Harry was … wired. Everything felt so much better lately. The air on his skin, the visuals of the world around him, the melody of nature. His body didn't get tired when he ran, he didn't hurt his brain when thinking too hard about a problem, it was just … incredible. "So, Peter has a job, Gwen has an internship, and I'm a rich boy." Harry said as they walked together into the city streets. "What about you two?"

"I do anonymous calculations for coin." Irma replied without a hint of shame.

"And I have…zilch." April groaned. "Between school, keeping a distance from super-villains, and my new hobby, I haven't had time to think much on the financial front."

"We could totally job hunt over the weekend or something." Peter offered. Harry wondered why Pete and the new girl got super close, always flaking together or something. He would've teased that they were dating, but that seemed unlikely…and Gwen got weirdly moody when someone brought Peter's nonexistent love life up.

"Sure, in a city full of and run by ruthless corporate executives, it'll be a sinch." Irma sarcastically snarked.

"Says the girl who may or may not be selling equations to said executives." Gwen replied.

"Jokes on them, they're the suckers who actually invest in a currency most of the world doesn't use. Their downfall will be slow but epic, and I'll watch as the rubble bursts into flames."

"You just have such a delightful outlook of the future, don't you?" Harry rolled his eyes.

"At least my future is going to be free of cracked ribs and concussions caused by the tackling of three hundred pound Neanderthals." Irma sent him an incredulous look.

"Oh yee of little faith, I'm stronger than I look." Harry smiled. "And unlike Flash, I have an average above C-, so I have the brains too."

"Most humble people don't brag about getting straight C's." April countered.

"Well it's not like we're standing next to three A plus students." Harry rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Because then that's just dust in the wind."

"It's a blessing and a curse, but one I'm willing to bear." Peter mocked bowed. "In all seriousness though, be careful. Oscorp is full of bright minds, and there's been reports about missing scientists throughout the city."

"Hey, we'll be fine. Even if the whole 'super villain' thing comes back, dad's been making preparations for better security." Like the green, yes, the green was great! Sure, there were moments when things started to get intense and suddenly he was somewhere else, but … that was just a small price to pay. Everything had a price, that's what his father told him when he broke a vase at a young age.

"Not sure how much faith I put in that, the crazies just seem to pop.." A large shadow flew over their head. "..out of.." The shadow passed over their head again. "Ah, does anyone else get they feeling we should.."

"MOVE!" Peter shoved them forward, feathers falling to the ground as they began to run down the street.

"Wha..!" Gwen cried out as they ducked, large skinny looking legs attached to some sharp looking claws being inches away from snatching at them.

"Don't tell me that Vulture guy broke out of prison!" Harry cried out as they ducked under the talons. He wasn't confident in how much the Green boosted him to take on a villain, and it would look too strange to suddenly fight one mono-e-mono in front of everyone without questions being raised.

"No, it looks like a …" Gwen paused. "A pigeon?"

"Should have figured New York would give us one pigeon themed super villain." April rolled her eyes. "In that alley, over there!"

They did so, ducking into the shadows that the narrow space provided. One minute passed, and nothing happened. "Did we lose 'em?" Pete whispered.

"Hey, get back here!" The thing shouted, flying above them. "I need to talk to you!" The bird man began swooping down, their claws out as they aimed right towards April.

"Not today, Big Bird!" Peter grabbed a nearby trash can lid and threw it right into the pigeon's head. Since when could Pete aim?

"OW!" They shouted in pain, hitting the ground and rolling around. "Ow that hurt! What was that for, you jerk!?" … What?

"It's talking?" Gwen was just as confused as he was.

"Question the freak of nature later!" Irma yelled, kicking down more trash cans, making them roll over the bird man's body.

"OW! Will you stop hitting me!" They shouted. "I need to talk to-" Not wanting to fall behind, Harry raised his leg back, kicking the creature while they were down … and sending them flying. "AAAAAHHH!" Wow … the green really was the best.

"Okay, how is it I'm questioning the logic of that kick more than the giant pigeon?" Gwen looked at him suspiciously. Looks like he needed to brush up on his bs skills.

"Ever since the Vulture showed up, mom signed me up for self defense classes." He justified, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "But seriously, we should get going now before something else happens."

"Right, probably best to take the subway and head inside somewhere." April shivered nervously. "Maybe give the police a tip about a giant pigeon … the humanoid kind, not the normal New York kind."

Xever rolled his shoulders as he wandered down the street, taking a bite out of the freshly chopped sushi. It hadn't sat right ever since the fight with the spider and the four turtles, who had the gall to flush him off a roof of all things.

He was a notorious criminal known and wanted across several countries. Xever stole from kings and ambassadors alike with the simplest of ease, yet four teenage reptiles and a brightly colored clown weren capable of knocking the wind out of him, forcing him to struggle where he never had before.

And it wasn't just losing a fight, no that was trivial in the long run. It was losing a scheme, failing a mission, losing his pride. And worst of all, failing the Shredder, a man that could've killed him and made Xever's name disappear like wiping a stain off a table, but instead cultivated his skills to a whole new level he never thought possible.

"Not so hot now, are you?" Bradford asked, looking at the selection of fruits and paying for a simple apple, while holding a growling dog by a leash. "And you made it seem oh so easy, just planning a simple grab."

"At least I'm not the oh so great Chris Bradford that got demoted to dog sitter." Xever laughed as the mutt bit the hasbin celebrity by the ankle. It was weird enough for the boss to even have a dog around, but apparently it belonged to the Shredder's daughter, so he refrained from laughing.

"At least I have something to do." The man responded back. "How long until the Shredder finds you useless and disposable? Wouldn't be the first person he's gotten rid of, and you won't be the last."

"That's the pot calling the Kettle black, is it not?" Xever glared. "Two major failures in a row, and now all you're good for is doing groceries and menial tasks. I may be at the bottom of the barrel, but you fell from oh so far up high."

Bradford growled as he shook his head. "We're both failures, and the only way to redeem ourselves is to take out the turtles."

Xever found himself reluctantly agreeing with the man. As long as the turtles were still out there, their failures would forever haunt them for whatever short lives they had left to live under the Shredder. "The same ones that kicked our asses into mexico?" He pointed out the main flaw.

"Both times they've gotten by on luck and tricks. None of them have truly bested either of us in a fight." Bradford said defensively. "And this time, we're making sure we're nowhere near a water tanker." They did seem to love using it against them.

"Very well." Xever looked down at a fish, lifting it up to inspect it. "Then we'll make sure to dry them out like this sad excuse for a creature."

"For a second I just thought you were looking at a mirror." The hasbin just had to throw in his barb.

"Okay, mr high and mighty celebrity, exactly how do you propose we find the turtles before Shredder sends anyone else to do so?" Xever questioned.

"The same way you tracked in the old days." The man pulled out a small piece of cloth, moving it down to the animal. "Following prey by scent. Here you go, Hachiko, fetch." Again, if this didn't include the Shredder, Xever would have been more inclined to laugh.

Pete had a bad week so far. He was supposed to fulfill the request of his dear friend, Kirby. He had to find his daughter, April O'Neil, and give her a message. The main problem? He never said what she looked like!

A little description would help! All he had to go off was red heads in New York, like that was easy to find even before he got mutated! Anyone Pete walked up to just ran screaming, so he was forced to grab them and ask their names. But all he got was random girls over the city, and the latest one he wanted to ask had her friends RUDELY hit and kick him around.

The once proud and majestic bird continued his search throughout the night, trying to track the ever elusive girl. Dang it, he should've stopped in the park to pick up some bread crumbs before continuing the search. Pete hadn't had a decent bite to eat since he got mutated.

"Here I am, just your normal red headed teenage girl, walking alone at night!" A voice shouted out in the air. "Completely alone with their guard down, absolutely and completely defensively to any pigeons that might want to get their giant talons on my shoulders!"

Finally, maybe this would be the one he'd been looking for. He swooped down, letting his feet get into position to grab her. Ten meters, eight, five, three, two- and now he had webbed up feet. That was the last train of thought he had before everything went black.

A minute later he recovered and went back to looking around … or he would have if he wasn't tied up in ropes, webs, and staring at some guy in spandex, and four giant turtle men. One of which he could have sworn fed him some bread at one point … not important though. "Okay, we finally caught the guy, now am I free to laugh at the ridiculousness?" The turtle in the red mask asked.

"Wait for the talk first. See if he gives you banter to pick on himself." The guy wearing a web shaped mask responded. "Alright pal, what's your deal?"

At this point, Pete had no patience left. "What's MY deal!? What's YOUR DEAL!?" He shouted. "All I'm trying to do is deliver a message to someone, and you decide that necessitates you knock me out and tie me up!?"

"We find it necessary when you swoop in from out of nowhere and try to get your grubby talons on our friend." The one in a purple mask glared. "Why are you after April?"

"Wait, that's April!?" He shouted with glee. "As in April O'Neil? Finally! Do you know how little information I had to go on other than her and Kirby having the same hair color?" The things he did for friends.

"Wait, you know my father!?" The girl that was hopefully April shouted. "Guys, let him lose!"

"Thank you, I've had enough of getting attacked today." Worst case, aside from the group assault, was the girl with the pepper spray. "And yes, I know Kirby. He and I were both prisoners of the Kraang. They poured some disgusting ooze on me, but I managed to escape when they were relocating their hideout."

"You poor guy." April patted him. "I can't imagine being mutated into a pigeon of all things."

"I was a pigeon before the mutation." He glared. "What do you have against Pigeons? We can do stuff that turtles and Spiders can't." Seriously, it was like common decency didn't exist anymore.

"I knew we should've used Bread crumbs." The one in the orange mask grumbled.

"Oh please tell me you have some on you, I haven't eaten since this morning." Pete pleaded with the turtle.

"Tell us the message while you eat?" The blue one asked.

"Deal!" He nodded as the orange one handed him a thick slice of Pizza crust. "Oooh, my favorite, second only to sourdough." Pete nibbled as he spoke. "Anyways, first he wanted to explain that the Kraang have been messing with alot more of that ooze lately, something about how it doesn't work the same way it does in their dimension."

"Ha, called it." The purple one extended a hand, the guy in the spandex costume grumbling as he handed a few bills over.

"So creating mutants is just their way of testing it out and getting results." The blue one nodded.

"Some results, I can't stand having this rubbery skin." Pigeon Pete moaned. "Like seriously, I'm so cold at night now without all my feathers, how do you humans deal with it?"

"We usually just wear clothes. We can get you like a jacket or something." April offered. Such a kind soul.

"Thank you. Anyways, the second part of the message is more of a warning to get April out of the city." Pete continued. "The Kraang have created a giant mutegen bomb and plan on setting it off tonight."

"Can you take us to it?" The spider guy asked with urgency.

"And get near all those lasers?" Pigeon Pete thought about it. "It's gonna cost you a lot of dough." He said seriously.

"Please tell me you mean actual dough." The blue one sighed.

"Yep, heaping piles of sourdough to be precise." The bird man nodded.

"I think we can manage that." The red one nodded.

"Then you can count on the expert tracking skills of Pigeon Pete!" He saluted.

"Will people stop giving themselves … alright yeah, I can't think of a cool Pigeon name anyway." The orange one sighed.

"Yeah, you can't get any lamer than calling yourself Pete, am I right, Spidey?" The one in red smirked as he nudged the web head.

"Yes, because we all can't be named after the guy that painted pictures of anti violent religion." The masked guy rolled his eyes. "Let's gear up."

"Wait, what about this?" He gestured to the webs.

"Oh … those dissolve in about two hours …"

"What am I supposed to do for two whole hours?"

"... Mikey, smoke bomb!"

Donnie watched as Pigeon Pete (he was starting to see why Peter was keen on being called Spider-man when the mask was on) went to town on the Kraang droids. Full disclosure, they just jumped out of nowhere and he tossed some bread crumbs out of sheer surprise. It was almost horrifyingly fascinating to watch the mutant tear through them in a feral manner. "Well, that for once, leaves the Kraang as a non-entity in a dangerous situation." Spidey whistled.

"Never thought a pigeon could bring so much destruction … it really is the small things in life that bring one joy." Raph nodded. "So, giant bomb?"

"Right, right." Donnie ran up to the device, opening a side hatch to … "Wow." He deadpanned. "Alright, time to disarm alien technology without any manual, or mutate into protoplasma trying." No pressure!

"You can do this right?" Leo asked nervously.

"Of course I can…given enough time.." Something they didn't have much off with the timer going down fast. Four minutes and thirty seven seconds remaining. "Okay, maybe if I dislodge a coupling here.."

"Whoa, don't!" Spidey yelled, stopping him. "That'll send us all on an express train to boom-town!"

"Spider Sense works on bombs, sure." He muttered, kinda grateful it made no sense for a change, even if it irked him that he had no time to call out the bullshit nature of it. "Alright, Spidey, you're with me."

"And the rest of us will deal with any scavenging Kraang." Leo pulled out the swords, before his eyes widened, blocking a ninja star in the air. "And Foot clan … because perfect timing."

"You guys really picked a bad time to get your butts handed to you for a third time." Raph glared as Bradford and Xever made themselves known.

"Oh, I'm so sorry we've made it inconvenient for you to breathe your last breath." Xever rolled his eyes as he twirled his knives in his hands. "On the other hand, fighting while two of you are too distracted to do anything seems quite like the perfect time to us."

"Yo, Bradford, I get being a little pissed after being unfriended, but could you wait until after the bomb isn't trying to blow us all into toxic sludge shakes?" Mikey charged right to the celebrity, who brought his sword down right on top of his nunchucks.

"Better to perish with honor than to live in shame!" So a psycho till the bitter end. It would be admirable if it wasn't so delusional.

"Alright, the main problem is the battery." Donnie said, looking over the wires. "It's edged in tightly, and I don't quite know if it's safe to just cut off any outlet without causing Electro 2 the boogaloo."

Spidey leaned in close. "It should be fine if you hit the right wire." The web head pointed to it. "I'm not getting any dangerous reading off of it."

Donnie so wanted to call it out right now for how specific this power had to be to avoid all danger. He'd understood if Peter just had enhanced senses, but this felt too much like esp, something he knew Spider's didn't have. They could detect disturbances in their webs by feeling the vibrations, but even that felt like a stretch.

Still, never look a gift horse in the mouth. He went in and cut it…and nothing happened. "Phew, we're not dead."

"Not yet we're not. The tingle's still going off." Spidey pointed back to the panel.

"Right, right, now onto the auxiliary fan." He gently moved the blade, slowly moving it between wires. "Come on now … red. It has to be red."

"Hold on, not quite." Spidey stopped him again. "That one will really take us to the hot seat. If you want to avoid that, then you need to cut-" Spidey was cut off as a foot was knocked across his head.

"Spidey!" Donnie called out as Xever continued to assault while Leo tried to advance from behind.

"Taking a break apparently, just find the piece!" The hero shouted as he began pushing back against the leather jacket goon.

"Find the pie-its the only one attached to the fan. There's no other dummy cords in here." Donnie looked it over, sweat starting to set in. "Alright, alright, he wouldn't have said that for no reason, that means there's something I'm missing." He looked over the circuitry. Half of it barely made any sense at all, and the half that did seemed to be put together backwards…

"Duh, of course, their aliens from another dimension, they'd put it together differently then how earth does it." If it wasn't going to be found in the back, then he should find the wires at the front. He searched, and found two such cords: A black wire and a green wire. "Black, green, black, green.." He looked at the clock, thirty seconds remaining. "Black, Green, what do I pick…?"

"Always go for the green, Donnie!" Mikey shouted as he jumped on top of Bradford, leaving him more vulnerable to attacks to the stomach from Raph.

We'll if Mikey said it was one thing, then always go for the other. That was his backwards … backwards …. Was he really doing this? He looked back at the clock, ten seconds, nine…eight…

"Oh, what the shell?" Might as well go out doing something rather than nothing. His only regret was never kissing April. He snipped the wire, watching carefully as the time paused, before going dark. A few seconds confirmed there was no boom. "Hey guys, Mikey was actually right about something!" Donnie shouted as he stood up and twirled his staff.

"I'm not religious, but that's a damn miracle if I ever saw one!" Raph laughed almost hysterically as he kicked Bradford right in the back, leaving him open to be whacked across the head with Donnie's bo-staff.

"Great, now we used up all their busy time." Bradford growled, twirling his weapon and tossing the edge at him.

"Doesn't matter, this time we either come back with their heads or with ours!" Xever shouted back.

"Not that I'm trying to step on anyone's cultural toes or anything, but I swear you Foot take this ninja business way too seriously." Spider-man webbed up Xever's legs together, allowing Leo to get the leg up and knock him right into Bradford.

It was getting pretty clear after a minute who the winner of the fight really was once all five of them had the two covered from all corners. To the mook's left was the edge of a building, and to the right was the huge tank of mutegen that the bomb was going to expand over the entire city. "Your efforts are admirable, but the day is ours." Leo pointed his katana at Bradford, speaking in that cheesy tone of voice he loved to use. "There's nowhere for you to go."

"There's one way…down….and if we're going down.." Bradford growled, aiming his own blade right at the glass tank. "We're taking you with us!"

"NO!" Spidey shot out webs, trying to intercept the blade as it dug into the glass.

Crack

The brother's and the web head immediately got out of the way as Bradford and Xever were washed away…again…by the Mutagen, flowing all the way off the roof. "Damn it!" Peter shouted. "They're going to be mutated now!"

"Hopefully into something mushy and useless, you know, something that reflects their brains." Raph laughed.

"Dude, seriously this isn't funny." Spidey glared.

"Spidey, come on." Leo said with a hint of seriousness. "They were literally asking for it, they're not ones that have moral standards, they tried to fight us while a city wide bomb was going off. Sure we don't want to kill them but … I'm pretty sure we won't be losing sleep over them mutating."

"When I'm through with you, you'll never rest again." Spoke a voice that sent a shiver into his shell.

The Spider Sense wasn't English, it was just instinct. It took Peter months to learn certain associations. Small, pointed tingles that grew intense in spots were bullets. Wide ones that enveloped his body were cars, a wavy feeling was usually heat or explosions. The point was he's learned to master the 'language' of Spider Sense …

{GD#^*GXR&$} Until he came across this. This new feeling. The low simmer emanating from a single person in the pulse of a heart beat, low and potent, almost enveloping them in a thick miasma.

The cause of which being what Peter would have normally assumed to be an over confident man covered in cheese graters. Over six feet high and clearly eating his wheaties, the silver-chromed dressed figure glared down at them as if they were insignificant insects, looking completely unimpressed.

The turtles….they looked shaken beyond belief. He had seen them tackle alien robots and 10 foot mutants without a single thought, heck, they laughed while fighting those threats…Peter knew that all too well, because he would laugh right next to them as they did.

"So, going by the absurd number of impractical blades, you must be the Shred Head I've heard so many things about." He asked, leaning in preparation. Just because this was the boss of everyone, doesn't mean he'd run. This was an opportunity to stop the crime at its source for a change.

"You're as arrogant as the reports claim you to be, such is the way of insolent children." The man jumped to their level, and calmly walked toward them, still keeping a steady and unimpressed gaze. "There's undoubtedly a fascinating story as to how my old nemesis came to teach ninjitsu to four mutant turtles. I'll make sure to let one of you live long enough to tell me before you take your last breath."

"We'll have to tell it another day. Mikey, smoke bomb!" Leo shouted.

"Oh it!" The turtle threw an object to the ground … which cracked open as an egg full of yolk.

"MIKEY!" The turtles yelled.

"Sorry! No one labeled the regular eggs from the smoke bombs!"

"Doesn't matter, I'm not running either way." Spidey leaned down. "I don't know if Bradford managed to tell you with that shock in his system, but I'm not letting the Foot take another life as long as they stay in this city."

"You're just another child shouting into the wind, thinking anything he does has an impact on the world. Why bother upholding this facade of justice? For lost honor? For vengeance? Or for some cheap exhilaration?" The man lengthened those bladed weapons on the ends of his hands.

"Put me in for D. All of the above." He leaped forward, rearing his fist back for a blow. {Impact}{Severing}{Impact}{Impailment}{Severing}{Internal}{Impact} Spidey was caught off guard, floored by the sheer level of tingle he was getting.

In the midst of trying to process all the information, he found himself getting overwhelmed by the power behind each of the Shredder's attacks. Each hit the man landed on him seemed to dig in deep, like his body was being littered with craters all over. How could he be so fast? Wasn't this guy human!?

Spidey jumped back, shooting out a few web nets-that were cut apart instantly {Severing}{Severing}{Impact} As the man used his blades to land shallow blows, drops of blood falling from those blades. "If you have any consolation before you perish, be it that your body is slightly more durable than my other victims."

"Don't count us out of this fight just yet, Chrome dome! Unlike the web head, I don't pull my punches!" Raph shouted as he charged forward, meeting the Shredder blade for blade for five seconds, before driving the temperamental turtle's head into the ground, cracking the rooftop as Raph's face met it

Donnie and Mikey tried to go in next, as Spidey sent a web line to the man's leg in an attempt to trip him up. After cutting it with his leg, he proceeded to snap the bow staff with a punch, hitting Donnie with a sickening crack as he avoided Mikey's attack, countering with a blur of kicks to his stomach.

Leo, with that brave face he always managed to wear even when things went sideways charge forward with a twirl of the blades, not giving either himself or the Shredder a moment to truly think, or even breathe. Sparks were flying fast as metal met metal again and again. It wouldn't last long, the web head could see Leo starting to slide back.

Alright Spidey, take it from the top. He had armor, blades, and training. You could still take him on as long as you relied on Spider Sense and superior physical capability. He rushed in, ready to try and land more blows. "So, is the smell of cheese a weekend hobby, or just whatever's unde the mask?"

"You could've lived a meaningless but long life had you stayed out of my vendetta, but now that you've interfered, you will join all my enemies in their own special spot in hell." Shredder blocked every hit while deflecting Leo's blows at the same time. This man was nothing but pure, primal instinct honed to its finest.

Spidey continued to quip even as he strained to dodge the blades, more strands of blood beginning to leak into the ground. "And you could have lived a jail free life if you weren't such a raging maniac, but I guess everyone has a character flaw."

"Yeah, the angry maniac shtick is my whole deal!" Yes! Raph recovered just enough to charge in! Now with the three of them attacking at once, they could…

Creak

An ugly and uncomfortable crack was made as Leo's arm twisted in an almost unnatural way under Shredder's grip as he kicked Raph right on top of Peter, dragging the leader in blue to the giant neon sign on top of the building, giving no time for Leo to scream in pain. "Tell me where Hamato Yoshi resides, and that pain you feel will merely be followed by a swift death." The center blade got closer and closer to the turtle's neck.

"Not today, not ever, Shred Head!" Mikey extended his weapon and wrapped it around Shredder's arm, forcing it away from Leo with a pull. "BOYAKA-"

Shredder simply pulled on it, making Mikey fly upwards, right into the bright lights of the neon sign, electrocuting him and sending him tumbling to the ground as the letter 'W' began to lean forward and fall.

Without hesitating, Spider rushed in, trying to slow its descent with webs first, but sadly he was out of fluid. Grunting with no time to reload, he stood above Mikey, catching the letter with a wince, his limbs straining with effort. "Alright, I've heard of letters from fans, but this is-" {Impalement} How, Shredder was over-

Shink

Spidey weezed, barely able to breath as blood came spilling out of his mouth, looking down at the multiple blades coming off his front. "That is your weakness." He could feel his knees failing as he gazed up, looking at the impassive state of the metal man. "You put others before yourself." He recalled the blades, and Peter could do nothing but fall on his sides.

"Spider-man!" He heard the turtles cry out at the same time, the world begging to get harder and harder to see clearly. He saw the faint figure of Donnie…or was it Raph…trying to charge at the Shredder with blocks of wood, but getting pummeled senselessly in the head. He saw the silhouette of Leo…or was that Mikey….attempt to slice the cheese grater by the head, only for the sounds of more bones snapping to fill the air.

The metal clinging started to echo more, the ringing becoming more constant as it eventually replaced the sounds of the world around him. Everything was so muddy, he needed to do something, anything. He couldn't just be deadweight right now … people needed him.

There was some sort of a thud. "Bradford..…" Why did he hear that name before? Right, Footsty man. "What's the meaning of…." Shifting could be felt, Spidey was starting to feel weightless. "NOOOOOOOO!" When did Dark Vader come to the fight?"

Someone was carrying him. "Tell me doc … will I ever play the clarinet again?" He tried to lighten the frankly horrific mood.

"Keep talking, Peter, try not to close your eyes." The voice of either Donnie or Raph said to him with worry or fear.

"Don't worry my man's, sleeps for the weak …"

As Peter struggled to stay in between the worlds of the conscious and unconscious, he finally understood what the new 'word' his Spider Sense was trying to teach him was … {Predator}.

"For once, no complaining about his powers." Splinter watched as Donatello treated the heavily injured Peter as they all surrounded the semi-conscious boy in the makeshift infirmary of the laboratory. "By all accounts he should've been dead before we escaped. This is pretty much just luck, durability, and what I can only assume is some sort of regeneration factor only succeeded by the Lizard."

"You all got off lucky, my sons." Splinter reminded them all sternly.

"I'd hardly call what happened to us lucky, sensei." Raphael punched a nearby wall in spite of the bruises that aligned across his hands.

"Very few have survived the Shredder's wrath. It was inevitable that you would lose a confrontation with him." Sprinter noted. "He is an enemy that can never be underestimated."

"He was just…so fast." Michelangelo shook in trepidation. "He managed to evade and duck everything we threw at him at the same time….one second he was throwing me into that sign from the other side of the roof, the next he's stabbing Pet…" His young son shook even harder, covering his face."I would've been flattened if Peter didn't catch that sign….he got stabbed because of me…."

"He was the only one to even get close to pushing the guy." Leonardo looked down at his blades in shame. "The rest of us were just … dead weight against that man."

The sound of the lab door slammed open, April panting. "I'm here, where's-" She paused, gazing at the damaged bodies of his sons, and the unconscious body of Peter. "This is … a lot worse than you said." She ran up to the boy. "How long…"

"We're not sure, he's hanging by on a thread as it is…pun completely unintentional, there's nothing funny about this at all." Donnie sighed with a disappointed glare..

"We could of, just, gah!" Raph shouted. "We were too weak, too unprepared against him, just, why!?" The worry and guilt was eating them all alive.

"Because for the past few weeks, you all have been fighting against man. Whether they be the common crook, mutant, ninja, or some other enhanced individual, they still had some semblance of humanity dwelling within them." Splinter held his head low. "You have done well against foes like these, against those driven by greed, pride, vanity, selfishness…. but the Shredder…his humanity has all but been drained from him. All that dwells inside is the primal rage and burning hatred of a demon. Nothing will satisfy his hunger, and he will gladly watch the world burn to get what he wants."

Each word he said was another cruel reminder of their failures, and of Splinter's own. He wasn't even sure there was any way to prepare for the Shredder, even if they were given forty years of preparation. "How do you face an enemy like that?" Leonardo asked.

"I do not fully know the answer myself, but I swear to you, you will not face this threat alone." All of his sons looked up to him, a mixture of determination and trepidation filling their expressions. "Rest my sons, let your wounds heal. For tomorrow we train." He tapped his cane against the ground. "We are at war with the Foot Clan." Splinter said gravely.

And as if to either draw the tension out of the room, or draw more within, the sound of a certain melody played from Peter's body. "And that … would be the sound of 'Aunt May'." Leonardo noted. "… April, I hate to ask this, but none of us are in the condition to lie about why her 'normal' nephew isn't home yet … or explain why he's bleeding from the stomach…or explain why he's hanging around giant turtles."

"I know, I know the drill…A key part of being a kunoichi is being deceitful, right?" Splinter nodded silently to answer, but the semi-cheery mood could've been a little more downplayed. "Got it, not the time."

"Peter would have laughed if he was awake …" Michelangelo muttered, staring off into the corner as he held himself tightly.

"Yeah..I would've egged him on for his lame sense of humor, and he'd web my hands to the wall, then I'd find new ways to call him ugly…" Raph grumbled, sitting on a chair.

"Hello?" April answered. "Yes, this is April, I'm one of Peter's friends." A moment of silence. "Yeah, new girl. Oh, Peter, the thing is he … got hit by a bus." Multiple facepalms could be heard around the room. "That was the best I could've come up with that explained everything!" She covered the phone to explain herself.

"But hit by a bus?!" Leo mouthed a shout. "Might as well say 'punched off a building' if we're going there!"

"My dad's a doctor, he treated him on sight! But he can't really move around much, he needs to rest at our guest room for the night." April looked panicked, before gaining a thoughtful expression. "You know, he was originally gonna try and walk it off, saying he 'didn't want to worry you too much'." More muttering could be heard from the phone. "Yes, he does overwork himself too much. I've been trying to get him to lay off a little, but he's just too stubborn." More muttering. "Yes, he probably will use the Parker luck excuse again, I keep telling him he needs a better line, but he's too determined to make everyone believe. Don't worry, I'm watching his back at school, someone has to be the eyes on the back of his head or he'd trip himself daily."

"Wow, she's good." Donnie looked in awe, and no one could disagree. She was falling into the role of a Kunoichi well. A master of words and deception, turning the thoughts of those around people against them.