I got another one out really quick! I'm proud of myself! And thank you to everyone who hoped I had a happy thanksgiving. I did and I hope you all did too, or those of you who do. I know some of you don't because you're in different countries...*cough* Nadia *cough* Oh sorry, I think I'm getting a cold!
Anyways, thanks go out to TMNTluckygirl, Jess Marylin, kaaayyytteee, Invader Avolla, and pokemonjkl for reviewing.
And I'm sorry that Spazmasore is spelled severyal different ways in here... I'm really bad at spelling. It's my Dyslexia. If anything else is spelled wrong, I'm sorry. I try and find everytihng I can, but sometimes I just skip over something or don't see it. So, as usually. Tell me what you think!
~Northie

Chapter 4
"Turtles in Space: The Arena"
Part 4

"Good morning fellow Sorians and guest species!" One of the two announcers said. "Welcome once again to the tri-sports arena!"

"We've got some line up for a full day of games!" the other said. "Should be quite a spectacle for our record attendants here today, Raz."

"All right, Zed. Let's see this morning's first events," Raz said.

"Yeah," Zed said. "The alien turtles and the human girl verses the Spazmasor."

"Looks to be exciting," Raz said.

"Or over very quickly," Zed added.

"Those announcers are going to get really annoying," Alex muttered to the others. "I'm not a huge fan of commentators in the first place. Let alone when they're talking about us."

"You know it," Mikey said.

"So," Leo said. "This is the games, huh?"

"I was hoping for something more Parcheesi like," Mikey said.

"I like twister and Monopoly myself," Alex said.

Octo roared and thrashed one of its tentacles at them. They all jumped back out of the way and continued to talk.

"They're expecting us to fight that thing?" Donny asked dumbfounded.

"No," Raph said. "They're expecting that thing to eat us!"

"Well," Leo said. "Let's see if we can give it a little indigestion!"

Leo ran forward and was going to attack Octo, but was knocked away into Alex by one of its tentacles. Leo lay on top of Alex. She groaned. Sure she felt better after taking that short nap, but not that much better. She could still feel her head ache there and her eyes were still red. Alex pushed him off and got up, dusting herself off.

"Oh, that's got to hurt, Raz. Those Aliens better come up with a better tactic or this bout is going to be a short one!"

"They need to shut up!" Alex yelled angrily, still feeling a little hotheaded from earlier. She helped Leo up with Mikey. "Can't we knock them out instead?"

"You sound like Raph," Mikey said.

"Weird," Alex said. "Usually I sound like you, Mikey. Or that's what people say."

"Really? I don't see why they'd think that," he said.

After their little "talk" everyone jumped in the same manner to attack Octo at the same time, but were all knocked away by a tentacle. However, Leo had gotten grabbed and was being squished to death, like Alex had been almost hugged to death earlier. Raph and Donny charged in to save him, but were grabbed as well. Well, Alex thought. This plan is working great!

"Youza!" Zed said. "Looks like this bout is just about over!"

"And fans," Raz said. "Don't forget to pick up your copy of the event program at any of the sales quiosts. And at only 15 blocks, it's a steal!"

Alex growled inwardly as she ran her way over to Mikey, who had been thrown against a wall. She helped him up and started to see the red tint in her vision again. No, she thought. Not now! Please not now. You can come back later for as long as you like! But please! No throbbing pain! She thought it was kind of sad she was begging something beyond her power to not evict pain on her. She was too busy at the moment to have to deal with pain. She had to save the guys from being eaten and to prevent herself from being eaten as well.

"This one is just about over fans!" Raz said.

"I'm going to kill those announcers!" she growled.

"Hang tight bros!" Mikey yelled.

Mikey and Alex ran over to the monster from behind, doing various flips going up the back of it and tried to kick it. They were smacked away though. However, Raph was let going and was free. Leo then managed to slip out of the death grip and jumped up to the top of the monster, beating on its head. Donny was then able to slip away as well.

"Wait a minute Raz!" Zed said. "Wait a minute! Those little guys are fighting back!"

Okay, Alex thought. Maybe that comment wasn't so bad.

The terrapins and Alex gathered together to catch their breaths. "Do you think we hurt it?" Mikey asked.

"Not enough," Leo replied.

The creature roared and tried to grab then, but they blocked the attacks.

"The elasticity of its flesh is too resilient," Donny said.

"And it's really rubbery too!" Mikey added.

"That's pretty much what he just said, Mikey!" Alex said.

"Guys, we've got to run!" Leo said.

Alex looked back at him to see he was a dirt brown color due to the red tint in her eyes. She tried to ignore that, but it bothered her greatly. She didn't have the time to get worked up over it though so she just tried to focus on what he was talking about. She saw him looking at the large statue. She couldn't understand what he was thinking though. Maybe her "attacks" affected the way she thought. Because usually she could get what he was thinking.

She liked how her and Leo always thought a like. They were bright minds. But for some reason she couldn't figure out what he was planning. She didn't like that. She didn't like what was happening to her. She shook her head and tried to get those thought out of her head. She had no time to think about those things. Once they won the match then she could think about whatever she wanted. Or so she hoped.

"No way," Raph said, painfully. "I never run."

"Come on!" Leo pressed. "Follow my lead!"

I trust you Leo, Alex thought. This better work.

"Don't forget folks," Zed said. "This event is cosponsored by Randzams Yum-stuff. Makers of the best meat food on a stick in this galaxy or any other."

Punching them would really make me feel better, Alex thought. She turned and ran with the others to the statue with the others, Raph trailing behind her. The monster chased after her. She didn't know how it was going it. It had no legs and she didn't see it dragging itself with its arms. Being in outer space on an alien planet (or rock?) was too much for her. She just wanted to go home and take a shower.

"Oh, check it out, Zed. I didn't know the Spazasore could move that fast. Radar just marked it at 97 grutons per helix."

"Here comes ugly!" Mikey warned as they ran.

"Now everybody," Leo instructed. "When I say jump," he said. They came closer to the wall, and he yelled, "Jump!" They jumped backwards off of the wall and over the monster.

The monster rammed into the wall and large pieces of the wall fell onto it. "Oh that's got to hurt," said Raz.

It cried out as the statue started to rock back and forth. It fell over right on top of the creature.

"No, that's gotta hurt," Zed corrected.

"What an upset," Raz said. "Unbelievable."

The crowd cheered. It had been a very entertaining fight to watch. Alex couldn't help but feel kind of bad. Who knows how the creature had been brought about to fight in the games. Now for all they knew it was dead. She felt bad. Maybe they had put it out of its misery? They didn't know. But she also felt happy. They weren't dead, after all. They were there to fight for their lives as well. She was torn.

She still wanted to beat the snot out of the commentators though.

"You know," Alex said. "They're cheering "Turtles!" but I'm not a turtle."

"It's okay Alex," Mikey said, showing off. He was doing a funny looking victory dance that Alex thought was funny. "You're just not as cool as us! We're awesome! Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! Who the turtle? Who the turtle? The turtle be me!"

Now Alex usually just laughed at what Mikey said. Usually she could tell he was joking, like he was there, but for some reason, like the head ache, mood swings and tinted vision, she just lost it. She couldn't take it.

She was just as good as they were. Maybe she was even better. She was tired of people taking her help for granted. She had helped the in that battle, maybe not as much as she usually would, but she did. She helped them just as much as Mikey had. Why couldn't he just give her a little props? And it wasn't just that battle either. It was a lot of things. Alex had helped out in a lot of situations.

"Are you kidding me?" she shouted at him. "I'm just as-."

She was stopped when three Dino's flew over with their little over things that Alex thought were cool. She wanted to continue yelling at Mikey, but she had to try and calm down. Her vision was getting so bad that it was almost all red. Something was up. She didn't like it. She had to get it to stop. The best way she knew to do that was to calm down. But they were a little busy at the moment. She didn't have the time. It seemed she didn't have the time for anything at the moment.

"Look," Mikey said. "If it's about wrecking that big statue, it was all his idea." He pointed at Leo.

"Now you're blaming people! Mikey where do your loyalties lie?" Alex yelled angrily. She got a funny look from her friends around her.

Suddenly, they were being shot at. They quickly dropped the subject and ran. Alex wanted to continue arguing (Not really, but she had the urge to), but she focused on trying to see past the red. It was getting rather hard to see. It was slowly starting to fade as she concentrated on what they were door, but there was still a little left over.

"What a morning sports fans!" Raz said. "First, five off worlders defeat a Spazmasore and now they're about to be blasted into extinction!"

"Not quite Raz," Zed said. "By order of Prime Leader Zanramon these turtles, as they're called, and their little human girl friend, will be back tonight for a last worrier standing free for all!"

The guys and Alex were being backed up by the guards and towards a put on the floor. As she was tried to avoid getting shot at, she listened in on what the commentators were saying. She didn't like what she was hearing either. She didn't like anything about this. They were saying they were going to have to fight even more! Alex didn't know if she could. Then they were saying they weren't strong enough to do so. She really didn't like them.

"Would you two shut up!" she yelled at them.

"A Spazmasore is one thing, Zed," Raz said. "But going up against our trained tri-gladiator champions is another."

They were all pushed in backwards into the hole. Alex screamed along with the rest of the guys. They landed on what felt and looked to be a cross between feathers and hay. At least it was a soft enough pit for a safe landing. Alex opened her eyes and saw that the tint was almost completely gone. It was just a very light shade of pink. Too bad she wasn't a huge fan of pink.

"An elevator would have been nice," Donny said.

They all gasped as they saw what and who was around them. Apparently, all of the "gladiators" were kept in the same area. They were all staring at the new arrivals in the pit. Some of them, well most of them, looked rather mean. Some of them were huge. Most had a humanoid structure like Alex and the turtles. They all had different appearances though. They were different species.

"Can't say much about the décor," Leo said.

"Or our new roommates," Mikey added. "Eeewwww"

"It just another kind of prison," Raph said.

"Exactly," Leo said. "That's why we need to start figuring another way out of here."

They stood up in the pit as they were being approached. "There's only one way off, off worlder. And you'll find out soon enough." He broke into a menacing laughing fit after he spoke. Alex was scared of him, to say the least.

"You newbie's will not survive to see tomorrows dawn," a Triceraton said from across the room. He looked rather beat up and broken spirited. Alex felt sorry for the guy. She felt like she could trust him. She didn't know why, but she wanted to give the guy a hug. She wasn't going to, but she felt like it, which was strange. "You are slaves now like the rest of us. The games will be the end of us all."

"Who's Mr. Sunshine?" Raph asked.

"That is Traximus the mighty! Undefeated champion of the games," another guy told them. "You would do well to address him with respect."

A bright flash and a cracking noise stopped their talking. They looked over to see what was going on. "Listen up meat!" a guard yelled. He had an electric whip that Alex really didn't want to be hit with. She had enough of electric things for a while. "Tonight you slaves will have the honor of fighting for the amusement of our beloved Prime Leader! I want you all to die well and with much up brunch. Do you hear me, meat?"

"Yes Master Gruel," the "slaves" replied.

"Gruel, nice name," Mikey said.

"Hmm," Gruel said. "I seem to be missing something. He broke off one of his horns and started to pick his teeth with it. Alex just inwardly writhed. "Ah yes! Practice dummies!" Dummies? Oh boy, Alex thought. "You four turtles and human will be my new dummies!"

"You calling me a dummies?" Mikey asked angry and without thinking.

Alex didn't like what Mikey was doing. She was really upset about yelling at him like she had done earlier, although she sort of had a point. She wanted to hit him herself, but she didn't want him to get killed by those aliens. Hitting him over the head with her hand was one thing, letting them kill him was something completely different. She didn't want him to die. She loved him. As a friend.

"Wouldn't be the first time, Mikey," Donny laughed. They all started to laugh together, even Alex, who really thought they shouldn't be laughing. She needed that though. Leave it to the guys to get her so mad she wanted to kill them herself and the next to get her to laugh. It was such a strange relationship.

"Silence!" Gruel yelled. They stopped and he said, "You won't be laughing for long, turtles, human."

They were brought to the center of the room with everyone else there. Gruel walked over to the very large chained creature at the side of the room and turned to them and said, "Shock staff practice. Remember practice dummies," he whipped them and then continued, "No hands. Commence!"

The others in the room had their own lazar staffs. The one who had first spoken to them charged at Mikey. He ducked and it the blow missed him. Another really big guy charged at Raph. He had two staffs. Raph was annoyed. He turned around and kicked him, sending him flying across the room and into a wall. Two other guys went for Leo. He made them electrocute the other. Mikey ended up sweeping the feet out from under his attacker. Donny kicked one of him and sent him flying.

"Nice moves for somebody's grandma," Mikey joked.

"I don't know," Donny said. "We've fought tougher grandmas than this."

Alex wondered why nobody was going after her. Maybe they had something against fighting girls? She hated those kinds of people. She saw one angry girl run up and say, "Give me that to one of those."

She charged at Alex and tried to hit Alex over and over again. She just kept dodging. They were right. They weren't that hard to fight. Alex was growing bored so she decided to end their little spare. She jumped up rather high, shocking the alien with her abilities (most humans couldn't fight like she could), stepped on her faces, using that as grounds to do a front flip off of her and to the ground. Before she had a chance to turn around, Alex kicked her in the back, sending her flying.

"Go Alex!" Mikey yelled. "You the man, er, woman!"She laughed as she ran over to stand with them. Okay, so she wasn't mad at Mikey anymore. She was going to have to talk to him later and say she was sorry about all of that.

"Enough!" Gruel yelled. He wasn't happy with the outcome of the practice. "Weapons practice with extra rations to any gladiator who can take these five off worlders down. You too slave!" He was talking to Traximus.

Everyone started to surround the four terrapins and the human female. It was an unfair match. They all had weapons and they had none whatsoever. Sure, they had fought unfair battles before, but not against that many people. Not that Alex could recall. What she wouldn't give for her sword back. Her beloved black sword. How she missed her present from her father.

"Things look pretty ugly," Leo said. They were all back to back, or in their case, shell, to shell, to shell, to shell, to back….

"That's just Mikey," Raph said.

"I'm afraid you must be mistaken bro because I was voted most likely to brighten any room with my smile," Mikey defended.

"You do make things more interesting Mikey," Alex said. She didn't know if she'd get the chance to say it later so she blurted out, "I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier."

"I deserved it," Mikey said. "I was sort of out of line. I couldn't help it. I was in gloating mode." Alex smiled and laughed a little at that. "See, I make you laugh. I can brighten her day anytime."

"Well good luck brightening this one," Donny said.

They all ended up getting separated. Alex was caught up fighting all of the girls there. Which was about four. How she got stuck with that many, she didn't know. Maybe it was a female dominance thing. She really wouldn't know. She was surrounded by guys all the time. Not in that way. Her guy friends. Like the turtles.

"Anyone have a weapon I can barrow?" Donny asked anyone.

"Special delivery for Donatello," Mikey said.

Alex dodged several swings of spiked chain while yelling out, "What? The terrapins get weapons and I don't. How inconsiderate!" She was only joking. She jumped up and kicked the female with the chain in the face, sending her flying. "I feel so left out, my green friends!"

"Here Alex!" Raph yelled, throwing her a sword he had taken from one of the people he fought. She caught it just in time to block an attack from a metal staff. She kicked them in the stomach and they fell back into another girl. "Thanks Raphie!"

"Did you just call me Raphie?" he asked.

"You don't like it?" she joked. Truth be told, it just slipped out of her mouth. She kind of liked the sound of it though. Maybe she would continue to call him that. She liked his annoyed reaction to it. It was adorable the way he got embarrassed. His cheeks had gotten red and then he got a little annoyed. He'd just mutter to himself after. It was cute.

Alex punched the last girl in the face before Gruel yelled getting her attention. She jumped over to Raph, Mikey and Don. She didn't know where Leo was though. That kind of worried her. Where was their blue bandana fearless leader? He wasn't hurt, was he? He couldn't be. Could he?

"Stop!" Gruel yelled. "Gladiators do not help each other! In the games, the weak deserve no mercy!"

He cracked his whip at them, getting it caught around Raph's trident. It shocked Raph as it was attacked, but he was roughing it out. Alex admired him for that. "Wrong Horn head! We look after our own!" He managed to pull the whip away from Gruel. Raph caught it and got it caught around Gruels foot causing him to fall into a pile of purple stuff. Alex didn't know what it was, but she didn't want to fall in it, that was for sure.

"Thanks guys," Donny said. "This one's mine!" All he had to do was trip it with the trident.

They were all boneheads. Alex didn't know how they were all champion gladiators. They were whipping the floor with them. Maybe it was their teamwork or because they were better than them, she didn't know, but didn't really care either. As long as they weren't dead or being beaten then she was perfectly fine sparing.

Alex saw all that was going down with Leo, after finally finding him. He was in battle with Traximus. Traximus told him to finish him off, but Leo didn't. He helped him back onto him feet, shocking everyone except his brothers and friend. Alex was very proud of him. He was very honorable. It was against all that Master Splinter taught him.

Master splinter, Alex remembered walking over to where Leo and Traximus were. She hoped he was okay back at TCRI. He better be because when they got back, if they got back, they were going to have to deal with the turtles and Alex if he wasn't. That wouldn't be a fun encounter, again.

Gruel finally got out of the purple stuff and yelled, "Guards!" They were surrounded.

They moved them away to go get their food. The food was scraps. It was even worse than what the prison had, if that was possible. Alex didn't think it could have been, but it was. It was yellow with all sorts of gross things in it. There were bones and eye balls. It was terrible.

"Hey look," Donny said. "Gruel serving gruel." Well, Alex laughed at it.

"What is that smell?" Leo asked.

"I hope its Gruel and not the food!" Raph joked. Alex couldn't stop giggling. It wasn't really that funny, but she needed a laugh and plus, she laughed at almost anything. Like Whatever Mikey would say.

They finally got to the front of the line and Gruel said, "Ha! There's no more food. All gone. My apologies. Move along." Of course there were containers sitting right next to him filled with food. That annoyed Alex greatly. Alex's eyes had changed back to normal, but what he did changed them back. As she passed, she glared at him as they changed from green to red. He sort of backed away from her at that. She smirked liking the response she had gotten.

They sat down at a table and listened to Mikey complain. They watched the others around them eat while they had nothing. Alex had to sit at the table behind them, with the females. She could clearly see them though. She didn't feel as welcomed as if she were sitting with the guys.

"Man," Mikey said. "I'm so hungry that yellowy slop looked good."

Traximus plopped some of his food down onto Leo's plate and said, "Eat. You will need your strength."

The guy next to Mikey did the same as Traximus had done. He started to dig in, getting it all over his face. "You don't have to tell me twice." Alex saw the guys next to Raph and Donny put some on their plates.

Alex sighed. She looked at the people who were at her table. She was shunned to the end while the others gathered with themselves and talked. It didn't look like they'd be nice enough to give her anything. She sighed again and looked down at her plate. She was hungry too. Mikey's talk about food earlier really did make her hungry. Now they were getting to eat and she wasn't. She was a growing girl too. She was fighting for her life tomorrow too!

"Thank you," Leo said.

"No," Traximus replied. "Thank you. We have been living as slaves for so long I had almost forgotten what it was like to fight with honor."

"I don't mean any disrespect, Traximus," Leo said. "But what's a Triceraton like you doing locked up in here with the rest of us gladiator slime?"

"Because I believe in the Triceraton Republic," he answered. "The real Republic. You see, once we Triceratons valued truth and honor above all things. But now we have a dictatorship that craves victory over any price. Corruption and greed have robbed us of all our noble worrier heritage. I spoke out thus too often and loudly against our honorable Prime Leader and soon found myself here. Locked away as a slave. But you, you have reminded me of honor in battle. And I hope to find a way to repay you."

"Seconds would be nice," Mikey said. "What?"

"Some people haven't even gotten firsts," Alex muttered staring down at her plate. Her stomach growled quite loudly.

"Time's up!" Gruel yelled. The gladiators were moved out of the feeding area and over to some stairs. Gruel continued to bark orders at them. "All right meat! Prepare yourselves!" Everyone else was given armor and weapons while Alex and the guys weren't.

This is so not fair! Alex thought. I know life's not fair and all, but come on!

"Gruel," Raph said. "How about some weapons here?"

"Weapons? Why prolong the inevitable?" he asked, breaking off the newly grown horn off his head and started to pick his teeth with it. That was just gross in Alex's perspective. "Soon, you will be put out of my misery." He seemed to find that very funny. Alex didn't. She didn't think the guys did either. They were escorted out onto a platform while Gruel stayed where he was and continued to talk. "Farewell, we shall not meet again."

The platform they were standing on started to wise up to the surface. It was going rather slow. Traximus walked over saying, "I still have some friends Triceraton Armed Forces. I managed to get these for you." He unwrapped a bundle to reveal their weapons. There were Leo's katana, Mikey's nun chuck, Raph's sai, Donny's staff, and Alex's tanto, katana, manriki chain and steel fan. She placed them at their rightful places and sighed in content. At least she had a fighting chance now.

"Our weapons!" Raph said.

"You're weapons," he confirmed.

"My babies!" Mikey said, hugging his nun chucks. "Daddy missed you. Did you miss Daddy?"

"You are so weird," Alex laughed.

"We owe you one," Leo said to Traximus.

"We gladiators look after our own," he replied.

Alex walked over to him before they were at the top and kissed Traximus on the cheek. "Thank you!" she said. She laughed as she saw his shocked, blushing expression. Why does everyone become shocked when I do that? And why are they embarrassed? It's just a friendly thank you.

Finally they got to the top. Alex stared at the crowd for a minute before coming to a realization. "Oh man!" she whined, getting Leo's and Raph attention. "This means those annoying commentators will be here. I had enough of them today to last a lifetime." She looked at Leo and Raph and begged, "Can I just punch them and get it over with?"

"Be my guest," Raph said laughing.

"Let's not get carried away," Leo said.

"Party pooper," she muttered.

"Ah, fellow Sorians, I am proud to lead the Triceraton Republic and I am also proud to give you this day of games!" Honeycutt could be seen walking up to the ledge. "Tonight's special event shall be all gladiators against the four terrapin off worlders and the human girl. A fight to the death." He talked to Honeycutt for a moment before turning back around and yelling out, "Let the games begin!"

The six other worriers got ready to attack the Earthlings. Alex didn't expect Traximus to attack them. The others were also a slight shock to her since they were friends and respected Traximus. They were really doing to attack them. They were really going to have to fight to keep their lives, nothing new, but Alex kind of liked them. She didn't want to hurt them.

Traximus charged forwards first and threw his sword at the ground in front of Mikey and then stopped. Mikey thought he was actually going to attack him. Alex did too. She smiled when she saw what he was doing. Her head really was much clearer when she wasn't in one of those "attacks" she got. She'd much rather be aware.

"We will not fight!" Traximus yelled. "We will no longer die to amuse the Prime Leader. His time is at an end!"

"What?" Leader called out. "Guards, seize them!"

Guards on their little cool jet things fly over and started to shoot at the opponents. They were backed up over to the large garage like door and trapped inside. They didn't seem very please about it as the door shut. Neither were the guys and Alex. They were their backup! Now they had an even lower chance of winning.

"Sorians, I give you Monzaram and his all star worriers!" Prime Leader shouted. Another door opened and out walked five very big, very strong looking Triceratons. Monzaram stood in front while the other four were right behind him.

"What a treat!" Raz said. "The Triceraton all star team, lead by our reigning champion Monzaram!"

"Those five off worlders don't stand a chance!" Zed said.

A gong was rung and they all charged at one another. Leo got to Monzaram first and had started to battle with him first. The other four were left for Raph, Don, Mike and Alex. Not that they minded. As long as each of them had someone they were fine. In a way, they wanted to prove to the Triceratons that they were just as strong as them. It would be fun to knock them off of their high horse. Being too proud meant the downfall of all who held too much of it.

"What a move by that off worlder!" Raz said.

"These shell backs and fleshy fight like," Zed tried to find the words, "Like Triceratons."

Alex ran forward to one of the Triceratons. She had a fairly tall one with very large muscles. He held a large chain with large metal ball on the end, similar to her Manriki chain. She smirked and quickly jumped over his head as he swung low at her feet. She landed on top of his head with the butt of her tanto. She slid it back into place as she jumped off back onto the ground behind him.

He was shocked for a moment and she knew his head had to hurt, which gave Alex the chance to pull out her manriki chain, swing it for a moment and wrap it around his legs, pulling them out from under him. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. He hit his head on the ground during contact and knocked himself out. That was easier than Alex thought it would be. They really weren't all that strong.

"The crowd is really taking to these hard shelled off worlders," Raz said. "And who knew a human girl could fight like that."

Alex put her hands on her hips, looked up at the commentator and shouted angrily, "What is that supposed to mean?" People these days, I swear.

Alex walked over with Donny over to where Leo had just taken down Monzaram. Raph and Mikey had also made their way over. It seemed they all had done their job well, quickly and with slight easy. This was just training to them, like the practice with no hands from earlier. They had spared many times. Triceratons weren't that strong when it came down to one on one fighting. They're strength was in their numbers.

Prime Leader didn't like what he saw. He raised his hand and did a thumbs down signal. Alex didn't know exactly what they meant, but she figured she was going to find out, but didn't really want to. It couldn't be anything good, she was sure. Not with everything going on. She wished it was though. She wished it was the signal for them to give them hot fudge Sundays and bring them to a nice room with a soft, comfortable bed and a hot water bath. She really needed a shower and some sleep. She didn't even want to imagine having to comb out her hair. She shivered just thinking about it.

The crowd started to cheer, "Live! Live!" They were disagreeing with the Prime Leader. They liked them too much. Alex hoped that wouldn't get in Mikey's head. His head was already big enough. But at least Alex now knew what the signal meant. And she had been right. She didn't like what it meant. Sometimes she didn't like being right.

"I don't think he's going to let us live," Donny said.

"Then let's not leave it up to him," Raph suggested.

Little flying crafts built for one started to surround them. They had guns on them, which Alex didn't like. She was really sick of guns. Why couldn't they have feather cannons? Why couldn't they shoot feathers or pillows at them instead of bullets or lazars? It would have been so much better for them if they did. Plus, she really didn't want to be hit with any more.

"Mikey," Donny said. "How about a little sling shot action?"

He seemed to like that idea a lot. "Gotcha!" he said. He took one of his nun chucks out. One side was handed to Raph while the other he held onto. Don jumped up onto it and they shot him up two or three stories up onto the craft. Alex couldn't hear what he was saying, but she could see him pulling the Dino out of the craft and throwing him over the side.

He drove the craft down to the ground where the others were and had them climb on. Alex kneeled on the front like Leo was, but on the other side while Mikey and Raph were hanging on to the back. Of course Don was driving. He flew it over to the box where the Prime Leader was seated along with Honeycutt. He didn't seem too pleased.

"Guards!" he yelled. The backpacked guards flew over at his command.

They shot at the little ship and hit it on the underside causing it to lurch forward. Donny lost control of the craft and they went much higher than their attended designation. They all jumped out just in time as the craft smashed into the wall. However, they did manage to land right where they wanted when they got to the ground. They surrounded the Prime Leader and had Honeycutt with them.

However, in surrounding the Prime Leader, they got surrounded as well. And the guards had guns…

Alex had no comment. (Or she did and just didn't want to share it with you. :D )

Leo jumped in front of the Prime Leader and held one of his katana to his neck. For some, strange, odd reason Alex liked seeing him take control like that. He was making sure they were going to have a safe way to escape. She smirked seeing him be, not a teenage mutant ninja turtle, but more of a leader. She admired it. She wished she could be a good leader like that.

"Drop your weapons or you'll be looking for a new leader!" Leo threatened.

"You go Leo!" Alex said. Donny looked at her funny for a minute. "What? He's taking charge. That's cool."

"Mhm," he sounded, not sounded convinced. She just laughed nervously and embarrassed, her cheeks red and rubbing the back of her neck.

"You'll never make it out of here," Zanramon said. "You'll be shot down like dogs."

"Poor puppies," Alex said. "Wait, you have dogs here? That's news to me. I haven't seen a single one!"

Raph pulled him forward using his sai and said in his face, "Zip it windbag! You're our ticket out of here."

"Man," Mikey said, unsure. "I sure hope they're all really fond of this Zanramon guy. Really, really fond."

To be continued…

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