A/N: Wow, so I just realized that it's almost been a month since I last updated. And I thought that since school was out I'd be writing more. Sorry.

Chapter 13

"I'm home," Jay called as he walked into his apartment later the next morning. He'd made the trip topside alone, opting to leave the Shard in the protective custody of the turtles, where Kape could help Donatello with preparations for the upcoming battle, thought she was loath to be separated from her Guardian after finally being reunited.

"Jay Cogen," a woman with long dark hair pulled into a tangled pony tail called as she stomped into the room.

"Oooo, you're in trouble," a girl about twelve with the same dark hair taunted from the doorway of her room. Jay glared at his sister who ducked back into her room and closed the door, but he knew she would be listening closely.

"Hi, mom," Jay said as the woman in question stood before him.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" she demanded before throwing her arms around her son.

"Sorry mom," Jay said returning the hug. "I should have called sooner."

"And next time you decide to stay out, you will," she pulled away with her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. But the frown broke into a smile as she took in her son. "So how was it? You're finally making friends?"

"Finally?"

"It's just, you never seemed to get too close to any other kids your age before."

"So?"

"So . . ." she ruffled his hair, "I think you're starting to grow up."

"Seriously?" Jay asked flattening out his hair again. "I'm not turning ten, mom."

"Get cleaned up," she replied with a wave of her hand as she walked into the kitchen. "I've got some breakfast for you before you head out again."

Without another word, Jay slipped into his room and closed the door. The space was small and cluttered, and should really be cleaned, but he had more important things on his mind.

He dumped his backpack onto the ground, adding to the mess and opened his closet. He shuffled around boxes until he found the one he was looking for at the very bottom where he hid it. He dragged it out and placed it on his bed, but the creaking of the door opening made him freeze, then spin around to confront the intruder.

"Sarah!" Jay exclaimed as he spied the set of eyes peering through the doorway. "Go away!"

"Oh, come on," his sister chided as she slipped into his room and taunted, "You got in trouble."

"I did not," Jay said, turning his back to her.

"Did too," she inspected him closely. "So what were you doing out so late?"

"Fighting aliens," Jay admitted, rolling his eyes.

Sarah scoffed. "Yeah right. Seriously, what were you doing? Are these new friends of yours in a gang or something? Drugs? Or were you out at a bar or something?"

"No, don't be a brat."

"Then what were you doing?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you."

"If you don't, I'm gonna tell mom you were out getting drunk."

"Like she'd believe that," Jay sighed. "I was just sleeping over at a friend's house."

"Friend got a name?"

"You won't know him. Why do you care?"

"Can't I be worried about who my dear brother spends his time with?"

"You could, but you don't."
"True. . . so who is he."

Jay shook his head before shoving her out and slamming the door.

"Hey!"

Why are sisters do annoying? Jay wondered as a sense of fondness enveloped him. He turned his attention back to the box he'd fished out of his closet and the fondness became sombre. If only it didn't have to end . . .

With hesitant hands, he lifted the lid off the box and inspected the objects that had stayed with him for as long as he could remember.

Lying on a ragged blanket, covered in dust, sat a cylinder of metal with a hand grip and a pair of fingerless gauntlets with tubes running along them that connecting at the palms. The only items that survived the passage through the Hyper Vacuum, the ones that he'd never had to use since he jumped. But the time had come to fight. It was time he took up arms and fought to protect the balance of the universe. The balance of Light and Dark.

At the same time, he couldn't help but thing that this was the last time he'd ever see his family.

"Jay!" his mother called. "Your breakfast is ready!"

Oo-oO

The day of planning and preparation passed too quickly and before they knew it, the sun had vanished. The night was brisk and the sky was clouded, leaving a damp haze around the empty street where the group of defenders had chosen as their battle ground. April O'Neil adjusted the belt of the sac tied around her waist that held the Shard. She could feel the warmth as Kape began charging her power that they would need to maintain their merged form, retreating deep within herself until she was needed.

"You ready for this?" Jay asked, coming up behind April. He adjusted the weird fingerless gauntlets that he had retrieved from his home along with the length of metal that was strapped to his belt, his weapons for the upcoming battle. They were the only ones on the roof while the Turtles and Casey made sure their army was in place.

"As ready as I'll ever be," April sighed, looking up at the clouds in the night sky. "How strong is this Kentoki really? You've gone up against him before, right?"

"Yeah," Jay remembered. "He's strong. A monster, really. Many believe that only the full power of Light will be able to defeat him, but I think we'll be able to hold out own." He eyes grew distant before muttering, "As long as you can hold him back long enough."

"Long enough for what?" April asked, turning to him.

He started, realizing that he'd said it aloud. "Oh, nothing," he covered lamely, settling to stare up into the night sky, as if looking for something he wasn't sure was there. April was about to confront him about what was bothering him, but he suddenly turned back to her. "Listen, April, if anything happens, can you look after Kape?"

"What do you mean," April said, taken off guard. "What's going to happen?"

"No, nothing," Jay shook his head, before looking back out to the skyline. "It's just nice knowing that I'm not alone this time around. If anything happens to me, Kape'll be safe."

"Nothing's going to happen to you," April said "You said so yourself, a Guardian and his Shard are nearly unbeatable." She watched as Jay smiled sadly and his eyes grew distant, as if seeing something that wasn't there, and she started to get a bad feeling about the upcoming battle.

"How do you think they're doing in there?" Jay asked, examining cracked stained glass of the old cathedral on the opposite side of the street.

"The guys will be fine," April said. "They've broken into this place more times then I can count. All they have to do is lure everyone out and we'll have our army."

"You say that like drawing out robot ninjas and mutant monsters is easy."

"When it's the Turtles you're talking about, they can bait out just about anyone, especially the Foot."

Even as she said this, a commotion erupted within the building. Flashes of light lit up the cracked windows as the fireworks went off and the clash of metal could be heard over the roars and curses of various monstrous voices as their friends drew the attention of their soon to be army.

"Here they come," Jay grinned as the skirmish spilled out into the street. April fixed her gaze on the front door of the Foot Headquarters and watched as the Turtles and Casey ran out, chased by the Shredder's forces, taunting them as mutants and Foot Bots surrounded them.

"Come and get it, Fish Face."

"You're losing your touch, Rahzar."

"Eat it, bot-head!"

"Here, kitty-kitty-kitty."

April smiled as everything fell into place and their army flooded the streets. Those present included Tiger Claw, Fish Face, Bebop and Rocksteady, Rahzar and even Stockman showed up, along with the Foot Bots. The turn out made for more than an adequate army to face the Tagoo battalions.

"Alright," Jay said, glancing at his watch that was counting down the seconds until the Kentoki's fleet came in range, "In four . . . three . . . two . . ." He held a palm up to the sky and let out a huge pulse of electricity that cracked loudly in the night sky. The assembled army on the ground faltered at the sudden change in weather and the Turtles and Casey took their chance to slip out of sight and get into position.

"What is this?" April heard Tiger Claw roar as he noticed that their prey had escaped. "No!"

But his rage was cut off by the dozens of pillars of light that suddenly filled the street. One by one, entire squadrons of Tagoos appeared from the beams of light, drawn to the surge of electricity, and chaos erupted.

The Tagoos took one look at Foot Clan in front of them and charged into battle. The angry clicking of the Tagoos mixed with the whirring of Foot Bots and the clash of metal echoed in the night air. The mutant fighters took up arms, not knowing what was going on, but realizing that the new aliens in front of them were not friendly.

Jay kept count of the number of squadrons as they teleported from their ships from his perch on the roof, once he reached twenty, he sent out another pulse of electricity to signal Leonardo that the Commanders were coming next. Even as the new flash faded, leaving spots in everyone's eyes, four more beams of light, larger than the others, appeared. From these new pillars of light, the four Commanders appeared armed in full battle armour.

The mechs powered up and took a step forward, even as the Foot clan took a step back. Encouraged by the hesitation their opponents had shown, the Tagoos clicked in excitement and renewed their efforts.

Then all at once, the plan went into action.

Oo-oO

**Earlier that day**

"We have four battalions heading our way," Jay explained to the group. "Kentoki will send down his army to try and flush us out before he comes in himself. Once he does, April and I will lure him onto the roof tops and take care of him away from the main fight. In the mean time, we need you guys to hold off the Tagoos."

"We'll lure out the Shredder's forces and use them as a distraction," Leo took over. "They can take care of the hords of small fries while we focus on the Commanders."

"You mean there's more of those guys?" Mikey whined.

"Four battalions, four Commanders," Jay said. "But we've found a way to take them down. Donnie?"

"Right," Donnie jumped up and walked to the mech they had dragged back to the lair. "From analyzing the mech from last night, we've managed to pin point two main weak points. There's a small plate between the mech's legs that, when damaged, should cause the lower half of the mech to lose power." Donnie tapped the indicated panel on the mech. "The explosive I was testing should do the trick. I've made some more, but don't go wasting them."

"Nut shot, alright!" Casey fist pumped the air.

Donnie rolled his eyes and continued. "While the mech won't be able to move its legs, it can still shoot. We'll need to get in close and use the Photon Blades that Kape helped me design to destroy the main power circuit, located at the base of the cockpit on its back." Once again, Donnie pointed out the spot. "Once the circuit is blown, the mech loses all power and the Commander's trapped inside."

"Photon Blade?" Mikey perked up.

"A makeshift version of it, at least," Jay said. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a length of metal with a sort of grip on the end. Grasping the grip, he held it like a sword and after a moment, a beam of yellow light jutted out just in the shape of a blade, earning awed looks all around. "It's one of the only weapons that made it through the Hyper Vacuum. Pretty much like a sword made out of a laser. By salvaging parts from the mech we recovered, we should be able to make two more. They'll be powerful enough to cut through the power circuits defensive armour, but they won't be as strong as this one. The power supply will also be limited, so only use it when going for the kill shot. If it runs out of power before you finish off all the Commanders, then you'll have to find another way to deal with them on the spot."

Mikey was practically bouncing with excitement as Jay retracted his Photon Blade and Donnie decided to set things straight before he lost control of the situation. "Mikey does not get a Photon Blade."

"What!?" Mikey exclaimed, while April and Raph looked relieved.

Leo nodded in agreement and took over again, "Casey, Mikey and Donnie will stay further back and take out the first panel from a distance with the explosives. Once the mechs are immobilized, Raph and I will take out the second panel and shut off the power with the Photon Blades."

Oo-oO

**Present Time**

The first two bombs landed a direct hit, catching the Commanders off guard. April could make out Casey in the cover of an alley twirling his hockey stick and lining up for the next clear shot. Mikey was on top of a low roof, with his water balloon launcher attached to a nearby pole and Donnie holding the other end steady.

The giant mushroom clouds reached for the sky and the shockwave ripped through the battle before the smoke cleared away. The two mechs came crashing to the ground as their leg units failed, their groin area still smoking.

Two solid beams of yellow light flashed through the smoke as Leo and Raph drove their make shift Photon Blades into the main power circuit of each downed mech. The fighting grew quiet as Raph and Leo pulled out their blades, creating a shower of sparks that rained down on their enemies. The Commanders inside the machines frantically tried to get something to work, but soon everything went dark as the power circuit sputtered its last bit of life and the mechs grew still.

The yellow glow of the Photon Blades cast an eerie light over Leo and Raph as they inspected the damage, satisfied that their method was effective. Then, all at once, the battle resumed with a new heat as the Tagoos overcame their surprise and surged forward, into the ranks of Foot Bots.

"Turtles!" they heard Tiger Claw roar over the sound of crackling batons and whirring machinery.

Leo and Raph smirked at eachother before retracting the Photon Blades to conserve power and drew their own weapons.

"Two down . . ." Leo said as he jumped into the fray.

"Two to go," Raph finished as he drew his sais and barreled into a mass of Tagoo and Foot Bots.

Oo-Oo

Up on the rooftop, April glowed yellow as she finished merging with the Shard, yellow tendrils circling closely. She sent out a steady pulse of energy; a signal and challenge to the Monster to come and fight. April could feel Kape's anxiety over the upcoming battle through their connection and she recalled Jay's words only moments before.

"If anything happens, can you look after Kape?"

"Nothing's going to happen. You said so yourself, a Guardian and his Shard are nearly unbeatable."

April couldn't shake the feeling that Jay wasn't telling her something. Then again, she'd only known him for a few days . . . a long few days, but it didn't stop the sense of foreboding that she held for the battle against the Monster.

I agree with you, Hyper had said the previous night. He's shielding his emotions well, but I'm picking up some vibes. He's worried about something.

Any idea what? April had asked, confidant in Hyper's psychic abilities.

Well the fight, obviously. Hyper replied. But it's not the outcome, that's for sure. We're going to win, that much he's certain of.

Then what's there to worry about? April wondered.

Probably how we're going to win. Hyper responded. I've got a feeling we're not gonna like what he's got planned.

At her counterpart's words, the deep set of foreboding had taken hold of April and had yet to fade.

She was brought back to the present by the explosions in the street. The first two Commanders went down before they even knew what hit them. She watched Leo and Raph sheath their Photon Blades and drew their weapons before springing into battle, while Mikey and Casey waited for the next clear shot at the remaining mechs.

Meanwhile, the Foot Clan fought their own battles. All over the street, Foot Bots clashed with Tagoos. More often than not, the Tagoos managed to beat the Bots, but the mutant presence evened out the score. She watched as Rocksteady charged through a mob of aliens, leaving a clear trail behind him. Bebop phased in and out of sight as he sang his taunts and blasted batons out of hands. Rahzar and Tiger Claw ripped through their opponents while Fish Face stomped his into the ground. Stalkman hovered over the battle, periodically swooping down to steal a blaster or drop something on another's head, all the while dodging the blaster fire from the grouns.

The two remaining Commanders had zeroed in on Donnie, Mikey and Casey, and kept an eye of Leo and Raph, who had retreated from the main. They wouldn't be caught off guard like their companions.

Caught up in the moment, April was taken off guard by the ominous presence that suddenly enveloped the roof top. She felt Kape take control just as another beam of light illuminated the roof top in front of them, teleporting something much more powerful than Tagoos or Commanders.

From the beam of light, a silhouette started to take form. She made out a large figure, at least eight feet tall, with giant, rippling muscles. As the light faded she made out more details. He had long fleshy clumps of tentacles in a ring around his head that resembled hair, a large square jaw with long, sharp, white teeth. His eyes were small, and darted around, taking in everything. His arms bulged with muscles so big that April thought she wouldn't even be able to wrap her own arms around his biceps fully. He was dressed in an armour that rivaled the Shredders; spikes jutted out in unnecessary places, and gleamed as dully as his Tagoo soldiers'. He had what appeared to be swords strapped to each hip and a long hammer like weapon strapped diagonally across his back.

The surge of power that radiated from him was immense, and if April wasn't merged with the Shard, she knew she would have been overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness of it. April felt the fear of this creature start to build in her consciousness.

This was the Monster that abandoned the planet he had dominated in search of power. This was the war lord that chased the Shards around the universe. This was the threat that she now faced.

This was Kentoki.

A/N: Enter Kentoki. The fight starts next. Stay tuned, shouldn't be long (hopefully this time that will be true :P)