———

————

Present day

————

———

Angel and Donnie walked out of the lab, bags under their eyes. Everyone was asleep in the living room, still waiting on the update with Mondo and Rockwell.

Donnie walked over to Leo, who had Karai sleeping against his shoulder.

"Leo." Donnie whispered, nudging his shoulder.

Leo groaned, cracking his eyes open. "What?" Angel rubbed her face moving to rest next to Vine and Iris.

"Mondo and Rockwell are medically stable; they just need to stay here so we can keep an eye on them."

Leo looked over at his family before turning back to him. "Ok, but they need to stay in the lab." He said with a yawn. Donnie nodded before making his way over to April.

--

Rockwell and Mondo laid beside each other on the table, remaining still. Their bodies relaxed with the numerous patches of gauze that covered their wounds. The monitor that stood behind them began to beep faster as Rockwell's steady breathing hitched. His finger started to twitch, a faint vein in his face pulsing a bright green. He shifted on the table before resting his head back with a groan.

Mondo rolled over slightly, his body trembling and twitching. He clenched his hand with a hiss before returning to his back, a sliver of green branching out on his toe pads. They both laid there with the echo of the shifting monitor as the family rested.

--

Leatherhead and Slash were chained at their wrists and ankles, hung from the ceiling with their feet anchored to the floor. They were both unconscious and barely responsive as a Lab worker made his way across the room. He began tapping on a screen displaying their vital's and body anatomy before shifting to the two mutants.

Leatherhead's eyes cracked open with a low growl before slowly shifting his head to look around. The scientist adjusted the monocular goggles that had replaced his eye moving its lens.

"Hmm, its awake already." He turned back to the computer with a soldier standing next to him. The tall soldier was masked and cloaked, with a heavy sword strapped to his back.

"Bring Vital over. The freaks have woken up faster than expected and he'll want to be here for the testing. So make sure to keep it quick." The scientist said, pointing to the door.

He nodded, heading to the door before pausing, shifting his view to the two hanging mutants that were now covered in burns and bruises. The scientist scowled.

"Now!"

The soldier jumped slightly before quickly continuing out of the lab. "Yes, Dr. Chaplin."

--

Curled up next to Mona, Irillia was shifting and rolling over in an attempt to get some sleep. Slowly, her eyes opened, and she stared up at the ceiling. She noticed a shell-covered tale hanging from the edge of the hanging ramp. Looking up at her mom, she quietly moved away, stepping over Mei and Mikey lying on the floor. She gripped the bars pulling herself up onto the platform. At the top, next to the Plants, Kiba sat there, staring off into space. Irillia gazed down at the parents before making her way over to her cousin.

"You ok?" Irillia asked, sitting next to her.

"I just don't really feel like sleeping." Kiba sighed, poking a finger into one of her Venus fly traps, making it immediately clamp shut.

Irillia looked down. "Yeah, me neither." Irillia said, swaying her legs back and forth.

"I just fear that things are going to get bad really fast." Kiba looked down before turning to her. "And we're not going to be able to do anything."

Irillia thought for a moment, raising her gaze to the moon dimly lighting up the lair through the upper grate. "I know they are trying to protect us, but it almost seems like we're not ready to go off on our own because we've been shut away."

Kiba closed her eyes. "I honestly can't tell what's worse. The fact the world is against us, or the fact that that's all we will ever really know about it."

--

Chaplin prepared a syringe as a beaker boiled next to him. Chained to the wall opposite to him, the two newbies were watching how their mutant team's muscle was just hanging there, weak and drained. Violet turned her head to the yellow salamandrian beside her; he was keeping his eyes closed as his teeth ground together. The axolotl mutant lowered her gaze, the glasses on her face falling to the floor.

Chaplin's attention averted from his desk with disgust picking up a spare pair of needles. Violet's eyes widened, using her elbow to nudge Oli next to her as Chaplin walked towards them. Oli at first looked at her confused before quickly raising his head in fear. The doctor had stepped on Violets glasses with the two long needles in his hands.

Chaplin was standing over them, adjusting the lens that had replaced his eye before crouching down to their level. The axolotl mutant gasped as Chaplin laughed and grabbed her face. "Don't mind me. I'm just excited to finally have a couple new blood samples." He said with a smirk before aiming a syringe at the base of her neck.

--

The soldier walked down the recently renovated halls of TCRI, his mask hiding his expression. He entered an office, a green glow emitting from the room, where Vital was looking out of the window, hands behind his back.

"Sir, we will be beginning the testing soon. The two mutants are prepped and ready." The soldier said, taking off his mask.

Vital sighed, staring down at the city below them. "Have they cracked and told us about the other freak locations, or are they still going strong?" He asked slightly, rotating his head.

"They haven't said a word, and our attempts have left them unconscious." The soldier said, with his hood still over his head.

"So they will refuse to the point of death? Disgusting." Vital scoffed, squinting his uniquely symmetrical eyes.

"Perhaps they don't know as much as we thought they did." The soldier said, walking forward.

"Trust me, they know, and if they don't, then they deserve this regardless." Vital said, turning to him.

The soldier looked down before nodding. "Chaplin is waiting for your orders in the lab, so at least those two mutants will be useful." He said, putting his mask back on.

"Very well, let's begin then." Vital smirked.

--

The sound of a loud crash and screeching echoed throughout the lair, making the family jump out of their state of sleep.

"What the heck was that!?" Irillia yelled as Kiba rubbed her eyes.

Leo groaned as he stood up, and Raph took out his Sai. Another echo of shattering glass and crashing metal radiated through the room.

"It sounds like it's coming from the lab." Donnie said, pulling out his staff.

"Maybe Rockwell and Mondo? They're the only ones in there." April said, with Angel and Mikey walking next to her. Mei shook Ash awake as he tried to ignore them and stay asleep.

"Why would those two be causing such a racket if they haven't recovered yet?" Iris said, pulling Kohanna up. Dakota stretched before kicking Cody in the back, forcing him up.

"They shouldn't have the energy to do much of anything." Angel said as Karai stood up next to Leo. Another crash echoed in the lair.

"I don't know, but let's go check it out." Leo said, walking in the direction of the noise.

Kiba and Irillia glanced at each other as the others followed behind him. Leo and Raph stood at the sides of the lab door, peeking in. The place was a wreck, and Mondo and Rockwell weren't in their line of sight. The group walked in, further opening the entrance.

"And, of course, there's nothing." Vine said, crossing his arms as Casey scoffed.

"Why is it the moment we're here? It's as quiet as a mouse, but when we're out there trying to sleep, it's-" Rockwell and Mondo jumped down from the ceiling, landing on the two with a screech.

"Aghh!!" The family yelled, jumping back. Mondo and Rockwell stared at them with glowing green veins bulging all over their bodies. Their figures had turned deformed and exaggerated, with bright fluid oozing from the sores and spines littered across their bodies. Vine and Casey groaned from underneath the crazy mutants as the family stared in horror.

"What's wrong with them!?" Mikey yelled as Mona and Angel stood in front of the teens, weapons readied. Rockwell screeched, leaping forward as Donnie swung at the mutant's head. Leo and Raph sliced and jabbed at Rockwell as Mikey and April charged at Mondo.

"Uh, Donnie?! They seem stronger and faster than usual!" Raph yelled as he and Leo both held back one of the ape's arms.

Donnie hissed, looking at the two savage mutants. "They're mutagen! It's unstable!" He blocked a strike from Rockwell with his staff making it snap in half. "It must be making them feral!" He yelled, flipping away.

April slung her tesson into the gecko's back as Karai slid across the floor and kicked him in the shin. With Mondo now on the floor, Vine and Casey quickly got back on their feet. Mondo stood up, tongue hanging out of his mouth with Rockwell beside him before they both roared and charged toward the group.

Mikey, making quick work of the situation, lassoed the two up in his kusara gama chain and forced them into the wall. "Nice try, you two!" Leo and Raph hurried and held them down, kneeling on their backs as they hissed and growled.

The teens watched with amazement as Mona and Angel let their guard down, releasing a breath.

"That was awesome." Irrilia said, gripping Kiba's arm.

"Woahhh." Mei gaped at the scene with Thalos watching behind her. Iris walked over and looked down at Rockwell's open sores and spines.

"What happened to them?" Dakota asked, watching as Karai helped Casey and Vine gather themselves.

"Thanks, guys; that monkey weighed more than my parental burdens." Casey said, stretching out his back. Dakota and Cody glanced at each other in confusion, then back at their father as Ash, Iris, and Kohanna snickered.

"Donnie, Angel, any ideas on how to get them back to normal or what to do with them if we can't?" Leo asked, holding Rockwell down. Angel walked over with a syringe in her hands.

"We can try and figure something out, but until then, it would probably be best to keep them sedated." Angel said, turning to Donnie.

"What?!" Raph yelled as he grasped the gecko's free arm.

"Angels right. We need to figure out how to balance the mutagen in their bodies, but they are too dangerous in this state to be left alone."

Raph looked down in thought as Leo spoke. "Ok, but let's keep the lab on lockdown."

Mona turned back to the teens grimacing at the situation. "Ok, you all should probably go now." Mona said, gesturing the teens to the door. "Ryan could you keep an eye on them?"

Ryan nodded standing behind them.

"What!? Oh, come on, this was just getting good!" Irillia said, pointing at the two feral mutants.

"Irillia." Mona pointed out the lab as the others left. "Go." She turned back to the lab as Kiba gripped Irillias shoulder. The teen huffed before walking out the door with Kiba beside her.

"So it seems those monsters have really upped the ante." Casey said, dusting off his pants.

"Yeah, and worse, we don't know how. The Antigen before just threw off our body functions, but now it's turning harmless mutants into literal monsters." Donnie said, bending down next to Angel, who was injecting the sedative.

"They also managed to take Slash and leatherhead, and if those two went feral, it would be a disaster." Karai said, looking over Leo.

"They could also use those two against us. They know all our locations, including the lair." Vine said.

"We need to find them and those new members." Leo said, standing up as Rockwell's movements slowed down.

"What I don't understand is if these Humanists hate mutants so much, why would they aim to make them even crazier?" April said, crossing her arms.

"It must be a side effect of some kind." Donnie said, placing gauze over their new injuries.

"But what is it they're trying to do?" Donnie asked himself, scratching the top of his head. Angel bent down to Rockwell, observing the unstable state he was in.

"You said the mutagen was unstable to the point it was attacking their bodies." She paused, noticing the pained expression on his face. "Maybe this is a side effect of their bodies trying to fight it, like getting a bad fever to fight off disease." She said quickly, looking at the group.

"So it's like a crazy bad allergic reaction?" Casey said, shrugging his soldiers.

"It's worse than bad. Not only is it dangerous for them, it's dangerous to us and anyone else who gets near them." Mona said.

"So what can we do?" Mikey asked, crouching next to Mondo.

Donnie thought to himself, exchanging a look with the others. "I don't know."

--

Slash's vision and the feeling in his limbs began to return. He twisted his stiff neck with a groan before noticing Leatherhead beside him. His eyes were white, and his teeth were bared.

"So what can be determined by the blood test of those two?" Vital asked as Chaplin placed a drop of blood onto a slide.

"Well, I've identified the female in pink as a Mosaic Axolotl, but this salamander-looking one is Alien to me." Chaplin said, adjusting the lenses.

"Are you sure it's not just some kind of salamander or newt?" Vital asked in confusion.

"No, by Alien, I mean literally ALIEN. Given how these cells are structured, they must be either a new taxonomy kingdom or foreign to the planet." Chaplin said, not bothering to take his eye off the microscope.

Vital raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."

The soldier walked into the lab with two Mutagen canisters covered in orange slime in his arms. Their foot hit the edge of a gas tank, making them clumsily stumble forward.

"Aggh!!" Vital and Chaplin flinched. Thankfully the soldier caught himself before he fell and sighed in relief.

"Be careful with that!" Chaplin yelled, taking the containers from their hands. "The mutaganesc can only repel so much. One crack, and we could be done for." He continued smearing more of the orange material around the canister.

"Yes, Doctor. My apologies." The soldier said.

Chaplin placed the mutagen on the table, wrapping them in tin foil.

"We need to make some more mutaganesc soon. We can't risk getting mutated during these experiments." Vital said, dipping his finger into the orange putty.

The soldier next to him was staring at the mutants as Leatherhead growled and tugged on his arms.

Vital smirked. "Don't worry; these freaks can't hurt you." The soldier shifted to the presence beside him. "Even better." Vital took out his sword. "You will get to witness their torture."

--

"This is the worst!" Irrilia yelled, grabbing at her head.

Kiba looked at the array of photos on the dojos shelf, sadness in her eyes.

"Our friends are hurt! The people who kidnapped us are still alive! And we're stuck, not able to do anything!" Irillia growled, kicking the tree in the dojo. The teens stayed there, letting their cousin vent her emotions. Iris was leaning against the wall glaring at the floor, with Kiba walking by her.

"They're worried about us, Irillia. As annoying as it is, it's their job to worry; they're our parents." Kiba said, stepping forward.

Irillia rolled her eyes. "Well, it's our job as young adults to try and make something of ourselves, not just live down a drain our entire lives."

Kiba lowered her head. "They witnessed the loss of so many of their loved ones it makes sense that they would want us to hide." Kiba said, lowering her gaze. Cody held Thalos in his lap as the room went quiet. "I know it's painful, living in hiding." Mei's face fell as she snuggled up next to Chompy. "But they were lucky enough to get a second chance. Who would we be to risk that for them?" Kiba said, lifting her head up.

Irillia slumped onto the floor in a huff, Ash, and Dakota looking away as Irillia sighed.

"I know."

--

The teens sat in the kitchen munching at some leftover pizza with their parents in the other room.

"I hope they're able to fix whatever's happening to them." Mei said, stuffing an entire slice into her mouth.

"They also need to find Slash and Leatherhead." Kohanna added as Ash looked at Mei with discomfort. Irillia thought for a moment, Thalos sitting in her lap.

"What happens if we can't fix them?" She asked, turning to Kiba.

"If there's nothing they can do, they may have no choice but to fight them. Iris said as Kiba's face fell.

"Ok? Well, they already fought them. Now they just have to be kept away from everyone." Cody said as he was doing practice swings with his bat.

"That's not the same kind of fight." Iris glared at him as he looked at them, confused.

"If they somehow get out, our parents will have no choice but to take them down." Kiba paused, turning away. "Permanently."

--

"Ok, they are officially in a state of stasis, and with our supplies, they should be out of it for a couple of weeks." Donnie said as he and Angel pushed Rockwell and Mondo into the corner on their designated cots.

"And just to be safe, let's just chain down one of their wrists to the pipes." April said, wrapping the chains.

"I kinda feel bad chaining them up like this." Mikey said with a frown.

"It will be safer for them in the long run, little brother. Raph said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I guess so."

--

The adults walked into the kitchen, exhaustion still present in their features. The two brains of the family almost collapsed on the table only being supported by Vine, Ryan and April.

"Here you go, dad." Kohanna said, handing Donnie a slice of the pizza.

"Thanks, Hanna." He yawned, taking the piece before missing his face when aiming to bite it. Iris and Irillia giggled as April pushed his hand slightly on his second attempt, successfully landing the pizza in his mouth.

Ash walked over to Mikey. "Father, when exactly will we get to sleep?" He muttered, rubbing the eye that's usually covered by his hair.

"Hopefully, soon. I'm almost too tired to eat." He said, chewing on a piece of pepperoni.

Leo stretched out his arms as Karai and Mona slouched onto the wall. Angel was already on the brink of passing out as she and her brother rested on Vine's shoulders. "Ok, guys, let's head to bed before our bodies fail." Leo said as everyone used each other as temporary resting spots.

"We have a big adventure ahead of us."

--

Kohanna made her way to the dojo as everyone entered their rooms. She was leaving milk out for the ice cream kitties, which always made her feel weird given it kinda comes off as almost cannibalism.

"I know we need to get them back, Raph." Kohanna froze as the Kittens went quiet. "But first, we have to get a look at the bigger picture. Heck, we don't even know where they are." Leo's voice entered from outside the kitchen door.

Kohanna quietly closed the freezer door before easing closer to the conversation.

"Well, obviously, TCRI. That's where they were before." Raph objected.

"We still need to be sure, and what's happening to Rockwell and Mondo could be happening to them. And me and you both know we wouldn't be able to take a feral Slash and Leatherhead in A fight."

A loud sigh was heard. "You're right, but then what can we do?" Raph said, clearly, too tired to put up much of a debate.

"We will go and investigate tomorrow."

"Yeah but knowing the kids, they will likely complain about not getting to help." Raph added.

"We'll just tell them we're going on our usual patrol and keep the lab on lockdown." Leo said, his voice getting harder to hear as they walked away.

"Sounds all right to me." Raph finished as their steps faded away.

Kohanna looked down at her feet, furrowing her brows. "Why hide everything from us?"

--

Kiba, Irillia, and Iris all sat and laid in their designated bunks as Kohanna entered what used to be their grandfather's room.

"Took you long enough." Irrilia said, placing Slinky on the wooden perches she had mounted to her wall.

Kohanna rolled her eyes. "Well I was just busy overhearing your two dads conversing about the plans for tomorrow." She said, pointing at Irillia and Kiba.

The room went quiet as the girls just looked at each other.

"Well, what of it? Is there something wrong?" Kiba asked, sitting up on her bottom bunk.

"They're planning a scouting mission for TCRI tomorrow to try and locate Slash and Leatherhead." The four girls glanced at each other. "But of course, they were also planning on lying to us about it so that way we didn't complain." Kohanna continued huffing the hair out of her face before the room once again went silent.

"Well, that's just great." Iris griped.

"The people responsible for us being shut away have returned, meaning now our parents are going to be even more freaked out about us ever leaving." She continued resting her book on her eyes.

Irillias face fell, flopping onto her back as Kiba sighed.

"Oh well. It's better we accept it now than later." She said as Kohanna climbed up to her bed.

Irillia turned off the neon sign she had next to her wall stickers as Iris placed her book away. Kiba laid down on her pillow, her bottom bunk creaking as Hanna wrapped herself in the blankets she had made. Iris looked up at the tiny lights she had hung above her as the room stayed quiet.

"Goodnight, guys." Hanna said, rolling over to face the wall.

"Good night."

--

The following day after sleeping in for the first half of the day Donnie was analyzing Rockwell and Mondo's conditions. Checking heart rates and oxygen levels with Angel walking into the lab from the background.

"Any updates?" She said, walking up behind him.

"Well, their vitals are stable, but only because of the support we're giving them." He said, turning to her as she reached into a cabinet, taking out a vile of Mutagen and placing it on the lab desk with a sigh.

"We need to re-stock our mutagen supply if we're going to develop some form of stabilizer for them." She said, before pulling out two more.

"Yeah, maybe while we're all out today, we could gather some from TCRI. Or even better, gather some more of the Antigen that caused all this." Donnie said, holding up a dart with a pair of tweezers.

The sound of the lab door opening alerted them away from the two mutants that rested beside them. Mei, Ash, and Thalos stood in the doorway, visibly drained.

"Hey, you know the rules. The lab is currently off-limits." Angel said, trying to usher them away.

"Then why would you leave the door unlocked?" Ash scoffed making her glare and roll her eyes.

"You better watch your mouth." She said crossing her arms as Ash turned away and Mei pushed by him.

"Uh, uncle Donnie, Sensei wants us all to meet up in the dojo." Mei said with Thalos squished at her side.

--

Leo stood firm in the center of the dojo with the family around him.

"Ok, we will be leaving for our patrol early today." The teens were resting on their knees as their parents stood next to Leo.

"So there will be no entering or unlocking of the lab doors. There will be no leaving the lair."

"Well, no shi-" "There will be no use of the garage or the vehicles in it." Iris started, only to be interrupted by Leo pointing at them.

"There will be no touching, fidgeting, or pranking of Rockwell and Mondo." Raph said, looking at Irillia, Mei, and Cody, who only bit their tongues in response.

"And, of course, if anything happens while we're gone, call for backup immediately." April said, crossing her arms.

"Hai, sensei." The teens sighed. Leo nodded, turning away from them as the other adults left the room.

"The same thing as usual." Irillia muttered before Kiba flicked her with her tale.

--

"Ok, we should be back by midnight, and Ryan will be back here in a couple hours, so don't be getting yourselves into trouble." Raph said as the others hopped into the shellrazor.

"We know, dad." Irillia said, with Kiba walking up behind her.

Raph pointed his fingers to his eyes and then to Irillias as he stepped into the renovated subway car. Irillia sighed as Kiba fed a fly to the plant in her hand. The shellrazors engines roared as they drove away, leaving the two teens next to the garage.

"Way to make us feel like delicate little daisies." Irillia scoffed, twiddling her fingers.

"Come on, let's just watch some TV." Kiba said, guiding Irillia back to the living room.

"Shouldn't that plant be up on the ramp getting some sun?" Irillia asked, with Kiba holding the pot of small fly traps.

"Well, they can't handle too much direct sunlight, so I'm just keeping them down here for now. She said, placing them on the floor next to the bean bag she now sat on.

"I see." Irillia said looking down at the plant and raising a brow.

Mei, Ash, and Thalos sat in front of the screen as Iris put in a VHS tape.

--

The small Peyo's were walking through the forest next to a wall. 'I can't believe we're stuck behind this wall when those soldiers go out all the time.' The purple girl said, pointing at the soldiers leaving through a gate. 'It's so unfair. We've been stuck here so long; we might as well do what we want.' The purple boy said, throwing a rock at the ground. A screech was heard before a giant worm erupted from the dirt knocking the two Peyo's mushroom hats off. 'Aghhhhhh!'

--

"This show is worse than awful." Irillia groaned, rubbing the sides of her face.

"If you don't like it so much, then why don't you leave?" Mei said, sticking her tongue out at her.

"Believe me, I would if I could." She scoffed, plopping down on the floor as Kiba dripped some water onto her potted plant with a smile. Iris was sitting on the bench with her book as Kohanna wrapped more ribbon around her bo staff.

"Hey Cody?! What subject is it now?!" Kohanna yelled.

"History! But Dakota's helping me out!" He yelled from the kitchen making Iris snicker.

The lab door behind the TV was locked, but that didn't stop Mei from shifting herself to look at it. "What time did they say they would be back." She asked, turning to the older teens. Iris rested her book in her lap and gave Kohanna a nervous smile.

"Uhh, probably the same as usual." She said as Kohanna nodded vigorously. Kiba and Irillia snickered as Ash looked at them with suspicion before suddenly sneezing.

"Ewww!" Thalos yelled as Ash covered his snotty nose.

"Shut up and get me something to wipe my nose with!" He yelled as Thalos scooted away from him.

Irillia grimaced, covering the lower half of her face with her shoulder wrap. Kibas face contorted, covering her face as well. "What the heck is that smell?" Iris asked as Ash sneezed again.

"Ugh, whatever it is, it's making me sneeze." He said, squinting his eyes.

Kohanna stood up and turned to that lab door with confusion. "Is it coming from the lab?" She asked, covering her nose as Kiba groaned.

"Really, you guys. Don't just be looking for a reason to go in there. It's probably nothing." Kiba said, picking up the fly traps again.

Irillia stood up, walking towards the door before gagging and stepping back. "Yeah, no, it's definitely coming from something in the lab." She said as Iris and Kohanna both winced and gagged from next to her.

"No, no, we are not doing this. Let's just go into another room." Kiba said, now standing in front of them. Irillia rolled her eyes, walking past her.

"Were you guys not listening to a thing our parents said. It's dangerous in there." She continued placing her hand on the handle before Irillia could grab it.

"Mondo and Rockwell are on tons of anesthesia. They won't be waking up any time soon." Irillia said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, and with a smell that bad, our friends could be lying there dead on the table. You know, decomposition." Iris said, whipping out a key she had in her pocket.

"Ok, where did you get that?" Kohanna said, still grimacing at the reek in the air.

"I pickpocketed your dad."

The three just looked at her. "What?" She asked with no signs of guilt.

"Whatever, let's just check and see what the heck is wrong in there." Irillia said, snatching the key out of her hands.

--

The lab door creaked open as the four girls peeked their heads in. Rockwell and Mondo were still lying there, breathing as their monitors remained stable.

"There you see, everything is fine. Therefore we should probably just leave." Kiba said, trying to usher everyone back to the door. The three girls casually slipped past her not even acknowledging what she had just said.

Iris looked around with curiosity, immediately heading toward the two unconscious mutants. Kohanna and Irillia, not far behind, began to search through the room in excitement, with Kiba groaning in the background.

"Whoah." Iris said, looking at the two. "Ok, so the good news is that the smell isn't from them being dead, but it's definitely radiating from them." She continued looking over their bodies.

"Maybe it's this disgusting fluid oozing from their wounds." Kohanna added, curling her lip in disgust.

"Cool," Iris beamed, looking closer, earning visual disturbance from the redhead.

"Ok, now that we know what smells so bad, I think we can leave now." Kiba said, placing her fly traps down on the lab table.

"Hey, guys, check this out." Irillia said from across the lab. She pulled out a canister of Mutagen from one of the drawers making Kiba and the others freeze.

"Irillia! Put that back! It's already bad enough that we're in here, but now you're touching and fidgeting with all this dangerous lab equipment." Kiba said, trying to take it out of her hands.

"Stop being so uptight. See, I'm holding it, and everything's fine." She said, swaying it back and forth.

"Uh, Irillia, maybe you should put that down. Kohanna said as Iris watched with concern.

"Not you guys too, come on nothings gonna happen." Irillia groaned, holding the mutagen up. Kiba gasped, noticing some of the ooze dripping down the side of it.

Irillia stop, let's just get out of here," Iris said, stepping forward.

Irillia rolled her eyes as more of the mutagen began to leak out making the others go wide-eyed.

"Irillia no!" Kiba yelled, yanking the canister out of her hand effectively shattering it on the floor. No one noticing the drop of Mutagen slinging and landing in the potted dirt of the flytraps. The four jumped back from the broken glass not knowing what to do before Kiba growled and clenched her fist.

"Irillia, that's it!" Kiba yelled making everyone jump. "Everyone out!" Kiba pointed to the door Ash, Mei, and Thalos were watching through. Irillia and the others stared at her in shock. "Now!" They all slowly nodded and began to exit the room as Kiba groaned and tried her best to cover up the mutagen spill.

Her uncle would have to clean it up in less risky way. She released a huff picking up the fly traps, before leaving the room and slamming the door.

--

Kiba turned back at them with a glare. "I told you guys not to go in there!" She hissed placing the carnivorous plants down.

"Geez, look, we're sorry we went into the forbidden lab. At least now we know what smells so bad." Irillia said, shrugging her shoulders, her tone laced with sarcasm.

"That Mutagen you were holding nearly spilled onto your hands. And in the process it shattered and put us all in danger. You could have turned into a complete monster." Kiba snarled, Irillia only scoffing in response.

"What?! Do you not care that you could have potentially turned into more of a freak than you already are?!"

Irillias jaw dropped before she released a low growl. The others stepped back and braced for impact as the two teens exchanged looks that could kill.

"Who the heck do you think you are?! Princess, you're not in charge of our lives! Your dad may be head of the family, but that doesn't give you the right to lecture us!" Irillia growled, Jabbing a finger at her. Dakota and Cody walked into the room, overhearing the commotion.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't have to if you had enough sense not to handle a loose canister of Mutagen! Heck our parents are going to know we were in there now!" Kiba yelled, fangs out as she pushed herself forward.

"Oh, you'll see just how much sense I have after i'm done with you! Cause let's not forget the fact you're the one who tossed the dang canister in the first place!" Irillia yelled as they crashed their foreheads together.

"Ok, you two, that's a great way to start a way bigger problem." Kohanna said, suddenly popping up between them.

"Yeah, Irillia, how about you come with me as we go look for some air freshener." Iris said quickly, grabbing her hand and pulling her away.

Kiba growled, turning away as Kohanna released a sigh. Her snake tongue came out of her mouth as she hissed and rubbed her temple.

"Just make sure you lock the lab up." Kiba huffed, heading towards the dojo.

--

Leo led the team across the city's rooftops, the late morning sun lighting the cloudy sky. TCRI was close, And the city streets were busy with traffic.

"Karai, where did Shinigami say they were?" Raph asked as Leo stopped them at the building they currently stood on.

"Shini and the foot should be split amongst four buildings around TCRI. They have been on the lookout since this morning," She said, checking her phone.

"Any signs of those humanists?" April asked, standing next to her.

"Nothing yet seems even more abandoned than before," She said as Donnie walked up to them.

"That probably means they just got better at hiding," Donnie said, adjusting his scanner.

"But how? They would have to be getting tons of resources from somewhere or someone to replace everything? It would be next to impossible to do this alone." Vine asked as Leo looked down in thought.

"That's true but for the time being let's also split into four teams and meet up with those foot soldiers. We need some muscle that isn't as vulnerable to this mutant weaponry. That way we can hopefully sneak our way in and get a better idea of the situation," Leo said, turning to the group.

"And you three, be on the streets gathering deeper Intel." Pointing at April, Casey, and Angel, the three nodded as Mikey did a flip off a ladder. "The rest of us can break up amongst the foot," Leo said, turning to face the TCRI building.

--

Mei, Thalos, and Ash sat in front of the TV as Iris, Kohanna, and the Casey twins sat on the bean bags.

"Why do those two have to do this right now?" Dakota said, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, It would probably be best not to get involved. Those two have more pride than a group of lions." Iris said, nose stuck in her book.

"I know; it's just exhausting. They have to bicker at each other over everything," Dakota said, slumping back onto the cushions.

"Yeah, and You two don't have to live down here," Iris added before Hanna looked down for a moment in thought.

"So, is Irillia good?" Cody asked, still shaky from her outburst.

"She'll be fine. She just needs some time to gather herself." Kohanna said, looking in the direction of the kitchen.

The group was quiet for a moment before Hanna sighed, and turned to the dojo. "I guess ill go check on the reasonable one, she's a bit less combative." Hanna finished putting her Bo back on her back.

Iris, Cody, and Dakota watched as she stood up with the three youngest messing around in the background.

"Ok, we'll make sure Irillia keeps her cool," Cody said as the redhead walked away.

"When did they say Ryan would get back here?" Dakota asked, turning back to Iris.

"Sometime in the next hour or two." She said, going back to her reading.

Mei wrapped her arms around her brother, squeezing him as he tried to escape her grip. They rolled across the concrete floor, laughing and wheezing, bumping up against the ledge the fly traps sat on.

"Get off of me!" Ash groaned as his sister kept laughing. He grunted pulling at her arms when he noticed one of the open traps starting to shift and grow.

"Huh?" The plant began to foam and twitch as its stem rose taller. He and Mei both gasped, eyes going wide as they saw the stalks grow thorns, and many of the long roots outgrew the pot.

--

Raph and Mona stood on a building next to TCRI, with many foot soldiers behind them.

"Ok, there hasn't been anyone yet, but something is definitely up," Raph said, looking through his binoculars.

"There's no one around yet, the building's lights are on, and Donnie's scanner keeps getting the same radiation readings as Kranng technology. Mona added, kneeling down beside him.

"Yeah, those humanist freaks loved using all that abandoned Kranng and Utrom tech. It's a miracle that they could even get it up and running again." He said, lowering the goggles from his face.

"Do you think the Utrom would be able to help? An organized group of criminals using their technology. Even the EPF. This is still their government property even if they aren't using it."

"Maybe, but they almost always have something more important going on." Raph said, rolling his eyes.

Mona sighed, resting next to him. "I guess that's true."

--

Kiba leaned against the back of the bonsai tree; arms crossed as Her snake tongue darted out of her mouth. 'That rebellious Loud Mouth. Can't she see I'm just trying to be reasonable?' Kiba grimaced, taking out her sword. Slicing and jabbing it about, to train and take things off her mind.

Entering the dojo, kohanna sighed, shaking her head as her cousin released her tension with her martial arts. Kiba swung her blade through the air, ignoring her as she stood beside her.

"You, of all people, should know better than to take the words of angry Irillia seriously," Kohanna said as Kiba continued her attacks, not bothering to respond. "You can't just sulk away in here, leaving us to deal with the situation you both created," She continued making Kiba pause.

"And what situation is that?" Kiba said, turning to her.

"Just all the tension. Right now, with how stressful the situation is, everyone's anxious, and You two fighting and freaking out isn't helping," She said, pointing out the door. Kiba gazed away, her fangs still protruding from her mouth as Kohanna just looked at her waiting for a response.

A blood-wrenching scream coursed through the lair, making the two immediately jump and shift to the door.

"Mei?"