Pretty much Splinter's viewpoint of the intro of the 1987 series episode "A Thing About Rats," so I own nothing.

His students went out to look for the disappeared technodrome while he slept. So, he woke up to find them not there. The lair had the empty and quiet feel it did when they were out, though he felt another presence nearby. He also smelled perfume and human skin. He began to murmur to himself, "Where, where …"

Then he heard April call from another room, "The turtles went out to look for the technodrome."

He blinked once. "Ah …" On the one hand, he was concerned his students were seeking out the Shredder and technodrome on their own. On the other, it had to be done, he was still very sore, and despite his knowledge of Oroku Saki he had not been much help in the technodrome when they'd faced their enemy. His students had done better on that.

As he sat up and slid his legs over the edge of the bed, April entered the room. "How are you feeling?"

Splinter attempted to tell the truth without unduly alarming his new friend. He stretched, testing his muscles, and said, "A little better. Oroku Saki gave me quite a going over."

April O'Neil, who was holding her purse, started speaking quickly if politely, as kind people do when they are in a great hurry. "Listen, I got to go." She turned her large eyes with their noticeable eyelashes down to look into that big, blue purse. "I haven't been home since I met you guys."

Guilt sent a tendril through Splinter like seeds put roots out into the earth. He'd meant when he'd rejected Michelangelo's idea of keeping April O'Neil with them forever to let her go back to her life much earlier than this. She had wanted the truth, though, like the rest of them. Indeed, the growing threat under their city was a truth worth knowing, but it had taken a lot longer than he'd thought to uncover even a portion of it.

April continued. "I got to check my mail, get girled-up, see if I still have a job." April finally seemed to have decided she had in her purse everything she needed, and slung its strap over her shoulder.

Splinter felt his ears fall back in concern. He had known they could not keep April like a captive, but he'd forgotten just how much nonmutants had to do to stay a respected part of human society. He'd been sneaking around its edges so long surviving on what they threw away without money, a job, or the things she spoke of such things slipped his mind in regards to her. Now, remembering how his life used to be when such things concerned him, he grew concerned for her. Splinter made his tone both understanding and apologetic. "Of course. I hope we haven't interfered too much in your life, April."

She adjusted the strap on her purse and met his gaze, smiling as she spoke, "Oh, only totally." Her dimples had appeared making the reporter look almost childish. Splinter thought this contrasted greatly with the determined, stubborn, yet mature spirit he'd come to know shone through that face.

Hamato Yoshi had forgotten what a pretty, female, human's face looked like when it smiled at him. And he and his students may have cost April O'Neil her livelihood. She didn't look distressed, however. This was a woman, a human, of great courage. Her commitment to the truth and to justice during their pursuit of the Shredder had impressed the ninja master. He felt certain there was a reason their paths had crossed. This made him feel a little better.

April even laughed as she turned away. Over her shoulder, the reporter said "Tell those turtle boys, I'll be back soon."

Splinter felt his sore muscles and heart relax at her tone and words. She'd be returning in a little while. They had an ally up on the surface, a human, one who had already been a help in facing their enemy. He would not have expected it, but it was a good thing.

He turned, got a strip of cloth, and tied it around his head before settling down to do some more thinking over all that had happened. In truth, Saki seemed to be planning something very big, which could upend not only April O'Neil's life, but perhaps the lives of everyone on earth. His and his students' lives could be over completely very soon if Saki got his way.

He wished to no longer harm April O'Neil's normal, human life, but she may be an essential asset to helping them thwart Saki with her knowledge of what humans were doing on the surface and what Saki might be doing to them. Could he and his turtles succeed without her? Indeed, with all the interest and concern she had shown thus far, would she even want them to?

Perhaps Saki would be delayed enough from fleeing from his pursuing turtles and recovering like himself from their last encounter, April could return to her normal life, set things right there, and get some rest before their next meeting with the Shredder.

A sound interrupted Splinter's musings. The chink of bricks sliding against and into each other came from one of the lair's walls. Indeed, as he opened his eyes and looked in the sound's direction, many bricks fell inward out of the wall. He got up and rushed to his cane. Through the gap of fallen bricks little machines, with big mouths that had jagged teeth emerged. They chomped at him and rushed in on two legs like deadly, metal chickens.

Splinter glanced down as they surrounded him opening and closing their mouths like bear traps. They paused for a moment, and then approached him again. It seemed too much like a coincidence that hours after Oroku Saki had successfully trapped him with machines, machines had shown up and showed all signs of attacking him. "So, Oroku Saki, you are reduced to sending machines after me."

He used his cane to jap at and damage a few, jumped over others, and landed only to have more surround him. In order to land well, he had been forced to drop his cane. Now, he stood and backed away while waving his hands in a few blocks. But there were too many. Even with four limbs and a tail, he did not know if he could keep up defending himself against so many.

He backed up into a wall to at least guard his back and began to block and crunch those that came at him with his hands. One grabbed and began to drag at his kimono. He punched it away. Then, another grabbed the sleeve of his kimono, so he punched it away as well and then another …

Then others farther back were being broken. A staff smacked and broke apart one. A sword cut the head of another into two pieces. Then a pair of nunchucks slammed into another causing it to explode.

The familiar voice of his most devoted student caught his attention. "Hang on, Master Splinter!"

Leonardo was swinging on a pipe. He picked him up with his legs and then swung far out again letting go of the pipe and carrying him over some of the snapping, small machines. His other students quickly dispatched the rest with their weapons. Raphael then asked in an angry, grumbly tone, "Alright, whose going to clean up this mess?"

Splinter wished he could answer, "Saki," but probably not.

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes