(Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. I didn't like it and rewrote it four times and I am still not entirely happy. But I have kept you waiting long enough and I am out of ideas for it. so here you go a bit of a bridge chapter I guess.)

Chapter 23

"Run"

Soldiers and a hand full of agents hurried down the sewer tunnels. The sound of their running accented by the buzzing of Big dog drones. All armed and all making their way toward the sound of an alarm. Each man's heart beating with the rush of the hunt, and hope of being the one to bring in one of the trophies.

"Through here." Bishop announced as he followed the GPS tracker on a drone that had gone missing from its recent run in with the turtles. It had taken a few days to be able to pick up the signal. But once he had he wasted no time in hunting down the machine, hoping for a clue. The sounding alarm told him that perhaps he had found more.

One of the soldiers hurried forward. C-4 was placed on the layer entrance then armed.

"Fire in the hole!" the soldier yelled as he gained his own cover before blowing the C-4.

The sound was deafening, echoing through the layer and making its residence feel like their ears might explode, the blast setting them off balance and fighting to gain their footing.

The dust settled to reveal a scurrying giant rat and the mutant turtles he called sons as they hurried across the layer to Bishop's prize, the woman.

Arayah's heart pounded as she found her feet. Her knees and palms bruised from the fall caused by the blast. The sounds of the alarm, drones, and soldiers filling her with fear and pushing her into a run as she made a bee line for the place she had deemed safest, beside her unwavering protector, Raphael.

The turtles and Splinter had broken from the lab in a run.

Raph didn't stop as the men poured into the layer like an over growth of vermin. He didn't stop when gun fire thundered threw the layer and bullets whizzed by, some chipping at his already damaged shell. He ran to her, wrapped his arms under her bust and pulled Arayah to the cover of the kitchen, ducking down behind the island of cupboards.

"You alright?" concern filling his voice as he quickly looked her over.

Her previous anger forgotten she nodded and returned the concern. "Are you?"

Raph nodded as he checked around the edge of the counter to see if his brothers and sensei had found cover.

"Don't hit the woman!" Bishop warned, concerned at the haphazard aim of the excited soldiers. She would be no good to him dead since, at this stage, the unborn experiment would die with her.

"I'm getting so sick of being shot at!" Mikey announced from behind the couch where he and Splinter had dove for cover.

"You're telling me!" Leo agreed as bullets burst through his and Don's choice of cover, the over turned kitchen table, forcing the two to their bellies on the floor.

"I think we should rethink our choice of cover." Don suggested to Leo, who nodded before leading the way through another spray of bullets to the thicker cover that Raph an Arayah shared.

"I think we should rethink our choice of weapons." Raph growled.

Leo smiled and pulled throwing stars from his belt. "How many do we got, guys?"

"More than we need." Don said pulling out some special throwing stars of his own. "I'll aim for the pillars and main entrance."

Trusting his brother had something up his sleeve, Leo nodded. Staying low he leaned around the counter and motioned to Splinter and Mikey to run on the count of three.

Don readied himself for the attack.

Leo counted down with his fingers.

On three Don leapt in to the air both releasing the shuriken and drawing their enemy's fire while the others took off once again toward the van that waited in the garage section of the layer.

Don landed with only a few grazes. His feet propelling him after his brothers as the shuriken hit their marks at the supporting pillars closest to the main entrance and the entrance itself. All of which exploded on impact.

The pillars swayed then toppled into heaps, sending the soldiers, agents, and Bishop diving out of the way of the falling debris.

"Take out their exit!" Bishop ordered scrambling to his feet even as a portion of the ceiling cracked and crumbled before crashing to the ground.

Dust filling the air covering the turtles retreat to the van. Leo cranked the engine then slamming on the gas and throwing the vehicle in reverse, backed out, the tires squealing as they abandoned their home.

Slowly the dust settled as Bishop and a handful of soldiers advanced into the turtles' layer. Finding the turtles and company had escaped.

"Damn." Bishop frowned as he brushed debris from his shoulder then adjusted his sun glasses.

The soldiers that had managed not to be crushed began to gain their feet as they choked and coughed the dust from their lungs.

Bishop frowned as he surveyed the disheveled and partly collapsed layer. "Search every room. Find me something." He ordered before moving to search the layer alongside the soldiers and other agents.

After attempting to access the large computer, only to find that I's hard drive had been removed, Bishop helped the others as cupboards were torn through, boxes dumped, drawers torn out of dressers. There were comic books, weapons, candles, a useless collection of questionable magazines that had been stuffed under a bed. There were half broken objects and others that had been recycled and turned into something else entirely. It was the home of any typical group of young men with hints of an older man who had a love for Japanese culture and graced with the short presence of a woman. None of which was helpful to Bishop.

This failure was inexcusable. The turtles were proving, yet again, to be thorns in his side, and like any thorn he needed to pull them out. He was going to kill them all. He was going to cut the experiments from the woman's whom and then shoot her. Then he would slowly finish the dissection he had toyed with years ago. He would pull apart each one of the turtles and their rat, saving that… that Raphael for last.

He sneered at the pictures that graced the fridge with smiling green faces at different ages, some had the rat and a few had…. Bishop smiled as he pulled a picture from the fridge. "April O'Neal and… Mr. Jones."

Placing the photo in his pocket he exited the kitchen and called out his next order. "Wrap it up! We have what we need."

*scene change*

Leonardo slowly pulled the van into an old familiar ally behind an old brick building. "We here." He said quietly. Inwardly he hoped that the apartment would provide the needed protection long enough for Donatello to find somewhere else they could stay that would not put their friends in danger.

"We need to move quickly." Splinter instructed as he hopped out of the passenger's seat and opened the side door for the others.

Leo and Mikey quickly ninjaed their way to April and Casey's window while Raph helped Arayah up the latter then hurried her up the steps of the fire escape. Don and Splinter fallowed close behind. All were carrying the bags they had packed for their escape.

April groaned at the late night nock on her window but let out no other complaint as she made her was to her living room. Being available was kind of part of being friends with the turtles.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes then, upon actually seeing the dusty and bruised group, she quickly unlocked and opened the window. "What happened?"