches snapped and glass broke as the top portion of the tree fell backwards, crushing precious equipment under its branches.

Raph turned to face his enemies again, and pulled out the large splinters from his arm. He ignored the sting and trail of blood as he twirled his sai in one hand and taunted, "So who's next?"

Oo0oO

Laura was still on her hands and knees where Red had dragged her down, she was struggling to comprehend what had just happened, the pain she now felt spread through her and a wetness soaking her back. The tree, the one thing that was going to help fix her brother, was gone. . .

It was hard to think . . . it hurt. But she couldn't just let go now. She heard the tree falling over and smash into whatever was unfortunate enough to be underneath.

Gone . . . it's gone. Tim. . . Timmy, I'm sorry.

Something bumped into her leg, and she slowly looked to see what it was. She recognized the small object and her heart caught in her throat. With a shaking hand, she reached out through the pain in her body and grasped the small purple fruit that had fallen from the tree. She gazed at the small fruit, the only thing remaining of her one hope.

As she was holding it, the small purple fruit started to shrivel. Laura watched through blurred eyes as the fruit shrunk into a small raisin. Her blurred eyes filled with tears and the shriveled fruit fell from her hand.

As her tears fell onto the fruit, it happened. Soaking up the salty water, the shriveled up fruit began to bloom. Wrinkled skin gave way to gentle petals that fanned out, opening up the hidden compartment that housed the small seeds that would in turn spread and create new life. From the despair, the shriveled fruit changed into the beautiful pink and purple flower that brought new hope into Laura's hurting body.

Flower. Seeds. Laura's broken thoughts forced her self into motion once again, grasping for the flower. I can grow another tree. I can still fix Tim . . .

Oo0oO

Raphael was still engaged in battle and didn't notice Laura struggle to stand up, stumbling and almost falling over. He was too focused on the danger in front of him, that he failed to see what was happening behind. With a spinning kick, he sent a droid flying across the room. There were only a few left, but more would be coming, he knew that for sure.

He started when a hand fell on his shoulder. He spared a glance behind him at Laura, she had an odd expression on her face. She leaned on him farther and reached out with one hand to give him something.

"Now's really not the time to be handing out flowers," Raph said. A Kraang had taken advantage of the distraction and tried to get a shot off, but a flying Michelangelo put a stop to that.

Laura seemed to lose her balance then, and stumbled again.

"Woah," Raph caught her arm and stabilized her, realizing that something wasn't right and forgetting the fight. His brothers could take care of the rest. "What's wrong?"

She didn't say anything, that far off look was still on her face and she grimaced as her free hand found the necklace that hung around her neck. She clasped the small UBS drive and ripped if off, the clasps swinging around, now broken.

She reached out with the USB and flower tightly in her grasp. Raph noticed that she really didn't look good. Her face was pale and her arm shook where he held her steady, but she looked him dead in the eye with that 'don't mess with me' look, the same look she had when she chased Fish Face and Dog Pound out of the room with a little wooden ruler, and Raph got a little scared.

Laura leaned on Raph before she lost her balance again and shoved the items into his hands. Then she looked him in the eye again. "Fix. . . Tim," she rasped out, her eyes losing focus.

"Fix what?" Raph glanced down at the items in his hand, but he didn't get a chance to decipher what she meant. "Hey!"

Laura's legs gave out and she slumped to the ground. Raphael felt his blood turn to ice as he saw what was bothering her. Where the wood fragments had bounced harmlessly off his shell, they had imbedded deep into Laura's exposed, unprotected back.

"LAURA!"

A/N: Oh no! What the hell! What a cliff hanger! I know, I know, I'm horrible :P But Come on, I promised longer chapter, I never said it would end nicely :P Only one chapter left!