A/N: Alright, I know it's been a while and I'm soooooooooo sorry! *ducks from readers throwing rocks* But I'm giving you something GREAT this chapter! It's actually TWO, that's right TWO, chapters in one! Please accept this humble present as apologies for waiting so long. I meant to post the one chapter a while ago but my carpal tunnel is KILLING me, so I haven't been writing. I'm seriously considering going to the doctors and demanding a cure that isn't surgery. My apologies once more guys. I really didn't expect it to hurt this much, but I hope you LOVE these chapters! =]]

A/N 2: 1000 points to whoever can guess what quote from what TV show I put in here! =]]

Disclaimer: Insert witty disclaimer about not owning the turtles here.

Chapter16: Dead Ends and Messages.

"I don't think all of you will fit in that one." Kallie was telling Raphael and Michelangelo as they were drooling over the sports cars on Don's laptop. Kaliyah had told them that she would rent the car they would take to Fort Drum. Leo wasn't happy about her spending money on them but she was having absolutely none of it. Of course he covered it up by saying that he was merely concerned about renting one now because the combination could be for the locker at the gym or the high school. Kallie wasn't convinced though. She had a strong feeling that it was in Fort Drum, but Leo didn't want to make the long trek there without exhausting all other possibilities first.

"We can stick Mikey in the trunk." Raph offered.

"Hey!"

Kallie snickered before clicking on the vans portion of the car renting website they were on.

"Aw, a van? Why do we always get the creepy white van?" Mike complained.

"Because we have to find a way to be inconspicuous but also have the four of you fit easily and comfortably inside." Kallie explained. "And I hate to break it to you, but y'all stick out like a sore thumb. A regular five passenger car just isn't going to work."

"Do they at least have any fully loaded type vans?" Mike asked.

"They have a Honda Odyssey that has a T.V. in it."

"Perfect!" Mikey cried enthusiastically.

"That's just what we need," said Raph. "Listenin' to Mikey's lame ass cartoons fer five hours."

"Hey! They are not lame!"

"Well I'm the one that's gonna be driving so I'm the one that's going to be picking what we watch or listen to." Kallie informed them.

"Who says yer driving?" Raphael demanded.

"Because I'm the one paying for the car doofus," said Kallie. "Plus, I'm pretty sure people on the road will notice a giant turtle driving."

Raphael just rolled his eyes. Mikey continued to chatter on about which car they should get when Kallie had finally had enough and kicked the two turtles out of her room so she could pick a car. April had offered them her van but Kaliyah didn't want to risk something bad happening to it while it was in her possession. April and Casey had both offered to come as well, but Leo said they needed to stay here and help Splinter keep an eye out for Kallie's mom. Kallie decided on the Honda Odyssey and she quickly paid via the internet and scheduled for the pick up to be later that day. It was currently 8 in the morning and morning practice had ended an hour ago. Leo wanted everyone else to meditate but none of the other three turtles took their older brother's advice. Donnie was in his lab doing who knows what and had a sign on his door forbidding anyone to enter. Kaliyah was slightly terrified at what it was he was doing in there. Mikey and Raph had decided to bug her before she kicked them out and she could hear soft music playing from Leonardo's room so she knew he was meditating.

The plan was to leave sometime around noon and see if the combination was at the gym. That would be the easiest one to go to since Kallie hadn't cancelled the membership. She was to go straight in, try the combination possibilities and then get out of there. Donnie was going to hook her up with a camera and microphone so she can keep in touch with the guys the whole time from the van. The high school was next, but they were going at night. There was no way her old high school was going to let her in and see her old locker, let alone break into it. The guys had told her that they could easily get her in and out without being noticed. Kallie assumed that Donatello would be hacking into the security cameras at the school. She had just saved all the information for the car when she heard a knock on her door.

"Yo!" She called, signaling for her visitor to come in.

It was Master Splinter.

"Good morning Kaliyah." He greeted.

"Oh, hi Master Splinter." She greeted back, getting to her feet.

"Did you sleep well?"

Kallie shifted nervously. She always felt that every time the old rat looked at her he could read her mind. "Um…yeah."

"No nightmares?"

"No, I didn't h—"

"Are you sure?" He asked knowingly.

Kallie sighed. "How do you do that?"

Master Splinter chuckled. "You forget that I have raised four boys. I know the look of a restless night."

"It was him again; reaching out through the fire…"

"We are getting closer to the answers you have sought for so long now," said Master Splinter. "I assume that your nightmares will soon be making more frequent occurrences."

"Fantastic." Kallie muttered. "I don't suppose you know any anti-nightmare type of meditation do you?"

"The mind is a powerful thing. It can make us live our happiest moments over and over with just one memory, but," Master Splinter grabbed her shoulders, looking intently into her eyes. "It can also make us relive our most terrible moments over and over."

"Soooo…that's a no?"

The old rat chuckled. "The mind may be powerful Kaliyah, but who is it that controls it?"

"Alien overlords?"

"You are worse than Michelangelo at times." Master Splinter said with a sigh, but the corners of his mouth were quirked up. "You control your mind Kaliyah; you and only you."

"So I can stop them?"

"Stop them? Probably not." Kallie frowned at that. "But fight them? Yes."

"Fight them?"

"You have the weapons you already need; you just need to use them." He told her, starting to walk out of the room.

"And what weapons would those be?" She asked.

The ninja stopped at the door and turned to look at her, smiling. "You already know." And with that he walked out of the room.

Kaliyah groaned. "Ugh…I hate it when he does that."

"YO KALLIE!" A rough voice called from downstairs.

Kallie sighed, wondering what it was that Raphael could want. "WHAT?!" She yelled back, because of course there was no way she was going to take the mature route and go downstairs.

"COME DOWN HERE!"

"YOU COME UP HERE!" She countered.

"NO, GET YER ASS DOWN HERE!"

"NO, GET YOUR ASS UP HERE!"

"DON'T MAKE ME COME GET YOU!"

"I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, WOULD YOU TWO STOP YELLING!" Donatello's voice added to the mix.

"SORRY DONNIE!" Came twin replies. Kallie couldn't help but snicker at that. She had turned around for a just a second to grab a pair of socks when she heard her door close.

"Hey." Leonardo greeted.

Kallie couldn't help but jump. "Jeez Louise! Y'all have got to stop sneaking up on me like this!"

Leo couldn't help but smirk. "Ninja." He reminded her.

"Yeah well, do it again and I'm putting little bells on all of y'alls ankles." She warned.

Leo laughed. "Oh Master Splinter would love that."

"He'd get some too." She smiled.

"You ready?" He asked after a shake of his head.

"For what?"

"Training of course."

"But y'all just got done with morning practice?" Kallie told him, confused.

Leonardo shrugged. "These next couple of days could be pretty dangerous, thought an extra practice or two might help."

"Alright, but let me warn you," said Kallie with a smirk. "I've been training extra with Raph and I may just be able to kick your ass now."

Leo barked out a laugh at that. "We'll see about that Half Pint." He ushered her out of the room.

"Hey! What've I told y'all about nicknames?"

"That they're your favorite?" Leo snarked.

"Alright, keep it up turtle boy," said Kallie as they entered the dojo and joined the others. "You'll regret it later."

Leonardo slowly got out his Katana's and spun them expertly in the air. "How bout trying to make me regret it now?"

Raph threw Kaliyah an actual Katana as well, which she caught easily and did her own twirl. The last three training sessions she had upgraded to actual weapons. She had practiced with each one of the boys' weapons, but found herself wielding a Katana pretty naturally.

"C'mon Kallie, you can beat him!" Mikey cheered from the side. His leg was pretty much healed now; Don had been right about him needing a day or two of complete rest.

"Careful now Fearless. Ya don't wanna hurt too much, she's gotta drive." Raph added.

She scoffed. "Please, he's harmLESS!" Kallie ducked just as Leo swiped his weapon above her head, the other three boys cheering from the side.

Leonardo kept up the offensive throughout a lot of the session. Normally he would let her get a few good swings in, but Kallie had a feeling that he was trying to prepare her to defend herself just in case anything happened these next few days. She was irritated and grateful at the same time. Her pride was screaming for him to just trust in her but the lonely and love starved girl in her was weeping for joy at the over protectiveness. Kallie sparred with Leo for another twenty minutes before she switched to Donnie.

Donatello was always very gentle with her; rarely using his Bo and never going on the offensive, but always allowing Kaliyah to fight as fiercely as she could. Of course he took it all so very easily that she normally exhausted herself in the process. Kallie had always assumed that Don wasn't as athletically inclined as his other brothers. She felt ashamed and even apologized to him the first time she had sparred with the genius turtle. Donatello had taken it all in good stride and told her that he didn't mind. Kallie practiced harder and harder each time she faced Don, hoping to make up for it. And Donnie was always so very patient and Kallie was grateful for that.

Mikey was next and he was so much more fun to spar with. It was more like a dance, with Mikey lithely dodging every strike and grabbing Kallie around the waist to spin her in the opposite direction or catching her wrist and flipping her over his shoulder, catching her right before she hit the mat. And of course he teased her mercilessly the entire time. It was okay though because Kaliyah could dish it out just as easily as Mike could. She was always laughing during and after each session with Michelangelo.

Raphael was last and she was exhausted by the time it was his turn, but Kallie's pride refused to allow her to quit. Raph took it easy on her like the others did, but he was quite as gentle as the others and for that Kallie was grateful. Whoever it was that was after her wasn't going to take it easy on her and she needed to be prepared for that, and Raphael was the only one who seemed to really realize that. So Raph threw himself into the fray and Kallie was on the defensive for most of it, but she got in a few good hits. One of them even made Raph grunt a bit in pain. Kaliyah was very proud of that and Mikey snickered throughout the rest of the session. Raph of course retaliated by tossing her easily over her shoulder, allowing her to slam into the mat. It didn't hurt but it was the principal of the thing so Kaliyah grabbed his ankle and pulled with all her might, bringing Raph crashing to the ground right next to her.

"Ha." Kallie grinned.

Raph rolled his eyes but his lips were quirked up slightly as he flipped to his feet. "Lucky shot."

Mike was cackling and even Don was laughing. Raph shot them both a look which sobered Donatello up, but made Mikey laugh harder.

"Can I?" Raph asked Leo.

Leo couldn't help but smile as he shook his head yes. Raph grinned and tackled Mikey to the ground. The youngest turtle released a rather girlish shriek as the two brothers began to wrestle. Kallie walked over to Leo and grabbed the offered water bottle from him.

"I'm exhausted." She told him, sliding to the floor and leaning against the wall.

"You did really well today." He told her.

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of it." She responded.

"Master Splinter's pretty proud." Leo commented. Kallie looked up and saw the old rat smiling at her. She returned the gesture and he slipped back into the shadows and was gone without a noise.

Kallie pointed at the spot he'd just been. "Now that is what I wanna learn next."

"It takes years of practice." Leo told her.

"I don't care," said Kallie. "Can you imagine how great I'd be at hide and seek if I could do that?"

Leonardo couldn't help but laugh. "You wanna learn that for hide and seek?"

Kallie laughed back. "Are you telling me that you guys don't use that to your advantage when y'all play hide and seek?"

"What makes you think we play hide and seek?"

Kallie sent him a 'really?' type of look.

Leo put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, we've played hide and seek, but it's been ages!"

Donnie scoffed. "It's been like three weeks Leo."

"Aha!" Kallie grinned. "I knew it."

"Don't let Leo fool you," said Donatello. "He's a master at that game."

"Are we gonna sit here and talk about childish games all day or are we gonna head to the gym now?" Leo asked, his face slightly flushed and Kallie thought it was the greatest thing in the world to see Leo blushing.

"No need to turn red Captain Rule Follower," said Kaliyah with a smirk. "To the gym we go."

"How come you get to use nicknames?" Leo asked.

"I'm cooler than all of you." Was Kallie's reply.

Mikey and Raph had stopped and were now standing with the rest of the group and both of them snorted at Kallie's words.

"Whatever helps ya sleep at night Blondie." Raph told her with a smirk.

"You know, just for that you gotta sit in the back with Mikey." Kallie retorted.

"No way in hell is that gonna happen!" He informed her.

"Why do I gotta sit in the back?" Mikey asked as the group made their way to the living room.

"Cuz I said so." Kallie told him.

Mikey was about to respond with Master Splinter came into the room.

"My sons please be careful." He told the four turtles. "This is unknown territory and I fear that there is much more to this than what we are currently aware of."

"Hai Sensei." They replied.

"And Kaliyah," he turned to look her in the eyes. "Listen very carefully to every instruction that you receive from my sons."

"Of course." She promised.

He gave her a stern look. "I mean every instruction. If you are told to run, then you are to run. If you are told to stay back, then you are to stay back."

"Alright, I will." She responded, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. She already knew all of this, had been told all of this before by Leonardo. Well, now she knew where he got it from.

"Do not attempt to throw yourself into battle if it is unnecessary. You have come far, but you are still a novice. Do I make myself clear?" He asked, just as stern as before but this time his eyes held something she had never seen before. Fear.

"Hai Sensei." Kallie replied, bowing her head. Splinter's expression softened at that and he nodded at her.

He turned back to his sons and started speaking to them in a different language. Kallie wasn't good at knowing other languages but she had a feeling it was Japanese. And the fact that he was speaking in Japanese informed her that whatever it was he was saying it was about her and he didn't want her to know. Leonardo responded in the same language, then it was Splinter's turn to say a few more things before all four of his sons responded, "Hai Sensei."

"Good luck." Splinter said in English.

"We'll call you if we have to go to Fort Drum." Leo told his father.

"Drive safely." He told them.

Kallie waved goodbye and turned to follow the others out of the lair. Well, she thought to herself, here goes nothing!

OoOoOoO

Kaliyah had no problems picking up the van and it only took Donatello a few minutes to hook up everything he needed to on the inside. The gym was only a few minutes away from the rental place so they immediately made their way there first. Mikey was in the seat directly behind the driver and Donnie and Leo were all the way in the back. Mike had strict instructions not to go back there unless otherwise instructed to. Apparently he tended to touch things he wasn't supposed to. Raph was next to Mikey, but was insisting to take the front seat if they had to drive to Fort Drum. They would be traveling at night so it would be easier to be concealed was his reasoning and Leonardo didn't have a problem with it, so Kallie didn't argue.

"Alright, go in check the combination and then come right back." Leo instructed her.

Kallie nodded while Donnie finished pinning the small hidden camera on her hoodie. He then gave her an ear piece. "Just speak normally and we'll be able to hear you. The camera is a lot wider than it looks so don't worry, we'll be able to see everything you're seeing." He told her.

"Thanks Brainiac. And you really think it's the 86 44 08?" She asked.

"Positive." He answered. "Your Dad put them in that order in his letters for a reason. Of course, try it 08 44 86 too just in case, but try and follow his orders exactly."

"If you need any help just say the code word." Leo said.

Kallie couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I know."

"And what is the code word?" He asked.

Kaliyah sighed heavily. "Firecracker. And may I add that this is the lamest code word in the history of history!"

"It is not!" Leo argued.

"I agree with Blondie." Raph commented.

"I second that." Mikey added.

Kaliyah grinned at the leader turtle before throwing him a mock salute. "See you in a few!"

"Be careful!" Leo called out as she got out of the van.

"She's gonna be fine Leo." Michelangelo told his big brother.

Leo looked down at Mike and smiled. "I know Mikey, I just worry sometimes."

Mikey snorted. "That's the understatement of the century."

The brothers laughed before falling into silence as Kaliyah entered the gym.

OoOoOoO

Getting back to her and her dad's old locker was too easy in Kaliyah's opinion. The manager greeted her warmly and even hugged her before offering his condolences once more. He had come to the funeral and it was nice to see a familiar face. Kallie was constantly looking over her shoulder to ensure that she wasn't being followed or anything. She finally made it back to the locker room and she felt her arms shaking.

"It's okay Kallie, we're right here." Donnie's calm voice came over the little ear piece.

Kallie nodded and took a deep breath before saying, "Here goes nothing guys."

Kallie slowly entered the combination in, her hands sweating and her arms shaking, the weight of what was happening almost overwhelming her.

But nothing happened.

The combination didn't work, so Kallie tried the combination in reverse, and then switched the numbers in a different order. But nothing worked.

"I don't think this is it guys." Kallie whispered.

"Neither do we. Well, I guess just come back. We'll go to the lair and wait until midnight then check the school next." Don replied.

"I wanna try one last thing." She told him.

She entered in her birthday and it worked. The lock came undone and Kallie quickly threw open the door. Inside was an old pair of tennis shoes of hers and then her dad's old army hoodie. Kallie slowly took the items out, throwing the shoes away but clutching the hoodie like a life line.

It still smelled like him.

Kallie's throat felt thick all of a sudden and she was trying to keep the tears at bay as she sped out of the gym and back into the van. Slamming the door shut, Kallie pushed her back against the driver's side seat. Four pairs of eyes were staring intently at her, worry filling each expression. It was then that Kaliyah noticed she was breathing harshly, panting almost.

"M'fine." She got out.

"Is that your dads?" Mikey asked.

Kallie nodded.

"Looks kinda ragged," said Mike. And before anyone could cry out in rage, he continued. "You must've kicked his ass every time you two played basketball."

Kallie looked at him, feeling the corners of her mouth lifting. Leave it to Mikey to know exactly how to turn a rather heart breaking moment into a moment of happiness and laughter.

"Damn right I did," Kaliyah responded. "The old man could never keep up with me."

"Dude, we are so going to have to play a little one on one when this is over." Michelangelo replied.

Kallie full on grinned at him then. "You are so on."

Mike returned the grin and Kallie started the van, driving back to the lair, a comfortable silence stretching between the five of them.

Once they were back at the lair, Leonardo explained to Master Splinter that gym was a bust and that if the high school proved to hold nothing that they were going to go straight to Fort Drum. Kallie played video games with Mikey until it was time to go. The four turtles and the young human all piled into the van once more, heading for her old high school.

"So road trip if this place sucks as much as the last?" Mikey asked.

"Seems like it." Donnie replied.

"Awesome!" Mikey punched the air. Leo smiled and Raphael rolled his eyes.

"I call shot gun." Raph replied.

"What makes you think it'll be safe to sit up front?" Leo asked.

"Cuz it'll be dark by then, no one's gonna be on the road this late at night." Raph answered.

"He's got a point." Don added.

"Why can't I sit up front?" Mike demanded.

"I called it first shell for brains."

"No fighting in the van!" Kallie called, eyeing the two turtles in the back. She just knew they'd start a wrestling match given the chance.

The drive to the high school was relatively quick, only taking 15 minutes. Kallie was getting nervous as she parked the van and followed the four boys out of the car.

"So what next?" Kallie asked.

Mikey smirked at her before whipping his hand out, grabbing her wrist and flinging her onto his back. "You hold on tight and enjoy the ride."

And with that they were off; soaring through the air, twisting around ladders, jumping off of the sides of the building, running across the rooftop before finally arriving at their destination. Mikey flipped Kallie over his shoulder and caught her bridal style before winking and setting her back on the ground.

"I don't think I'm going to ever get used to that." Kallie told him, feeling winded even though she didn't do anything.

Michelangelo laughed. "You'll survive."

"Alright, Donnie you're in charge of security so what's the plan?" Leo asked.

"I've got a scrambler; you'll have exactly two minutes to get in once I've turned it on. It'll be too dangerous to leave it on the entire time you're in there so you'll need to stick to the shadows. I have a map that highlights the areas that are safe for travel. Every two minutes I'll turn the scrambler back on, giving you time to dash across the halls and then get the combination in. I'll send a text to Leo each time I turn the scrambler on so you will know when it's safe."

Leo nodded. "Great. Do you need someone to cover you?"

"No, I'm good."

Leo looked mildly dubious. Donnie sighed. "I'm fine Leo, I promise."

Leo relented and turned to Kallie and the other two turtles. "We'll go in through the skylight in the cafeteria. Kallie's old locker is only two hallway's down from there. We'll follow Donnie's instructions to the T, understood?" Nods were given from the others. "Once we're there we'll wait for the next scrambler round and Kallie will put in the combination as quickly as possible. Once we're done we'll come back through the skylight. Donnie, alert us if anything goes on up here alright?"

"Can do." Donatello replied.

"Let's go."

Raphael pried the skylight window open, surprisingly without breaking anything, and before Kaliyah could ask how they were getting down there he grabbed her and jumped through the now open window. She didn't even have time to scream as they landed lightly and silently on top of a cafeteria table, Leo and Mike not far behind.

"Warn a girl next time." Kallie hissed at the red banded turtle.

"Suck it up Blondie." Raph replied with a smirk.

"Can it you two." Leo said before Kaliyah could interrupt. "We need to get moving." Leo's phone went off and they knew the scrambler was now on, Leo signaled for them to follow him and they were off.

Kallie was having a hard time deciphering Leo's hand signals. Of course, Mikey and Raph knew exactly what he was wanting them all to do, but Kaliyah was lost. Numerous times one of the three brothers had to grab her arm and pull her back into the shadows. Raphael was getting frustrated, which was frustrating Kallie and making her lose her temper, snapping back at Raph anytime he snapped at her. Leo was getting impatient and Mikey was trying to play peacemaker.

"That's it." Raphael snarled before grabbing Kallie and tossing her on his back.

"I can walk!" She insisted.

"Yer slowin' us down." He hissed back at her.

"Your face is slowing us down!" She retorted. Mikey snorted and Leo rolled his eyes. Raph didn't even dignify that with an answer. She didn't really blame him.

"We're here." Leo announced suddenly.

Raphael set the human down and the four of them waited for Donnie's text. Luckily they didn't have to wait long.

"You have two minutes Kallie, go." Leo urged her.

Kallie ran up to the locker and tried the combination, her hands shaking just like with the gym. And to her surprise, it clicked open. She turned to the three turtles, her cerulean eyes wide with fear and anticipation. She quickly threw the locker door open and reached inside, only to pull out a single piece of paper. She unfolded it as fast as she could and read:

FD

The two letters repeated themselves over and over again, covering the entire sheet of paper. That wasn't the worst part though…it was all in her dad's hand writing. She recognized it immediately and felt the air knocked right out of her. Leo and the others made their way towards her and Raphael grabbed the paper from her hands, showing it to his brothers.

"What does this mean?" Raphael asked.

Leo's timer went off and soon Kallie found herself once again, swung onto the shell of Raph as they bounded for their exit. They didn't stop this time for anything and Raph launched himself and Kallie up through the skylight and back onto the rooftop.

"Road trip?" Donatello asked.

Leo handed him the paper with 'FD' written all over it. "Road trip." He confirmed.

"FD…Fort Drum?" Raph asked.

"Looks like it." said Leo.

"The combination worked then I'm guessing." Donatello commented.

"Yeah." Kallie murmured.

"Well whatever it is the Foot and the Purple Dragons want is obviously at Fort Drum," said Mike. "The question is what exactly is it that they're wanting?"

"We're not even sure it's the Foot though Mikey," said Leo. "Or the Purple Dragons for the matter."

"Ya think it could be someone else Fearless?" Raphael asked.

"I think they're involved, but I don't think they're orchestrating this." Leo answered.

"What makes you think that?" Kallie asked softly, still reeling. She had always known that whatever it was they were looking for was at Fort Drum, but seeing the paper with her father's hand writing had sent her reeling. The writing was scrawled and messy, just like his normal hand writing but…but there was something desperate about the way he had written this. The other side of the paper was raised where he had obviously pushed too hard with the pen. It seemed as if he was scared as he had written this down. And Kaliyah's dad was the most fearless person she had ever met.

Thinking of her dad being scared absolutely terrified Kaliyah.

"This is too well organized for the Purple Dragons and not straightforward enough for the Foot," Leo answered. "The Foot wouldn't beat around the bush like this. That means someone is asking them to stay back."

"Leo's right," Donnie added. "And the Purple Dragons probably just saw you as an attractive female they wanted to do harm to and that's why they were pursuing you."

Mikey nodded. "Donnie's right. You're hot and that's why they were chasing you. I don't think they have anything to do with this combination thing."

"So then someone's hirin' the Foot and gettin' them to do their dirty work." Raph supplied.

Leo nodded.

"Don't know which is scarier, the fact that the Foot are involved or that someone even more devious and calculating than the Foot are pulling the strings." Mikey commented, barely suppressing a shiver.

It was then that Kaliyah remembered that Mikey didn't exactly have a good past with the Foot. Actually that was an understatement; he had been utterly tortured for a week by their little leader.

"She won't go near you Michelangelo." Leo told him, his voice dangerous and low.

Mikey looked up at his big brother and offered him a smile. Leo nodded at him before turning to Kallie. "You ready for another five and a half hours of driving?"

"Yeah." She replied hoarsely.

Leo grasped her shoulders before tipping her chin up to look at him. "We're gonna figure this out."

"I know."

"We'll be right there with you," said Leo. "You won't be alone, alright?"

Kallie nodded clumsily. Leo then held his arms out, offering to carry her for once and Kallie eagerly jumped right in, hugging his neck tightly as the group descended the roof and back to the parking lot. Kallie knew Leonardo was strong, but she couldn't help but be amazed at how firm his arms felt. They were sure, steady, and rock solid. She felt safe and cared for, protected even. It was a nice feeling and Kallie savored it.

They all piled in the van and true to his word, Raphael climbed up front and gave Kallie a slight cock of his head, silently asking her if she was okay. Kallie nodded and smiled at him before starting up the car and turning it to an Indie station on the radio. Raph looked at her incredulously and went to turn the station. Kallie slapped his hand away and he yelped, pulling his injured appendage to his chest and scowling at her.

"Driver picks the music; shot-gun shuts his cake hole." She told him.

Mikey cackled in the background and Kaliyah just smirked.

"Did ya come up with that all by yaself?"

"I'm witty, get over it." She retorted.

"I'm gonna regret sittin' up here ain't I?"

Kallie smiled widely at him. "You have no idea."

She turned it up louder, Raph groaning dramatically, and sped off towards Fort Drum…and towards the answers she so desperately needed.