Please forgive me for missing a week. My father collapsed with heart pain, and we have been in and out of the hospital praying that he wasn't going to have a heart attack. It's been a very stressful two weeks.

In light of the that, I'm too exhausted at the moment to do anything dark. So, I'm writing an arc that will be mostly light fun and comedy. Enjoy!

Baxter Stockman perused his latest project, brain buzzing in satisfaction. If he still had his body, he would have leaned back with a pleased smile. However, things being as they are, he would take what he could get. The lone eyeball in the jar once again double checked his calculations, and the object that had been built as a result. Everything looked to be in order. Bishop would be pleased.

The scientist gave a robotic hum, voice translated through the hardware allowing him to communicate with the outside world. Months previously, Bishop had made an odd request. He had asked Stockman to consider options for containing the turtles. The initial request had delighted the engineer. Baxter Stockman had many ideas on how best to contain the pests who had stripped him of so much in his life. However, Bishop had shot each one down, stating simply that he wanted them out of his hair, but not captive, dead or injured. This had confused the scientist, and he had said as much.

"Despite being an annoyance at best," Bishop sighed, "it would be remiss of me to not acknowledge their, occasional, usefulness. We're heading into an uncertain future doctor, especially with the return of the Shredder after that inter-dimensional incident that almost wiped us from existence. Therefore, maintaining certain…resources, would be the wise choice."

The robot housing the scientist cocked its metallic head, "But surely, we could contain them without compromising their usefulness." He protested, "not too long ago the turtles had been brainwashed by the Foot, using that odd data system the purple turtle developed, to hack into their minds and change them into Foot Ninja. Why couldn't we do something similar?"

The ageless warrior pursed his lips thoughtfully, folding his hands behind his back, "I've considered that option, however, it seems that whatever force there is out in the ether has cast its favor behind those mutants. There are also times in which their skills, untethered by my own values, was to their benefit and gave them the edge they needed to walk away victorious. Frustrating as that may be. Any attempt at replicating that experiment, I feel, would end the same way for us as it did them."

"So, what do you expect me to do?"

"I merely wish to keep them distracted, or at least busy, to the point they forget about keeping tabs on our business endeavors," Sharp cobalt eyes pierced through the dim lighting of the lab, keen intelligence twinkling behind the unreadable features, "I came up with an idea that may, for a time, keep them out of our affairs. It won't hurt them, but it will certainly give us some much needed privacy as I go forward with plans I've been developing."

"What kind of plans?"

"The kind that requires complete confidentiality," Bishop relied smoothly, "I'll inform you when the time comes to bring you in."

Stockman gave a robotic growl of dissatisfaction, "I don't particularly enjoy being left out in the cold, Bishop."

"Then, by all means," the agent gave a cold smile, as ruthless and bitter as a winter wind, "if you want to know, solve my problem by containing the turtles."

Silence stretched for several seconds, until the scientist gave a staticky sigh, "Fine, Bishop, I'll play along," he muttered, "what are your thoughts on how to keep those mutants busy and away from us?"

Now, months later and after much work and, hypothetical, sweat, Baxter Stockman was making the final adjustments on their project. The scientist gave a vague nod, yes, this would work. He had spent hundreds of hours examining the samples provided by Bishop, then spent hundreds more synthesizing a compound that would produce the desired result. Now, he just had to hope that their illusion would work enough that the trap would be sprung the way Bishop intended.

….

Deep in the sewer system, a small family was enjoying the relative quiet of their home.

It was a dreary spring Wednesday morning, rain pattering topside, resulting in a drippy and cold underground. Inside the lair, the turtle teens were adorned in over large hoodies, color coordinated of course, and thick sweatpants. Their cold blooded natures making the chilly air of the lair uncomfortable. Morning training had been ended early, Splinter was unable to watch his children shivering while standing at attention, and the family chose to spend the rest of the day sipping hot chocolate in the living room. The wall of television screens were alight, playing one of Splinter's soap operas, while the teens huddled for warmth.

Leonardo lounged on the couch, happily cuddling with Mikey as the youngest leaned heavily against the blue turtle's side, hands busy with a handheld game console. Don occupied the other side, head lolling on his big brother's shoulder, eyes closed as breathy snores drifted up from lax lips. Raphael lay buried in a mound of blankets on a cot set in front of the couch, the brawler's eyes heavy as he slowly slipped under the silky soft folds of sleep. The cot was pushed up against the couch so that the brothers could relax within reach of each other, three pairs of blanket covered feet propped up on Raph's carapace, the hothead uncaring that he was serving as their foot stool.

Taking a sip of his hot chocolate, the young leader gave a happy hum. Everything was perfect.

Looking to his left, the eldest hid a grin behind his mug as the peaceful atmosphere lulled their father to sleep. His show forgotten as the furry head drooped against the head of his favorite armchair. Dropping his own head to rest against Michelangelo's, Leo dozed, vaguely watching the orange ninja direct the small character on the screen to open chests and fight monsters. Eyebrow ridges shot up as the young man jumped off a cliff, and pulled a paraglider seemingly out of nowhere, then rode virtual winds across a large chasm. Landing nimbly on the other side, Mikey made his character take off in a run, a small green wheel draining to the left of the blond head. Sapphire eyes blinked, and Leo pulled one hand away from the comforting warmth of his mug, to point at the screen.

"What's that green wheel?" The blue ninja mumbled.

Mikey gave a soft nod, acknowledging his brother's question, while not taking his eyes off the screen, "Its his stamina wheel," the youngest replied, tone equally soft in consideration of the sleepy family dozing around them, "doing things like running, climbing, swimming or gliding uses it up, and if it runs out I have to rest until it's full again."

Interest sparked in the eldest, before horror flashed across the strong features, "What if it runs out while you're swimming?"

"I drown," came the blasé reply.

"Oh…."

Mikey snorted at his big brother's concerned tone, the blue warrior always so worried about his brothers, even if it was merely a virtual extension. "Don't worry, Leo," the youngest snickered, "I'm doing a bunch of shrine quests so I can level up my stamina."

"So…" Leo paused, watching as the character shot a bomb arrow that exploded a section of wall revealing a hidden shrine, "you'll voluntarily do training to level up your video game stamina, but you whine when I develop a lesson meant to fine tune your own?"

"Leo," Mikey's voice was overflowing with patient long suffering, "considering we're cuddling, and I'm being very kind in helping you stay warm, I'm going to do you the great favor of ignoring your cruel accusation of my character."

The eldest gave a snort of amusement, pulling in a deep breath before snuggling deeper into the couch cushions, "Not accusing," he murmured sleepily, "merely an observation."

Sky blue eyes gave a sarcastic roll, Mikey gently shaking his head in mock frustration, "Well, you can keep those observations to yourself, or you'll quickly observe that your left shoulder is much colder than it used to be."

Leo gave a low chuckle, readjusting himself so he could copy his younger brothers and drift off to sleep, only for the peaceful moment to be shattered by the screeching of alarms. The blue masked head popped back up, the once warm and drowsy sapphire eyes hardening as Leo shifted into leader mode. "The perimeter alarms?"

Raphael's rumbling snore broke off into a snort, the sleepy turtle poking his head out from under the blanket folds, "Huh? Whuzzat? Wha's goin' on?"

Donatello jolted at the alarms, brown eyes fluttering open, only to drift back down. However, Leo poked his younger brother, prompting the purple ninja to finish waking up. The scientist pouted, eyes clenching shut, a guttural whine of protest building in the back of his throat. With belabored movements, the genius felt around the couch cushions until he located his tablet, then pulled it into his lap, one eye opening as he squinted at the brightening screen, "It's in the southbound tunnel," he rasped, voice heavy with sleep, a yawn breaking up his response, "let me pull up the cameras in the area."

Leonardo shifted away from Mikey, nap completely forgotten, eyes wide and alert as he watched the tablet screen. From his peripheral, the young leader noticed Mikey and their father also leaning in, trying to catch a glimpse of what set off the alarms. Donnie tapped away, bringing the security camera feed up. At first, nothing appeared out of the ordinary, that is, until a shady figure appeared in the tunnel carrying a box like object. Donnie's eyes were finally both open, he and Leo leaning closer to the screen, "What is that, Donnie?" Leonardo's voice barely above a whisper.

"I-I don't know," Donatello's answer shook, his heart rate picking up as he watched the figure put the box down, then kneel in front of it and type something into a keypad, "but I don't like the looks of it."

"Me neither," Leo bit out, pulling his legs under him and pushing the cot Raph lay on out from the couch, "gear up, guys!"

"Wait, what is it?" Mikey asked, baby blues wide with concern.

"I'm not sure," Donatello shook his head, "but based off what little I could see on the live feed, it is definitely worrying."

"What is it exactly, Donnie?" Raph rumbled, extricating himself from his nest of blankets and fetching the sai he'd left on the floor near the cot.

The genius spluttered, shaking his head as he attempted an answer, "I don't know," he repeated, "it could be nothing, but a shadowy figure carrying a box into a tunnel nearby the lair and typing in something on a keypad connected to it? I don't want to take any chances!"

Raphael paused, the gears in his brain grinding out countless possibilities of what it could be, each one more horrifying than the last. Not the least of which being the word bomb. Features paling at the thought of a bomb that close to the lair, the brawler gave a decisive nod, "Yeah, I'm with ya and Fearless, I think we need ta check it out."

"Agreed," Mikey nodded, already shoving a socked foot into a boot, "but I'm going to be warm while we check it out. It's supposed to be spring already, where is the sun?"

Leo snickered, fetching his own boots and grabbing the bomber jacket April had given him for Christmas, "It's only March, Mikey, the weather will probably start getting warmer in April."

"Try May," Donatello muttered bitterly, lacing up his boots, "don't forget I have access to satellites, and I assure you, that the cold weather may be here to stay for longer than we'd like."

Mikey released a whining groan at the ceiling, "But I'm sick of being cold!"

Leonardo approached his disconsolate baby brother, "Don't worry, Mikey," he smiled, "we can always have a turtle pile later tonight if it helps?"

The prankster paused, eyes gleaming with the promise of more family cuddles, "Can we make a pillow fort, and have a movie night?"

Memories of past pillow forts made the leader give a warm chuckle, "Sure, we haven't one of those in a while."

"Sweet!" The youngest grinned happily, "Alright, let's get a move on and check this thing out. We have a pillow fort to build!"

…

Within the hour the four mutant turtles were slogging through the southbound tunnel, flashlights lighting the gloom as they searched for the strange object left behind. Leonardo heaved a sigh, right hand giving an anxious rub to the leather strap cutting across his plastron. His gut was screaming, every bone in his body giving off bad vibes. He couldn't explain it, well, he could but it would be difficult to put into words. However, Leo couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. A premonition that he obviously shared with Mikey, if the grimace on the youngest's face was anything to go by.

Unfortunately, they didn't have the luxury to listen to said premonitions. They saw a shadowy figure setting what might very well be a bomb in their sewers, they had to investigate.

"I've got it!"

Donnie's exultant shout shook the eldest out of his thoughts, returning him back to the sewer tunnel and the matter at hand. Leo knelt next his genius brother, anxiety skyrocketing as Donatello opened the container and revealed the very thing he was dreading. It was a box of metal, wires, and a strange clear container that held a glowing liquid. Worst of all were the bright red numbers on an LED screen, and they were counting down. "Well, it's definitely a bomb," Leonardo said wryly, "but it doesn't look like any bomb I've seen before."

"Me either," Donatello groaned, keen eyes examining the device, "I mean, the activator is pretty standard, I can tell it's not remotely activated, at least I hope not. However, I'm not really sure what kind of bomb it is, the liquid is throwing me off, is that the explosive? Or is it something else?"

"You can take it apart later, Donnie," Leonardo stated, voice firm with authority, "right now I'd rather you stop that countdown."

"Right," the genius nodded, then quickly got to work, "this will only take a second."

True to his word, Donatello had pried a piece of the container off, revealing a mess of wires. Raphael and Mikey winced, both intimidated by the sight, Leo merely rested a steadying hand on his brother's shoulder, offering silent support as Don puzzled through disarming the device. "Ok, just cut these wires, and…it should….yes!"

The countdown blinked out, the red numbers going black. Leo patted Donatello's shoulder, "Good job, little brother,"

"Thanks," the genius smiled, beaming at the praise, "it wasn't that difficult, really, it just-"

Don was cut off when the device gave a shrill beep, the liquid container suddenly emptying. Before the brothers had time to react, the glowing liquid had been sucked through the wires and then sprayed into the air as an aerosol. Harsh sounds of coughing echoed down the tunnel, the turtles waving their hands in a desperate attempt to clear the air. Leo silently began to freak out as words like biological attack, and anthrax zipped through his brain, intense flashbacks from 9/11 searing his mind and making his lungs struggle to breathe.

"W-We need to get ba-back to the lair!" Donnie hacked, wiping his eyes and face free of the sticky substance, "there's a shower I set up to clean off any chemical spills! We need to wash this off ASAP!"

"What is this stuff!" Michelangelo groaned, shaking his head as his vision gave a strange tumble.

"I don't know," Donatello groaned, shoulders hunching as a chill stole down his spine, "but I have bad feeling we're about to find out."

"We're going back to the lair," Leo commanded, grabbing Mikey as the youngest gave a worrying sway, "we don't want to be caught vulnerable out in the open like this!"

"Donnie!" Raphael exclaimed, grabbing the purple turtle as he collapsed with a groan, quickly shifting the genius turtle into a fireman carry.

"Hurry, Raph!" Leonardo heaved Michelangelo onto his back, the youngest already passed out.

"On yer six!" Came the answering bellow.

To be fair, Leo and Raphael were barely holding on themselves, however, their protective instincts as the older brothers gave them the strength they needed to fight through the fog. Muscles screaming, eyesight failing, the duo struggled back in a stumbling run down the tunnel, their features set in grim snarls of determination, until finally they saw the door to their home. Leo could feel his muscles trembling with effort, and Raphael's steps were becoming ever more clumsy as they strained to carry their younger brother's to safety. Darkness ate away at the corners of Leo's vision, his feet stumbling over the threshold, sending both he and Michelangelo sprawling on the floor of the lair.

The sound of clawed feet scurried to his side, and Leo could barely work the muscles in his throat to give a weary rasp, "Call…April…bio….atta-ack…"

A heavy thud signaled to the eldest that Raphael had collapsed beside him, Donatello sliding off the exhausted terrapin's back to settle boneless on the floor. Fire ignited in Leonardo's bones, prompting the mutant to spasm with a strangled cry. Raphael moaned from where he lay nearby, pained groans echoing behind a tightly clenched jaw. Waves of heat, followed by bone chilling cold, crashed through the for mutants, and as Leo felt his consciousness fading, the last thing he saw was the terrified gaze of his father.

….

"Leo? Come on, aniki, open your eyes,"

The worried voice of his brother echoed in the darkness, sounding much like the turtle had fallen down a deep well, and was awaiting rescue. Leo drifted through the pitch black, his consciousness flung to the far reaches of the universe, or so it felt. He couldn't feel his limbs, body numb, a vague buzzing of discomfort slowly creeping through his veins and down his nervous system. Leonardo could have stayed in this cloud that hung between the realms of wakefulness and sleep, however, the concerned tones of his younger sibling shot a spike of anxiety into his brain. He needed to check on Donnie. Needed to see for himself that his brothers were alive and safe.

A cold burst of confused dread blossomed in the back of his mind. Why was he worried, again? Leo couldn't shake the feeling that he'd forgotten something vital, something that had scared him senseless. The turtle paused, scouring his, somewhat fuzzy, memories for the key that would explain his concern and why he seemingly couldn't find the strength to open his eyes. The eldest tried to ask Donatello this very question, confident that his genius brother would explain the situation in his usual clinical way, however, all he could summon was a vague moaning grunt from his dry vocal chords. The sound struggled up through the thick muscles of his throat, sounding almost strangled when the ligaments rebelled, their normal flexibility stifled by the strange malaise afflicting his body.

"Please Leo," Donnie sounded close to tears, it broke the eldest's heart just to hear it, "just open your eyes!"

He was trying, he really was, but for some weird reason they felt like they weighed a ton. It's physically hurt to attempt prying them open. "Come on, Fearless, ya gotta open yer eyes." This time it was Raph's voice, or at least he thought it was, it sounded different somehow, "yer freakin' out Donnie and Mikey."

He was scaring them? If Leo's heart was broken over the distraught sounds of Donatello, then it was shattered over the thought of scaring both his baby brothers. His fingers twitched, cold determination allied with a will of steel forcing his body to obey his commands. The blue ninja pulled in a stuttering breath, coughing slightly as his lungs burned in protest of the sudden action. A slow and heavy tongue licked dry lips, and clenching his jaw, Leonardo began the arduous task of opening his eyes. They burned as if he'd used battery acid for eye drops, prompting tears to gather in the corners, attempting to soothe the irritation. Each eyelid was at least twenty tons, making the process of lifting them that much harder. However, Leo was nothing if not stubborn.

With painstakingly slow movements, the blue warrior pried his eyes open, hissing at the bright light searing his vision. The eyelids fell back down, taking his progress back to zero, but that wasn't a problem, Leo knew how to handle setbacks. Chest heaving, the leader sucked in another long breath, this time proving easier on his lungs, and strained to lift the veil of darkness across his vision. He could feel strong supportive hands on his shoulders, head and arms, his brothers were waiting for him, he needed to wake up and reassure them that their big brother was alright. He needed to open his eyes.

"That's it, Fearless, fight," Raphael encouraged, shaking his shoulder gently, "ya got this."

Darn straight he got this.

Nostrils flaring, the eldest grit his teeth, and then gave one final effort. His eyes pulled open, almost as if they'd been Velcro'd together. Once again, the world was blindingly bright, but as the young leader gave persistent, albeit heavy, blinks, it slowly came into focus. What he found though, was not what he expected.

Three human teenage boys were sitting around them, faces pulled in varying degrees of fearful concern. Their features were distinctly Asian, with the almond eyes and olive skin, but their eye color was strange. One had topaz eyes, similar to Raph's, liquid gold practically glowing with protective strength as they assessed him. The next had the same soft chocolate brown of Donatello, intelligent and curious, watching his every movement. The last was the sky blue of Mikey, childish innocence mixed with an otherworldly wisdom watching and waiting for him to speak. Leonardo's heart was pounding, the sour taste of fear scorching his craw and searing down his gullet.

"Wh-who," Leo burst into ragged coughs, his vocal chords refusing his attempt at communicating, "who… are you? Where are my brothers?!"

His voice sounded…strange. It was his natural timbre, but it sounded off. Almost younger. The teen humans exchanged looks of panic, but their features were almost resigned, as if they had something unpleasant to confess and there was no way around it. "Well," the brown eyed boy said, in a voice so similar to Donnie's, "that's the weird part. We are your brothers."

Leo blinked. Then blinked again.

Shock, mixed with pure delirious disbelief yanked an almost maniacal giggle from the depths of Leo's throat, "No, you're not," he said, shaking his head softly swaying with dizziness as he struggled up into a sitting position, "because, last I checked, my brothers are mutant turtles. You, as I can see, are human. So, not my brothers."

The three teens groaned, brown eyes burying his face into his hands, only to massage his temples similar to the way Donatello would when stressed, "Leo," he stated, voice clinical and succinct, though muffled by his palms, "do you remember us disarming a bomb in the south bound tunnel?"

Sapphire eyes widened. Yes, yes he did remember disarming a bomb. Then, when the countdown disappeared, something else that wasn't an explosion happened. "Ye-ah," he answered slowly.

"Do you remember dragging Mikey, and I, home with Raph?"

Leo gave a hesitant nod, not liking where this was going. Brown eyes continued, lifting said gaze to bore into his own, "So, then you remember that we got sprayed by an unknown substance, which caused us to collapse and black out?"

Another nod, the leader's mind almost shutting down as panic induced alarms shrieked inside his head. Brown eyes opened his mouth to continue, but apparently the one with the golden gaze lost patience, pushing himself into Leo's line of sight, "Oh, fer God's sake, Leo, just do me a favor and wiggle yer fingers, and look at yer hand while yer at it!"

In the confused haze wrapped around his mind, Leonardo couldn't help but comply, looking down to his left hand as he wiggled…five fingers?! "Oh," he gasped, jaw dropping as he watched five olive colored digits wiggle merrily before his eyes, "oh…shell…"

Heheheh… I know, I'm mean for leaving it there. However, I promise that this arc is going to be loads of fun. If you have any requests for human things our turtles can experience, please leave your requests in the reviews!