A/N: Hi there, everyone. Thank you for reading my little story. Thanks dragoscilvio for adding this story to your favorites.

-Awarness Bringer- Thanks for the review. And yes, this story takes place a couple months after Good Genes but doesn't include Season Five. The reason being that the characters (mainly antagonists) and pieces are where I need them to be.


Leo woke up later than he normally did. Maybe he should feel a little guilty, but the rest felt wonderful. He would get back to his normal schedule when Splinter returned in four days. He opened his eyes, turning his head to his clock. 7:30. Blinking twice, he sat up and stretched. Quickly he fixed his bed. With a talented pull, the edges of his bed were sharp. He tied his blue mask easily and geared up. With a yawn, he turned and left his room.

Without Splinter, he was in charge of training. He was a little more lenient on his brothers, starting practice later. Not that they would thank him or anything. It would be surprising if they even noticed the difference. He exited his room to head to the dojo. As he walked across the living room, he could feel eyes on him. It prickled along the back of his neck. He turned to the source. It was the same as it had been for the last couple of days.

A small albino turtle sat huddled under a blanket, sitting upright with her knees to her chest on Splinter's recliner. Only her pink eyes were visible from under the blanket. "Good morning, Lita," Leonardo greeted her and like the morning before she didn't respond. He gave a small smile before sitting on the couch, meditation could wait. She glanced at him for a brief second before looking away quickly, keeping her eyes straight ahead. Leo watched her, waiting for any movement. She was almost completely still like she had been since the brothers brought her home. He knew she had to move, they didn't need to clean any mess and the bowl of broth that Donnie ordered that she was fed was emptied. "Have you slept at all?" Leo asked. She blinked, looking down. The dark circles under her eyes were enough for him to know the answer for that question. "None of us are going to hurt you. You are safe here and are welcomed to explore the Lair." He hoped his tone sounded sincere enough. She lifted her head, slightly to look him in the eyes. This was it; after the last few days of silence she was finally going to speak.

"Good morning, Sis!" a bright voice called out as Mikey's door opened. He nearly bounced to the living, plopping himself down on the couch next to Leo. Lita looked at the newcomer with a look Leo couldn't decode. The youngest brother was beaming at the albino turtle. The eldest was glad that Mike didn't take offense to Lita's silence. "Good Morning to you too, Bro," Mikey greeted, volume just as loud. Leo groaned, he was right next to him. The eldest rubbed his head.

"Mikey, don't wake up Raph," Don's soft, groggy voice reprimanded as he padded into the living room. "I don't want to deal with that this morning." The brainy turtle rubbed his temples, staving off a headache. Probably from not sleeping...again. Leo should tell him to get more sleep.

"Yeah, Yeah. Raph needs more beauty sleep than the rest of us. I still don't think it helps. Let's get some breakfast, Lita. I am thinking: pancakes. Chocolate chip pancakes," Mikey said, his voice quieter than the almost shout it was earlier. Leo watched as he reached to grab the smaller turtle's wrist. With a gentle tug, she was on her feet. It amazed Leo how his younger brother acted so natural around the new turtle. Unlike the rest of them. Michelangelo guided her out of the living room toward the kitchen. She followed like a puppet, her blanket cloak dragging behind her.

"Pancakes may be too heavy for her. Just make her plain oatmeal," Don said as the pair passed him. He gave the smaller turtle a sad look, but didn't say anything to her. Leo saw his brother give the new turtle that look since she was brought back to the lair. It made him wonder what was going through the younger turtle's head. The purple masked turtle sat on the couch and closed his eyes.

"Some light reading last night?" Leo asked with a quirked eye ridge. Don opened his eyes and sighed. It was a heavy sound. The eldest almost regretted asking. The look in his younger brother's eyes was dark, almost haunted. He was quiet, his mouth turned to a frown. Leo gave him time to think, to put into words what he wanted to say.

"I was reading over the lab notes that we retrieved from the EPF," he started. "again." Don hunched forward, rubbing his temple. Leo knew that the other had been pouring through said notes since they returned with them. "How much did you want to know?" he asked, meeting Leo's eyes. The brown gaze was intense.

Leo looked away to think. How much did he want to know? What sort of horrors went on in that lab? How much did he want Raph and Mikey to know? Raph who was liable to go and tear the place to the ground single-handedly? Mikey with his imagination and love of horror? How much did he himself want to know? "Let's speak in the dojo," Leo stated, getting to his feet. He could hear Don silently follow behind.

He shut the door behind his younger brother and the two of them sat down. Don looked exhausted. The two brothers were silently sitting and Leo just watched as Don's brow furrowed. "I don't know where to start? Perhaps I should say that the one good thing to come out of this whole situation is that I know a lot more about our physiology now. How much pressure our shells can withstand. What sort of medication and drugs we can take," Don trailed off. Leo clenched his fists. He wasn't dumb; he could tell what the younger brother was implying. Don shook his head, "The EPF were trying to create a super serum. A mutagen to be more specific. A compound to enhance both the body and mind. A compound like the ooze that mutated us," Don explained. He tapped his chin , "It is sort of genius the chemistry they employed to create their prototype. They used the samples from all of us and Leatherhead to reverse engineer the ooze. Of course the last piece of the puzzle was when I mutated again. I was much stronger then. Using that data they created their mutagen." Donatello opened his mouth to continue with the chemistry behind it, but Leo could feel himself losing focus. It must have been obvious on his face because Don moved on. "Anyways, the first batch A1 through A50 were all eggs. None of them hatched. Testing group B were hatchlings like us." Don frowned, looking away from Leo. "They were all severely deformed and were later euthanized. The EPF went back to the drawing board to refine their mutagen. They tried multiple variations until group H."

"Lita's group," Leo clarified, remembering the tag on the albino's arm. Don nodded.

"Her group had an 80 percent survival rate," Don said, "Though she is the only one in that group to still be alive." He paused for a moment. He took a breath before continuing, " I have read her files. She is a universal donor which made her valuable to them. Besides that, they kept her around because they couldn't determine if her mind had mutated along with her body. She didn't speak like the others in her group and she didn't react like the others. They concluded that she was mentally deficient." He paused to see Leo's reaction.

"I don't believe that," Leo replied with a firm shake of his head. "She is just scared. She has been hurt." Don looked unsure but nodded his head. The door to the dojo opening stopped the conversation. The two brothers turned to the door to see Mikey peeking his head in. Leo wondered how much the orange-masked turtle heard.

"Breakfast is ready if you two are hungry," he said, narrowing his eyes as he looked from one to the other. Leo knew that the youngest brother was perceptive and was trying to piece together what the two were talking about. "Raph isn't up yet. I know, I know, I am just as surprised as you are," the last line was sarcastic and the two older brothers exited the dojo behind Mikey. The trip to the kitchen was quiet.

Leo took his seat beside Splinter's normal chair that was now occupied by Lita. They would have to get some things for her like a chair and somewhere to sleep. Leo was making a list in his head as Don sat to his left while Mikey took his seat. "Did you put chocolate chips in her oatmeal?" Don asked Mikey, looking at Lita's bowl. Leo looked to see the dark specks mixed into the oats.

"Would you believe that they are raisins?" Mikey asked as he cut into his pancakes. Don shook his head with a sigh, but started to eat as well. "Besides, she likes chocolate. Dontcha, sis?" Lita put another spoonful of her breakfast in her mouth. Leo thought he could hear an almost purr sound. If Leo was being generous, he would think that she nodded slightly.

"Did she tell you that?" Leo asked in Japanese. His brothers and him could speak it fluently, but he was sure that the youngest turtle at the table couldn't. He could feel his younger brothers' questioning gaze on him. Even Lita looked in his direction, confusion was on her face for a second before smoothing into a blank mask.

"Not exactly, but she pointed at it," Mikey answered in Japanese as well, picking up that Leo wanted to speak without the albino understanding.

"See Donnie, she is more expressive when she isn't surrounded by all of us," Leo said. Don looked contemplative. Brown eyes focused on the pancakes in front of him.

"What are ya talkin' about?" Raph asked as he came into the room. "Eh, chocolate chip? Shoulda been blueberry," he grumbled. He grabbed his pancakes and sat at the table.

Leo looked over his brothers. "I am thinking of a way to bring Lita out of her shell," Leo answered. Mikey snorted at the pun. Raph smacked the back of his head. "She may be too afraid to speak with all of us, but maybe just one of us can get her to talk with us," Leo explained.

Raph shrugged, "She's fine. She'll talk when she wants to." He stuffed his face, angrily with unfocused eyes. Leo frowned at the red-masked turtle. It wasn't a secret that Raph was avoiding Lita.

"So you don't want to go topside with Don and Mike?" Leo asked smugly. "Maybe you can find some of the others that escaped." Raph perked up a little at the question.

"Disobeying Splinter twice in a week? Are ya sick, Leo?" Raph asked with a smirk. Leo frowned at the comment. Raph shrugged,"I guess I can take the two shell-heads out for a bit."

The rest of the day followed like the ones before. The brothers trained and meditated with no interruption from their guest. After training, they separated. Don to his lab, avoiding eye contact with all of them. Raph stomped away to his room and loud music followed soon after. Mikey sat on the couch and put on a game. Leo stayed in the dojo and later went to his room to read.

Hours later, Leo watched as the door shut behind his brothers. Their voices disappeared as the door closed quickly. The Lair was silent, still. He took a calming breath in, held it before releasing it. They would be fine; Raph could lead them. His brother was many things, but protective was on top of that list. Besides they would be gone for a couple of hours tops. Raph even promised to call in every thirty minutes, with complaints, but he promised. Leo turned away from the door and padded back to the living room.

Lita sat where he left her, looking in his direction until he looked at her. She turned away, lowering her head so the blanket covering her head slid forward hiding even her beak. Leo walked past her, not speaking. He barely turned his brown eyes to her as he entered the dojo. His senses prickled as he sensed her eyes on him once again. He kept the paper door open to keep an ear out for movement.

He squared his stance to start his katas. He allowed the familiar motions wash over him. He thought about the other mutants that his brothers and he released in the city. Were they safe? Were they recaptured? Donnie set up a radio to the police radio frequency, but there wasn't a single report of strange creatures. Could the EPF have caught and put them down? Leo unsheathed his katanas and moved to another kata. Silver metal sliced through the air with a faint whistle.

The soft shuffle of steps drew his attention, but he didn't slip in his concentration. He turned his brown eyes to the door to the dojo. The albino turtle crouched at the open door. Pink eyes watched intensely. Leo continued to practice his katas. "W-w-what," a soft voice started before stopping. Leo continued, giving the girl a glance. She had shrunk into the blanket. He didn't say anything, not wanting to frighten her. "W-w-what are y-you doing?" the soft, hoarse voice asked, sounding as if it hadn't been used before. It was uncertain, frightened. It broke Leo's heart.

"I am practicing my katas," Leo responded with a smile as he finished. He didn't want to frighten her. He sheathed the swords in a smooth motion. He turned to face her. She sat crouched on the edge of the dojo floor, the blanket had fallen off her head. He took a step toward her. She shrunk a little into the blanket, so her eyes were only visible. He stopped, holding his hands up.

She tilted her head slightly. "Wh-what are k-k-katas?" she stuttered, her voice softened to be barely audible. Leo had to lean forward to hear it.

"They are a sort of exercise routine. A series of motions that when practiced can prepare oneself for battle," Leo explained. She raised her head to rest her chin on the back of her hands that draped over her knees.

"W-why?" she asked. Leo waited for her to continue. She took a breath, "W-w-why are y-y-you doing th-th-that?"

Leo took another step toward her. She didn't shrink away, just kept her eyes locked on his. "My brothers and I learned to fight to protect ourselves and others." He knelt in front of her to be at eye level. "To help people that need saving."

"L-l-like me," she said, looking down. Her hands tightened on her knees.

Leo reached out, slowly putting his hand on her thin, bony shoulder. Don was right that she was underweight. "Yes. You don't have to be scared of us. No harm will come to you here," Leo said. She looked at him, pink eyes searching his for something. "I swear on my honor. You are safe here. No matter what you do. None of us would hurt you."

"S-s-safe," she repeated, face twisting into confusion. Something in her eyes changed, becoming a little less fearful and more hard. "C-c-can you t-t-teach me? I d-don't want to be h-h-hurt," she whispered.

Leo's soft smile dropped as he thought about the last person who asked him the same question. A young boy who also wanted to stop hurting. He had to repeat his answer. "I can't, Lita. I am a mere student myself. I am not a Master," Leo said with a sigh as the younger turtle wilted. "But I am sure Master Splinter would. He taught my brothers and me." Leo stood up, holding his hand out to the smaller turtle to take. "While we wait for him to return, I can at least prepare you for training. How does that sound?" Lita looked at the leaf green three-fingered hand offered. She placed her own white one in it, getting to her feet. It was small and chilly in Leo's hand. "We'll start with a couple of laps around the dojo, but you have to leave the blanket outside the dojo." She looked conflicted, but let the fabric drop to the floor. Leo gave her an encouraging smile before starting a slow jog around the dojo. The patter of smaller feet sounded beside him as Lita followed. He gave her an encouraging smile and she seemed to relax a little.


Raph loved the feeling of the wind rushing past his head as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. He was tired of being trapped in the Lair. This was a normal feeling, but it was compounded by their guest. Her unnatural eyes that stared through him. It was like a doll was just watching his every move. Her gaze made his skin crawl. Raph shook off the uneasy feeling, choosing to focus on his run.

The night was still, the moon was a crescent in the summer sky. Raph barely reacted as a bright orange streak passed him. The air whipped his own red mask tails wildly. "All I am saying is that I should have stayed home," Mikey complained. Raph rolled his eyes. He had heard this song since they left the Lair.

"Quiet, chucklehead," Raph ordered gruffly. He flipped as he leapt to the next rooftop. "Why would ya want ta be home babysitting?"

"There's a documentary on the Silver Sentry tonight," Mikey replied, performing a flip onto the next roof. He landed perfectly. Raph rolled his eyes at the showboating.

"I thought you knew everything there was to know about him," Don added as he joined his brothers.

Mikey stopped to think. The two older turtles stopped as well. "I guess I do," the youngest said with a shrug. "But he was going to show the radioactive material that gave him his powers."

"I doubt it was radioactive. He is still alive. Any amount of radiation powerful enough to change DNA would have killed him," Donnie explained. Raph ignored his two younger brothers. He shook his head as the purple-banded turtle was lecturing on radioactivity. The hot-head chose instead to lean over the edge of the building they were on.

The alleyway had five cars neatly parked. He furrowed his brow, it was a little odd to see the alley full of cars. He turned his head to the street as another car pulled into the alley to park. Its headlights swung through the alley. The turtle leaned back in case the driver decided to look up. Seeing the lights shut off, he resumed his position. Raph watched as a man stepped out of the car. He was plain except for the swelling that took up the right side of his face. The turtle leaned even more forward. There was something familiar about the man. "Whatcha lookin' at, Raphie?" Mikey asked right into his ear slit. Raph flinched before shoving his annoying brother. The turtle fell over as Don moved back to dodge the tumbling turtle.

"Does that guy look familiar ta ya?" Raph asked, pointing to the man who was pulling a large case out of the trunk of the car. Mikey crawled to his knees to look over the edge of the building as well.

"Hard to tell with that shiner, but doesn't that look like the doctor you knocked out at the lab?" Mikey asked, his blue eyes narrowing to examine the man. Donnie leaned over the building as well.

"What do you think is in the case?" Don asked, "It might be beneficial to follow him." The turtle watched as the man shut the trunk of the car. He looked over his shoulder before walking deeper into the alley.

Raph grinned; they might get some action tonight. "As the leader, I say we follow 'em." Raph jumped to the alleyway silently. He could feel the air move as his brothers did the same. They were nearly silent as they landed. The red-banded turtle padded silently behind the man who held the case he was carrying to his chest. He didn't look back again. Humans were rather unobservant; it made them easy to follow. The scientist turned to a door and his three followers backed into the shadows. Disappearing into the dark, they waited. The man looked over his shoulder once before knocking.

Light flooded the dark alleyway and Raph had to blink away the assault on his eyes. The alleyway was dark quickly after as the turtle's vision returned. "Now what, substitute Fearless?" Mikey asked.

"I'm thinkin'," Raph replied. Raph motioned his brothers to follow him. He looked over the building quickly for an entrance way. He could see a loose window a floor above them. He wordlessly pointed to it with one hand as he reached for his suko spikes. With a little force, the metal spikes embedded themselves in the wall. He climbed the wall quickly. As he reached the window, he held it up as Mikey crawled close. "You know what they say, Beauty before age," the youngest said with a cheeky grin.

"Get in there before I push ya," Raph replied. Mikey did just that, disappearing into the building. Don followed with a simple thank you. Don reached back to hold the window for Raph and the older turtle slipped into the building.

Raph crouched down on the loft they were on. The building they entered appeared to be a garage though it only contained one truck. A refrigeration truck if Raph could take a guess from where he was. "Never thought we would see these guys again," Mikey groaned, pointing to a banner hanging on a wall. Big black bold letters spelt out H.A.T.E. Raph hissed at the youngest brother to be quiet, pointing to the small crowd that was gathered below. Though they probably couldn't hear the brothers over their own conversations. He looked over the group quickly. No more than ten, and only a couple of guns between them. A couple had bats and one had a crossbow.

"On my mark, we take these guys out," Raph ordered, pulling out his sais. Mikey grinned, pulling out his nunchucks and giving them a spin. Donatello pulled out his bo staff.

"Listen up everyone,'' a loud voice called with authority. Raph watched as a large man stepped onto a small crate. The brothers instinctively lowered themselves closer to the floor. "Our good friend, Dr. Nance here has important news." The large man waved to the man in a lab coat.

The scientist still held the case close to his chest. His dark eyes looked over the crowd in front of him. "Thank you, Tim. My fellow members, I have some grave news. A new invasion is upon us," Dr. Nance's voice was reedy, almost whistling. It made Raph want to give him a matching black eye.

"Didja break the guy's nose, Raph?" Mikey asked with a chuckle. It made Raph grin at the thought.

"Shh, this is probably important," Don reprimanded. The genius was looking intensely at the scientist.

"This new menace is clever, but my friends I am much more clever," the scientist boasted. "You see in my hands, I have just the thing to give us the edge over these aliens." The scientist opened the case. Inside was a single tube of bright green ooze. "This is the future my friends. This compound will make you faster than an Olympic racer and stronger than any man before. With this, you could all become Super soldiers for the human race." There were exclamations of excitement through the crowd.

"What is he doing?" Raph asked with a frown. "Spillin' Bishop's secrets." He didn't like this at all.

"No. This is Bishop's doing. He is moving away from animal testing and to human trials," Don stated. He tightened his grip on his bo staff. The mixture of cheers and claps drowned out whatever the olive turtle said next.

Raph turned his attention back to the H.A.T.E meeting. " As the New York branch leader, I nominate myself to have the first dose," the man known as Tim volunteered. "My daughter still has nightmares of the Triceratons. Now I can tell her that her old man can beat any scaley invader." He rolled up the sleeve of his muscular right arm.

"Excellent. There is plenty for everyone here," the scientist answered. Dr. Nance readied a syringe. He tipped the tube over to fill the syringe with bright green fluid.

"Take out the lights," Raph ordered, pulling out a pair of shuriken from his belt. He let the throwing stars fly into the fluorescent lights above. Sparks rained on the humans below as two more pairs of shurikens hit their mark. The entire garage was sent into near darkness. The only light was a single light at the far end of the room. Maybe he should have told his brothers which lights to hit.

There was the sound of guns being cocked as the crowd below started to panic at the sudden loss of light. A pained yell filled the room, drawing Raph's attention back to the men below. The dark outline of Tim clenched his arm tightly while Dr. Nance backed away. The leader of H.A.T.E crashed to the ground as the yell continued. Raph was sure he never heard anything like it. It was almost inhuman and it made the red-masked turtle shudder slightly. The turtle watched as the broad-shoulder silhouette of the man started to melt. His defined shape was shifting before their eyes. "Let's crack some skulls," Raph said, leaping over the edge of the loft to crash onto two H.A.T.E members. Their bodies hit the floor with a grunt and Raphael rolled off them.

"Cowabunga," Mikey called out as he also dived down. Raph could hear the sound of nunchucks smashing into flesh. In the dim light, he could see two shadows sink to the floor. The sound of a bo staff thudding against bone followed after. Raph dodged to the side as the crossbow wielding man tried to aim. He rolled toward him, laying him down flat with an uppercut. He dodged a bat swing, barely stepping out of the way. Raph roundhouse kicked the man, his heel meeting the human's ribs. The man staggered before Raph slammed the pommel of his sai into his temple. Like a puppet with no strings, he sank to the floor. "Uh, Donnie, what is that?" Mikey's panicked voice asked. Raph counted ten shadows moaning on the ground as he followed where Mikey was pointing.

A large blob-like silhouette jiggled in front of the trio. In the dim light it glowed a faint green color. The green light illuminated two eyes and what looked like intestines floating in the goo. "I think that is Tim," Don said, his voice soft. The strange creature let out a horrible wail. Raph flinched, clenching his teeth at the noise. It was worse than nails on a chalkboard. The thing lashed out a green tentacle like appendages at the turtles. Raph ducked under while Mikey lept over.

"Dude, you should have known better than to take some experimental drug," Mikey tsked. He charged ahead, nunchucks swinging. Raph followed behind, sais in hand. He slashed out, the metal slicing through the gel-like substance. Mikey's nunchucks bounced off of the material. Don blocked a tentacle from blindsiding the orange-banded turtle. "Wow, my 'chucks didn't do anything," Mikey commented, spinning said weapon.

"It is almost like a nonNewtonian fluid," Don commented as he deflected another blow. He pushed the tentacle away.

"English, Don," Raph growled as he slashed through a tentacle.

"Blunt force is not going to affect it," Donnie explained as he bent out of the way of an attack.

"And here we left sword boy at home. You two can sit back and let me handle it," Raph boasted. "Cover me." The hot-headed turtle charged the main body of the creature. Mike knocked aside a tentacle before it hit Raph's head. Don deflected one aimed at his feet. Raph reared his arm back to slice through the gelatinous blob. The blade of his sai sailed true through the goop. The green gel-like substance went past his wrist. It was cool for a moment before Raph could feel a burning sensation. He pulled his hand back. "Shell, it burns." He shook his hand as the green goop clung to him, the burning sensation not leaving.

"It's corrosive?" Don asked, stepping toward the elder turtle. The three back away from the monster as it screamed again. It shot balls of glowing green ooze at them. The brothers jumped out of the way.

"Say it, don't spray it, dude," Mikey quipped. He wrinkled his beak at the splat of glowing green ooze.

"Any ideas, brainiac?" Raph asked. Don dodged an ooze ball, reaching for the duffle bag that he didn't bring. The purple-banded turtle started to look around, looking for an idea.

"I got one," Mikey piped up cartwheeling away from a tentacle. "I saw it in a movie once, The Blob. It doesn't like the cold."

"This ain't a movie, Mike," Raph said. He grunted as he was knocked to the ground.

"He isn't wrong Raph. If we can cool it down, the viscosity would be too high for it to move," Don added. A tentacle knocked the turtle aside as it struck his plastron. Don was on his shell for a moment before getting to his feet.

"I saw a refrigeration truck," Raph said. He ran past the monster, slicing at its side. "Herd the blob toward it." The creature screeched, oozing itself to turn toward the red-banded turtle. Mikey sounded out a joyous call as he jumped over the creature. As he was overhead, he swung both of his nunchucks down bouncing even higher. Don held his bo like a bat and swung. The creature dribbled forward.

The three coaxed and prodded the monster toward the truck. Don opened the back, starting the cooling mechanism. Raph stepped in front of the open truck. He could feel the cool air from the truck against his shell. "Come and get me, Ugly," he taunted the creature, slicing at the blob. The thing charged, Raph rolled to the left as Don and Mikey slammed their weapons into it back. The two turtles fell back as their weapons bounced, but the creature tumbled into the truck. Raph slammed the door behind the ooze creature. The three brothers sighed in relief as the screeches slowed.

"I guess we got to keep him," Mikey grumbled, " I never wanted an ooze monster." The orange- banded turtle frowned.

"Remember ya got to feed him and take 'im for walks," Raph joked as he caught his breath.

"I'll figure out a way to turn him back," Don said, more to himself than to the others. Raph shook his stinging hand. As if remembering something important the purple-masked turtle straightened. "Where is Dr. Nance?" Donatello asked.

Raph looked over the garage. The knocked out men were groaning. The shadows shifted on the floor,but the doctor's white lab coat was nowhere to be seen. "No time. Let's get out of here," Raph ordered as he ran to the truck. He pulled the driver side door open. Mikey hopped over the red-banded turtle's shell and into the seat. Raph grumbled as he took his seat. Don slid in through the passenger side. Raph slammed the driver side door as the sound of gunfire sounded behind them. "Hold on," he called as he started the vehicle. The engine rumbled, but settled to a gentle roar. With the squealing of tires, the vehicle pulled out of the garage. Metal screeched as the back of the truck hit the garage doors. The hail of gunfire continued after them as they sped back onto the street.

With a rough spin, Raph righted the vehicle on the road. Don grunted as Mikey slid into him pushing him into the door. Raph floored the gas pedal. The engine revved and the tires spun struggling to speed away. Raph looked behind in the mirror to see cars whip out from the alley. He groaned under his breath. The last thing he wanted was a chase when his hands stung on the steering wheel.

The sound of a shell cell vibrating broke through the silence of the van. Raph looked worriedly at the sound. He cursed under his breath; he had forgotten to call Leo. Don reached for his belt to answer. "Hey Leo," the purple- banded turtle answered, voice with a forced nonchalance. "Sorry we missed our check-in. We were a little distracted." Raph gave a glance to his younger brother, trying to overhear the eldest over the phone. He swerved to avoid a truck that tried to side sweep them. Don tipped to the side, but didn't break the calm tone. "Raph is currently driving and needs to keep both hands on the wheel," Don replied coolly. Said turtle rolled his eyes, already imagining the lecture that was waiting for him. "We're going to have to take a detour, so we can explain when we get back to the Lair," Don replied, giving Raph a pointed look that clearly read 'lose them'.


Loud huffs were slowly falling behind Leo's steady easy jog. The eldest turtle slowed slightly to let the small albino catch up. Instead of coming closer the panting stopped and was replaced with a solid thud. Leo stopped on a dime, turning to see Lita flat on her plastron. Her mouth was open slightly as she gasped for air. Pink eyes looked at him with fear as she pushed herself to her hands and knees.

Leo walked back to her as she got to her feet. She looked down at the floor, wrapping her arms around her plastron. "That was quite the fall. Are you hurt?" he asked concerned. She shook her head slightly. She was still breathing heavily.

"D-d-did I p-p-pass?" she asked, looking up at him. Pink eyes looked nervous, almost scared.

"Pass what?" Leo asked, keeping his tone even.

"Th-the endurance t-t-test?" Lita asked, shifting her weight nervously.

Leo sighed, "This wasn't a test, Lita." A look of suspicion crossed her face. "But if it was, you passed. You ran for a long time. Good job." Her arms dropped as her posture relaxed. Her breaths were still ragged puffs. "Let's take a short break to catch our breath." Leo waved for the girl to follow him. As they exited the dojo, Lita picked up the blanket she had dumped on the ground. Wrapping it around her, she shuffled after the blue-masked turtle to the kitchen.

Leo opened the fridge to pull out two water bottles. Opening one he handed it to Lita who sat on Spinter's chair. Without a word of thanks, she took a sip from the bottle. A lesson on manners might be needed, he thought to himself. Leo settled into his own chair to drink his own water bottle. It was chill as it passed his mouth, almost cold enough to put his teeth on edge. He pulled out his shell cell to check the time.

Frowning, he noticed that an hour had passed since his brothers left. He dialed Raph's phone first. The ringing tone met his ear. Counting each ring until Raph's message sounded through. Leo ended the call. "Of course, he wouldn't answer," Leo said out loud.

"W-who?" Lita asked from her cavern of blankets.

"Raph," Leo answered, "I'll just call Don. He always answers his cell." The eldest turtle dialed his younger brother's phone. On the second ring, Don answered. "Hey Leo," the olive turtle's voice said with an even calm tone. Too calm. It ranckled his senses.

"Hey Don. Is everything okay?" Leo asked as he tried to listen to the background noise. He ignored the expected apology for the missed check in. "Can I talk to Raph? He didn't answer his phone," Leo asked, testing to see if the hothead was in good health. When Don answered that their brother was driving, it calmed the nervousness that threatened to make itself known. "You stole another car? Whatever, you have an hour to get home," Leo said with a shake of his head. The call ended soon after. With his three brothers in good health for the moment, Leo's focus turned to the small turtle who was now peeling the wrapper off her empty water bottle.

She stopped as soon as he looked at her. Quickly she tried to stick the paper on again. A low grumble broke the awkward silence. Lita startled quickly covering her stomach with her hands. Leo chuckled, "Are you hungry?"

The girl squeezed the bottle in her hand as she stared at it. "I-its not f-f-feeding time." She picked at the wrapper again.

"That never has stopped Mikey before," Leo joked. It didn't receive a laugh. He cleared his throat. "What I mean is that if you are hungry, you don't have to wait for meal times." The older turtle pushed away from the table. He turned to the cabinets. Opening each, he noted that their stock was a little low. "I am not much of a cook, so how does oatmeal sound?" Leo asked as he pulled the plain oats from the cabinet. With a soft 'good' from the small turtle, Leo started to boil water for the oatmeal.

The end result was a disgusting slop. Both burnt and too goopy. Leo held onto the bowl, debating whether to give it to the small turtle. Another grumble from an empty stomach, had Leo hand the bowl to Lita.

He shut his eyes waiting for the gagging or some other disgusted noise. Only the sound of a spoon scraping the sides of the bowl was heard from the smaller turtle. Leo opened his eyes to watch Lita put a spoonful of goopy oatmeal into her mouth. "I don't cook often. How's the oatmeal? " Leo asked.

"G-g-good. B-b-better than p-p-pellets," Lita answered around her mouthful of oatmeal. Leo offhandedly told her not to talk with her mouth full. Though his mind circled around the pellet comment. They fed them like pets. The thought made Leo gag. He looked at the small turtle as she carried her bowl to the sink. She yawned as she shuffled back to the table. Shutting her eyes, she slumped forward to rest her head on the table.

Leo got to his feet. "You're going to hurt yourself if you sleep at the table," he said. Picking her up, he walked the small turtle to the couch. He set her down and she curled up on her side to continue sleeping.

He sat on Splinter's recliner and pulled out his phone. His brothers had thirty more minutes.


Don held onto the handle above the car door as Raph took another right turn. "Woah dude," Mikey complained as he grabbed Don's arm to keep himself from bowling into Raph. Don looked at his older brother with worry as he could practically hear him grind his teeth. He shook one hand out then the other. His eyes narrowed in what most would assume was anger, but Don read it as pain. As the purple-masked opened to ask his brother about his hands, Raph interrupted.

"That does it. Don, take the wheel," was the only warning before the red-masked turtle pulled himself out the open window. With his heart racing behind his plastron, Don grabbed the steering wheel as the truck swerved. He leaned over Mikey who watched Raph leave.

"Don and not me?" Mikey complained after the older turtle. He gave a dramatic pout. The youngest brother sighed, "see ya, Don. My people are calling me." With a whooping call, Mikey followed after Raph. Don took his spot at designated driver quickly, dodging a parked car barely. The metal above his head creaked as his two reckless brothers gained their balance. He spared an upward concerned glance, but the movement settled quickly.

Senses heightened, Don pinpointed each of the vehicles around them. In the moment of musical chairs, two cars had passed the refrigeration truck. In his rearview mirror, were two more. A truck was pressing close to the door. "Hey Don, give 'er the gas," Raph ordered above, his emerald face appearing in the windshield. With a mischievous grin, Don flipped the wiper blades. Raph dodged the spray and blades.

The purple-masked turtle pressed his foot on the gas and the truck struggled under the increased demand. The truck squeezed barely, chugging closer to the driver side windows. He watched in shock as his brothers jumped off the truck onto the two cars in front of them. They landed heavily on the cars. Mikey on the truck to the right and Raph on the Jeep to the left. Don flinched as Raph's landing looked rougher than normal.

Raph swung easily into the open side jeep. His feet connected to the driver's head. The man flopped like a fish as the red-masked turtle pushed him to the passenger. The passenger caught the unconscious man before the pommel of a sai collided with his temple. Don watched as the humans' shape flopped forward. He turned his attention to his younger brother.

Mikey on top of the truck, rolled onto the hood. Wheels squealed as the truck swerved. With laughs and whoops, Mikey kept hold. Shattering the windshield, he left the driver blind. Don edged the refrigeration truck to his brothers' rides. He rolled down the passenger window as he leaned backwards.

Raph barely squeezed between the driving turtle and the steering wheel, blinding Don for a second. "Nice driving,Don," Raph commented as Don swerved into the corner of the truck that kept trying to ram them off the road. With a crunch of metal, the truck spun crashing into the two disabled vehicles. Don focused as he maneuvered the truck around the wreckage.

"We have a major backup at Campbell street. Looks to be a three car pile up," Mikey joked in a reporter voice. "Now to Raphael with sports." Mikey pushed an invisible microphone into Raph's face.

"Uh, Donatello is here with breaking news," the purple-masked turtle interrupted. His brown eyes looked in the rear view mirror. The wreckage stopped the H.A.T.E members, but two dark SUVs pulled into the street to follow them. "It appears that two dark SUVs with Government plates are involved in a high speed chase."

Mikey leaned to the right to look at the right side view mirror. "Uh, that's not good," the orange-masked turtle said. His fingers drummed on the dashboard.

"What's the EPF doing here?" Raph asked as he pushed himself out of his seat. Don tried to think of a way to get his brothers out of this mess. "Do ya think we can take them out?" Raph asked, pulling his sais out. Don looked at Raph's looser grip on his weapons. That was concerning.

"They might have guns," Mikey said worriedly, "Of all of the days for you to forget your bag, Donnie." The purple-masked turtle hummed in agreement as he tried to think. He took a hard left without signaling. Headlights followed after them.

"Take the second right, Donnie," Raph ordered as Don nearly passed said turn. With a squealing of brakes, Don spun the steering wheel. Mikey bumped into Raph who shoved him off.

"What's the plan, Raph?" the driving turtle asked, looking back into the rearview mirror. As the two SUVs followed again, Don tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Grunting, Raph leaned over to Don to reach for the purple-masked turtle's belt. "Uh, excuse me?" Don complained, wiggling away from his older brother.

"I need your climbing spikes," Raph explained. An olive green hand pushed Raph's face away before reaching into his own belt. He focused to keep their drive even.

"You could ask," Don said, holding out the spikes. Raph took the sharp points from his younger brother.

"Here you go," Mikey said, holding out his own climbing equipment. Raph shook his head as he pushed both sets into Mikey's hands. Blue eyes looked at the red-masked turtle confused. Raph clenched and unclenched his hands. "Your hands okay, bro?" Mikey asked concern.

"Yeah, their fine. Let's just get home before Leo has a cow," Raph grumbled. Mikey gave his older brother a disbelieving look. "What ya think your aim is bad?"

"Nuh uh, I have the best aim," Mikey said. A concerned glance was tossed to Don who nodded his understanding. With the grace of a gymnast, Mikey was on top of the truck again.

"Okay, Donnie. Take another right. There should be some construction," Raph instructed as he leaned back and shut his eyes. Don looked at him worriedly, but followed the order.

Orange cones lined the street, forcing traffic to one lane. A concrete truck was on the left side and another truck on the right. "Alright road spikes away," Mikey called out. A loud pop echoed behind the truck. A second pop followed. "Ha, Ninja Turtles two, Men in Black zero," Mikey cheered.

"Get your shell in here, Chucklehead 'fore you fall off," Raph called out to his younger brother.

"Yup, you know how Donnie drives," Mikey grinned as he made his way back into the truck. Raph laughed as well, elbowing his purple-masked brother. A ring from Don's phone broke the good mood.


Bishop watched as the refrigeration truck sped away. He remained unmoved even as the car skidded to a stop. A frown crossed his face as his grip tightened on the car's armrest. The sea green turtle on top of the truck stuck out his tongue as the mutants drove away. Dark eyes fell on the mousy man sitting beside him. With a steadying exhale, he calmed his anger. "Dr. Nance, your specimen has gotten away," the government agent said. "This would be the seventh specimen you lost this week." Bishop pushed his sunglasses higher on his nose.

The scientist clasped his hands, but his face was still and not concerned. Though the fact that he didn't meet Bishop's eye told the agent that the smaller man was uneasy. "I have only lost the failed specimens. Any data collected would have been worthless," the man said through his broken nose.

"Will the man be able to share what happened?" Bishop asked, not out of concern for the man, but for his own program. He crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat.

"Even if he could, who would believe him or his group. They have been declared dangerous conspiracy theorists and terrorists," Dr. Nance answered, "And the mutagen appears to have deteriorated any higher brain function." The man had a pleased look on his face. Bishop narrowed his eyes unseen behind the dark lenses of his glasses.

Bishop grinned, "Good. Your next task is to round up the mutants you have lost. You have all of the EPF's resources at your command."

"What do you want me to do with them once I find them?" Dr. Nance asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"You may finish whatever test you need, but they must all be disposed of as soon as possible," Bishop responded.


The trio of turtles entered the Lair soon after Don hung up on Leo. The leader stood by the door, hands on his hips. He looked over each of them for injuries. Don looked a little bruised, but mostly sheepish. His brown eyes were not meeting Leo's dark ones. Moving his gaze to the next brother, Leo focused on a small detail. Raph put his hands behind his shell. There was something there. His oldest brother senses were telling him something was wrong with the red-masked turtle. "Hey Leo," Mikey greeted loudly as he stepped between Leo and Raph. The hyper turtle looked a little unsure as he continued, "sooo, we may have a new pet."

"Shh, Mikey. Lita is sleeping," Leo admonished. The girl just fell asleep and he would like her to remain so. "What is this about a new pet?"

"So when we were out we ran into those U.F.O. guys. The ones that tried to blow up New York," Mikey started to explain excitedly.

"It was H.A.T.E," Raph explained, a little snippy. He pushed by the blue-masked turtle toward the bathroom. Don watched worriedly and followed after the stomping turtle.

"So anyway. That doctor guy gave one of them a shot and he became this ooze monster. Its gnarly," Mikey continued. "It was my brilliant idea to use a refrigeration truck to trap it. Now it's in the garage." The leader was silent for a moment, taking in the information.

Two pair of footsteps announced the return of the two middle turtles. Leo's eyes caught the white bandages around Raph's hands. Amber eyes warned the leader to not question it unless he wanted a fight. Leo would let it go for now.

He looked at Don, "We have to find this Dr. Nance before any more people are victims. Raph, you stay home tomorrow. Don, Mike, and I will patrol the city."

Raph groaned. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Babysitting.