The screen buzzed with static before snapping back into focus.

A disheveled news anchor, Carlos, looked like he hadn't slept in days. His tie was crooked, eyes wide behind thick glasses as he spoke straight into the camera.

"Invasion!" he exclaimed. "That's right, folks. The aliens are back! Robots are emerging from portals! UFOs are everywhere! And a giant alien brain is stomping through the East Village!"

In April's apartment, the air was thick with dread. Kirby O'Neil curled into the couch, hugging a pillow like a lifeline. April stood nearby, arms crossed tight. Donatello sat at the edge of the couch, a hand clutched over his bandaged arm. Mikey leaned against the window, nervously chewing on a cracker.

And Mari stood by the far wall, arms hanging limp at her sides, staring blankly at the static-covered TV screen.

Then the signal cut out—just fuzz.

Donnie sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yeah. I'd say we're basically doomed."

April opened her mouth to speak—but Mari beat her to it, voice low and thick with guilt.

"This is my fault," she whispered.

Everyone turned.

"If I hadn't brought him into the lair..." she muttered. "If I hadn't believed him, if I hadn't ignored every instinct just that once..."

April stepped forward, her tone soft but steady. "You didn't know, Mari. You were trying to help a kid."

Mari's jaw tightened. "That's what makes it worse."

Mikey looked over, frowning with quiet worry. "Mari..."

She didn't meet his gaze.

Donnie, even through the pain, forced some reassurance into his voice. "We're not blaming you."

"We can do that later," Mikey added quickly, trying to lighten the mood. "Like after we survive."

Whack!

Donnie smacked him lightly upside the head.

"Ow!" Mikey pouted. "That was emotional support!"

Mari gave the faintest hint of a smile—but it didn't last.

April pulled herself up, gaze sharp with resolve. "I'm going to find the others. Casey, Elliot, Raph, Leo, Cat."

Kirby sat up fast, panic crawling into his voice. "You can't go out there! April, you can't leave me. I'm scared!"

April hesitated... but only for a second. "I'll come back. I promise."

Just then, Mikey's T-phone buzzed.

He pulled it out and stared at the screen. "Whoa! Raph just texted. Says: 'On our way, being chased by Kraang Prime.'"

He blinked. "With a frowny face."

April's eyes widened. "Kraang Prime?!"

Mikey nodded solemnly. "Yeah... So, they're gonna be fashionably late."

Mari didn't say a word.

She just kept staring at the static.

Meanwhile, on the war-torn streets of New York, Raphael, Casey Jones, and Elliot sprinted for their lives—Kraang Prime's towering mech suit crashing behind them with seismic force, shaking the pavement beneath their feet.

"You cannot run, earthlings!" Kraang Prime's voice boomed through a loudspeaker, distorted and unnervingly calm.

A blast of glowing green mutagen fired past them, just barely missing. It struck a fleeing pedestrian and a dumpster instead—instantly transforming the man into a twisted Kraanganoid, and the dumpster into a crystalline alien tree.

Kraang Prime let out a monstrous cackle. "Your entire planet will transform!"

Casey skidded around a corner and shouted, "Raph, what the heck is going on?!"

"The Kraang perfected the mutagen!" Raph yelled. "They're turning Earth into Dimension X!"

Elliot's voice cut in sharply, "I am never complaining about subway delays again!"

Casey, despite the terror, grinned. "Still kinda wicked, though."

"Wicked?!" Raph snapped. "Are you out of your mind?!"

From above, mutated pigeons swooped down—beady-eyed mop-mop creatures with sharp teeth and screeching warbles. The skyline was lit with fires and falling debris, streets crawling with Kraang droids and mutants.

Cars flew. Civilians screamed. The city buckled under the invasion.

The trio dove behind an overturned taxi just as Kraang Prime's mech stomped into view, locking its cannon on them.

"Goodbye, lower lifeforms," the mech droned, charging its weapon.

But before it could fire—clang!—something struck its face: a makeshift explosive, duct-taped and smoking.

"Aah! What?!" Kraang Prime roared, flinching back.

Across the street, a squad of heavily armed agents stormed in from the smoke, flanking both sides—Earth Protection Force.

"Earth Protection Force, move!" an agent barked through a comm. "Flanking maneuver—go, go, go!"

Tanks rumbled into place behind them. Agents split off, dodging mutagen blasts and returning fire with plasma rifles.

"Team Two, cover Quad Four! Push it forward!"

Kraang Prime's singular eye narrowed in disdain. "Pathetic humans."

"Fire!" a squad leader ordered.

A symphony of bullets and laser bursts erupted, hammering into the mech's armor. Sparks flew. The beast reeled, shielding its glowing core.

Raph didn't wait. He grabbed both Casey and Elliot by the collar. "Now's our chance! Move!"

Casey stumbled after them. "But it was just getting awesome!"

Elliot didn't even look back. "Awesome? Dude, I am two seconds away from crying!"

They disappeared into the smoke-filled alleyway as Kraang Prime let out a mechanical bellow behind them—war raging in every direction.

Rain hammered the city, each drop slicing through the dark like glass. Thunder cracked above as Leo and Cat sprinted through the ruins of a construction site, their breath coming fast and ragged.

"Leo, they're gaining on us!" Cat shouted, ducking beneath a rusted beam.

"Keep moving!" Leo ordered, katana gripped tight. "We lose them in the scaffolding!"

They hit the open floor just as a squad of Footbots swarmed in. Leo met them head-on, blades flashing through rain and sparks. He moved with precision—focused, sharp, controlled.

Cat flipped to the side, her tessen slicing through one bot's circuits. "I'm not sitting this one out!"

"Didn't say you had to," Leo called back, knocking a Footbot down with a fierce kick. "Just don't get reckless!"

That's when Tiger Claw landed behind them with a heavy thud.

Cat turned at the sound—and too late.

His whip cracked through the air, wrapping around her wrist. She gasped as he yanked her forward, then stomped down hard on her arm with a sickening snap.

"Agh—!" she screamed, crumpling to the ground and clutching her now-broken arm.

Leo's heart stopped. "Cat!"

Tiger Claw raised his weapon again.

And Leo snapped.

All at once, his focus shattered—replaced by a storm of fury.

He charged, letting out a roar that echoed across the site. His blades moved faster than before, no longer clean or disciplined—just violent. A katana slashed across Tiger Claw's chest, sending him stumbling.

Leo didn't stop.

He tore into the Footbots, slicing and striking with raw power. Sparks burst. Metal shrieked. Fishface lunged—Leo grabbed his tubes, yanked him forward, and drove a knee into his face.

Rahzar tackled him, but Leo flipped him mid-air and sent him crashing through a stack of steel rods.

Tiger Claw lunged again—Leo kicked him in the jaw so hard he crashed into a cement mixer.

Cat, still cradling her arm, watched through the haze of pain and rain. "Leo..."

Lightning struck overhead.

Leo turned just in time—

—and Shredder was already there.

A flash of silver, and Leo's body jerked as the blade tore across his chest. He gasped—stumbled—and collapsed into the mud.

He didn't move.

Shredder loomed above him, silent and towering. Tiger Claw, panting and bruised, walked over and ripped the T-phone from Leo's belt. The screen glowed faintly with a message:

Mikey: Dude, we're safe. At April's apartment. Hurry.

Tiger Claw's eye narrowed. "They wait for him... in the girl's home."

Shredder's voice cut through the storm. "Then we bait them out... and destroy them."

April's apartment was filled with the sound of dripping water, the chaos outside muffled behind cracked walls and boarded windows.

Kirby O'Neil stirred on the couch with a groggy moan. "I just had the worst dream," he mumbled. "The Kraang were trying to invade."

Mikey peeked over the couch, deadpan. "Don't worry, Mr. O'Neil. Reality's way worse than your nightmare."

Kirby whimpered in fear. Donnie elbowed Mikey without looking. "Not helping."

The front door burst open.

Raph, Casey, and Elliot stumbled in, out of breath and covered in grime. Snow melted off their shoulders as they slammed the door shut behind them.

"We gotta move!" Raph barked. "Kraang Prime is headed this way!"

Mikey's eyes widened. "Raph!" He darted forward and threw his arms around him.

Raph hugged him back with one arm, ruffling Mikey's head. "Missed you too, little bro."

April ran to Casey and wrapped her arms around him. "I thought you were gone."

Casey smirked. "What, and miss the apocalypse? Never."

Elliot dropped into a nearby chair, panting. "Someone wanna tell the universe to chill for five seconds?"

Donnie stood, worry etched across his face. "We're still missing people. Leo and—"

CRASH.

Glass exploded inward. Something large slammed through the apartment window and hit the floor hard.

Leo.

He landed in a heap—motionless, bloody, his shell cracked wide down the center.

"Leo!" Raph was the first to move, rushing to his side and dropping to his knees. Mikey followed, horrified.

April covered her mouth. "No..."

Raph checked his breathing, jaw tight. "He's alive. But barely."

Mikey's voice shook. "His shell... it's—it's cracked. Bad."

Everyone gathered in stunned silence. Until—

Mari's voice cut through it.

"Wait—where's Cat?"

Heads whipped toward her.

She looked around the room frantically. "She was with Leo. They went off together during the retreat. Where is she?!"

Raph stiffened. "She's not here?!"

Elliot's expression dropped. "Oh no..."

Donnie's voice was tense. "If Leo's like this..."

Mikey's voice cracked. "Then what happened to her?"

Mari backed up a step, her breath catching. "No. No, she wouldn't—she wouldn't let herself fall behind. Not without—"

"Come out, turtles!"

Tiger Claw's voice roared from outside, cutting the moment short.

Footbots smashed through the walls.

"Move!" Raph shouted, hoisting Leo onto his back. "Now!"

Casey grabbed his bat. Donnie defended the hallway. Elliot helped Kirby toward the stairs.

But Mari's eyes were still locked on the broken window. On the spot Leo had fallen through.

On the fact that Cat wasn't with him.

The city was quiet in the worst kind of way.

Ash drifted through the frozen air, falling with the snow in slow, lazy spirals. The usual buzz of car horns and shouting pedestrians had vanished, replaced by distant, mechanical whirs and the occasional rumble of something massive stomping through the streets. The war had moved on—but the damage remained.

Cat trudged through the alley, her breath shallow and quick. Her right arm was pressed tightly to her chest, bound in a makeshift sling fashioned from the shredded remnants of her hoodie. Every step sent a spike of pain up her side, but she didn't stop.

She couldn't stop.

April's apartment loomed ahead, dark and half-shattered. One of the windows was blown out, shards of glass glittering on the steps like ice.

"Please be here," she whispered to herself, her voice hoarse.

She pushed the door open with her shoulder and stepped inside.

The silence hit her like a punch. Not the comforting quiet of home, but the hollow kind—the kind that followed violence.

The apartment was wrecked.

The couch had been overturned. A smear of blood streaked across the floor. The scent of smoke and scorched plastic clung to the air. One of Donnie's tools was crushed beneath the collapsed bookshelf. A familiar sai was still jammed into the drywall.

They'd been here. They'd fought.

And now they were gone.

Her good hand trembled as she took a few unsteady steps forward, eyes scanning every corner.

"Leo?" she called, but it came out softer than she intended. Fragile.

No answer.

She tried again. "April?"

Still nothing.

Cat slowly lowered herself onto the floor beside the broken couch. Her knees hit the hardwood with a dull thud, and she winced, curling tighter around her broken arm. The apartment around her felt too big. Too empty.

"I'm so stupid," she whispered. Her voice cracked.

She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her good hand, trying to force the tears away. But they came anyway.

After a long moment, she stood—wobbly, but determined. Her eyes landed on the entrance to the old sewer access hatch April kept hidden in the corner.

If they weren't here, there was only one place left to go.

Home.

She pulled the hatch open and climbed down, vanishing into the dark.

The lair was cold.

Not in temperature, but in feeling. Like all the warmth had been drained from the air and soaked into the walls, leaving behind a husk of what used to be home.

Cat dropped down from the sewer tunnel and landed with a soft thud on the lair floor. Her boots echoed faintly against the stone as she looked around, breath catching in her throat.

It was empty.

The lights flickered above her, casting long shadows over the wreckage. The dojo was half-collapsed. Smoke still lingered in the air, clinging to the remnants of the fight. One of Mikey's comic books was singed and stuck to the wall. Donnie's lab was dark, screens shattered, wires dangling like vines.

Her eyes flicked toward the common area, where the couch had been torn in half and pushed aside. The fridge door hung open. Pizza boxes were scattered across the floor, trampled and stained. A chunk of the ceiling had caved in.

"Hello?" she called out, her voice trembling. "Anyone?"

Silence.

The only sound was the gentle dripping of water from a cracked pipe. It echoed, loud in the stillness.

She took a step forward—then another—and then she stopped.

Her chest hurt. Not just from the broken arm, but from something deeper. Something clawing at her ribcage, demanding to be let out.

They were gone.

She didn't know where. Didn't know if they were safe. If Leo was okay. If he was even alive.

She sank to her knees right there in the center of the lair, the place where they used to eat and joke and argue and laugh like everything was normal.

And then she started sobbing.

The kind of sobbing that shook her whole body, that echoed off the walls louder than her footsteps ever had. She clutched her broken arm close and curled in on herself, gasping through every cry as the weight of everything finally cracked her open.

They were gone.

She was alone.

And for the first time in a long time, Cat didn't know if they were ever coming back.

The battered party wagon came to a screeching halt near a dark, crumbling tunnel wall, steam rising from the surrounding wreckage of the city. The night was still burning.

Casey looked around. "This looks like a safe spot."

Raph shoved open the back doors. "Come on. We gotta find Splinter"

"What about Leo?" Mikey questioned.

"We need to find out what happened to Cat," Mari added.

Donnie gently checked Leo's pulse—still steady, but weak. "We shouldn't move him," he said, voice tight with concern.

"I'll stay with him," Casey volunteered, his usual grin gone. "I'm going back out to search for my family anyway."

April nodded. "Okay, but we meet back here. Don't do anything stupid."

Casey gave her a short salute. "You got it, Red."

Elliot clapped Casey on the shoulder. "Don't get mutated. I like your face."

"Gee, thanks," Casey muttered, already climbing into the driver's seat.

As the van pulled away, the rest of the group turned and descended into the dark sewer tunnels—hearts heavy, limbs exhausted. Mari moved in silence, jaw clenched, still haunted by what Jackson had done. Elliot walked close beside her, glancing at her from time to time but saying nothing.

They reached the lair.

Or what was left of it.

It was quiet—too quiet. Pipes hissed in the background, and the air felt heavy with smoke and soot. The walls were scorched, the furniture overturned. Their home was gone.

"Sensei?" Raph's voice echoed. "You in here?"

Silence.

April stepped forward slowly, eyes narrowing. "He's not here," she whispered. "I don't sense him."

Donnie looked down at the cracked photo frame on the wall—a picture of all of them, happy and safe. He sighed. "We gotta move. Everyone, grab something important. Then we find Splinter and get out of here."

They scattered.

Mikey grabbed a pizza box. Raph took a photo of Spike. Donnie returned to his lab. April wandered into the dojo, eyes scanning the wreckage.

That's when they heard it—a soft, echoing sob from the hallway.

Raph turned sharply. "What was that?"

They followed the sound through the wrecked tunnel, stepping past fallen beams and scattered gear. At the far end of the lair, in the shadows of the common room, they found her.

Cat.

She was sitting on the floor beside the kitchen table, her mask half-torn, her left arm cradled against her chest, clearly broken. Her face was streaked with tears. Her eyes widened when she saw them—but she didn't move.

Mari rushed forward first, skidding to her knees beside her. "Cat?"

Cat shook her head. "I—I couldn't find anyone. Leo—he... they took him and I—couldn't—-"

"You're okay," Mari said quickly, trying to sound strong. "You're okay."

Elliot crouched beside them, his expression darkening. "Her arm's broken."

"I thought—" Mikey whispered, dropping to his knees on her other side. "I thought you were gone."

Cat let out a shaky breath. "I thought you were too."

April reached for her med kit. Donnie was already stepping forward, scanning her arm with careful eyes.

"We'll take care of it," he said quietly. "We've got you."

Everyone gathered around her, protective, present. The broken lair felt just a little less empty now.

"What about Sensei?" Cat asked.

April stepped forward slowly, eyes narrowing in focus. "He's not here," she whispered. "I don't sense him."

Donnie looked at the cracked photo frame on the wall—an image of all of them, smiling. He tightened his jaw. "We gotta move. Everyone—grab one meaningful thing. We find Splinter, and then we get out of town."

They scattered across the lair.

In his room, Raph picked up the worn photo of Spike, his old pet turtle. "Wherever you are, I hope you're safe, Spike."

Donnie returned to his lab, stuffing a toolbox with essentials—an aid kit, vials, and beakers. He paused at the frozen tank of Mutagen Man.

"We'll be back, Timothy," he whispered. "And if we don't make it... you should defrost in seventy years or so. Hopefully, the world's a better place by then."

In the kitchen, Mikey crouched by the freezer. "I know this is your home," he murmured to Ice Cream Kitty. "But we gotta go."

He gently scooped the mutant feline into a pizza box. "Just squeeze in there between the frozen pizzas... good kitty."

Down the hall, Cat sat quietly on the floor, cradling her broken arm with her good one, her knees pulled to her chest. She hadn't spoken much since rejoining them, but now her voice broke the silence.

"I hate this," she mumbled. "I hate all of this."

Mari, standing nearby, didn't look at her, but her jaw clenched. She was still coated in grime from the battle, her tanto strapped tightly to her back. "You and me both."

Elliot, rummaging through what remained of Donnie's old workshop, held up a half-scorched hoodie and raised a brow. "Pretty sure this was mine." Then, quieter, "Hope my apartment's still standing..."

No one answered. The air was too heavy.

April lingered near the dojo. The flickering TV caught her eye—turning on by itself.

April clutched her head. "Ah! My head!"

Donnie rushed over. "April, what is it?"

She gasped. "Master Splinter... I can sense him. He's close!"

Raph didn't hesitate. "Let's go!"

They ran into the tunnels, the sound of their footfalls echoing through the sewer.

April led them through winding passages. "This way!"

Mari gripped her tanto tightly, face unreadable. Cat followed, limping slightly, arm still braced. Elliot kept to the back, eyes sharp, bat in hand.

They rounded a corner—just in time to see it.

Splinter and Shredder. Locked in battle.

Shredder snarled, "Now I will tear you to pieces!"

"Sensei!" Mikey yelled, wide-eyed.

Splinter, still holding his ground, shouted, "Go! Leave this place!"

Shredder sneered. "Fitting that your children are here to see you fall."

He struck with brutal precision. Splinter blocked, countered, but Shredder landed a vicious knee to his chest.

"Come on, Sensei!" April cried. "You can do it!"

"Take him down!" Raph shouted.

Mari said nothing—her eyes didn't leave Splinter. Not for a second.

Shredder threw a handful of blinding powder. Splinter staggered back, eyes clouded.

Then—with a roar—Splinter unleashed a powerful palm strike, sending Shredder crashing into the wall.

"Now! We must escape!" Splinter commanded.

But Shredder wasn't finished.

He burst from the rubble and struck from behind, knocking Splinter to the ground. In a blink, he hurled a kunai—the blade struck home.

Splinter collapsed, motionless.

"No!" Mikey screamed.

April ran forward, tears in her eyes. "No, no, no!"

Shredder stepped over the fallen master and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him to the edge of a massive water turbine.

"Don't do it!" Donnie begged.

"Splinter!" Raph cried.

Cat covered her mouth, frozen. Mari took a step forward, but it was too late.

With no emotion, Shredder dropped Splinter into the vortex.

The waters roared.

Splinter was gone.

All of them screamed in unison—voices cracking with despair.

"NO!"

April's knees hit the ground. "Master Splinter!"

Raph stood frozen at first—trembling, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked. Then he took a step forward. His breath came in sharp, furious bursts.

"You—!" he growled, his voice low and trembling.

Shredder stood tall above them, silent and composed, like the monster he was. Victorious. Untouchable.

"You monster!!" Raph screamed, his voice echoing through the sewer tunnels like a war cry.

He lunged forward, slamming into the iron bars that separated them from Shredder. His hands wrapped around the cold metal, and he shook them with everything he had. The whole tunnel vibrated with the rage in his bones, the grief in his chest.

Donnie and April stood back, stunned, their faces white. Mari was right behind them, her chest heaving, fists clenched so hard her nails dug into her palms. She stared at the water—at the spot Splinter had vanished—her body vibrating.

"He's gone," she whispered, barely audible. "He's gone because of me. I brought him here. I brought Jackson—"

Her voice cracked, and she staggered back a step, like the weight of it all had just caved in on her.

"No," she said louder now. "No, no, no—!"

"Mari," Elliot called, his voice quiet but urgent. "Mari, stop—"

But she was spiraling. "This is my fault! I should've seen it! I should've—"

Mikey turned to her, voice trembling but steady. "Mari."

She didn't hear him. Or didn't want to.

Mikey grabbed her wrist, pulling her to face him. "Hey! Look at me."

Her eyes locked onto his, wide and swimming with panic.

"You didn't do this. The Kraang did. Jackson did. Not you."

She stared at him for a second—then broke. She collapsed forward, and Mikey caught her, wrapping his arms around her like he had Raph just moments before.

"It's okay," he whispered. "It's not your fault."

A few steps away, Raph was still gripping the bars, shaking them so hard they rattled. He looked like he might pull them right off the wall—or shatter.

Then Cat was there.

She limped up beside him, her broken arm cradled against her chest. She placed her good hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Raph," she said softly.

He didn't look at her.

"Raph, stop," she said again, firmer this time.

Finally, he stilled. His hands loosened from the bars. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned—his face broken, hollow.

Cat met his eyes and whispered, "He wouldn't want us to fall apart."

Raph stared at her for a moment—then nodded, once, tightly.

Behind them, Elliot stood silent, one hand clenched around his bat. He looked at the others, then toward the tunnel where Splinter had vanished. His throat bobbed, but he said nothing. Not yet.

April turned, wiping her face with the sleeve of her jacket. Her voice came out low but determined. "We're not running," she said. "We're gonna end this."

Donnie stepped beside her, jaw tight, eyes burning. "Yeah. We are."

And for a moment, just a second, they stood as one—cracked but not broken. Grieving, but not done. Ready to fight.

Ready to finish it.

The Turtle Mech burst from the sewer entrance, its metal frame gleaming against the burning skyline.

"Oh yeah!" Mikey shouted from inside the cockpit. "Turtle Mech power!"

Kraang droids swarmed toward them, lasers lighting up the night.

"April!" Donnie called. "Pull that lever on your left! Then hit the pedal!"

April did as instructed, and the Mech's foot came down hard—crushing a line of Kraang in an instant.

"This is the coolest thing ever!" Mikey yelled. "All my Super Robo Mecha fantasies are coming true!"

Flamethrowers activated, engulfing Kraang droids in searing flame. They screamed and scattered.

"Run, Kraang! Kraang, run!" their synthetic voices panicked as their suits crumbled.

Mari stood in the back of the Mech, gripping a handle above her as the Mech stomped forward.

"Keep burning them!" she shouted. "Don't let up!"

Elliot clung to the opposite rail, eyes wide. "Is no one going to comment on how insanely illegal this thing is?!"

"Technically, the city's already gone," Cat muttered beside him, nursing her arm in a makeshift sling. "So... moral gray area."

The Mech reached out, grabbed a dumpster, and smashed it down like a hammer on a cluster of Kraang.

Then they saw it.

Mikey pointed ahead. "There it is—Shredder's lair! Let's get him!"

A laser blast intercepted them.

April's hands froze. "Uh... guys? I think we're in trouble."

"They'll tear this thing apart!" Raph said.

"We can do this!" Mikey insisted. "Super Robo Mecha Force fought way bigger bad guys!"

Donnie hit a switch. "Booyakasha!"

The Turtle Mech opened fire, launching its acid cannons at the approaching titan—Kraang Prime.

The giant brain-like alien let out a howl of pain as the acid sizzled across his massive frame.

"Lowly insects!" Kraang Prime thundered. "You think you can stop Kraang? It was Kraang who found your planet millions of years ago. Kraang who used mutagen on the monkeys. Kraang who created humans! Now Kraang transforms your world!"

Mikey squinted up at him. "And it'll be Kraang who gets kicked in the shin!"

He slammed a control.

The Mech delivered a full-force kick—but it barely budged the enormous titan.

Kraang Prime retaliated, his laser eyes firing a blast straight at them.

"Grappling hooks!" Donnie yelled.

The Turtle Mech launched its lines and swung to the nearest rooftop. The impact was brutal. They crashed, tumbled, sparks flying.

"Everyone okay?" April asked, coughing.

"Sort of," Raph muttered.

"Not really," Mikey groaned.

"Barely functioning," Donnie winced.

"Pretty sure I hit my head on Cat's shell," Elliot grumbled.

"Pretty sure your scream was louder than mine," Cat shot back, her voice tight from pain.

The Mech stood, whirring weakly.

"Donnie!" Raph shouted. "Get this thing moving!"

But Kraang Prime had reached them.

Kraang Prime seized the Mech's body in one massive hand. "Kraang has had enough games!"

Donnie jammed a switch. "Flamethrowers!"

The Mech roared and flames engulfed Kraang Prime's face. He bellowed, dropping them—but the Turtle Mech crumpled from the impact.

"Dude!" Mikey shouted. "Weapons are down!"

Donnie grit his teeth. "We've got one last trick... but it might fry the Mech completely."

April nodded. "Do it. We don't have a choice."

Donnie hit the final sequence. "Readying electro harpoon!"

The harpoon launched—straight into the city's power grid.

"First, we tap into the grid," Donnie said, gripping the controls. "Then—"

"FIRE!" Mikey screamed.

Electricity surged through the cable. The Mech shook violently.

Kraang Prime laughed. "Goodbye, Turtles!"

Then—the overload hit.

A colossal blast of energy ripped through the titan. Kraang Prime screamed as millions of volts coursed through him, frying circuits and nerves alike. A blackout swept across the city.

His massive Mech body exploded in a thunderous eruption and collapsed.

Donnie slammed the shutdown. Sparks flew. They all slumped back in their seats.

April coughed. "Yes!"

Mikey whooped. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Raph grinned. "We did it. Kraang Prime is toast!"

Mari exhaled and rested her forehead against the cold steel wall. "About time..."

But then...

Kraang Prime—charred, but alive—burst from the remains of his giant suit, howling with rage.

"Um... not really," Mikey said, shrinking into his seat.

The alien charged.

"Donnie, make this thing move!" Raph shouted.

"I can't—it's fried!"

"Abandon ship!" Donnie yelled.

They leapt from the Mech just as Kraang Prime lunged, smashing the cockpit.

"You will all suffer!" he screeched.

April clenched her fists—and released a powerful psychic scream. Kraang Prime reeled.

A horn blared.

"Hey, losers!" Casey shouted, barreling in behind the wheel of a speeding van. "This is so metal!"

He rammed into the alien with the full force of the vehicle, sending Kraang Prime sprawling.

Doors slammed open.

"You guys need a lift?"

Without hesitation, the team piled in.

Elliot helped boost Cat up with one arm.

Mari jumped in last, still staring out at the wreckage.

The van screeched away from the chaos, the city behind them crumbling into mutagenic madness.

Kraang Prime roared after them, shaking with fury.

The road stretched endlessly ahead, a dark ribbon vanishing into the countryside. The city was far behind now, its flickering orange glow barely visible on the horizon—a dying ember of the life they once knew. The old van rumbled quietly along the cracked highway, its tires humming beneath them like a low, tired heartbeat.

Inside, no one spoke.

In the back, Donatello sat cross-legged beside Leo's limp form, one hand resting gently on his brother's chest, feeling each faint, shallow breath. Leo was unconscious, his face bruised, shell cracked, bandaged as best as they could manage in the chaos. Donnie hadn't looked away once.

"I'm sorry, Leo," he whispered, voice hoarse. "You were right. We should've left sooner. If we had... maybe they wouldn't have found the lair. Maybe none of this would've happened."

He paused, swallowing hard.

"I should've listened to you."

Closer to the center of the van, Mikey sat curled between Raph and Mari. His nunchucks rested forgotten at his side. He didn't speak. Didn't joke. His hands were gripped tightly in his lap, his face buried into his hoodie.

Raph had one arm around his little brother's shoulders, holding him firmly but gently, his own jaw clenched as he stared at the van floor. Mari sat on Mikey's other side, her hand resting over his. She said nothing—but her thumb slowly rubbed small, silent circles into Mikey's fingers, grounding him with the kind of gentleness she didn't often show. Her eyes were bloodshot, but no tears fell. She just stayed there. Still.

Elliot sat across from them, slouched beside Cat, who leaned against his arm with her broken one carefully braced in her lap. She looked out the window, though there was nothing to see but darkness. Every now and then, she blinked quickly, like she didn't want anyone to catch her crying.

Elliot hadn't said much either. He just sat there, letting Cat lean into him. Once in a while, he glanced over at her arm with a frown, but said nothing.

"I know a place," April said quietly from the passenger seat. "Upstate. My family's old farmhouse. It's far... no neighbors. It's safe. We can go there."

Casey, gripping the wheel, nodded. "Good. We need somewhere to lay low. Just tell me where to turn."

April glanced over. "Did you... find your family?"

Casey didn't answer for a second. Then, low: "No. They're gone."

April didn't ask anything else. She just reached over and placed a hand on his arm. He gripped the wheel tighter.

In the back, Mikey's voice finally broke through the silence, small and aching.

"What do we do now?"

Raph and Mari glanced at each other over Mikey's bowed head. Neither of them had an answer.

"For the first time in my life..." Raph muttered, eyes flicking toward the window, "I don't know, little brother."

A long pause stretched across the van.

Then Mikey's voice came again, barely a whisper.

"...I miss Master Splinter."

No one replied.

The van rumbled onward through the night. Away from the city. Away from everything.

And the silence settled in once more—thick, heavy, and unshakable.