Thank you so much for the feedback, guys! It really means a lot to me, and I really appreciate it. Also, I wanted to make a shoutout to thegreysman on tumblr for creating fanart for my fanfiction! Thank you SOOOO much! This is the first time anyone has ever done that for one of my stories, and I just want to thank you for that. It really made my day.

It's been a long morning, and I'm exhausted, so I hope this chapter turned out the way I wanted it to. Again, thank you for the feedback, I love you guys!

She wanted to scream. She needed to scream. She needed to kick, hit, fight against this guy's restraining arms, but she can't even breathe. Everything above her waist was upside down, her eyes facing the ground below as they're falling. No, they're not falling. The ground would have been growing closer to them had they been falling. So they're flying?

Her arms had nothing to hold on to. And at some point, she had found the breath to scream. She knew because she could hear it. Couldn't stop herself. Couldn't shut her eyes. Her heart was turning over in her chest and her blood was pounding into the sides of her head with a rush of blood.

The moment she realized they were neither falling nor soaring was when she spotted rope. Attached between the edge of TCRI and something else, they were gliding. Whoever was holding her had let go of her ankles long ago, and was only holding on to her by her knees. Draped over his shoulder uncomfortably with nothing to do but scream, her eyes were glued to the ground, hundreds of feet below.

This place shouldn't even exist.

When her captor's feet touched ground, her screaming cut short. Then, they were running again, her arms trying to keep herself from slamming against his shell with each stride. They had really weird shoulders, with each end of the hard surfaces on this guy's body cutting into her sides. She wanted to go home. Back to her room. Where she could find a nice book and pray that she would never leave tjose walls ever again.

"Stop!" She finally barked out angrily, though Red didn't budge from his racing. At one point, he leaped, and she was facing another long way down. This time it took only seconds for his feet to make purchase again. "I said stop! Put me down!" She ordered, banging her fists against his back.

"Calm down already!" He cried out, irritation clear. "We'll stop in a few minutes."

"But this hurts!" She complained, hoping they weren't entirely heartless. Her head was starting to fuzz from being upside down, and she leaned her elbows against his back in attempt to sit herself up.

"Fine, fine!" There was a sudden shift, and she was flung upwards. A short squeal escaped her and she flailed a bit, terror catching her breath, until she landed in his arms and he was holding her up. His intense green eyes met hers, and she cowered back. "Now maybe you could shut up until we find a place to stop?" He asked down at her, a sneer pulling his upper lip.

Since he had asked so nicely, she complied.

Her eyes began to wander, taking in her surroundings. And her heartbeat was in her throat. Because every direction seemed to hold something bright, new, different, and seemed to stretch on forever. Where were the walls that closed the place in? Was this really… outside? The place they had talked about in her books? Where's the sun?

She looked up. And the dark sky above her displayed a small handful of white spots, decorating the darkness like sprinkles

Stars?

Instead of feeling excited, or full of wonder, she felt sick to her stomach. The four of them were still jumping and leaping about, passing the gaps between grounds as if it were an exercise. It took a few minutes before she felt herself begin to shake, her arms curled up to her chest and her head bent inwards.

"This way." The one in blue directed, turning a corner. She had earlier heard his name to be Leo. He seemed to be taking charge quite nicely. Her mind was spinning with questions, and a bit of sickness. This place was so dark compared to the chrome walls of her home.

April hadn't been expecting the sudden drop into one of the gaps, and for half a second, she feared they had messed up and missed the jump. But the way they cascaded downwards, using laddars and walls to their advantage, convinced her that this was deliberate. Once all four hit the ground, the red one holding her released the arm holding up her legs. When her feet found the ground, she nearly collapsed. Instead, she backed away, stepping slowly until her back hit the wall.

The orange one neared her again, holding up the device and receiving the racing beeping once more. "So… what's your deal? Did you eat the project?"

She blinked. And like a lightswitch, fury boiled in her chest. She pushed off the wall, her entire frame tensing up. The orange one took a step back as if he had been slapped. "Who… Who do you think you are? All of you?" She started, her voice trembling a bit. "You break into my life and kidnap me from my home, for what? For what? I don't understand!" She threw her hands up in the air, her eyes cold with anger. "I don't know who you are or what this stupid project is, but sixteen years I've lived a great life, and if you think you can just…"

"Sixteen years?" Leo's eyes flashed with confusion and disbelief.

Her gaze shifted as a large white shape sped past the gap down towards the edge, a low rumbling shaking the ground beneath her feet along with it. The sudden movement startled her, and she threw her back up against the wall and fought to maintain her breathing. It disappeared as soon as it arrived, and the rumbling died away. "What… what was that?"

When she turned back, the other four had found the walls of the alley as well, concealing themselves in the shadows. Instead of humoring her with an answer, the blue one ignored her. "The Kraang's vans are patrolling, we have to get underground." Leo ordered, breaking from the darkness first. "But first, we need you to cooperate with us."

The purple one had stepped forward, taking the device from the orange one and holding it up to her. Again. The beeping picked up for the third time, and she swatted it away angrily. Thankfully he didn't press. "What do you want from me?" She demanded, meeting Leo's eyes. He seemed to be the one in charge here.

April O'Neil wasn't sure why she was staying here, and not running out so that the Kraang could take her home. But something forced her to stay. Especially by the way the blue one had calmly asked, "What's your name?"

With hesitation, she blinked suspiciously before repeating what she had read on her nameplate her entire life. "April O'Neil."

"April." Leo's tongue tasted the word before he turned to the other three, who had approached in a semi-circle around her. "I am Leonardo. This is Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. We're not the bad guys, here, alright? Answer my questions with what you know. Please"

The names were long, and already escaping her memory. She decided to memorize them all later. No, there wouldn't be a later, because she was determined to go home. "And why should I?" She crossed her arms, her eyes stealing glances around her. Her mind drifted a bit from the conversation, but Leo's answer pulled her back.

"Because… it may save the world."

Her eyebrow raised, she shifted her weight on her other foot. Another streak of white and a loud rumbling noise shook the ground once more, and she flinched as it passed the alley. Instead of hiding, the blue one grabbed her arm and leaned closer. "Can they track you?"

Another white van. "What?"

"Can they track you?" He asked again. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the one in orange peeling away a round-shaped trap door cover. The red one jumped in, and then the purple.

"N-No?" She assumed.

And then she was off her feet again. Carried in Leo's arms, he had leaped into the air and into the trap door. Whatever it was. For all of two seconds, they were falling, until Leo's feet hit the ground and he curled her closer in attempt to protect her. A heavy scent hit her, and she held her nose. "Yuck, it stinks even worse down there!"

"Well, you did live in clean-freak central for sixteen years." The orange one pointed out as he entered last. The door above them had been sealed once more, and darkness enveloped them. Leo hadn't put her down just yet, and instead, he had begun to move.

Now that they were back inside, April felt herself begin to relax a little bit. Her shaking had died down to a shiver from the cold, and the arms holding her were sturdy enough to ease her fear. He had said they weren't the bad guys. Does that mean I can trust him? The other end of her mind scoffed. He kidnapped you for goodness' sakes!

A little bit of light was filtering in somewhere down the end, and she looked up. Instead of wondering where they were heading, April had long decided to just close her eyes and calm down. This place was weird, smelly, dark… and she wanted to go home.

When they came to an opening, walls and hallways branching out from all ends, she was dropped onto her feet with Leo's hand on her back to steady her. "Mikey, light something will you?"

"Can do!" A flash of light, and she glanced over as he pulled out a flashlight and flipped it on.

"How long have you had that?" The purple one asked with surprise, eyes wide.

"All night, why?"

The purple one blinked, and then his gaze hardened. "All the flashlights were in my lab." He was suddenly moving towards him. Snatching the flashlight from him, he pushed his face towards his with irritation. "…You went in my lab earlier! I knew it!" He exclaimed.

"Nuh uh!" Mikey claimed, snatching the flashlight back and turning away to protect it. "I uh- found it lying around!"

"Mikey I've told you countless times to stay out of my lab!" The purple one's arms snapped apart with emphasis. "Ever since you-"

"Guys!" Leo cut off, shouldering his way in between the two of them. Their words ceased, and April felt a giggle rise in her throat. A giggle, a small harmless giggle, that grew into laughter. And then she couldn't breathe. She was holding her arms over her stomach, feeling the hysterical edge to it that she couldn't push away.

"I can't believe this is happening." She rasped between breaths, attempting to force her laughs away. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Hey, calm down…" The purple one put a hand on her shoulder, concern on his face.

She shook it away, straightening up. April still wore a smile, but it was more of a grimace than anything. "Please just… please just take me home." And then her eyes were sprung with tears. She didn't dare wipe them away.

All four exchanged glances, and her shoulders slumped with defeat. "…You're not going to take me home, are you?"

"We'll explain everything. I promise." Leo pushed his hands together. "But… no. You can't go home."

"Do you think you can tell me why? And don't give me that 'it'll save the world' crap. I want to know the exact reason as to why you broke into my home and kidnapped me."

"I can't answer that fully until you answer some questions of mine." Leo cut in, his eyes intense as he searched her gaze. "Have you… lived in that place your whole life?"

She crossed her arms, hugging her elbows. "Yes."

"And… what was it like?"

What was it like? What kind of stupid question is that? She cocked an eyebrow at him, shrugging a bit. "I… I don't know. I ate, read, slept, it was boring but I liked it."

"And that's all?"

"Maybe you can let me ask you a question now." April cut in, putting forth her best attitude.

Leo shook his head. "Finish this question first, then you can ask us whatever you want."

April O'Neil bit her lip, looking at the ground. "They… did tests on me. Experimented me. I mean, I don't know what it was for, but it wasn't… anything bad."

"Do you know why they tested you?" Mikey had asked from the side, his hands on the red one's shoulders as he peered at her.

She shook her head.

Leo's mouth opened, as if he had another question, but then his eyes flashed and he retreated. He cleared his throat. "Alright, ask away."

Finally relieved that she had an opportunity to ask the questions, she opened her mouth. But in a similar fashion as Leo, she found herself standing dumbfounded. It took her several seconds to realize that she had no logical questions to ask any of them. Instead, she reviewed everything that had happened in the past twenty minutes, and decided to pluck her questions from what they had been doing. "You keep mentioning a project."

"That's not a question." The red one pointed out, placing his hands on his sides and tucking his thumbs into his belt.

"Okay, fine. What is this project?"

"You. Next?"

She blinked at the red one, feeling a bit of shock and confusion. "What… Me? What do you mean me?"

Finally, Leo took a step forward so that he was shoulders in front of the others. He had accidentally shouldered red in the process, and red looked as if he were about to shove him back. However, he kept his hands to himself, and glared away. "Let's start from the beginning, okay?" Leo suggested, and he sat himself on the ground, crossing his legs and placing his hands in his lap. His gaze shifted to April with a patient sweep.

April took a few seconds of hesitation, glaring at the dirty floor, until she finally complied and settled down. She cringed as her bottom touched the ground, swearing she sat in something sticky. The other three had sat around her, the flashlight left sideways on the floor so it lit the junction. When everyone was settled, Leo had begun to speak, and April ignored whatever she was seated on. "Two weeks ago, we encountered the Kraang kidnapping a man. Have you seen him?"

"A man?" She blinked at him. "You mean there are actually people out here who look like me?"

Leo seemed to narrow his eyes with confusion, his eyes sharking sideways at Red before turning back to her. "Erm… yes. There are millions of people like you."

It was as if someone had driven a heavy blow to her stomach. For several seconds, she felt the world spin a bit and her breath stop. But Leo had continued on as if nothing peculiar had been announced. "So, you haven't seen the man. We attempted to rescue him, though at the time we were clumsy and underestimating of the Kraang. They got away, and we arranged a rescue. Things… didn't go right."

"But wait, why were they kidnapping him?"

"We… don't know." Leo and Purple exchanged glances. April really wished she could remember his and Red's names. "But, we did get something out of our attempt. We found a memory chip. The Kraang, we discovered, are planning to use this substance called mutagen for certain purposes."

"What's mutagen?" April's head was spinning.

"It's a chemical that can transform living things." Purple interrupted. "It's why we're the way we are."

Her eyes searched them up and down, curiously trying to find a difference that would be noticeable. Maybe the shells they had? "What did the mutagen change about you?"

Again, all four exchanged glances, and she felt a bit uncomfortable at facing their companionship with each other, as if they could read one another's minds. "Have you ever heard of animals?" Mikey cut in, raising his hand a bit to draw her attention.

"Yeah." She nodded. Plenty of her books talked about animals.

"We're animals called turtles. Except we're also human. Somehow the stuff made us half human. Sort of." He leaned backwards on his hands. "We're the only four in the world that look like this."

Again, she found herself raising her eyebrow at them in contempt. But Purple had picked the story back up. "During the rescue, we also got a few seconds to speak with the man who had been kidnapped. He explained what he knew from the few short hours he had been kept imprisoned there that the mutagen was the Kraang's own creation, and that it wasn't working the way it should. They were trying to figure out a way to modify it. Later, when we discovered this so called 'project' on the memory chip, we realized that the project must be what they've been creating to perfect the mutagen's components and effects. And… unless my TPhone tracker's wrong, you… are the project."

"Slow down." She suddenly put her hands up to hold her head, resting her elbows on her legs. "Just… slow down."

All four watched her carefully as she took in shaky breaths, fighting to maintain control of her inner self. After several seconds of silence, filled with a sound of rushing water in the distant tunnels, she finally sighed. "The Kraang… are the bad guys here?"

"Yep." Mikey piped up. "But you're not bad, right?"

Had she not been sitting down, she might have passed out. But instead, she fought her dizzy head and looked back up at them. "So… what does… that mean? Me being the project?"

"Well, you've told us that they've been testing and experimenting you." Purple spoke calmly, scooting closer so that he was next to Leo and right in front of her. "I think… you may be the key to their ultimate plan. There's something about you they're trying to develop. Or maybe you're just a host for a virus they're creating in your body. Either way, we need to take you away from them, before whatever they're trying to develop is created.."

"Away from them? Away… from my home?" She looked up sharply, tears springing in her eyes once more, accompanied by the boiling anger.

"Yes." Leo confirmed with a slow nod. "You'll be safe with us, I promise."

"I don't even know you!" She spat, rising to her feet and pointing an accusing finger. "How can I trust you? What if you're lying to me?"

"You can trust us." Purple promised, putting a hand on his chest. "This world is in danger. We need you to come with us. Please, April."

She turned back to him, and his hand was extended out to her. Inviting her. Asking her to join them, and let them take her in. April stared at him for several long seconds, eyes wide with a mixture of different emotions and thoughts. Her mind was over-riding. Several seconds passed with his hand held out to her, the other three standing behind him. Her mind told her to run. To flee. To go home, where it was safe.

Very, very hesitantly, she reached her hand out to his.

As soon as her skin made contact with his, his large scaly fingers enveloped her hand and tugged her sideways, up into the air, and into his arms. Once she was secure and her mind had stopped spinning, she hugged her arms around his neck and held on for her life, looking at the tunnel they had come from over his shoulder. She wasn't exactly sure why she chose to trust them in the end.

But maybe... maybe April just wanted a part in this world she had dreamed about for so long.