A/N: Alright, this chapter got away from me! I wrote most of it in a notebook while I was work. Lol. It's rather long and I hope y'all don't mind! I also did a bit of shameless self-promoting in this chapter. The whole Karai thing in this story was something I have written. It's called A Night To Remember and if you wanna read it be my guest. =]] Enjoy my lovelies!

Disclaimer: I don't own nuttin'

Chapter 17: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back.

The drive to Ft. Drum was rather interesting. Mikey had suckered them all into playing 20 questions for the first half hour. Of course it was pitch black outside so their options were limited. After the 7th time Mikey had chosen Kallie as his 20 question object she had ended the game. They moved on to name that movie quote but that too had to end since no one could guess all the obscure movies Michelangelo had chosen. They were 3 ½ hours into the trip when the energetic turtle had finally fallen asleep. Donnie was still in the back, studying his laptop intently. Raph was up front next to her, just looking out the window. Leo was behind them and he currently had a snoozing Mikey resting his head on the leader's shoulder. Leonardo was slowly running his fingers through Mikey's bandana tails, a small smile on his face. Kallie couldn't help but keep sneaking glances at the two brothers.

It was just too stinkin' sweet.

It was really nice to see such tenderness from Leo. He normally had his leader persona on all the time so it was great to see him just being a big brother.

"He's really good with him." Kallie commented softly.

Raph looked at her quizzically.

"Leo. He's really good with Mikey." She clarified. Raphael snuck a glance at his brothers before shrugging.

"He makes it easy."

"Who does?"

"Mikey."

"Oh yeah?" Asked Kallie, amused.

Raph smirked slightly. "Yeah, the little punk isn't as annoying when he's sleepin'."

Kaliyah couldn't help but laugh at that.

"He's also pretty great at times." Raph mumbled, almost so quietly that Kallie almost didn't hear him.

"You care about him a lot don't you?"

Raph rolled his eyes. "Let's not get girly and all touchy feely."

Kallie laughed but looked at him as if she was waiting for him to continue. Leonardo chuckled from behind and Raph shot his older brother a look which Leo merely smiled at before shaking his head, his fingers still idly playing with Mikey's bandana tails.

"We're all a little closer to him than we used to be," said Raphael. "Not that we weren't close before," he amended rather quickly. "We're just closer now because of the whole Karai thing."

"What exactly happened?" Kaliyah asked. Mike had told her the gist of it after that nightmare he had but Kallie wanted to know everything now, especially if there were a possibility of her being involved with this whole thing. Raphael shifted uncomfortably in his seat before glancing at Leo. The leader gave a quick nod of his head. Raph took a deep breath and then stared ahead.

"Mikey wanted to go to this stupid Halloween party in Central Park and we all went with him to make sure he didn't get into any trouble," Raph explained. "We got ambushed on our way home…and uh…they got Mikey and disappeared before we could do anything…"

Kallie could tell that this was really hard for Raph.

"We searched everywhere, but we couldn't find him. He was stuck with Karai for a friggin' week before we found him," Raphael continued. "A full 7 days of pure hell for him."

"What did she do to him?" Kaliyah finally asked. Leo cleared his throat and Kallie saw him wrap an arm around Mike's shoulders. Raphael was still staring straight ahead, a haunting look in his eyes. Kallie could tell she wouldn't like the rest of the story.

"She uh…she injected this…this toxin into him that um…that like…burned through his body. He called it the 'juice of doom.' It…well…it literally made him feel like he was on fire," said Raph. He was digging his fingers into the seat, Kallie could see his knuckles flexing so fiercely they were turning white. "When he wasn't being injected with that crap he was fried like a friggin' potato."

"What do you mean?"

"She hooked him up to some kinda shock machine, like at old mental hospitals." He told her.

"So…they electrocuted him?" Kaliyah asked in disbelief.

"Used 50,000 volts." A quiet voiced added. It was Donatello. "I could tell by the burn marks."

"And he survived that?!"

"The average human can withstand anywhere between 20,000 and 30,000," Don commented in a sad tone. "It doesn't surprise me we can withstand more."

"Thee ooze?" Kallie asked.

"It changed, strengthened, and enhanced everything about us. I'm still amazed at what we can do at times."

"She had him beaten to a bloody pulp sometimes too." Raph added. "One of those three things happened to him every day for a week. Multiple times a day at that."

Kallie was absolutely horrified. She knew that something bad had happened to him, but she no idea it was something of that magnitude.

"He still can't see a needle without practically having a seizure." Leonardo added softly.

"So the nightmares…" Kallie trailed off.

"95% of the time is about her." Don finished.

"Poor Mikey." Kallie replied, wanting desperately to hold on to the young turtle and never let go, to keep him safe from anyone ever hurting him again. The fierce protectiveness that Kaliyah felt shocked her. She hadn't felt this way about anyone in a very long time. She didn't even really feel that way towards Maggie, and Kallie considered her to be her closest friend.

"We're just a little more cautious when it comes to him now." Leo commented.

"I can see why." Kallie responded.

Mikey made a soft, sleepy kind of sound and burrowed further into the crook of Leo's neck. Leo moved his head, making room for his little brother.

"The Foot are not to be taken lightly." The blue banded turtle said.

"And you think they're a part of this?" Kallie asked.

"Sounds like em', especially after that attack a few weeks ago." Raphael answered.

"All of this because of some stupid combination! And who the hell knows what it's even hiding?!" Kallie exasperated.

"Hopefully we'll be finding out soon." Don's soft voice replied.

OoOoOoO

Mikey slept the rest of the trip and had to be roused by Leo. The five of them found the base easily and since Kallie was still under the age of 23 her military ID card still worked. The guys completely disappeared inside of the van somehow and didn't reappear until they were past the gates.

"That was close." Kallie commented. "We're lucky we didn't get chosen for a random car search."

"Does that happen often?" Michelangelo asked.

Kallie nodded. "All the time since 9/11."

"So where're we headed Blondie?" Raph asked.

"Well my dad's unit is on the other side of post and his old locker should still be there," said Kaliyah. "If he was trying to keep something safe and hidden then I'm 100% sure that it'll be in that locker."

"Hope it's not some bio-medical bomb type thing." Mike commented.

"What?!" Kallie demanded, her heart pounding at the thought that her dad could be harboring something that deadly.

Raph reached back and smacked Michelangelo upside the head.

"OW! What?" The youngest turtle demanded.

"Yer freakin' her out!"

"Oh, oops." Mikey responded, looking sympathetically at the blonde girl in front of him. "Sorry Kallie. I'm sure it's not anything like that."

"He wouldn't have left you to find something that would hurt you." Leonardo said.

"How do you know? What if he was forced to?" Kallie asked, feeling herself getting hysterical.

"Because he loved ya! Jeez, I think the blonde musta seeped into yer brain." Raph replied with an eye roll.

"No seat belt checks!" Donatello yelled out before Kallie could do just that. "I have sensitive equipment back here!" Kallie eased her foot away from the brake.

"You're freaking lucky Donnie's back there to save your ass from eating the windshield." Kallie told Raph with a scowl.

Raph scoffed. "Yer lucky yer drivin' to save yer ass from eating that steering wheel."

"Leave it." Leo warned from the back.

"I didn't even say anything!" Kallie protested.

"You were going to." Leo replied.

Kallie resisted the urge to flip him off as they finally arrived to her dad's old headquarters.

"This is it." Kaliyah announced, her heart racing.

"So what's the plan?" Mikey asked.

"Wait until tonight to break in." Leo replied.

"So what do we do till then?" Kaliyah asked.

"I suggest we scope that place out first, then get a room to rest in."

"Why not break in now?" Kallie asked, not really wanting to wait.

"Because it's filled with military trained personnel." Leo replied dryly.

"And? Y'all are highly trained ninjitsu warriors!" Kallie exclaimed, then looked at Raph and pointed at his chest. "Don't let that get to your head, I'm just trying to make a point."

And before Raph could even make a comment Leo interrupted him with an answer. "Ninjitsu is more than just physical force, it's also about strategy. We've been driving all night and some rest would do us all some good."

"The faster we get in the faster this is all finally over." Kallie told him.

"I know. And I know you are ready for this to be over, but we need to be smart about this." Leo replied.

"But—"

Leo put his hand up. "This isn't up for discussion."

Kallie scowled furiously at him before slamming the van into reverse and peeling out of the parking lot. There was a hotel on post, though it was called a guest house, and Kallie had known the manager since she had stayed there so much when visiting her dad. Luckily Mr. Greene was still the manager and was currently working the front desk.

"Kaliyah? Little Kaliyah Miller?" The older man exclaimed, enveloping Kallie in a bear hug.

Kallie hugged him back just as fiercely. "It's been a while. It's good to see you Mr. Greene."

He pulled back and beamed down at her. "You are a sight for sore eyes! How ya doin' kid?"

"I'm fine."

"I'm so sorry about your dad Kallie." He told her, his eyes growing soft.

"Thanks. I'm actually here to get a few things I think he might've left. I've been driving all night though and could use a place to get some rest. I might be here all weekend."

"Oh you know you will always have a room here Kallie! And if you are gonna be here all weekend I'm taking you out to dinner. Mrs. Greene will be furious with me if she finds out I've seen you and she hasn't!"

Kallie laughed at that. Mrs. Greene could be a pretty terrifying woman, but she was the sweetest person on this planet. "I'd love that."

Mr. Greene hugged her once more before booking a room for her and giving her a key. Kallie thanked him and promised to catch up with him later. The room was one she had stayed in before. Her mind was flooded with memories of her mother and father and her being together and happy; watching movies, playing scrabble, epic tickle fights that she lost, and a plethora of other memories. She had just set her own duffle bag on one of the beds and turned to close the door when she heard movement behind. She whirled around quickly and saw all four turtles looking as if they had been there for hours.

"Jeez guys!" Kallie exclaimed before shutting and locking the door. "What have I told y'all about sneaking around?!"

"What have we told you about paying better attention to your surroundings?" Leo countered.

Kallie glared at him and pointed her finger at his chest. "Hey, your speaking privileges have been revoked."

Leo looked amused. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. You pissed me off and you're not allowed to talk anymore for the rest of the day."

"Good luck with that Blondie, I've been trying to do that for years." Raph muttered.

She turned on the red banded turtle next. "Be careful or your next."

Raph merely rolled his eyes. Mikey was lounging on the other bed while Don was at the little table still staring at his laptop.

"Alright guys, let's get a few hours of sleep. It's 7am now and we've got a good 15 hours before we can even think about breaking in," said Leonardo. "We'll go through some practice drills and maybe even a meditation session or two throughout the day."

"Dude, a nap sounds great." Mikey said, stretching his arms above his head and closing his eyes.

"Mikey, you slept almost the entire way here." Donatello said with a wry smile.

"Hey, I gotta get my beauty sleep."

"And obviously he needs a lot of it." Raph retorted with a wink at Kallie.

"Nowhere near as much as you need." Mikey replied without opening his eyes.

"Off the computer Donnie." Leo instructed the genius. Don looked up and Leo saw that his eyes were red. He knew that his little brother had been staring at that screen non-stop for at least 7 hours. Don yawned and closed his laptop before flopping himself down on the other bed. Raphael was stretched out on the couch that occupied the corner and Leo settled himself in the armchair next to it. Kallie slipped into the bathroom, changing into a pair of sweats and a baggy t-shirt. She pulled her long blonde hair into a knot on top of her head. She looked into the mirror and frowned.

She looked exhausted.

Her normally pale skin was even paler, she had dark shadows under eyes, and she could see the tension in her shoulders. Mr. I'm The Boss Get Over It was probably going to stay awake the whole time just to make sure the rest of them went to sleep, Kallie figured. And as much as she hated to admit that he was right, sleep didn't exactly sound like too bad of an idea. The only down side was that she really didn't want to have any nightmares. She had been having them almost every night for the past week. She sighed and walked back into the room. Don was snoring slightly, already passed out. Raphael's breathing seemed pretty even as well. Kallie looked at Leo next and knew immediately the oldest turtle was still awake. She looked at Mikey after that and he opened one eye and scooted over, motioning for her to lie down. She slipped under the covers and curled her back against Mikey's chest. The orange banded turtle pulled her hair out of its knot on top of her head.

"Oi." She murmured indignantly.

Mikey started fiddling with her hair. "I like playing with it."

Kallie laughed softly. "Really? It's so long and unruly."

She could feel Michelangelo shrug. "It's pretty and curly."

Kallie didn't say anything. In all honesty it felt kinda nice having Mikey play with her hair. When she was younger her mom and dad would stroke her hair whenever she was sick or sad, and it never failed to soothe her right to sleep.

"I don't wanna go to sleep." She whispered to Mike.

For some reason she felt like she could be kinda open to the youngest turtle. He seemed to be able to relate to whatever it was she was going through. And he always made her feel better. No matter what was going on at the time, she always felt better after talking with Mikey.

"Nightmares?" He asked.

She shook her head yes. "They're terrifying."

"I know."

"I hate them."

"I know." He responded.

"I don't want to sleep."

"I'm right here."

Mikey never tried to have an explanation or a false promise of hope. It was always 'I know' or 'I'm here,' never an 'It'll be okay' or 'Things will get better.' And it was because he knew it wasn't okay and that there was a possibility that things wouldn't get better. But he could promise that he understood and that he would be there for her.

Soon Kallie heard Michelangelo singing softly in Japanese. She had no idea what he was saying but she couldn't help but notice that Mike had a very nice singing voice. It was a bit deeper than his normal tone of voice, but it was clear and quite lovely. Mikey sang softly while stroking her hair and soon Kallie found herself whisked away to a nightmare free sleep.

OoOoOoO

The five of them slept for about six hours before Leonardo woke them all up and urged them to practice with a few sparring sessions. There was a field surrounded by thick trees that was pretty well hidden where they practiced. Kallie only did one session with Leo and of course it was all about defense again. She grumbled and complained but Leo didn't budge. After their sparring sessions they went back inside to meditate. And for once Mikey and Raph listened. Normally they only pretended to meditate, but this time they did exactly as their leader instructed them.

This terrified Kallie.

They were worried. It was the only explanation. And if they were worried then that must mean they really thought something bad was going to happen. Kallie tried to meditate as well but her mind was racing. She was finally going to know what this combination was hiding. She was finally going to know just who was involved in all of this; who burned down her apartment, who threatened her mom. Kaliyah was more than ready to finally end everything, but now she was starting to feel as if this was just going to be the beginning.

"Kallie?" A voice pulled her from her musings.

"Hm?"

"You ready?" Leo asked.

"Is it time already?"

Leo nodded.

"Let's do this then."

And they were on the road and parking in front of her dad's old barracks before she could even blink. They piled out of the van and quickly made their way to the back of the building. Once there, Donnie got out his laptop and quickly punched in a few keys before making a sound of victory.

"Success?" Mikey asked.

"Success." Don confirmed with a smile.

"What did you do?" Kallie asked.

"Hacked into their security system."

"You hacked into a military security system?" Kallie demanded, slightly appalled yet slightly impressed as well.

Don blushed and nodded sheepishly. "I uh…I've done it before…"

Kallie rolled her eyes. "Of course you have."

"Alright, we get in and we get out. Kallie will help lead the way. Mikey, you cover the sides." Mike nodded and Leo continued. "Donnie's got surveillance but will be following us, covering the back. Raph will be directly behind Kallie and I'll cover the front, following her directions."

"Why ya always gotta be up front Fearless?" Raph asked.

Leonardo sighed. "Raph, is now really the time?"

"Look, I ain't sayin' ya can't do it or anything. I'm just sayin' maybe give someone else the seemingly more dangerous job."

"Here they go again." Mike murmured.

"And I suppose that someone else means you?" Leo asked wryly.

"Yeah, me. I'm bigger than all of ya, I could make it easy for ya to escape if need be."

"What by sacrificing yourself?" Leo scoffed. "Fat chance that'll happen Raph. You'll be behind Kallie."

"That's not what I'm sayin'—"

"Then what are you saying Raphael?"

"Don't full name me Leonardo." Raph sneered. "Yer not the only competent one on this team!"

"I never said I was!"

"Yer actions always say otherwise!"

"My actions? My actions?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kallie's voice boomed through the argument. The four turtles whipped their heads to stare incredulously at her. Raph and Leo's jaws were dropped completely open.

"Both of you just shut the hell up! This is no time for arguing alright?" Kallie told them, her temper beyond flared. Raph opened his mouth but Kallie stopped him with a scowl. "What did I just say? Shut the hell up! This isn't about you two alright? This is about me and my family! And speaking of family, what are you two doing?! You're family! You're brothers! Get over and get along!"

"Kallie you don't underst—" Leo tried.

"Save it Blue Boy. Just because you say something doesn't freakin' make it law alright? And just because someone asks questions about your plan doesn't mean they're undermining your authority! It's okay to question orders to better understand why you ordered them in the first place!"

Leo said nothing, just stood there looking shamefaced. Raph had a slight smirk on his face and that increased Kallie's anger.

"And you," she pointed at Raph. "Wipe that smirk off your face before I do it for you! You don't have to question every little thing he does alright? Did you ever stop and think that the reason he puts himself out there first is to protect you?"

"I don't need prot—"

"Everyone needs protection sometimes and that includes you! Just because he doesn't choose you to be on the front lines doesn't mean he thinks you're incompetent! He would rather something bad happen to him than for something bad to happen to you! That's called love, not arrogance!" Kallie finished. Her throat felt raw from all the yelling and she was shaking with anger. These two had royally pissed her off.

"Whoa." Mikey finally said after a few minutes of silence. "Remind me never to piss you off!"

"And if you two do this again I swear I will turn this van around!" Kallie added.

The sides of Raph's and Leo's mouths both quirked up slightly, Kallie tried hard to maintain her scowl.

"Oh c'mon Kallie that was funny!" Mikey responded.

"I'm still pissed, no laughing!" Kallie told him, trying desperately to keep from smiling.

"Let's go guys." Leo said. He gave a nod to Kallie which Kallie took as an apology and nodded back at him. Raph did the same thing before setting to work and picking the lock to the back door. They were inside in less than 2 seconds.

"Which way?" Don asked.

"Dad's locker is on the second floor, first room on the right. That's where all of the higher ranking NCO's lockers were."

"Lead the way oh Woman of Tempers." Mike said, slightly bowing to Kallie. Kallie rolled her eyes and ducked her head to hide the smile on her face.

They quickly ran up the stairs and Kallie wrenched open the door to the old locker room before leading the turtles to her dad's old locker.

"This is it!" Kallie exclaimed.

"Be careful." Raphael told her as she immediately started the combination.

There was a click and the locker opened. Kallie's heart was pounding and her breathing was shallow as she opened the small door and looked inside. The locker was holding a small jewelry type of box, one that looked like it would hold an engagement ring. Kallie looked around and couldn't see anything else. She reached inside and grabbed the small box, turning and facing the guys.

"What's in it?" Michelangelo asked.

"Let's find out." Kallie replied. She took a deep, shaky breath and then felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Raph looking intently down at her. He was trying to comfort her and in all honesty she did feel a little bit better with the small comforting touch. She nodded at him and opened the box.

"It's…it's a key…" Kallie breathed. It was indeed a key; a very old and very heavy looking key. Kallie picked it up and it was indeed heavy for a key.

"A key?" Don exclaimed.

"But what's it for?" Mikey asked.

"I dunno…I've…I've never seen it before." Kaliyah responded.

Leonardo took the box and examined it. He pulled the small pillow out and out dropped a folded up piece of paper. He picked it up and quickly opened it up, him and Raph scanning it before the leader looked up and handed it to Kallie. Kallie reached out and took it.

Kaliyah,

Hey kid, if you're reading this then I'm already gone. And I am so, so sorry. Just know, that you are the greatest thing that ever happened to me okay? I am so proud of you kid. I love you and there is nothing I wouldn't have done for you. But now I have to ask you for something. I can only trust you with this Kaliyah. This key unlocks a box that holds something very important. The coordinates for the box are written on something very important that I gave you. I can't disclose what it is in this letter. But I can give you a hint. Remember what I gave you for Christmas four years ago? It's there. Try to remember kid. I'm counting on you. I love you so much Kaliyah. Be brave daughter. For me.

Love,

Dad.

Kallie could feel tears pouring down her face. She could hear choking noises and realized that they were coming from her. She was sobbing; literally sobbing. She could hardly breathe and soon she was enveloped by strong hands and her face was met with plastron. She didn't know who had hugged her, but soon she felt three other figures move around her and she was completely surrounded with arms grabbing on to her, reassuring her.

"It's okay Kallie." She heard Mikey whisper.

"We're here fer ya Blondie." Came Raph's reply.

"We're gonna help you." Donnie said.

"We'll do this together." Leo added.

Kallie pushed back and looked up at the four brothers through tear filled eyes. "This is pretty much a wild goose chase."

"Good thing I'm fast then huh?" Mikey replied.

Kallie couldn't help but laugh.

Raphael reached out and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Let's go get that Christmas present."