Hello everyone! I decided to give you the next chapter early since I may be missing next week. Thank you for your appreciation of this fic, and here is the next chapter!

I hope you continue to stick around and review!

"Donnie, you're scaring me."

Green fingers flew across a keyboard as chocolate brown eyes stared wildly into the computer screen, "Honestly, Leo, I'm scaring myself."

The leader opened his mouth but found himself pausing as he hesitantly closed it. Since they'd seen Bishop's picture on that war memorial, Donatello had been antsy, legs bouncing in a barely repressed anxiety. Leo could almost see the gears turning in his most intelligent brother's brain. Something had the genius on edge, and the young leader couldn't help but agree. To see one of their most dreaded enemy's faces on a war memorial from before the civil war wasn't as big a shock as you'd think, especially considering they had been aware of his impossibly long life-span for a while, but this was Bishop. This man was capable of evil, an evil dark and twisted that was scarier than even the Shredder, which was a shocking statement in itself. Despite the fact that they knew Bishop turns over a new leaf in the future, that doesn't take away from him being a threat in the present.

Of course, they had to run into him when they were supposed to be relaxing. It really sucked that they had such bad luck when they went on vacation.

"Okay," Leonardo finally sighed, bracing himself for the inevitable, "tell me what you've got."

Donnie drew in a deep breath, a very discomforting tic that was an omen of even worse things to come, "So," Donnie began, "as you're aware, Agent Bishop is practically immortal, so him being here around the civil war isn't surprising."

"Yes, I'm aware," Leonardo nodded.

"And we already know that he has pretty deep pockets, plus connections with the government," Donatello continued, "both in the present and the future, he's a force to be reckoned with."

"I'm in suspense here Donnie, you know I'm not a fan of suspense if it's not movie night."

"Getting there," the scientist acknowledged, still frantically typing and clicking as he navigated through a dizzying slideshow of internet tabs, "what is surprising, is that New Orleans is Bishop's beginning."

That made Leo freeze, a sudden revelation striking him that seemed to stop time. They'd been so obsessed with Bishop's efforts on the here and now, and what he'll eventually become, but no one had really asked the question of where the illustrious agent came from. "I'm listening,"

Donnie took another deep breath, making Leo's nerves spike yet again, "I've been researching the John Bishop we saw memorialized, and it turns out he was born in New Orleans into a prominent southern family." The genius elaborated, "this man, not yet the Bishop we know and fear, lived a perfectly normal life. He was a good man, a good employer, one of the few southern plantation owners that freed his family's slaves when he took over the family business and even provided them an education and a head start. The main reason his face is on that memorial is because he endangered his own life, countless times, to rescue the wounded from off the battlefield.

"In short, he was highly respected and even loved by his community." Donnie sighed, "I guess it shouldn't be a surprise, considering we've seen how well he's done as the President, and he really does treat his employees well. Despite how twisted he acts towards us."

"Which begs the question," Leo murmured, tapping his chin thoughtfully, sapphire eyes dark and ponderous, "what changed? How does a man so compassionate and kind become the monster we know who will stop at nothing to get what he wants?"

"Trauma," Donatello stated, his tone heavy, "according to what I've dug up about him, after the Battle of New Orleans he went a little crazy."

"Crazy how?" Leonardo braced a palm on the table next to the computer, leaning towards his brother.

"He said in the middle of the battle he'd been abducted by strange creatures in a flying vessel of some kind," the purple ninja clarified, "and of course, since the concept of aliens, much less alien abduction, wasn't in existence yet, his claims were met with more than a little skepticism.

"No one believed him, and this man that so many revered and respected, became the laughingstock of the city." Donnie paused, his compassionate heart shining through the brown gaze, "I found documentation from newspapers and witness testimony that he locked himself in his home, and never came back out for months. The servants employed there said he changed into a different man, a raging alcoholic who would jump at shadows and have recurring nightmares that had him screaming the whole house down."

Donatello glanced down at the computer screen, fingers flexing even as a curtain of guilt veiled the genii's features, "Whatever the aliens did to him in their ship, it messed him up, Leo. Badly. He never recovered."

The young leader fell silent, empathy constricting his heart, battling with the furious hatred Leo held for the human. The azure ninja knew what that experience felt like. What it was to be stolen away, with no hope of rescue, and endure horrors beyond your imaginings. Leo knew how it felt, to be strapped down to a table or a chair, and powerless to only watch as monsters chipped away at your sanity, wreaking twisted ambitions on your body, even as you trembled in fear. Only to come out on the other side, feeling like a completely different person, depleted of your confidence and devoid of your former strength, burdened with layers upon layers of fears that haunt you at all times, be it night or day. Leonardo understood that feeling, more than he cared to admit.

The difference between Leo and Bishop, however, was that the turtle had a support group that helped him through the healing process. The human, apparently, did not. An unexpected burst of pity enveloped the terrapin, a shocking feeling that Leonardo never expected to feel for a man like John Bishop. Chewing his bottom lip, the young leader sighed, "So, what happened after that?"

"He fell off the map." Donnie shrugged, "Sold the plantation, liquidated all but a few of the family's holdings, and then just disappeared."

A sudden thought struck Leo, making a premonition itch in the back of his mind, "All but a few?"

Donnie smirked, pleased that the eldest was already catching on to where he'd been leading, "Exactly, aniki," he nodded, "I got curious about that as well."

"And what did you find?"

"This," once again the green fingers flew, and a few clicks of the mouse later, Leo found himself staring at a picture of a large warehouse, "look at the side of the building, look familiar?"

Leonardo felt his heart stop, even as his mouth went dry. Emblazoned on the side of the concrete building was an insignia, a star bordered by fluttering flags crisscrossed below. The same insignia they found etched into one of the components used to build the bomb that turned them human. "Bishop did it," the blue turtle breathed, white hot fury burning away the compassion he'd felt for the man mere moments before, "Bishop sent that bomb, but why? What was his goal?"

"That's the other thing," Donnie said, voice soft, "Bishop's family owns a private dock in New York with a contracted fleet of trucks that transport their goods down to New Orleans. It sounds unnecessary, but around the same time that we were turned human, a huge shipment of goods and alien tech scavenged from across the globe came into New York and then was shipped to the warehouse."

Clarity struck Leo, his body zinging with revelation like he'd been hit by lightening, "He was making sure we were out of the way," Leonardo murmured, right hand clenching into a fist, "he turned us human to keep us busy and out of the way so he could ensure he'd receive his shipments."

"That's what I think, too," Donatello agreed.

Leo fell into the chair next to his little brother, eyes wide as his thoughts began running at supersonic speeds. "What is he planning?" The azure ninja asked, more to himself than anyone else, "What project is he so obsessed with that he would go to those lengths to ensure his privacy?"

Donnie sighed, "I don't know," he said with a morose shake of his head, "but whatever it is, it's all going down at that warehouse."

The blue clad head drooped, falling into his hands even as green fingers massaged now aching temples. Why did bad things always have to happen when they were on vacation? Oh well, nothing to do but to tell Anthony and hope he doesn't mind a side trip to New Orleans.

…

"So, what you're telling me,"The human clarified, casually shaking the basket of fried shrimp he and Mikey were making for dinner, "is that there's an immortal government agent, who's been hunting you down to dissect and experiment on you, who also happens to have a secret base in the swamps of New Orleans, and also happens to be the man who we saw on the war memorial?"

Leo and Donnie shared a wince, fully aware of how crazy their story sounded, "Ye-es?" The azure turtle grimaced.

Anthony shook his head, shoulders jumping as he chuckled, "That's quite the tale."

"It's true, though," Mikey defended, pouring milk into the pot of mashed potatoes he was whipping up, "I'm telling you, this guy does the impossible like it's his job!"

"Considerin' his whole schtick is bein' an immortal whack bag, who started a secret organization that's funded by the government just ta chase down aliens, and mutants of the turtle kind," Raphael grumbled, "then I think it kinda is his job!"

The youngest froze, baby blue eyes growing wide before Mikey spun around to cast a look of utter disbelief onto the brawler, "Wait," Michelangelo exclaimed, his voice pitching sharply as the turtle continued, "are you saying he gets paid to try to kill us?!"

"What?" Raph turned to quirk his eyebrow ridge in a bemused expression, "Ya didn't know?"

"That was the entire point of why he kidnapped the president," Donnie said, causing Anthony to whirl around and gape in shock, "they were going to cut his funding, so Bishop staged a fake alien abduction in order to force the government to keep giving him money."

"No, I didn't know!" Mikey practically shrieked, "You're telling me that Bishop is paid by the President to chase us around every night?"

"Yes, Mikey," Donnie nodded.

"He gets money for using all his goons to strap us to his stupid metal tables and trying to dissect us!" The youngest wailed, "He gets a paycheck to do that?! That means that we're the ones helping him buy his groceries?! That's sick and wrong, my dudes! Sick. And. WRONG!"

"You know," Donnie stated, brown eyes turning thoughtful, "I never thought about our relationship in that way before. Technically, we are his main source of income, considering he uses anything he digs up about us as proof of aliens for the government."

Leo smirked from where he sat at the table, nudging Don playfully with his elbow, "You think Bishop ever stops and thinks 'If I can just chase those turtles a couple more times this month, I can finally get that couch I've been looking at'?

"Or," the leader continued, "just one more night of hunting mutants and I can splurge on extra snacks this week. I bet he looks forward to tax season, too," Leo sighed theatrically, "with how many of his goons we beat up on the regular, he probably uses us for tax write offs under business expenses."

Donatello dissolved into giggles at their leader's impression of John Bishop, followed by his dry commentary of the man's daily life, head slowly lowering to the tabletop as he laughed. Raph chuckled, a sideways grin on his face, with even their human host giving a brief guffaw. Michelangelo, however, was not amused. "How can you laugh about this!" He cried, his visage the picture of indignant rage, "the fact that we pay his bills is…is reprehensible!"

"Oooh, extra points for word usage!" Donatello raised his head and clapped appreciatively.

"Who knew bein' angry makes Mike talk like Donnie?" Raph grinned.

Michelangelo pouted, stirring the mashed potatoes as he added butter, salt and pepper angrily, "Hardy-har-har, you jerks,"he grumbled.

Leonardo shook his head, chuckles dying down, "Back to the main topic, though," he sighed, "the simple fact remains that we need to infiltrate the warehouse to see what Bishop's been up to."

An unhappy whine built from deep within the youngest turtle, bubbling over into an angry growl, "Why?!" Mikey bellowed, savagely plopping a spoonful of sour cream into the mashed potatoes and stirring furiously, "Why do things like this always happen to us when we're on vacation?!"

Michelangelo pulled the pot off the stovetop, walking over to place it on the table, pinning his brothers with a glare, "Maybe I don't wanna infiltrate Bishop's warehouse, ya ever think of that?" He asked hotly, "Maybe I want to continue our perfectly enjoyable trip with Grandpa Lowrey, and just this once leave Bishop to play by himself! Why can't we do that? Do we have to investigate every time the guy does something shady? Why can't we just close our eyes and walk away slowly this time?"

Leo gave a resigned sigh then stood, placing his hands on Michelangelo's shoulders, "I understand where you're coming from, Mike," the leader stated softly, "and trust me, I agree. If I could, I'd do exactly what you said, but we can't."

"But why, Leo?" Baby blue eyes pleaded with the eldest, begging that they not go, "We don't have to stick our noses into his business, it always leads to trouble!"

"We have to investigate, Mike," Leonardo replied, sapphire eyes firm but still brimming with loving empathy, "the insignia on the warehouse matches the one we found on the bomb."

Mikey froze, jaw slowly dropping, even as his gaze fell to the almost invisible pockmarks on Leo's plastron. The only remaining evidence to what happened in the alley on that dreaded night when the eldest was shot, "The one that turned us human?"

"Yeah, that one," Leo nodded, "meaning that Bishop was behind it."

"Bishop turned us human, but why?"Raphael asked, topaz eyes heavy with fearful concern, "What does he get outta makin' us normal for a few weeks?"

Leo turned towards the smartest turtle, nodding his head for the purple ninja to take the lead, "Don?"

"Right," Donatello pulled in a deep breath, then stood so to spin his laptop around for his audience to see, "at first, I thought that maybe his reasoning was the simplest explanation, that being he wanted to turn us human as a means of getting us out of the picture. He's tried killing us, capturing us, even trying to force us to work for him; all to no avail. Every instance ended in failure, for him at least. Maybe he gave up, and thought the only way to get us out of his hair, was to simply give us what we always dreamed of?

"However, I realized that was too easy, and Bishop could still easily have achieved the same results, by killing us with that bomb instead of mutating us, it wouldn't have been that difficult," Don shrugged, "something as complex as turning us human, just to get rid of us, seemed too complicated and made no logical sense. So, as I dug deeper, I tried a different angle."

The genius pointed at the computer screen, features deadly serious, "Around the same time that we were turned human, Bishop started receiving a bunch of imported goods through his private dock in New York, which were then shipped directly to the warehouse near New Orleans."

"It was a setup," Raphael rumbled, liquid gold eyes aflame with revelation, "he was up ta somethin' that required complete privacy, so he sent us runnin' around like headless chickens; somethin' big, that he needed us to be kept distracted long enough fer him ta get those shipments ta his warehouse?"

Donatello gave a grave nod, confirming Raph's hypothesis, "That's what I've settled on," he replied, "I can't see any other reason for Bishop's actions."

The brawler's hands curled into fists, his mouth twisting with a snarl, "When I get my hands on his scrawny neck," Raph growled savagely, "I'm gonna-!"

"You're going to do nothing," Leonardo cut in, not even flinching when the red ninja sent the full force of his glare onto the leader, "I mean it Raph. Whether any of us like it or not, we all know that Bishop has an important part to play in the future. We can't take him out."

"He turned us human, Leo!" Raphael surged to his feet, using every extra inch of height he had on the eldest, so to bellow down into Leonardo's face, "He sent a biological attack on our home, and sent us scramblin' fer two months! And ya expect me ta just take it lyin' down?!"

Mikey and Donnie huddled close together, eyes wide, as they watched the two older brothers have an argument on a level they hadn't seen in almost a year. However, both red and blue were not the same turtles as they were before the caves, and it stood to reason, that their first real disagreement would also be subject to these changes. Leo grit his teeth, pulling in a deep breath, and exhaling slowly, bidding tense muscles to loosen. In the past eight months since the caves, he'd had a lot of heart-to-heart talks with his brothers, namely Raphael. Somehow, those trials had reopened the pathway to the familiar friendship they enjoyed as children, maturing it and allowing them to be honest with each other, free from fear of reprisal. Leonardo did not want to lose the progress they had made with each other by giving in to another petty fight.

"Raphie," Leo stated, tone firm, sapphire eyes aflame with authority and confidence, "what I expect of you, is to help me infiltrate that warehouse so we can bust up his operation, permanently. We don't have to take him out to do that.

"I get that you're angry, and trust me, I share the feeling." the leader continued, "However, the best way to remind Bishop not to mess with us, is to destroy what he's tried so hard to hide from us, what he went to such lengths to keep quiet."

By this point, the red ninja's ire had calmed, and Leonardo was happy to see that the brawler was actively listening to his leader, instead of staying riled up, "So," the azure warrior smirked playfully, softly bumping his fist into Raph's plastron, "what do you say? Shall we throw a party at Bishop's place with some primo Molotov cocktails? Or do you want to stay here, and keep arguing?"

Raphael stared at the floor in silence for several seconds, then exhaled a quiet chuckle, before bringing liquid gold eyes back up to meet sapphire, "I'll bring the cocktails," he rumbled with an answering smirk.

Leonardo grinned, opening his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Mikey's rambunctious cry, "I'm so proud of you guys!"

"Aw, come on!" Raphael growled, collapsing back into his chair so to better yank on Mikey's mask tails, "Way ta ruin a moment, lamebrain!"

"Hey, I share his enthusiasm," Donatello defended, "you don't know what it's been like for us watching you two fight all those years."

"And this was your first real fight since the caves," Michelangelo emphasized, "meaning it's super important, and you handled it like champs!"

The youngest tackled Raph in a boisterous hug, squeezing him tight, "I'm just so proud of you!"

Leo raised an eyebrow at the brawler, the two sharing a sigh and rolling their eyes before laughing. Donnie grinned, but then his features sobered, "As much as I'm enjoying this familial moment," the scientist sighed, "but I've got some serious reservations about this operation."

Leonardo sat down at the table, gesturing for Don to continue, "Such as?"

"We're severely unprepared!" The scientist groaned, "I have none of my scouting drones, so no surveillance. We have none of our communications equipment, so we can't split up once in the warehouse. We don't even have anything beyond our basic weapons, no throwing stars, no smoke bombs, I don't have any tech beyond my laptop. There's no way we can pull this off without going back home to gear up!"

"We are not goin' all the way back home," Raphael grumbled, "I'm not puttin' this off any longer than we hafta!"

"Look, Raphie," Donnie swung around to give his sibling a glare, "not all of us are half mad berserkers, capable of taking on an army with nothing but a smile! Some of us require planning, and gear, before challenging Goliath!"

"Hey, last I checked, that kid only had a sling," Raphael smirked.

"I'm not going to quibble over historical accuracy with you," Donnie growled, "but the facts remain that we need considerably more than we have before we start an operation this complex!"

"Are we going to continue screaming at each other over dinner," Anthony broke in, carrying a bowl of steaming fresh fried shrimp to the table and sitting down, "or can an old man give his two cents on the matter?"

The human passed around a set of plates, nodding to the turtles to encourage them to begin eating, "Now, the way I see it," Anthony began, "you boys are planning on a stealth operation with the goal of sabotaging your enemy's base, is that right?"

Leo nodded, happily popping shrimp into his mouth, smiling at the pleasant taste, "That's the gist of it,"

"So, the first thing we need is intelligence on the warehouse," the veteran stated, grabbing a fork full of mashed potatoes, "good job on these 'taters, Mike."

Michelangelo grinned, preening under the praise, as Anthony continued his line of thought, "This is where I can help."

"What ya got in mind?" Raphael asked, pouring himself a glass of sweet tea.

A slow smile, devious and brimming in mischief, spilled across the older man's face, "First of all, I got my son's old motorcycle in the garage, it needs a little care, but Raphael can use it to scout out the warehouse. Lots of people take their bikes down that way this time of year, he'll fit right in, and no one will be the wiser."

Raph cheered around his mouthful of potatoes and shrimp, "Now we're talkin'!"

"While this is a great start," Donatello nodded, "what are we going to do when we infiltrate the warehouse? I may be able to hack the security system with my laptop and get control of the CCTV, but we still need the proper gear if we want to be adequately prepared!"

Anthony gave a chuckle, leaning in close over the table to wink at Donnie, "I've got a buddy, someone I served with over in 'Nam, who owns the local Army Surplus store. So, the real question is, young man, what color tank you want?"

Donatello's jaw dropped, even as a twinkle began gleaming in his eye, one normally associated with his mad scientist side, "We can get a tank?" He breathed.

Leonardo burst into cackles of delight at his brother's reverent expression, "We don't need a tank, Dee," he guffawed, then turned to their host, "but I'll take any, and all, surveillance equipment and anything you think might be useful on a stealth mission."

The veteran grinned, clapping his hands and rubbing them together as he gave a gleeful giggle, "Then let's get this show on the road, boys!" He exclaimed, "Tomorrow, Raphael goes hunting, and we go shopping!

"This is going to be fun," Anthony smiled happily, "it's like going back into the service, but with my grandsons!"

The turtles shared his grin, before Mikey paled, "But…what will Dad say?"

The Doctor paused, "I won't tell him, if you don't?"

The table burst into gales of laughter accompanied by cheers, prompting Leo to lift his glass, "To Grandpa Lowrey!"

"To Grandpa Lowrey!"

"And to a successful mission," Anthony added, clinking his glass with the boys', "Operation: Sabotage the Warehouse is a go!"

I hope you enjoyed this installment!

Please review!