A/N: So guess what? This isn't the only chapter I have prepared. If you don't keep up with my Facebook fanpage, I'll tell you the good news here. The next chapter already has a rough draft! I just have to clean it up and finish it, which shouldn't take long (If I don't get distracted). And the chapter after that? Started! And it's a fun one, the one I've been waiting for! So it should get better from here on out. Bishop's just...hard. Or should I say, writing the turtles sneaking into a place is hard. I like immediate action better than ninja stealth action. Less planning for me XD. I'm sorry it took this long, though. That was unacceptable after I made a promise to be better.


By Land and by Sea

Donatello sat with his back to Bishop's island compound, a brick fence separating him from the yard beyond. With Leatherhead's help, he had found exactly what he was looking for: a trail. His search led him just off the coast of New York City. This was where the police transferred custody of his father. Now all they needed was to get inside. With his tablet propped up on his bent knees he had just the way to do it. "How's it looking out there?"

To his left, he felt Raphael's antsy presence shift as he looked over the wall. "We got about ten guards all sportin' Bishop's favorite moded Federation guns, if this heat thing ain't lying."

"It's not." Donatello swiped at the tablet with his pen to pull up the feed from the turtle specs Raphael wore. "They're definitely modified. The heat signature's off the charts. I suggest avoiding a direct hit from them at all costs."

"No, duh, brainiac." Raphael moved back into his brother's peripheral vision. "Ready fer tha charges yet?"

"Almost." He tapped his fingers against his leg as he waited. "It should go off shortly." Just as he finished speaking, an explosion rocked the base. Raphael returned to his post, allowing Donatello to see the specs' feed once again, this time showcasing the guards taking notice of their distraction.

"This plan better work," Raphael growled, nearly under his breath.

"It should." Donatello glanced up at his brother. "With Leo and Mike in the shell sub, we're covering more territory. The faster we find Splinter the better. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary."

"Splinter better be okay when we do or I'm payin' Bishop in kind." He spun a sai in frustration.

"Even if he was, you'd still go after Bishop." Donatello smirked at the screen. "It's time."

"Finally."

A faint whirling sounded behind him, barely loud enough to be caught by the guards still lingering in the yard. Donatello heard a small portion of the wall crumble as he switched to the feed of a small robot, barely the size of a tennis ball. "Be careful with my stealth-bot. It's very delicate." He turned to watch Raphael closely as his brother held the little spybot.

"I ain't gonna break it." Raphael scoffed as he set it within the boundaries of the yard.

"Status report?" Leonardo's voice came from the speakers in the brothers' headsets.

"Stealth-bot on its way," Donatello responded, directing its progress on his tablet. "It hasn't been spotted yet. What about your end?"

"We found an underwater entrance. As soon as you take out the security, we'll head in."

Initial scans of the facility made finding the fuse box a simple matter of avoiding detection. "Lights will be down in three…two…one." On his count, the searchlights flooding the yard in their brilliance died all at once. "Raph and I are heading in now."


"Be careful in there. Bishops full of surprises."

"Got it, fearless." Raphael's heated tone in his ear only earned a sigh from Leonardo.

The blue-masked turtle turned away from the eerie red glow of the hidden entrance. He didn't know what dangers Bishop was prepared to throw against him, but he trusted his brothers to know what to do if faced with them. Still, he couldn't help the worry easing into fine lines on his face. He was the leader after all. The responsibility of keeping them safe fell on his shoulders; ones that were already burdened by the unforgiveable lapse of time he wasted. He should have taken action immediately when his sensei called for him. There was no getting around that.

He caught Michelangelo's intense gaze on him and mentally shook his head free from his reverie. "What?"

"You're doing it again."

Leonardo scoffed at his brother's unusually stern voice. "Doing what, pray tell?"

"Yanno, you don't need to be all…like that," Michelangelo gestured to Leonardo, his speech speeding up with his excitement. "I don't know how all that negative mojo can fit into one turtle. I mean, seriously. That's gotta be unhealthy."

Leonardo barely held back his snort. "I could say the opposite about you."

"Exactly! You should be more like me. Trust me; it makes life so much easier." His trademark grin filled his face as he whirled around, pausing at the window. "…Hey, do you think Bishop has sea monsters? Like really big ones that could eat this sub for breakfast?"

"Sea monsters?" Leonardo gave the back of his brother's head an incredulous look.

"It can so happen! I mean, that kinda looks like one right there."

"What?" Leonardo joined his brother at the window, his eyes widening at what indeed looked like a sea monster. It was huge; easily double the size of the shell sub, but anything else about it was shrouded in the shadows of the ocean. It hadn't spotted them yet but, with the direction it was heading, it soon would. Leonardo raced back to the sub's controls, tapping his headset to reconnect him with his brothers. "Don, how close are you guys to taking out the security?"

There was silence before the airwaves were filled with the sounds of a battle. "Working on it." Donatello's breathless voice answered. "We were spotted. Raph's covering me." There was a pause before he continued. "I can't really talk now."

Leonardo cursed. He turned the sub to fully face the red-highlighted entrance. It was too close now. They were going to be seen and there was no way he could outpace it without moving too far from the base. His fist tightened around the throttle as he weighed his chances. He changed the channel on his headset to the lair's frequency. "April, prepare the back-up sub."

"Leo? What's going on?"

"We're going to need a different exit plan." The sub rumbled beneath him, knocking Leonardo away from the controls. The beast had found them. "Mikey get on the missiles!" He pushed himself back up and regained control of the sub.

"Already on it! What's the plan, bro?"

"We can't wait for Don. Keep the thing busy. We're going in." He gripped the controls, firmly, his face set in his determination. He approached the gapping underwater entrance at full speed. The sub rocked from the war going on behind him, while before him, dagger-like rocks pierced through the walls of the cave. Their suspicious nature weighed heavy on his mind. "Donny's not going to like this. Get ready to bail as soon as I give the order!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

As soon as the sub broke the threshold, he knew his fears were founded. A grating metallic roar rocked the sub as the space began to grow smaller. It jerked beneath him as alarms shrieked through the enclosed space, sending flashing red blaring against the walls. Over the cacophony, he could just hear another sound he had hoped would have waited until he made better progress.

"Leo! It got us!" Michelangelo yelled.

"How bad?" Leonardo kept his gaze set on the darkness before him.

"Could be worse, but water's coming in fast! I managed to shoot it away before it could take the whole back end with it."

He could see the entrance now. The tunnels razor-sharp spikes were closing in like a beast's jaw. Soon there would be nothing left of the sub but scrap metal. If he could only get closer, it wouldn't matter. Just a little further now…

"Leo?!"

"Now!" Leonardo left the controls and ran towards the escape hatch. He quickly turned the handle as his brother joined him with an extra breathing apparatus. He quickly put in on, nodding at Michelangelo. "Ready?"

"Yep."

Leonardo shoved the door open with his foot and pushed out into the depths. He pointed towards the gap before him without slowing down, knowing just behind him that the beast had returned to finish off the sub. He dodged the spikes growing on either side of him. The space between them was growing smaller, making it difficult to navigate, but Leonardo was persistent.

As soon as he was inside, he turned to wait for his brother to follow, before kicking out at the door's switch. He turned from the closing door and gave his surroundings a cursory glance. It was a large room, pristine considering its regular contact with water. A door opposite them had a similar switch, this time with a lock symbol flashing on it. During his search, the water began to drain from the room through vents in the floor where a track stretched from door to door.

Leonardo swam towards the newly made surface of the water, stowing his breathing apparatus in his belt. Michelangelo floated on his back next to him, his head propped up on his crossed arms and his legs lazily guiding his slow circle around him. Leonardo quirked his brow at him.

"Whatcha thinking?" Michelangelo asked, expectantly ignoring the look.

"Did you get a good look at the creature?"

"Yeah, it looked like a cyborg snake-thing. One eye was a glowing red light and the other was this sickly pale yellow." He swam normally to fully emphasize his words with gesturing limbs. "It had huge teeth made out of metal and when it broke through the walls of the shell sub, there was this horrible smell of decaying flesh. It was like something out of a horror movie!" By the end of his speech, the water settled around their feet before finally disappearing with a hollow echoing gurgle and pop.

Leonardo strode over to the opposite door, not surprised when the lock symbol disappeared and was replaced with a green glow. "Get ready for guards. This wasn't a quiet entry. They'll know we're here." He pressed his carapace against the wall and watched Michelangelo quickly follow suit. They made eye contact before Leonardo hit the switch.

The door lifted open, revealing a blinding display of gunfire bouncing in from the other side. The blue of its light flared brilliantly off the metal walls; leaving every spot it touched a molted mess of burning red and silver. The sight of it left Leonardo hoping it wouldn't burn through to the ocean on the other side. He could feel the heat from the rays of light breathing against his skin. If they kept it up, it was only a matter of time.

He could hear their voices as the gunfire died down. There had to be around twenty of them, though he couldn't be sure without risking a look. He waited until the last shot was fired before pulling out a flash pellet from his belt. His other hand gestured to Michelangelo. Three…two…one. He threw the pellet in the direction of the curious voices. He waited a beat more before both brothers ran out into the open.

The guards fumbling around in their blind confusion were the easiest targets. Those were the first to go down. Leonardo dodged scattered gunfire as he made the most of his advantage. There were more than twenty, but he wasn't that far off. His katana sang through the air as it sliced through three of the enemies' guns before he instinctively flipped back away from the stunned guards as their weapons became live grenades in their hands. The explosions rocked the room, taking six more men in succession without Leonardo needing to lift a finger. He marveled at the ability of man to create something so catastrophic with just the tiniest amount of damage. The thought was fleeting. After all, he still had a mission to complete.

Michelangelo's laughter bubbled over the sounds of battle, catching his attention. In typical form, his brother was everywhere. The whirling blur of his nunchucku showed no signs of hitting its mark to the naked eye, even as it left trails of downed men in its wake. And that wasn't the only weapon at his brother's disposal. Matching the chaotic rhythm of his strikes came that unrelenting tirade of taunts and jests Michelangelo prided himself in. It was a deadly combination should anyone allow themselves to underestimate him, which was usually the case.

Leonardo returned his full attention to his own battle, spinning around with both blades outstretched in a whirlwind of pain to any guard within their deadly reach. He followed up his attack with a leap over two more guards that he easily dispatched with the hilt of his duel katana. With only the two of them, the guards were dropping like flies. Leonardo never stopped moving as gunfire rained around him in frantic bursts. They had no hope of meeting their target. He wasn't even breaking a sweat.

It wasn't long before only one remained standing. Leonardo leaned to the right to avoid the guard's desperate attempt to defend himself. His leg swung around, catching the guard in the gut. The man stumbled back; his head falling right into Michelangelo's swinging nunchuku. His brother flipped his nunchucku one final time before sliding his prized weapons into the hooks of his belt. Leonardo followed suit by sheathing his katana.

"We need to get out of the open." The leader finally took the time to look around. This room was more than triple the size of the one before. Varying subterranean vehicles were propped up on trolleys affixed to the tracks he saw earlier. Leonardo used one as cover as he continued his search.

"Leo, I have access to the security system." Donatello's voice distracted him from his task.

"Is there any indication where Splinter may be held?"

"No, but I can see Bishop in one of the monitors. He appears to be closer to the lower section, a few floors above you. How'd you get in anyway? I saw you and Mikey pop up on one of the feeds."

"We…ran into some trouble outside." Leonardo frowned towards their entrance.

"Sorry, bro, but the shell sub's kaput." Michelangelo added.

"What?" Donatello's voice grew in pitch. "What did you do to it?!"

"A sea monster had it for breakfast. And that was before the cave's teeth closed in on it. I doubt there's anything left."

"Ya can always make anothah one." Raphael's voice joined the conversation.

"That's not the point…"

Leonardo could picture the pout on his genius brother's face. "So, I called us in another ride." He cut in before the conversation could drag on too much longer. "You can mourn later. Tell me the best way to get to Bishop."


A/N: As always: feed that hungry review box! It's been starved lately, though that has been mostly my fault.