A single red dot, like a devil firefly, glowed on her sternum.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?" She asked. Her voice trembled at the edge of tears. She couldn't help it.

"Sorry. You've seen too much." The man said insincerely. "I know. It's not easy to turn out the lights. Just close your eyes, and I'll make it fast."

"Wolf, she's a kid." The Australian man, Dingo, swept his beam in their direction, illuminating April's face. "She can't be much older than fifteen, mate. You're cold, but you've never killed a kid."

"Fox wouldn't have any issue." Jackal drawled. "My sister wouldn't. And neither do I. And this isn't a democracy, as you like to so frequently remind us."

"Then why are you debating this with me? She can still go to the cops. Unless you buffoons want to go back to Rikers Island." Wolf threatened.

Running on the rooftop, Leo could practically hear his bones squeak with each footfall. His painkillers had kicked in long ago, but the noise still unnerved him. Don's stride was longer than his–he was about four inches taller–but even then, Leo could tell Don was slowing down on purpose.

"Leave me." Leo grunted. "I'll catch up."

Don gave him a worried look.

"Get April." He growled. "I'll be fine."

Don's eyes seemed to start asking a question. But, ceding to his brother's orders, he pulled ahead and left Leonardo in the dust, the bobbing of his long-tailed cap the only thing he saw as he drew his bō and vaulted over the edge, across the gap to the next building.

Leo felt the stitch beginning to form in his side, but tried to grit his teeth and breathe air into the space. He looked up, checking for overhead wires, and spotted a shadow.

A huge shadow.

Leo felt his heart thud behind the bony plate of his plastron. Some primal fear that lurked deep in his instincts begged him to vanish, to disappear into a doorway or stairwell. Some animal instinct that had never been quite wiped away by his mutation that screamed 'predator'. But what overrode that fear was the column of smoke that rose in the distance.

Just once, Leo wished, I'd like to be able to shell up and hide like a normal turtle.

He seized control over his legs, his pumping heart aching sore. Even as the medicine in his blood fought the pain, his disciplined will fought the terror.

Keep running. You have a job to do.

He took shallow breaths, timing them with his footfalls to soothe the ache behind his scutes.

Be brave. Be like April.

In and out.

Be like April.

Far down the street, Raphael dug in his coat for something. He cussed, enough to make Mikey turn his head.

Eight seconds.

"Do you kiss your mom with that mouth, dude?" Mikey asked.

"Our mom's either dead, or eating minnows in a marsh." Raph retorted. "Do you got your flashlight?"

Mikey's hand whipped into his pocket and pulled out a small hand flashlight with a flourish. "You're welcome!" He beamed.

Raph snatched it, crouching to one knee and clicked it once, on and off. And then, they waited.

There was a single flash across the street, a purple strobe.

"Donnie's in position." Raph relayed. "But where's Leo?"

Twelve seconds.

Mikey made a grunt that sounded something like 'I dunno.' The smoke curled higher, and there was the red flash of a blaster behind the broken storefront, and Raphael's fingers curled around the little orange flashlight.

"Dude," Mikey's face looked squeamish. "They've got lasers."

"Yeah, I got that." Raph snapped. "Where the hell is Leo?"

Sixteen seconds.

On the other rooftop, Donatello asked the same question. Squinting into the night with a pair of green-tinted nightvision goggles pressed to his eyes, he scoured the roofs for any sign of his brother. He spotted him, limp in his gait more clear than it was an hour ago. Don lifted his purple flashlight again, strobing it once. He watched as Leo, almost a quarter of a mile away, reached into his pocket. A blue strobe flickered in reply.

Position relayed, Don focused his lens on the storefront, zooming in as close as he dared. He felt his cold blood run even colder when he saw the telltale flash of a laser blast.

Several shots, wide spray pattern. He noted. They don't know what they're aiming for. It was about as much good news as he could hope for. In the dark of the video store, he saw in sharp green detail the faces of three men. There was a silent conversation between them. It ended when one of them punched the other in the gut before gesturing for them to close the perimeter. That must have been the leader.

He pointed his purple flashlight in Leo's direction. He strobed it two times instead of once. On, off, on, off.

Thirty seconds.

I see an opening. Just gimme the signal already.

Don didn't have to wait long. He saw the blue light flicker in the distance, a two-pulse strobe in reply. One flash meant 'wait'. Three meant 'help'. Two flashes from any of them meant 'I have a clear shot'.

Two flashes from Leo meant 'take it'.

Hyena wanted to focus on her nails. Her gauntlets weren't gentle on her fingers, and if she got an infection from a broken nail, she wanted to address it. Take care of your weapons, and they'll take care of you.

As she lightly passed the emery board over the rounded white crescents of her fingertips, the small hairs on the back of her neck rose. She leaned forward in the seat, resting her nail file on the dash. She could have sworn she saw something flicker up there. A yellow light?

Her brow furrowed. Whatever it was, it was gone. But that feeling was real enough. She'd been in private armies all over the world. It could have been a light in someone's window.

Or it could have been a signal.

She sneered at the sky, daring it to try something.

A purple flash, on the next building over. That was enough for her. Hyena drove her elbow into the horn of the van, releasing a long electronic howl of alarm!

"What in the–?" Wolf didn't have time to react to the van horn. One second it was just dark and dusty, the next he was breathing in a thick and cloying smokescreen!

April's heart leapt, even as the noxious fumes burned her nose. She heard rapid footfalls over the rubble, and the familiar thwack-th-th-thwack! of a polyvinyl-aluminum staff connecting with flesh and bone. She felt a hand on the small of her back, pushing her towards the smashed storefront.

"Run for it, April!" Don shouted.

She wasted no time, making for the broken window and clearing it in a single long, flying leap. Her sneakers hit pavement, and she scanned the street.

She didn't have long to catch any details before the street lamps shattered. Anyone else would have been frightened to hear the sound of a metal tang and see fragments of shattered street lights fall like stardust. But to her, it was as sure as any calling card; the cavalry had arrived.

She heard a heavy thud next to her. "You miss us?"

"Raphael, you're a jackass." She chided him. But she threw her arms around his shoulders and held on tight. Her brain barely registered that he was wearing a coat for a change. She heard the tinny whine of a grappling line, and felt her stomach lurch as they were yanked up the side of the building. By instinct, she put her feet out just in time to brace herself against the wall. Rough three-fingered hands reached under her armpit and around her elbows, hoisting her up onto the roof.

"Mikey, look after her, I'm goin' back down there to get Donnie."

"But–!"

The only reply Mikey received was the sound of the rappelling line zipping back down the side of the brick wall. April doubled over, hands on her knees. The fear of death finally took hold, her nerves finally spent. She vomited.

Michelangelo grimaced in the darkness. "Geez, April, are you okay?"

"Ask me when I'm not running from assassins." She gasped, wiping a fleck of sick off of her chin.

Mikey did the only thing he really knew how to do. He put his arms around April and held her tightly. Her hug was a vicegrip, as if he were her only anchor to the world of the living, and letting go would mean drifting into death's dark waters. That obnoxious neon orange hunter's hat tipped into her eyes, the embroidered tail of the rainbow trout digging into her temple.

She didn't care. Her brother was here. That was all that mattered to her.

"We got you, April." Mikey murmured. "You're okay. You're safe now. We got you."

She finally let herself cry.

Elisa's eyes watered in the wind. Her arms were starting to feel cramp, but she didn't dare mention the pain. She squinted against the breeze, eyes combing the ground below. The lights of the city illuminated the streets in an even, scintillating yellow glow. It was a familiar sight to her, even this high up.

She hated being this high up.

Five seconds.

"Relax, Elisa." Derek's voice was calm, even. There was a laugh in his eyes. "I'm not asking you to parallel park."

"Derek, this is against regs." Elisa's hands wavered on the controls. "I shouldn't be anywhere near this helicopter, especially if I'm on duty." Below the helicopter, the earth seemed to tilt and wave, as if the chopper were a tea kettle falling off of a table in slow motion. Seeing the world and the chopper lurch underneath them drove sickly sweet bile up her throat and into her mouth.

Seeing her falter, her brother's brown hand closed over hers. The chopper stabilized, smooth as a paper airplane. The rotors' roar drowned out his voice, but she heard it clearly through the headset.

"Think of it as emergency prep." He said. "If there's ever a time you're up in the air and I'm not there to catch you, you'll be able to fly on your own."

"Derek, I would rather be in a firefight against a small army of Matt's illuminati lizardmen than fly this death trap."

"Hey now, don't hurt her feelings. She's a sensitive machine. She might buck and throw us." He shook his head. Clearly, a little disappointed, but not terribly. "Alright. I can't make you love it up here. I promise, I won't make you fly again."

"Cross your heart?"

"And hope to die."

A sudden gust tore her out of her memories, her arms reflexively curling around Goliath's neck as he careened in the wind before leveling out.

"You okay?"

"A passenger is unusual." Was his terse reply.

She nodded, choosing not to break his concentration. They were coming up on the wreckage. Elisa's heart caught in her throat.

She couldn't look away from the rubble. She found her eyes combing it for bodies, her lungs closing up, her skin prickling and twitching.

Fifteen seconds.

Goliath craned his head around to look at her. Part of him knew that this was a different kind of distress than before. Fear of flight was normal for creatures bound to the ground. The way her fingers shrank deeper into his shoulders, the way her breath came out cold, it told him this was a very new and very raw kind of fear. It was terror.

He angled his wings into a swoop. She is in no condition to face danger for now, and neither is our beast. He reasoned. He can guard her, ensure she keeps her word.

Deep down, in a corner of his mind he refused to acknowledge, he didn't want her close to the wreckage. He alighted on the rooftop of a nearby apartment building. He felt the ground faintly tremble as the elder's weight was absorbed by the stone underfoot. He lowered himself to one knee, allowing Elisa to step down.

The elder released the hound, and the beast gratefully lowered himself down to the cool stone. The elder's fingers stroked his head, and the beast groaned. "He'll not last in another confrontation with the witch that did this to him. He can'nae follow."

Twenty-two seconds.

Goliath was secretly glad of his elder's wisdom providing him the perfect excuse. "Stay here and watch him." He instructed Elisa. "We'll return when we have your ward."

Elisa shook her head. "I have to come with you. If she's down there, she's in danger."

"Someone must look after him." Goliath gestured to the beast. "He is vulnerable."

Thirty seconds.

Elisa didn't know what to do. On the one hand, she wanted to agree with him. She never wanted to show fear–to feel fear–but she couldn't hide the shake in her hands. But on the other hand, that girl was in danger, and it was her fault for bringing her into it. She could be dead by now. She had to do something!

Elisa's eyes peered past Goliath's massive shoulder, pulled by some fearful gravity towards the rising smoke of the explosion. What is wrong with me? She screamed at herself. A month ago, I was fine! Why now?!

"Fine." Elisa relented. "But if she sees you and fights back, let her go. I don't want her hurting herself. Just keep whoever is hunting her at bay."

Goliath growled. His wings flew open, buffeting her with a blast of wind. The elder drew his sword, and they leapt from the top of the building, swooping towards the wrecked video store.

She pulled her radio off of her belt. She felt her stomach lurch at the idea of calling the rest of the force, especially when Goliath and his elder could be endangered. But what choice did she have? Whoever blew up that Blockbuster was still in there, and the people in this neighborhood were in danger.

"16123. I'm at Weiss and Eastman. I have eyes on the building. We're going to need ABS."

Donatello could see the smoke beginning to clear, and that was bad news for him. The laser light illuminated the cloud with lines so clear and furious it was like red ribbon threatening to snare him. He held his breath, ducking low, bō staff at his side, and ran with silent lengthy strides to the other end of the store.

"Find them!" The man called Wolf shouted. "Find them, or Fox cuts us all!"

Don didn't feel the blast that hit him. He heard it, and he smelled it.

He cried out, hand flying to his side, feeling the sticky residue of burnt polyester clinging to his fingers. "Newton's Cradle!" He swore.

"Got him!" Jackal crowed. He vaulted over a fallen shelf, closing distance, blaster chugging and spewing red fire in his hands. Donatello lifted his bō, gritting his teeth. He clicked a button and along the length of his staff, a panel flipped, revealing a thin line of polished mirrors from one end to the other. He spun the staff in his hands, a whirl of reflected red light! The laser blasts scattered throughout the store, a few searing the wall behind him. Dingo and Jackal dove for cover.

Don took the opening, hand pressed to his side, and leapt for the exit. He was stopped by a kick connecting with his ankles! He rolled across the ground, force of the strike sending him flying. He looked up, heart pounding, into the eyes of a human with long white hair, pulled into a ponytail.

"You…!" Don gasped.

"Do I know you?" Wolf raised an eyebrow.

He didn't have time to answer before the sing of metal blades came down on his arm. Wolf gasped, blood spraying from his shoulder, pulling away just barely before two katana would have severed his arm from his body. Don barely registered the hand that dragged him by the elbow up to standing and shoved him towards the opening in the wall.

"Go, go!" Leo bellowed. Another smoke bomb filled the air, replenishing the rapidly waning smokescreen. Hopping over the rubble, Leonardo and Donatello fled the store. But this time, the assassins would not be waylaid. All three rushed the opening.

Wolf stood out in the street, clutching his shoulder, hot blood gushing through his fingers. Dingo had the man from the video store, hog-tied and slung over his shoulder. Jackal held his gun loosely in one hand. "Hyena!" He shouted. "Start the van!"

Hyena looked immensely displeased by this. "What happened to 'leave no witnesses'?"

"Cops are coming. We can hunt her down later if we aren't in handcuffs!" Jackal countered. "Just do it!"

Raphael's feet touched the ground, and he didn't have time to appreciate the speed with which Leo and Don withdrew from the fight. They were sprinting in his direction, arms pumping by their sides. Raph felt that simmering rage in his chest ratchet up to a hellfire inferno when he saw the black, starburst scorchmark radiating across Don's left side.

"Don!" He rushed to him.

"I'm hit, but I'll live." Don assured him. Raph heard the restrained gasp in his assertion, and he felt himself tremble.

"Raph, we need to let it go!" Leo gestured for him to return to the roof.

"They got Don, I wanna see them BLEED!"

"Raph–!" Don protested, a little too late. Raphael shoved past Leonardo, lowering his head and lowing like a bull as he charged the man with white hair.

There was a blur. An enormous purple shape struck the street. It spread its wings wide, and roared with a volume like a rumbling thunderstorm.

Raphael backpedaled. "The shell?! Another one?!"

The creature didn't seem to make a distinction between him and the humans he opposed. That enormous tail slammed into him with enough force to lift a truck, sending Raph sailing back the way he came.

Goliath whirled on the humans. "I am here for the girl."

Wolf grinned, seeing an opportunity. "Over there! He's the one who took her!" He pointed at the one who was now pulling himself out of a turtle-shaped hole in the wall of a bakery across the video store. Raphael groaned, rubbing his neck.

Goliath's eyes burned white, a snarl rippled through his chest.

Raphael looked up. "Ah, crud."

Michelangelo looked down at the street, hand on the edge as he peered down. "Uhh… he a friend of yours?" He asked April.

April looked down, following his gaze. Her gut clenched.

"I heard that roar before… it was at the construction yard!" She exclaimed. "The policewoman, the one who grabbed me, she went to investigate. She never came back."

Mikey looked down. His usually soft eyes hardened. "Not a friend. Got it." He withdrew his nunchucks from his coat, hooked his grappling hook on the ledge, and in seconds he was down on the ground! Chucks whirling above his forearms like orange-banded helicopter blades, he charged with a yell!

"Nunchuck to the FAAACE!" He leapt, coming down in an arc on the monster. He sidestepped, and Mikey whirled, pivoting to change his angle of attack. "I said to the FAAACE!"

Goliath lifted one hand, slapping him aside with a mighty backhand! Michelangelo flew with a yell, punted like a little league softball. In the confusion, the three assassins rushed into the van, throwing their captive inside and slamming the door. The tailpipe belched exhaust as the engine turned over.

"They're getting away!" Raph shouted, pointing down the street. Don grimaced, fishing in his bag. Tossing a small green disk in his hand, he wrenched back his arm and flung it after the vehicle. He cried out, the muscle in his shoulder screaming protest at its movement.

Leonardo grit his teeth, pointing up at the sky. "Incoming!"

Another blur hit the earth, pavement cracking beneath him. White eyes glowed above his white beard, distant citylights reflected in the blade of his long, sharp spatha. "Hand over the girl, creatures, and no harm will come to ye!"

Donatello flourished his bō, standing as tall as he could. Leonardo shifted his grip on his katana, voice low and sharp. "No way in hell. April's coming with us."

The elder shook his head. His one good eye narrowed at the two of them. He studied them carefully. One was injured, charred fragments of his coat clinging to his body. The other had a limp, favoring his left side.

Their voices… they haven't even dropped yet. The grandfatherly part of his mind seemed to fumble his grip on his blade, pausing in his footsteps. These aren't men. They're teenagers.

The elder, for a flicker of a moment, saw the faces of his sons reflected in theirs, hidden by shadow and human apparel. As if it were a trick of the light, he could even swear their own eyes burned as white as his own.

The elder's earfins perked up, the sound of a heavy weight whizzing down a long steel cable attracting his attention. A human shape slid down from the roof, stumbling clumsily to the ground. His nightvision peeled back the darkness, studying her face. A girl, with cinnamon hair like a red cloud, packed tight underneath a black hood. She straightened up, putting the hood down. He saw the liner–yellow. It was her.

She put up her fists. "Leave me and my friends alone!"

The elder growled, pointing with his sword. "Lass, you're in danger, away from there!"

Raphael, groaning, pulled himself to his feet. Michelangelo lay in a heap beside him, just stirring. Don winced, side still burned by laser fire.

Leonardo's eyes met the old one's own. A moment hung in the air. The sirens steadily grew louder, closer.

He was out of options.

He sheathed one katana. He barked out, "Ninja, vanish!"

The elder was surprised by the sound more than the visual when a tiny white sphere rolled between his ankles. With a sharp bang! It exploded, releasing yet one more thick cloud of purplish hued smoke. He coughed in surprise, swatting it away from his face and leaping forward to reach the ones who'd thrown it.

But they were already gone.