The air in the lair was tense, thick with an unspoken argument as Mari stood her ground, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"I'm fine," she snapped, glaring at Leo. "I can patrol."

Leo, standing firm, gave her a pointed look. "You're still recovering. You push too hard, and you'll make it worse."

Mari clenched her jaw. "You can't just bench me—"

"You literally almost passed out last time," Raph cut in, arms folded. "We're not dragging your half-conscious shell through another fight, alright?"

Mari scowled, her fingers twitching at her sides. She hated feeling weak.

Sensing the tension, April decided to intervene. "Alright, alright, how about this? Since you're stuck here, why don't we make the most of it? A girls' night. Just us."

Mari turned to her with a raised brow. "You serious?"

April shrugged. "Why not? You, me, some actual downtime. And hey, Cat—You should join us!"

At that, Cat, who had been sitting quietly, perked up. "Wait, me?"

Leo studied Cat. She was originally suppose to patrol with them, but he didn't want Cat to feel excluded from the girls.

He sighed, then nodded. "Yeah. Stay with them tonight."

Cat blinked, looking between him and the others. "But—"

"Don't worry, Cat," Leo said, rubbing her head. "We'll be fine for one night."

"Awesome, you're the best!"

But Mikey was pouting. "Awesome man, KitKat, you're gonna just ditch us?"

Cat rolled her eyes, but she was amused

Mari, still reluctant, finally sighed. "...Fine. But if this is lame, I'm beating everyone."

With that, the decision was made. The guys grabbed their weapons and headed out, and the three girls settled in for a quiet—well, quieter—night in the sewers.

The sound of rushing water echoed through the tunnels as April, Mari, and Cat sat along the edge of an abandoned maintenance area, an old crate serving as a makeshift table between them.

April pulled out a bag of snacks she had swiped from the surface. "Alright, ladies. We've got stale chips, off-brand candy bars, and... whatever this is." She held up a questionable-looking pack of dried fruit.

Mari squinted at it. "That looks like something Raph would threaten people with."

Cat giggled, taking one of the candy bars. "I dunno, it beats sewer food."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, munching on snacks. It was strange, not worrying about a mission or a fight. Just... existing.

April looked at Mari, noticing how she kept shifting uncomfortably. "Alright, I know you're gonna pretend otherwise, but your ribs are killing you, aren't they?"

Mari rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks for the reminder."

"You need to take it easy," April insisted.

"I am taking it easy," Mari shot back. "This is as easy as I get."

Cat frowned. "Mari—"

April's phone buzzed.

She glanced down at the screen.

Her stomach dropped.

Unknown Number: We have the turtles. Come alone.

Her hands tightened around the device.

Mari noticed immediately. "April? What's wrong?"

April swallowed, her voice tight. "...It's the guys. Someone has them."

The air shifted.

Cat's breath hitched. "What?"

Mari was already pushing herself up, ignoring the pain in her ribs. "Who sent the message?"

"I don't know," April admitted. "Blocked number. But they knew how to reach me."

Mari's eyes darkened. "Because of the Kraang."

Silence.

April exhaled. "They want me."

Cat's fists clenched. "So what do we do?"

Mari didn't hesitate. "We go after them."

April gave her a wary look. "You're injured."

Mari glared back. "And they're captured. I'm not sitting this one out."

Cat straightened. "Me neither."

April hesitated, scanning their faces.

She didn't like it. But they were right. They couldn't just sit back and do nothing.

With a deep breath, she nodded. "Okay."

The three of them locked eyes.

Then they moved.

The cold air of the sewers was replaced by the sharp chill of the city night as the three of them crouched on a rooftop, peering down at the abandoned warehouse below. A few Kraang droids stood guard at the entrance, their eerie monotone voices droning on about "the mission of Kraang" and "that which is turtles."

Mari's sharp eyes scanned the area. "There's gotta be more inside."

April frowned, gripping her tessen tightly. "We need to get in without alerting them."

Cat chewed her lip. "But how do we even know the guys are in there? What if it's a distraction?"

Before anyone could answer—

"Looking for someone?"

The three of them spun around, weapons raised.

A figure stood in the dim light of the rooftop—a teenage boy, maybe a year older than April, with messy dark hair and a casual smirk. He wore a jacket slightly too big for him, and his dark eyes flickered with something unreadable.

Mari froze.

Her heart lurched.

"Jackson?"

Jackson grinned. "Yo, Mari."

April and Cat exchanged a look.

Cat squinted. "Wait... who is this?"

Mari opened her mouth, then closed it, suddenly aware that she was staring at him. Heat crept up her neck. "Uh—he's... he's Jackson."

April raised a brow. "Yeah, we got that part. Who's Jackson?"

"Just an old friend," Jackson answered for her, shoving his hands in his pockets like this was the most casual thing in the world. His smirk deepened slightly. "It's been awhile."

Mari hated the way her stomach flipped. "Yeah, it has."

Cat, who had been watching this very closely, gasped before immediately grinning. "Wait. WAIT. You like him!"

Mari's face flared. "What? NO."

April crossed her arms, smirking. "Oh my god, you do."

"Shut UP, both of you!" Mari snapped, turning back toward the warehouse with more force than necessary.

Jackson pretended he didn't hear that exchange.

April nudged Cat, grinning. "She's blushing."

"She's SO blushing."

"I CAN HEAR YOU."

Jackson, clearly enjoying this, tilted his head. "So, what's going on? You all sneaking around for fun, or is this an actual mission?"

Mari took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus. "My brothers were taken. We're getting them back."

Jackson's smirk faltered slightly. "Seriously?"

April nodded. "It's a Kraang setup. And we're gonna crash the party."

Jackson crossed his arms, scanning the warehouse below. "Alright. Then I'm in."

Mari hesitated. "Jackson, you don't have to—"

"I want to," he cut in smoothly. He tilted his head, noticing Mari's bandages. "Are you injured—? You shouldn't be over extending yourself."

April side-eyed Mari. "Ooooh, protective. You sure he's just an old friend?"

Mari groaned. "I will push you off this roof."

"We should go now," Cat said. For once, sounding serious.

Mari nodded and dropped down to the warehouse roof, wincing as she did so.

April, Cat, and Jackson followed.

The mission had officially begun.

The rooftop entrance led to a narrow ventilation shaft, just big enough for them to squeeze through. Mari moved first, despite her injury, ignoring the way her ribs throbbed with each movement.

April followed closely, her blade gripped tightly, with Cat and Jackson bringing up the rear.

Cat wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, it smells like rust and sadness in here."

Jackson smirked. "Welcome to the underground world of crime."

Mari rolled her eyes. "Less talking, more sneaking."

The vents led them to a grated overlook of the warehouse interior. Below, rows of Kraang droids stood in formation, their cold, robotic voices blending into an eerie chorus.

But more importantly—

Their brothers were there.

Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey were bound in energy restraints, forced to kneel in the center of the room. The Kraang guarded them, weapons raised.

Mari's stomach twisted.

Cat gasped softly. "They're okay... right?"

April tightened her grip on her weapon. "They don't look hurt."

Jackson's eyes flickered with something unreadable. "So... what's the plan?"

Mari exhaled. "We need to get down there, disable those restraints, and get them out without alerting every Kraang in New York."

Jackson leaned forward, studying the setup. "The control panel's over there. If someone gets to it, they can shut down those restraints."

April frowned. "And how do we do that without getting spotted?"

Mari smirked. "Easy. We cause a distraction."

Cat immediately perked up. "Oh! I can do distractions!"

Mari hesitated. "Cat—"

"Nope! You're injured, and April's a beginner! I wanna help!" Cat puffed up her chest.

Mari narrowed her eyes. "No hero moves."

Cat grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it!"

April muttered. "That's a lie."

Mari sighed but nodded. "Alright. Cat, be loud. Jackson, you take the panel. April, you and I handle the Kraang."

Jackson smirked. "Think you can keep up with me, Mari?"

Mari's face heated. "Just move."

April and Cat exchanged a look.

"She is so whipped," April whispered.

"Sooo whipped," Cat agreed.

"I CAN HEAR YOU."

And then—

They moved.

The second Cat hit the ground, the Kraang snapped toward her in eerie unison.

"Hey, Jello-brains!" she taunted, waving her arms. "Bet you can't catch me!"

The droids immediately raised their blasters.

Cat's grin faltered. "Ohhh, that was a bad idea."

Before they could fire, she darted away, dodging behind crates as the Kraang chased after her.

From above, Mari and April dropped down onto the remaining droids.

Mari kicked a Kraang droid backward, but the impact jolted her ribs. Pain flared through her side, but she gritted her teeth and kept going.

April lashed out with her tessen, slicing through a Kraang's wiring. "We need to move fast!"

A loud clang echoed from the other side of the room.

The energy field flickered and collapsed.

A second later—

Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey were free.

Leo's katanas were out in a flash. "Finally."

Raph cracked his knuckles. "Time to bust some heads."

Mikey leapt onto a Kraang droid's back. "Revenge hug!"

Donnie spun his bo staff. "Okay, what is going on right now?"

Then, they spotted Cat.

And froze.

"Cat?!" Leo barked. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Raph swore. "Leo, tell me this is a hallucination."

"She was supposed to be at home!" Leo snapped. "Cat—are you by yourself—?"

"Well—!" Cat shot back.

Before Cat could say anything, Leo's eyes landed on Mari.

His whole expression darkened.

Mari froze. She knew that look.

"What," Leo asked, voice dangerously calm, "are you doing here?"

Mari forced a smirk. "Saving your tails, apparently."

Raph, however, wasn't amused. "You shouldn't be fighting."

"Wow, thanks, Raph, I totally forgot I was injured," Mari snapped back.

Raph scowled. "Then you should be resting, not running into a Kraang-infested warehouse like an idiot!"

Mari rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, because letting you guys die is totally the better option."

Before Leo could yell back, his gaze landed on someone else.

His expression twisted into disgust.

Jackson.

Raph groaned loudly. "Oh, hell no."

Jackson grinned. "Missed me?"

"Like a plague," Raph muttered.

Leo, jaw clenched, glared at Mari. "I thought he was a one time appearance—"

"He helped us get in," Mari argued.

"Oh, I bet he did," Raph grumbled.

Donnie and Mikey glanced between them, confused.

"Uh...who is that?" Mikey asked, tilting his head.

"That," Raph growled, "is Mari's... friend."

"Ohhhh," Donnie said, nodding like that explained everything. "Wait. Who?"

Jackson raised an eyebrow. "Hm, you must not like me much.

Raph growled.

Leo pinched the bridge of his nose. "We don't have time for this."

Mari crossed her arms. "Then let's go."

More Kraang droids stormed into the room.

Leo's expression hardened. "We'll deal with this later."

Mari smirked. "Looking forward to it."

And just like that—

The fight wasn't over yet.

The Kraang droids stormed in, their blasters charging up with an eerie hum.

Leo tightened his grip on his katanas. "We need an exit. Now."

Donnie scanned the room frantically. "There's a service hatch above the catwalks!"

Mari's gaze snapped upward. A grated panel sat just above the rusted walkway.

"That's our way out," Leo decided. "We just need to get to it."

Mikey grinned. "Oh, don't worry—I got this!"

Before anyone could stop him, he launched himself onto a Kraang droid's head, kicking off to land on the catwalk.

The Kraang tilted their heads in eerie unison.

"The one called 'Mikey' has engaged in that which is parkour," one droned.

"Destroy that which is parkour," another agreed.

They immediately started firing.

Mikey yelped as he ducked behind a pillar. "I TAKE IT BACK—I DON'T GOT THIS."

Raph gritted his teeth. "We really need a better plan."

April was already thinking fast. "We need a distraction."

Cat perked up. "I—I can do that!"

Leo shot her a look. "Cat—"

"I can do it," she insisted. "I won't mess up."

Mari hesitated but nodded. "We're right behind you."

Cat took a deep breath before dashing out into the open.

"Hey, brain blobs!" she called, waving her tessen.

The Kraang immediately turned to her.

"Prepare to be that which is obliterated," they droned.

Cat darted between crates, weaving away from their blaster shots. The moment they focused on her, the others sprung into action.

Leo, Raph, and Donnie tore through the distracted Kraang. April covered them with well-aimed tessen strikes. Mari, ignoring the pain in her ribs, hacked through a droid's armor.

Jackson, meanwhile, hung back, watching.

Mari glanced over. "You gonna help or just stand there?"

Jackson forced a grin. "I'm not that good—I don't wanna get in the way."

"Fair."

Raph, meanwhile, kept throwing Jackson side glances. His instincts screamed that something was off.

But right now? They had bigger problems.

The hatch was too high up.

Mikey peered over the railing. "Uh, guys? I could just, y'know, open it—"

April threw her tessen.

It snapped open, hooked onto the railing, and she yanked herself up in one smooth motion.

Mikey blinked. "Oh. Yeah, that works."

She reached the hatch and forced it open. "We're clear!"

"Then move!" Leo ordered.

One by one, the team started climbing.

Mari grabbed Cat's hand, boosting her up first.

"You good?" she asked.

Cat nodded quickly. "Yeah—yeah, I'm fine."

They scrambled up just as more Kraang swarmed in.

Blaster shots exploded behind them.

Cat grabbed her arm. "Come on—just a little further!"

They burst through the hatch, onto the rooftop—

—and ran.

Behind them, the warehouse lit up with the glow of Kraang alarms.

Leo panted as they sprinted across the rooftops. "We need to lose them."

Donnie pointed ahead. "There—storm drains!"

One by one, they slid into the tunnels below.

Jackson was the last one in.

As they ran, Raph kept glancing at him.

Something wasn't right.

And he was going to figure out what.

The sewer tunnel entrance loomed ahead, and Leo didn't slow down until they were deep enough inside that the Kraang wouldn't spot them. Only then did he stop, exhaling sharply as he turned back toward the others.

Jackson stood at the edge of the opening, hesitating.

"Well," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess this is where we part ways."

"Yeah," mari agreed. "See you next time?"

Jackson nods and slipped a piece of paper subtly in her hand—acting like he was going in for a handshake.

Mari hesitated, glancing over at Raph and Leo, who both looked annoyed, so she clenched her fist tightly.

"There will be no next time," Raph said.

Jackson caught Mari's gaze, his lips twitching into a smirk before he winked.

Mari's face flushed slightly, and before she could say anything, he turned and disappeared into the shadows of the alley.

There was a heavy silence.

Then—

"What the hell was that?" Raph growled.

Mari blinked, turning toward him. "What?"

Leo crossed his arms, scowling. "Oh, don't play dumb."

Raph gestured angrily at where Jackson had just been. "That. That little wink. What was that?"

Before Mari could answer, Mikey suddenly gasped.

"Oh my gosh." He grabbed Donnie's arm dramatically. "Did you see that? That was a wink. A full-on, I'm-still-into-you wink."

Donnie adjusted his goggles, watching Mari carefully. "Yeah, I gotta admit, I was not expecting... whatever that was."

Cat tilted her head. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"No!" Mari exclaimed.

April smirked, nudging Mari. "I dunno, Mari. You looked kinda flustered."

Mari scoffed, crossing her arms. "I was not flustered."

Raph snorted. "Don't encourage this."

Leo nods. "I don't trust him."

Donnie folded his arms. "I'm still not sure how we know him—"

Leo, arms still crossed, let out a low exhale.

He turned, leading the group deeper into the sewers, but not before casting one last glance back at the alley.

The team stumbled inside, exhausted but in one piece.

Splinter immediately noticed Mari clutching her side. "You left again in your condition?""

Mari grimaced. "I—"

Splinter raised a brow. "Sit."

Mari sighed but obeyed, knowing better than to argue.

The lair was eerily quiet as Mari sat on the couch, arms crossed, while Splinter carefully examined her side. His touch was gentle but precise, pressing lightly against the bruised area. She stiffened, biting back a wince, but he still noticed.

"You have made your injury worse," Splinter said, his voice calm but pointed.

Mari exhaled sharply, averting her gaze. "I had to fight, Sensei."

"And yet, your body protests against you." He pulled back, meeting her eyes. "You must learn when to push forward... and when to trust others to fight in your place."

Mari huffed, but said nothing.

From the side, Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, April, and Cat all stood in varying degrees of tension.

Leo stood rigid, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Raph looked irritated, foot tapping against the ground impatiently.

Donnie had his goggles pushed up, deep in thought.

Mikey was staring at Mari, concerned but also slightly amused at her stubbornness.

April and Cat sat beside her, one hand on each of her shoulders.

Then Leo spoke. "We need to talk about him."

Mari groaned. "Oh my god—"

"Jackson." Leo repeated the name sharply, like it was something disgusting. "We need to talk about Jackson."

Mari rolled her eyes, shifting her weight. "We've been over this—he just happened to be there."

"Oh, yeah? That's funny," Raph scoffed, leaning forward, "'cause I don't buy that for a second."

Donnie sighed. "Look, Mari, I get that you want to believe he's a good guy, but let's look at this logically." He lifted a finger. "One: he conveniently ran into you at night—when the Kraang were actively out hunting."

Mikey nodded seriously. "Suuuuper sketch."

Donnie lifted a second finger. "Two: He refused to come into the sewers with you."

Mikey's eyes widened dramatically. "ULTRA sketch."

Donnie raised a third finger. "Three: He's human."

The room fell silent.

Mari stiffened. "And?"

Leo's eyes narrowed. "And humans don't exactly have a great track record of handling our existence well."

Raph snorted. "Yeah. Remember Bradford?"

Mikey flinched. "Oof. Bad memories."

Mari shook her head. "Jackson's not like that. He's not some Foot goon or wannabe ninja. He—" She hesitated, but her voice softened without meaning to. "He's different."

April and Cat glanced at each other, exchanging a look that said yikes.

Raph threw his hands up. "Oh, come on! This is exactly why we don't trust him!" He jabbed a finger toward her. "You're too close to this, Mari. You can't even see how stupid this is!"

Mari's fists clenched. "You don't even know him, Raph."

"Neither do you," Leo countered, his tone sharper now. "Not really."

Mari bristled. "I've known him for months."

"And we've known you for years," Leo shot back. "And right now? You're ignoring everything we've been through—everything humans have done to mutants."

Mari gritted her teeth. "He's not like them."

Leo's gaze darkened. "Yet."

The weight of that hung in the air.

For a split second, Mari's confidence wavered.

Because part of her knew—deep, deep down—Leo had a point.

But she refused to admit it.

She shook her head. "Whatever. This is pointless." She stood abruptly, ignoring the burning in her ribs.

Cat jumped up immediately, reaching for her. "Mari, wait—"

"I'm fine," Mari muttered.

Splinter sighed. "Go. Rest."

Mari huffed, muttering something under her breath before stalking off.

As soon as she was gone, Leo ran a hand down his face. "I really don't like this."

"No kidding," Raph muttered.

April crossed her arms. "Mari's stubborn, but she's not dumb. If Jackson is up to something, she'll figure it out."

Leo didn't look convinced. "Yeah, but when?"

Donnie adjusted his goggles. "I say we keep an eye on him. If he is leading her into something, it's only a matter of time before he slips."

Mikey blinked. "Sooo... do we spy on him?"

Raph cracked his knuckles. "I say we threaten him."

Cat hesitated. "Maybe we just... ask him?"

Everyone turned to her.

She shrugged. "I mean... maybe he's not bad. Maybe we're just overthinking it."

Leo sighed, crossing his arms. "I hope you're right." His expression darkened. "But something tells me... you're not."

April shivered slightly. "Great. That's not ominous or anything."

"Right?" Mikey muttered.

The group stood there, lost in thought, knowing one thing for sure:

This wasn't the last they'd see of Jackson.

And next time?

They would be ready.