Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"COME BACK HERE!"

That was something she would not do.

The five-year-old girl ran as fast as her tiny legs could carry her. Pushing her way through the busy streets and past the hoard of people walking on its footpaths. The people she was pushing past were so self-obsessed and narrowly focused on their own goals, they didn't even think twice about the little girl. Instead, some would verbally abuse her.

But she did not care. She had to get away from him.

She turned into an alleyway, only to find herself facing a dead end.

She could hear him come closer, his yells as he calls her many things, him telling her to stay still and she wouldn't get it as bad.

Yeah. As bad.

She knew she could potentially make things worse for herself, but she had to hide.

She saw a manhole cover. And usually, when there's a manhole cover, there's a way into the sewers.

He would never follow her down there.

On average, manhole covers weighed around fifty kilograms, so it was an amazing feat for her to be able to move it enough for her to climb into the sewers.

She did not have time to stop to reposition the manhole cover. He was stronger and faster than her. Any delay could have her in his grasp once again.

So she just climbed down the ladder and began running.

She could not tell you how long she was running - or how far she had come - when she finally came to a stop.

Her lungs burned. Her side ached. Her leg throbbed from when she fell down. Everything she had not noticed before suddenly hit her full force, and she was left unable to move.

"WHERE ARE YOU, YOU WORTHLESS BRAT?!"

Oh no. Her plan didn't work. He did decide to follow her down after all.

"Psst..."

What was that?

"Over here!"

Should she be following that strange voice? Even if it did sound like it was around her age, she didn't know if she should trust it.

Then she heard him again and decided that she didn't have anything to lose.

She went to the entrance of the tunnel where she heard the voice, only to feel something grab her hand and pull her deeper into the tunnel.

She had to bite her lip hard to keep herself from crying out due to the pain her side and leg were causing her.

Eventually, they stopped running. She could no longer hear the voice of the man, but she couldn't take the chance of exposing herself just yet.

"You'll be safe here," the voice reassured her.

"Who are you?" she asked, speaking for the first time since the whole incident started.

"I'm...," the voice then hesitated.

Why was he so afraid to tell her his name?

"It might be best if I show you," he finally decided, "But you have to promise not to scream. Or run. Or tell anyone you saw me down here."

"Why are you...?" she trailed off.

"Just promise me!" the voice pleaded.

"OK, OK! I promise!" she sighed in frustration.

Slowly, he let go of her hand - and she just realized it was different to others - and began approaching the pool of light a grate above them was providing. She could hear the water sloshing under his feet as he walked into it to get to the grate.

What she saw surprised her.

A turtle.

A lot can change in ten years.

The girl from the sewers can vouch for that as she climbed down that ladder - the one she had climbed down many times before - with a backpack on her back. When she hit the bottom, she checked that her 'accessories' were still on her.

A throwing axe and a tanto. Check.

She then decided to do one final check of her backpack, figuring that if she had forgotten something, now would be the optimum time to go back to retrieve it.

Well, as optimum as it could be.

Satisfied, she continued on her journey, blowing away a strand of brown hair that did not want to stay in its place and silently thankful that she always wore her hair in a braid.

She could hear voices as she got closer to her destination.

"There's a little more algae and worms left if anybody wants it. Anybody? Anybody...?"

That made her cringe. Algae and worms did not sound nice individually, but the thought of having them together?

Might as well hand her a bucket at the thought of it.

The other three voices agreed with the first voice.

"No thanks."

"I'm good."

"All yours."

"Well, I guess no one left room... for cake!"

As she walked through the living area and towards the kitchen, she could see the 'cake' the first voice - belonging to an orange-masked turtle - mentioned. A middle-aged rat just sat there contently as his students/sons gawked at the cake.

The other three Turtles voiced her voices for her.

"WHOA!"

"IT IS A CAKE!" the purple-masked Turtle gasped excitedly.

"Made with...," the red-masked Turtle trailed off as he saw the worms crawling around while tasting a bit, "Algae. And worms."

"What's the frosting made out of?" the blue-masked Turtle asked nervously.

"You don't wanna know," the orange-masked Turtle cringed.

"Well, with Mikey in the kitchen, it could really be anything, couldn't it?" the girl remarked, making herself known to the group as she walked in.

"ALINA!"

Before she knew it, she was almost tackled to the ground by Mikey, who hugged her happily.

"I missed you too, Mikey," Alina chuckled.

"Took you long enough to get here," the red-masked Turtle drawled as he pulled Mikey off of her.

"Yeah, Raph. There's this place I have to attend called school," Alina deadpanned as he placed her backpack in the corner, deciding to give them their presents later.

"Be nice, Raph! She may withhold our presents!" Mikey warned him.

"Well, only from some of you," Alina mused, looking at Raph pointedly.

Raph waved her off, "Happy you came, Als."

"You missed training this morning," the purple-masked Turtle pointed out, "Raph beat me with my staff."

"Didn't drop the staff?" Alina guessed.

"Didn't drop the staff," the purple-masked Turtle sighed.

"Donnie, just grab his sais and beat him up with them," Alina suggested.

"Like that'll ever happen!" Raph scoffed.

"Hey! What about me?!" the blue-masked Turtle joked.

"Sorry, Leo," Alina giggled slightly as she walked into his waiting arms.

Leo smiled as he softly kissed her on the cheek. It happened by accident one day after training and the next thing they knew, it became their thing.

"Oooh... Leo and Alina sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-OOOF!"

"Michelangelo, I do not approve of those childish games. Especially when they keep making it clear they are not...dating," the rat, known as Master Splinter, trailed off, struggling to remember the right word.

Things have changed considerably since he was their age.

"Thank you," Leo and Alina sighed in relief.

"Happy Mutation Day, boys!" Alina cheered.

"HAPPY MUTATION DAY!" the boys yelled just as enthusiastically.

"Ah yes. 15 years ago today, our lives changed forever and we became the unlikeliest of families," Master Splinter mused.

"Tell us the story, Master Splinter!" Mikey pleaded.

"Michelangelo, I have already told it many times," Master Splinter replied.

That didn't stop Mikey from begging. Only Raph placing a firm hand over his mouth did that.

"Please. It's the only way to shut Mikey up," Raph pointed out.

"Very well," Master Splinter sighed, "Only if our guest does not object."

"Hey. It's their birthday," Alina shrugged.

Nodding, Master Splinter began his tale, "Many years ago today, when I was still human, I was leaving the pet store with four baby pet turtles."

"THAT WAS US!" Mikey cut in.

"Yes. Don't interrupt," Master Splinter scolded before resuming his story,

"I passed a strange man on the street. Something felt off about him. So I decided to follow. 'Go no further. This is a place where you are not allowed to be in this place. We have been seen in this place by you, so this is a place that will not be left by you.'"

Alina remembered the story vividly, having heard it many times herself. Master Splinter, then known as Hamato Yoshi, was leaving the pet store with the Turtles when he bumped into a strange man on the street. He followed the man and saw him exchange a canister filled with a strange ooze with another man, but gave his position away by stepping on a brown rat's tail. He fought the man and his companion valiantly. However, during the fight, the canister broke and doused Yoshi and the Turtles with the strange ooze. The five of them mutated into the last things they came into contact with. Having come into contact with the rat, Hamato Yoshi mutated into a humanoid brown rat. Having come into contact with their new owner, the Turtles became humanoid Turtles.

Holding the broken canister, Master Splinter finished his tale, "That was the beginning of our life together. It was the mysterious substance in this canister that, in a way, gave birth to us all."

Alina couldn't help but look at Mikey weirdly as he held the canister tightly and called it his mother.

"Then five years later," Master Splinter continued as he turned to face Alina, "We gained a new member of our family when Leonardo found Alina in the sewers."

Oh yeah. Alina remembered that day well.

"You're a turtle!" Alina gasped in surprise.

She did keep her word. She didn't run or scream at the sight of the humanoid Turtle before her.

"There's a reason why I'm down here," Leo stated, "I'm Leo, by the way."

"Alina," Alina introduced herself.

"So you're not scared?" Leo asked timidly.

"You saved me. Why would I be scared of you?" Alina remarked before asking just as timidly, "But how did you get this way?"

"That's a story for my Sensei to tell. You should come meet him and my brothers," Leo suggested excitedly, "And you can hide from the bad man with us."

Alina wasn't sure what happened next. All she knew was she was being led to the lair...

And his sensei wasn't happy.

"Leonardo," Master Splinter scolded, "What did I tell you about bringing strangers to the lair?!"

"But she's hurt, Sensei!" Leo began objecting, "I couldn't leave her there."

"Oooh... Lame-o-nardo broke the rules," Raph drawled as he, Donnie and Mikey walked in.

"She's pretty," Mikey drooled.

"She's also scared," Donnie stated.

Eyes softening at the sight of her, Master Splinter knelt before her and reassured her, "Do not worry, my child. I promise that as long as you are with me and my sons, you will always be safe."

Master Splinter then offered his hand to her. At first, she shied away, almost hiding behind Leo. Tentatively, she stepped forward and reached out her hand. Trusting people did not come easy to her. After hesitating once more, she finally placed her hand in his.

And a friendship began.

When Master Splinter returned to his meal, Alina took the opportunity to whisper to Leo,

"Have you asked him yet?"

Unfortunately, Alina wasn't that quiet. Well, she was, but Master Splinter's acute hearing picked up her question.

"Asked me what?" Master Splinter wanted to know.

Hesitantly, Leo began broaching the topic, "So, Sensei, now that we're 15, I think we're finally ready to go up to the surface with Allie, don't you?"

"Yes," Master Splinter nodded, causing the Turtles to cheer excitedly, "And no."

The happiness the Turtles initially had quickly disappeared and they began voicing their objections.

"I hate it when he does that!" Raph moaned.

"You have grown powerful, but you are still young. You lack the maturity to use your skills wisely," Master Splinter said as he got up to walk away.

"So, Sensei, is that just no?" Donnie asked.

"Yes... and no," Master Splinter responded, "Wisdom comes from experience, and experience comes from making mistakes."

"Ah-ha!" Donnie cried, "So in order for us to gain the wisdom, we have to make the mistakes. So we can go!"

"No," Master Splinter shook his head.

"And yes?" Donnie asked hopefully.

"No!" Master Splinter responded firmly, causing Donnie to moan in disappointment and frustration.

Alina decided to take over, "Master Splinter, I know you're trying to protect them. But they have been waiting for the chance to go up for as long as I've known them. I promise that I will never leave their side on the surface."

"We can't spend our whole lives hiding down here," Leo decided to chime in.

Master Splinter turned away, stroking his beard while reflecting on what two of his students and surrogate children had said.

When he turned back, he saw four Turtles on their knees giving him what Alina referred to as the 'puppy-dog eyes'.

That broke his resolve.

"You may go. Tonight," Master Splinter relented.

He heard cheers, ranging from the traditional 'Yes!' to Mikey's catchphrase, 'Booyakasha!'

"HIGH THREE!" Mikey cheered.

Four Turtle hands and one human man clapped together in celebration.

They still had a bit to go before nightfall, where the Turtles could wonder freely. Everyone did something to kill the time.

Leo and Alina decided to watch a cult classic TV show called Space Heroes.

"Mr. Crankshaw, status report!"

"Status? I'll give you the status! We're gonna blow up in two seconds! (slap) Thank you, Captain."

Leo recited the next line along with the ship's captain,

"Gentlemen, I have a bold and daring plan. There's no time for hesitation. My orders must be carried out without question.

"You know this show is stupid, right?" Raph said from his position on the couch, without looking up from his comic book.

"Space Heroes is a great show and Captain Ryan is a great hero!" Leo objected, "And someday, I am gonna be just like him!"

"Well, you do like to hear yourself talk, so you're on your way there," Raph shrugged.

"As much as I like Captain Ryan, there's better things to aspire to," Alina pointed out.

"Like what?" Leo scoffed.

"You for one thing," Alina retorted.

Before they could say anything else, Mikey and Donnie ran into the living room.

"It's go time!" Mikey cheered.

Hurriedly, the five of them suited up, grabbing their weapons, which they had stored in the dojo. Donnie was quick to grab his bo-staff, while Raph grabbed his two sais (which Alina made the mistake of referring to as 'salad tongs' once), Leo grabbed his twin katana and stored them in their sheaths, Mikey grabbed his twin nunchucks and Alina grabbed her axe and tanto, sliding them into their respective compartments on the belt of her jumpsuit.

Once they had their weapons, they stood before Master Splinter in a line as he spoke to them before their trip,

"You are going up to a strange and hostile world. You must maintain awareness at all times. You must also listen to Alina. She knows more about the surface than you do. Just as she will watch over you, you also must watch over her."

"Hai, sensei!" the five teenagers chorused before turning to leave.

"Stay in the shadows!" Master Splinter instructed.

"Hai, sensei," the five teenagers nodded.

"Don't talk to strangers!" Master Splinter warned them, earning a less-than-enthusiastic 'Hai, sensei' from his students, "Everyone is a stranger!"

"Hai, sensei," the five teenagers sighed before attempting to leave.

"Make sure you go before you leave! The restrooms up there are filthy!" Master Splinter ordered.

Alina had to agree with Master Splinter, but she was also annoyed.

"SENSEI!" the five teenagers cried impatiently.

"Good luck, my sons," Master Splinter finally sighed.

Happily, the four Turtles and Alina jumped over the turnstiles and began running towards the sewers.

They could hear Master Splinter shout his final warning,

"Look both ways before crossing the street!"

Alina decided she was going to take them to the manhole she always used to get to them. Leo went up first, pushing the manhole cover off slightly so he could see if the coast was clear. Satisfied, he pushed it off all the way and jumped out. Grabbing Alina's hand, he helped her pull her out while Donnie, Raph and Mikey climbed out behind them.

Alina watched as the four brothers took in their first sights of New York - from the graffiti on the walls, the dumpster on one side, to the homeless man sleeping on a dodgy mattress using a well-used newspaper as a flimsy blanket.

The sights did nothing for Alina. Having been in New York for the last ten years, she was used to it.

But her friends weren't, and they eagerly drank in what was around them.

"It's so beautiful!" Mikey gasped.

Ten years ago, the Turtles have welcomed Alina into their world, filled with ninjitsu, sewers, and algae and worms. Finally, Alina could welcome the Turtles into her world.

What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Text

The Turtles could not put into words how excited they were.

Ever since they had met Alina, they had a desire to see her world. To finally climb through the manhole that separated the sewers from the surface. They wanted to see what Alina had told them about. They wanted to experience her experiences.

Now, it was finally happening.

One would think they would be overwhelmed first off, but Alina thought they were adapting to it well.

“The city is just full of possibility! There could be adventure around this corner!” Leo gushed excitedly as he peered from one corner and ran to another, “Or this corner… Or this one…”

When Leo peered around one corner, all he saw was a cat sitting on a dumpster. When the cat caught sight of the humanoid turtle, the animal only just meowed and jumped off the dumpster, retreating in the opposite direction of the alleyway. Was the animal scared of Leo? Who knows?

Very few knew what cats thought.

“There’s not, but there could be!” Leo stated as he raced to catch up with the others.

“Be careful what you wish for,” Alina warned with a slight chuckle, “The adventure you end up getting may not be the kind of adventure that you want.”

Now, it was Donnie’s turn to be excited.

“Look at all the computers!” Donnie gasped excitedly as he pressed himself against the shop window, “Is that the next generation cadmium processor with quantum encryption?”

“I don’t know, Donatello! Is it?!” Raphael asked, his fake excitement and sarcasm clear.

“It is,” Alina answered on Donnie’s behalf, “And it may or may not be my present to you…”

“NO WAY!” Donnie screamed, especially after he checked out the price tag attached to the computers, “How’d you afford this?!”

“I know a guy,” Alina shrugged, deciding that the Turtles didn’t need to know her connections was related to her foster situation.

Some things just didn’t need to be said.

“GUYS! GUYS! Check this out!” Mikey called to them from the fortuneteller’s shop, “A hand made out of light.”

Alina had to love Mikey and his little quirks, especially with the way he easily gets excited over the littlest things. She had to see how he would be when that pink hand made out of light eventually changed to a blue eye made out of light.

“Now it’s an eye made out of light,” Mikey said before gasping, “And the hand again! Now the eye’s back! And the hand!”

“Come on, genius,” Raphael sighed as he pulled Mikey away by his mask tails.

“THE EYE!” Mikey screamed as he was pulled away.

“So where to next, Alina?” Donnie asked excitedly.

Before Alina could answer, she and the Turtles were frozen in shock by the sound of an approaching engine.

They found themselves caught in the light of a pizza delivery boy on his bike. At first, he stared at the five of them bewildered by their presence.

Raph decided he wasn’t going to help matters by pulling a face and growling at him, hoping it had the desired affect.

If the desired effect was the teenager screaming and riding away on his bike as fast as he could, he succeeded.

“That was kinda fun!” Raph cackled.

“We’re too exposed out here,” Leo proclaimed, “Allie, got any ideas?”

Alina pursed her lips in thought before she looked up.

The roof! Perfect.

“Come on. You guys can explore the city from the roof,” Alina proclaimed as she ran towards a fire escape, “You guys would get better views up here anyway.”

Mikey went to follow Alina and the other Turtles before something on the road caught his eye.

A pizza box.

“Hey, guys! Look what I found!” Mikey called as he ran towards them, waving the pizza box excitedly.

“Hey! He dropped a pizza!” Alina cheered as she grabbed the box from Mikey.

“What’s a pizza?” Mikey asked, stumbling on the pronunciation of the word ‘pizza’.

“Let’s get to the roof first, then I’ll show it to you,” Alina suggested as she began climbing the ladder with the pizza box under her arm.

Once they got to the roof, the five of them stood around an air vent, which substituted as a table for the pizza. Alina watched as the four Turtles stared at the box in apprehension.

“Should we open it?” Donnie asked nervously.

“Careful! It could be dangerous!” Leo warned.

Alina rolled her eyes as she opened the lid.

Ugh. It had to be pepperoni.

“I think it’s… food,” Donnie pondered.

“That’s not like any food I ever saw!” Raph scoffed.

“It’s food, Raphie,” Alina sighed, earning a growl from Raph at the nickname, “But seriously. He had to drop a pepperoni pizza?”

“Don’t like pepperoni?” Leo guessed.

“Don’t like pepperoni,” Alina nodded.

“I’ll try it,” Mikey volunteered as he picked up a slice.

The other Turtles watched Mikey in anticipation as he analyzed the slice before biting off a small chunk from the tip. His eyes widened and Alina could have sworn she saw his mind explode inside his head.

She knew that pizza would be a different experience for the Turtles, who had practically lived off algae and worms (and other stuff she didn’t want to know), but she didn’t know if they would enjoy some of the foods she ate.

Apparently, based on Mikey’s expressions and the way he scoffed down the slice before letting out a large belch, pizza wasn’t going to be a problem.

“Uh… yuck. You guys won’t like it. I’ll take the rest,” Mikey smirked as he went to move the box away.

The other Turtles had their own objections, wrestling away some slices and scoffing it into their mouths. Not wanting their friend to be excluded, Leo used his ninja skills to remove the pepperoni from the remaining two slices and gave them to her before the others could swipe them. Alina smiled gratefully at him as she ate the two slices.

“I never thought I’d taste anything better than worms and algae, but this is amazing!” Raph gushed.

“I LOVE IT UP HERE!” Mikey shouted for the world to hear.

“You’re gonna love this!” Alina smirked.

She then took off across the roof with a sprint before jumping over the edge. Immediately, the Turtles gasped in fear and took off to the edge where she jumped. To their surprise, she didn’t fall in the alleyway between the buildings. Instead, she managed to successfully land on the roof of a building across the way.

“Come on!” Alina called to them.

The four brothers looked at each other and they seemed to share the same thought. Alina was so different in her environment compared to their environment. Granted, a lot of her was the same. But here, she was more carefree and, dare they say it, happy.

Don’t get them wrong. She was always happy around them. But there was something about being up on the surface with them that made her happier.

So, they joined her.

They even made a game. Whoever pulled the coolest stunt in a jump would win. It eventually became a tie between Raph and Alina, which led to them arguing about who had the best jump and deciding to have another round to find out. When they tied (again), Leo talked them out of having another round, fearing that if they kept ending up tied, they’d be there all night deciding on the winner.

He even feared the possibility of one – or both – getting injured trying to outdo each other. With how competitive Raph and Alina tended to be with each other, it was a legitimate concern. Of course, the two maintain it was a friendly competition… before they commenced said competition. Once they started competing with each other, all bets were off.

Eventually, they came to a stop on another roof quite a few blocks away from where they started.

“Hey, Alina. Where’s your apartment?” Donnie couldn’t help but ask.

“You see the Byerly Building over there?” Alina began, pointing to a tall building in the distance, “My apartment building is across the road and a couple buildings over from that. My apartment’s on the second floor from the top. It’s a two-story apartment.”

“If we came over, would you cook us pizza?” Mikey inquired.

“I will also be introducing you to other foods, Mikey,” Alina remarked, “But it may not be the best idea. Foster family.”

The Turtles hummed in understanding. Alina had been in the foster system for nearly ten years and had been through many foster families in her time there. The shortest time she spent in the foster system was a month when she was twelve, and that ended because her foster mother was diagnosed with cancer and she lacked the energy to run around after Alina and the other two children she was fostering. She had promised to get them back once she was better, but she was diagnosed too late and was gone three months later, so she was unable to keep her promise.

The longest home she stayed in was the home she was in now – a year-and-a-half. She had four other foster siblings with her: a thirteen-year-old boy, six-year-old twin boys, who were also the other foster children from Alina’s month-long stay, and a newborn baby girl.

The five of them weren’t sure how long they stood there overlooking the city. Hearing the hustle and bustle of New York life. Seeing the lights from the Brooklyn Bridge. Feeling the crisp fall air against their skin.

Whatever length of time it was, Leo decided that they had enough.

“Alright, guys. It’s getting late. We should probably head back home,” Leo suggested, predictably earning moans of disappointment from his brothers.

Alina couldn’t help but agree with Leo. She couldn’t keep ignoring the texts from her foster father telling her to get home.

If she could call it that.

She, Leo, Raph and Mikey went to walk away. However, something caught Donnie’s eye, and he felt he had to show the others.

“Guys! Look at that!” Donnie gasped, pointing to the footpath down below.

The others follow the purple-masked turtle’s line of sight and saw two people on the footpath.

One person they saw was a balding middle-aged man with a red beard dressed in a nice polo shirt draped with a jacket as well as a nice pair of slacks and work shoes. From all appearances, it would seem that he did well for himself.

But he wasn’t the one who drew Donnie’s eye. His companion did.

The girl was young – easily around the same age as Alina. She had red hair that was a slightly lighter shade than her father’s that was done up in a ponytail with a yellow headband holding back any stray strands. Her blue eyes seemed to shine under the streetlights and she had freckles adorning her cheeks. Her outfit interested Alina. Her lean figure was hidden by a black t-shirt hidden by a yellow-and-white shirt with a large number 5 dominating the front with jean-shorts worn over black leggings and black boots worn over blue-and-white socks. She chose to accessorize herself with a black choker around her neck and brown wristbands on her wrist.

Some people would say that she was peculiar. To Donnie, she was the most beautiful girl on the planet.

“She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” Donnie sighed dreamily.

Alina had to stifle her laughter as she took in Donnie’s star struck look. She could’ve sworn she saw drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

“Isn’t she the only girl you’ve ever seen?” Raph deadpanned, effectively shattering Donnie’s fantasy.

“My point still stands!” Donnie scoffed.

“What am I? A duck?!” Alina demanded.

With a quizzical expression, Mikey bent down so he was eye-to-eye with Alina’s butt. Then he zoomed in very closely to Alina’s face, causing her to back up a bit.

“You’re a strange species of duck,” Mikey mused.

“I’m a girl, you shell-brain!” Alina snapped, whacking Mikey up the head as she did.

Before the conversation could go any further, they heard the sound of screeching tires and gasps from the two people they were spying on. The driver stepped out first. He was a scrawny man with greasy brown hair wearing a white singlet and blue jeans. Alina knew that she could easily take him on in the fight.

His companions, however, she wasn’t as sure of.

Four identical men – dressed in identical suits – jumped out of the back of the van and approached the duo with menacing intentions. The middle-aged man immediately pushed the younger girl behind him in an effort to protect her. Somehow, Alina knew that it wouldn’t be enough.

“What is this?” the man demanded as the girl gasped in fear behind them.

“We’ve gotta save them!” Donnie gasped, preparing to jump off the roof if it weren’t for Leo placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Splinter’s instructions were very clear. We’re supposed to stay away from people,” Leo stated firmly before adding with a cringe, “And bathrooms!”

“For good reason,” Alina chimed in, shuddering at the thought of a public restroom in New York.

“I thought you wanted to be a hero. Since when do heroes ask for permission?” Raph taunted.

“They don’t, but…,” Leo trailed off.

“Well, I’m going!” Donnie proclaimed, jumping off the roof with Raph and Mikey following.

“This is not gonna end well,” Leo sighed in frustration as he turned to face Alina, who had her axe firmly in hand.

“Well, you were the one who wanted adventure,” Alina shrugged, jumping down to join the action.

If anything, Alina jumping down was what made Leo decide to follow his brothers to the dark side.

Mainly because he was scared of what would happen if Alina got hurt on his watch.

By the time they got down there, the middle-aged man was unconscious and thrown into the back of the van. Two of the well-dressed men had firm grips on the screaming girl and they were dragging her towards the van.

“HEY!”

The well-dressed man who was responsible for dragging the middle-aged man to the van turned to the source of the voice, only to be met by Raph’s fist to his face.

The hit barely fazed the man.

“Still standing, huh?” Raph shrugged as he twirled his Sais in his hands, “I’ll fix that!”

Well, if Leo hadn’t gotten in the way, he would’ve.

It was then that Alina realized a horrifying truth. Master Splinter had taught the four turtles how to fight their entire lives. But they always fought each other.

They never learned how to fight together as a team.

Alina grunted as Donnie collided with her, which, in turn, caused her to collide with Leo in his own fight with these strange men.

In the chaos, Donnie was the only one who noticed that the girl they were trying to save was being carried away by the men, her cries drawing his attention. Immediately, Donnie threw his bo staff at the man, causing him to fall and sending the girl flying through the air. Donne caught her and gave the girl a charming smile.

But the girl began to scream, now having a good glance at her unlikely savior, which, in turn, caused Donnie to scream and drop the poor girl in shock.

It was in that moment that Alina got a good look at the girl and recognized her. Her name was April O’Neil. While they never interacted, they shared a lot of the same classes together in school. They always gravitated towards the back of their classrooms, trying to blend into the background and not draw attention to themselves.

Donnie held out a hand to April and she went to take it, but the moment was interrupt by Mikey accidentally hitting his brother with the nunchucks.

“Whoops! Sorry!” Mikey called out before crying out, “WATCH OUT!”

Needless to say, the fight was not going well. They both got in each other’s way. Alina noticed that Leo and Raph almost got into a fight of their own when Leo went to attack one of the strange men with his swords and Raph got in the way and got hit instead.

“You just jabbed me with your sword!” Raph snapped at his older brother.

“Well, I didn’t know you were going to land where I was stabbing!” Leo defended himself.

It was at that moment that Alina realized a horrifying truth.

The van was gone.

And so were April and her father.

They had failed.

Mikey was fleeing after one of the strange men blocked one of his attacks unfazed. Alina stood there with Leo, Raph, and Donnie, taking in their failure.

Then all of a sudden, they hear Mikey scream and they see him running towards them.

“Guys! Guys! You’re never going to believe this! That dude! He… He… had a brain!” Mikey cried out in horror.

The remaining three turtles and their human companion looked at each other before looking at the youngest turtle.

“We all have brains, Mikey,” Leo pointed out.

“Not all of us,” Donnie drawled, earning a glare from Alina.

She always did feel they were sometimes too hard on their younger brother.

“In our chests?” Mikey asked in confusion.

Wait. He’s saying he saw a brain jump out of that man’s chest?

“Mikey,” Alina began patiently, “Nobody has a brain in their chests.”

“YOU’RE NOT LISTENING TO ME!” Mikey cried before being stopped short by a slap.

He immediately turned to Leo and asked his oldest brother incredulously, “Did you just slap me?!”

“I was calming you down,” Leo defended himself.

“Uh, Leo, if you want to calm people down, slapping them is not the way to go about it,” Alina stated.

“She’s right! WHY WOULD THAT CALM ME DOWN?!” Mikey demanded.

“I think he’s delusional,” Donnie sighed.

“Just… Just come here,” Mikey pleaded, taking his brothers and friend to the alleyway, “I’m telling you. The big guy was a robot and he had a freaky weird alien brain thing in his chest. You got to believe me!”

“I’m not sure we do,” Raph drawled.

“Oh yeah? Well, you’ll change your tune when you see that he’s…,” Mikey trailed off in dismay when they arrived to an empty alleyway, “Gone?”

Alina was the only person who was giving Mikey’s ravings some credence. There was something about those men they fought that felt unnatural. They could very well be aliens.

She also noticed something. They seemed interested in her, too. She didn’t know if she was because she was a human hanging out with turtle mutants or if it was something else.

But right now, she had more immediate concerns.

Like how to explain what happened to Master Splinter.

**

Fortunately, Master Splinter was able to use a specific excuse to convince Alina’s foster father that she would not return that night due to a sudden unexpected emergency. Being one of the few that knew the truth about Alina’s circumstances, he was able to run interference when needed where needed. Fortunately, sleepovers were permitted in Alina’s circumstances.

Plus, Alina’s social worker, who had been assigned to her since she was five, knew of their existence.

Once that was sorted, they then began describing what happened.

“And so, your inability to work together allowed them all to get away,” Splinter surmised the situation.

“Well, maybe if I didn’t have to waste time arguing with hero boy, I could’ve saved them!” Raph snapped irritably, glaring at his older brother.

“Hey! If you hadn’t gotten in my way, I could’ve done it!” Leo snapped back before focusing his ire on Donnie, “And you went flying off on your own! How smart was that?!”

Not liking being blamed for the situation, Donnie decided to refocus the blame game, aiming it squarely at his youngest brother.

“Well, it would’ve worked out great if somebody hadn’t hit me in the head with their nunchucks!”

Mikey went to take part, but there was nobody else to blame. Nobody was sitting next to him, and Mikey wasn’t about to blame Alina. She was trying to deal with strange men who had taken an equal interest in her.

So, Mikey decided to blame Splinter for allowing them to go up to the surface in the first place.

Realizing the mistake he had made, Mikey tried to backpedal, “Oh, geez… Sensei, I didn’t mean to…”

“No, Michelangelo, you are right,” Splinter cut in.

Everyone expressed their surprise at the wise old rat agreeing with the youngest turtle, even the aforementioned turtle.

“You were not fully prepared for what was up there,” Splinter went on, “I trained you to fight as individuals, not as a team. And as your teacher, your father, the responsibility for that is mine. Perhaps in another year, we can try again.”

Everyone shared a look of dismay at Splinter’s declaration.

Donnie decided to plead with their sensei on everyone’s behalf,

“Another year? Ha! Has everybody forgotten that people were kidnapped? They don’t have a year! Sensei, we have to do something now! You weren’t there, Sensei. You didn’t see the way that girl looked into my eyes. She was scared. And she was counting on me – us – to save her!”

Splinter appeared to ponder Donnie’s words seriously. He then glanced other at a picture of a man with a woman and a baby. Alina had seen that picture several times before. She knew that the man in the photograph was Hamato Yoshi, his human form. But she knew nothing about the woman and the baby accompanying him. She figured that it must have been his family. His wife and child.

But Alina never dared to ask him. She could see by the way he looked at that photograph that it brought up painful memories. And it probably had something to do with why he moved to New York City from Japan to begin with.

But there was something with that photo that convinced him, because he then declared that they all had to save April and her father.

“I agree, Sensei, but in that fight, we weren’t exactly a well-oiled machine,” Leo pointed out.

“Like that robot with the brain thingy!” Mikey chimed in.

“Give it a rest!” Raph snapped irritably at Mikey.

Splinter hummed in consideration before declaring, “If you are to fight more effectively as a unit, you are going to need a leader.”

Alina was not surprised when Leo suddenly shot his hand up and asked to be the leader. This caused a fight among the turtles. Raph felt he should be the leader because he kicked Leo’s butt in training earlier that day. Donnie felt he should be the leader because he was the smartest. Mikey felt he should be the leader for… no reason, really.

Splinter went to ask Alina’s opinion, but she immediately shook her head, raised her hands and stated firmly, “I’m staying out of this one.”

Alina had her opinion on who the leader should be. She just wasn’t going to say it out loud and cause another fight. She wanted to keep her friendships with all of the turtles intact.

Splinter then decided that it was a difficult decision and he would meditate on it. But not even two seconds after he closed the door to his room, he opened it and proclaimed that Leo would be the leader.

“No hard feelings, Raph?” Leo asked almost timidly.

“Stick it in your shell,” Raph grumbled.

Okay, that surprised no one.

**

But a moment later, they were all on a rooftop overlooking the city.

“Explain to me one more time what we’re doing here,” Mikey requested.

“Mikey, we’ve been over this,” Leo began before pointing to a nearby building, “That building has the same logo as the van that was used to kidnap the family. So, if we wait here long enough, one of the kidnappers will eventually show his face. And when he does, we’ll make him tell us where they took them.”

“And then, we got ourselves a van!” Mikey said excitedly.

Leo just sighed and told Mikey to hit the guy he’s told to, to which Mikey enthusiastically agreed. Alina let out a small chuckle before adding,

“Her name’s April.”

The turtles looked at her in surprise. It was the first time she mentioned knowing her.

“You know this girl?” Donnie asked excitedly.

“Not that well,” Alina shook her head, “We have classes together, but we don’t really talk. But I just figured it’d be better to refer to her by name than to just continuously call her ‘the girl’ or ‘the family’.”

Leo nodded in agreement. But he could also tell that Alina was troubled by something. He, too, had noticed that the strange men took an interest in Alina during the fight. It made him glad that, in a way, Alina hardly went out much. When she wasn’t at school or in her foster home, she was underground. She was in the sewers with them.

That strange habit put Leo’s mind at ease, but he still didn’t like the idea of those… people taking an interest in someone he cared about.

Now that he was allowed to venture out to the surface, he wondered about shadowing Alina throughout her day.

But then he decided against it. For one, he knew Alina could take care of herself.

For another, he did not want to be on the receiving end of her axe throwing.

“Are you sure this is gonna work?” Raph asked his older brother.

“Trust me. They’ll be here any second,” Leo promised.

They did not show up any second. Alina lost track of how long they were up on the rooftop, watching for any sign of the guy in the van. But everyone was doing various things to occupy themselves. Alina decided to alternate between practicing the moves she learned from her latest session with Splinter and keeping watch with Leo.

Eventually, Mikey took to driving Donnie nuts with a game of ‘I Spy’ or something like it.

“Okay. I’m thinking of something green,” Mikey told Donnie, “Ga-reen… Ga-reen…”

Donnie sighed in exasperation as he asked, “Is it Raphael again?”

“Man, you’re good at this!” Mikey answered enthusiastically, seemingly unaware of his brother’s annoyance.

Raph decided he had been patient for long enough and decided to make his displeasure known.

“Give it up already!” Raph barked, “The guy’s not gonna show!”

“We have to be patient,” was Leo’s response.

“No! You have to come up with a better plan, ‘cause the five of us standing here with our thumbs up our noses…”

“I don’t think they’d fit,” Mikey interrupted Raph’s rant as he examined his own thumbs.

“…is pointless!” Raph finished his tirade.

“You sure about that, Raph?” Leo asked with a smirk.

“He just showed up, didn’t he?” Raph grumbled.

Alina looked at Raph and asked him, “Why couldn’t you say something two hours ago?”

Sure enough, they looked down the alleyway and saw the same van from before pull up.

Leo immediately launched into a monologue that had been clearly lifted from Space Heroes, “Gentlemen, I have a bold and daring plan! There’s no time for hesitation! My orders must be carried out without question!”

He stopped when he heard Alina say, “They’re gone, Leo.”

Leo sulked before following Alina down the rabbit hole into chaos.

Once they were all street level, they approached the van’s driver.

“Alright, buddy. We can do this the easy way,” Raph began with a smirk, “or, my vote, the hard way.”

“Yeah, look at it logically. There are five of us and one of you. What are you gonna do?” Donnie asked coyly.

The driver’s response? Take out a laser weapon and start shooting at them. The five of them were barely able to jump into the nearby fire escapes to avoid the shots. Alina almost lost her balance and would have fallen if Leo hadn’t quickly grabbed her arm. Across the alleyway, Alina saw Raph glare at Donnie and say, “You had to ask?!”

The five of them dropped back down to street level as the driver drove off in the van.

“He’s getting away again!” Donnie snapped in frustration.

“No, he’s not,” Leo smirked.

Recalling the ease they had getting around the city before, Alina and the Turtles went up onto the rooftops to chase him down that way. It gave them a high vantage point in terms of spotting the van and working out where he was going to determine the best route to take to cut him off.

Raph was able to jump on top of the van, but is shaken off and thrown to the footpath. This alerted the driver to the others approaching him. So, he took out his gun and started shooing at them again.

“He really needs to learn not to shoot while driving!” Alina quipped.

She couldn’t help but think she had a future as a gymnast with some of the tricks she’s had to pull to avoid the shots and stay on the roof.

Fortunately, Leo had decided to put an end to it. While mid-air to jump to another rooftop, he threw shuriken at the van, which pierced one of the tires. As a result, mainly because he was preoccupied with shooting at his enemies, the driver lost control and crashed into a light pole before flipping onto its side.

“See? Distracted driving is dangerous!” Alina smirked.

The five of them met out in a nearby alleyway on street level and slowly approached the corner. Leo, who had taken the lead, was giving hand signals.

“I don’t know what that means!” Raph whisper-yelled, mocking his brother’s actions.

“Go around back!” Leo hissed.

“Why didn’t he just say so?” Mikey grumbled.

Deciding to not dwell on it any longer, they crept around to the back of the van. The van was opened in the crash and its contents were spilling out onto the streets. So far, they appeared to be innocuous. Just a bunch of boxes. One would think it was a moving van.

Then, Raph opened the other door and a canister filled with a mysterious glowing blue ooze rolled out, coming to a stop at Mikey’s feet. Alina looked at it in alarm. She recognized that canister.

Splinter was in possession of a similar canister back in the lair.

It seemed the other turtles – or, at least, Mikey – had the same thought, because Mikey gasped out,

“Mum?!”

Chapter Text

Alina had lost track of the amount of time they all stood there. Staring at the canister of mutagen that had rolled out of the van.

For the ten years she had known them, Alina knew that the Turtles had one question about their origins they wanted answered. They wanted to know more about the mutagen that made them what they were today. They wanted to know more about the people that brought the mutagen into their world. The people Master Splinter encountered in the alleyway that fateful day fifteen years ago.

And now, a canister containing the very same stuff that transformed them into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles she knew and loved today was right before them.

She couldn’t help but wonder what they were about to get themselves into.

“So, that’s the…,” Leo trailed off.

“Mutagen that turned us all into what we are now,” Donnie finished his older brother’s train of thought.

“Let’s drink some!” Mikey excitedly suggested.

“Mikey, no!” Alina immediately cut in, quickly getting between Mikey and the mutagen.

“Why would you do that?!” Raph asked incredulously.

Mikey answered as though it was obvious, “Cause if you mutate a mutant, you get a super mutant!”

“Or a pile of goo on the sidewalk,” Donnie deadpanned.

“Either way, it’s an improvement,” Raph shrugged, wincing at the glare Alina shot him, “Don’t even think about it, Als!”

“Guys!” Leo cut in, “This is huge! Whoever kidnapped those people are somehow connected to what happened to us fifteen years ago!”

“How is that possible?” Donnie pondered.

“For alien robots, anything is possible,” was Mikey’s ‘genius’ response.

“Stop that. There are no such things as alien robots!” Donnie snapped.

“Oh yeah? Well, if there’s no such thing as alien robots, how do you explain this?!” Mikey challenged.

Now, Mikey’s declaration would have merit… if the driver (Alina almost forgot about him) was actually one of the alien robots that Mikey had been rabbiting on about all night.

But alas, that wasn’t the case. The unnamed driver cried out in pain as Mikey yanked at his face.

“Man, this mask is glued on tight!” Mikey remarked as he continued tugging.

“Mikey, stop!” Alina pleaded.

“It’s not a mask!” Leo told him.

“Okay,” Mikey relented, pushing the driver away, “He’s in the clear. But those other guys were totally alien robots!”

“Enough!” Raph snapped as he grabbed the mutagen canister from Donnie, “Time to get some answers.”

“Oh boy,” Alina muttered under her breath.

Something Raph was infamous for: his temper. He was a short fuse waiting to explode at the best of times. It didn’t take much to tick him off. Alina found out the hard way once and quickly resolved herself to never get on Raph’s bad side again.

And apparently, he was tamer with her compared to how he is with his brothers.

Raph approached the driver and began waving the canister in his face, “Who are you, and what’s going on?!”

“Name’s Snake, and I got nothing to say to you hideous freaks!” Snake spat.

“You hear that, Raph?!” Alina gasped mockingly, “He thinks you’re freaks!”

“Well, that’s ‘cause he don’t know us yet, Als,” Raph smirked.

Alina grew even more worried when Raph tossed Snake in the direction of the three other turtles, and Donnie and Mikey didn’t hesitate to grab his arms to restrain him. Leo looked torn. He wanted answers, but he didn’t exactly approve of Raph’s interrogation techniques.

But he stood back, because he didn’t think he’d be able to stop Raph.

Not with that smirk he was wearing.

“Ah! See, we were just regular guys until…,” Raph trailed off as he unscrewed the lid on the canister, “we got hit with a little of this.”

“Wh-what are you doing?” Snake stammered nervously.

“Playing a little game I like to call Mutation Roulette,” Raph shrugged, “Now, you could turn out handsome like me, or you might end up disgusting and deformed, like Mikey here.”

“Hey!” Mikey pouted.

“Don’t worry, Mikey,” Alina moved to reassure him, “You are very handsome. In your own way.”

“Thank you,” Mikey smiled.

“So, you feel lucky?” Raph asked menacingly.

With a sneer, Raph started pouring the mutagen over Snake. He did it ever so slowly. Making sure the ooze lingered almost teasingly above the helpless human. Snake whimpered in fear as the ooze came closer and closer to him before he relented.

“Ah! Okay, okay!” Snake cried, “They call themselves the Kraang! They’ve been grabbing scientists from all over the city!”

“Well, that worked pretty good,” Leo voiced his approval.

“Of course it did!” Raph scoffed, “Would you wanna look like Mikey?”

“I’m right here,” Mikey pouted.

“What do they want with scientists?” Leo demanded.

“I don’t know!” Snake answered defiantly, only to waiver when he saw Raph wave the mutagen canister around once more, “All I know is they’re taking them out of the city tonight, but I don’t know where!”

“This is awesome!” Donnie cheered, “That girl’s dad is a scientist. I’m a scientist! She is so gonna like me!”

“I don’t think you’re her type,” Snake deadpanned.

“Where are they now?” Alina asked.

**

Several moments later, Alina and the Turtles were standing on yet another rooftop overlooking the city. Snake was now their prisoner. Leo was using a telescope (which made Alina wonder where the heck he was hiding that) to survey their latest target:

A Kraang stronghold.

“There’s gotta be, like, 20 of them down there,” Leo reported.

“Yeah, and that’s just the ones we can see,” Donnie pointed out.

“Alright!” Raph cheered, “An all-you-can-beat buffet!”

“Really? That’s what you go with?” Alina asked her friend rhetorically.

“We can’t just rush in there,” Leo voiced his objections, “We need a plan.”

“Why?” Raph whined.

“Think, you shellbrain! There are innocent lives at stake. If we screw this up, they’re all goners!” Donnie pointed out.

“Then, we won’t screw it up!” Raph shrugged.

“Oh, it’s that simple, huh?” Alina scoffed.

“Yes, Als. It is that simple,” was Raph’s clever retort.

“Boy, I could go for some of that pizza right now, huh?” Mikey mused aloud, earning a look from the others, “What? I can’t be the only one that’s hungry.”

“You know, I’m actually a bit hungry myself,” Alina admitted.

But Leo had other more immediate priorities, “Where’s Snake?”

“Oh, geez,” Mikey muttered.

They all looked to see Snake laughing, taunting them as he ran away and leaped onto the fire escape.

“GET HIM!” Leo ordered.

Everyone split up to pursue Snake in different directions. Donnie and Mikey went one way. Leo and Raph went another. Alina went somewhere in the middle.

She saw that Donnie and Mikey weren’t successful in their pursuits. They approached a wall and Donnie through Mikey over it, thinking Snake could’ve jumped it. The cries of pain Mikey let out from the other side told his older brother Snake wasn’t there. In fact, there was no way for Snake to get over that wall without ending up in worse agony than Mikey.

Alina saw Leo and Raph stop at the start of an alleyway, so she went down to join them, figuring they needed backup. For one thing, from her position on the roof, she could see that Snake was hiding in one of the alleyway’s many dark spots. They had him cornered.

But Leo held an arm up to block her, telling her, “Don’t bother, Allie. He’s not there. Raph let him get away.”

Alina’s brows furrowed in confusion as Raph snapped back, “Whoa, whoa! You’re the leader! That means you let him get away!”

“You’re not helping!” Leo hissed.

“I’m not trying to help,” Raph shrugged.

That was when Alina caught on to what they were doing. They knew full well Snake was down there. They just wanted to lull him into a false sense of security.

She could get on board with that.

“Oh, okay. You want me to lead? Fine. We go back to the lair, gear up, and at midnight, we drive Snake’s van right up to the gate. They’ll think we’re him, and we’ll cruise right in!” Leo declared loudly enough for Snake to hear.

“And then, we bust some heads?” Raph asked.

“And then, we bust some heads,” Leo nodded.

“I love a happy ending,” Raph smirked.

**

Now, everyone was back in the lair preparing for the coming fight in various manners. Alina decided to sit with Leo as he planned their strategy, offering her input when asked. Donnie was wielding shuko spikes to allow them to scale the stronghold and Raph was… actually, Alina didn’t know what Raph and Mikey were doing, and she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know.

“I think this plan is gonna work,” Leo mused.

He had been engaged in a battle strategy session, using various items to coordinate an attack.

“No plan ever survives contact with the enemy,” Master Splinter warned, making his presence known, “It is how you react to the unexpected that will determine if you and your brothers succeed.”

“Hey. I’m going with them,” Alina cut in.

“That’s still to be determined,” Leo told her briskly.

He didn’t even wilt at the glare Alina shot him.

“Sensei, do you think I’m ready for this?” Leo asked, almost timidly.

“That is for you to discover on your own,” Master Splinter answered cryptically.

“There is so much riding on this. What if something goes wrong?” Leo voiced his fears.

“Failure is a possibility every leader must face, Leonardo. It is something I had to face in Japan during my final battle with my enemy, The Shredder,” Master Splinter revealed, before recalling a painful period in his life, “Years ago, Oroku Saki, as Shredder was called then, had been my friend, but the love of a woman came between us. He could not accept it, and his jealousy turned outward in a vengeful attack. And while he could not defeat me that day, my world fell and crumbled around me, as the battle took the life of my beloved Tang Shen, and I lost my baby daughter, Miwa.”

Alina felt her heart break as Master Splinter recalled his painful past. He didn’t talk about it much, but his reluctance was what told Alina it was a painful past. She didn’t like talking about her own life much either. For the same reason.

“But that’s my point, Sensei,” Leo argued, “You lost everything.”

“I lost many things. My family, my home, my name,” Master Splinter stated before declaring, “But I gained many things as well. Like the four of you. And Alina.”

“Don’t worry. We can handle this,” Leo reassured him.

“GET BACK HERE!” Raph roared as he chased his screaming brother through the dojo.

“I believe you have another matter to settle,” Master Splinter told Leo pointedly, gesturing wordlessly to Alina before leaving.

“If you think you can sideline me,” Alina began arguing.

“I’m still deciding,” Leo tried to argue.

“Leo, you need me. Admit it,” Alina challenged.

“I need you alive,” Leo retorted, “I saw them. They were interested in you too. I’m not handing you over to them.”

“Leo, if they want me, they’ll have to catch me first,” Alina declared, “I’m a capable kunoichi, and you know it.”

“You are more than capable,” Leo acquiesced.

“Besides, don’t you think April may cope better if there was another human in the rescue team?” Alina suggested.

“She might,” Leo relented, “And you have been fighting besides us for… well, I can’t remember a life without you in it.”

“That’s nice,” Alina smiled, “I’m the same. Well… not that I can remember much of my life before I met you guys.”

Leo smiled as he rested his hands on Alina’s arms, pulling her into an embrace and brushing a kiss on her cheek, like he always did.

“But if they try to grab you, you run,” Leo told her.

“Leo,” Alina began objecting.

“Alina,” Leo’s voice was thick with emotion as he pulled away, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, “Please.”

There was something in Leo’s voice that weakened her resolve. That squashed any argument.

“Okay,” Alina nodded.

“Promise,” Leo pleaded.

“I promise,” Alina sighed.

**

The Turtles and Alina were scaling the wall of the Kraang base. Their plan had worked. Snake had run to the Kraang and warned them of the Turtles getting their hands on his van and their plan to drive through the front door impersonating him. While they were distracted by the van crashing into their front door, the group took the opportunity to sneak in.

“Wow. Lucky thing that van showed up to distract them,” Mikey remarked.

Donnie, who had quickly caught on to Leo’s plan, rolled his eyes and went to face palm. He cried out in pain as he painfully realized he still had the shuko spike on his hand to help him scale the wall.

“That was the plan, Mikey,” Leo sighed in exasperation, “We knew Snake was hiding in the alley, so Raph, Allie and I made him think that we would be in the van.”

Mikey’s confusion did not abate, “But we weren’t in the van.”

Leo finally snapped, “Just keep climbing!”

“Can do.”

**

Once they got inside, the five of them made quick work of the Kraang soldiers patrolling a passageway, dropping down from the vents and attacking from the air.

“Wow!” Donnie gasped, “I’ve never seen anything like this. They’re using a metal alloy that I don’t even recognize!”

“Gosh!” Raph mocked him, “A metal alloy even you don’t know about! It boggles the mind.”

“Dude, you wanna talk metallurgy with me? Bring it!” Donnie challenged.

“I don’t, and…”

“Guys!” Leo cut in, “What part of being in an enemy lair do you not understand?”

Now, Donnie thought stumbling across a metal alloy he didn’t recognize would be the most shocking news of the night. But he later found it wasn’t.

It was having to admit that Mikey was right about something.

“Whoa! Alien robots!” Donnie gasped.

“Alien robots, huh? Hmm, where have I heard that before?” Mikey mused, “Oh yeah! I’VE BEEN SAYING IT FOR HOURS!”

Unfortunately, Mikey’s yelling drew the attention of passing Kraang, causing Alina to make several utterances under her breath to demonstrate her annoyance. Here they go again. It couldn’t be a straightforward rescue, could it?

Well, at least they were all able to make quick work of these robots; and they were more successful at working as a team. That had to count for something, right?

When Leo used one of his katanas to deflect a laser shot into the Kraang’s eye, Alina came up from behind and sliced the robot body with her axe. The group then crowded around the robot Alina and Leo had worked together to destroy. Everyone (except Mikey) was surprised to see a brain-like creature begin crawling out of it, but Mikey was quick to hit it with his nunchuck, knocking it out.

“See? See? It’s a brain thing! I told you! I told you!” Mikey snapped as he held the creature, “But did any of you believe me? No! ‘Cause you all think I’m just some kind of bonehead!”

“I don’t think you’re a bonehead,” Alina objected.

Anything else was cut short when the Kraang awoke with a shriek and latched itself onto Mikey’s arm. Mikey jumped around yelling and screaming before flinging it off his arm… right into a button on the nearby wall that triggered the alarms.

“MIKEY!”

“Okay! But I was still right about the brain thing!” Mikey declared defiantly, “You gotta give me that!”

“Let’s move,” Leo ordered.

“Move where?!” Raph demanded.

“Donnie,” Alina began, pointing up to the ceiling, “I think these are power conduits.”

“I think you’re right,” Donne concurred.

“Oh! That’s really interesting!” Raph mocked them, “Thanks for sharing, guys!”

“Meathead!” Donnie snapped, “The conduits are all converging that way, which means that whatever is going on in that direction is important!”

Alina could’ve sworn she heard Mikey say something gloating to Raph. The fact that she heard something crack and Mikey scream in pain confirmed that for her.

**

Alina and Donnie were searching the cells. Following the conduits had been the right call. It led them to the area where the Kraang were keeping their prisoners. And in one of the cells, they found April and her father.

“We found them!” Donnie called.

As the Kraang started shooting at them, Leo told Donnie, “We’ll hold them off! You pick the lock!”

Donnie immediately turned to April, “Don’t worry. I’ll have you out of there in a second.”

“Okay, giant lizard-thing,” April responded, uncertainty laced in her voice.

“A turtle, actually,” Donnie corrected her. “I’m Donatello.”

“April,” she introduced herself in turn.

“Wow, that’s a pretty…” Donnie’s praise was cut off by Alina crashing into him.

“Donnie, I really need you to pick the lock so we can get out of this freakshow!” Alina snapped irritably at her friend, “Hey, April.”

“Hey. Alina, right?” April asked.

“Alina Herber,” the Kraang suddenly spoke to her. “You shall not leave this place that you call a freakshow.”

Leo froze in alarm as soon as he heard that, “Allie! Remember our deal!”

“Uh… how?!” was Alina’s response.

When Raph saw Donnie take forever to pick the lock, he snapped, “GET OUT OF MY WAY!” and proceeded to stab the lock with his sai.

Well, it had the desired effect. The only problem is, Kraang had entered the cell from another door and were in the process of moving both April and her father. Alina jumped in, ready to help them escape, but they grabbed her too, much to the Turtles’ horror.

They all immediately took off after them, with other Kraang robots firing at them from behind. When they reached the outside, Leo told Raph to take care of the door. Raph was all too happy to grab the arm of a robot that was trying to force its way through and use that to barricade the door.

“That’ll hold them!” Raph declared, before noticing the looks his brothers were giving him, “What?”

“You are seriously twisted,” was all Leo said.

“Thanks.”

Of course Raph would take it as a compliment.

“NO! LET ME GO!”

The Turtles looked up to see the Kraang forcing April, her father and Alina towards the helicopter. They couldn’t help but be almost amused by the fact that they had Alina slung over their shoulders. Clearly, she was proving to be a handful.

‘That’s my girl,’ Leo couldn’t help but think before ordering his brothers, “Let’s get them!”

But their path was blocked by an unidentified creature. A human-plant hybrid. When they heard the creature speak, “You did this to me! Now, you’re going to pay!” they immediately knew what had happened.

Snake had turned into a mutant.

**

Alina continued fighting all the way to the helicopter. She, April and her father (who she swore introduced himself as Kirby at some point) were loaded regardless. But she felt relief when she saw Donnie jumping up into the helipad. They still stood a chance.

As the helicopter took off, Donnie turned his bo staff into a pole vault, using the momentum to grab onto the landing skid. The momentum the helicopter to rock, alerting the Kraang to his presence.

“Oh good!” Donnie cried, “For a second there, I thought this was gonna be too easy!”

“April, start climbing out to Donnie!” Alina ordered her.

“Are you nuts?!” was April’s response.

“April, do it!” Kirby told her.

Donnie flipped up to kick the robot, causing it to fall back out of the other helicopter door. April fell, barely managing to grab onto Donnie’s shell. Donnie reached up towards Alina, but she shook her head and told him, “Get her down! I’m right behind you!”

Wordlessly nodding, Donnie let go, positioning April so he bore the brunt of the fall. He managed to land on his knee, holding her bridal style.

“You okay?” Donnie asked worriedly.

April nodded, gripped by fear, before letting out a scream as she looked up at the sky. Donnie looked up and let out his own gasp of horror.

Alina was falling.

With a determined yell, not wanting to lose his friend, Donnie immediately raced forward, vaulting himself up to meet her in mid-air and grab her as he did April. April ran over towards them as Donnie landed.

“Dad?” April asked her new friend wordlessly.

Alina just looked at her with sadness as she held up a piece of fabric. She didn’t need to say anything. She had tried to get Kirby out. But the Kraang caught on and grabbed Kirby, but not Alina. Along the way, Alina ripped a piece of Kirby’s shirt.

They stared hopelessly at the sky as the helicopter disappeared into the horizon.

**

Alina didn’t know how long it was after, but they were standing on the fire escape by April’s bedroom window. On their way there, Leo had filled her in on what happened with the new mutant, which Mikey had named Snakeweed (because his name was Snake and he was now a weed). Donnie, April and Alina were able to see the gory aftermath, which also destroyed the Kraang base along the way.

“Are you gonna be alright?” Donnie asked her worriedly.

“I guess,” April sighed, “My aunt says I can stay here as long as I want, but I’ll be a lot better when I track down the creeps that took my dad.”

“Won’t the police help?” Leo asked.

“Funny thing,” April laughed dryly, “When you tell them your dad was kidnapped by alien brains in robot bodies, they don’t take you all that seriously.”

“I hear that,” Mikey piped in.

“April, I promise you. We will not rest until we find them,” Donnie vowed.

“We won’t? Raph repeated in confusion.

“No. We won’t,” Leo told him firmly.

“Thank you,” April smiled, “but it’s not your fight.”

Donnie leaned forward and rested his hand on April’s, looking her in the eye as he declared, “Yes. It is.”

When April smiled at him and Donnie realized what was happening, he blushed and backed away. As the Turtles prepared to leave, Alina lingered.

“Why don’t you put your number into my phone?” Alina suggested, “You know… in case you need someone to talk to?”

April nodded as they exchanged phones, “Maybe we hang out sometime. I’d like to know how you ended up friends with teenage turtles.”

Alina smiled and nodded.

**

“EVERYBODY! COME HERE! WE MADE THE NEWS!”

Everyone rushed into the living room from different directions as Mikey shouted for their attention. They saw a news report from the familiar reporter, Carlos Chiang O’Brien Gambe.

“A report of – get this – ninjas in New York! Don’t believe me? After residents reported a disturbance, the police recovered this!” Carlos revealed as a picture of the shuriken the gang used was displayed, “For Channel Six News, this is Carlos Chiang O’Brien Gambe saying hi-ya!”

“This is awesome!” Mikey cheered, “We’re gonna be famous!”

“You must be more careful,” Master Splinter chided the group, “The ninjas’ most powerful weapon is the shadows. Being brought out into the light is a dangerous thing.”

“Relax, Sensei,” Leo pleaded, “It’s one little news story. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Alina shot Leo a look as he said that. He wordlessly just pulled her into an embrace, still shaken by her almost kidnapping. Alina just sighed.

It seemed they had a lot to talk about.

Chapter Text

Alina was on her way to the lair, her steps tentative. She had heard that there was a bad situation unfolding involving Raph’s temper. This in itself almost didn’t surprise her. Raph’s temper was infamous. He may have taken it easier on her than he did his brothers, but still.

The fact that she entered the lair to see only Raph and not the others told her that Raph’s temper got the better of him (again) and Leo decided to sideline him. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was.

“What happened?” Alina sighed as she entered the kitchen.

“Your boyfriend happened,” Raph commented bitterly.

Deciding to not even dignify that with a response, Alina moved to the freezer to grab herself an icepack. When she had it resting against her ribs, she left a leaf in front of Raph’s pet turtle, Spike.

The irony never failed to amuse Alina. A turtle mutant having a pet turtle.

Before moving to join Raph, she stroked the top of Spike’s head with her finger, something he was very receptive to.

She then listened patiently as Raph recalled their latest adventures.

The Turtles were on a stakeout, having received word that the Kraang were going to break into a lab. Mikey was annoying Raph and Raph decided to dish some brotherly justice. While their actions didn’t alert the Kraang, it drew the attention of a human named Vic, who lived in the apartment below. Raph did not take kindly to Vic’s insults and their verbal argument drew the attention of the Kraang. The Turtles managed to defeat the Kraang, but to their horror, they found that Vic recorded everything on his phone. But they couldn’t do anything about it because they heard the familiar sounds of fire trucks and police vehicles heading their way, so they had to flee.

It took a valiant effort for Alina to not laugh as Raph detailed a training exercise Master Splinter made him endure. Leo, Donnie and Mikey got to shoot suction-cup arrows at Raph and he was able to dodge them; then, Master Splinter upped the ante. Leo, Donnie and Mikey had to fire arrows at Raph again… while insulting him… and Raph couldn’t fight back.

She wished she had been there to see it.

They tried to convince Vic to hand over the video, but he decided to try blackmailing them. He would only hand over the video if he got paid a million dollars. Raph lost his temper and it drew the Kraang’s attention. Again. But this time, Raph ditched the fight to continue his argument with Vic. A series of unfortunate events happened that led to the Kraang getting away with Vic as their prisoner. That was when Leo decided to sideline Raph.

Alina just sighed as Raph launched into another rant, “Who does Leo think he is? So what if I got a temper? I’m still the best fighter we’ve got. In fact, if anything, my anger makes me a better fighter!”

He then turned to Spike, “You understand me, don’t you, Spike? Chew on your leaf if you understand me.” Spike chewed on his leaf. “Yeah, thought so.”

“I understand you too.”

Raph and Alina yelped in surprise as Master Splinter appeared behind them.

“Seriously! You gotta knock or something!” Raph snapped irritably.

Master Splinter noted with concern that Alina was holding one of their icepacks to her side, but there was a look in her eye that pleaded him to not say anything about it. Not in front of Raph.

So, he changed the subject.

“Raphael, let me tell you a story,” Master Splinter began.

“Sensei, I’m not in the mood for a story,” Raph whined.

Master Splinter then moved to address Spike, “Spike, chew on your leaf if you are in the mood for a story.” Predictably, Spike chewed on his leaf, much to Alina’s amusement. Master Splinter continued, “Very well. When I was a young man, I fell in love with a woman.”

“Oh, hey, is it that late?” Raph cut in.

“Sit!” Master Splinter ordered.

Alina could barely contain her snicker as Raph obeyed his sensei/father. An indignant glare from Raph silenced it completely.

Master Splinter then launched into his story: “Her name was Tang Shen, and I was not the only one who loved her. There was another man competing for her attention. Oroku Saki.”

“The Shredder!” Alina gasped, having heard about him before.

Nodding, Master Splinter continued, “One day, he insulted me in front of her. He called me many things. I felt I could not let those insults go unanswered. I lost my temper. And over time, our rivalry festered into hatred, until Shredder sought to finish me, and I lost my beloved Tang Shen.”

Raph and Alina were surprised by the story. But Alina was not surprised by Raph immediately trying to justify the actions Master Splinter took in his youth.

“But… but it wasn’t your fault! Shredder insulted you! You had no choice!” Raph declared.

“No choice?” Master Splinter repeated bitterly. “I could have chosen to ignore him. I could have chosen to let his words wash over me like a river over stone. But I let him anger me. It was I who made his words into weapons. That’s the choice I made. What choice will you make?”

Master Splinter’s story made Alina think about a saying one of her former foster parents kept telling her. Hindsight is 20/20. She looked over at Raph and saw that he had already made his decision.

“You want me to come with you?” Alina asked.

Raph shook his head, “It’s something I need to take care of, Als. Besides, you’re injured. What happened, anyway?”

“Tripped over some toys. Hit the banister,” Alina answered quickly. A little too quickly.

Raph gave her a look that said he didn’t believe her, but he didn’t press it. His brothers needed him.

That had to be his focus.

“Did you really trip over some toys?” Master Splinter asked pointedly.

“No,” Alina sighed. She could never lie to him.

“You should tell them,” Master Splinter told her. “You shouldn’t lie to them, Alina. Least of all Leo.”

“I’m not lying,” Alina objected.

“You are not telling them the true story behind your bruises,” was Master Splinter’s retort. “That is a lie.”

Alina finally sighed, “If I tell them, they’ll just want to get me out of there.”

“And that is bad?” Master Splinter asked.

“Bad for my foster siblings,” Alina responded. “I take the brunt of it so they don’t have to. There’s a baby involved, Sensei.”

“Your foster siblings know they are to come here if anything happened?” Master Splinter inquired.

Alina nodded, “Yes. I told them to come here and speak to you. And that’s all I’ll agree to. I won’t go unless they have an out.”

“And you don’t think they will?” Master Splinter asked fearfully.

“The younger ones might,” Alina mused, “Ryan and I won’t. Nobody wants to foster teenagers.”

“You need to let them in, Alina,” Master Splinter pleaded.

“I kind of do,” Alina confessed. “Mikey.”

“Mikey?” Master Splinter repeated in surprise.

“He knows I just need a friend,” Alina shrugged. “Donnie wouldn’t understand, Leo would want to get me out and Raph would… actually, I don’t think I wanna know what Raph would do.”

Master Splinter chuckled, understanding Alina’s words perfectly.

**

Alina was still there when the Turtles came back from their mission. They immediately told her everything.

Leo, Donnie and Mikey tracked the Kraang down to an old building housing a massive tank of Mutagen. They were holding Vic hostage and making plans to keep the video for two reasons.

The first reason: it gave them the chance to study the Turtles. Identify their strengths and weaknesses to use against them in future fights.

The second reason: they wanted to show other Kraang how good they looked in the video. That one caused Alina to snort.

They tried to rescue Vic discreetly, but true to form, Vic made a quiet escape impossible. He loudly declared his refusal to leave without his phone, which, of course, alerted the Kraang. While the Turtles were fighting the Kraang, Vic got his phone back. Unfortunately, a stray shot hit the mutagen tank, dousing Vic in mutagen. He then mutated into a spider monster (having been in contact with a spider on his phone). One of his abilities: acid spit. That caused the Kraang to retreat in fear.

Raph arrived just as Leo, Donnie and Mikey were outmatched by “Spider Bytez” (as Mikey had dubbed him). Raph remembered Master Splinter’s advice, allowing him to ignore the insults Spider Bytez threw at him and fight him to victory. They destroyed the phone along the way, keeping their secret safe. Spider Bytez then fled into the night, using his newfound agility to jump onto the rooftops.

“Your ribs better, Als?” Raph asked, causing Alina to wince as Leo, Donnie and Mikey all shot her looks.

“You’re injured?” Leo asked worriedly.

“Nothing bad,” Alina cut his worried rant short (before it could even start, really), “It’s a hazard of living with young foster siblings who leave their toys all over the place. I keep telling them to clean up after themselves.”

“It did not interfere with her training,” Master Splinter substantiated Alina’s statements, referring to a training session they had while the Turtles were out.

“You up for a spar?” Raph asked.

Alina shook her head, “Raincheck?”

“Sure,” Raph nodded. He then went off to spend some quality time with the training dummy they had set up.

“You sure you’re okay?” Leo asked worriedly.

“Leo,” Alina’s voice had a warning tone in it.

“Hey. I worry,” Leo shrugged. He then pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Want me to find that Space Heroes comic for you?”

“Sure,” Alina nodded, smiling as Leo left in turn. She then turned to Donnie, “You have any new inventions you’re working on?”

Donnie nodded eagerly, “Give me some time to set up and then meet me in the lab?”

When Alina nodded, Donnie left in turn. Mikey didn’t leave the room. Instead, he immediately moved to sit next to Alina.

“He hit you again?” Mikey intended to ask, but it came out more as a statement. When Alina nodded wordlessly, he pulled her into a tender embrace. “I’m sorry, Alina.”

“Why are you sorry?” Alina demanded, “You’re not hurting me.”

“I just wish I could help,” Mikey expressed in dismay.

“You are,” Alina told him firmly. “You’re being a friend. I need a friend more than I need a hero.”

“I just don’t like lying to the others,” Mikey sighed.

“I’m not asking you to,” Alina reminded him. “Remember what you told me? If they pressed, you weren’t going to lie. And if anything serious happened to me, you were going to tell them.”

“I just…,” Mikey went on once more.

“Mikey,” Alina cut in. “I’m okay. My siblings are okay. That’s the main thing.”

Mikey just nodded before Alina stood up, remembering her promise to meet up with Donnie in the lab. Feeling lost, Mikey went to speak with Master Splinter.

“Sensei,” Mikey began tentatively.

“Alina already told me,” Master Splinter sensed what he was alluding to. “You are doing a very brave thing, Michelangelo.”

“I just wish there was more we could do to help her,” Mikey voiced his dismay. “I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I,” Master Splinter reassured him, “but these situations are tricky. You can only help someone who accepts it. This is the only kind of help Alina is accepting, so we must abide by that. No matter how hard it is.”

Mikey wordlessly nodded. He hated this.

But as Master Splinter, they are limited in how Alina will allow them to help.

Chapter Text

“Seriously. There are ninjas in New York other than you guys?” April asked Alina as they approached the lair.

“Apparently,” Alina shrugged. “I was on patrol with the guys last night when we were ambushed. Leo was… strangely happy about it.” At April’s look of confusion, Alina clarified, “Well, it is nice to be fighting people for once. Fighting robots, aliens and weed-monsters gets old after a while.”

April could understand that.

“So, that’s not normal for you guys?” April inquired.

“April, the night we met was the first time they left the lair,” Alina revealed. “And it took a lot of convincing for Splinter to let them go.”

The girls continued their conversation as they took a seat on the couch, stopping briefly to greet Raph, Donnie and Mikey. Leo was nowhere to be found. Alina supposed that he was debriefing with Master Splinter about what happened last night, and the sensei would turn this into a lesson for them to learn. He had a knack for that.

Mikey was reading a magazine called ‘Martial Pain’, where the cover model was none other than Chris Bradford. He was a martial arts superstar with a chain of dojos across the country. There was one within a couple of blocks of Alina’s apartment. She also knew he was in town for an upcoming martial arts expo. This would catch Mikey’s interest, because he was a big fan of the guy.

Raph was nearby doing push-ups with his sai, keeping his strength up between training sessions with Master Splinter. Donnie was on his laptop. What he was doing on there, the girls didn’t know.

And since Donnie has been known to have a bit of a mad scientist streak in him, they decided they were probably better off not knowing.

“Whoa, rad!” Mikey gasped. “Oh, I wish me and Chris Bradford were friends!” He then bit into the magazine three times and leaned back, his feet kicking up in the air to showcase his excitement.

“Mikey, you already have human friends. You have us!” April pointed out.

“You guys don’t count,” Mikey responded dismissively.

“And why not?” Alina demanded, an offended tone in her voice.

“We saved April’s life, so she has to like us; and we grew up together,” was Mikey’s logic. “You’re more like a sister to us.” Mikey then froze and pondered with a teasing smirk, “Well, you’re like a sister to three of us.”

Alina rolled her eyes. She certainly got what Mikey was implying. And it certainly didn’t help the blush that was spreading on her cheeks.

“Too bad there’s no place for freaks to meet people where no one can see how hideous they are,” Raph chimed in amidst grunts of exertion from his workout.

“Actually, there is. The internet,” Alina revealed.

“Donnie, can I see your laptop?” April requested kindly.

“Uh, yeah, uh, sure! Just a sec!” Donnie responded nervously.

Alina made a mental note to herself to find out why Donnie was so flustered by April’s request later. But either way, April got her hands on Donnie’s laptop and quickly typed in the web address to a well-known social media site.

“Check it out. It’s a site where you can make friends with anybody online,” April showed him.

“Sweet!” Mikey gasped excitedly. He then shoved April aside, causing her to fall against Alina as he grabbed the laptop, already making his way through the site. “Oh, Chris Bradford’s on here! He’ll be my first friend!”

“How did you create an account so quickly?” Alina couldn’t help but ask.

Mikey disregarded her question. He followed through with his plan to send Chris Bradford a friend request. He then leaned in close to the laptop screen, waiting impatiently for his friend request to be acknowledged.

“Mikey, people don’t always respond immed…,” April began saying, but was cut off by the laptop chiming.

“But sometimes, they do,” Alina shrugged, a confused tone in her voice.

“No way! Chris Bradford has accepted my friendship! I have a friend! Thanks, guys!” Mikey gushed excitedly, leaning across to pull both April and Alina into a tight hug.

“Where are you going?” Donnie demanded when he saw Mikey stand up. But his question was forgotten about when Donnie noticed his laptop flying through the air, so he dove across the lounge area with a yell to catch it before it could hit the ground.

“Nice save,” Alina praised him.

“Thank you,” Donnie panted.

“To hang out with my friend, Chris Bradford!” Mikey answered.

“Mikey, Chris Bradford is famous,” Alina reminded him.

“He probably has thousands of ‘friends’,” April added, using air quotes around the word ‘friends’.

“And guess who’s number 5,286?” Mikey challenged with a boastful smile.

“You?” April and Alina guessed.

“Daniel Ramirez!” Mikey corrected them. “And I’m right next to him. Later!”

“Wait. Danny’s on here?” Alina asked, looking on Donnie’s laptop once more.

“Well, this ought to be interesting,” April muttered.

“Should we go after him?” Donnie asked worriedly.

“Eh, he’s gotta learn somehow,” Raph voiced his objection.

April noticed what Alina was doing, “You’re on social media?”

“Mostly to keep track of some foster siblings I used to live with,” Alina shrugged. “We talk every once in a while, meet up when we can. But we all follow the same rules.”

“What rules?” April asked politely.

“Don’t give out personal information, don’t post anything that reveals your location, only accept friend requests from people you’ve met in real life,” Alina listed. “You know, the standard stuff.” She then handed Donnie his laptop back. “I’m gonna go find Leo.”

When she was confident Alina was out of earshot, April couldn’t help but ask Raph and Donnie, “So, are you guys just teasing, or are Leo and Alina actually a thing?”

“Oh, we tease them,” Raph boasted with a smirk. But then he turned serious, “But I do think there is something there. Everyone seems to know about it.”

“Except them,” Donnie deadpanned.

“They’ll deny it if you bring it up to them,” Raph chimed in. “But they are definitely the closest pair. I mean, we all have our bond with her, but Leo was the one who found her and brought her here.”

“Noted,” April nodded.

It might seem wrong, because she did want her friend to be happy, but she was glad that Leo and Alina didn’t seem to be a thing. Because they could never have a normal life. A normal relationship.

Although, April supposed this was normal to Alina.

**

“Leo?” Alina greeted tentatively as she walked into the kitchen area. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Leo nodded. “Just had a debriefing with Splinter.”

“What did he say about last night?” Alina inquired, moving so she was standing right next to him.

“Seek victory, not fairness,” Leo recited their sensei’s lesson.

“Nothing on the fact that there are ninjas in New York other than us?” Alina pressed.

“Nope,” Leo shook his head. “What’s happening outside?”

“Mikey’s discovered social media and befriended Chris Bradford,” Alina revealed. “He really wants to find a human friend. You know, outside me and April.”

“He’s always struggled the most with living in the shadows,” Leo sighed.

“And you haven’t?” Alina looked at him pointedly.

“Don’t look at me like that, Allie,” Leo pleaded her, making a point of covering her face with his hand. He could feel the girl smile against his palm. He then removed his hand, opting instead to tuck behind her ear a strand of hair that always seemed to fall against her face. “But we know they won’t be accepting of us. How do you think Bradford’s going to react when he finds out his latest online friend is… well, one of us?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Alina shrugged.

**

That bridge ended up getting closer by the time Mikey met up with them again. They all decided to do their nightly patrol of the city, this time focusing on where the ninjas they encountered before could’ve spotted them and come after them.

“They must have been watching us from here,” Leo declared.

“Lots of sightlines into the alley. Plenty of opportunities to stay in the shadows,” Alina mused as she took note of her surroundings. “Yep. Perfect place for an ambush.”

“It wasn’t very fair, was it?” Donnie asked.

“It’s not about fairness. It’s about victory,” Leo rebuked his younger brother.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” Donnie winced, taking note of the edge in Leo’s tone.

Behind them, the trio could hear Mikey rambling to Raph about his meeting with Chris Bradford.

“And then, and then, Chris Bradford put on his hakama! Man, that guy can rock a hakama!” Mikey gushed excitedly.

“Yeah, maybe he’ll wear it again when he takes you to the prom,” Raph drawled sarcastically.

“And then, after that, he…,” Mikey continued.

“Oh, enough!” Raph finally snapped.

“I was wondering how long that would take,” Alina muttered quietly to Leo and Donnie.

“You’ve been going on about this for three hours!” Raph pointed out to Mikey.

“Ooh, someone sounds jealous,” Mikey taunted him. (‘Very unwise,’ Alina thought to herself.) “You just can’t admit that you were the “R” word. Rong?”

Everyone groaned at Mikey mistakenly thinking the word ‘wrong’ started with an r instead of a w.

“I’m not wrong!” Raph scoffed.

“Oh yeah?” If you don’t want to talk about my friend…,” Mikey trailed off, leaping into the air and landing between Donnie and Leo, “I’ve got two other brothers who do!” Wincing at the glare and sound Alina made at him, Mikey quickly amended his statement, “And my honorary sister.”

“Actually, I’d rather talk about anything else,” Leo burst his youngest brother’s bubble.

“Like the concept of the silent ‘W’ perhaps?” Donnie suggested wryly.

“Or the benefits of taking things slow,” Alina suggested.

“Fine. I’ll go talk to a guy who likes to talk about Chris Bradford more than anyone else. Chris Bradford!” Mikey proclaimed.

“You two had to introduce him to social media,” Raph glared at Alina.

Alina stammered, trying to come up with a defence, but realizing she didn’t have one, she sighed, “Yeah, you’re right.”

**

Things did not get better. Mikey reappeared in the lair briefly, talking about how Chris Bradford had showed Mikey his secret kata, ‘The Death Dragon’. He was eager to demonstrate it to the group, which he did. But then, Mikey got called away. Apparently, his new friend wanted to meet up for some b-ball, and Mikey was more than eager to meet up with him once more.

But just as Alina thought things couldn’t get worse, Master Splinter had to walk in.

“Is that it?” Leo asked Alina and Raph. The three of them were sparring and practicing the move Mikey taught them.

“Not quite,” Raph shook his head. “Als, you wanna?”

Smirking, Alina demonstrated The Death Dragon flawlessly, knocking Leo off his feet. When she looked up, she saw Master Splinter with a look of horror on his face.

“Where did you learn that?!” Master Splinter demanded angrily.

“Mikey learned it from his new friend,” Raph shrugged while Alina helped Leo to his feet.

“The man who taught him that kata is no friend! It comes from The Shredder!” Master Splinter revealed.

“Shredder?!” Donnie gasped in horror.

“If this was one of Shredder’s moves, then Bradford must’ve learned it from him,” Alina surmised. “He must be one of his students.”

“He must be,” Master Splinter confirmed ominously.

“So, Bradford’s just pretending to be Mikey’s friend to get to you,” Leo declared.

“Oh, what a relief!” Raph cried. At everyone’s look of confusion, Raph clarified, “Everything makes sense again.” Then his eyes went wide as he realized the terrible implications.

“Mikey’s in trouble!” Raph and Alina cried at the same time.

**

Raph and Alina soon found this was one of those times where they wished they were wrong. They hoped beyond hope that Mikey wasn’t in danger.

But he was. They found him tied up in the middle of Bradford’s dojo.

“Okay. That guy’s dead,” Alina hissed dangerously.

“Save some for me,” Raph growled in turn.

Leo shot the duo a look; although, he couldn’t exactly say he blamed them.

Nobody messes with Mikey. Except them, of course.

Alina swore that Donnie had to do something to his gum and compass to enable him to cut a hole in the glass. She made a mental note to ask him about it later. Satisfied with the hole he cut, Donnie reached in and unlocked the window from the inside. The group silently descended into the dojo, being careful to not alert the soldiers who were standing guard around Mikey.

The soldiers only realized something was amiss when they heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed, but they did not get the chance to react, for their enemy was quicker, more adept at moving through the shadows, and more determined.

A dangerous combination.

Once the path was clear, the group gathered around Mikey, who was hogtied in the middle of the room.

“Dudes! That was sporadic!” Mikey cheered, wincing when everyone hissed at him to be quiet.

“That’s not what that means!” Donnie couldn’t help but add to the rebukes.

Wordlessly, Leo cut the rope with a small knife he kept hidden on his person. Once his youngest brother was free, Leo rubbed the top of his head affectionately, wordlessly telling him that they were glad he was okay. Alina also bent forward and wrapped her arms around Mikey’s neck, and the youngest turtle was more than happy to reciprocate the embrace.

With that quick hug out of the way, they quickly moved out of the dojo, heading towards the nearby manhole cover. But rather than retreat further into the sewers, they lingered nearby.

You see, before they left on their rescue mission, they discussed the possibility of this being a trap. They discussed the possibility that Bradford and his associates using the opportunity to follow the group back to their lair. To Master Splinter.

Their suspicious were confirmed when they heard the all-too-familiar sound of a manhole cover being moved. Immediately, they disappeared into the shadows as their enemy descended into the sewers.

Chris Bradford was first. He was a tall and muscular man with dark brown hair (and a matching beard) and steely blue eyes. Blue eyes that would unnerve any opponent in the field of battle. He bore a strong resemblance to an actor whose name Alina couldn’t quite recall, but knew she spent a lot of time watching growing up. He wore the uniform he had worn the first night he confronted the group, but he did not wear the mask this time. Instead, he was arrogantly showing his face.

When his associate landed next to him, along with a small group of soldiers, Alina realized that she had seen him around, and she had heard his name. Xever Montes. Many of her foster siblings (current and former) had talked about the man. The man was of Afro-Brazilian descent, sporting a small black afro and brown eyes that did not portray any warmth. He wore his traditional outfit: blue jeans and a white shirt under a blue vest.

But Alina focused on the job at hand, rather than her startling connection with one of their villains. They had to even the odds.

Bradford and Xever moved through the sewers, blissfully unaware that they were not alone. That is, until they reached a central aqueduct. Bradford froze in suspicion, suddenly hearing the sounds of his solders being taken out one by one. Xever, seemingly following is ally’s train of thought, lit a flare. To his horror, he saw that every single soldier was tied up, hanging from the ceiling.

“Show your faces!” Xever challenged the unseen group.

Raph and Leo emerged from the waters nearby, while Mikey, Donnie and Alina emerged from the shadows on either side. Their weapons were drawn, ready for the fight ahead.

“They’ve trapped us! Take them down!” Bradford barked.

While Leo and Raph fought Bradford, Mikey, Donnie and Alina were left to deal with Xever. Xever proved to be more than a formidable foe. His strength was clearly his footwork, as he used it to take down Donnie and throw him into Mikey.

Xever turned his attention to Alina, leering, “Now what’s a beautiful young girl like you doing in a place like this?”

“Really? You’re gonna use a pickup line on me?” Alina scoffed.

Xever only smirked as he blocked one of Alina’s attacks. Pulling her against him so her back was flush against his front, he murmured in her ear, “The offer still stands, estrelinha.”

“My answer still stands, Xever,” was Alina’s retort, escaping his grasp with a move Leo had taught her in their latest sparring session.

The rest of the fight passed by in almost a blur. At some point, the group switched targets. Raph and Leo, who were previously battling Bradford, were now battling Xever. Mikey, Donnie and Alina, who were previously battling Xever, were now battling Bradford.

But after a few moments, Alina was able to convince Donnie to hang back. Mikey wanted to handle Bradford on his own. He wanted payback for being used.

“They knew we were following them!” Bradford gasped in realization.

“That’s right!” was Mikey’s response.

Alina watched in satisfaction as Mikey used his own kata against Bradford. In the distance, she could see Donnie and Leo standing by the valve, ready to go.

‘This was going to be fun,’ Alina thought to herself.

She then looked over Mikey, Bradford and Xever to exchange a silent nod with Raph. Everything was set.

When Bradford was defeated, Mikey turned to Donnie and Leo and shouted, “Hit it!”

Not needing any further prompting, they turned the valve. A river of water rushed through the tunnel. Bradford and Xever were screaming as they were hit by the deluge, sending them into a large pool. The screams echoed around the aqueduct as the duo were washed away into the tunnels far below.

Alina knew they would survive. They would need a lengthy shower afterwards, but they would survive, and they would fight them again.

“Well, that didn’t seem very fair,” Raph smirked.

“No, it wasn’t,” Leo happily concurred as the group shared a laugh.

“High-three!” Mikey cried.

Four turtle hands and one human hand shot into the air, jubilation all around.

**

The jubilation continued in the lair, with nothing else but pizza. They ordered a pepperoni-free pizza this time, recalling Alina’s dislike of the pizza topping. Although the girl was starting to tolerate pepperoni (since it was the guys’ favourite topping thus far), she still didn’t want pepperoni pizza all the time. So, this was a compromise they were all happy to take part in so their friend could take part in their post-victory celebrations.

Donnie observed that Master Splinter did not move, so he asked, “Um, Sensi, aren’t you hungry?”

“I fear we are celebrating too soon,” Master Splinter confessed.

“Too soon?” Raph scoffed. “The bad guys were swept away in a river of raw sewage. By my watch, that makes it the perfect time!”

Master Splinter objected, “Shredder knows I’m alive. And worse, he knows about all of you. It’s my worst nightmare come true.”

“So, it’s not over?” Leo asked nervously.

“Oh no,” Master Splinter shook his head. “It’s just beginning.”

The group sulked as the celebratory mood was promptly destroyed. Alina couldn’t help but wish they would be given the space to celebrate the small victories.

She and Raph turned towards Mikey when they heard the familiar sounds of Donnie’s laptop beeping. Silently communicating with one another through looks, the duo decided they needed to check on the youngest turtle.

For one thing, Mikey never resisted pizza for long.

“How you doing, Mikey?” Raph asked as he and Alina sat either side of him.

“This was all my fault. I should have never thought I could be friends with a human,” Mikey sighed dejectedly.

“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” Alina shook her head.

“So, it’s not my fault?” Mikey asked hopefully.

“Of course it’s your fault!” Raph winced as Alina whacked him up the head and the glare that accompanied it. Seeing his little brother dejected once more, Raph sighed, “If you tell the others, I’ll beat the green off you, but you’re an awesome guy.”

“Bradford didn’t think so,” Mikey sighed once more.

“Bradford’s a psychotic killing machine,” Alina chimed in. “You deserve better friends than him, Mikey. If they can’t like you for you, they’re not worth your time.”

“You know what? You’re right. Thanks, guys,” Mikey smiled at the duo.

“Anytime,” Raph patted Mikey’s head fondly before walking away.

“You wanna grab some pizza?” Alina asked.

“I’ll be over in a minute,” Mikey answered. He then pressed a button on the laptop. “Unfriend. Ha-ha! Revenge!”

Alina allowed herself a small smile at Mikey’s antics. If it helped him feel better about everything, she wasn’t going to be the one to burst his bubble.

For now, she was more than happy to share a pizza with her friends. She didn’t want to dwell on people having two faces or her encounter with Xever in the sewers.

She would deal with tomorrow when tomorrow comes.

Chapter Text

Alina moaned as she slowly awoke from her sleep. She moved gingerly, her body protesting to sleeping on the floor rather than a proper bed. Although, one should think her body would be used to such treatment by now. The only time the beds make an appearance is when the social worker is due to visit. And since the social worker visited only recently, another visit wouldn’t be for anytime soon.

So, therefore, Alina and her foster siblings were relegated to sleeping on the floor.

Alina forced herself up, wincing at the pain that radiated through her body that didn’t just come from sleeping on an uncomfortable floor. Stumbling into the bathroom and turning the light on, she surveyed the bruises that littered her body.

At least these injuries were easy to cover.

When she was dressed and her bruises were covered, Alina was surprised to find all of her foster siblings downstairs, having already made breakfast. Ryan, the oldest boy and the closest to Alina’s age, immediately came over to give her some toast and juice. It was all they had in the apartment. Food only consisted of the bare minimum.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Alina asked.

“You needed the rest,” Ryan responded. “Especially since…” The sentence did not need to be finished.

“It wasn’t so bad this time,” Alina reassured him. Quickly eating her toast, she made her way to Julian and Aaron, her six-year-old foster brothers who were identical twins. Kissing them both on the top of her head, she asked, “You guys sleep okay?”

“Yes, Alina,” the two chorused.

With a smile, Alina moved to the baby. Grace was placed into foster care from the moment of her birth. From what Alina understood, her parents were killed as a result of a car accident. Her father was killed instantly, and her mother died in surgery for her injuries. Neither of her parents had family willing or able to take little Grace, so she was placed into the foster system.

“Hello, Grace,” Alina whispered lovingly. Grace cooed as Alina held her close to her chest. With the burping cloth draped over her shoulder, Alina accepted the bottle, which was just heated at the right temperature, from Ryan and proceeded to give Grace her morning bottle.

Julian walked up to Alina as she was feeding Grace, holding a folded piece of paper wrapped with string. With a big smile, he beamed, “Happy birthday, Alina!”

With a watery smile, Alina murmured an expression of gratitude for the birthday gift. She would have accepted it, but she was currently preoccupied with feeding Grace. Julian understood this, so he placed the gift within her reach for when she was done.

“How did you guys…?” Alina trailed off.

Seeing that Grace had been sufficiently fed, Alina handed Ryan the bottle for him to dispose of while she proceeded to burp the baby. Grace let out a hearty burp, something that caused the group to laugh. Alina then used the burp cloth to wipe up some spit-up from around Grace’s lips.

“I’ll put Grace down to play. You open your presents,” Ryan offered, already moving to take Grace from her arms. Grace’s baby supplies were the result of donations, and were not things their foster father would be allowed to disposed of. They supposed they should be thankful for small mercies.

Alina opened her present from Julian and Finn. Their present was a drawing, clearly made at school, for they didn’t have the supplies to make this at home. It was a drawing of all of them together, done in stick figures at a park. But it was clear who the stick figures represented.

At the top was the writing Happy birthday, Alina.

“Aw, thank you, guys,” Alina beamed, pulling Julian and Finn into a hug.

Ryan came forward with a present that appeared to be similar to what Julian and Finn had given her. However, while Julian and Finn’s painting was a group portrait, Ryan did a sketch of Alina. It was something that captured Alina’s brilliant smile. It was done in the style of someone taking a photograph of their subject without the subject realizing the photo was being taken. But for the life of her, Alina couldn’t remember the actual term. She hugged Ryan fiercely, silently expressing her gratitude.

Alina then moved to spend some time playing with Grace. She always loved spending time with the babies in previous foster placements. It was the way they were always amazed by every aspect of their environment. After rotating her so she got her daily tummy time, she heard her phone chime. Not something she was used to, she was immediately curious.

She saw it was a text from April, saying, “Happy birthday, Alina! Meet up later?”

It was the first time Alina had received a birthday message from someone who wasn’t a foster sibling, current or former. So, the thought alone made Alina smile. Also, Alina caught the hidden meaning of April’s request to meet up later. The Turtles made her promise to come to the sewers at one point so they could celebrate her birthday – even if it was only for a couple of hours. They wanted to see her on her birthday.

After briefly running through everyone’s schedule with Ryan, Alina sent a reply to April cementing their plans.

**

Alina was immediately tackled in a tight embrace by Mikey when she and April arrived at the lair together. He screamed in her ear birthday wishes as she struggled to return his enthusiastic embrace.

“Thank you, Mikey,” Alina grunted with a smile, gratefully accepting his offered hand to pull her up.

“Happy birthday, Alina,” Master Splinter greeted her warmly, appearing from the shadows.

“Thank you, Sensei,” Alina smiled warmly.

“Come on! Come on! We got presents!” Mikey proclaimed excitedly, dragging her into the lounge area.

“Is it always like this?” April asked Alina with an amused smile.

“Yes,” Alina nodded with a laugh.

They had set up a pizza dinner for Alina’s birthday. They ordered Alina’s favourite pizza – margarita. But before she could enjoy the delicious pizza, she had to open her presents from the group. All of the presents from the Turtles came from their explorations of the sewers and the surface. But even then, Alina could tell that their presents were the result of careful consideration of her likes. It highlighted how well they knew one another.

Leo’s gift was related to their mutual love for Space Heroes – a rare collectible someone was disposing of in an inappropriate manner if not for Leo’s intervention. Raph’s gift was a fighting figurine he and Alina had joked about before. Donnie’s gift was a reel viewer he had created himself, filled with various pictures of the whole gang together. Mikey’s gift was a comic book collection he had found that he thought would suit Alina’s interest; and even if it didn’t, it was something he could share with her foster brothers. Master Splinter’s gift was a new weapon: a kunai (a dagger-type tool). April’s gift was a book: The Complete Novels of Jane Austen. April recalled how Alina enjoyed reading 19^th century literature and figured this would be well received.

After eating the pizza and taking a brief moment to enjoy all her new gifts, Alina announced she felt like a spar. Leo immediately volunteered to be her sparring partner.

Alina asked that they not use any weapons in their sparring session, realizing they hadn’t done that for a while and she wanted to work on her hand-to-hand combat. Leo was more than happy to agree.

Amidst the sparring, Leo asked her, “What did your foster siblings do?”

“They gave me some artwork they made,” Alina grunted in response, successfully blocking one of Leo’s punches.

“What about your foster father?” Leo inquired.

“He never does birthdays,” Alina panted, ducking to avoid a kick.

Leo grabbed Alina’s wrist and sharply turned her around so her back was pressed into his front. Panting in her ear, he asked, “You’d tell me if something happened, right?”

“Something would have to happen for me to tell you,” Alina responded. She then performed a move to disarm Leo, forcing him to the ground. But before she could actually pin him, Leo retaliated. He flipped them over, using his body to pin her to the floor and pinning her wrists beside her head. “Well played.”

Leo laughed, victorious at Alina conceding defeat. Leo and Alina were on a level playing field, so there was never any way to guess who would emerge from their sparring sessions victorious. They constantly kept each other on their toes, not afraid to pull tricks out of their sleeves (metaphorically speaking, of course). Their spars were often a source of entertainment for the other Turtles – especially when Alina beats Leo.

But in that moment, it was like something shifted between them. Leo suddenly got a good look at Alina as she was pinned under him. He saw the way that her hair, which was no longer in her signature braid, was fanned out beneath her head. Her eyes were wild and her pupils were dilated. And… were her lips parted?

Of course, one could naturally argue that her lips were parted because she was panting from her physical exertion. He could also feel her heart beating quickly through the pulse point on her wrist under his thumb, which was now running along the delicate skin. As though it had a mind of its own.

But again, there was a perfectly innocent explanation for that. They just sparred. Heartrates go up when exercising.

None of that, however, could explain the overwhelming urge Leo suddenly felt. None of that could explain why he looked at his best friend in a whole new light. None of that could explain why this situation – one they had been in countless times before – could feel so different.

None of that could explain why Leo was overcome with the overwhelming urge to kiss her. Or why he was moving to give into that urge.

Their lips were just brushing. Nothing that could qualify even as a light kiss, but certainly served as a prelude to what was about to happen. But he couldn’t help but notice that she was offering no resistance. In fact, she was welcoming his advances. She was helping to move things along.

But before they could progress further, the moment was killed.

“MIKEY!”

Of course, something had to happen. They can never have a moment with the others around.

“We should…,” Alina cleared her throat. “We should see what’s going on.”

“Yeah,” Leo nodded. He cleared his own throat when his voice was pitched higher than normal and said, “Yeah” once more in his normal voice.

He then stood, offering a hand to pull her to her feet. They stared at each other for a brief moment. It seemed as though time stopped. Then, they heard Raph screaming about killing Mikey and the youngest turtle screaming as he was chased around.

The moment decidedly over, they decided they ought to go see what was going on.

But it was certainly something that was going to hang around them for a while. It was something that was going to follow them. It will be the elephant in the room until they both decide it's time to acknowledge the tonal shift in their relationship.

Chapter Text

Meditation was a vital component to ninjutsu. Ninjutsu focused on the mental aspect of the art just as much as the physical, and meditation played a vital role in achieving a balance between the body and the mind. It was originally known as kuji kiri, which can be translated as “the nine hands of seal”. The primary goal was to stay grounded and connected to the earth.

There were several components to kuji kiri. There was forming signs (or seals) with your fingers. There is breath meditation. There is the focus on the circulation of Ki energy.

It was certainly something that Master Splinter found essential to his daily practice of the ancient art, and it was something he was attempting to pass on to his students as well (with varying degrees of success).

And that was what Master Splinter was trying to do, were it not for the commotion he was hearing in the living area.

“Guys, guys! Get in your spot!” he heard Mikey call.

“Alright, Mikey, but this is the last time!” Raph declared.

Knowing what can happen when the four teenage turtles are left to their own devices, Master Splinter felt compelled to investigate what was happening.

“Don’t clip me this time!” Donnie pleaded.

“Ate too much cheese,” Leo sighed.

The lair was littered with pizza boxes, half-eaten pizza slices and varying types of rubbish. Raph, Leo and Donnie were crouched in front of the makeshift skateboard ramp they had set up. Mikey was standing at the top with his skateboard. It was clear that Mikey was going to attempt to do a trick involving his skateboard and his brothers.

And it was just as clear that it was something his brothers were reluctantly participating in, and something that would not end well.

“And now, the kid goes for the world record! He will attempt to jump three mutant turtles!” Mikey hyped himself up.

“I can’t believe he talked us into this,” Raph grumbled. Leo and Donnie shared a look amongst themselves, seemingly agreeing with Raph (even if they weren’t about to admit it).

“Ya! Booyakasha!” Mikey cheered as he began to skateboard down the ramp.

“What is going on in here?!”

Immediately, the three turtles that were crouching on the floor sprung upright as their Sensei/adoptive father made his presence known to them.

“Sensei!” Leo, Raph and Donnie gasped.

But there was one problem with their actions. Mikey was still coming down the skateboard ramp, and he was physically unable to stop himself. The three remaining turtles realised their fatal error too late. Mikey collided with his three brothers, landing on top of them as they fell into a pile. Mikey’s skateboard went flying in a random direction. They would worry about finding it later.

“How many times have I told you not to skateboard in the lair?” Master Splinter demanded, his voice laced with the exasperation that many parents with teenagers possessed.

“None, Sensei,” Mikey pointed out.

“I shouldn’t have to tell you!” Master Splinter snapped.

“You’re right, Sensei,” Leo was quick to agree as the four turtles stood up. “We definitely should have known better,” Leo made a point of shooting Mikey a look as he said that (as did Raph and Donnie), “and we deserve to be punished.” He quickly amended his last statement, “Er, some.”

Especially since he knew that punishment could entail him not seeing Alina for an undetermined period of time.

“And what do you think would be a fitting punishment?” Master Splinter pondered, bending down to stare Leo in the eye.

Leo immediately turned to his brothers for help, but they had none they could (or willing) to give. Raph was suddenly interested in the random comic book he picked up, Donnie was whistling to himself as he looked anywhere but in the general direction of his eldest brother and Sensei, and Mikey was pretending to ponder on Master Splinter’s question.

Mentally cursing his brothers for throwing him under the bus, Leo stammered nervously, “Well, uh, we-we should… clean up our mess?” When Master Splinter frowned at him and folded his arms, Leo stammered for other ideas, “And then… think about what we did.”

He could hear his three brothers behind him quickly voice their agreement. Being forced to clean up their own mess and reflect on their actions certainly felt like an appropriate punishment for them. It drove forth the lesson (even if they were likely to ignore it), but it wasn’t unnecessarily harsh.

Master Splinter, however, disagreed.

“What about being grounded for a week?” Master Splinter suggested. The four turtles were quick to voice their objections to the idea. But Master Splinter was having none of it as he proclaimed, “You’re grounded for a week!”

The turtles groaned and slumped in dismay. They had never been grounded before, but it already did not sound fun. They then winced when they heard their makeshift skateboard ramp collapse to the ground behind them.

Yay. More mess for them to clean up.

**

The turtles supposed they should be thankful that Master Splinter did not ban Alina from the lair as part of their punishment. They were already struggling with being confined to the lair for the entire week. Not allowed to go out on patrol. Not being allowed to go see April. No ordering pizza. Not being allowed to do anything but train.

Being grounded sucks.

Alina watched nervously as Raph paced the living area, growling as he did. She wisely decided to keep her distance, knowing that the volatile turtle would be exploding at any time. Mikey was flicking through a comic book, Leo was sulking, and Donnie was… actually, Alina wasn’t entirely sure what Donnie was doing, but it was safe to presume he was experimenting on something since he had locked himself in his lab.

“Gah! This bites! I can’t believe we’re stuck down here for a whole week!” Raph finally snapped.

“It’s called being grounded,” Alina couldn’t help but remark. But she immediately regretted that when Raph shot her a glare.

“Guys! Guys!” Donnie called out to the group excitedly as he raced over to them. “You wanna see what I made?”

“This is how bored I am,” Raph stated to Leo, Mikey and Alina before turning to Donnie, “Yes, Donnie. I do.”

“Okay, okay, okay! Remember the other day, I was scrounging in that military junkyard?” Donnie asked.

“No,” the group responded in confusion.

“Well, I found an incredibly advanced A.I. microchip made from – get this! – self-assembled chain-linked copolymers!” Donnie excitedly recalled.

“That’s my favourite kind of copolymer!” Mikey said cheerfully.

“Mine too!” Donnie said excitedly.

“Does Mikey even know what a copolymer is?” Alina asked Raph quietly.

“What do you think?” Raph drawled.

Ignoring the conversation between Raph and Alina, Donnie revealed his latest invention: “And I used it to make this!”

He pulled out a small, silver, circular device with a glowing bright blue button in the middle. Alina wasn’t sure what all the buttons were, but she could recognize a pause button, and the two buttons to either skip a track or go back to a particular track.

Basically, Donnie had built an iPod.

“The most advanced music player in the world!” Donnie introduced excitedly. The group were immediately surrounding him, looking at the device in amazement. “So, who wants to try it?”

“I do!” Mikey immediately volunteered. “Toss me the T-Pod!”

“The T-Pod?” Donnie repeated incredulously.

“Turtle. Pod. T-Pod.” He chuckled to himself, “I am so good at naming stuff.”

Regardless, Donnie handed the device – now dubbed the T-Pod – to his youngest brother. He, Raph, Leo and Alina looked on nervously as Mikey prepared to be the unwitting test subject.

“You’re really gonna plug an advanced piece of military technology directly into Mikey’s head? What if it melts his brain?” Raph couldn’t help but ask worriedly.

“It won’t,” Donnie dismissed Raph’s concerns. He then smirked, “And even if it did, who’d know the difference?”

The group watched as Mikey pressed the play button. But as soon as he did, he started screaming.

“What?! What’s wrong?!” Donnie immediately asked worriedly.

“It’s polka! Make it stop! Make it stop!” Mikey whined. He was a lot happier when Alina came over and pressed the button to start the next track: a hip-hop tune, “Thanks.”

Mikey was clearly vibing with the track as he danced to the song. He hummed and grunted as he danced. Alina had to admit: Mikey’s got the moves.

“That’s it. I gotta get out of here,” Raph declared. Clearly, he had reached his limit – even though the punishment had barely started.

“Where are you going?” Leo demanded as he chased after Raph. “We’re grounded.”

“I don’t care! I gotta do something or I’m gonna go nuts!” Raph snapped back. He pressed his foot into his skateboard, flipping it up into the air so he could grab it with his hand. “Let’s find a skate spot!”

“Skate spot? I’m totally in!” Mikey shouted, his voice several octaves louder thanks to the headphones he was wearing.

“But what’s Splinter gonna say?” Leo asked.

“I don’t know what’s going on because they snuck out while I was asleep,” Raph did his imitation of their Sensei.

“That’s not bad,” Alina hummed.

“Thanks,” Raph smiled.

“Real mature,” Leo scoffed. “But I’m your leader, and as your leader, I say nobody’s going.”

“Well, as your followers, we’re going anyway,” Raph retorted.

Leo reluctantly gave in, “Well, as your leader, I’m going with you. To lead you. Away from… bad stuff.” He was immediately worried as Mikey fell to his knees screaming and clutching his head. “What’s wrong?!”

“It’s back to polka!” Mikey whined. “We’ve got to get some more tunes on this!”

“Maybe some love songs for the lovebirds,” Raph shrugged, gesturing to Leo and Alina, who cleared their throats as their cheeks reddened at the thought.

**

Either way, the group snuck out of the lair. Leo, Raph, Donnie and Alina were racing along the rooftops on foot, performing daring feats as they leapt from one rooftop to another. Mikey was the only one actually skateboarding. He was still listening to music on the T-Pod. He alternated between watching where he was going and fiddling with the T-Pod to find a suitable track. He shouted into the air as he performed his own stunts going from one rooftop to another, with the added bonus of being able to utilise his skateboard.

“Hey, Donnie! Thanks for the new songs!” Mikey called to his brother.

“Wait. What new songs?” Donnie asked in confusion. He didn’t have time to add new songs to the T-Pod before they left the lair.

“Keep it down, you guys!” Leo hissed at them.

Either way, Donnie decided he had to check out what was going on with the T-Pod. He flipped up until he was doing a handstand on Mikey’s shoulders. From his upside down point of view, he was able to recognize the new songs that had suddenly appeared in the T-Pod’s music library.

“What the?” Donnie gasped. “It’s got thousands of songs and it keeps downloading new ones every second!”

“So?” Raph asked as he appeared alongside them.

“So, I didn’t program it to do that,” Donnie revealed. He then flipped himself off Mikey’s shoulders. “It’s reconfiguring itself somehow.”

Alina popped up next to them, shrugging, “You did say it’s an A.I. chip. There are types of A.I. that are self-programming.”

“You’re right. It’s that chip!” Donnie agreed.

“Whatever it is, it’s awesome!” Mikey declared, flying through the air.

“Guys!” Leo whisper-yelled. “We’re ninjas, remember? We move swiftly and – here’s the important part – silently.”

Leo would soon find it difficult to live up to that particular mantra. He was so busy rebuking his brothers that he didn’t recognize he was reaching the edge of the rooftop.

He fell into a rooftop greenhouse, screaming as he uncontrollably stumbled through the structure.

“Beehive!” Leo cried.

The three other turtles watched with varying degrees of amusement as Leo crashed through the other end of the greenhouse with the beehive (to their amazement, the bees didn’t start stinging him) before falling down the fire escape. They heard the crash as Leo finally landed against a car and a dumpster. The car’s alarm started blaring as a result of the impact.

Leo laid on the floor, surrounded by various bits of garbage, moaning in pain.

“That wasn’t very silent, Leo!” Raph couldn’t help but tease his brother.

Alina was quick to scramble down to Leo to check on his well-being. She landed beside him both swiftly and silently – something Leo would’ve been impressed by were it not for his immense pain. She swiped away some of the rubbish that was blocking her path and knelt beside him. She cupped his face with both hands, forcing him to look at her.

Leo melted under her gentle touch. He could already feel his immense pain easing, and he felt lighter. Although, the lighter aspect was something she always did for him.

With a gentle smile, he grabbed her wrist and reassured her, “I’m okay, Allie.” The teenage girl smiled in relief.

“Would you two lovebirds like to be alone?” Raph smirked.

They cannot catch a break.

**

Their moment ruined once again, the group decided to continue in their quest to find the perfect skate spot. They came to a stop before a building. It was quiet. Nobody around. And it had a courtyard perfect for four teenage mutants who wanted a makeshift skatepark.

“Check that out,” Raph whistled.

“Let’s grind it!” Mikey suggested excitedly.

But there was something that was going to put a stop to their plans.

“Who the heck is that guy?” Donnie asked.

They saw a man wearing jeans and a pink jumper suited up with body armour making his way down the street.

“I don’t know. But he needs a beatdown,” Raph declared.

“Hold on, Raph,” Leo voiced his objections. “We don’t know that he’s gonna do anything wrong.”

“Then, why would he be wearing powered battle armour?” Alina challenged.

Leo stammered (he seemed to be doing that a lot lately), “He could be on his way to… church.”

“What kind of church is that?” Raph snorted.

“A really awesome one!” Mikey chimed in.

Face palming, Leo laid down the law, “Look. It’s my call. I decide who gets a beatdown.” When he saw the mystery man using what appeared to be a laser against a locked door, he was quick to change his tune. “That guy needs a beatdown.”

The African-American man growled when his laser shorted out. “Are you kidding me?! Aw, come on!”

He then began trying to lift open what turned out to be a garage door rather than an ordinary door. He was clearly trying to break into this office building for reasons that were currently unknown. He was cursing the obstacles that were blocking his path.

What he didn’t realize was that his night was going to get a lot worse.

But even then, as they watched the scene unfold, Donnie couldn’t help but whisper, “It’s just kind of sad.”

“Yeah. I don’t know if we should pound him or buy him an ice cream cone,” Mikey remarked.

Leo grabbed his katana and shouted, “Halt, villain!”

“Huh?” the man stammered in surprise as he turned around.

“Halt, villain?!” Raph repeated in disbelief. “When did we start talking like that?!”

It became clear to Alina that Leo was still struggling with catchphrases, and was still relying heavily on lines from Space Heroes. Clearly, that line had been used in an episode shown in the network’s recent rerun of the classic program.

“We’re heroes. That-that’s how heroes talk,” was Leo’s sheepish response.

“You will feel the fury of my powered battle- Holy cow!” the man suddenly cried. “You guys are turtles!”

“That’s right. We’re the Turtles of Justice!” Leo proclaimed, standing in a heroic pose.

Okay. Even Alina had to groan in dismay at that. She felt second-hand embarrassment on Leo’s behalf.

“Wow. I mean, just… wow,” was all Raph could say. He was so stunned, he couldn’t even come up with another way to tease his brother.

The moment forgotten, the two sides decided they were going to charge at each other instead.

“Wait!” Mikey suddenly cried.

Confused, everyone in the fight froze before they could land a blow. Humming to himself, Mikey removed the earbuds from his ears and wrapped them around the T-Pod before tucking it into his belt and pulling out his nunchucks.

“Okay,” Mikey shrugged.

With a battle cry, he charged at the newest villain, hitting him in the head with his weapon. His helmet shielded him from direct contact, but it didn’t get rid of the pain from the impact.

Everyone took turns charging at him, destroying a component of his clearly homemade battle suit as they did. Parts were falling to the ground. Sparks were being emitted from the destroyed wiring.

The man stumbled as he lost his balance from the various impacts, knocking over a garbage can… and breaking a window. The impact immediately triggered the building’s alarm system, and everyone knew what that meant. The police were going to roll up at any second.

So, they had to take care of this and disappear. Quickly.

Raph opened the lid of the nearby dumpster, gesturing the group towards the opening. It was then they understood the idea he had. Alina didn’t like the idea, but at this point, they were pressed for both time and options. So, she begrudgingly went along with it.

The man screamed, writhed and voiced his objections as the turtles tossed him into the dumpster.

He began proclaiming, “You’re not the first to ever throw me in the trash, but I swear that you will be the last-“

Raph closed the lid on him, cutting his rant short.

“Oh, snap!” Mikey suddenly cried, hearing the approaching sirens. “It’s the po-po!”

“Go, go!” Donnie snapped at them.

The group was able to make their retreat just before the police cars pulled up in the alleyway.

**

The turtles panted as they returned to the lair, pulling themselves out of the pool of water as they had swum through the sewers to come back in. Alina had opted to go back to her foster home rather than return to the lair with them. She still had school, after all.

“Alright. We made it home!” Raph cheered.

“Shh! It’s 2am!” Leo hissed at Raph.

“And Splinter’s still asleep. This is epic,” Mikey proclaimed.

“It’s not epic! It was a really bad idea!” Leo retorted.

“No, it wasn’t,” Raph immediately objected, making himself comfortable on the beanbag. “We got out there, stopped a sleazeball and you got time with your girlfriend. So, what’s the problem?”

As Leo began to object that Alina wasn’t his girlfriend, Mikey suddenly looked worried as he felt around his belt for the T-Pod. With horror, he realized he left it behind when they fled the scene.

But surely, nothing bad can happen, right?

**

The Turtles were trying hard to pretend nothing had happened, but it wasn’t easy when Master Splinter decided to subject them to a training session. They were clearly fatigued as they struggled to comply with their Sensei’s instructions.

“Knees higher, Leonardo! Extend, Michelangelo! Raphael, you call that a Koho Tenkai? Because I do not!” Master Splinter snapped. Seeing Donnie fall flat on his face made him decide to end the training session with a, “Yame!”

Appraising the four turtles as they knelt before him, clearly looking a little worse for wear, he asked them pointedly, “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“Something we wanna tell you? Nope,” Mikey chuckled.

That alone told Master Splinter the group was hiding something from him, and he had a very strong suspicion that it involved them sneaking out of the lair while he was asleep.

“You all seem tired,” Master Splinter observed, giving them the opening to tell the truth.

But instead, the turtles started voicing their objections. Leo, who had fallen asleep in the middle of training at one point, was quick to declare they weren’t tired. The others were quick to agree with their older brother, with Raph even going as far as declaring they were fresh as daisies. Mikey, however, yawned and fell to the floor in exhaustion.

“So, you would not object to a little randori,” Master Splinter smirked.

The turtles did not get the chance to object, nor did they get the chance to prepare themselves for the oncoming assault.

After all, the term randori literally meant “chaos against an opponent”, something Master Splinter was quick to take advantage of.

Watching as the turtles moaned on the floor, Master Splinter spoke wisely, “I hope you have learned, turtles, that truth isn’t the only thing that hurts.”

Even then, the turtles did not feel compelled to speak.

**

With that painful training session over, Leo was sitting with Alina in the living room as they watched the latest rerun of Space Heroes. But there was something different about the way they were sitting. They were making a point of maintaining a distance between them. They weren’t going as far as deliberately sitting at opposite ends of the room, but there was still enough of a distance between them to make the other turtles question if something had happened. Usually, they were sitting right next to each other, almost with no concept of personal space.

“Captain Ryan!” Crankshaw cried. “The rebellion is growing! We have to get off this planet!”

“No!” Captain Ryan shook his head.

“But Captain!” Crankshaw began voicing his objections, but they were cut short by a slap to the face.

“I said no!” Captain Ryan snapped.

Leo recited the next line with the fictional (and not really heroic) captain, “We may have started this rebellion by accident, but by the rings of Nebulon, we are going to finish it on purpose!”

“Seen this enough times there, chief?” Raph drawled, looking up from his comic. He wasn’t really watching the show, but he did want to observe Leo and Alina.

“Would you shh!” Leo snapped. “This is the best part!”

Now, Alina did enjoy Space Heroes. She really did. But she wasn’t afraid to admit that Captain Ryan was a highly flawed character and more egotistical than heroic. But she never voiced that to Leo – well, not anymore, anyway. Leo was a devoted Captain Ryan fanboy, and the last time she criticized the character, the two friends had one of their most explosive arguments to date – something that rarely happened with the duo.

However, the fight was as short as it was explosive, with the two being able to reconcile quickly and agreeing to disagree on their respective views on Captain Ryan.

But the ‘best part’ Leo was alluding to was lost, a news bulletin cutting into this program.

The voice of Carlos Chiang O’Brien Gambe could be heard, “We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news.”

“Oh!” Leo moaned in dismay.

“We’ve received shocking footage of an assault on the TCRI office complex in Brooklyn.”

Leo’s dismay over his favourite program being interrupted quickly disappeared when he saw the chaos unfolding in the news bulletin. The man the group had fought the night before was attacking the office complex in a different battle suit – one more powerful than the disgrace he had been wearing the night before.

“At last… I will have my revenge!” the man proclaimed. His voice was distorted, but he could still clearly be identified, as would soon be demonstrated.

“Who… Who are you?” a worker asked fearfully.

“You’ll never know,” the armoured man sneered. “I’m the thing that haunts your nightmares! I’m the nameless shadow who…”

“Baxter?” another worker interrupted his rant. “Baxter Stockman?”

“No!” the armoured man tried objecting. But the pitch in his voice gave away the fact that the worker had correctly identified him.

“Hey, everybody!” the man called to everyone. “It’s Baxter Stockman!”

“I think his name is Baxter Stockman,” Raph quipped.

A voice off-camera, clearly a manager, asked, “Is this because I fired you?”

“That copy machine was already broken when I…” Baxter suddenly stopped his defence, realizing he didn’t sound menacing. “I mean… I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“How did he upgrade his armour so fast?” Leo asked in concern.

They would soon get their answer as Baxter charged towards the camera, clearly intending to destroy it. It enabled them to get a closeup shot of the armour’s chest plate, where the group were quickly able to identify the device attached.

Donnie was the first to launch into Mikey, “He has the T-Pod?!”

Mikey stammered nervously, “Oh, um… I might have dropped that during the fight.”

“You dropped it during the fight?” Donnie repeated in disbelief. “Nice going, Mikey!”

“It’s your fault!” Mikey retorted.

“How is it my fault?!” Donnie demanded.

“You know I can’t be trusted with nice things!” was Mikey’s defence.

Alina hated to admit it, but Mikey was right. Given his track record, he really can’t be trusted with nice things.

But that didn’t stop the steam coming out of Donnie’s ears and the angered inventor glaring his younger brother into submission. Alina could’ve sworn she heard a steam whistle somewhere.

“So, the A.I. chip is upgrading his armour the same way it upgraded the T-Pod?” Leo guessed.

“And if it keeps going, there’s no telling how powerful he’ll get,” Donnie said fearfully.

“This has gone way too far,” Leo declared. “We have to tell Splinter about this.”

Raph was quick to begin voicing his objections, “What? That we turned some nutjob into a supervillain? Do you know what he’ll do to us for that? I mean, he pounded us into the ground just for being sleepy!”

“Wait,” Alina cut in. “He put you through randori for that?”

“Yes!” Raph nodded.

Shaking her head, Alina declared, “Look. Either way, this is on us. We made the mess. We have to clean it up.”

“Alina’s right,” Donnie voiced his agreement. “We beat Stockman once. We can beat him again. We track him down, grab the T-Pod, and get back here before Splinter knows anything.”

“If my opinion counts for anything,” Mikey began as he laid on the beanbag upside down reading a comic book, “Donnie and Alina are right.”

“Hey, thanks, Mikey,” Alina smiled.

“But it doesn’t,” Donnie glared.

“Didn’t think so,” Mikey shrugged.

**

Their well-intentioned attempt to clean up their mess did not go so well. They had stumbled upon Baxter as he attempted to come up with a new name for himself. He decided that Baxter Stockman wasn’t exactly a name that inspired fear. If anything, it inspired ridicule.

But the same could be said for any of the names he came up with. The names were just about as cringeworthy as some of Captain Ryan’s actions in Space Heroes.

“Why is this so difficult?” he had sobbed.

“I kinda like The Suitinator,” Mikey whispered, giving away their position.

“You guys again?!” Baxter cried.

“Alright, Stockman,” Leo tried to placate him. “Nobody wants to hurt you.”

“We don’t? Did I miss the meeting?” Raph asked in surprise.

“We just want the T-Pod,” Leo revealed.

“Give up my source of power? Why? So you can laugh at me again? Throw me in a dumpster?” Baxter challenged.

Alina did a mental countdown from five in her head, waiting for Raph to rise up to the unspoken challenge.

She barely finished her mental countdown before Raph smirked, “Sounds good to me.”

This was certainly more his style.

All five of them had put up a valiant fight against their latest supervillain, but he was too powerful for them. The T-Pod had been hooked up to his armour for several hours now. Alina would actually wager he’s had the T-Pod for close to a day by this point.

The armour’s new powers were best demonstrated when Leo had cut off the armour’s hands. Not only did they regenerate, but the hands he cut off turned into handsfree weapons he could control. One latched onto Leo, turning him into a laser-powered weapon that attacked his brothers as he fought to get it off. They only managed to get it off Leo by having one of the lasers bounce back at it.

“Thanks,” Leo had sighed in relief, righting his headband.

By this point, Baxter had taken to tossing Mikey around, since the youngest turtle managed to get close to him with his kusarigama.

By eventually, the fight was over. Baxter had destroyed Donnie’s bo staff and broken the handle of Alina’s ax. He then used the giant hand from his armour to dump all five of them into a dumpster.

“Did you really think you could defeat me?” Baxter sneered.

“Well, yeah,” Mikey shrugged.

“All my life, people have laughed at me. The other kids in school, my co-workers, the woman who fixes the copy machine! How was I supposed to know you don’t pour toner in the top?! But when they behold the power of this suit, they won’t be laughing anymore! They’ll tremble in terror!” Baxter proclaimed.

He then started screaming as the T-Pod glowed and his armour began changing.

“What’s happening?” Leo asked Donnie worriedly.

“Stockman and the T-Pod. They’re… merging! They’re becoming one single entity” Donnie gasped in horror.

“The Stockman-Pod,” Mikey named their newest villain.

Alina, who suffered from claustrophobia, was thankful they were able to get out of the dumpster before Stockman-Pod closed the lid. The group fled as Stockman-Pod chased them. When they split up, Stockman-Pod opted to follow Mikey (much to the youngest turtle’s dismay). But Mikey was able to rely in his unconventional genius to escape, distracting Stockman-Pod with some pizza he appropriated to buy himself time to escape.

And that was how the group found themselves sneaking back into the lair, more than a little worse for wear. They were quietly rebuking each other, telling each other to shut up so as to not alert Master Splinter.

They proved unsuccessful at fooling the master ninja. After all, Master Splinter may have taught the group everything they know, but he hasn’t taught them everything he knows, as he would cheerfully point out.

“Ah! Sensei!” Leo cried.

“And where have you been?” Master Splinter asked, though the tone of his voice told the group he knew where they were.

“Nowhere,” Raph still opted to reply.

“How did you get so hurt?” Master Splinter inquired with the same tone.

“Oh! That!” Leo began stammering once more. The others joined him in the stammering, saying they got hit by something until Mikey supplied bus.

“Hit by a bus?!” Donnie hissed at Mikey in disbelief.

“Well, what was I supposed to say? Meteor? Cow? Flying building?” Mikey retorted.

“Literally anything else,” Alina supplied.

“ENOUGH!” Master Splinter snapped. The group immediately stood at attention. “Tell me what happened.”

Master Splinter listened patiently as the five teenagers recalled what they had gotten up to during the grounding period. By this point, they had moved to the dojo, everyone kneeling on the floor. He did not interrupt at any point. He simply just knelt before them and allowed them to finally tell him what he already knew and fill in some gaps in his knowledge.

“Very resourceful, Michelangelo,” Master Splinter couldn’t help but praise the youngest turtle for his escape method. “But I’m still highly disappointed in you all. The first rule of being a ninja is ‘do no harm’. Unless you mean to do harm. Then do lots of harm!”

“You’re right, Sensei,” Leo acquiesced. “I guess we did make a mess of things.”

“So, what do you think would be a fitting punishment?” Master Splinter inquired.

Leo pondered on it for a moment, then recalled what he had tried to say before, “We need to clean up our mess.”

This time, the declaration was met with agreeance.

“Yes. You must stop this… Stockman-Pod,” Master Splinter agreed.

“But Sensei, that guy’s already kicked our shells; and now, he’s even more powerful. How are we supposed to stop him?” Donnie demanded.

“I know! I’ll hit him really hard!” Raph offered eagerly.

“Brute force is not the answer,” Master Splinter objected. “You will need to rely on your ninja training.”

“Excuse me, Sensei,” Mikey cut in, “but ninjas never had to go up against guys in armour!”

“Uh… dude…,” Alina trailed off. She then pointed to the mural behind Master Splinter, which featured ninjas going up against guys in armour.

“Oh. I mean, ninjas always had to go up against guys in armour,” Mikey quickly amended his statement.

“There you go,” Alina patted him on the head.

“Sensei, what was their secret?” Leo asked.

“They understood that you do not fight the armour. You fight the man inside,” Master Splinter answered.

The group looked at each other in agreement. They knew what they had to do.

“Why are we all looking at each other?” Mikey asked in confusion.

They just sighed.

**

Leo, Alina, Raph and Donnie stood on the rooftop, waiting for their plan to come to fruition.

“Are you sure this is gonna work?” Donnie asked Leo worriedly.

“Like Sensei said, don’t fight the armour. Fight the guy inside,” Leo recited. He then smirked, “And one thing we know about bad guys? They love chasing Mikey.”

They then heard a series of explosions and Mikey screaming, “Guys! Stockman-Pod’s got… missiles!”

“That’s a new one,” Alina remarked.

She grunted when Leo pulled her out of the way of the oncoming missiles, tackling her to the ground and shielding her with his body. Panting, Leo lifted his head slightly to look at Alina. He had his arms wrapped tightly around her, so their bodies were pressed together closely. Much closer than usual. Even their usual hugs weren’t this close. Clearing their throats, the two quickly righted themselves and prepared for the fight.

If anyone noticed the blush on their cheeks, they didn’t say anything to the duo.

Mikey had avoided the missiles by running up the water tower and grabbing onto the above powerline with his nunchuck, watching in horror as Stockman-Pod walked through the flames unscathed.

The five of them quickly approached the deranged villain with their kusarigama chains, hoping to restrain him to get a fair fight. But there was one thing they quickly learned about Stockman-Pod.

Stockman-Pod did not believe in a fair fight.

He broke free of his chains, grabbed Mikey and threw him into a nearby building.

This enraged Raph, as he proclaimed, “That’s it! You’re going down!”

After all, nobody was allowed to mess with Mikey. Except him, of course.

The group tried to attack Stockman-Pod using their conventional moves. They targeted the armour he wore. They all recalled Master Splinter’s earlier advice about fighting the man inside the armour rather than fighting the armour, but they needed to get through the armour to get to the man.

Even the strongest armour has a weak point. Even if it takes a little longer to find it.

“Raph!” Leo cried as Raph got thrown onto another rooftop.

Alina charged at him this time, but Stockman-Pod wrapped her up in his extendable arms, took her for a spin, and threw her into Leo and Donnie. The force of the impact sent all three of them over the edge of the roof. Fortunately, Raph had recovered quickly and was able to grab one of his brothers’ hands. Leo had grabbed Alina, wrapping his free arm around her waist and holding her against him. Alina had wrapped her arms around his neck to maintain her own grip on him.

When Raph pulled them up, Alina somehow found herself on top of Leo. She couldn’t help but consider this a welcome change compared to the other incidents the duo found themselves in. Leo couldn’t always be on top.

Despite everything, Raph couldn’t help but share a knowing smirk with Donnie. But that quickly disappeared when Stockman-Pod appeared before them.

“Any last words?” he sneered menacingly.

“Just one,” Leo said defiantly. “Bees!”

“Bees?” Stockman-Pod repeated in confusion.

“Bees!” they heard Mikey shout.

Baxter started crying in horror as Mikey shoved a beehive into the portal he was looking out of. He was suitably distracted by the onslaught he was being subjected to by the pollenating insects.

“The T-Pod!” Leo gasped when he saw it exposed.

There was only one course of action concerning the T-Pod. All five of them took their turn hitting the armour, sending Baxter towards the edge of the rooftop. He then lost his balance and fell.

Now weakened by the bee stings and the damage the armour sustained, Leo stood on him and thrust his katana through the T-Pod, neutralizing it. With the T-Pod destroyed, the armoured suit lost its power with a final red glow that shone through the sky.

After all, a candle burns brightest just before it goes out.

Baxter moaned as he climbed out of the armour, a little worse for wear thanks to the bees. Seeing the way the group surrounded him, he asked timidly,

“So… we’ll call it a tie?”

“Wanna call it a tie, Raph?” Leo asked Raph, knowing what his answer would be.

“Not yet,” Raph smirked, cracking his knuckles.

Alina immediately knew what Raph would want to do for it to be declared a tie. And she may have had an objection to it before, but this time, she couldn’t find it in her to object to Baxter being tossed in the dumpster.

It only felt fair this time.

“Now, it’s a tie!” Raph declared before closing the lid.

When the others went to walk away, Leo gently grabbed Alina by the arm, halting her movements.

“Hey, Allie,” Leo began shyly, “we need to talk about…”

“I know,” Alina reassured him. “But we’re not done cleaning up this mess.”

Leo realized Alina was right. Until they had that final conversation with Splinter, they couldn’t fully consider this mess cleaned up.

Besides, technically, the turtles were still grounded.

**

“You all showed wisdom and great skill in defeating the Stockman-Pod,” Master Splinter praised them. “I am proud of you all.”

“Does this mean we’re not grounded anymore?” Leo asked hopefully.

Master Splinter pondered the question, “Yes.”

The group smiled happily. They hated the punishment. Leo was also happy to finally be able to have that talk with Alina.

But then, Master Splinter smirked, “But first… Randori!”

Any plans to celebrate the lifting of their punishment were quickly forgotten as they moved to dodge Master Splinter’s movements.

Maybe Leo and Alina could have that talk later.

Chapter Text

When April and Alina joined the Turtles in their lair, the boys were relaxing after another battle with the Kraang. Mikey was indulging in a slice of pizza. Donnie was obsessively studying a Kraang-droid he convinced the Turtles to help him bring back to the lair.

The sight of it made Alina do a double take when she walked in. But she listened to Donnie’s logic and found herself agreeing. Studying their technology would give them a greater insight into how the Kraang worked – particularly, their ticks. Insider knowledge on how to beat them.

Although, if you asked Raph, he would say he already knew how they worked – you hit them until the “brainy toy surprise” pops out, as he had so eloquently put it.

“This technology is light-years ahead of anything I’ve ever seen!” Donnie gasped excitedly. He held up a component to April, “Do you know what this is?”

April didn’t even bother to look away from her laptop before she answered with, “No.”

“Neither do I! And I can’t wait to find out!” Donnie proclaimed, the excitement in his voice increasing.

Then, Master Splinter walked into the lounge area with a new bo staff. Unsurprisingly, Donnie’s been having a few problems with his weapons since they started battling the Kraang. Namely, his sticks keep breaking.

Raph, who had been sitting nearby with Spike, couldn’t help but snark, “Look, Spike! Donnie got another stick to break!”

When Master Splinter held the bo staff to Donnie, he was dejected. “With all due respect, Sensei, I can’t keep fighting alien technology with a six-foot staff. I was hoping to upgrade my weapon.”

Master Splinter hummed, “A seven-foot staff. Interesting.”

Sensing his sensei had misunderstood what he was trying to say, he elaborated, “No, I meant using modern technology.”

“Ah!” Master Splinter gasped in realization. “A solar-powered staff.”

“I’m serious, Sensei!” Donnie whined.

“I know,” Master Splinter responded. “And yes, you may upgrade your weapon.”

“That’s totally unfair! You can’t just-!” Donnie cut his rant short when he realized what just happened. “Wait. Did you say yes?”

“Ninjas have improved their arsenal for centuries. We are masters of adaptation,” Master Splinter stated wisely.

“That is great!” Donnie cheered. “Cause with this technology, I will be invincible!” He then began pondering to himself, “What should I make? Electric sais? Multi-shot shuriken? Plasma swords!” He then shuddered excitedly, “I just gave myself goosebumps!” Predictably, he immediately moved next to April and asked slyly, “You wanna feel? Eh?”

“Pass,” April declined.

Alina had to admit it was a smooth move on Donnie’s part – trying to get April to feel up his muscles. But even her admiration for the turtle’s smooth moves was tempered by an overriding concern.

Donnie tended to go a bit overboard with his inventions. So, there were times where it ended in disaster. Especially when he was given free reign.

Master Splinter seemed to share Alina’s unspoken concerns, so he warned Donnie, “But remember, technology is a means, not an end. It is you who must prevail in battle. Not your weapon. Combat is not a video game.”

Unsurprisingly, Donnie wasn’t really listening to Master Splinter’s warnings. But he did hear the words ‘video game’ and, sparked with inspiration, declared, “That’s it! I’ll turn combat into a video game! Thanks, Sensei!”

He was already dragging the Kraang-droid to the lab, so nobody could say anything else to him.

“You need some help?!” Alina called after him. She had helped Donnie in the lab a few times before.

“No thanks!” Donnie called back politely.

Alina turned to April and quipped, “I feel I should warn you – this will probably not end well.”

April decided that her newfound friend was speaking from experience – she had known them for ten years, after all – and chose to heed her warning. Even if she wasn’t sure she wanted to know just how Alina knew this.

April had previously expressed curiosity behind Alina’s relationship with the Turtles. She knew how Leo had taken her to the lair when she was hiding from an abusive foster father and a friendship was forged. And she had seen first-hand just how close Alina is to the Turtles and how much the Turtles cared for her.

Mikey looked up to her like an older sister (even though Alina was actually younger than them). Donnie found someone who supported his pursuit of knowledge. Raph and Alina were arguably best friends. They rib each other, but are also the first to support each other.

Alina’s relationship with Leo was what April struggled with the most. It was clear to everyone (except maybe Leo and Alina) that there was an attraction between them – something that went beyond your typical teenage romance. April may have been grateful for the Turtles saving her that day from the Kraang, and she is certainly more than happy to count them among her dearest friends.

But dating them? That was something she couldn’t see happening.

Especially with Donnie’s blatant crush on her.

But she put those thoughts to one side for the time-being. Focusing instead on the research she and Alina had been doing.

Then, she struck gold.

“Hey, guys! Check out this post I got!” April called to Raph and Leo.

“Hang on, April. I just have to destroy Lameonardo,” Raph responded.

Raph and Leo were locked in… Alina couldn’t remember the name of the game, but it was the table-based computer game where Raph and Leo were versing each other in hockey. They each defended their respective goals while trying to get as many goals as they could in the time of a standard hockey game.

Of all the arcade games the Turtles had in the lair, it wasn’t one of Alina’s favourites.

By the way Leo suddenly looked dejected and Raph started dancing in victory, it became clear to Alina that Raph was true to his word and kicked Leo’s butt. After playfully hitting Leo (something that was filled with affection, despite appearances), Raph and Leo quickly moved to join April and Alina.

“So, what’s up?” Raph asked, wincing when Leo took the opportunity to reciprocate the hit.

“Alina and I set up a message board to collect unusual sightings around New York,” April explained.

“People send in a lot of stuff,” Alina added. “We also get stuff that help us track the Kraang.”

“And find my dad,” April chimed in.

“We just got this video of a gas explosion,” Alina revealed.

April pulled up the video on the laptop and zoomed in on a particular point she wanted the Turtles to focus on.

A Kraang emerging through the smoke.

“A Kraang-droid!” Leo gasped.

“WHERE?!” Mikey had shocked himself so much that he threw himself off the tire he was reclining in and fell into the water below.

“We’ll check it out tonight,” Leo decided.

“Why not now?!” April demanded.

“Because it’s daytime. We can’t let anyone see us,” Leo reminded her.

“We can,” Alina pointed out. She was already moving to grab her weapons.

“Allie, think about this,” Leo pleaded. “It could be dangerous.”

“You know what else could be dangerous?” April challenged Leo. “Standing between me and my father.”

The look April shot him – along with the knowledge that April would be accompanied by a kunoichi – made Leo stand down. He stood aside, allowing April and Alina to go, even if he didn’t like it.

April suddenly looked at what Alina was wearing. She wasn’t wearing her jumpsuit. She was wearing her regular school attire.

“Uh… aren’t you gonna change into your suit?” April asked.

“My foster siblings got creative with it,” Alina sighed.

“Say no more,” April laughed.

**

April rarely got to see Alina in action, so she couldn’t help but express her admiration when she saw Alina stealthily sneak around the alleyway they were staking out in. Her friend was highly affective at blending in with the shadows.

They had been staking out the alleyway for hours, looking for a way in. The only way in (at least, the only stealthy way in) turned out to be a door that required am access code. So, they had to wait for a Kraang-droid to appear and open the door. Then, they could sneak in behind them.

April watched in concern as Alina suddenly winced. Seeing her friend’s concern, Alina put on a fake smile and said, “Came down too hard.”

Something about Alina’s demeanour made April not believe her. Especially with the way Alina’s shirt had ridden up, exposing the bruising on her back. She had noticed that Alina was being very careful with the way she sat in the lair. Trying so hard to not aggravate a hidden injury.

Well, now, April knew why.

**

Leo busied himself with watching the episode of Space Heroes being shown this afternoon. He was eager to take in every detail – even if he had seen it a million times before – so he could share it with Alina when she returned from her stakeout. It was something they did with one another – if they missed an episode, they’d tell each other about it. Their prior knowledge of it didn’t stop each other from launching into discussions about the latest episode shown, even if one missed it.

Raph sat nearby, feeding Spike a leaf. He was trying to pretend to be disinterested in the show, but the fact that he was always conveniently nearby when the show was on (even when he tried to busy himself with something else such as reading a comic book) told Leo and Alina that he was a closet fan of the series.

“What do you make of this, Dr. Mindstrong?” Captain Ryan asked his companion.

They were on an alien planet, scanning for an untold danger.

“This is very disturbing, Captain. Sensors indicate…” Dr. Mindstrong’s report was interrupted by a moth-like creature swooping in and attaching itself to Dr. Mindstrong’s head. Dr. Mindstrong then proceeded to answer robotically, “Everything is fine.”

“Great galaxies!” Captain Ryan gasped in horror.

“Captain, what’s happening?!” Crankshaw asked urgently.

“Dr. Mindstrong’s been taken over by the Cortexicons!” Captain Ryan revealed.

Leo gasped as he saw the scene unfold in front of him – even though, again, he had seen it several times before.

“What will we do? What will we do?!” Crankshaw asked, the horror never leaving his voice. He then winced when Captain Ryan slapped him out of his panic. Literally.

“There’s only one thing we can do. Dr. Mindstrong must be destroyed,” Captain Ryan announced gravely.

Leo gaped as Captain Ryan shot at Dr. Mindstrong, his companion’s screams echoing through the empty space. “What a hero,” Leo sighed dreamily.

Although, he was also gearing himself up for another argument with Alina later on. This was one of the episodes they argued over the most. He also couldn’t help but feel the added awkwardness. Because they still hadn’t had the chance to talk about their almost kiss on her birthday.

Those thoughts were stomped away from Leo’s mind by the sound of heavy stomping into the living area. Leo’s facial expressions quickly deadpanned, already knowing it was something to do with Donnie’s ‘mad scientist’ streak. Raph looked up with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. Mikey was quick to clutch the pizza box to his chest, determined to protect the lone slice that remained.

A metallic turtle – smaller than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – stood before them. It opened its mouth to unveil a speaker, and Donnie’s voice could be heard saying, “Take me to your leader.”

“Leo, it’s for you,” Mikey drawled.

“What is this thing?” Leo demanded.

“Gentlemen – and Raphael,” Donnie smirked, unfazed by the glare Raph shot at him, “this is the future if ninjutsu!”

“I always thought the future of ninjutsu would be taller,” Raph drawled.

He was going to add a snarky comment about the future of ninjutsu also being a strange combination of human and turtle, but wisely decided to keep that thought to himself. As much fun as he had teasing Leo and Alina, there were times where he decided to give them a break.

“Aw, he’s so cute!” Mikey cooed. He then proceeded to scratch Donnie’s invention under the chin while cooing. Much like one would with a dog or a cat.

Mikey then jumped back screaming when his actions triggered the robot to reveal its rather large and eclectic arsenal of weapons.

Donnie laughed, “He doesn’t like being tickled.”

**

April and Alina were able to sneak into the abandoned factory the Kraang were hiding out in. They snuck around a series of boxes, concealing themselves well. Alina was impressed by how well April was handling herself. Clearly, she had picked up a couple of things from hanging around with Alina and the Turtles.

Those thoughts were pushed to one side when one Kraangdroid approached another. Thinking they would hear something vital about the Kraang’s latest schemes, Alina and April honed in on the conversation, listening with peculiar interest.

“Is that which is the unstable mutagen ready for using in the experiment that Kraang is being ready to begin?”

Alina suppressed a groan of dismay she always wanted to make when she heard the Kraang speak. The way they spoke drove her up the wall – and made her more eager to whack them with her axe.

“The unstable mutagen will be tomorrow unleashing in the water supply.”

April gasped at the sentence. “The water supply? Oh no.”

“Many infected humans will mutation.”

Alina shot April a horrified look.

“This is being a good way to perfect the mutagen to the point of perfection.”

Alina winced when April moved, inadvertently knocking over a nearby fire extinguisher. Predictably, the lone Kraang-droid that remained behind moved to investigate the source of the noise. Alina unsheathed her axe, ready to strike.

“Think ninja,” April quietly chided herself. But her sounds drew the droid’s attention.

By the time the Kraang-droid rounded the corner, April and Alina were nowhere to be seen.

It heard the sound of an open window, so the droid moved to investigate it, thinking any intruders had used it to escape.

WHACK!

April had appeared behind it with an improvised weapon she found. But it did nothing. The head turned around on its body, staring April dead in the eye. It only served to fuel April’s motivation. Her second strike was more successful, forcing the droid out the window. The true form of the Kraang scurried away in fear.

She then heard the sound of slicing behind her followed by another cry. Turning around, she saw Alina standing over a Kraang-droid she had sliced through with her axe. She then used the butt of it to stun the alien into unconsciousness.

“Not bad,” Alina praised her.

“Likewise,” April nodded. “We need to tell the others.”

“Definitely,” Alina voiced her agreement.

**

Leo rested his hand against his head in annoyance at the sounds of Donnie’s invention – which Mikey had quickly dubbed Metalhead – approaching. Ninjas were meant to be stealthy, and Metalhead was… very much not. Donnie had remained behind in the lair, using this patrol as the opportunity to test Metalhead. Master Splinter voiced his support, but warned Donnie that it was a test only – Metalhead should not be taken into combat.

Even if he knew deep down that Donnie would disregard his instructions.

Oh well. He had to learn somehow.

“Should we double back? I think there’s a car alarm he didn’t set off!” Leo snarked.

“Eh, I kinda like it,” Raph shrugged. “It goes nicely with all the sirens and cries for help.”

“Oh, come on,” Donnie taunted them over Metalhead’s speakers. “You guys are just jealous ‘cause you’re out there in the cold and I’m here eating Mikey’s last slice of pizza.”

Mikey was quick to voice his displeasure and hit Metalhead in the head. But there was one thing he forgot. Metalhead was made of metal. So, Mikey quickly pulled his hand away wincing in pain.

“Hello?”

“Hey, guys! Quiet! Someone’s coming!” Leo hissed.

Leo, Raph and Mikey were quick to dive for cover. They may break Master Splinter’s rules from time to time, but there was one rule they tried their best to follow (with varying degrees of success, admittedly): staying within the shadows. Leo rolled his eyes when he heard the creaking mechanic sounds of Metalhead crouching down behind them.

“Leo? You up there?”

Leo relaxed when he looked over the edge of the building and saw April and Alina standing in the alleyway. He, Raph and Mikey were quick to dive down.

“Guys, we were just looking for you,” April revealed once they did.

April and Alina suddenly screamed (and drew her weapon in Alina’s case) at the sound of something crashing into the dumpster behind them. The only reason Alina relaxed was because she noticed how unfazed (and maybe a bit annoyed) the other Turtles were by what caused the commotion. It had actually brought Donnie’s absence to Alina’s attention.

Especially when the robot finally made its way out of the dumpster.

“Still, it’s stealthier than the real Donatello,” Raph smirked.

“What the heck is that?!” April demanded.

Alina groaned, “Tell me this isn’t what Donnie did with the Kraang-droid.”

Leo nodded, “It’s Donnie’s latest ‘brilliant’ creation – Metalhead.”

“Catchy name, huh? My idea,” Mikey boasted.

Alina could already feel the headache coming on.

“Oh, sorry, guys. I’m still getting used to the controls,” Donnie apologized. Seeing how the group winced at the high-pitched feedback his speech was emitting, Donnie apologized once more, “Whoops. Megaphone button got stuck.”

“Did the loud button also get stuck?” Alina drawled.

April decided to push on with informing the Turtles what she and Alina had discovered, “Guys, we gotta do something! The Kraang are gonna poison the city’s water supply with mutagen!”

“The whole city will become a disaster area!” Leo gasped in horror.

“There’ll be mutants anywhere!” Donnie contributed to the horrific realizations.

“Wow. Think of all the friends we could make!” Mikey gasped excitedly. Noticing the looks Raph, Leo, April, Alina and even Metalhead were giving him, Mikey grumbled, “Excuse me for being a ‘glass half full’ kind of guy.”

“Let’s go!” Leo ordered.

“Yeah! The Kraang don’t stand a chance!” Donnie cheered as he guided Metalhead to follow Leo. But his movements were halted when Leo held up his hand. “What?”

“Donnie, I need you to hang back. Metalhead is just too clumsy. It’ll get in our way,” Leo declared.

“Clumsy?!” Donnie went to voice his objections, but Metalhead’s arm swung out and hit a series of garbage cans that lined the alleyway. “I did that on purpose to emphasize my point.”

“You’re not coming, Donnie,” was Leo’s final declaration.

April watched in worry as Alina quickly moved to follow Leo, Raph and Mikey. She was always concerned when her friend got involved in a fight, but her concern had intensified thanks to the bruises she had unwittingly saw earlier. She couldn’t help but wonder if the boys even knew about them.

She highly doubted it, though. The boys were highly protective of Alina. If they knew about the bruises, they would have made her stay home.

**

April and Metalhead had moved to the nearby rooftop, watching from a distance as Raph, Leo, Mikey and Alina infiltrated the Kraang hideout. Well, April was watching. Donnie had guided Metalhead’s head to look directly at April. He always looked away when April suddenly looked at him. But April heard the gears whirr every time Metalhead moved, so she always knew Donnie was watching her.

“So, you like heavy metal?” Donnie asked nervously, trying to ease the tension.

April swore Metalhead copied several of Donnie’s mannerisms there.

**

“Oh look. A Kraang picnic,” Alina quipped cheerfully.

“Ready to bash some bots?” Raph asked excitedly.

“Destroy some droids?” Leo smirked.

“Clean some closets?!” was Mikey’s eager contribution. Seeing the looks Leo, Raph and Alina shot him, Mikey quickly amended his battle cry, “Uh, I meant to say crush some Kraang?”

‘And I thought Leo was bad with the catchphrases,’ Alina thought to herself with a smirk.

“Hey!” Leo cried out in offence.

“Did I say that out loud?” Alina winced.

“Yes!” Leo whined.

“Sorry,” Alina muttered an apology.

The foursome dove down, dispatching the Kraang-droids they pounced on before they could raise the alarm. But they would soon learn that one was not dispatched effectively. Because when the foursome went to approach a group of Kraang from behind – particularly a group holding canisters of mutagen – one raised the alarm.

They all started screaming and diving for cover when they fired their laser blasters.

“Can’t we have an easy in-and-out job for once?!” Alina voiced into the universe.

**

April was paying attention to the fight below. Donnie was back to daydreaming about April.

“Look at her,” he had sighed dreamily. “She’s so beautiful. On this monitor, she can’t tell I’m staring.”

April was quick to shatter his illusions, as she asked him pointedly, “You do know that’s not muted, right?”

She heard the sounds of Donnie’s screaming and fumbling in the lair before he nervously laughed, “Of course! If it was muted, you couldn’t hear me joking.” Donnie fumbled once more, as Metalhead’s megaphone was displayed and he could be heard saying loudly, “Man, I hope she bought that.”

Covering her ears, April pointed out, “That’s the megaphone.”

“I know!” Shutting down the megaphone, Donnie casually asked April, “So, how do you think the fight’s going?”

They heard explosions and were knocked off their feet by an errant laser blast as they heard Mikey scream, “Ah! They’re everywhere! Run!”

“Not great,” April deadpanned.

**

“Leo! We’re running out of room!” Raph warned.

“We’re trapped!” Leo declared in dismay. They had been cornered behind the only remaining cover they had left.

“Or maybe they’re the ones who are trapped!” Mikey smirked. Dodging a laser, Mikey quickly amended his statement, “No, it’s us!”

They heard the sound of glass breaking and crashing. Peeking their heads behind their hiding place, the foursome saw that Metalhead had entered the fight, standing on top of a Kraang-droid he had crushed… in a funny pose.

“What are you doing?!” Leo demanded angrily.

“What is wrong with your arms?” Alina couldn’t help but ask.

“My hands aren’t on my hips?” Donnie asked sheepishly.

“No!” Leo and Alina snapped. Raph facepalmed behind Leo.

“Sorry. Forgot to press B.”

Once he amended his fighting pose, Donnie was quick to start fighting. He stood there in his heroic pose allowing the Kraang-droids to fire their weapons at Metalhead. He was waiting patiently for the Kraang to realize that their weapons had no effect on him. Once they did and stopped firing, Donnie gleefully declared it was his turn now.

Donnie cackled like a mad scientist when he fired Metalhead’s lasers at the Kraang-droids, knocking them down one by one.

“This is why I don’t like playing video games with Donnie,” Alina drawled, watching as Metalhead’s rocket fist flew around and took out oncoming Kraang-droids.

“Hey, Raph! How does it feel to be shown up by a toaster?!” Donnie’s taunting voice could be heard over Metalhead’s speakers.

Ignoring Raph’s indignant growl, Mikey yelled, “Burn!”

“Yeah, I thought that was a good one,” Donnie laughed.

“No! BURN!” Mikey yelled once more.

“Oh. Right.” Metalhead began shooting fire out of its hands at incoming Kraang-droids.

“It can shoot fire?!” Alina gaped at Leo. “What didn’t he put in that thing?!”

“Good question,” Leo sighed.

A Kraang-droid had not been totally destroyed, so it was able to observe and develop an idea: “That thing which does violence at Kraang used to do violence for Kraang!”

The Kraang housed in the droid was quick to begin moving towards Metalhead.

Alina cried out in pain when Mikey tackled her out of the way of Metalhead’s laser blasts. She had been knocked onto her heavily bruised back, and the impact did nothing to help with the pain.

“Donnie, watch the friendly fire!” Leo rebuked his brother. He quickly turned to Alina, “Did you injure your back in the fight?” When Alina nodded, unable to deny it (and going along with the convenient out she was given), Leo predictably told her to, “Lay low.”

**

Donnie’s gloating was quickly cut short when Metalhead fired at nearby gas canisters, causing an explosion. Metalhead got caught in the blast, being thrown into a nearby column. The impact destroyed the antenna that was attached to Metalhead’s head, severing Donnie’s remote connection with the robot.

“No! I lost the control signal!” Donnie gasped in horror. “What’s that Kraang doing?”

Donnie could only watch in horror as the Kraang began climbing up Metalhead’s prone body, and gain control.

“Guys, if you can hear me, you might wanna run!” Donnie shouted the warning into his microphone.

He then heard Metalhead’s digital voice proclaim, “The ones which are called Turtles will now be called Turtles that are destroyed!”

Donnie heard Mikey heave a sigh of relief and remark, “I was really afraid at the beginning of the sentence, but then, I sort of just lost interest towards- Okay, I’m afraid again.”

Donnie’s eyes widened in horror when he saw Metalhead firing his weapons at his own brothers. And his friend, who he couldn’t help but notice was moving fairly gingerly. She must have gotten injured during the fight.

‘Great,’ Donnie couldn’t help but think to himself. ‘Leo’s gonna drive her nuts.’

But he busied himself with trying to restore control over Metalhead. Anything to save the others. But he couldn’t find the solution.

Soon, he felt the familiar hand on his shoulder and a firm voice tell him, “Donatello. The time for games is over.”

Frowning in determination, Donnie threw down the controls and threw off the headset, declaring, “You’re right. Alina and my brothers need me!”

“Wait!” Master Splinter called after him as he went to leave. “Here!”

He tossed Donnie a bo staff.

**

“Give him everything you’ve got!” Leo ordered the others.

They were performing two strategies where Metalhead was concerned: offence and defence. While trying to launch attacks against Metalhead, they were also running defence – trying to protect themselves and each other from the variety of weapons Donnie had built into the robot.

“When this is over, Donnie has a lot to answer for!” Alina declared.

But something the group quickly realized (for the first time with Alina and recollection for the other Turtles) – Metalhead didn’t have a weak spot.

They were hitting it repeatedly with their weapons. Mikey even tried kicking it in the groin, declaring that it was a move that always works. But all it did was leave Mikey with a foot injury. He hopped around, clutching his foot.

Alina cried out in pain as Metalhead struck her. She was sent flying across the room, landing in front of Leo. Leo immediately moved towards her, fighting through his own injuries. When Metalhead approached them again, flanked with other Kraang-drouds, they quickly stood up. Leo immediately pushed Alina behind him.

“Now, Kraang with destroy you. Which one wants to be first to be destroyed by Kraang?”

A Kraang-droid reminded the Kraang occupying Metalhead, “Kraang must remember that the one called Alina Herber is not to be harmed. Alina Herber is vital to Kraang’s plan.”

“Not this again,” Alina moaned.

The Kraang occupying Metalhead amended his speech, “Which Turtle wishes to be the first to be destroyed by Kraang?”

“Me!”

Donnie then landed before them, wielding the bo staff he had rejected before.

“Donnie!” Mikey cheered. “Banging entrance, dude!”

“You guys deal with the droids. I’ll handle Metalhead,” Donnie ordered.

“Alina, stay back,” Leo moved to stop her. “You’re injured.”

“I’m not gonna be a sitting duck either!” Alina retorted.

Leo sighed as Alina charged ahead anyway. What could he do?

“It is the maker of the tech which was the tech that was of the Kraang.”

Donnie was in the middle of challenging the Kraang occupying Metalhead to give him its best, but that challenge died down when the Kraang fired Metalhead’s rocket fist. He was able to avoid the fist and put himself in the perfect position to whack it back towards Metalhead.

After all, Donnie was the one who invented Metalhead. He knew that robot inside and out. He was the best person for the job. As much as Donnie loathed the idea of having to destroy his invention.

And as challenging as he found fighting a robot with a wooden stick.

“Not again,” Donnie moaned in dismay when his bo staff was destroyed. Again.

Donnie couldn’t lament in his weapon’s destruction for long. He had to avoid the projectiles Metalhead was firing at him. Why did he have to build in weapons Metalhead could fire from its eyes?

Then, Donnie looked up from his hiding place and saw where Metalhead was standing in respect to a column that had taken significant damage.

“That might work,” Donnie mused to himself. He then taunted the Kraang, “Hey, Kraang! The one who is called your mother wears the boots that are made for combat!”

Alina gaped when she heard Donnie’s insult. “Where did you learn that?!” Alina demanded. She certainly didn’t teach him the vintage 'your momma' insult – especially the one that implied your mother was a prostitute.

And to her surprise, the Kraang actually understood the insult.

“The comment that is made by you shows ignorance of Kraang! The ones known by you as mothers-“

“Just come get me!” Donnie challenged.

Donnie’s plan worked. The Kraang occupying Metalhead unleashed the robot’s full arsenal at Donnie. But rather than hitting Donnie, who dodged the attacks with a grace acquired by several years of ninjutsu training, it hit the column behind the purple-masked Turtle. The column, now significantly weakened, fell.

Having closed his eyes while bracing for impact, Donnie opened his eyes to find Metalhead crushed between the column and his bo staff. Donnie had put his bo staff forward to shield himself from the column. The two-pronged approach appeared to ensure Metalhead’s destruction.

“Booyakasha!” Donnie cheered. It was the first time Alina heard anyone other than Mikey cheer the phrase.

“Sounds weird when he says it,” Mikey grumbled.

“Sounds weird when you say it,” Raph retorted.

“That which is the revenge will be had on those who are call themselves the Turtles.”

The robot now destroyed, the Kraang occupying Metalhead hopped off. Donnie cried when the Kraang jumped on his face, determined to get one final blow before scurrying away in defeat.

“Nice job, bro!” Mikey cheered.

“Way to go, Donnie,” Leo praised his younger brother.

“Yeah. Not bad,” Raph nodded. “Except for the part where you built the thing in the first place. And the part where it broke! And the part where it tried to kill us! And the part-!”

“Okay, I get it!” Donnie interrupted Raph’s rant.

**

The group gathered at the lair once more. Donnie was working on another invention while pondering the incident with Metalhead. April was helping Alina ice her injuries. Leo and Mikey had crowed around Raph as he played on the Space Heroes-themed pinball machine. Leo was taunting Raph over his failure to beat his high score.

“What troubles you, Donatello?” Master Splinter asked his adopted son worriedly.

Donnie sighed, “This was all my fault, Sensei.”

“You are responsible, yes,” Master Splinter agreed. “Responsible for destroying the mutagen. Responsible for saving the people of this city. Responsible for defeating advanced technology using only ingenuity, bravery, and a stick.”

His spirits lifted, Donnie rose to his feet. “Thanks, Sensei. Maybe you’re right,” Donnie smiled.

“I am,” Master Splinter nodded.

“I guess with proper training, there’s nothing better than a wooden stick,” Donnie mused. He then smirked, “Except a laser guided, missile-launching wooden stick!”

“A what now?” Alina stammered nervously.

The three remaining Turtles stopped fighting among themselves when they heard the beeps of the missile being activated.

“It’s not supposed to do that!” Donnie gasped in horror. “RUN!”

Everyone quickly moved to dodge the missile.

**

April had been waiting to get Leo alone for some time. So, when Leo walked into the kitchen to get refreshments, she jumped at the chance. She immediately offered to give him a hand.

“Hey, Leo,” April began. She helped Leo by going through the cupboards, looking for edible snacks to go with the movie they had planned to watch. “About Alina…”

“Yeah. The Kraang did a real number on her,” Leo nodded absentmindedly. “She’ll be sidelined from missions and patrols for a bit.” He then laughed and quipped, “Wanna wish me luck on telling her?”

“No, Leo,” April shook her head. “Her back injury isn’t from the Kraang.”

“What are you talking about?” Leo asked.

“I saw the bruises when we were scoping out their lair,” April revealed.

Leo shook his head, “That’s impossible. She hasn’t been in any fights and none of us have sparred with her in a bit. And even then, we’re careful. She bruises easier than we do.”

“I know what I saw, Leo,” April vehemently declared. “So, if she didn’t get the bruises from the Kraang or sparring with you guys, where could she have gotten them?”

Leo’s hands froze as the significance of April’s words set in.

He had also come up with an explanation for Alina’s bruises. And he didn't like it.

Chapter Text

“So,” Leo began casually as he approached Alina, “how’s your back?”

“Healing. Slowly,” Alina answered cryptically.

“You know…,” Leo trailed off, “you and I have a lot to talk about.”

“What? Another Space Heroes debate?” Alina sighed. “The last one resulted in us not speaking for almost two hours.”

“It’s not Space Heroes,” Leo shook his head. “It’s about a couple of things… and they are both just as serious.”

Leo couldn’t help but notice the way Alina subconsciously moved her sleeve down her wrist. Almost as though she was trying to cover something up. That alone made Leo gently grab her hand. She offered no resistance, even as he began pulling the sleeve up. He gasped in horror when he saw the bruise on her wrist. The bruise that was left by a handprint.

Leo’s voice took a dangerous tone as he growled, “Who did this to you?”

“It was an accident,” Alina began saying.

“Alina,” Leo cut in. “Don’t lie to me. Please.” He then revealed, “April saw the bruises on your back before the fight with the Kraang. I already know it didn’t come from them.”

Alina sighed as she brought her hand up to rest on Leo’s cheek. “I know I owe you an explanation – even if we both know you’ve already figured it out on your own. But just… give me a little time?”

“Why? So you can lie to me?” Leo challenged.

“I’m not going to lie to you,” Alina vowed. “I just… don’t feel comfortable saying anything here. Even if at least one person knows, I’m not comfortable with the others finding out.” She then wrote down her address. “Meet with me here. Later. I’ll also show you why I’m not telling anyone.”

Leo sighed heavily, but he accepted it. He had to go at her pace. If he pushed too far, he’ll push her away for good.

“What was the second thing?” Alina asked. “You said there were at least a couple of things we needed to talk about?”

“We can deal with that later,” Leo promised. He then asked nervously, “Can I… can I hug you?”

Alina found herself nodding, despite the overwhelming trepidation she suddenly felt. This was someone she trusted with her life after all. But nevertheless, she stepped forward as Leo opened his arms to her. He then wrapped his arms around her petite frame with a tenderness that one almost wouldn’t expect from someone of his build.

It was a strange contradiction. His embrace was tender. He was holding her like a china doll. Almost afraid to squeeze too tight in fear of breaking her. But he also held her close. She was pressed against his plastron. She felt his lips brushing against the top of her head. The contact almost made her jump. It was something that hadn’t happened since…

It then clicked for Alina. The second topic Leo wanted to talk about. Their almost kiss.

Gently detaching herself from Leo, Alina cleared her throat and suggested, “We should see what the others are up to. Leaving them unsupervised can be a bit…”

“Dangerous?” Leo supplied.

“Nerve-wracking,” Alina corrected him.

Leo had to admit: she wasn’t wrong.

**

He was even more ready to admit that when they walked into the lab and saw Donnie drawing a flow chart. A very detailed flowchart.

“What you up to, Donnie?” Leo casually asked him.

Donnie initially gasped at the sound of Leo’s voice, but then sighed when he realized he was surrounded by Alina and his brothers.

“Just putting the finishing touches to my masterplan,” Donnie shrugged with a smirk.

“Masterplan?” Raph repeated, confusion laced in his voice.

“Yeah, to get April to hang out with me,” Donnie elaborated.

“Oh boy,” Alina muttered under her breath. She had been meaning to bring down books for the Turtles to read on the finer aspects of human interaction. She didn’t appreciate the other Turtles laughing at him, though.

“Allow me to demonstrate.” Leo cleared his throat before turning to Alina. “Alina, do you want to hang out with me?”

“Sure,” Alina nodded. She knew what Leo was doing, and was more than happy to play along.

“Yeah, you see, it’s not that simple,” Donnie objected. “I have to prepare for every possible response to maximise my chances of success.”

“Aw, that’s so romantic!” Mikey sighed.

When Donnie had the very, very, very extensive flowchart pinned to the noticeboard, Alina found that it really, really wasn’t romantic. If anything, it was downright creepy.

Alina really needed to remember to bring those books with her next time.

And believe it or not, things got even worse as Donnie began demonstrating his flowchart, “For instance, if April says she can’t because she has homework, then I will suggest an informal study session and serve healthy, brain-stimulating snacks.”

“Well, what if she says she can’t because you’re a total nerd?” Raph snarked.

Now, Alina knew what Raph was doing, and she couldn’t help but agree with the point he was so subtly making. And she didn’t know why she was surprised that Donnie had thought up a scenario for that exact situation, but she was.

“Ah, that’s this thread here,” Donnie answered, highlighting it. “I will list my many non-nerdy qualities and suggest activities that will highlight my coolness, such as skateboarding or shark wrestling.”

“Shark wrestling?” Alina repeated in disbelief.

But she couldn’t press further, because April took that time to make her presence known to the group. At least Alina got the free entertainment that came with Donnie scrambling to hide his flowchart and stammer a greeting to play off his shock. Alina also couldn’t help but snort when she noticed that the poster pinned to the back of the noticeboard was a promotional poster for Space Heroes III: The Resurrection of Mindstrong.

“You guys gotta check this out,” April told the group.

Alina watched as April pulled up a news report on her computer for the Turtles to see. She recognized it immediately, having seen it for herself recently.

Carlos Chang O’Brien Gambe could be seen delivering the news, “Renowned neurochemist Dr. Tyler Rockwell has been reported missing. I spoke with Rockwell’s colleague, Dr. Victor Falco.”

Dr. Falco appeared on the screen, speaking in a prerecorded interview, “I hadn’t heard from him in days, so I stopped by his lab. The place was a mess and he was gone. I fear the worst.”

“So?” Raph pressed.

“So, the Kraang have been kidnapping scientists from all over the city,” April reminded them. “Including my dad!”

“So, the Kraang could be behind Dr. Rockwell’s disappearance,” Alina surmised.

“Or,” Leo decided to propose an alternative theory, “they may not be connected at all.”

“There’s only one way to find out. We should go to that lab and check it out,” April decided.

“April’s right. We should go check it out,” Donnie immediately voiced his agreement. “What’s that? You guys are busy? Guess it’s just the two of us, April.”

Alina facepalmed as Donnie began leading April away from the group. Especially when he subtly shot them a thumbs up and a wink when April wasn’t looking.

Leo scoffed, “I bet that wasn’t on his flowchart!” He then gaped when he flipped the flowchart back around, “Whoa! It is! That is spooky.”

“Want me to shadow them?” Alina offered.

Leo shook his head, “I think they’ll be fine.”

**

They were not fine. It was something the group learned the hard way a short time later, when April was helping a clearly injured Donnie back to the lair. Mikey immediately paused the video game he was playing when he heard Donnie’s whimpers.

“Whoa, what happened?!” Leo asked worriedly as the group raced over.

“Donnie got beat up by a lab monkey,” April revealed.

The three Turtles quickly shot a look amongst themselves. Alina, meanwhile, was taking charge of the situation. She told Leo and Raph, “Help Donnie to the couch. Mikey, make him comfortable. April, grab an icepack.”

The group nodded, ready and eager to follow Alina’s instructions, even if they made Leo halt for a moment. Alina was always highly proficient in first aid. Anytime the Turtles were left injured after going a bit too far in a sparring session, she always knew what to do.

But the moment made Leo involuntarily recall the conversation he had with Alina not long before, particularly the revelations that were revealed. He suddenly realized where Alina’s proficiency for first aid developed.

Tending to her own injuries inflicted by abusive foster families.

But he focused himself on his brother. He and Raph helped Donnie lay down on the couch while Mikey adjusted the pillow behind him, helping him to be more comfortable.

“Donnie, you gonna be okay?” Leo asked worriedly.

Donnie grunted, “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“In that case…”

Donnie no longer looked pained. In fact, he looked a mixture of indignant and mortified when Leo, Raph and Mikey started laughing at him. Alina supposed she should at least give them credit for making sure he was okay before surrendering to the laughter. They had clearly been holding that laughter in since April told them what happened.

“You got beaten up by a monkey?” Raph spluttered amidst his fits of laughter. “In front of your girlfriend?!”

“She’s not my girlfriend! And that monkey was a vicious mutant!” Donnie cried with an indignant tone.

“Yeah, I’m sure he went bananas!” Leo quipped, causing a new wave of laughter to wash over the three Turtles. “No, no, no, no, no! He went ape!”

Alina rolled her eyes when she saw the Turtles continue laughing at Donnie’s misery. Fortunately for her, April chose that moment to emerge from the kitchen with the icepack she requested.

“No more monkey puns,” Raph grumbled to the group.

“Lie back, Donnie,” Alina instructed him gently.

She couldn’t help but notice that April had sat on the couch in such a way that made sure Donnie would be lying in her lap. But she didn’t say anything. She just watched as April rested the icepack against Donnie’s head and shot a glare at his brothers.

“Are you laughing at him because he’s hurt?” April demanded.

“No, we were laughing at him because he was hurt by a… monkey!” Mikey corrected her.

April and Alina exchanged a look as Raph, Leo and Mikey started laughing once more.

“Brothers,” they both grumbled.

**

An undetermined amount of time later, Donnie had sufficiently recovered from his injuries. Or, at least, he could move around without being in pain. He considered that a bonus. It allowed him to stare at the pool of water, lamenting his circumstances.

“I just don’t get it. I mean, I’m a highly trained martial artist. How could I lose to something so mindless?!” he asked in frustration, swiping at the water.

Through the water’s reflection, Donnie could see Master Splinter approach him from behind, clearly ready to offer some words of wisdom.

“You are very intelligent. But in a fight, you cannot be up here,” Master Splinter stated, pointing to his head.

“But I just don’t understand how you can fight without thinking,” Donnie argued.

His answer seemed to come in the form of Mikey walking by listening to hip-hop music. His eyes were closed. He appeared to be completely oblivious to his surroundings.

“Observe,” Master Splinter told Donnie.

Donnie watched in amazement as Master Splinter moved to attack Mikey. Now, Mikey did not open his eyes once. He did not appear to have any awareness of his surroundings. He was totally lost in the hip-hop music he was listening to.

And yet, he was able to effectively block and dodge all of Master Splinter’s attacks.

Mikey held one of the headphone’s speakers away from him long enough to her Master Splinter say to Donnie, “You see? Mikey does not think.”

“Thank you,” Mikey smiled. Clearly, he misunderstood Master Splinter’s point.

“You’re welcome,” Master Splinter said. He then flicked his tail, causing Mikey to trip and land on the beanbag nearby. “You must find the space between your thoughts and learn to live there. That’s what Michelangelo does.”

“True, but Mikey’s got a lot more space between his thoughts than I do,” Donnie remarked.

“Oh, a pepperoni!” Mikey said happily, eating the piece of pepperoni he found on the floor.

“Yes, well, Michelangelo has his challenges too,” Master Splinter said haltingly, clearly choosing his words carefully.

April and Alina, meanwhile, were searching through the hard drive Donnie managed to swipe when they paid a visit to Dr. Rockwell’s lab.

“Guys, I think we found something!” April called to the group.

“Rockwell was able to modify the mutagen,” Alina reported. She recalled April telling the group earlier about Falco’s claims concerning Rockwell’s mutagen experiments, having been approached by the Kraang.

“Why would he do that?” Leo asked.

April handed Alina the laptop, stating, “You’re more scientifically inclined than I am.”

Alina hummed as she examined the notes, “Looks like he was trying to develop a neurochemical from the mutagen – one that would temporarily give someone psychic abilities.”

“You mean that monkey was psychic?” Raph’s response conveyed his disbelief.

“That’s your department, April,” Alina quipped in kind. “You saw him.”

“It’s more like he was reading our emotions. After all, he was only hostile when Donnie was hostile,” April pointed out.

“Yeah, well, next time, I’ll be sure to think friendly thoughts while I’m beating a little sunshine into him,” Donnie grumbled. Clearly, he was holding a grudge.

“Okay. We need to track him down before he attacks someone else,” Leo decided. “Let’s go up to the surface, spread out and search.”

Raph asked what Alina felt was a fair question, “How are we gonna stay in contact?”

“I have a little something that might help,” Donnie smirked as he stood up. “Gentlemen – and ladies – I give you… the T-Phone!”

Donnie then held out his latest invention: a mobile phone. This mobile phone had a touch screen and was shaped like a turtle’s shell.

“Dude, I’m in charge of naming stuff!” Mikey objected. “I would’ve called it… the T-Phone!”

“I did call it the T-Phone!” Donnie snapped.

“Yeah, but I would’ve called it the T-Phone,” Mikey pouted. He then winced when Raph hit him from behind.

Donnie held up his phone to April, “And April, if you give me your cell number, I can patch you into our network.”

“Sweet!” April beamed. She was all too happy to input her number into Donnie’s phone.

“Ha! See that? I got her number!” Donnie quietly cheered to Raph.

“Her number’s on the fridge, you dork!” Raph reminded him.

“Do you need my number?” Alina asked Donnie.

“No need,” Donnie shook his head. He handed her a T-Phone. “You’re already in our network.”

Alina shrugged. She wasn’t going to comment on Donnie’s obvious ploy towards April. They had bigger fish to fry.

**

April pulled up her phone and reported to the group, “Guys, someone just spotted the monkey on Bleeker!”

“I think I’m on his trail!” Raph immediately responded.

Alina raced across the rooftop she was occupying, listening as Leo told Mikey over their network that the monkey was headed in his direction. Then, she spotted him.

“He’s headed south on Delancey!” Alina panted.

“I’m on Houston! I’ll cut him off!” Donnie immediately cut in.

Alina took off when she heard Donnie ask himself where the monkey disappeared to, having lost him. Then, Leo said the monkey had changed direction – he was heading towards Mikey’s location. So, they all went to rendezvous with Mikey while he chased the monkey.

Well… once he stopped playing video games on his phone, of course.

But when Mikey saw the monkey, he immediately threw his skateboard onto the road, using it to build speed in his chase. Once he felt he was close enough, he used his nunchuck to throw a chain, intending to snare the monkey. But the monkey changed direction and Mikey’s chain ended up wrapping around a streetlamp.

Alina winced as she jumped onto the road in time to watch Mikey collide with the metal pole. It looked like it hurt.

“Are you okay?” Alina asked worriedly.

“I’m good,” Mikey reassured her.

The two then took off for the monkey when they spotted it once more.

The group ended up meeting in the middle of a T-intersection. They all looked around to see that they had lost sight of the monkey.

“Anybody see where he went?” Leo asked urgently.

“I thought he headed off in that direction,” Donnie answered.

“I thought it was that way!” Raph objected, pointing in another direction.

April and Alina walked away as the Turtles started arguing amongst themselves. Alina watched as April suddenly came to a halt near a dumpster in the alleyway. She then approached it and lifted up the lid. Looking inside, the girls were able to see the monkey cowering in fear.

“Oh my God,” Alina whispered. “It’s okay. We’re not gonna hurt you.”

The monkey looked at them wearily, but accepted the outstretched hand April offered while Alina held the dumpster open for him to climb out. Alina observed the remnants of a restraint on the monkey’s wrists and waist, so she tentatively stepped forward.

“I’m not gonna hurt you,” Alina promised. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

But when Alina touched the monkey’s hand to examine his wrist, she suddenly screamed and backed away. She held her head as images flashed in her mind. Disturbing images.

Images of a man being restrained. Images of the same man mutating into…

“Oh no!” Alina gasped in horror.

She hadn’t realized that the Turtles had come up behind her and trapped the monkey in a chain until she looked up and saw it snarling in anger. April, who had been standing next to Alina in concern, approached the monkey. Clearly, she was sensing something Alina had saw in her touch.

“Great. We got the monkey, but we’re not any closer to finding Dr. Rockwell,” Raph pointed out.

Alina watched as April looked the monkey in the eye, slowly coming to the conclusion Alina had just drawn (in a less painful way than Alina did). She approached the monkey as well as he calmed down with April’s calming aura. It proved that April’s earlier declarations were right. The monkey responded to people’s emotions. If you were hostile, he was hostile. If you approached him calmly, he would calm down and be more receptive to being approached.

“Actually, we’re a lot closer than you think,” April remarked.

“What? How?” Donnie asked.

“Because the monkey’s Dr. Rockwell,” Alina revealed. “He’s been mutated.”

**

Alina watched in concern as the monkey – now known as Dr. Rockwell – screeched as he was restrained to the chair once more. Dr. Victor Falco approached him with a syringe containing an unidentified substance. But when Dr. Falco pushed the plunger after inserting the needle into the monkey’s skin, the monkey’s cries quietened and he slumped against the chair.

Clearly, the syringe contained a potent tranquiliser.

“There. That should calm him down a little,” Dr. Falco mused. “Poor Rockwell.”

“Is there any way to get him back to normal?” April asked worriedly.

“I wouldn’t even know where to begin,” Dr. Falco responded. “But I’ll see if there’s a way to give him some semblance of a normal life.”

The group may have accomplished their objective in recovering the monkey and returning him to Dr. Falco’s care – and they may have even identified the monkey as a mutated Dr. Rockwell – but Alina couldn’t help but feel that this wasn’t over.

There was something about Dr. Falco that made her not trust his intentions.

**

That was what led Alina to helping Donnie conduct more research into Dr. Rockwell’s experiments. Mikey, meanwhile, was playing another video game on his T-Phone while Leo and April pondered over recent events. Raph walked into the kitchen with a fresh box of pizza.

Alina was so engrossed in her research that she didn’t notice Mikey’s miniature breakdown when he was overwhelmed by the smell of the delicious pizza. He lamented about how he had to eat pizza, but couldn’t stop playing his addictive game. Then, following a scream into the abyss, he slammed his face into the pizza, picking up a slice with his mouth before returning to his game as though nothing happened.

“Sorry we didn’t get any closer to finding your dad, April,” Leo apologized to his friend.

“It’s okay. Everything we learn about the Kraang is another piece of the puzzle,” April declared.

“Yeah, but psychic research? This is one weird puzzle,” Leo mused.

Master Splinter then walked over, carrying a plate with a slice of pizza. “I am curious, April. How did you know the monkey was really a human?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes, I just get a feeling about things,” April admitted. She then added, “Alina figured it out too. She touched him and just… suddenly freaked out. Then, she declared it was Rockwell.”

“A feeling? Interesting,” Master Splinter hummed. Although he seemed to be more focused on April’s feelings, he did note with interest her statement about Alina’s experience.

Leo then noticed that Donnie and Alina weren’t moving for a slice of pizza, “Hey. How come you’re not eating?”

“I’m not hungry,” Donnie said. “Something’s bothering me. Falco said that Rockwell was experimenting on a monkey.”

“And?” Leo pressed.

“Well, according to these notes, he never had a monkey in his lab. He was just using samples of monkey DNA,” Donnie revealed.

“Yeah. Everything I read about Rockwell said he was an ethical scientist,” Alina added. “He’ll conduct experiments on DNA samples, but not on the animal itself. He loathes animal testing.”

“We’re still not following you,” Leo admitted sheepishly.

“If he never had a monkey, what broke out of the cage?” Donnie asked.

“It must have been Rockwell!” Raph gasped in horror. Now, he was up to speed.

“Falco’s been lying to us the whole time!” Alina declared.

She did have a bed feeling about the guy.

**

Dr. Falco approached the sleeping Dr. Rockwell with another syringe. But he wasn’t planning to inject Dr. Rockwell with another substance. Instead, he was taking something from him. A blood sample. He ignored Dr. Rockwell’s screams of pain.

“Oh, stop struggling, Tyler. You were always so dramatic,” Dr. Falco sneered.

Dr. Rockwell then slumped in the chair once more as Dr. Falco withdrew the syringe. He smiled when he saw the mixture of blue and red substances. He got what he wanted. Then, he plunged the needle into his neck, injecting it into his own body. He moaned in delight as he felt the substance take effect on him. He could feel his powers growing.

“Alright, Falco!” Leo cut in, announcing the group’s presence. “We’ve had enough of your-!”

“Do not say monkeying around,” Raph pleaded.

“I wasn’t going to.” Leo’s high-pitched voice gave him away.

“Yes. You were,” Dr. Falco smirked, approaching them.

“It’s over, Falco! We know it was you who mutated Rockwell!” Donnie revealed.

“I used him as a guinea pig,” Dr. Falco sneered.

“Well, it didn’t work. You turned him into a monkey,” Mikey stated.

Alina sighed as the metaphor clearly went over his head.

“The psychic neurochemical I extracted from his mutant brain is changing me. Your minds are opening up to me,” Dr. Falco said.

“That was your plan all along,” Alina snarled.

“Of course,” Dr. Falco shrugged with a smirk. “No man can defeat you when you know his every thought.”

“Oh really? Then, you must know I’m gonna smack-!” Raph began his threat.

“Smack the white off my lab coat?” Dr. Falco supplied. He chuckled, “How humorous.”

“Lucky guess!” Raph growled.

He then charged at the doctor, intending to take him down. But the psychic neurochemical didn’t just allow Dr. Falco to read the thoughts of his opponents. It allowed him to anticipate their next move. So, all he had to do was sidestep out of the way before Raph could land a kick. He had the means to dodge and counter any attack launched against him.

Eventually, he grabbed Raph’s sai out of his belt, and knocked him down with it. Once he was flat on the ground, he kicked him towards Donnie and Mikey, using their brother to knock them down.

He then heard the sound of metal ringing – the sound usually heard when a sword is unsheathed. He simply smirked as he successfully dodged Leo’s attacks.

“Whoa! It’s like his psychic!” Mikey gasped once he righted himself.

“He is psychic, shell-brain! That’s what he said!” Donnie snapped at his younger brother.

“Oh. Yeah, I kinda turned out when he did his whole, ‘I’m evil, blah-blah-blah’ thing,” Mikey admitted.

Donnie shot a glare at his brother, but quickly became distracted by avoiding Leo’s katanas. Dr. Falco had caught the katanas in Raph’s sai and dislodged them from Leo’s hands, throwing them in their direction. He went to hit Leo in the head with Raph’s sai, knocking him unconscious. But then, he sensed another enemy approaching.

Alina with her tanto.

He simply chuckled in amusement, allowing the girl to get a few swings in before grabbing her wrist. Alina cried out in pain as he grabbed the one that was injured and propelled her towards Leo. Leo grunted when Alina collided into his chest, knocking them to the ground. The collision knocked the both of them unconscious, with Alina’s unconscious form draped across Leo’s torso.

Having glimpsed into her mind, Dr. Falco couldn’t help but tsk at her prone form, “Poor girl. Using herself as a shield for her foster siblings against her abusive foster father. Did she really think that would work?”

“How are we going to fight him if he can read our minds?” Donnie asked Mikey.

“No problem. I’m good at this. I just have to fight without thinking!” Mikey smirked. He then began panicking. “Wait a minute. How do I fight without thinking?! Oh no! Now, I’m thinking about not thinking!”

Mikey’s mini panic attack enabled Dr. Falco to sneak up on him from behind and strike him over the head with the handle of Raph’s sai. Mikey fell to the floor like a sack of spuds, having been knocked unconscious like Leo, Raph and Alina had been.

Donnie was now the last man standing.

“A man who can read minds is unstoppable,” Dr. Falco boasted. “Once I dispose of you, no one will be able to stand in my way.”

“We’ll see about that!” Donnie challenged, grabbing his bo staff.

But Donnie was confronted with the same problem his brothers had. Dr. Falco was able to anticipate his every move and deploy the best strategy to counteract. He dodged Donnie’s initial attacks before throwing Raph’s sai away and grabbing Donnie’s bo staff when he launched another attack. Donnie could only gasp as Dr. Falco used the bo staff to propel him into the wall.

“I really must admire that complex brain of yours. You come up with so many ideas,” Dr. Falco couldn’t help but praise his adversary. “Too bad I can see them all coming!” He then decided to drive the knife deeper, “By the way, do you really think you have a chance with April?”

Donnie didn’t show a reaction. Instead, he muttered to himself, “I can do this. Just have to fight without thinking. No thinking. No thinking.” He could hear Dr. Falco chuckling in the distance. “Don’t think. Just do.”

That was it. That was the solution to Donnie’s dilemma. He couldn’t think about what he was going to do next. He just had to do it. That was the secret to fighting without thinking.

It was a strategy that paid off. Dr. Falco was surprised and horrified to find that his newfound psychic abilities did not allow him to predict Donnie’s next moves. He couldn’t see what his adversary was going to do next. He couldn’t dodge. He couldn’t counterattack. All he could do was take the punches until he was slumped against the very cage he had locked Dr. Rockwell in.

“Whoa, Donnie! Nice work!” Raph praised his brother. The rest of the group had regained consciousness in the middle of Donnie’s fight.

“Ha! What’d I tell you about those back flips, huh? Pretty cool!” Mikey smirked. He was referring to an earlier sparring session he had with Donnie.

“Now that we have the ooze,” Donnie began, referring to the canister of mutagen Mikey was holding, “let’s see what Falco knows about the Kraang.”

They gasped in surprise to find that Dr. Falco had escaped without them knowing.

Alina immediately raced over when she heard Dr. Rockwell struggling against his restraints. Without a second thought, she immediately undid them. Realizing he was free, Dr. Rockwell immediately moved to the window. He shared a final glance with the group.

“I’m no psychic, but I think he’s trying to thank us,” Donnie remarked.

Satisfied that Donnie had gotten the silent message, Dr. Rockwell scurried away into the night.

“Um, if he reacts to angry thoughts, is New York City really the best place for him?” Raph asked nervously.

They then heard the sounds of car horns, screeching tires, and the screams of an angry driver. All accompanied by the angry screeching of Dr. Rockwell.

“I’m sure he’ll be okay,” Leo shrugged. He then glanced around nervously to notice that Alina had also disappeared. “Where’s Allie?”

As though Leo’s worried question summoned it, he saw a text notification flash on his phone. It was from Alina, telling him she had to rush home. She also told him to wait a couple of hours before coming over for that talk. She had to make sure the way was clear.

That only served to fuel Leo’s worries.

**

April was having a discussion with Master Splinter in the dojo. He had been pondering on April’s earlier statement about her feelings.

“April, it seems you have a rare gift. A sensitivity I have trained my entire life to develop,” Master Splinter began.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get it,” April was quick to offer encouragement.

“I did! It just took me a long time!” Master Splinter snapped.

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of,” April smiled.

Master Splinter groaned before pressing forward, “What I am trying to say is that I would like to train you to be a kunoichi. A female ninja. Like Alina.”

“Wow! That’s quite an honour!” April gasped. “If I do this, does that mean I can kick everyone’s butt?”

“We don’t believe in using our abilities that way,” Master Splinter told her pointedly.

“Oh-oh, yeah! Me neither!” April stammered sheepishly. “But I could, right?”

“Yes,” Master Splinter acquiesced. “But I warn you. It will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. It will drain you mentally, physically, and spiritually.”

“Well, it can’t be worse than high school,” April shrugged.

Master Splinter only sighed as April walked away.

**

Donnie leaned casually against the door to his laboratory when he saw April walk by. “Hey, April. You, uh, wanna hang out tonight?”

“That sounds great, Donnie, but I can’t. I’m training with Splinter to be a kunoichi!” April revealed excitedly.

“Oh.” Donnie then disappeared from the doorway briefly. He glanced at the flowchart he had created earlier, having created the perfect response to that exact scenario. “If training with Splitner… ah!” He then appeared back in the doorway and cleared his throat. “Well, then, maybe we can train together sometime.”

“Sounds great!” April agreed as she left.

“You see? My flowchart is awesome!” Donnie boasted.

Raph only rolled his eyes. He then watched Mikey approach worriedly.

“Hey. What’s up, Mikey?” Raph asked worriedly. This successfully caught Leo and Donnie’s attention.

“Falco said something, and it…,” Mikey sighed. “I promised Alina that I wouldn’t lie if pressed.”

“Is it about Falco saying she uses herself as a human shield?” Donnie asked worriedly.

“Falco said that?!” Raph demanded. “Then, he read her mind. Which means…”

“It’s true,” Mikey admitted.

“And you knew?” Raph asked dangerously.

“She made me promise not to tell you!” Mikey cried in defence.

“Did you know about this?” Donnie turned to Leo.

“I confronted her earlier. I was about to head to her apartment now,” Leo confessed. “She promised to tell me the whole story.”

“Well, we’re going with you,” Raph immediately declared.

Leo didn’t argue. He only hoped that Alina would understand. She must have had her suspicions, with Dr. Falco boasting about what he was reading in their minds during the battle.

They were getting answers. Tonight.

Chapter Text

The Turtles snuck through the air quietly, leaving the citizens down below unsuspecting of who else inhabited their fine city. It was the way they preferred it. Humans tended to be the most judgemental species.

Besides, a ninja always operated from the shadows. That was something they had drummed into them their whole lives.

So, it was with the same stealth that the Turtles infiltrated the apartment Alina had written down for them. Well, she had written down for Leo. Leo was still a bit apprehensive about how Alina would feel about him bringing his brothers with him. But there was a small part of him that almost didn’t care.

They all loved Alina. They loved her in different ways, but they all loved her. (Even if at least one Turtle was either reluctant to admit or totally unaware of the type of love he holds for her.) They just wanted to help her. To save her.

The window was closed, but not locked. So, the Turtles were able to slide it open and slip into the apartment.

And they were immediately terrified because the apartment was empty. Too empty.

They didn’t think they would encounter Alina’s foster father. They knew that part of the reason Alina requested the delay was so she could make sure her foster father was out of the way. So, they did not question his absence in the apartment. In fact, they were glad to not encounter him. Given the reason behind the meeting, and what they strongly suspected, neither of the Turtles (especially Raph) wanted to be held responsible for what they did next.

What scared them the most was Alina’s absence. And her foster siblings.

“Allie?” Leo quietly called into the empty apartment. He turned to his brothers and declared, “Something’s wrong.”

“Yeah. She doesn’t run,” Raph growled.

Even if there were times where he wished she would.

They searched the apartment. For reasons unknown to the others (but not entirely unsurprising), Mikey searched the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he found a lot of alcohol but not a lot of food beyond the absolute basics. Barely any fruits and vegetables. Nothing substantial or nutritious. Nothing you needed to make a pizza (much to the youngest Turtle’s horror).

Leo found the master bedroom. It was decked out with all the furniture one would expect to find in a bedroom. Bed (queen-sized, Leo couldn’t help but observe somewhat bitterly). Bedside table. Chest of drawers. Wardrobe. Everything looked to be good quality.

The stark difference was notable when they got to the bedrooms the foster siblings shared.

There was no furniture. Any belongings each foster sibling had was stacked in a pile on the corner. There wasn’t even a mattress or a pillow to sleep on. The foster siblings who lived in this apartment clearly made do with what they had to create makeshift bedding. For the Turtles knew that, if the foster father wouldn’t give them a mattress or a pillow, he wouldn’t give him a blanket either.

“Oh my God,” Donnie muttered under his breath. He had noted the makeshift crib. “Not even the baby gets a bed?”

“I swear I didn’t know things were this bad,” Mikey was quick to say in his own defence.

“We believe you, Mikey,” Leo reassured him.

“We know you did what you could,” Donnie piped up. “We all know she’s reluctant to accept help, so you can only give her what she would accept.”

Raph growled, his hands tightening around his sai. Okay. He did wish for the foster father to be around, if only to give him a taste of his own medicine.

“Where are the kids?” Raph asked, deciding he desperately needed a distraction.

They heard a rattling and a cry. Following the source of the sound, they turned around and saw a built-in closet. The doorknob was rattling.

“Hello?” Leo called tentatively.

“Is someone there?”

Standing aside so Donnie could move to pick the lock, Leo reassured the voice, “Don’t worry. We’re friends with Alina.”

“The Turtles?” another voice asked, this one decidedly older than the last. “Alina told us about you.”

“She did?” Leo voiced his surprise.

“She told us to find you if anything happened,” that same voice clarified.

“Hurry up, Donnie!” Raph hissed at his brother.

“I’m going as fast as I can!” Donnie snapped. He immediately regretted it, however, when he heard the kids trapped in the closet whimper in fear. “Sorry. I’ll have you guys out soon. I promise.”

“You need to save Alina,” the young voice from before whimpered. “You have to get her out.”

A cold vice gripped Leo’s heart. Alina was in there with them? Something that was well-known among the Turtles was her claustrophobia.

“Is she there? Can we talk to her?” Raph asked urgently.

“No.”

That cold vice around Leo’s heart tightened its grip. There was no way Alina would abandon her foster siblings. There was no way she would run to save her own skin. If anything was known about Alina’s self-preservation skills, it was that those skills were non-existent.

“Where is she?” Leo asked.

“In the alley,” the voice whimpered. “In the car.”

“The car?” Donnie repeated in confusion.

The older voice added, “He locked us in here… so we wouldn’t get Alina out of the trunk.”

**

Alina’s voice had long gone hoarse from her screams. Her bound hands pounded at the roof. Her bound feet kicked at the sides. She had long run out of tears, but her face continued to be stained with them. Her chest felt tight as the panic consumed her. Her heart hammered beneath her ribcage at a rapid pace, which was starting to hurt. It felt as though a hand was reaching up inside her throat, choking her from the inside out.

He always made sure the trunk was clear. Nothing Alina could use to cut through her bonds. Nothing to aid her escape. He always made sure to play on her fears as punishment for any perceived slights. No matter how big or small.

How long he left her in the trunk always depended on his mood. Could be minutes. Could be hours. She never had a way of knowing.

But one thing was for certain where Alina was concerned: it felt like an eternity.

**

“The trunk?!” Raph repeated in horror. “Donnie, get them out of there!”

“I got it!” Donnie cried in jubilation.

The second he heard the lock click, he ripped the door open. Three boys stumbled out of the closet, one of them holding a baby.

“She needs a bottle,” one of the younger boys whimpered, referring to the crying baby the older boy was trying his best to comfort.

“Mikey, Donnie, you guys stay here with them. Get them some food,” Leo ordered. He turned to Raph, “We’ll get Alina out.”

“Where’s the keys?” Raph asked. In a rare show of self-control, he suppressed his temper. He figured the kids were terrified enough.

“He took them with them,” the oldest of the three boys answered. “But it’ll be the only car in the alleyway. You just need to pick the lock.”

**

Alina whimpered as she stopped moving. Her aching muscles finally forced her to stop struggling within her prison. Her wrists and ankles burned from the rope that was used to bind them together. Her cheek pressed into the carpet that lined the trunk.

She needed to calm her breathing. Bide her time. Especially since she didn’t know how long she was going to be trapped there this time.

“Allie?”

Alina began sobbing anew when she heard the familiar, comforting voice. “Leo?” She hated how hoarse her voice sounded.

“Hold on, we’ll get you out,” she heard him promise. “Raph, get the lock.”

She heard the scratching sounds of the lock of the trunk being picked. She heard the telltale sounds of frustration from Raph as he struggled, muttering several things that were indecipherable. Although, Alina had the strong feeling that she would have the compelling need to wash his mouth out with soap if she could understand what he said.

“Allie, it’s okay,” she heard Leo’s reassuring voice. “We’re getting you out. The others are okay.”

Alina slumped in relief at Leo’s words. Her foster siblings were okay. She was so worried about them. She had no way of knowing what her foster father would have done to them without her there to protect them.

Though, that was precisely why he made sure Alina was out of the way. Because he knew she would rush to protect them. He knew she would take whatever he did to her to save them.

And even if he never laid a hand on his other foster children, scaring Alina with the knowledge that harm could befall them only added to the abuse.

Eventually, the lock clicked, and the boot was popped open.

Leo and Raph only froze in horror for a moment as they took in the sight of their best friend. Her clothes were dishevelled. Her hair was all over the place. They could see the bruise forming on one cheek and the carpet burn on the other. They could see the rope burns that were forming on her wrists and ankles.

Leo immediately pulled out the small tanto knife that he hides in the handle of his katana, cutting the rope around Alina’s wrists. The second her arms were free, she immediately wrapped them around his neck in a tight embrace, sobbing into the crook of his neck and shoulder. Raph took the tanto from Leo, cutting through the rope around her ankles as Leo slipped one arm under her knees, lifting her out of the trunk bridal style.

Raph watched as Leo knelt on the ground in the alleyway, removing his arm from under her knees so he can wrap it around her torso. He held her close, murmuring reassuring words as her body shook with renewed sobs.

He will let them have this moment.

**

Eventually, Raph and Leo made their way back into the apartment, Leo carrying Alina in his arms. Her foster brothers immediately rushed forward the second Leo placed Alina on the couch. Donnie busied himself with tending to her rope burns. Mikey was in the kitchen preparing food. He was the only Turtle who could cook.

Raph and Leo couldn’t help but hope that, for Alina’s sake, Mikey was preparing her something edible.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” Donnie asked.

Alina wordlessly shook her head. She watched as Leo held Grace, her youngest foster sister. She had clearly taken to Leo, who clearly felt awkward holding a baby. But he held her with a tenderness most people would think he wasn’t capable of. Grace tugged at the ends of his mask, babbling as she did. Leo let her.

“Are you guys okay?” Alina asked her foster brothers worriedly.

“We’re fine,” Ryan nodded. “We were just worried about you.”

“I’ll be okay,” Alina reassured them. “Eventually.”

Raph, who had been struggling to suppress his anger, finally exploded, “Why didn’t you tell us?! Why would you… Why would you not let us help you?!”

“Raph,” Alina began saying.

“You had to know we’d get you out!” Raph continued venting.

“Well, what about them?!” Alina snapped, referring to her foster siblings. “Who would protect them?!”

“Raph,” Leo cut in firmly. “Save it. Now’s not the time.”

Mikey walked into the room carrying a tray. He had made her a bowl of tomato soup (heated from a can) and grilled cheese sandwiches. It was Alina’s favourite meal, and he figured it was something she needed.

“Here you go,” Mikey muttered quietly as he placed the tray in her lap.

“Thanks, Mikey,” Alina smiled warmly. “For everything.”

“You should eat up,” Donnie encouraged her.

“How long has this been going on?” Leo asked.

Swallowing the bite of the sandwich she had took, she responded sheepishly, “The entire time I’ve been here.”

“The entire-?!” Raph went to explode.

“He’s got connections,” Ryan rushed forward. “The kind of connections that make sure we can’t do anything. He always receives advanced notice of when a social worker is coming – even a surprise visit. We could tell anyone what’s going on – with all sorts of evidence – but it would end up being buried.”

“We’re stuck,” Alina sighed. “We’re stuck until we either age out of the system or he gets bored of us and finds some way to rehome us that makes us look like the bad guys. And the older you get with the more flags in your file… the harder it is to find a foster parent willing to take you. And group homes aren’t always the best environment.”

“So, you’re staying to protect them,” Leo sighed. He handed Grace to Ryan when she started getting a bit fussy.

“What choice do I have?” Alina responded meekly.

Leo moved his hand forward, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he told her, “You always have a choice.”

“Where is the loser?” Raph asked.

“Don’t know,” Finn responded. “He often goes away when he does this. We never know how long he’ll be gone for.”

“Sometimes, he’ll come back when we’re at school,” Julian supplied.

“Well, the next time this happens, you call us,” Leo told the group firmly. “And if possible, you guys make your way down to the lair.”

The boys wordlessly nodded. They were grateful for an escape plan. They didn’t feel the need to tell the Turtles that was one they had already arranged with Master Splinter.

“Grace needs to sleep,” Ryan sighed. He gestured to Julian and Finn, “Come on, guys. I need your help.”

Julian and Finn wordlessly nodded. They moved to kiss Alina on the cheek (gently, in mind of her injuries) and moved to follow Ryan.

“Allie,” Leo began gently.

“Leo,” Alina whimpered. “I know I owe you all answers, but I… I can’t tonight. I just can’t.”

“It’s okay,” Leo reassured her. “You’ve already said enough.”

“Just don’t leave me,” Alina pleaded. “Please.”

“We’re not going anywhere, Als,” Raph vowed.

“I’d offer beds, but…,” Alina trailed off, feeling timid all of a sudden.

“We saw,” Donnie stated. “We’ll make do.”

The Turtles certainly made do with their environment. Quietly, the Turtles made an agreement with themselves to establish a patrol. They would watch over the group as they slept. Protecting them from anything or anyone who would dare to bring them harm. They would alert them if/when their foster father dared to show his face.

Whether or not the Turtles snuck in some justice of their own was yet to be decided.

The only Turtle who wasn’t taking part in the patrol was Leo. Alina had clung to him, nuzzling herself into his plastron as she slipped into a sleep that, while dreamless, was not peaceful. Nobody begrudged her of this.

Leo held her in a protective embrace. Using his body to shield her from the outside world. When she whimpered, he would run his fingers through her hair and soothe her until her whimpers quietened. Occasionally, this would be accompanied by a kiss to the top of her head. He didn’t even realize he was doing this. He just wanted to comfort her in any way he could.

Raph was the one on patrol for the time being while Mikey and Donnie comforted the younger foster kids. He turned to look at Leo as he held Alina. The two communicated with one another using only facial expressions. They knew that something needed to be done, but they were conflicted due to Alina’s wishes. Ultimately, they knew they couldn’t lay a hand on him, and they had promised Alina as such.

Besides, they understood that would make him take out his frustrations on Alina.

So, they were going to do what they always did. What they have been doing for several weeks now. They would watch from the shadows. They would protect from the shadows. They would help them through the storm as much as they could.

Leo buried his face in Alina’s hair, hoping she didn’t feel the tears that were slipping from his eyes. But Raph saw them, and he would never dare comment on them.

Instead, he busied himself with watching the city from the window. Resolving to shield their friends from the monsters that lurked.

Chapter Text

April was delighted she was able to get the Turtles to agree to a different type of outing for a change. Anytime she hung out with them, it was always at their lair or on a patrol.

But, even with her delight, she couldn’t help the frustration that built up inside of her.

“You guys want to speed it up a little?” April snapped impatiently.

“Are you saying turtles are slow?” Donnie accused her. He peaked behind the ticket station at the local theatre.

“That’s a hurtful stereotype,” Mikey remarked. He and Raph were standing on the other side of the ticket station.

Leo was hiding in a corner, but he peaked out long enough to say, “Trust us, April. We are better off keeping a low profile. We find people treat us better when they don’t know we exist.”

Alina wanted to argue with Leo, but found that she couldn’t. Regretfully, the few encounters the Turtles had with other humans on patrol didn’t always turn out well. People always fear the unknown, after all.

“Sorry,” April apologized. “I’m just so excited to get you out of the sewer for a change.”

“What are you talking about? We go out all the time!” Raph objected.

“Yeah, but tonight, you’re going to do something besides hitting people,” April smirked.

Alina couldn’t help but snicker at the way Raph pouted at April’s declaration. Something Raph enjoyed more than anything was when a patrol turned into a fight. He loved busting heads. Immensely. Alina made a mental note to encourage Raph to get into a method of anger management that was… less violent.

“Don’t worry. You’re going to love this noodle place I found,” April proclaimed.

“And you’re sure we’ll be welcome?” Donnie asked timidly.

“Oh yeah. Mr. Murakami doesn’t care what you look like,” April reassured him. “In fact, he won’t even know what you look like. He’s blind.”

“Awesome!” Mikey cheered. He then winced as Raph hit him on the back of his head and amended his statement, “I mean, for us, obviously.”

Alina sighed and shook her head. But she didn’t comment. She did hang back when April walked forward to hang out with Leo. He gently grabbed her wrist to halt her steps. His eyes portrayed the question he wanted to ask her. Alina wordlessly nodded. He moved to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his hand rest on his cheek for a little bit after he was done.

Speaking for the first time since the moment began, Alina remarked, “We can’t keep putting off that other talk forever.”

“We haven’t had a moment alone in forever,” Leo drawled.

Which was true. The universe seemed to be conspiring against them at the moment. Today, it conspired against them by having Raph calling for them to hurry up. So, with heavy sighs, Leo and Alina moved to catch up.

“Damn it,” Alina muttered under her breath as they got closer to the shop. She then said louder, “Guys, we have problems.”

The group look ahead and saw chaos unfolding in the restaurant April was taking them to. A man, quickly revealed in the group to be Mr. Murakami, was being attacked by a gang. They were also causing as much destruction in the restaurant as possible while Murakami cowered in fear.

“Who are those creeps?” Donnie asked.

“The Purple Dragons,” Alina answered.

“They think they own the streets around here,” April added.

Seeing Murakami be knocked to the ground by the leader, Leo remarked, “So much for not hitting people tonight.”

“Oh well,” Raph shrugged with a smirk.

“Booyakasha!” Mikey cheered.

This was something Alina had no problem partaking in. She hated the Purple Dragons because of how they preyed on the weak and vulnerable. Unsurprisingly, her foster father was one of the gang’s largest supporters. So, Alina was more intimately familiar with the gang than she would care to admit.

“Alright. Let him go,” Leo ordered the gang. “You don’t want any trouble.”

“We, on the other hand, do!” Raph piped in cheerfully.

Alina was able to identify the three members of the Purple Dragons currently causing trouble. Fong, Sid and Tsoi.

Fong gasped, “Whoa, those guys were serious! There really are giant turtles!”

‘Oh, this is not good,’ Alina thought to herself. The Purple Dragons having prior knowledge of the Turtles was bad – especially since she quickly worked out who would’ve told them.

“You’ve heard of us? Dudes, we’re famous!” Mikey gasped excitedly.

“That’s bad!” Donnie rebuked his younger brother.

“Oh. Right,” Mikey quickly nodded.

“Whatever you are, this neighbourhood is ours! So, why don’t you slither back to the ocean you came from?” Fong sneered.

“Actually, we’re freshwater turtles,” Donnie was quick to correct him. “I suspect that we’re derived from the diamondback terrapin, but it’s possible we’re a common box…”

“Donnie!” Alina snapped impatiently. “Fight now, geek out later!”

Agreeing with Alina, Fong cried, “Get them!”

Some would think that five against three was unfair odds, but considering the Purple Dragons were ganging up on a blind elderly man, Alina felt it was more than fair.

At one point in the fight, Mikey was distracted by a bowl of soup that was left on the counter. He was certainly intrigued. But he maintained enough awareness of his environment to turn Sid into a ping pong ball being kicked around between himself and Donnie.

April crawled over to Murakami. It was quickly decided that April would get Murakami out of the shop. Murakami was slumped in a corner, looking a little worse for wear.

“Hey!” Alina cried.

Fong was moving to attack Mikey from behind as he went to try the soup. Alina tried to help, but found her path blocked by Tsoi. April peaked her head above the counter and saw what was happening. She grabbed the lid to one of Murakami’s saucepans and threw it at Fong. Mikey only realized what was happening when he heard the lid collide with Fong and send him crashing to the ground.

“Thanks, April!” Mikey beamed.

“You’re welcome,” April nodded. She then redirected her energy to pulling Murakami on his feet and getting him out.

“April, duck!” Alina called out to her as Murakami’s dishes started flying in random directions. She then remarked to Tsoi, “Okay. I’ve had enough of you,” before kneeing him in the stomach and sending him flying across the store.

Leo was fighting with Fong. Leo had managed to disarm his opponent and had him backed into a corner. Literally. But when Leo grabbed Fong by the vest and drew his fist back, the tone of the fight changed. Fong no longer looked hateful. Any trace of arrogance in his face had disappeared. Instead, there was fear, and a silent plea for mercy.

Either way, it halted Leo’s movements. His fist froze in the air. Any anger that had been pumping through his veins quickly dissipated. So, he lowered his fist, released his fist and growled at Fong,

“Get out of here!”

Even though Fong had been wordlessly pleading for mercy, he was still humiliated by the outcome of the fight. So, he pushed his way past Leo in an attempt to recover any part of his reputation he had left.

“Come on, let’s go,” he muttered to Tsoi and Sid. Before leaving, Fong vowed, “This ain’t over, greeny!”

“Greeny? Really?” Donnie scoffed. “I wonder how many brain cells he put to work on that!”

Raph, meanwhile, had turned his ire towards Leo, raging, “You just let him go?! What the heck was that?!”

“They weren’t exactly a threat. They’d had enough,” was Leo’s justification.

“Dude! They were beating up a blind guy! There’s no ‘enough’!” Raph snapped. “Now, they’ll think we’re wimps and we don’t have the guts to finish the job!”

April helped Murakami back inside as she cheered, “Wow! That was great, you guys!”

“Thanks, April.” Donnie then asked hopefully, “Did you see when I caught the one guy and flipped him onto the counter? Did it look cool? I bet it looked cool.”

“The coolest,” April answered uncomfortably.

“You didn’t see it, did you?” Donnie sighed dejectedly.

“No, I did not,” April quickly responded.

“My friends, I’m indebted to you. Please. Allow me to make you a meal. Free of charge,” Murakami spoke up.

“I think we can allow that,” Raph pondered.

“What is your favourite dish?” Murakami inquired.

The four Turtles were quick to respond with, “Pizza!”

Sitting by the counter, the group watched in amazement as Murakami dashed around his kitchen with ease and grace. He moved from the stove to cutting boards, slicing his ingredients with a skill worthy of a ninja.

“Oh, Murakami-san, that was awesome!” Donnie gasped excitedly.

“You’re like a ninja, but for food!” Mikey voiced his own praise.

Moments later, Murakami presented his dish to the four Turtles:

“Pizza gyoza!”

“Pizza gyoza?” April repeated. Alina could’ve sworn she heard disgust in her friend’s voice.

The Turtles grasped their chopsticks, poking their gyozas wearily before finally picking one up. Placing a gyoza in their mouths, their eyes widened in delight at the flavour explosion on their tongue. They could taste the pepperoni, the basil, the oregano, the cheese… It was absolutely delicious.

“Wow!” Raph sighed.

“Delish!” Mikey gushed.

“It’s like I got a one-way ticket to flavourville!” Donnie immediately proclaimed.

April held up her bowl of ramen and remarked, “This is really good too, you know.”

The four Turtles only stared at April before turning their attention back to the pizza gyozas. Leo offered Alina one of his gyoza to try, taking a moment to warn her, “It’s got pepperoni,” recalling his friend’s dislike of peperoni.

Alina shrugged before allowing Leo to feed her the gyoza he was holding up for her. Alina gasped excitedly. It was certainly very delicious and she was eager to voice her appreciation.

“That is absolutely delicious,” Alina proclaimed. She then dipped her soup spoon into her bowl and held it up to Leo asking, “You wanna try a bit? It’s miso.”

Leo nodded, blowing at the spoon before allowing Alina to slide it into his mouth. He considered the umami flavours that danced along his tongue. There was the salty-sweet taste the miso paste provided the broth along with a bit of creaminess from the cooking method. Then, there was the different textures that came from the bit of noodles and pork Alina was able to include in his sample.

“That’s nice,” Leo finally nodded. He did genuinely enjoy sampling Alina’s dish, but he had to admit: the pizza gyoza had won.

Raph shared a smirk with Donnie and Mikey at the exchange. April, meanwhile, watched on with concern. Leo and Alina were certainly acting like a couple, whether they realized it or not, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

“Uh, Murakami-san,” Leo turned his attention to the restaurant owner, “do the Purple Dragons come around a lot?”

“Yes,” Murakami nodded with a sigh. “They demand protection money, but I refuse to pay. They will surely return.”

“Well, they wouldn’t if someone hadn’t wimped out!” Raph snapped, glaring at Leo.

Leo ignored Raph, instead focusing his energy on glaring at Mikey after the youngest Turtle helped himself to the last gyoza on Leo’s plate.

Well, you snooze, you lose.

**

“So…,” April trailed off uncertainly. “Are you and Leo… you know, a thing?”

The Turtles had gone back to the lair. April and Alina opted to stay on the surface. It enabled April the opportunity to get Alina alone.

“I don’t know,” Alina admitted. “I mean, we almost kissed on my birthday, but…”

“You did what?” April spluttered.

“We’ve been meaning to talk about it, but things kept happening,” Alina defended herself. “We haven’t exactly gotten a lot of time alone.”

“But how would you guys be able to…?” April trailed off. “Wouldn’t you rather be with someone… human?”

Alina stared April down with a steely gaze and declared. “They’re more human than most people I’ve ever met.”

“But you could never have a normal relationship,” April tried to argue.

“April, my life has never been normal. I woke up at five years old in a container ship with no memories and only one name. Alina. And I’m not even sure it’s actually my name. My original social worker gave me their last name so I could get what I needed. Nobody had reported me missing, so they couldn’t find a family to return me to. That’s how I ended up in the foster system. They’re the only ones who didn’t look at me with pity. Or like a freak,” Alina declared. “They’re the only ones in my corner, April. And right now, they’re the only ones in yours. So maybe stop looking at it as us vs. them and not see them as mutants. But as people.”

Having had the final say, Alina walked further ahead. At least, Alina thought she’d had the final say. April raced forward to catch up with her.

“April, I’m not talking about it anymore,” Alina told her firmly. “I appreciate you looking out for me, but this is my life. My business.”

This time, April allowed Alina to walk away.

**

Before long, Alina got a text from Leo asking her to meet the others at a tattoo shop. Apparently, after Alina stormed away, Leo asked April if she could help them find the Purple Dragons’ hideout. And after convincing an unsuspecting local she was an undercover cop, she got that information.

It allowed them to burst through the window of the tattoo parlour and make a dramatic entrance.

“Freeze, dirtbags!” Leo cried.

But the battle shifted before it even began, for the Purple Dragons weren’t alone. Chris Bradford and Xever Montes emerged from the shadows.

“Uh-oh,” Leo winced.

“I think we can find them ourselves,” Xever drawled.

“Oh man! This is awkward! It’s Chris Bradford, my ex-friend!” Mikey cried. “And that other guy!”

“Thought you kept better company, Xever!” Alina snarked.

“I could say the same for you, estrelinha,” Xever leered.

“Xever?” Leo repeated with a frown. “You know this guy?”

“Can we talk about this later?” Alina pleaded.

“Yes. The time for talk is over,” Xever sneered, twirling his butterfly knives in his hands.

It was a consensus easily reached, for the two sides began duelling. Defeating the Purple Dragons was easy enough. They were rather scrappy and not that strong in hand-to-hand combat. Presumably because they got off on intimidation before and the fact that they often went up against people who couldn’t fight back. Like Murakami.

When Leo managed to corner Fong, he sneered, “You’re making me sorry I let you go.”

Xever went to go for Leo, but Alina blocked his path. Her axe blocked Xever’s knives, allowing her to kick her leg up and deal a blow to his abdomen. Even Xever had to (begrudgingly) admit. It was well played.

But Xever managed to turn the ties soon enough, pinning Alina to a conveyor belt.

“Bradford? Really?” Alina remarked. “You’ve really sunk low, Xever.”

Ignoring the insult, Xever took his chance, “There is still a place for you, estrelinha.”

“I don’t want it!” Alina spat.

“Get off her!” Leo snapped, tackling Xever away from Alina.

The tides were continuously shifting. It made it hard for Alina to keep track. One moment, the Purple Dragons, Xever and Bradford were winning. The next, Alina and the Turtles were winning. It shifted back and forth continuously.

When Foot soldiers began arriving, bursting through the walls, the tide shifted once more. It shifted enough for Leo to order,

“Turtles, fall back!”

“We’re giving up?! Again?! Are you kidding me?!” Raph raged.

“Yes. It’s all part of my hilarious ‘let’s all live’ routine!” Leo snapped back.

“Hey! Stay and fight, you cold-blooded cowards!” Xever called after them.

But they didn’t. They fled instead.

**

“Man, could that fight have been anymore embarrassing?” Raph ranted in the lair.

“Sure. We could have been hit in the face with pies,” Mikey remarked. A growl from Raph quickly shut him up.

“It’s called fighting smart, Raph,” Leo rebuked him. “The Purple Dragons have Bradford and Xever on their side now. Last time, we barely beat those guys.”

“Yeah. Because they’re willing to fight to the finish! The only way to beat them is to be just as ruthless as they are!” Raph declared.

Master Splinter warned, “Raphael, this Xever can cross lines that you won’t. This may make him dangerous, but it doesn’t make him strong.”

“But Xever wins fights. Isn’t that what matters?” Raph retorted. “And he never shows anyone mercy!”

“What he’s doing is showing an interest in you,” Leo said pointedly to Alina.

“Yeah. What’s up with that, Als?” Raph demanded.

“Mutual acquaintance,” Alina grumbled. “He keeps promising to get me out of my current situation, but the price isn’t worth it.”

Leo noticed the look on Alina’s face and quickly figured out what that price was. Or, at least, he immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario. But something he quickly learned with Alina – especially in light of recent events – is he couldn’t push her. He had to take whatever information she was willing to give and not press further. Otherwise, she would clam up.

And it was clear that Alina already shared more than she felt comfortable to share. He’ll take what he can get – even if it’s piecemeal.

So, for the time being, he reflected on both Master Splinter’s warnings and Raphael’s declarations. Who was right?

**

Meanwhile, Fong was on the receiving end of Xever’s rather violent displeasure. As Xever approached him once more, he pleaded, “Please, please! I helped you find the Turtles, didn’t I?”

“Idiota!” Xever snapped as he grabbed Fong by his shirt. “You led them to our hideout!”

After Xever forced Fong’s head through the nearby statue, Bradford scoffed, “So much for your street connections. You really think these common hoodlums can tell us anything useful?”

“They’d better,” Xever snarled. He then pulled Fong away from the statue and snapped, “Where’d you see those Turtles?!”

“The east village. Some old man’s noodle shop. Murakami’s. We were roughing him up and they jumped in to protect him,” Fong quickly rambled.

“Oh, did they?” Xever smirked.

That was enough for him to let Fong go. Fong wisely scrambled away from Xever while he still had the opportunity.

“Big deal. How are you going to make sure the Turtles don’t get away again?” Bradford demanded.

“Easy,” Xever shrugged. “I’ll give them a reason to stay.”

**

The Turtles and Alina would find that reason to stay Xever was referring to when they met April in front of Murakami’s shop.

“April, what’s wrong?” Leo asked worriedly.

“It’s Murakami,” April answered.

The group walked into the shop and observed the scene before them with horror. The shop had clearly been ransacked. But that wasn’t the worst part.

The worst part was Murakami’s absence.

April then gestured to a note pinned to the wall with a knife and said, “Someone took him and left him this.”

“Sweet! Free knife!” Mikey cheered.

“The note, dummy!” Donnie snapped. He ripped the note off the wall and read it, “No more running. If you want the old man, meet us on the roof of the fortune cookie factory.”

Raph was quick to respond, “Well, what are we waiting for?! Let’s bust in there and save Murakami!”

“Not so fast. Think, Raphael,” Leo responded.

“There’s two words that don’t usually go together,” Donnie couldn’t help but smirk, in spite of the present situation.

“This is obviously a trap,” Leo said.

“Well, what choice do we have?!” Raph snapped.

Everyone knew Raph was right. It was so obviously a trap, but they had to go anyway if they wanted to save Murakami.

“Maybe we do need to think more like Xever,” Leo pondered.

“Leo, no!” Alina began voicing her objections.

Donnie began voicing his own, “But Master Splinter said…”

“I know. But Xever crossed the line dragging Murakami into this. He’s got to learn that we can cross the line too,” Leo proclaimed. He then smirked, “No more Mr. Nice Turtle!”

“Yes!” Raph cheered. “I never liked Mr. Nice Turtle!”

Alina was certainly not surprised to see Raph actively encouraging this change in Leo. It only made her dismayed. She loved how Leo wasn’t afraid to show Fong mercy earlier. She actually thought it would help them down the road.

After all, what goes around comes around.

**

When the Turtles began planning to kidnap Bradford, Alina immediately decided she wanted no part of it. She wanted to rescue Murakami as much as they did, but she strongly believed there was a better way to go about it.

Alas, she was overruled. So, all Alina could do was opt to sit out of this portion of the plan. Instead, she opted to scout the fortune cookie factory.

She met them at a nearby building, watching as they rolled a trashcan obviously containing Bradford down the path.

“Cosy in there?” Raph teasingly asked. When he heard indecipherable grumbles in response, Raph smirked, “Good.”

“Allie,” Leo greeted their friend. “Where’s Murakami?”

“Up there,” Alina answered.

The Turtles gasped in horror as they glanced over to where Alina was pointing. Murakami was tied up and dangling over the edge of the building. Xever stood above him, clearly relishing the situation.

“Dude, Xever’s a jerk!” Mikey proclaimed.

“We’re gonna be swarmed with Foot soldiers the second we step onto that rooftop,” Alina warned them.

They all knew that was what would happen. Alas, they all knew they had to go up there.

**

Xever smirked when he saw Alina and the Turtles appear before him. He didn’t even pay attention to the chained-up trashcan Donnie and Mikey were carrying with them.

“We’re here, Xever. Now, let the noodle man go!” Leo ordered.

Xever’s smirk never faded as he said, “Sorry. There’s been a change of plans.”

Alina’s warnings proved to be well-founded, as Foot soldiers jumped onto the rooftop, standing in front of Xever and the Purple Dragons. But Leo wasn’t phased by it.

“Actually, there’s been another change of plans!” Leo proclaimed.

That was when Donnie and Mikey opened the trashcan to reveal Bradford bound and gagged, forced on his knees.

“I love it when a change of plans comes together,” Donnie smirked.

“You let our friend go, and we’ll let your friend go,” Leo tried to barter.

Xever laughed, “He’s not my friend.”

Leo was thrown off by this. But the confusion quickly turned to horror when Xever approached where he was holding Murakami. Especially when he took out one of his signature knives and began cutting through the rope holding him up.

As Raph pushed Bradford towards the edge of the building, Leo stammered, “Uh, we’re not kidding. Okay, s-stop or we’ll toss him.”

Xever barely spared the group a glance as he shrugged, “Go ahead. It’ll save me the trouble.”

“Uh, Raph?” Leo turned to his brother for help.

Shooting Bradford a glare, Raph ended up relenting with a, “Aw, crud!” and threw Bradford roughly to the ground in front of him. In the end, none of this felt right to him either. The last thing he wanted was to be just like the bad guys.

He still didn’t move to free Bradford from his restraints. His mercy extended to not throwing him off the roof. It didn’t include setting him free.

“That’s what I thought,” Xever smirked. “Attack!”

The Turtles once again showed themselves to be highly adept at adapting to the environment around them. They were using the nearby fire escapes and billboards to expand their battlefield. Especially when Xever decided to fight dirty by standing where he was and throw blades at the group.

Bradford looked at one of those blades that came to rest near him on the ground. He now had the means to free himself and join the fight. He wasn’t about to let Xever get all the glory. Allowing the Turtles to get the jump on him was humiliating enough!

“Okay,” Alina panted as more Foot Soldiers began swarming. She and Raph were standing back-to-back on the edge of the billboard. “Where the heck are these guys coming from?!”

“You’ve got an all-you-can-beat buffet, Als. What are you complaining about?!” Raph snarked.

“Eh. You’re right,” Alina shrugged. She then knocked a Foot soldier into the billboard.

Fong looked momentarily conflicted, glancing between Leo fighting the Foot soldiers and his cleaver before deciding to join the fight. But Leo sensed him coming and knocked him down. He gave him a look that was unreadable before ultimately deciding to focus his attention on the Foot soldiers that were now climbing up the side of the building.

Xever twirled his butterfly knives in his hands, watching in delight as Raph was cornered by some Foot soldiers. He moved forward to deal his own blows, but a tight grip on his lower arm stopped him. Turning around, he saw Bradford had freed himself from his restraints. Including ripping off that bit of duct tape that muffled his earlier objections.

“How could you be so sure they were bluffing?!” Bradford demanded.

“I wasn’t,” Xever responded coldly, shrugging his arm free of his grip.

Soon enough, Alina and the Turtles stood in the middle of the roof, their backs pressing against one another as they were surrounded by the enemy. Alina couldn’t help but liken the situation to the hydra, a well-known creature in Greek mythology. Cut off one head, two more take its place.

It certainly suited the current situation.

“Alright. Let’s settle the score, pond scum!” Bradford snarled.

“We’re the ones who didn’t want to throw you off the roof!” Donnie glared at him.

That made no difference. Bradford was humiliated, and it made him dangerous. It was this humiliation, along with help provided by Xever and the Foot soldiers, that enabled him to take down the Turtles. Alina grunted when she landed against Raph’s unconscious form. Her stomach hurt from the hit Bradford had delivered and it had knocked the wind out of her.

“See, Bradford?” Xever smirked. “That is how you catch turtles. And next, I’ll show you how to filet them.”

“You’d never have caught them without me and you know it!” Bradford snapped.

“Oh yes. What would we have done without your brave leadership from inside the trashcan?” Xever taunted him.

Alina looked wearily as a katana suddenly landed in front of Leo. Looking up, Leo exchanged a small smile with Fong. Alina had a smile of her own. Fong had decided to repay Leo for his earlier show of mercy.

Behind her, she heard Xever proclaim, “It’s time to cut these turtles into little pieces!” but he was about to get a rather unpleasant surprise. Leo pointed his katana at him and cried, “I don’t think so!”

With renewed energy, Leo jumped up and sliced. But he didn’t slice at Bradford and Xever. Instead, he slashed at a nearby water tank. He decided to recreate a key moment from their first battle with the duo. Bradford and Xever cried as they were swept away by the rush of water. It was an unpleasant memory they were being forced to relive.

But Murakami nearly got swept away as well. The rope Xever had begun cutting through had been fraying throughout the battle, unable to hold Murakami’s weight. The pressure of the water caused the rope to snap and Murakami screamed as he registered the sensation of falling. Mikey acted quickly. He leapt forward, gripping his chain as the sickled end lodged into a wooden plank.

Mikey gripped Murakami with one hand, calling up to his brothers, “I got him!”

“Nice save, Mikey!” Leo praised.

As his brothers began pulling them up, Mikey advised Murakami, “Don’t look down, Murakami-san. Or, er, listen down.”

**

The group personally saw to it that Murakami was escorted back to his noodle shop safely. And once again, Murakami insisted on being able to show the group his gratitude. This time, he prepared a takeaway bag filled with pizza gyoza. More than enough to feed the group.

“Accept this token of my gratitude. Pizza gyoza,” Murakami kindly requested, holding the bag out for the group.

“Awesome!” Donnie cheered. Taking the bag, he smiled warmly, “Thanks, Murakami-san.”

“You’re welcome… Turtle-san,” Murakami smirked.

The group bowed before freezing as they noticed how Murakami addressed them.

“Wait,” Alina began. “You knew who they were this whole time?”

“I do have other senses,” Murakami quipped. “Touch. Smell…”

The smell comment was clearly directed at Mikey. The youngest Turtle winced as he caught a whiff of his own body odour. Yep. He now understood how Murakami was able to deduce their true identity.

“You don’t think we’re weird and scary?” Leo asked nervously.

“You saved my life!” Murakami said jovially. “Who am I to complain?”

Mikey immediately raced forward to embrace Murakami in a tight hug – an embrace Murakami received with pleasure.

Alina smiled as she looped arms with Leo. “Maybe we should…”

“Yeah,” Leo nodded. “We’ll talk in the lair.”

**

“So… were you going to kiss me?” Alina asked pointedly.

“Were you?” Leo challenged.

“I may not have actually… done it yet, but I know when a kiss was about to happen,” Alina said haughtily.

“R-really?” Leo stammered with a blush. “I-I would’ve been your first?”

“Yes,” Alina sighed. “But I don’t know what to do about this.”

“And you think I know?” Leo scoffed.

“Well, Leo, I can’t make sense of how I feel about you,” Alina admitted. “All I know about what I feel for you is different to how I feel about Raph, Donnie and Mikey.”

“I think I have an idea. Because I think I feel the same,” Leo muttered sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head.

“So… what are we going to do?” Alina asked.

“Do we… just not do anything for now?” Leo suggested. “Wait until another moment happens. Another uninterrupted moment?”

“I think… I think that’s a good idea,” Alina acquiesced. “But what if… what if another one doesn’t happen?”

“Well, I don’t want to force anything,” Leo stated. “Because no matter what happens going forward, there’s one thing I do know. I don’t want to lose you.”

Alina wordlessly nodded. She didn’t need to say she didn’t want to lose Leo. He already knew.

“I feel better knowing we have a plan,” Alina sighed.

“Me too,” Leo beamed, pulling her into an embrace.

**

The others knew what Leo and Alina were talking about when they went off in the lair. But none of them let on. And more importantly, nobody eavesdropped. They wanted to give Leo and Alina the space to work things out. They could tease them later.

So, Donnie decided to redirect himself by trying to convince April to try a pizza gyoza.

“Just try one,” Donnie pleaded, holding a gyoza up to her face. “Sometimes, things that don’t seem like they go together actually make a great couple. I mean, food.”

April sighed as she relented, “Fine.” If only to shut Donnie up. She allowed Donnie to put the gyoza in her mouth and gasped in delight. “Whoa! These are amazing!”

So amazing that April was quick to steal Donnie’s plate and help herself to even more pizza gyozas, much to his dismay.

“You boys showed your strength today,” Master Splinter praised his adoptive sons.

“Yeah, but we almost got beaten,” Raph reminded him.

“Your strength was mercy. That is why the Purple Dragon helped you,” Master Splinter proclaimed.

“Well? Say it,” Leo teased Raph.

“Okay, okay,” Raph rolled his eyes before grumbling, “You were right.”

“Ah, see? That wasn’t so…”

“Your wimpiness might not be totally useless,” Raph cut in with a smirk.

“I’ll show you who’s wimpy!” Leo snapped.

Leo was quick to pounce, tackling Raph to the floor as the two brothers wrestled. Alina just shook her head, laughing as she ate another gyoza.

Things were looking up.

**

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Bradford or Xever. Their failure might have been bad, but it was nothing compared to having to front The Shredder.

And The Shredder was displeased.

“This is unacceptable!” The Shredder snarled.

“Humble apologies, Master Shredder,” Bradford muttered, bowing his head.

Xever began vowing, “I swear, next time, we will…”

“Enough!” The Shredder snapped rising from his throne. Walking past the two men, he voiced his own declaration:

“I shall deal with Hamato Yoshi’s disciples myself.”

Chapter Text

Alina couldn’t help but think about how the day’s shaped up to be. It was a normal day training below ground. Donnie was showing off his latest invention: ninja smoke bombs. Something that Mikey was definitely using in any way possible – despite Donnie’s adamant warnings that they were difficult to make.

Then, April raced into the lair, saying that she was being hunted by a giant pigeon. The Turtles were quick to spring to action once she explained the situation.

But Master Splinter had been quick to warn them otherwise. He encouraged them to study their enemy before confronting him. Leo quickly objected to the idea.

Alina could remember Master Splinter’s final warnings:

“What you know is dangerous to your enemy. What you think you know is dangerous to you. I fear you are all becoming overconfident.”

And just as vividly as she remembered Master Splinter’s warnings, she remembered Leo’s flippant response:

“Sensei, in the past few months, we’ve taken down giant spiders, plant creatures, alien robots, and an army of ninjas. Maybe we’re not overconfident. Maybe we’re just that good.”

But she shook those thoughts from her head. She had to focus on their mission – particularly how it all went downhill so quickly.

It turned out that the pigeon who had been stalking April was named Pete (a mutated pigeon rather than a man mutated into a pigeon), and he was sent by April’s dad with a warning: the Kraang were up to something terrible, and he wanted her to get out of the city while she had the chance.

But Kirby’s message backfired. Rather than flee the city, April was determined to rescue him. It was easy enough to get the location of where he was being held: Pigeon Pete was more than happy to give the group his location… for a price. Fortunately, when he was talking about costing the group a lot of bread, he was being literal.

Several loafs of sourdough later, the Alina and the Turtles were breaking into the Kraang compound to save Kirby. Their plan had been going well. Not only were they on the verge of escaping with Kirby, but they found out what the Kraang’s big plan was going to be. The Kraang were planning to detonate a bomb downtown that would disperse the mutagen over half the city.

Then, it all went wrong. Terribly wrong. Mikey triggered the alarm and the Kraang were alerted to the escape attempt. Kirby sacrificed himself to buy the group time to escape and save the city. He willingly allowed himself to be imprisoned once more. All April could do was watch the scene unfold with a broken heart.

So, the group redirected their efforts. They might not be saving Kirby today, but they can still save the city.

Well… even that was up for debate when Donnie winced after being confronted with a bomb.

“Donnie, you said you knew how to do this!” Leo reminded his brother.

“I didn’t count on a design this complex, Leo!” Donnie attempted to justify his sudden hesitation.

“They’re aliens from another dimension! What did you expect?! A big round ball with a lit fuse that said bomb?!” was Leo’s incredulous retort.

“No, but this!” Donnie began stammering.

“Noy, I sure hope this argument goes on for another four minutes and fifteen seconds!” Raph cut in irritably.

The argument cut short, Donnie set to work on attempting to diffuse the bomb. Which proved to be hard with everyone trying to offer their helpful suggestions.

In the end, Donnie had snapped, “I cannot work with all this pressure!”

To Donnie’s dismay, that was only going to get worse. Because Bradford and Xever had arrived on the scene to further complicate the situation.

“You couldn’t have come later?!” Alina asked Xever in annoyance. “Seriously! You couldn’t wait five minutes?!”

Xever drawled sarcastically, “Oh, sorry for the inconvenience, estrelinha. When would you and your friends prefer to breathe your last breath?”

Leo rushed forward to shield Alina from a sneak attack Bradford had tried to do. With Leo and Alina standing back-to-back, Leo was able to warn the bad guys, “If that thing goes off, it’ll wipe us all out!”

“I’d rather perish with honour than live in shame!” Bradford declared.

“You know, I thought he’d say that,” Alina quipped to Leo.

Leo allowed himself the small laugh before they charged once more. Leo, Alina, Raph and Mikey were fighting Bradford and Xever while Donnie focused on diffusing the bomb.

“Down to two wires,” Donnie muttered to himself. “Which do I cut? Black or green?”

“Go for the green!” Mikey called to his brother. He then grunted when Bradford threw Alina into him, knocking them both to the ground.

“Eh, why not?” Donnie shrugged to himself.

He had been hovering over the black wire, but ultimately decided to cut the green wire in the end. The countdown was dangerously close to zero when he had finally made that decision. The beeps the bomb emitted were considerably high-pitched. The mechanical whines were more pronounced. All of the tell-tale signs of an imminent detonation.

Then, Donnie cut the green wire and it all stopped. There was no noise. No countdown. And, more importantly, no explosion.

Donnie had successfully detonated the bomb.

“Guys! Guys! Mikey was right about something!” Donnie cried incredulously. To him, that was more of a worthy cause for celebration than diffusing a bomb.

Seeing Leo being cornered by Bradford, Donnie gripped his bo staff tightly and joined the frey. He shielded his brother, knocking Bradford away before charging after Xever, who was locked in a fight with Raph.

Donnie joining the fight allowed the group to gain the edge against the bad guys. It enabled Raph to corner Xever, knowing he had backup. Mikey, Leo and Alina were locked in a fight with Bradford.

It was only when Bradford felt his back collide with Xever’s that he gasped in horror. He now understood what had been happening. His opponents had one-upped them. They had them surrounded.

“You are worthy adversaries, but the fight is ours. Lay down your weapons,” Leo ordered them.

“Never!” Xever spat. Bradford only raised his katana as a show of silent rebellion.

“Uh, you guys lost,” Alina reminded them. “You don’t have a choice.”

Bradford took a brief moment to observe his surroundings before snarling, “If I’m going down… I’m taking you with me!”

“Bradford, no!” Alina cried. She knew what was about to happen.

The ledge the Turtles had corned Bradford and Xever on was atop the mutagen bomb the Kraang had constructed. Bradford had caught a glimpse at the tank of mutagen that stood next to him and stabbed the glass with his katana. He was determined to make sure he took his enemy down with him, even if he and Xever were swept away.

Nobody knew why or how. It could have been because of where Bradford had stabbed the tank. It could’ve been where the others were standing. But the Turtles weren’t hit with any mutagen. Not even any splashback. When the glass finally gave way, Bradford and Xever were the ones to be swept away by the overflow of mutagen.

Either way, the Turtles and Alina stood a safe distance from the flowing mutagen as the tank was emptied. It flowed down from the bomb to the roof and finally to the city below. Bradford and Xever were swept off their feet, their screams echoing in the night air. The group jumped down from the bomb to the rooftop they had been fighting on before. They couldn’t see any sign of their adversaries. They had no idea what happened to them.

Behind her, Alina could hear the sound of the mutagen bomb powering down. Donnie’s efforts had disarmed the bomb, but not shut it down entirely. Bradford draining its tanks of mutagen was what was required for the bomb to be shut down entirely. It no longer had a power source, or anything to trigger an explosion.

It was powerless.

Leo was only too happy to sum up the night’s events: “So, to sum up, we kicked the butts of the Kraang and Shredder’s top henchmen while defusing a bomb and saving the city.”

“Yeah, we’re not overconfident!” Raph scoffed.

“We’re just that good,” Leo smirked.

Alina still remembered what Master Splinter had said to them earlier, but she wasn’t about to dampen the mood. She was going to allow the boys their victory, and allow herself to take part in it. After all, the group always told her she was a valuable member of their team. Their victories were hers as well.

So, she allowed herself to be swept into Leo’s arms. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck as he twirled her around the rooftop. When he set her down, she held an arm out to share a fist bump with Raph. The five of them were taking their leave when an ominous voice stopped them.

“Your skills are impressive.”

They turned to see the source of the voice, standing atop the deactivated mutagen bomb. With a grunt, the mysterious man landed before them and snarled,

“But they will not save you!”

The group stared at their latest opponent in fear. This man may have been slim, but he was also tall. Brawny. Toned. He wore a maroon outfit. At least, that was what Alina was able to decipher. For this man also wore chrome-plated armour on his body. Particularly his chest, shoulders, arms and lower legs. There were gauntlets on his wrist, where his weapon of choice – tekko-kagi – was unsheathed.

But what unnerved Alina was his helmet. It covered most of his face. Only his eyes were visible. His brown eyes were cold and unfeeling. And she could glimpse enough of his face to tell that he had been injured. The damage to his right eye and the brief scars she could see told her their newest enemy had been burned before.

“Oh man,” Donnie whimpered. “Do you think that’s… The Shredder?”

“Well, it’s definitely a shredder,” Raph snarked, though his voice trembled in fear and uncertainty.

Hopping down from the ledge he had been standing on before, The Shredder appraised his enemy as he approached them.

“There is undoubtedly a fascinating story in how my old nemesis came to teach ninjutsu to four mutant turtles. Perhaps I will let one of you live long enough to tell it!” The Shredder snarled.

“You’re gonna have to catch us first!” Leo challenged. “Mikey?”

“So long, suckah!” Mikey cried.

He went to throw down one of his smoke bombs, intending to provide the group with enough cover to escape. But there was one small problem. When he threw the egg to the ground, the shell cracked, as it was meant to, but it didn’t disperse smoke. Instead, Mikey stared at the remains of an actual egg.

Mikey, in his enthusiasm, had used up their entire supply of smoke bombs.

“Oops,” Mikey winced as the group glared at him. “Alright. That one’s on me.”

Alina shrugged as she gripped both her axe and tanto in each hand, “Okay. Looks like we’re fighting the bad guy.”

Seeing that he had the group cornered right where he wanted them, The Shredder charged at them with a yell. Raph was the first to attack. They threw blow after blow at one another, but were able to block each and every one. Raph tried to thrust his sai at The Shredder, but found his attack blocked. It also left him in a vulnerable situation. It enabled The Shredder to kick Raph into the nearby hotel sign. Raph screamed at the electricity that coursed through him before he fell to the ground unconscious.

“RAPH!” Leo cried in horror.

Leo’s horror only intensified when Alina rushed forward. It appeared as though she was charging at The Shredder. But instead, she was racing towards Raph. Resting her head on his plastron, she visibly relaxed in relief when she heard his heartbeat. He was alive.

The Shredder set his sights on Leo next. He leapt into the air, attempting to land on Leo with a violent punch, but Leo backed away in time. Leo was able to hold his own for a brief period. Dodging The Shredder’s attacks while launching a few of his own that The Shredder also dodged. It was during one of those attempted attacks that The Shredder gained the upper hand on Leo. When Leo was mid-air, The Shredder punched him in the side, knocking him to the ground before kicking him in the stomach. Leo slid across the rooftop, losing his grip on his swords as he too lost consciousness.

“Leo!” Donnie screamed in horror.

Alina raced forward to tend to Leo. She heard him emit a weak moan of pain as she tried to hold him in her arms. Cradling his face, she could feel the familiar brushing of breath on her arm when it was briefly across his face. He was breathing. That was the main thing.

Donnie, enraged, charged at The Shredder. He had just watched this man take down his two older brothers. That did not sit well with him. Donnie did not last as long against The Shredder as Leo and Raph did. The Shredder quickly gripped Donnie’s bo staff before defeating Donnie with his own weapon. Alina already knew it would reignite Donnie’s frustration with the bo staff.

Well, as long as it didn’t lead to a Metalhead 2.0.

The Shredder was surprised to feel a chain wrapped around his raised forearm. Looking behind him, he saw Mikey was the source. Tugging at the chain, he relished in Mikey’s surprised yells as he suddenly found himself flying towards the very enemy he was trying to capture. When Mikey was close enough, The Shredder hit him with a roundhouse kick, sending him flying towards the edge of the rooftop.

Even as he tumbled wildly and violently, Mikey still managed to throw some of his ninja stars at his enemy. The Shredder was able to block all of them, but there was still something to be said about the youngest turtle’s accuracy.

Alina charged at The Shredder after Mikey fell over the edge, striking at his leg with her axe as she slid low between his legs. She then propelled her legs forward, landing a kick on his chest as she flipped herself upright. The Shredder was certainly surprised. But he regained his awareness enough to block the young girl’s furious attacks.

There was one moment. In reality, it only lasted less than a second, but for the two people involved, it felt like an eternity. Alina and The Shredder locked eyes. And they both froze mid-strike. Alina felt a horrifying pang of familiarity. A memory that had long been inaccessible to her suddenly danced across her vision.

It was a memory of this man. Playing with her. Laughing with her. Holding her. Giving her a rare show of love and kindness he rarely bestowed on anybody.

It seemed The Shredder was confronted with the same memory, because he gasped with a trembling breath, “That’s impossible!”

Ignoring the possibility it presented, The Shredder swiped down with his tekko-kagi, hearing Alina’s cries of pain as one of the blades sliced through the skin of her arm before she fell to the ground, temporarily defeated.

Leo and Donnie, fuelled by rage, charged at The Shredder from two different directions. The Shredder was momentarily surprised by the attack, but was able to block them. Clutching her bleeding arm, Alina was able to sneak away in the chaos, joining Mikey by Raph’s side. Raph stirred into consciousness, much to the duo’s relief.

But the relief disappeared as quickly as it washed over them as they watched The Shredder grab Leo before he tossed him aside like a ragdoll. When Leo landed on the ground, The Shredder charged at him. He was stopped by an impact felt on his helmet. Donnie had tried striking him with his bo staff, something that was ineffective due to his armour. The Shredder grabbed Donnie and threw him into Leo, knocking both of them off his feet.

Both Raph and Alina dove down, stopping The Shredder from delivering a fatal blow to Leo and Donnie. The duo attacked with an effortless coordination. The Shredder, having had enough, grabbed Raph off his shoulders and threw him into Alina. Alina grunted in pain when Raph’s body collided with her chest. The impact forced them onto the ground, with Raph sprawled across Alina’s stunned form.

The Shredder raised his fist, ready to strike. That was when Mikey entered the scene once more. He wrapped his kusarigama around his wrist before jumping down. The Shredder screamed in pain when the movement came to an abrupt halt. His arm screamed in agony, but he wasn’t about to let that slow him down. Not when he had rage fuelling him.

Mikey looked up in horror when he saw an ever-growing shadow looming over him. The Shredder had used his claws to cut through the sign he was tied to, causing part of it to fall on him. While The Shredder freed himself from his makeshift trap, Leo, Raph, Donnie and Alina immediately raced towards the fallen sign. The quartet summoned their remaining strength to save Mikey. While Leo, Raph and Donnie lifted the sign, Alina reached under, grabbing Mikey’s hand as she helped pull him out.

When the group righted themselves, they saw The Shredder standing there. Immediately, they all drew their weapons, ready to fight once more. They were worn. They were beat. They were covered in bruises. Their bodies marred with injuries. The blood had dried on Alina’s arm, but was no longer bleeding. That alone told her she didn’t need stitches when this was over.

If she survived the aftermath. Because she could only think of one way this was going to end.

So, the five of them charged at their enemy. And The Shredder dispatched them with effortless ease. Alina screamed at the harsh impact on her back that knocked her into Donnie. She fell to the ground with Donnie, landing next to Raph. Mikey fell to the ground not long after them.

Leo, he left until last. While The Shredder ensured Leo was incapacitated and unable to fight back, he was going to make sure he could talk. He pinned Leo against the wall, holding him up by his shoulder while he held his blades against his throat. Leo had squeezed his eyes shut and rapidly turned away when The Shredder thrust his blades towards him. He could feel blood running down his arm. Opening his eyes, he saw there was no injury. He realized with horror that the blood running down his arm was Alina’s, remnants from when The Shredder injured her earlier.

“Tell me where Splinter is, and I promise your demise will be swift,” The Shredder snarled.

A small blade slid out of the gauntlet, creeping closer and closer to Leo’s throat. The two enemies exchanged conflicting looks – Leo’s was filled with horror, while The Shredder’s was filled with hatred.

But there was a sound to be heard behind them. A sound that made The Shredder drop Leo in his shock. Turning around, he saw a strange creature, a red snakehead, crawling towards him, leaving a trail of mutagen behind him. This creature used his arms to propel himself forward, having no legs to carry him. Only a tail.

“Help… me,” the creature wheezed.

“What is this?!” The Shredder demanded, horror laced in his voice.

Raph, Donnie, Mikey and Alina took the opportunity to help Leo to his feet. They were going to use this opportunity to make their escape. It was going to be their only way to survive.

Then, Alina saw the second figure emerge from the mutagen. An akita mutant. And it clicked for her what had happened. Around the same time it clicked for Xever.

“Xever? Bradford?!” The Shredder gasped in horror.

That was when The Shredder realized his foes had escaped, and he screamed into the skies in anger.

**

The Turtles were lamenting their loss. Licking their wounds. April was dejected over their failure to rescue her father, rejecting Donnie’s comfort before he could even offer it. Raph hit the arcade machine in anger. Mikey was slumped over the beanbag. Alina just sat there, staring into space as Leo busied himself with bandaging her arm. When he finished, he gently turned her head to face him. Alina gave him a weak smile.

“I’m okay,” she murmured reassuringly. She then pressed her hand to his head, near his bruise. “You should ice that.”

Leo shook his head, “I’m fine, Allie.”

“You were all very lucky,” Master Splinter declared to the group. He was now making his presence known to the group.

“Well, I think we define that word differently, Sensei,” Raph grumbled darkly.

“Few have ever faced The Shredder and survived,” Master Splinter revealed.

“He was just so fast,” Mikey sighed.

“It was like he was everywhere at once,” Donnie voiced his contribution to the conversation.

“You were right about us being overconfident, Sensei,” Leo sighed gloomily. “There are some things we’re just not ready for.”

“Perhaps,” Master Splinter mused. “But that no longer matters. It is clear now that The Shredder is a problem that will not go away.”

Alina faced Splinter, maintaining her grip on Leo’s arm that was suddenly fuelled by fear. Leo rested his hand on Alina’s as a silent gesture of comfort, his face serious. Raph’s face carried the same seriousness as Leo’s. Donnie and Mikey looked worried.

“So, prepare yourselves, my sons,” Master Splinter warned them. “Because as of this moment…”

Alina closed her eyes as she heard Master Splinter’s last words, confirming what she already knew:

“We are at war.”

Chapter Text

The weeks that followed since the group’s first encounter with The Shredder were intense. Master Splinter had banned the Turtles from leaving the lair. They were not allowed to join Alina and April on their patrols. They were not allowed to screw around. The only thing they were allowed to do was undergo an extensive training regimen. That included training sessions that often lasted all night.

The amount of times Alina came into the lair to find the Turtles in varying degrees of consciousness due to one of Master Splinter’s training sessions was insane. Because Master Splinter also rarely allowed them the opportunity to rest.

It made Alina glad she lived on the surface and couldn’t explain hiding away in the sewers for weeks.

Alina and April had come down to the sewers while the Turtles were in another one of those training sessions. They had heard worrying reports about the Turtles and how they were coping with the forced confinement. Tempers were certainly rising, and Mikey had resorted to unleashing a pranking streak, making it his aim to strike everyone with a water balloon.

“Hoko no kamae!” Leo ordered his brothers.

Alina didn’t know where Master Splinter currently was. All she knew was that Leo was leading their latest training session. Mikey and Donnie were quick to obey Leo’s commands. Raph, as usual, wasn’t.

“Raph, hoko no kamae!” Leo reiterated his order.

“Hoko no way!” Raph objected. “It’s bad enough Splinter’s driving us into the ground! Now, you too?!”

“We have to keep training because right now, we don’t stand a chance against Shredder!” Leo declared.

“Yeah, and he’s up there somewhere waiting for us! I just freaked myself out!” Mikey whimpered.

“I hate to say it, but the fact that we’ve been laying low might be the only reason we’re still alive,” Donnie pondered.

“Exactly. So, until we’re ready, we stay down here,” Leo told his brothers firmly.

That was when April and Alina emerged from the shadows, ready to burst their bubble.

“Unfortunately, that’s not an option,” April proclaimed.

Everyone was confused… until they gathered around the girls in the lounge area and listened to the recording from April’s phone. April posed as a pizza delivery driver and pretended to be confused with a delivery, tricking the Purple Dragons into taking a free pizza that was bugged with a listening device. (Alina had to stay out of that particular mission due to her own history with the Purple Dragons.)

And what they were listening to was worrisome.

Fong was heard telling his fellow gang members, “We’re meeting Shredder tonight. He’s got a plan to destroy the Turtles.”

Sid asked, “How? He doesn’t even know where they are.”

Fong responded, “He says they’re in the sewers somewhere, and that’s all he needs to know to wipe them out.”

Alina sighed heavily at the words, watching nervously the reactions of her friends. They all looked terrified. It wasn’t an expression she was used to seeing on their faces. Obviously, the events of recent weeks had shaken them, probably more than they would care to admit.

“Our home is no longer safe. The Shredder must be stopped,” Master Splinter pronounced in a grave tone.

“How can we stop a plan we don’t even know?” was Leo’s sound argument.

Alina was about to open her mouth to say something. But it wasn’t related to Leo’s concerns. It was so she could warn the blue-masked Turtle about Mikey preparing to throw a water balloon at him when his back was turned. However, Leo did not need Alina’s warnings. Before Mikey could even finish priming his arm to throw it, Leo calmly threw a kunai at the balloon, popping it and causing the water to splash down Mikey’s hand and arm, much to the youngest turtle’s dismay.

“We have to go topside and find out what they’re planning,” Raph answered Leo’s earlier question.

“Raph’s right,” Leo nodded in agreement. “There’s no other way.”

**

The Shredder’s hideout turned out to be an abandoned church in the city. At least, that was what they discovered when the shadowed the Purple Dragons on their journey from their own hideout. Alina gasped when she recognized the building. She walked past the structure all the time, and almost stepped inside on numerous occasions. To think she was basically walking under the eyes of the enemy for an indeterminate amount of time sent a chill through her spine.

But that wasn’t something she was about to voice aloud, especially with Leo in earshot. If there was something that has increased in the aftermath of their battle with The Shredder, it was Leo’s overprotectiveness. He flipped out on Mikey one sparring session because he “flipped Alina the wrong way” and almost injured her.

Naturally, it led to some suggestive comments from Raph. Some were safe for work, and others were… not so safe for work.

“This is the place,” Leo reported to the group.

The others crowded against the wall Leo was hiding behind. But there was something else that had developed since their fight with The Shredder.

Lack of awareness for personal space.

“Donnie, you’re crowding me!” Raph hissed at his brother.

“Sorry,” Donnie muttered.

Donnie went to back away so he wasn’t crowding in Raph’s personal space anymore. But he wasn’t aware of his surroundings, as he suddenly found himself backing into a trashcan. The sound emitted from the action made Mikey yelp in fear. The action also caused him to jump, hitting Raph as he stood behind him, and clinging to Leo’s arm.

Noticing the looks he was receiving, Mikey whimpered, “Sorry. All that Splinter talk about how we’re not ready has me thinking maybe we’re in over our heads.”

“You’re always in over your head,” Raph snarked, hitting Mikey over the head to seemingly emphasise his point.

“I’m saying now we all are!” Mikey snapped. “And that scares me.”

“It’s okay to be scared, Mikey,” Alina reassured her friend.

Leo took the moment to shoot Raph a look and add, “Raph is scared, too.”

“I am not scared!” Raph objected defiantly.

That changed when Leo innocently poked at Raph from behind. Raph yelped in fear. However, when he realized who the culprit was, his fear turned into annoyance. Leo, meanwhile, was amused.

But all amusement, annoyance, anger – anything that wasn’t fear – dissipated when they heard an ominous growl approaching them. Looking up, they saw the source touring over them.

Bradford, in his mutated form.

“You should be,” Bradford growled.

“Bradford!” Leo gasped in recognition.

“Rad-Brad!” Mikey cried.

“Look what I found. Four soon-to-be-ex-turtles,” Bradford sneered.

Under normal circumstances, Alina would’ve been offended at being left out of the lineup, but admittedly, her fear was overridden by her indignation. Particularly as Bradford backed them deeper into the alleyway and began cornering them.

“I’m sure glad it’s okay to be scared,” Mikey whimpered.

“You and me both,” Donnie quickly agreed.

“This is no time to panic!” Leo declared stubbornly, unsheathing his katana. But as Bradford edged closer, Leo had to concede, “Okay, maybe a little.”

The others had also drawn their weapons and prepared for a fight, but there was no mistaking their fear.

“He keeps getting taller!” Mikey cried.

“Don’t worry. I’ll cut him down to size,” Alina smirked.

Both Leo and Master Splinter would disapprove if they heard this, but Alina had to admit: she was itching for a fight. It was what made her charge first.

Neither side was able to land a blow. Although, in Alina’s case, it was hard to land a blow that actually had an impact on the giant akita mutant. It appeared that the mutation had increased his durability. But Alina couldn’t help but note that his increased size led to a loss of agility. He lost a lot of the grace and speed he had in his human form. It was the only reason why Alina was able to escape his blows.

When Alina landed next to Leo, he grasped his arm in a gentle, but firm, grip as he suggested, “Let’s stick together on this one.”

Bradford went to land a punch in the middle of the group, but they all dispersed. The group all charged at their enemy individually, but found all of their attacks blocked in one way or the other. Whether it be an attack with their weapons or close-quarter combat. Mikey even tried using a makeshift zipline with his nunchuck and a thick wire hanging above them in the alleyway, but Bradford was able to simply swat Mikey away. Mikey ended up colliding into Donnie’s chest.

“This is hopeless!” Donnie told his brother.

“Keep your head in the game!” Leo snapped at them.

“I just want to keep my head on my body!” Donnie retorted.

By this stage, the group had retreated deeper into the alley, and it was something Raph wasn’t happy about.

“Come on! What are we retreating for?!” Raph tried to goad his brothers. But when Bradford swatted him into the dumpster like he had swatted Mikey into Donnie, Raph had to concede defeat, groaning, “That’s a good reason.”

“Mikey, smoke!” Leo ordered his youngest brother.

It took a bit of scrambling for Mikey to get a grip on one of the many smoke bombs the group had started carrying on their person. But when he did, he fumbled. He suddenly lost his grip on the egg, scrambling in vein to regain his grip. As a result, the smoke bomb landed on the ground with little impact. It didn’t allow the group to disappear in a puff of smoke.

“What was that?!” Raph snapped at Mikey impatiently.

“I’m stressed! Excuse me if my aim’s a little off!” Mikey fired back.

“How hard is it to hit the ground?!” Raph scoffed.

But when Raph went to throw down his own smoke bomb, he found himself not faring much better than Mikey. Actually, one could argue he fared worse. Because while Mikey managed to drop his smoke bomb to the ground and cause it to emit a small amount of smoke, Raph dropped his onto the sewer grate. When he bent down to pick it up, the impact of his hand against the grate caused the smoke bomb to dislodge and fall into the sewer below.

“Not so easy, is it?” Mikey couldn’t help but snark.

“Oh, will you guys just?!” Leo snapped impatiently.

In the end, he was the one to drop the smoke bomb that facilitated their retreat.

**

The Turtles were not taking their latest defeat well, as shown by the way they moped in the main living area of the lair. Seeing Master Splinter stand over him, Leo sighed, “We couldn’t take him.”

“Dogpound was just too powerful,” Mikey pouted.

“Dogpound?” Leo and Alina repeated in surprise.

“What? ‘Cause he’s a dog and he pounded us into the,” Mikey began justifying his name choice.

“We’ve got it,” Alina reassured him. She had to admit: Dogpound was a name that suited Bradford’s mutated form.

“I don’t see how we’re gonna get close to that meeting now,” Leo lamented.

“Well, maybe we just need to find a new place to hide,” Donnie mused. Pulling up some images on his laptop, he quipped, “I hear the sewers in Florida are nice this time of year.”

“No!” April snapped, slamming Donnie’s laptop shut as she suddenly appeared next to him. “I’m not letting you guys give up!”

“Look. April and I will spy on the meeting,” Alina decided.

The Turtles were quick to voice their objections, with Master Splinter’s objection being the loudest of them all.

“I can do this! You’ve been training me to be a Kunoichi!” April reminded Master Splinter.

“For a few weeks,” Master Splinter retorted. And a few weeks of training does not a kunoichi make.

“What choice do we have?” Alina challenged. “The Shredder’s gonna hit you where you live, and we need to know how. This is our only choice.”

“Allie,” Leo began his objections.

“Leo, I’ve been training alongside you guys for ten years,” Alina reminded him. “You bring me with you on missions. Would you do that if you didn’t think I was capable?”

“It’s not a question of capability,” Leo shook his head. “It’s… it’s…”

But Leo suddenly found his words faltering. Because Alina brought forward sound arguments – arguments he suddenly couldn’t refute. Or, at least, he didn’t feel comfortable refuting in front of the others.

They didn’t have a choice. Not if they wanted to save their home.

**

April and Alina went with a two-pronged approach. First, they went with an approach they (well, particularly Alina) knew would fail. April was going to reassume her pizza delivery driver disguise and try the same trick she did to the Purple Dragons on the Foot Clan. Alina didn’t say it, not wanting to discourage April, but she already knew that wouldn’t work this time. The Foot Clan were too smart for that.

Besides, she wasn’t sure they liked pizza.

The Turtles watched from a nearby rooftop as they saw April approach the door to the abandoned church, carrying the pizza. They were suspicious of Alina’s absence. They couldn’t find her anywhere.

“I don’t like this,” Donnie frowned worriedly.

“Me neither. Giving the enemy a free pizza? Never a good idea!” Mikey scoffed.

April knocked on the door. Her knocks were soft, but were obviously enough to draw the attention of a Foot Ninja who had been stationed at the door.

April adopted a deep voice and asked, “Hey, did somebody here order a totally delicious pizza?”

But April couldn’t fully launch into her spiel, for the Foot Soldier slammed the door in her face. Just as Alina silently predicted they would. April walked away from the door in defeat. Sneaking into an alleyway, she pulled out her phone to call Leo.

“Looks like the Foot Clan are smarter than the Purple Dragons,” April quipped.

“They’d almost have to be, wouldn’t they?” Leo chuckled. “Thanks, April. You did your best.”

She heard Mikey say hopefully, “At least we’ve still got the pizza.”

Alina’s voice could be heard over the frequency, “That was Plan A. Time for Plan B. April, meet me in the alley right next to the church.”

“What is she doing?” Leo gaped.

“Really? You’re surprised?” Raph deadpanned.

They watched as Alina suddenly appeared on the rooftop of the building next to the abandoned church. Taking a running leap, she was able to leap off the edge of the roof and land smoothly and silently on the other side. She kept a low stance as she snuck by the windows, heading for the broken window that gave her a clear, silent access to The Shredder’s lair.

Alina frowned momentarily in concern when she saw a fish swimming in the tank below the floor. She then saw the fish swim to the walkway, gripping it with human-like hands, but making no effort to climb out. It made the young girl gasp in realisation. The fish was Xever. Obviously, as a side effect of his mutation, he couldn’t breathe on land.

All concern (yes, she had concern for Xever; who would’ve thought?) vanished when Alina looked down and saw Bradford – or Dogpound, as Mikey had taken to calling him – walk into the throne room, approaching The Shredder. Walking next to him was Fong. Obviously, the Purple Dragons were assisting The Shredder in his latest scheme. Flanked behind them were two Foot Soldiers. Both Dogpound and Fong bowed before The Shredder in a respectful manner.

Knowing they would begin talking about their scheme soon, Alina took out her phone and called Leo, holding it in the direction that would pick up The Shredder’s voice from her hiding spot.

This was one way to hear The Shredder’s plan.

**

The four Turtles crowded around Leo’s phone as they listened to The Shredder’s voice.

“Listen carefully. Five of you will hijack a tanker truck on Houston in approximately fifteen minutes. The chemical is extremely rare, so you will not have another chance.”

“Chemical? What chemical?” Raph pondered.

“How about we listen and find out?” Donnie suggested dryly.

“How about I break your shell on my knee?” Raph growled.

“How about you two shut it for a minute while we try to hear Shredder’s evil plan!” Leo snapped impatiently.

“…which will destroy them once and for all. Now go.”

“We missed it!” Leo cried in frustration. “Oh great. Nice going, guys!”

It was a strange series of events that happened next. Donnie immediately raced to the edge of the rooftop, crying, “We’ve gotta get Alina out of there!”

But Leo held him back, stating reasonably, “If we rush in there, we put her at risk. We wait.”

Even if every fibre of his being was screaming at Leo to race in there and carry Alina out, he held himself back. But he still took a moment to acknowledge the intensity of the urge. The feelings that swirled within him that motivated the urge.

And the intensity frightened him.

**

April looked up as she watched Alina jump back across, landing on the rooftop with ease. She then used the fire escape and dumpster to help her climb back down onto the street below. But rather than take the opportunity to retreat and meet with the others, April and Alina had other ideas.

“We’re gonna hitch a ride, see where they go,” April reported to Leo over the phone.

“No! You have done enough! Now, get out of there!”

Alina gasped in horror when she saw Dogpound’s ear twitch. Another side affect of his mutation? Heightened hearing.

Leo also seemed to have caught onto this fact, because he screamed into the phone, “Bradford heard you! Run!”

“April, run!” Alina ordered, pushing her friend behind her as she drew her axe.

But Alina found her weapon would do nothing. Not against someone bigger and stronger than she was. While Dogpound didn’t swat at Alina the way he had swatted at the Turtles earlier, he still proved effective at disarming her.

Leo learned this the horrific way when he saw Alina’s weapons lying on the ground. Gripping the phone like it was his new lifeline, he watched in horror as Dogpound tossed the bound and gagged Alina into the van alongside the bound and gagged April. Obviously, the Foot Soldiers that were accompanying Dogpound had dealt with April while Dogpound dealt with Alina.

“Buckle up, princess,” Dogpound smirked at Alina.

She couldn’t speak due to the tape over her mouth, so Alina used her eyes to voice her defiance as Dogpound slid the seatbelt over her and April’s prone body. Dogpound then slammed the door in her face before signalling for Fong to drive away.

The Turtles watched in horror as the van sped away, with Dogpound hanging onto the side of it.

“No! We’re too late!” Donnie cried in horror.

“Allie! Allie, are you there?!” Leo pleaded into the phone.

“She’s not gonna answer, Leo,” Donnie stated reasonably. “What do we do?”

“We gotta get them out of that van, but Dogpound’s in there and we’re not ready to fight that guy!” Leo rambled. “Aw, Splitner was right! We should’ve stayed below!”

Raph watched his older brother freak out before him, and decided he did not like that. It was something he hated more than what he was about to use to whip his brother back into shape.

“Can’t believe I’m gonna say this,” Raph grumbled to himself. He then turned to Leo and recited a line from the episode of Space Heroes they recently watched: “Get it together, Captain! You’re our leader, so act like one!”

Raph’s words – or, rather, the words he had borrowed – had the desired effect. Because Leo immediately perked up, his confidence restored.

“You’re right, Raph. That was the anxiety ray talking,” Leo smirked.

“What? That’s it? You’re not gonna slap yourself?” Raph couldn’t help but ask in dismay. He recalled the scene where Captain Ryan had to slap himself to rid himself of the effects of the anxiety ray he was struck with.

Leo scoffed before glaring, “Let’s save April and Alina!”

“And our home!” Raph chimed in.

“But we’ll never catch him on foot!” Donnie objected.

“We’re not going on foot,” Leo smirked.

**

It turned out what Leo was referring to was Donnie’s coping mechanism from all the stress. Donnie had been working to invent a Patrol Buggy, an all-terrain vehicle the Turtles could utilise in their patrols of the city. Leo and Raph sat in the front while Donnie and Mikey sat in the back.

“Yeah, this is rad!” Mikey cheered as they raced through the city.

“It’s not ready!” Donnie warned the group.

“This thing is awesome! Does it have a radio?!” Mikey asked excitedly.

“No, it doesn’t have a radio!” Donnie snapped impatiently. “I’m telling you it’s not ready!”

“Seems ready to me,” Leo shrugged. He cried out in surprise when he tugged at his steering wheel a little too hard and it detached. Hastily reattaching it, he quipped, “Eh, okay, don’t pull on that and we’ll be fine.”

**

Alina’s screams were muffled when Fong sped the van up to cut across in front of the tanker they were trying to chase. She then winced in pain when her hair suddenly caught in something, pulling a few strands out by the roots. She couldn’t work out what it was, but there was one thing she knew: it hurt.

Besides, she was too busy praying the truck driver managed to stop in time. She didn’t feel like dying today.

Fortunately, the driver managed to stop in time. That was when Dogpound approached the driver’s side, ripped the door off, and snarled at him to,

“Get out.”

It was an order the truck driver had no problem complying with. A Foot Soldier raced forward at Dogpound’s silent gesture, immediately buckling himself behind the steering wheel and preparing to peel away. Dogpound hung out the side of the truck like he had done with the van, which followed behind the truck.

“Call Shredder. Tell him we’ve acquired the tanker and we’re on our way. No problems encountered,” Dogpound instructed. But his instructions changed when he saw the Turtles approaching from the other end of the street. He growled, “Hold that call. Run them down.”

Leo wasn’t deterred, for he knew of an ability the Patrol Buggy possessed.

“Raph, get ready!” Leo warned his passenger.

“For what?” Raph stammered in confusion.

Leo didn’t elaborate. Instead, he pulled a lever. Raph screamed as the two sides of the Patrol Buggy suddenly detached. Raph was barely able to regain control of his side in time to avoid the collision with the tanker. The two sides raced down both the tanker and the van on separate sides before doing a sharp u-turn in the middle of the street and resuming their pursuit.

When Raph caught up with Leo, he shot his brother a glare and snapped, “Leo! You could’ve been a little more specific!”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Leo smirked. “Get ready.”

Donnie, who was still attached to his own cart behind Leo, gasped in horror as Leo got closer to the tanker. Blazoned on the back of the tank attached to the truck was the name of the chemical it was carrying.

And it clued Donnie into The Shredder’s plan.

“Chlorosulfonic acid?! Leo, I think I figured out Shredder’s plan! That acid reacts violently with water!” Donnie revealed.

“So, if he dumps it in the sewer…,” Leo began.

“It’ll all be incinerated in seconds, including the lair!” Donnie filled in the blank for Leo.

“And Splinter! We gotta stop them!” Leo proclaimed.

The plan seemed simple enough. But when Fong noticed Leo and Donnie approaching from one side and Raph and Mikey from the other, he veered down a side street, no longer following the tanker truck’s route. He probably figured the Turtles would be more focused on stopping Dogpound than they would be saving April and Alina.

They thought wrong.

Leo immediately began issuing the orders to his brothers, “Donnie! You and Raph stay with the van and save April and Alina! Mikey, you’re coming with me! We have to stop that tanker!”

“Uh, if you haven’t noticed, I’m stuck with Raph!” Mikey reminded his brother.

“No problem,” Raph smirked. When he pulled the lever that detached Mikey’s buggy from his and heard Mikey’s panicked screams echo behind him, Raph quipped to Leo, “Well, that was fun!”

“Told ya!” Leo boasted.

He then pulled the lever to separate Donnie’s patrol buggy from his own. Donnie was more prepared than Mikey, Leo and Raph were, so he never came close to losing control of his own vehicle.

With all four Turtles now driving individual buggies (or karts, as they would refer them as if they wanted to annoy Donnie), they went down their separate paths. As dictated, Leo and Mikey maintained their pursuit of the tanker, while Raph and Donnie chased down the van that housed April and Alina.

“Mikey, let’s slow this thing down! Fire grappling hooks!” Leo ordered.

“Got it!” Mikey nodded.

Both Mikey and Leo pressed the button on their respective consoles to attach the grappling hooks to the rear bumper of the truck. But the duo learned the hard way what Donnie meant by his adamant warnings that the Patrol Buggy wasn’t ready to be taken into the field. The grappling hooks attached to the rear bumper of the tanker with no difficulties. It just didn’t remain attached to the buggies.

“Donnie did say it wasn’t ready!” Mikey reminded him.

“I know!” Leo rolled his eyes.

Looks like they had to try something else.

**

Donnie and Raph were having better luck rescuing April and Alina. For Donnie pulled up alongside the van and called into the open window,

“Hold your breath!”

Seeing the smoke bomb Donnie held in his hand, the girls did just that. Fong, however, was too focused on the road ahead (something Alina couldn’t help but praise him for) to realize what was about to happen. He only realized too late when the van began to fill with smoke from the smoke bomb.

Fong coughed and spluttered as he lost control of the van, his vision obstructed. It wasn’t enough to cause the van to crash, but it did cause enough of a distraction for Fong to not realize he was about to drive over a bunch of Makibishi spikes until a split second before he did. Alina grunted through her gag as her side collided with the passenger side door due to the van’s abrupt stop.

That was when the Foot Ninjas who were hiding in the back of the van made their presence known, presenting one final obstacle for Raph and Donnie in their rescue mission.

“Come on! Let’s club these feet!” Raph smirked as he and Donnie charged at them.

“I think they’re called foots,” Donnie corrected his brother.

“Just hit ‘em,” Raph grumbled.

Defeating the Foot Ninjas turned out to be rather easy. Donnie and Raph barely gave them the opportunity to block the hits that came at them, never mind attempt to land some of their own. Alina could’ve sworn she looked away for one second before looking back and seeing that the Foot Ninjas that were hiding in the back of the van had been defeated.

Fong decided he was going to use that moment to charge, while their backs were turned. A cowardly move Alina disapproved of. Fortunately, April took that moment to intercede, using her feet to force the driver’s side door open. The door collided with Fong’s body, sending him crashing to the ground unconscious.

The two girls hopped out of the van. Their hands were still bound behind their backs, but their gags were gone.

“Nice shot!” Donnie praised April.

“Nice wheels,” April returned the praise.

“Oh. Well, I built them, you know,” Donnie boasted. His boastful expression quickly disappeared when he heard his buggy collapse behind him. “Uh, they’re not ready yet.”

“Yeah,” Alina winced, moving to let Raph undo her bonds. “Where’s Leo?”

“He’s gone after the tanker,” Raph answered.

It surprised no one when Alina immediately took off running.

**

Leo cried as he suddenly noticed the manhole cover that was flying through the air, hurtling towards him. He leapt out of his buggy, letting that take the brunt of the impact, which turned out to be a good call. The buggy was destroyed by the impact – and the destruction couldn’t be entirely attributed to Donnie’s earlier declarations about its unreadiness.

“Is that all you got?!” Leo challenged his adversary.

Pulling up beside his brother, Mikey remarked, “I’d say that’s a no!”

The two brothers charged at Dogpound, but found themselves facing the same results as before. Dogpound sent Mikey flying through the air, causing the youngest Turtle to land a few hundred feet away from them down the street. While doing this, Dogpound used his free arm to shield himself from Leo’s attack, the leader’s katana proving ineffective.

Before long, Dogpound had both Mikey and Leo slumped in the gutter, having landed quite a few blows. Quickly regaining his senses, Leo dropped a smoke bomb to the ground before him, giving him and Mikey time to escape and reposition themselves. Especially when Dogpound charged at them once more.

Leo and Mikey ended up landing above the street in the scaffold of the nearby construction site. They watched in horror as one Foot Ninja moved to pull out the hose attached to the tanker, tugging it in the direction of the exposed manhole. He was getting ready to dump the acid into the sewers.

“Don’t let him dump that acid!” Leo ordered Mikey.

The two cried out in surprise when Dogpound suddenly climbed up the scaffold, reaching his arm in to take swings at them. They were able to avoid his attacks with ease. Leo focused his energy on fighting Dogpound while Mikey charged at the Foot Ninja preparing to dump the acid. Mikey had managed to take out the Foot Ninja, but found himself knocked to the ground not long after when Leo collided with his chest, having been thrown in his direction by Dogpound.

It was mere seconds later that Dogpound made a mistake – one that would prove fatal for the scheme. He picked Leo up by his wrist and pressed him against the tanker. But he failed to realise that Leo was still holding one of his swords, and the sword pierced the metal tank, causing the acid to leak out. Leo kicked at Dogpound and managed to pull his sword out of the tank, allowing him to escape. Watching the acid spill out onto the street gave Leo an idea.

“What’d Donnie say about this stuff?” Leo muttered to himself. Gasping in recollection, he ordered Mikey, “Mikey! Throw the water balloon!”

Suddenly looking sheepish as he stood beside his brother, Mikey asked innocently, “Uh, what water balloon?”

“The one you were gonna hit me with!” Leo responded pointedly.

Glancing at the yellow water balloon he was hiding behind his back, Mikey had to concede, “Dude, you are good.”

Either way, Mikey obeyed Leo’s instructions. He threw the water balloon at the leaking acid, grunting when Leo suddenly tackled him out of the way. Dogpound could only look at the unfolding scene in horror as he realised what was about to happen.

The explosion knocked Mikey and Leo behind a car that Dogpound had tossed about, providing them with a shield. Dogpound… actually, they didn’t know what had happened to Dogpound, but part of them didn’t care. In fact, they presumed Dogpound retreated to lick his wounds, having been defeated.

Leo turned to Mikey to praise his youngest brother’s ingenuity, but found his praise cut short by a water balloon striking him in the face.

“Doctor Prankenstein for the win!” Mikey cheered.

“You had two?! Where do you keep them?!” Leo asked incredulously.

Leo then quickly decided that, knowing his brother as well as he did, he was better off not knowing.

But he was distracted from those thoughts when he saw the others racing towards them. Alina looked visibly relieved to see Leo was okay and raced into his arms. Leo’s hold on her was tight. He only pulled back briefly to look at her. Strands of her hair had fallen out of her braid and framed themselves around her face. But beyond that, she was unharmed. She was okay.

That silent declaration caused Leo to hug her once more, relief coursing through him.

“Looks like we missed the fireworks,” Raph quipped, referring to the burning tanker. Although, looking at Leo and Alina, he supposed he was in time to see fireworks of a different kind.

“Donnie, the go-kart worked great. Nice job,” Leo praised his brother.

“Thanks, Leo,” Donnie basked in the praise before quickly correcting him, “And it’s a patrol buggy.”

**

Dogpound may have thought his defeat was bad, but it turned out to be nothing compared to having to inform The Shredder not only of his plan’s failure, but the cause of its failure.

“They defeated you with go-karts and a water balloon?” The Shredder repeated Dogpound’s words, his voice showing he was less than impressed.

“I know it sounds absurd, but, uh, it won’t happen again, master. I promise you,” Dogpound stammered the same promises he made every time he failed his master.

The Shredder approached his henchman, unsheathing his blade as he snarled, “If you break that promise…”

Dogpound may not have felt the bit of fur The Shredder cut off fall from his body, but the point was still made. Dogpound was walking on thin ice. He wasn’t going to get many more chances.

“I understand, master,” Dogpound bowed dutifully.

The Shredder dismissed Dogpound with a wave of his hand. When he was alone, he turned to the Foot Ninja who stood nearby and asked, “Did you get it?”

The Foot Ninja was silent as he held up the vial.

The vial containing Alina’s hair.

**

“Nothing says victory like the sweet taste of pizza!” Mikey proclaimed.

The others voice their agreement as they began eating their slices of pizza. However, Alina suddenly gagged the second it went near her mouth. Smelling her slice, she decided it smelled off. It smelled like garbage – and that was saying something, considering her current environment.

“Hey, April, what did you do with that pizza you tried to bait the Foot with?” Alina asked.

“I threw it out,” April revealed.

“I know. I dug it out,” Mikey boasted. When everyone began coughing and spluttering, trying to spit all remnants of the garbage pizza from their mouths, Mikey scoffed, “What? We live in a sewer. Now you’re clean freaks?” He then shrugged, “More for me.”

Alina moaned in disgust as she watched Mikey eat that pizza as though it was freshly delivered. She felt a wave of nausea wash over her, and she was struggling to keep the little bits of food she ate that day in her stomach. She may have been starving, but she wasn’t that desperate.

Master Splinter approached the group and began speaking, “My sons. I owe you my gratitude… and an apology.”

“An apology?” Leo repeated in confusion.

“Fear clouded your minds. However, it was not The Shredder who fuelled that fear, but me. You overcame that fear and performed admirably,” Master Splinter praised them. It was with this in mind that he made a decision: “No training today.”

The Turtles visibly relaxed in relief at the news. Master Splinter had really been working them hard. They were delighted to see that they would be receiving a break from their training.

Then, Master Splinter added,

“Unless Michelangelo throws that water balloon.”

The group whirled around to see Mikey preparing to throw a water balloon – a blue one, this time – at their sensei while his back was turned. Realizing he was caught, he only grinned at the group sheepishly before running away screaming.

“You’re so gonna get it!” Raph proclaimed.

Watching as Leo, Raph and Donnie tackled Mikey to the ground, April and Alina wisely decided she was better off staying out of this one.

“Dinner?” Alina asked her friend.

“Dinner,” April nodded in agreement.

They then retreated to the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Leo…

Alina moaned as she began stirring from her disturbed sleep. She was expecting to feel the hard floor under her head since that was where she fell asleep (as always). But she was surprised to find herself slightly elevated. Instead of feeling the hard floor, she felt something hard, yet soft. Warm. Sturdy.

It was a thigh. A green thigh.

Slowly turning on her back and opening her eyes more to see who had volunteered themselves as a makeshift pillow, she wasn’t surprised to find Leo staring down at her.

“What are you doing here?” Alina asked sleepily. She was still trying to wake up.

“I…,” Leo suddenly found himself unable to speak. Any perfectly good excuse he could’ve given suddenly went out the window. “I… wanted to see…” Could he come right out and say ‘I wanted to see you’ without it being awkward? “You haven’t been down to the lair for a bit. I guess I just wanted to make sure…”

“We’re okay,” Alina reassured him. “I’m okay, Leo. He’s just… made it impossible to come see you guys. Or for you to come to me.” She suddenly gasped, “Wait. Where is…?”

“He’s gone,” Leo cut off her worried question. “I made sure he was gone before I came in. Your foster siblings are still sleeping.”

Alina relaxed into Leo’s lap in relief. She was thankful her foster siblings were heavy sleepers. That meant they could sleep through her screams of pain from the late-night beatings she was subjected to. Or her being taken by her foster father to…

“Did I see a racing helmet?” Leo asked worriedly.

“You did,” Alina winced.

“He’s making you race?” Leo gasped in horror. That was one of the things Alina had told the Turtles about her foster father. He had underworld connections.

Alina nodded reluctantly before admitting, “That’s how I know Xever. It’s one of the many pies Xever has his fingers in.”

“And you raced last night,” Leo surmised. “It was why you didn’t answer your phone.”

“What happened last night?” Alina demanded.

“Nothing,” Leo reassured her. “Raph and I just had fun being chased by Baxter Stockman’s machines while Donnie and Mikey tried to steal April’s phone back from the Purple Dragons.”

“That’s not nothing,” Alina deadpanned.

“You’re not awake enough for the full story,” was Leo’s justification.

“Stop stroking my hair and I will be,” Alina grumbled half-heartedly. Her eyes drooped every so often as she fought to stay awake.

Leo made no attempt to stop his actions, even as he gained awareness of what he had been doing. He only shot her an innocent grin (that was not-so-innocent) as he continued running his fingers through her hair. She had worn it down instead of in a braid.

Alina sighed, “If you’re gonna lull me back to sleep, can I use you as a teddy bear as well as a pillow?”

That was a request Leo was more than happy to comply with. Alina sat up so Leo could shift into a lying position on the floor. When he was in position, she nuzzled herself against his plastron. His arms immediately wrapped around her, offering the warmth and security she yearned for. She inhaled sharply when Leo tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Considering how often he kissed her cheek, it shouldn’t have startled her, but it did.

Especially since she couldn’t remember the last time he did.

“Do you have school today?” Leo asked.

“No,” Alina shook her head. “Professional development day. No school today. For me anyway. The other kids have to go to school.”

“Okay,” Leo nodded. “So, do you want to come down to the lair today?”

“I want to come down every day, Leo. It’s a question of capability, not desire,” Alina sighed tiredly. “But I may be able to swing it.”

Leo really hoped that was the case.

Before he could ask anything more, he noticed that Alina had drifted back to sleep. Her breathing evened out. She looked peaceful. Knowing how hard it was for Alina to find that type of peace, he wasn’t about to take it away from her.

So, he would lay there as long as she wanted. Because it was all he could do.

It was something that made Alina’s foster siblings cover the duo with blankets instead of waking them up before leaving for school.

**

Raph…

Raph walked into the dojo to see Alina practicing her axe throwing. A large assortment of targets had been set up in different locations around the dojo, giving Alina the opportunity to practice hitting targets while on the move, something she’s had to do often lately.

Watching as Alina took down the final target, Raph made his presence known by quipping, “You know we don’t need firewood down here, right, Als?”

Alina rolled her eyes, grunting as she pulled her axe out of the wood. “What do you want, Raph? Want me to clear out so you can train?”

“How about I give you a real challenge?” was Raph’s counteroffer. Picking up one of the targets Alina had been using, he offered, “Hitting moving targets? Maybe one that fires back?”

“I’m not risking chopping off one of your limbs,” Alina retorted. “You may annoy me sometimes, but I don’t actually want to maim you.”

“Touching,” Raph snorted. “And there are some benefits to being a turtle.”

Alina supposed there was.

The training session certainly started out serious enough, determined to fulfill Raph’s proposed objective. Giving Alina practice with moving targets and throwing ninja stars at her so she could learn to attack while dodging. It was something she was improving with all the time. She only got hit once with a ninja star. (Raph did consider throwing his sai in the mix, but decided the consequences of that going wrong were not worth it.)

That was before Alina snuck up behind him and tackled him to the ground. Raph grunted as he began wrestling with Alina. Quickly getting his ass handed to him.

“Uncle!” Raph groaned, banging his free arm into the ground. “I’m tapping out!”

Alina panted as she climbed off him, sitting on the ground with her legs crossed while she waited for Raph to straighten himself out. His mask had shifted in the fight and he had to fix it up.

“Don’t think I’ve seen you guys without your mask that often,” Alina mused. “Not since you guys got them anyway.”

“What can I say? They’re comfortable,” Raph shrugged. “And we feel naked without them. It’d be like you coming in without your clothes.”

“Don’t think I’d get away with that,” Alina drawled.

“So, you’ve considered it?” Raph teased. He laughed as he dodged the wooden weapons Alina found nearby to throw at him. “Come on, Als, I was only joking! You’re like my sister. That’d be too weird.”

“Just out of curiosity…,” Alina trailed off, “would I be on the A-Team or the B-Team?”

Raph considered Alina’s words, understanding what she was talking about. The troubles the Turtles experienced was partly due to Leo and Raph feeling superior to Donnie and Mikey, and the latter duo not liking being dubbed the B-Team.

So, Donnie and Mikey didn’t call their brothers for help when they were captured by Dogpound, who was recruiting Baxter Stockman to the Foot Clan’s ranks, not wanting to add to Leo and Raph’s superiority. But when Leo and Raph were being relentlessly pursued by Baxter’s MOUSERs, they were too proud to call for help. It was a vicious cycle that converged in an abandoned warehouse, where the Turtles were able to come together and deal with both their respective problems at once. Kill two birds with one stone, as Alina would say.

“A-Team, without a doubt!” Raph readily declared. “But Donnie and Mikey are the A-Minus Team now.”

Alina shrugged, figuring it was as close to praise for his brothers she was going to get out of Raph.

“So, I’m A-Team, huh?” Alina smirked.

“Yeah. Because unlike Lame-o-nardo in there, I recognize you can hold your own in a fight,” Raph told her in a rare show of seriousness. “Look how you wiped the floor with me just now.”

Alina’s smirk only grew. Oh yeah. She totally kicked Raph’s ass. It wasn’t something that happened often, so she was going to bask in it while she could. Raph, however, decided he didn’t like that. So, he pulled her into his arms and started tickling her. Alina shrieked and laughed as she struggled to get away from Raph’s merciless grasp.

She eventually did, and it led to Raph chasing Alina all around the lair, laughing their heads off. Not like when Raph was chasing one of his brothers, screaming in rage and making all kinds of plans for grievous bodily harm. (He loves his brothers, he swears; they just annoy him a lot, especially Mikey.)

In the end, Alina was the one tapping out amidst breathless laughter. The duo continued exchanging laughs and comic books all day, however.

It made Master Splinter chuckle to himself before proceeding to the dojo, deciding some meditation was in order.

**

Donnie…

Donnie hummed to himself as he reached for yet another tool. He was still working on his patrol buggy, determined to make sure it was ready and not a repeat of what happened when April and Alina were kidnapped by Dogpound and the Purple Dragons.

Alina sat nearby, working on some homework she had due so she could ask Donnie for a second opinion on some questions. And so she could talk to him. She was one of the few who could get away with it.

“Hey, Donnie. Can you Jeopardy me when you have a minute?” Alina kindly asked. “I’ve got a history quiz coming up.”

Jeopardy was a study tactic Donnie and Alina developed, inspired by the popular game show. Donnie would read her answers and she would have to guess the question.

Donnie grabbed the flash cards that had been prepared, shuffling them in random order.

Picking one, he read, “This is the war where we fought the British for our independence.”

“What is the Revolutionary War?” Alina guessed.

“Correct,” Donnie praised her. “This is the century slavery started in the U.S.”

“What is the 1600s?” Alina answered confidently.

Donnie nodded before saying, “I’m going to give you a date. You are going to tell me what happened on that date. August 2, 1776.”

“The signing of the Declaration of Independence,” Alina recalled. “We’re learning a lot about American History right now. Things I already know a lot of.”

“Yeah. I was wondering why you’d have me test you on your best subject,” Donnie remarked.

“I need to keep my mind sharp,” Alina shrugged. “I don’t want to get caught out. Besides, I needed a break from my trig homework. My teacher always has to make it harder than it needs to be.”

“Well, if you want a break, you can maybe help me with some plans,” Donnie suggested. “I’m designing another vehicle and I could use your opinion on some additional features.”

Alina wordlessly nodded. She was happy to help Donnie, and she also got a glimpse on his top-secret projects. So, win-win.

“When are you gonna tell the others?” Alina asked politely.

“When I’m done,” Donnie deadpanned. “Seriously, Alina. I don’t want the others to know about this.”

“Hey. I’m not gonna tell them,” Alina immediately rushed to reassure him. “Come on, Donnie. It’s me.”

Donnie sighed. Alina was right. It was her. He could count on her to keep his inventions quiet. Especially when he was planning on surprising his brothers with something so awesome.

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Donnie apologized.

Giving him a small smile, Alina said as she reviewed the blueprints, “This looks great. What about something that shoots out manhole covers as a defence mechanism?”

Donnie lit up at the idea, already looking for a way to incorporate it. But there was one thing for certain: it was going to take a while for Donnie to get this idea off the ground. Especially since he didn’t know where he was going to find a power source that would be enough to power something of this magnitude. Even if it later turned out to be Donnie simply overthinking things. Again. He was prone to that.

“Hey, Alina,” Donnie began. When she looked at him, he offered her a goofy smile and said, “Thanks.”

Alina smiled widely as she slung an arm across Donnie’s shoulder. But then, she grimaced when she noticed something at Donnie’s table.

“Uh… Donnie…,” Alina trailed off nervously.

Donnie followed Alina’s line of sight, and what he saw made Alina wisely back away. Especially when she could practically feel Donnie vibrating in anger.

“MIKEY!” Donnie roared in a rage, seeing the orange-masked Turtle trying to be helpful with Donnie’s ongoing experiments.

Mikey’s screams could be heard echoing all around the lair as Donnie chased after him in a rage.

It was seeing this that made April decide she was better off not knowing what was happening.

**

Mikey…

Mikey had lit up in excitement when Alina suggested an activity they could do together. Mikey was the only Turtle that seemed to have a knack for cooking, so that was something the duo often did together, as Alina taught him how to cook a variety of different meals. (Necessity forcing her to learn how to cook from a young age.)

But when Alina suggested this dish, Mikey swore he had died and gone to heaven. Because she was going to teach him how to make his own pizza. Including a homemade pizza base.

The others wisely decided to give the kitchen a wide berth when Mikey and Alina were cooking together. Past experience has taught them what can happen if they don’t stay away.

They would get caught in the crossfire of the inevitable food fight.

Nobody can ever say for sure who starts it, even if they are all inclined to think it’s Mikey. But it was definitely Mikey today. While they waited for their pizza dough to finish its second prove, Mikey decided it would be a wise idea to throw some excess flour at Alina. Alina retorted, as is the natural response when challenged to a food fight.

The moment the flour was thrown, everything else in the kitchen became fair game. Neither of them used their ninjutsu skills to avoid the incoming projectiles, seemingly determined to get as messy as possible. Their ninjutsu skills certainly came in handy when it came to devising creative ways to throw food.

“What is going on here?!” Master Splinter snapped.

Alina and Mikey froze at the sound of the sensei’s voice, both of them mid-throw with eggs, respectively.

“I was… teaching Mikey how to make his own pizza, Master Splinter,” Alina answered dutifully.

Master Splinter hummed in disapproval, especially as Mikey looked at him with a sheepish grin.

“So, what stage are we up to, Alina?” Master Splinter inquired politely.

“We’re waiting for the dough to finish its second prove, sensei,” Mikey answered this time. “We were just… looking for a way to pass the time.”

“I strongly suggest you divert your energy to cleaning up,” Master Splinter suggested. “So you have room to actually make your pizzas.”

The tone in Splinter’s voice told them it wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order.

It was how Mikey ended up on his hands and knees on the floor, scrubbing it clean while Alina cleaned the bench. As Master Splinter said, they needed space to actually make their pizzas when it was time.

Mikey panted as he rose to his feet, “At least it will have been worth it. I can taste the pizza…”

“We haven’t even shaped the dough, Mikey,” Alina laughed. “I was going to suggest tossing it, but we might be better off doing it by hand.”

Mikey pouted. He knew Alina was right, especially when he recalled the serious look Master Splinter gave them when he saw the state of the kitchen. But it still sucked.

Alina decided to distract him by asking, “What are you planning to put on the pizza?”

Happily distracted, Mikey began rambling about all these different flavour combinations he’s always wanted to try. Flavour combinations that Alina quickly talked the youngest Turtle out of. Everyone was going to be eating these pizzas after all. April and Alina, especially, would appreciate a normal pizza flavour.

In the end, they decided to do two types of pizzas – a margarita pizza and a pepperoni pizza. With that decided, they preheated the oven since they knew the doughs would finish proving soon.

“Hey, Alina,” Mikey began. “Thanks. That was a lot of fun.”

“I had a good time too, Mikey,” Alina beamed. “Even in the food fight. Which I totally won.”

“Yeah,” Mikey sighed wistfully. Then, he did a double take and argued, “No, I won!”

Master Splinter somehow heard of their plans for a rematch of their earlier food fight and was quick to shut them down, urging them to focus their energy on making the pizzas instead. Threats of being subjected to randori were uttered, and it made the two teenagers compliant.

It made Master Splinter decide that it would not be wise to leave Alina alone with either Leo or Mikey if he could help it.

Leo and Alina because of the growing romance between them, even if they were both painfully oblivious to it.

Mikey and Alina because they were quickly proving to be a bad influence for each other.

But Master Splinter was big on appreciating moments in time, so even if some of these moments caused him a few headaches, he appreciated them nonetheless.

Chapter Text

There were many things Alina expected to find when she walked into the sewer lair, having finally been able to find a convenient opportunity to escape her foster father.

Finding a giant alligator mutant in the middle of the living area was nowhere on the list.

“What the heck happened?” Alina demanded, walking down the stairs.

“Mikey happened,” Raph snarked.

When he felt her eyes on her, Leo elaborated, “We saw an urgent news report about a sewer worker being attacked by a mutant, so we went to investigate. We found this guy beating up Kraang droids, and Mikey insisted on bringing him back to the lair with us.”

“I can’t believe you let him talk you into this,” Alina quipped.

Both Leo and Raph shot Alina dirty looks in response.

“Aw, look at him!” Mikey cooed. He then gave the sleepy mutant a teddy bear that was nearby for some reason. “He’s so peaceful…”

“That’s because he’s out cold,” Leo deadpanned.

Alina wasn’t surprised to see Donnie walking into the room holding a chain.

“Whoa, what are those for?!” Mikey began objecting.

“We can’t keep him here unless he’s chained to something really big,” Donnie responded.

“That is so wrong! He’s not going to hurt us! We’re the ones who saved him!” Mikey argued.

Alina gasped when she saw that the mutant had opened his eyes, but there were no discernible features to be seen. No colour. No pupils. His eyes were completely white, and Alina already knew it did not bode well.

Mikey began saying, “See? He’s perfectly calm. I bet the first thing he’s gonna do is thank…”

Mikey’s sentence was cut short by the mutant’s roar. The mutant sprung into action, tossing Mikey to the side and ripping apart the teddy bear that had been placed in his grip.

“Uh-oh,” Donnie winced.

“Or maybe the second thing,” Mikey muttered.

The group were prepared for a fight, but they weren’t prepared for the mutant to grasp Donnie’s head, his face pressed into the creature’s palm, and be shook around like a ragdoll.

Donnie’s muffled screams could be heard, “Get him off me! Get him off me!”

“I’ll help you, Donnie!” Mikey raced forward. Unfortunately, his offer of help was to wrap his own chain around Donnie’s waist and start tugging.

“Not like that! Not like that!” Donnie screamed, his voice still muffled by the mutant’s hand, but the pain and agony in his voice clear as day.

Donnie and Mikey screamed as they were tossed aside. That was when Leo, Alina and Raph made their move. Raph and Leo tackled the mutant to the ground, holding him down so Alina could grab a taser Donnie had built previously. Once the two Turtles were certain she was ready to fire, they jumped off of the mutant, not wanting to inadvertently be caught in the crossfire.

The mutant roared in pain as the electricity coursed through him, incapacitating him into unconsciousness. The five teenagers panted as everything slowed to a stop.

“I did not like doing that,” Alina admitted.

Leo gave her a sympathetic look. He could understand why.

“What is all this commotion?!” Master Splinter snapped, walking into the room and making his presence known.

“Sensei, Mikey made us bring a mutant back to the lair and it attacked us,” Raph was quick to throw his youngest brother under the bus.

“It needs our help!” Mikey argued.

“It’s a dangerous monster!” Raph declared.

“Raphael. There is no monster more dangerous than a lack of compassion,” Master Splinter rebuked him. But when the unconscious mutant growled in his sleep, Master Splinter had to concede, “My mistake.”

“Wait,” Alina began voicing. “You guys are doing to him what everyone else does to you. You’re judging him by his looks.”

“And the fact that he had me by the face, Alina!” Donnie snapped irritably.

“But he was fighting the Kraang, Master Splinter,” Mikey revealed. “It’s like you always say: the enemy of my enemy is my bro.”

“That is not exactly what I said,” Master Splinter winced. But there was a phrase in Mikey’s argument that caught his interest. “But what’s this about the Kraang?”

“They were trying to force him to tell them where they could find some power cell,” Leo recalled.

Mikey added his usual animated contributions to the conversation, “Yeah! They were all like, ‘zap, zap, zap!’ and he was all like, ‘rawr, never!’”

“I don’t think that was the first time he resisted the Kraang,” Alina observed sadly. While the group was talking, she tentatively approached the unconscious creature, and she could see the numerous scars that littered his body.

“Hmm, I see,” Master Splinter hummed. “You made a wise decision, Michelangelo.”

The others spluttered and looked at the sensei in shock. There were many things they weren’t used to hearing. The words ‘Mikey/Michelangelo’ and ‘wise’ in the same sentence was one of them. They could acknowledge that Mikey’s brain worked differently, but they couldn’t fully grasp how his brain worked either.

“Yes. I never thought I’d hear himself say that either,” Master Splinter chuckled slightly. He then knelt next to Alina, observing one of the many scars on the mutant’s body. “His scars run deep, but they protect a genuine heart.” His decision made, Master Splinter began issuing his orders, “When he awakens, Michelangelo, you must find a way to befriend him.”

“No problemo,” Mikey beamed.

“We need to learn what he knows about the Kraang,” Master Splinter pointed out. He then turned to Leo, Raph and Donnie, “In the meantime, you three try to find this power cell before the Kraang can.”

“What can I do?” Alina asked, noticing that Master Splinter had left her out.

“You stay and help Michelangelo,” Master Splinter decided.

“I’m gonna go see if I can find anything to heal his wounds,” Alina decided. She made her way to where she knew the group kept their first aid kit.

“But we’re still chaining him up, right?” Donnie inquired nervously.

“Of course,” Master Splinter immediately answered. “I am compassionate, not insane.”

**

Alina knew that the others would be a while searching the sewers for the missing power source. So, instead, she focused herself on the task at hand. The mutant’s leather skin made it hard to apply a lot of the standard first aid techniques she knows, but she did the best she could with what she had. At the very least, she wanted to ensure his comfort.

Besides, it would go a long way in helping him trust them.

Mikey, meanwhile, was moving around in the kitchen, preparing a special meal for their guest. Alina just hoped it was better than the pizza-milkshake hybrid Mikey had her try yesterday. Then, she recognized the smell coming from the kitchen, and realized it was his ‘world famous’ pizza noodle soup – a dish that, while it certainly looked disgusting, was surprisingly delicious.

Alina watched in concern as the mutant began to stir. She moved back for two reasons. Firstly, she didn’t want to overwhelm and crowd him. Secondly, she didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire of the inevitable struggle when the mutant realized he had been chained to the pillar by his wrists.

“Well, look who’s awake!” Mikey quipped, walking in carrying a pot of soup.

“You! Set me free!” the mutant roared.

“Oh yeah. Sorry about the chains. The guys said we had to keep you locked up, or you might attack us,” Mikey explained apologetically.

“Who are you? What am I doing here?” the mutant demanded.

“I’m Michelangelo,” Mikey introduced himself. He offered a hand for the mutant to shake, but quickly withdrew it when the mutant went to bite it instead. “And this is my friend, Alina.”

Alina answered the mutant’s second question, “My friends saved you from the Kraang.”

“KRAANG!”

Alina gasped when the mutant roared and started struggling in earnest against his chains. His eyes glazed over into the white colour once more. Clearly, any mention of the ‘Kraang’ served as a trigger for the mutant, sending him flying into dangerous fits of rage. It made Alina make the mental note to not say the name around him.

“Whoa, whoa! It’s okay!” Alina and Mikey raced forward to soothe him.

The creature eventually slumped forward, panting as any fight he had in his body left him. It was clear he was still recovering from the torture he had clearly been subjected to – undoubtedly at the hands of the Kraang.

“That’s it. Just breathe,” Alina’s voice was gentle and soothing.

“You’re safe. We brought you here so you could get better,” Mikey revealed. “And nothing will heal you faster than my world-famous pizza noodle soup.”

Mikey stirred the contents of the pot once more before holding out the wooden spoon to the mutant. The mutant sniffed the spoon wearily, but eventually opened his mouth wide enough to allow Mikey to spoon-feed him the soup. The mutant smacked his lips and licked at them with his long tongue, clearly searching for any remnants of the soup on his face.

“This is the best thing I have ever tasted,” the mutant proclaimed.

“Really? Alright! Somebody finally likes my cooking!” Mikey cheered. When Alina cleared her throat, Mikey amended his cheer, “Somebody who’s not Alina!” Seeing the look she gave him, he defended himself, “What? Until now, you were the only person who likes my cooking. Everybody else prefers yours.”

Alina only shrugged in response as Mikey sat before the mutant, spoon-feeding him more of the soup. The mutant looked down at his wrists, noticing bandages wrapped around them.

Seeing the way he looked at them, Alina explained, “I spotted some open wounds. I did the best I could with what I had.”

The mutant smiled warmly before saying, “Thank you, Alina.”

The mutant’s face dropped when he truly got a good look at Alina. At some point before he woke up, Alina had unzipped the top half of the jumpsuit she wore and slid it off her body, leaving the lower half on and exposing the black tank top with the bult-in bra she wore underneath. It allowed people a glimpse of the scars and bruises – all at various stages of healing – that she always tried to cover up.

His heart softened towards her, for he saw that she was a survivor too.

When the mutant had eaten enough of the soup, since Alina had advised Mikey to start slowly, Mikey returned the pot to the kitchen and decided to busy himself with repairing the teddy bear the mutant had destroyed in his earlier rage.

“What is your name?” Alina asked politely.

“I do not have one,” the mutant confessed.

“You don’t have a name?” Mikey asked in horror. “Ha! Well, today’s your lucky day, ‘cause I’m a genius at naming stuff. Let’s see…”

Alina smiled as she watched Mikey approach the mutant, examining him closely. The mutant even allowed him to check his jaw and head as well as his tail. It was something Alina hoped would happen. She hoped Mikey would jump at the opportunity to give him a name. And she had to admit, Mikey was right. He was actually good at naming the various foes they have encountered in recent months.

Maybe his talents would extend to naming a friend.

“Your head is kind of leathery,” Mikey observed. “How about Headleather? Heather? No, wait! Leatherhead! Even better! Leatherhead!”

“Leatherhead it is,” Leatherhead decided. “Thank you.”

“No problemo. It’s what I do,” Mikey smirked. He then broached carefully, “So, I’ve been wanting to ask you. Why did you go all crazy-eyes on my brother, Donnie?”

“Your brother?” Leatherhead repeated in horror.

“Yeah. Instead of shaking his hand, you shook his face, and most of his body,” Mikey revealed.

Leatherhead was suddenly seized by the flashbacks that were forming in his mind. He was starting to recollect the earlier incident. Alina would recognize that look anywhere, for she had worn it herself and seen it on the faces of several foster siblings, current and former.

“There are times when I lose control. When I awaken, I am horrified by what I have done. A monster like me deserves to be chained,” Leatherhead lamented.

“Or maybe you just think you’re a monster because everyone treats you that way,” Mikey suggested.

Leatherhead hummed, considering Mikey’s words before declaring, “You are wise beyond your years.”

“Yeah. I get that a lot,” Mikey responded dismissively.

Alina wanted to snort and ask Mikey when had anyone ever told him he was wise beyond his years. But opted against it. First, she didn’t want to insult Mikey. Secondly, they were starting to make headway in gaining Leatherhead’s trust. She didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.

**

Raph, Donnie and Leo raced through the sewage tunnels, avoiding the traps they were inadvertently triggered along the way. Rounding a corner, they saw they were coming up to a timber obstruction that had the words ‘GET OUT!’ painted on it in white paint. Briefly, the trio considered their options before deciding it was a better alternative than the barrels they were struggling to evade. They crashed through the wall, landing on the ground once they did. A piece of shrapnel that had been attached to one of the barrels flew forward, landing before them.

They had found a hideout for Leatherhead. They say a hideout because they didn’t know if it was his only hideout, or even if it was simply somewhere he hid something as valuable as a power cell. After all, they had to swim through a deep pool to get here and avoid numerous traps. (Seriously, the trio had lost count of the traps they had inadvertently triggered in their quest.)

Donnie looked at a brick wall in front of him, deciding there was something off about the structure. He reached his hand out, touching one of the bricks. Inadvertently, he applied pressure, triggering a mechanism as a cluster of bricks sunk into the wall and a hidden door slid open, revealing an object that was decidedly Kraang by origin.

And what could reasonably be identified as a power cell.

“This thing’s putting out some power,” Donnie observed.

Donnie went to press two conduits to the power cell so he could get a reading on the level of power the cell emitted. It was through this that Donnie learned the hard and painful way just how powerful the cell was. He screamed in pain as the electric shocks coursed through him. Leo and Raph could’ve sworn they could’ve seen his skeleton. Eventually, Donnie was flung into the opposite wall by the shock’s power.

“Why am I the one that always has to touch the weird Kraang stuff?!” Donnie whined.

Leo and Raph were indifferent to their younger brother’s plight. In fact, they were quick to decide that Donnie should be the one to carry the power cell back to the lair. And it was all well and good… until they got back to the pool of water they had to swim through to get there.

“Any idea what they would use it for?” Leo asked.

“With the right components, it could power almost anything,” Donnie shrugged. “Flashlight, blaster cannon, city on the moon.”

“Why would the gator even want this thing?” Leo pondered.

“Let’s bring it back home and ask him,” Raph was quick to suggest.

“Great. But who’s gonna carry it through the water?” Donnie asked. When he noticed the smirks Leo and Raph were wearing, he whined, “Aw, man…”

Looks like he was going to be the crash test dummy.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Leo moved to reassure him with a comforting hand on his shoulder. But then, he withdrew his hand and took a step back as he suggested, “But you go first, okay?”

“You wouldn’t make Alina do this,” Donnie grumbled.

Leo didn’t even dignify that with a response. For one thing, he knew it was true.

Donnie was whimpering as he raised his foot. He squeezed his eyes shut as he slowly lowered his foot towards the water’s edge. He then yelped as he felt his body shake seemingly uncontrollably. But he quickly realised it wasn’t due to the combination of the power cell and the water.

But rather Raph showcasing his twisted sense of humour by shaking Donnie around, making him think he was being electrocuted. Complete with sound effects.

Turning around as he heard Raph laughing, Donnie glowered at his brother, “Not funny!”

Raph’s response was to knock Donnie into the water.

**

The trio made their way back to the lair, emerging from the underwater entrance within. They were expecting to see both Mikey and Alina sitting with the still chained Leatherhead. Only to find…

“Hey, guys! Leatherhead is off the chain!” Mikey remarked as he greeted them at the water’s edge.

Raph, Donnie and Leo glowered at their brother with furious glares as they pushed themselves out of the water. Raph had even gone as far as to pull out his sai, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

“You mean you set him free?!” Raph demanded, his tone a curious mixture of incredulous and horror.

“What? No. ‘Off the chain’ means he’s cool,” Mikey corrected them. But when the three other Turtles sighed in relief, he casually added, “And that’s why I set him free.”

With renewed horrified looks on their faces, he trio turned around to see Leatherhead. He was holding the pot of pizza noodle soup Mikey had made for him of his own accord, his wrists indeed being conspicuously absent of the chains that once restrained him.

Alina came over to join the group, quick to issue her own defence, “Okay. I wanna say for the record: it was all Mikey’s idea.”

“You said you needed to check the injuries on his wrists. How were you gonna do that with the chains?!” Mikey retorted.

“Fair point,” Alina conceded.

Donnie, who had been staring at them with wide-eyed horror, voiced the horror his face conveyed, “You let that maniac loose? Maybe you forget that he grabbed me by the face. So, I’ll remind you. He grabbed me… by the face!”

“Relax. You’ve been hurt worse since,” Raph stated in a dismissive tone.

In a different time, Donnie would reluctantly concede that Raph was right. Being electrocuted by the power cell they had carried to the lair did indeed hurt worse than the earlier encounter with Leatherhead.

“Mikey, you shouldn’t have unchained him,” Leo rebuked him. “What if he goes berserk?”

“He’s not going to go berserk. He’s totally mellow,” Mikey promised.

Leo looked to Alina for reassurance. He wanted to know her opinion on Leatherhead before deciding how to proceed. Wordlessly, Alina nodded, indicating she was standing by Mikey’s judgement (which is, admittedly, questionable at times).

“Okay,” Leo sighed. Turning to Leatherhead, he chuckled nervously as he began, “So, Leatherhead, about the Kraang…”

“KRAANG!”

Alina gasped when she saw Leatherhead’s eyes glaze over to that white colour once more, and recognized that he was going to fly into a fit of rage once more. While Leatherhead had managed some swings (that both, thankfully, missed) at Leo and Raph, Mikey rushed forward to calm him down.

“Dude, chill, chill!” Mikey soothed Leatherhead into a state of calm once more.

“Leo!” Alina hissed at the blue-masked Turtle.

“You both said he was mellow!” Leo defended himself.

“You can’t mention them right off the bat!” Alina retorted.

Leo sighed, deciding he was going to follow Alina’s lead. “Okay, Allie, what should I do?”

“You need to ease into it. Earn his trust,” Alina told him. “Start with an icebreaker. Ask him about his day.”

“Fine,” Leo grumbled. Reluctantly and awkwardly, Leo turned back to Leatherhead and asked, “Um… Leatherhead. How was your day?”

“It started out awful,” Leatherhead responded glumly.

“Yeah. You were attacked by the Kraang,” Mikey remarked offhandedly.

“Mikey!” Alina snapped at the youngest Turtle in annoyance, knowing what was about to happen.

“KRAANG!”

“My bad,” Mikey winced. He then jumped on Leatherhead. “Whoa, buddy! Cleansing breaths! Cleansing breaths. Cleansing breaths.”

Watching the way Mikey moved around Leatherhead’s body applying soothing gestures, the other Turtles quickly recognized them to be soothing techniques that Alina used on herself and with her foster siblings. Either Mikey paid close attention to Alina’s actions during those past incidents, or Alina taught them to him during their absence.

But either way, they worked. Leatherhead calmed down quickly this time.

“You know you’re in a safe place, right?” Mikey asked gently.

“Yes,” Leatherhead breathed heavily, still working his way back down from his high.

“My brothers just want to ask you a few questions,” Mikey told him. “Do you think you can handle that?”

Leatherhead inhaled deeply before answering, “Yes.” He was confident he could answer a few questions without flying off the handle.

“Okay.” Turning to his brothers, Mikey inquired, “Now, what is it that you guys wanted to ask?”

Leo and Raph immediately turned to Donnie. Once again, the purple-masked Turtle was going to be thrown under the bus. Wearily, Donnie walked forward, approaching Leatherhead.

“Okay,” Donnie stammered nervously. He was still weary. “W-w-we just want to know what this is.”

They all thought it would be fine if Donnie revealed the power cell he was holding. Alas, it wasn’t. His eyes glazed over once more and he lunged forward, gripping Donnie’s face in his webbed hand.

“Thief!” Leatherhead roared.

“Oh, come on!” Donnie whined, his voice muffled by Leatherhead’s palm. “This is not my day!”

Weapons drawn, Leo and Raph immediately charged at Leatherhead. Raph found himself knocked off his feet when Leatherhead threw his brother at him. The power cell rolled away from their grasp. Leatherhead immediately charged for it, initiating a struggle between him and the five teenagers. Alina grunted as Leatherhead hit her, the back of his hand striking her torso and sending her flying into Leo.

‘Why does this always happen to us?’ Alina couldn’t help but think ruefully. She watched as Leatherhead tried to bite Donnie.

“Leatherhead, relax! It’s okay!” Mikey pleaded. But Leatherhead was too far gone, as he roared and stole the power cell. “No! Put that down! Whoa!”

Leatherhead had turned his ire on Mikey, throwing him against the turnstiles where he cornered him. But Master Splinter was standing behind him, and was about to make his furious presence known.

“Stop!” Master Splinter snapped. When Leatherhead focused his attention on him, Master Splinter snarled, “Get away from my family!”

Leatherhead roared, charging at Master Splinter. But Master Splinter was quick to prove his capabilities as a fighter. He dodged Leatherhead’s attack, moving to the side as Leatherhead went to jump on him. When Leatherhead went to utilise his tail, he found his attack blocked and his body being thrown into the nearby wall.

Alina stirred, regaining her focus as she remained sprawled across Leo’s chest. She could feel his hand on her back as she watched Master Splinter battle Leatherhead.

Tossing Leatherhead in the direction of the exit, Master Splinter snapped at him, “Leave this place! Out!”

Growling, Leatherhead snatched the power cell from the ground before racing out of the lair. Certain that the danger was gone, Master Splinter turned his attention to the group of teenagers. He raced forward to tend to Raph.

“Are you alright?” Master Splinter asked worriedly.

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re okay,” Leo nodded.

Alina winced as she pushed herself off Leo’s chest, gripping her aching side. She already knew her torso was going to be significantly bruised. Suddenly realizing she had inadvertently positioned herself to straddle Leo’s hips, she scrambled to get off of him, a light blush dusting her cheeks that could easily be passed off for exertion.

Suddenly looking around, Alina asked worriedly, “Where’s Mikey?”

“You don’t think he went after Leatherhead, do you?” Donnie voiced his concern.

“No!” Leo scoffed. “Only an idiot would…”

Leo suddenly found himself unable to finish his sentence. Something the brothers often teased Mikey about was his supposed idiocy. And the realization dawned on them that Mikey would indeed have gone after Leatherhead.

“Oh boy,” Leo sighed.

**

Mikey had indeed gone after Leatherhead. He raced his way through the tunnels, screaming the name of his new friend. He soon realized he was in the subway tunnels rather than the sewers, and he realized he was standing before a series of abandoned subway cars. And he realized he could hear music coming from one of the abandoned cars.

He just found Leatherhead’s hideout.

Sure enough, Leatherhead had confined himself in an abandoned subway car he had turned into his home. Lit candles were spread all around the interior. Jazz music could be heard playing on the record player. He had the power cell placed in front of him. It took several deep breaths, but eventually, Leatherhead’s eyes returned to normal. He was finally calming down. His heartrate was decreasing. He was no longer blinded by rage.

But then, he heard his music stop and the sound of the door being opened.

“Dude!” Mikey’s upset voice echoed in the confined space. “Leatherhead, what’s the big deal, man?!”

“You should not be here,” Leatherhead warned him.

“I trusted you, then you freak out and attack my entire family!” Mikey cried in dismay. “I thought we were friends.”

“I warned you that there is a dangerous force inside me that I cannot control,” Leatherhead reminded him. “And that is why I must be alone.”

It was at that moment that Alina and the three remaining Turtles arrived, having followed Mikey’s trail.

“Leatherhead, get away from Mikey or we’ll turn you into the world’s ugliest suitcase!” Raph threatened.

“Please! I mean him no harm,” Leatherhead pleaded.

“Guys,” Alina’s gentle voice made the Turtles freeze in their tracks. Especially as she walked forward and approached Mikey and Leatherhead. She asked Leatherhead, “You weren’t always like this, were you? They did something to you.”

It was clear to everyone who Alina was talking about. But she deliberately avoided naming Leatherhead’s tormentors, not wanting to trigger another fit of rage. Deep down, it was something Leatherhead appreciated.

And it compelled Leatherhead to tell his story.

“It was the Kraang that made me this way. I was raised by a kind human boy, until his parents discovered me and dumped me in the sewer. The Kraang found me and took me to their dimension. They mutated me and subjected me to horrible experiments. But they could not break my spirit. Six months ago, I escaped through the portal that they used to travel to Earth, and I stole this.” As Leatherhead finished his story, he held the power cell for teenagers to see.

“What did they use it for?” Donnie inquired. They were no longer afraid to ask him questions. Leatherhead was starting to open up to them. He was starting to trust them.

“It powers the portal. Without it, no Kraang can enter or leave this dimension,” Leatherhead answered. “I swore to keep it from them and spare this world from their evil. Even at the cost of my own life.”

Alina felt her heart break from Leatherhead. It was clear that, even if his time with the human boy was so painfully brief, it left a significant mark on him. That human boy inspired Leatherhead’s kind and gentle nature, and nurtured his heart of gold. It was through that and his spirit that he was able to survive what the Kraang had done to him. It was why he was so determined to stop the Kraang at all costs.

And it was also why he felt he needed to be alone. Isolated from the rest of the world. He did not want anyone else to suffer as he had – especially if that suffering was at his own hands.

But then, the subway car was rocked by an explosion. The explosion did not damage the car, but it did announce the presence of the very last people the group wanted to deal with.

“Give to Kraang the power cell that Kraang has come to demand that you give to Kraang.”

“It’s the Kraang!” Mikey cried.

Alina chose to not make a comment on the redundancy of Mikey’s proclamation. They already knew they were dealing with the Kraang.

“Quick! Barricade the doors!” Leo ordered.

Before they could race forward to shut the doors, Kraang droids started making their way into the subway car. They were trying to get to Leatherhead, who maintained his tight grip on the power cell. The group did the best they could, battling an overpowered enemy in such an enclosed space. Anytime a Kraang droid tried to breach the subway car, they were quickly dispatched.

But it felt the incoming wave of Kraang droids was never-ending. They kept coming. Even the droids inside were coming back to life after being dispatched. Hands springing up and attaching themselves to Donnie and Leo’s faces. Sawblades surrounded them as the Kraang droids tried to cut their way into the subway car.

“We’re surrounded!” Raph reported.

“We’ll never hold them off!” Mikey whined.

“We gotta get out of here,” Leo decided. “Donnie, can you get this subway car running?”

“This track is dead. There’s no electricity,” Donnie objected.

“Can’t you use the power cell to generate some power?” Alina asked.

“I might be able to hook it up to the motor,” Donnie pondered. After all, he did say earlier that he thought it could be used to power anything, from something as small as a flashlight to something as massive as a lunar city. “But I’ll need time.”

“I will buy you time.” Leatherhead immediately stepped forward. Facing Mikey, he said, “My friend, you have trusted me. Now, I am trusting you.” Placing the power cell in Mikey’s hands, he then snarled, “I will deal with the Kraang.”

Leatherhead then opened the door and leapt out of the subway car. He made quick work of the Kraang. But it didn’t feel fast enough, as Kraang droids kept charging at the door Leo and Alina were now struggling to barricade.

“Donnie, we’re running out of time!” Leo warned him.

“I’m working as fast as I can!” Donnie snapped.

Alina grunted as more Kraang droids began pushing against the door. She and Leo were really struggling to hold their door shut. Arms were starting to break through. Glancing over at Raph, who was trying to barricade the other door, she could see he was struggling too. And he was getting impatient.

“Donnie, will you hurry up?!” Raph asked impatiently.

“I got it!” Donnie cheered.

He had indeed managed to use the power cell to power up both the subway car they were in and the track it rested on. They were blinded by the light emitted by the power cell and forced against the rear door Leo and Alina were barricading by the sharp speed of the subway car as it regained life. They had no way of knowing that the Kraang droids were blown back by the sudden departure of the subway car.

Somehow, Donnie gained the strength to reach for the break, tugging at it to force the subway car to a stop. Alina could hear the sound of the wheels grinding against a substance that clearly wasn’t a train track. She lost her footing at the sudden stop, colliding with Raph and Mikey’s shells. That impact forced her back into Leo and Donnie’s chests.

She couldn’t even tell you how she ended up sandwiched between the four Turtles.

Eventually, they moved to the door often used by passengers, forcing it open to get their bearings.

“Where the heck are we?” Leo asked.

“According to my calculations…,” Donnie trailed off as he sniffed the air, “sewage palnt?”

Looking out the door, Alina saw that they did indeed somehow find themselves in front of a sewage plant.

“Wow. It’s as beautiful as they say,” Mikey sighed dreamily.

Alina allowed herself a small smile and laugh at Mikey’s words. Of course he would find the beauty in this place.

**

There was one surviving Kraang droid in the aftermath of the battle. It crawled over towards the remains of another Kraang droid. The Kraang that inhabited it was still alive, but its body was destroyed. It struggled to remove itself from the conduit as its friend approached.

“We must notify Kraang that the ones called the Turtles have taken Kraang’s power cell from Kraang.”

Glass shattered behind them, and the last thing they heard was Leatherhead’s menacing growl:

“You won’t be telling anyone anything.”

Chapter Text

Alina sat at the side of the dojo, wanting to bear witness to a momentous occasion. It wasn’t often that this happened, Master Splinter challenging the Turtles to a fight. But it was a moment Alina most certainly did not want to miss.

Even if they ended how they always ended. Master Splinter kicking their shells.

The four Turtles in question were in a huddle, coming up with a game plan.

“Okay. Here’s the plan,” Leo began in a hushed voice. “Donnie, you’re going to strike first.”

“No, wait,” Donnie was quick to object. “You want me to come at Splinter? I’ll get pummelled.”

“Well, getting pummelled is your specialty,” Raph drawled.

“Trust me. It’s all part of my plan to catch Splinter off-guard,” Leo reassured the group.

“Uh, Leo, don’t take this the wrong way, but against Splinter, your plans always get our butts whipped,” Mikey stated.

Hearing Mikey’s words made Leo revise his plan: “Okay, new thought. Mikey, you attack.”

“He took it the long way,” Mikey grumbled.

Raph was quickly getting impatient, “Enough talk, let’s do this!”

Alina figured they must have decided on a plan of attack when the four Turtles broke their huddle and prepared for the fight ahead. She already knew that Master Splinter wasn’t going to go easy on his sons. If they were going to defeat him, they had to earn it. The sensei certainly maintained a calm demeanour as the Turtles circled around him. He did not give anything away. He just patiently waited for the first move.

After all, he was on defence, and they were on offense.

Following along with the quickly revised plan, Mikey charged at Master Splinter first. He took a flying leap, aiming to kick at Master Splinter mid-air. Master Splinter easily sidestepped the incoming attack and launched one of his own in retaliation. He grabbed Mikey while he was mid-air, forcing him onto the ground and kicking him away.

With Mikey down for the count, Raph, Leo and Donnie charged. It didn’t take much for Master Splinter to dodge their attacks either. But he didn’t move to take them out like he had done Mikey. Not yet at least. It felt like he wanted to toy with the three remaining Turtles for a bit.

That ‘bit’ not lasting very long when he caught Donnie mid-kick and sent him flying into Raph.

Leo was now the last Turtle standing. Master Splinter swung, aiming to strike at Leo. Leo did what none of his brothers had done. He managed to dodge the attack. That in itself didn’t surprise Alina.

What surprised her was when Leo’s fist connected with Master Splinter’s face. He had actually tagged his sensei.

It appeared that the action took Leo by surprise as much as it did everyone else, because he was shocked and mortified. He immediately started stammering, “Ah! Sensei, I’m sorry!”

Master Splinter did not respond. He simply gripped Leo’s wrist and flipped him onto the ground. Everyone else watched on in shock.

“Oh, man! Leo’s a goner!” Donnie winced.

Mikey said something that was… rather unintelligible for Alina.

Master Splinter relaxed his fighting stance and released the grip he maintained on Leo’s wrist. “Well done, Leonardo,” he began with praise. “But just when you had the advantage, you hesitated, and that made you vulnerable.”

“Hai, sensei,” Leo winced, pushing himself onto his feet.

“Now, that is all for today,” Master Splinter decided. But when he reached his room, he stopped and offered cheekily, “Unless you care for a rematch.”

All five teenagers immediately voiced their objections. Content, Master Splinter retreated into his room. The second his doors had slid shut, the other teenagers raced to gather around Leo.

“Leo!” Mikey gasped excitedly.

“Not bad,” Raph praised, something he didn’t do often.

“Dude, I can’t believe you actually tagged sensei!” Donnie gaped. “That was epic!”

Mikey turned the moment creepy by grasping Leo’s hand and saying, “The hand that punched Splinter! You know, you can never wash this again.”

“Way to ruin the moment, Mikey,” Alina grumbled.

“I gotta say, guys, it was all teamwork. We are definitely getting better,” Leo declared.

“Think we might be catching up to Splinter?” Donnie asked hopefully.

“Yeah, maybe soon, we won’t need him to train us at all!” Mikey scoffed.

Little did the Turtles know that not only had Master Splinter heard their words, but he was deeply affected by them.

**

With training over for the day, the group had gone off to do other things. Donnie was working on the patrol buggy in his lab. Raph and Mikey were in the lounge area. Leo and Alina were in the kitchen. Arguing.

“So, why couldn’t I join you guys in training?” Alina pressed.

“Because…,” Leo faltered. Then, he remembered what Master Splinter had said earlier, and it gave him the out, “because sensei wanted to spar one-on-one with you tomorrow.”

“Why did you lie to me just now?” Alina challenged.

“I’m not lying!” Leo snapped. “He really did…”

“I’m not doubting that. I’m doubting on that being the only reason,” Alina retorted. “You’ve been pushing me away since Leatherhead. This is the most you’ve talked to me since.”

“What are you talking about?” Leo scoffed. “I’m not pushing you away.”

But even as he said those objections, Leo made the point of physically distancing himself from Alina. Something he had never done before. He had also been sidelining her a lot too. Not letting her join them on their patrols. Just… basically doing everything he could to create a distance between the two of them.

And nobody understood why. Not even his brothers.

Any further discussion on the issue was forgotten when they heard a scream. A scream from the dojo. From Master Splinter. A pained scream at that.

The five of them immediately took off running to the dojo, crowding around the sensei as he rested on his hands and knees. He held a hand to his head, as though something unpleasant had intruded his mind.

“Sensei, are you okay?” Donnie asked worriedly.

“I am fine!” Master Splinter gasped out.

Alina rested a hand on Master Splinter’s back, intending for a comforting embrace. But she gasped and recoiled as soon as her hand made contact with his robe. It was like when she touched Dr. Rockwell in his mutated form and realized it was him. Through her touch, she sensed something horrible with Master Splinter.

Someone trying to invade his mind.

She could see the figure too. A mutant resembling a corpse. Pale green skin. Cloaked in black. Blindfolded. It was a horrific sight.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Leo pressed. Because for Alina to react like this, even if he didn’t fully understand it, something had to be seriously wrong.

The sound of birds tweeting could suddenly be heard in the dojo. It was not a naturally occurring noise, confirmed when Donnie gasped, “Hey, that’s April’s ringtone!”

Raph and Mikey were quick to make kissy noises, teasing their brother for his painfully obvious crush on their human friend. Donnie shot them dirty looks as he shoved them away and went for his T-Phone.

“Hey, April!” Donnie quickly answered, his voice high-pitched and breathless. It led to him awkwardly trying to change his greeting. “I mean… Hey, April. I mean…”

“Donnie, stop talking. I need some help. I’m having a little bit of a… pest problem.”

**

Something Leo had quickly done was declare that Alina should stay behind. Again. Even if she was pissed at it happening again, it was softened by Leo saying she should stay to keep an eye on Master Splinter. Something had clearly happened to him. He shouldn’t be left alone.

It was the only reason Alina didn’t glare at Leo too harshly as he left with the others.

“So, why are you suddenly sidelining Alina?” Raph asked Leo pointedly as they raced over the rooftops of New York City.

“Because someone needed to stay with sensei,” Leo answered.

“That’s not all, and you know it,” Raph challenged him.

Meanwhile, Mikey was saying, “Oh wow, the city is so beautiful in the daytime. Except for the, you know, millions of rats.”

That was something they had quickly observed when they emerged from the sewers. The numerous rats that suddenly seemed to be moving about the city.

Donnie predictably started saying, “Actually, the entire rat population of New York is only about 36 million, which…”

“I will smack you out of your shell!” Raph snapped impatiently.

“Uh, guys, we may have a problem,” Leo told the group.

They reached the edge of the roof they were standing on and saw that Leo’s words were an understatement. April had sought refuge on top of a pole for an overhead powerline from the hundreds of rats that had now crowded around it on the street.

“Oh rats!” Mikey cried. He then giggled, “Get it?”

“For the fourteenth time, yes!” Raph growled.

**

Master Splinter had moved to nap near the lounge area. Alina kept a close eye on him while completing her homework. Watching for any sign of distress. He had shuddered a couple of times in his sleep, but was now resting peacefully on his back. Hands clasped over his chest.

It filled Alina with relief. Not just because Master Splinter appeared to be okay. But because it gave her time to think about how things had suddenly changed.

Particularly between her and Leo.

She knew he was pulling away from her. She just couldn’t understand why. He avoided being alone with her. He always came up with some type of excuse for why she couldn’t join the team on patrol like she always did. He didn’t even want to spar with her anymore.

It really made it hard for her to continue coming down to the lair. Even if Leo was the only one treating her like this.

Hearing footsteps, Alina looked up to see the Turtles and April making their way over the turnstiles. Their facial expressions showed concern as they approached Master Splinter.

“What happened?” Alina demanded.

“Rats,” April shuddered. “Swarms of rats all over the city!”

“Someone or something thing is controlling every rat in the city,” Donnie told her.

“Wait. Every rat?” Aline repeated. Her voice laced with concern.

“Is he okay?” April asked, gesturing to the sleeping sensei.

“He seemed disturbed before, but now appears to have calmed down,” Alina answered. “When I touched him earlier, I actually felt… someone trying to invade his mind.”

“You felt it?” Leo repeated.

“Donnie, you’re the smart one. What do we do?” Raph asked impatiently.

“Maybe we should poke him,” Donnie suggested nervously.

“Good idea,” Leo quickly agreed. “Mikey, you poke him.”

“No way! I’m not poking him! You poke him!” Mikey immediately objected.

“Okay, we’ll put it to a vote,” Leo shrugged.

Predictably, all three Turtles voted, “Mikey.”

“I want a recount!” Mikey demanded. But when Donnie wordlessly handed over his bo staff, he sighed, “Fine.”

“We should stand back,” Alina quietly suggested to April.

April was quick to take her up on that suggestion.

“Easy, easy,” Donnie warned Mikey. “Careful not to squeeze the…”

The four Turtles screamed and stumbled backwards in shock when Mikey squeezed the very same part of the bo staff Donnie had been trying to warn him about. It projected the blade that was housed within, coming very close to trimming some of Master Splinter’s whiskers off his face.

Alina hoped that the sensei’s lack of response was because he was deep in meditation.

“Okay. Let’s try it from the other end,” Donnie deadpanned, handing the staff back to Mikey and pushing him forward once more.

Mikey poked Master Splinter numerous times. From numerous different angles. On numerous parts of his body. His stomach. His chest. His sides. His nose. He didn’t even groan in response. He just lied there. Completely still. Completely silent.

“Whoa, he is totally out of it!” Mikey remarked. When he started poking Master Splinter’s nose, he laughed, “Dudes, check out the nose nuggets!”

Both Donnie and Alina facepalmed. Especially when he began using the bo staff to move his mouth and pretend he was saying, “Michelangelo is awesome! He is the smartest, handsomest, butt-kicking-est of all my…”

Master Splinter’s eyes snapped open. Mikey didn’t realise until Master Splinter was gripping the bo staff that was poking at his mouth and flung it away from him. Everyone else dove out of the way as Mikey was sent hurtling through the lair, finally landing at the stairs near the entrance.

“Sensei, are you okay?” Leo asked worriedly.

Master Splinter used Donnie’s bo staff to help himself to his feet. Shaking his head, he answered, “No, Leonardo, I am not. It would appear that your former adversary, Dr. Falco, has returned.”

“Falco’s behind this?” Donnie gasped in shock. “How is that possible?”

April and Alina had quickly raced forward to help Master Splinter walk back to the dojo. He was still shaken. Weak from the experience of having someone trying to invade his mind.

“Somehow, he has acquired a telepathic connection with every rat in New York. And he now calls himself The Rat King,” Master Splinter continued explaining.

“Oh great! So now, we’re letting the bad guys name themselves?! We gotta take him down!” Mikey quickly proclaimed.

Even if his motivations were a bit skewed, Alina had to appreciate that Mikey’s heart was in the right place. And he certainly had the right idea.

Victor Falco – or the Rat King, as he has taken to calling himself – needs to be stopped.

“Yes, Michelangelo, you do,” Master Splinter readily agreed. “The Rat King will not stop until he has total control of this city… and my mind.”

“Sensei?” Leo’s voice conveyed his worry.

Master Splinter walked over to his mantle, grabbing the photo he kept of his family. “Everything I knew is gone. My wife. My daughter. My clan. Even my humanity. You four are all I have left.”

“Don’t you worry, sensei. We’ll stop him,” Raph promised, punching his fist into his palm.

“We’ve gotta find him first,” Donnie pointed out. “Alina, did you see anything when you touched Splinter earlier? You said you sensed him in Splinter’s mind.”

Alina shook her head, “I could see the Rat King, but not his location.”

Master Splinter chimed in, “When the Rat King attempted to take control of me, I could see into his mind. You will find his lair in an abandoned utility junction beneath Herald Square.”

“Let’s go play exterminator!” Raph growled.

Master Splinter cried out in pain and fell to his knees, clutching his head.

“Fight him, sensei,” Leo pleaded, helping him to his feet.

“I will,” Master Splinter promised. “Just hurry.”

“It’s okay, guys. You go after the Rat King. I’ll stay with sensei,” April reassured the group.

“Alina, you’re staying here too,” Leo told her firmly.

“No. You’re not sidelining me again!” Alina voiced her objections.

“There’s no room for argument. You’re not going. And that’s final.”

Leo then walked away before anyone could argue. The moment everyone was out of earshot, Alina growled and lobbed her axe into the tree in frustration. April watched her worriedly.

“What’s going on between you and Leo?” April asked worriedly.

“I don’t know,” Alina answered morosely.

But there was one thing Alina was certain about. She didn’t want to stay somewhere she wasn’t wanted.

Master Splinter said he wanted to sleep, so April and Alina set him up under the tree in the dojo. April went to make him some tea while Alina stood vigil over him.

If only she knew of the war he was fighting in his mind.

“Why do you cling so hard to this life of yours?” The Rat King sneered.

“I am needed here,” Master Splinter whimpered.

“By whom? Even your so-called children have begun to outgrow you,” The Rat King taunted, forcing Master Splinter to relive the earlier training session. Where Leo had beaten him. “And soon, you will be all alone. Come. We are your family now.”

“No!”

Alina gasped when Master Splinter’s eyes snapped open. And was even more horrified to find that they were red.

The last thing she remembered was a hand coming down on her.

**

It had taken climbing along the pipes and causing the odd explosion, but the Turtles had finally reached the abandoned utility junction the Rat King had claimed as his base.

And they were standing face-to-face with their foe.

“Ah, my Turtle friends, we meet again,” the Rat King said.

“Except last time, Falco, you weren’t wearing a sad Halloween costume!” Raph snarked, referring to the attire the Rat King wore.

“I am the Rat King!” the Rat King snarled, clearly displeased at being referred to by his old name.

Mikey cleared his throat, “Lame!”

“Sorry. We don’t have any treats for you, but we’ve got a few tricks,” Leo quipped.

The moment was ruined, however, by the sound of Donnie’s phone playing that tweeting ringtone he had set up for April. His cheeks heated in embarrassment as he felt his three brothers give him the side-eye.

“Way to ruin the moment, Donnie,” Raph deadpanned.

Donnie turned away from the group to answer the phone. “Uh, April, now’s not really the best time.”

“Donnie, it’s Splinter! He’s gone!”

Okay. Donnie was quick to decide he could forgive the awkwardly timed phone call.

“What do you mean gone?!” Donnie quickly demanded. “Gone where?!”

“Here.”

The four Turtles turned to the sound of the ominous voice. Rounding the corner was Master Splinter. Now under the full control of the Rat King. The four of them realized to their horror that they were too late.

“What’s wrong with him?” Leo asked worriedly. Even though deep down, he already knew.

“It’s like his brain is completely turned off,” Donnie answered.

“You mean like Mikey?” both Raph and Mikey said.

“Dude, you are so predictable,” Mikey sighed. He knew his brother was going to say something like that the second Donnie answered Leo’s question.

“Sensei, snap out of it!” Leo snapped.

Three rats appeared on Master Splinter – one on each shoulder and one on top of his head – as he answered, “You waste your words. This is where I belong. With my brothers.”

“He is mine now,” the Rat King proclaimed. “Imagine my delight when I realized that controlling your master would not only make me invincible, but would also be the key to your demise. Splinter, destroy them!”

“Sensei, don’t!” Leo pleaded.

Master Splinter began walking towards the four Turtles, prepared to carry out his master’s instructions. But Leo’s pleas made him stop. For the briefest moment, the sensei they knew and loved – the one who would never hurt his sons – was starting to break through. But the Rat King wasn’t going to allow that. He immediately took off his wide-brimmed hat and blindfold, revealing his disfigured red eyes. His actions strengthened his control over Master Splinter, and he moved forward once more.

Now, the Turtles were faced with a horrible choice.

“Are we really going to do this?” Donnie asked nervously. He was already pulling out his bo staff.

“Remember, we did beat him once,” Raph reminded the group, twirling his sai in his hands. “Kind of.”

“Yeah, and we can beat him again. We can do this, guys. Do not hesitate,” Leo told them firmly.

As the three rats scurried off Master Splinter, as the old master of ninjutsu drew his own sword in preparation for the oncoming fight, Leo issued an order he never thought he would have to issue outside the dojo:

“Take sensei down.”

Then, they all charged.

**

Alina moaned as she came to. She saw April’s worried face as she leaned over her.

“Alina, are you okay?” April asked worriedly.

“Ask me tomorrow,” Alina quipped with a wince. She allowed April to help her into a seated position. “Where’s Splinter?”

“Gone,” April answered gravely. “The Rat King took control of him. I already told Donnie.”

“Damn it,” Alina muttered. She was hoping they’d be able to stop the Rat King before that happened. Because their adversary had been gradually wearing Master Splinter’s defences down. It was amazing he had held out as long as he did.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” April pressed. She watched as her friend moved gingerly.

“Nothing I haven’t experienced before,” Alina grumbled bitterly. “Just never from sensei.”

Watching as Alina pushed herself onto her feet, April blurted, “You’re not going after them.”

“I’m not,” Alina muttered darkly. “Leo clearly doesn’t want me around.”

“He does,” April tried to argue.

“Really?” Alina whirled around on her. “Because he’s doing a pretty good job at pushing me away right now.”

“So, you’re just gonna… not be here when he gets back?” April asked her.

Alina pondered April’s question. What was she about to do?

**

The Turtles quickly came to a horrible realization as they battled Master Splinter. All those times he sparred with them in training, he had been holding back. He had been going easy on them all these years.

It didn’t take Master Splinter long to take out Donnie. Donnie had charged at him, using various movies against his sensei with his bo staff. It took very little effort for Master Splinter to disarm him and send him flying across the room, knocking him unconscious.

Mikey attacked next. Seeing what had happened when Donnie tried attacking him up close, he kept his distance. He stayed on his ledge, using his chain in his attack. The chain had wrapped around the sword Master Splinter wielded, which the master quickly used to his advantage. He tossed Mikey aside, throwing him into a wall on the opposite side of the room. Mikey fell to the ground unconscious.

“Nobody hits Mikey but me!” Raph growled as he charged forward.

He realized too late that Master Splinter had flipped out of the way when he was hit from behind.

Leo was the last Turtle standing.

“Sensei, please!” Leo pleaded. He still held onto the hope that he could get through to his sensei.

Master Splinter ignored his pleas. Instead, he charged forward. Leo, faced with no other choice, did the same.

The sounds of clanging echoed around the abandoned space as Leo duelled his sensei. He was holding his own better than his brothers. He was able to dodge most of Master Splinter’s attacks, and try to land a few of his own.

But while he lasted longer than his brothers, he was still defeated. His hands lost their grip on his swords as they were flung away from him in opposite directions. A forceful kick forced Leo onto his back, with Master Splinter pinning him down with a foot on his plastron and his sword pointed at his head.

“Wait!” Leo cried.

“Finish him,” the Rat King sneered.

Leo tried a different tactic, holding up the photo Master Splinter treasured: “Remember who you are. Hamato Yoshi.” When Master Splinter grunted, Leo cried, “Donnie, Raph, now!”

The other Turtles had regained consciousness by this point, and they were quick to pounce. They tackled Master Splinter off of Leo and pinned him to the ground on his stomach. They held his hands behind his back so he couldn’t retaliate. They effectively subdued him.

“Please, father. We need you.”

Leo’s emotional plea appeared to have an effect on Master Splinter as his facial features softened. It had been so long since he had heard them call him father.

“Don’t listen to him, brother,” the Rat King approached him. “Your place is with me.”

It turned out the Turtles had not subdued their father as well as they had thought. It took little effort for Master Splinter to roll away from their tight grasp. Raph, Donnie and Mikey were flung in different directions across the abandoned space. Leo was pinned on his back once more by a hand on his plastron as Master Splinter held his sword over him.

Was this really how it ends?

“My place… is with my sons!”

Master Splinter had closed his eyes once he had Leo pinned. When he opened them upon his declaration, the red colour was gone. His warm brown eyes were back. Master Splinter was free of the Rat King’s control.

And he charged.

It took very little effort for Master Splinter to defeat his foe, using two fingers and a lot of force to push him into the nearby wall, knocking him unconscious. This man had taken control of him. Forced him to hurt his sons. That would not do.

“Sensei!”

Master Splinter softened as he felt his four sons trap him in a tight embrace. But his contented facial expression disappeared as he appraised his unconscious foe. A plague of rats swarmed over his unconscious form, whisking him away from the battlefield.

“And that’s the last we’ll see of Count Ratula!” Mikey smirked. Seeing the looks his brothers and father gave him, Mikey relented, “Yeah, alright. It’s Rat King. But I’m naming the next one!”

**

Leo approached Master Splinter as he meditated in the dojo, “Sensei, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I am fine, next to you,” Master Splinter smiled warmly. “You did well, my son.”

Leo beamed under the praise, but was quick to adopt a teasing tone as he quipped, “Well, you did hesitate, and hesitation leads to vulnerability.”

After all, it was what Master Splinter had said to him earlier.

“We did pretty good too, huh?” Mikey asked hopefully as he, Donnie and Raph peaked around the corner.

“Yes, I am proud of you all,” Master Splinter declared.

“Who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll be even better martial artists than you,” Leo teased.

“Remember, my son, everything you know, I have shown you.”

Leo should have realized something was about to happen by the smirk that had suddenly crept on Master Splinter’s face. Alas, he did not catch the warning signs in time. He screamed as Master Splinter gripped his wrist and flung him into the nearby wall. He groaned as he slid onto the ground upside down, his legs still up in the air.

Master Splinter walked away with a smirk, “But I have not shown you everything I know.”

“It’s good to have you back, sensei,” Leo winced.

Master Splinter chuckled in amusement.

**

Leo winced as he walked into his room. His body still ached from everything that had happened today. Fighting Master Splinter in the abandoned utility junction. Being thrown around in the dojo.

But it turned out that none of that pain would compare to the emotional pain he felt when he saw the note on his bed. Pinned down by one of his Space Heroes action figures so it wouldn’t get lost and his attention would immediately be drawn to it.

He could have sworn he heard Alina’s voice in his head reading the note to him:

‘You need to decide if I’m part of this team or not. I won’t stay where I’m not wanted. So, if you don’t want me, I’m gone.’

Leo didn’t realize he had started crying until the teardrops landed on the paper. He fell to his knees, clutching the note in his hands as he buried his face in the sheets. He had brought his worst fear to life.

He experienced different kinds of pain today – physical, emotional – and they all hurt the same.

Chapter Text

It was fair to say that this was not Leo’s week.

First, Alina refused to talk to him, and it was something all the Turtles were blaming him for. Well… at least it felt like Mikey and Donnie blamed him for it, because the two younger Turtles never said anything to him.

Raph was a lot more vocal in his blame. The red-masked Turtle was never the type to mince his words. He had learned a lot from Master Splinter, but the one lesson that never seemed to sink in for Raph was tact.

And it seemed to have reached boiling point tonight. Aside from feeling Alina’s absence (she wouldn’t even talk to them; they only knew through April if she was okay) in the field, they had to deal with Snakeweed making a return and kidnapping people. Raph and Leo got into a fight over how they should approach the supposedly cornered Snakeweed, only to find he had escaped with his latest kidnapping victim: the pizza delivery boy.

“And the award for worst leader goes to…” Raph began saying.

“How am I the worst leader?!” Leo snapped.

“If we did this my way, Snakeweed would be toast by now!” Raph fired at him.

Mikey shuddered, “That’d be some nasty toast.”

Donnie was quicker to catch onto the imminent argument between Leo and Raph – and immediately knew it would be explosive (as they often were) – so, his first action was to pull Mikey away. Neither of them wanted to get caught in the blowback.

Leo and Raph love each other. They really did. But they butted heads the most of the group. And their fights were… even though Donnie had used the word explosive before, it did not feel enough.

“This way would’ve worked if you hadn’t wasted time second-guessing my orders!” Leo rebuked Raph.

Raph’s justification? “Don’t give bad orders and I won’t second-guess ‘em!”

This time, Leo was the one who reached his boiling point. It felt like Raph had been second-guessing him since Master Splinter named him leader. And it was something that had only gotten worse in the last week. Since Alina left them.

So, finally, Leo challenged Raph, “You know what, Raph? If you think you could do better, why don’t you lead?”

“First good idea you’ve had all day,” Raph sneered. “Maybe I’ll be able to keep the team together.”

Donnie winced at that one. It wasn’t that he actually blamed Leo for Alina shutting them out. He just never said anything because he could tell that Leo was beating himself up enough. He saw the way Leo’s face fell whenever he thought nobody was looking. Whenever Alina was brought up.

They all missed Alina, but it was clear that Leo missed her the most.

Also, part of that was the responsibility Leo himself felt for Alina’s departure.

Mikey, however, missed a lot of the tension he was bearing witness to and decided to offer his own solution:

“We’ll compromise. I’ll lead.”

Well, at least that was something Leo and Raph were able to agree on. Letting Mikey lead the team would be disastrous. The two brothers, for a brief moment, focused their ire on Mikey, successfully glaring the youngest Turtle into submission. With a nervous smile, Mikey slinked away to stand by Donnie once more.

“Fine, Raph, the team’s yours! I’m out of here!” Leo snapped.

Leo then stormed away from the group, anger fuelling his every move. It was certainly a strange sight to see. Storming away in anger was Raph’s signature. So, to see Leo doing it felt so foreign. But Raph didn’t seem to care. He seemed to almost be basking in his victory.

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Mikey’s dejected voice could be heard.

Donnie quickly rushed forward to comfort his younger brother, placing a comforting hand on his shell as he said, “Aw, don’t worry, Mikey. Leo, uh… he just needs some space. Just like Alina.” But when Mikey shot him a look, Donnie deadpanned, “You meant the pizza guy, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Mikey sighed.

**

It was what led Leo to another rooftop. One far away from his brothers. Kicking at random objects in a rage he rarely felt. Or, rather, rarely surrendered to. But he found he preferred it to crying. He had done enough of that. And it clearly wasn’t working.

Why won’t his broken heart heal?

Deep down, Leo knew the answer to that. But it felt to be a lost cause. Because it wasn’t like Alina was letting him in so he could apologize. Or grovel. Or do anything she wanted to have her back.

Leo was interrupted from his thoughts by another presence on the rooftop. Or rather, the presence of several individuals. Immediately turning around and drawing his katana, he saw a small group of ninjas surrounding him.

“Foot Clan?” Leo scoffed. “You guys just made my night.”

Well, he was just thinking he needed a better outlet for the rage and heartache that threatened to consume him. What could be better than beating up members of the Foot Clan?

In fact, when the fight was over – for it had finished before it could really start – Leo sighed, “Ah, I feel so much better.”

He couldn’t help but wonder if he was starting to turn into Raph.

Those thoughts quickly disappeared when he felt the presence of another ninja. Looking up, he saw another ninja crouched atop the nearby billboard advertising some sort of canned beverage. Leo couldn’t focus on that.

Only on the ninja – a female ninja – crouched atop it.

When she landed before him, she surprisingly praised, “Not bad.”

‘Holy…’ Leo’s mind went blank. All he could do was stammer, “Uh, thanks?”

“You might actually be a challenge,” the kunoichi chuckled as she walked over.

As she came closer, Leo put his guard back up. His grip tightened on the handles of his katana. He glared at the approaching kunoichi. For even if he was stunned by her presence, he still maintained enough of an awareness to know that she was part of the Foot Clan.

And this kunoichi played dirty. For when she drew her tanto, it also dispersed a white powder through the air. Coughing and spluttering, Leo quickly realized that she had attacked him with blinding powder. His eyes became red as his vision cleared just enough to see this mysterious kunoichi lunging at him. She kneed him in the chest, knocking him onto his back before standing over him with a blade aimed at his throat.

“Guess not.”

Then, she took off her mask. It allowed Leo to get a full look at her appearance. She was slim. Her hair was styled in a bob with a fringe, predominantly black but with a section that had been dyed blonde. She had amber eyes that looked rather inquisitive and dare he say cheeky.

“My name’s Karai. See you around.”

Then, she disappeared as quickly as she appeared, leaving Leo stunned and confused.

“What was that?” he asked himself.

He also couldn’t help but think, ‘At least when Alina plays dirty, it’s fun. And I get payback.’

**

It was fair to say this was not Alina’s week.

First, she made the hard decision to distance herself from the Turtles. Leo in particular. And she had been nursing a broken heart since.

Alongside the physical wounds she had been sustaining from her foster father.

Yeah, it’s not her week.

She wiped her tears as she sat by the window overlooking the city. Despite everything, she still watched for their figures in the shadows. Jumping from one rooftop to the next.

She may not be happy with them right now, but that didn’t mean she wished them harm. That didn’t mean she wanted anything bad to happen to them.

A baby’s cry interrupted her thoughts. She pulled herself away from the window, ignoring the pain in her ribs as she moved. Grace was teething while simultaneously going through a sleep regression. It made for a lot of sleepless nights.

Alina had to suppress a cry of her own as she bent over and picked up the crying baby. At least Grace’s cries seemed to easily settle with a teething ring and a snuggle. Her ribs ached in protest, but Alina ignored their cry. As she always did whenever her foster siblings needed her.

Recalling that Grace loved looking out the window, and the success it had in lulling her back to sleep in the past, Alina moved over and made herself comfortable. She already knew she would be here for a while. At least her other foster siblings were still sleep.

“Alina?”

Alina sighed. Of course, Ryan would’ve woken up.

“Ryan, go back to sleep,” Alina whispered to him.

“Are you okay?” Ryan asked her worriedly.

Those three words made the dam burst, and Ryan found himself consoling both of his foster sisters. He knew something that happened with Alina and the Turtles, even if Alina had been reluctant to share the details. And he knew it was breaking Alina’s heart.

When will she admit her feelings to herself?

**

Something else that Leo found hard to do nowadays was watch Space Heroes. It was something that he and Alina had discovered together. And they always watched every episode together.

So, watching this episode proved hard. Especially when he was watching Captain Ryan fall in love with an alien named Celestial.

“We shouldn’t be together, Captain Ryan. It’s against your fleet protocol.”

“Well, Celestial, you don’t get to be captain of the Dauntless by following all the rules.”

The moment shifted as Celestial pulled out a ray gun, “Good. Then, you won’t mind giving me the codes.”

“Celestial, you just broke my heart.” Captain Ryan then pressed the button to activate a ray that disintegrated Celestial on the spot. “But my disintegrator still works!” His mood sobered as he looked at all that was left of Celestial: her boots. “At least I’ll have these to remember her by.”

“Boy, relationships are complicated,” Leo quipped as he turned off the TV.

So much for hoping an episode of Space Heroes would make him feel better after another fight with Raph. They had uncovered the location of Snakeweed’s lair, but Raph decided that information was on a need-to-know basis… and Leo didn’t need to know.

It was something that surprised Master Splinter as he walked into the lounge area.

“Leonardo, where are your brothers?” Master Splinter asked.

“I have no idea,” Leo answered dismissively.

“What do you mean you have no idea?” Master Splinter demanded.

There was a dangerous tone in his sensei’s voice, but Leo disregarded it as he shrugged in the same dismissive manner, “Raph thinks he can lead the team better than me, so I let him.”

“That is not your decision to make,” Master Splinter was quick to rebuke him, making his way over to his oldest son.

“Why not, sensei?!” Leo finally snapped. Leo rose to his feet and focused his attention fully on his sensei, “I’ve had to make every other decision, and I’m tired of it! Those guys have no idea what kind of pressure I’m under and all they do is complain! Is it too much to ask for a simple thank you?!”

Leo was so lost in his tirade, he didn’t notice the way Master Splinter’s grip tightened on the top of his cane.

He only noticed when Master Splinter slammed it hard into the ground and snapped, “Of course it is! Leadership is not about being appreciated. It is about responsibility! It doesn’t matter that the burden is heavy. It matters that you carry it.” Master Splinter then issued an order of his own, “Now, go find your brothers.”

Leo supposed he should be thankful that Master Splinter didn’t make any comments about their current estrangement from Alina. Finding his brothers was already going to be hard enough.

Glancing at the homemade bracelet he always kept on him, he sighed heartbrokenly as he tucked it back into its hiding place and made his way out of the lair. He didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Master Splinter’s ire.

Besides, he was doing a good enough job beating himself up. He didn’t need anyone else inflicting their own wounds.

**

So, Leo found himself back on the surface, trying to remember where his brothers were. Donnie had started giving Leo the information before Raph interrupted so rudely and told him that he didn’t need to know that.

Reality was certainly going to give Raph a rude awakening.

“What if I don’t want the burden?” Leo asked himself, not for the first time. But he redirected his focus to his mission. “Where are those guys? Donnie said something about 47^th and, uh…”

“You always talk to yourself?”

Leo may have only heard that voice once, but he was able to recognize it anywhere. Turning around, he saw Karai standing behind him in the alley.

“Sometimes, I’m the only one who’ll listen,” Leo quipped with a smirk on his face.

“I’ll listen,” Karai offered before drawing her tanto and sneering, “when you beg for your life.”

Leo did not know any further prompting. He drew one of his katana. The smirk never left his face. He found himself looking forward to this fight.

“Let’s see how well you do against someone who can see,” Leo smirked.

Karai returned serve, “Let’s see how well you do against someone who’s better than you.”

“Let’s see how well you do against…,” Leo found himself stammering as he struggled to devise a witty comeback. Finally, he snapped, “Let’s just go!”

Karai was certainly agreeable as she took her stance. Leo and Karai’s moves mirrored each other. The shifting of the feet. The grips on their swords. It was as though they were training in front of a mirror. Everything they did matched.

Karai made the first move, a move that Leo very easily blocked.

In fact, he was able to identify the move she attempted on him, “Juji-ken. Interesting.”

Karai’s voice revealed she was less than impressed when Leo retaliated with a move of his own: “Kocho-giri. Predictable.”

Neither of them made another comment, resuming their fight. The clangs of their blades meeting echoed around the alley before Karai backflipped away, putting some distance between herself and her enemy.

“You’re good,” Karai praised. “No wonder we haven’t wiped you out yet.”

“It’s not like Shredder hasn’t been trying,” Leo snorted.

“I know. It’s all he ever talks about!” Karai remarked. “Revenge, revenge. Vendetta, vendetta.”

“Really? I take it you don’t approve?” Leo guessed with a smirk.

It would certainly be interested. A member of the Foot Clan who didn’t approve of what The Shredder was doing? Perhaps this could change things.

Then Karai smirked, “No, I’m fine with it. I’m just saying, he needs a hobby.”

Karai and Leo decided they were done with the exchange of witty banter. They were both eager to get back to the fight. Leo certainly held his own, showing his prowess as a ninja. Until Karai kicked him in the face. Wiping at his mouth, he could taste the all-too-familiar metallic taste of blood on his tongue. But it was only a few drops. He’s had worse.

“Not bad, but I’ve seen better,” Karai taunted him.

Leo chuckled, “With one blade, maybe.” He then pulled out his second katana. “Not with two.”

Karai grinned. Things were finally getting interesting.

The interest only grew when both ninjas began moving their battle out of the alley. They began making use of the environment around them. Particularly the fire escape. Chasing each other. Swinging their swords.

“You know what?” Leo began. They were separated by the stairs in the fire escape. “I don’t think you’re as bad as you pretend to be.”

“Oh? What part of swinging a sword at your head do you not understand?” was Karai’s (admittedly clever) retort.

Leo chuckled, thinking he had struck a nerve, “On the rooftop, you could have finished me, but you didn’t.”

“Because you’re the first thing in this city that doesn’t bore me,” Karai admitted.

Karai decided she was done talking. She felt she had humoured Leo enough. She most certainly felt she had said too much. So, she threw shuriken at Leo, who immediately used his katana to block them, and used the railing of the fire escape to swing around to Leo.

“Besides, I don’t think you’re as good as you pretend to be.”

Leo wouldn’t say it. But Karai struck a nerve. Not that he had a chance to say anything because Karai had swung her body around so she was behind him, holding her blade to his throat.

“Don’t tell me the goody-three-toes thing doesn’t wear thin after a while,” she smirked directly in his ear.

“Better than the alternative!” Leo snarled at her.

“Which is what? To have fun? To cut loose? To live your own life?” Karai taunted him. “To get the girl?”

Okay. The biggest nerve in Leo had just been struck. Especially when Karai held up the bracelet that must have slipped from Leo’s person during the fight. It gave Leo what he needed to fight back. To turn the tides in his favour. Soon, Karai found herself forced against the wall, his blade pointed at her throat. His eyes were murderous, something that was rarely seen in his cobalt blue eyes.

Karai put on a show of bravado as she smirked, “Guess I struck a nerve.”

She wasn’t about to admit what Leo’s murderous glare was actually doing to her.

“Because I beat you?” Leo scoffed.

Karai wasn’t about to hand Leo this victory easily. In fact, she wasn’t going to hand Leo this victory at all. She lunged forward, pushing herself away from the wall and putting a bit of distance between herself and Leo. She wouldn’t let him get that close again.

But instead of attacking again, Karai pointed her tanto at an all-too-familiar building, “You see that high-rise?”

Leo followed her blade and suppressed a gasp. He knew the building.

“Yeah,” Leo nodded instead.

Sheathing her weapon, Karai told him, “Meet me there at midnight.”

“Why?” Leo challenged her.

“I want to show you something,” was Karai’s mysterious response.

Leo did not get the chance to respond or challenge Karai on her plans, because she disappeared once more. Flying over the rooftops in her retreat. It was clear this round was over.

Leo struggled to regain his breath as he knelt down, picking up the bracelet Karai had left on the ground. At least it hadn’t been damaged. He clutched it to his chest, holding it over his heart as he was consumed by fear. Something that was fuelled by a comment Karai had made to him during the fight.

The Byerly Building was near Alina’s apartment.

**

Alina had just gotten Grace and Ryan back to sleep when her phone rang. Thankful she asked Donnie to make sure her phone had a silent mode (something he understood with her foster siblings and her foster father, in particular), she was surprised to see the name flashing across her screen.

What was April doing calling her at this time of night?

“April?” Alina immediately answered the phone worriedly. “Is everything okay? Is it the Kraang?”

“No. Leo’s here.”

Alina almost dropped the phone she was holding. Her body wasn’t so lucky. Her legs buckled underneath her at April’s words. Leo was there?

“What… what is he doing there?” Alina asked.

“I don’t know. I’m about to find out. But… I think you’ll need to hear it, so I’m gonna have the phone nearby so you can listen.”

Alina felt her breath still as she heard the sounds of April putting the phone down and moving to open the window.

**

April didn’t understand why Leo was at her window, but she was certainly determined to find out. And see if she could help to heal the rift that had grown between Alina and the Turtles. Particularly between Leo and Alina. Even though she was concerned about the nature of the relationship between the two of them, she hated seeing her friends hurt.

Making out that she just woke up, April yawned as she approached the window.

“Leo?” April whispered. When Leo smiled and waved at her, she opened the window and sighed, “This had better be good.”

“Hey. I need to talk,” Leo began. He suddenly felt sheepish.

“Can it wait until morning?” April asked.

But even as she said all that, she glanced discreetly at the phone she had stationed nearby. She wanted to make sure Alina heard this. She knew it would be important.

“I met this girl.”

Okay. April was not expecting that. But even as she imagined having to console her friend through a broken heart, she grabbed Leo by the shoulders, pulled him close, and demanded,

“Tell me everything!”

She nodded excitedly as Leo began listing these facts about Karai.

“Well, she’s really cool, she’s also a martial artist…”

If it weren’t for what she knew of the current situation, she would think Leo was describing Alina. After all, she’s a really cool martial artist.

“And, uh… she’s in the Foot Clan.”

Well, that just ruined that. April was clearly unimpressed. And she decided that simply staring at Leo with an unimpressed look on her face wasn’t enough. Swatting at him with a rolled-up newspaper would communicate her displeasure a bit more clearly.

“Are you crazy?!” April snapped at him.

“April, she’s different. She’s…”

“In the Foot Clan.”

“Yeah, but she’s…”

“In the Foot Clan!”

“Look, I know I shouldn’t be hanging out with her,” Leo began saying.

“Yeah, you got that right!” April cut in. “You know why? ‘Cause she’s in the Foot Clan!”

So, it was fair to say that April did not approve of Leo’s blossoming… whatever was going on between him and Karai tonight.

“April, she’s fun and I’m tired of being the responsible one! When do I get to have fun?!” Leo asked her.

April felt some sympathy for Leo in that moment. It was one thing that was always clear to her in their friendship. Leo was under a lot of pressure, and his brothers didn’t always help with that. She wondered if they didn’t know or just didn’t care.

“So, what does she want from you?” April asked.

“I don’t know. I’m meeting her later at the Byerly Building. She’s got something planned,” Leo revealed.

“Yeah, like pushing you off the Byerly Building! It’s a trap, Leo!” April was quick to warn him.

“I don’t think so. There’s good in her. I know there is. I can feel it,” was Leo’s hopeful response.

“I hope you’re right,” April sighed. Then, she got to the point behind her actions before going to greet Leo: “What about Alina? Doesn’t she live the Byerly Building?”

“Yeah,” Leo nodded solemnly. “She doesn’t want to see me.”

“You pushed her away, Leo,” April reminded him. “You can’t do that and not expect consequences.”

“I’ll take them,” Leo muttered. “Because at least she’s alive to hate me.”

Okay. April didn’t know why she was so surprised by Leo’s declaration, but she was. It was now that things started to make sense for her. Leo was trying to protect her. He would rather deal with her hatred than her death.

“Leo…,” April began.

But it seemed the metaphorical block had been removed. Because now that Leo was talking about it, he wasn’t able to stop.

“The Kraang want her. Xever wants her. I don’t want that on my conscience. I can’t… I know it might sound weird to say, but I can’t lose her, April. And if she hates me for that… I’ll live with it. Because that would mean she was alive. She was safe. And I…”

The metaphorical block returned, because Leo found himself stopping short of saying words he wouldn’t be able to take back once said. Words he had only just come to terms with himself.

Words he had only just started to understand the significance of.

But April understood. She knew what he was saying.

“She doesn’t hate you, Leo,” April said. “It might be easier if she did. But… if you survive this meeting, you need to make things right.”

With those final words said, April closed her window, signifying the end of their conversation. Or at least she went to. But Leo’s gentle hand stopped her. She was momentarily confused, but then Leo placed the bracelet in her hand.

“Can you hold onto this for me?” Leo asked shyly.

April could only nod. She couldn’t do anything else because by the time she looked up, her window was closed once more and there was no figure standing there.

‘Ninjas,’ April thought wryly to herself.

Making sure Leo was nowhere in sight, she immediately picked up her phone and pressed a button.

“Did you hear that?” April asked.

“Yeah…”

**

Alina had indeed heard every word. She had clung to her phone like a lifeline. Listening to everything Leo had to say. A small part of her wish he had the courage to say it to her.

She nursed a broken heart when she heard him talk about another girl he had met. A kunoichi. The fact that she turned out to be a member of the Foot Clan almost felt irrelevant. The fact that this unnamed girl seemed to be luring Leo into a trap almost felt irrelevant.

Wait. Scratch that. That latter point certainly held a lot of relevance.

And then, she heard his words. Particularly where he said that he would rather have her alive to hate him than consider the alternative. She felt most of her anger disappear at those words. Leo was pushing her away in his misguided attempt to keep her alive.

She didn’t love his actions, but she couldn’t be mad at his motivations. Well… not entirely. In fact, it gave her hope that he shared her feelings. That he loved her like she loved him.

It made her resolved.

“April, text Donnie. Tell him what’s going on. I’m gonna need backup,” Alina told her friend firmly.

“You’re going to the Byerly Building, aren’t you?”

“Well, Leo can’t apologize to me himself if he’s dead,” Alina stated reasonably.

With those words said, Alina hung up and moved to change into her gear. As she did, she noted the time. It was close to midnight. She was going to need to move quickly.

“Alina?”

Once she was dressed, Alina turned around at the sound of the voice. She saw Ryan looking at her worriedly.

“Leo’s in trouble,” Alina explained breathlessly. “Watch the younger kids. I’ll be right back.”

Strapping her weapons to her person, she then fled through the window. It seemed to be a routine tonight to not give anyone the opportunity to respond to anything.

Not that Ryan would have offered much of an argument. In fact, he’d be glad to see them moving towards reconciliation.

**

Karai had her own business to take care of before she went to join Leo at the Byerly Building. And that was respond to a summons from The Shredder. So, she walked into his throne room and knelt before him.

It was a strange confliction. She knew what to expect, knowing The Shredder as well as she did, but she also didn’t know what to expect from this latest summons.

“Karai, I have learned that you had the opportunity to dispatch Leonardo,” The Shredder began.

“Really?” Karai began saying. She kept her expression schooled. Her voice neutral. She could not afford to give anything away.

“But you let him go instead,” The Shredder said.

“That’s not true! He escaped!” was Karai’s immediate lie.

“I find that hard to believe,” The Shredder sneered.

“He escaped from you, didn’t he?” Karai smirked.

“Enough!”

Karai’s smirk dropped from her face at The Shredder’s bark. Clearly, she had gone too far. She was no longer toeing the line. She had crossed it. And crossing the line with The Shredder proved disastrous.

The Shredder said nothing else. He just rose from his throne and approached Karai. When he stood before her, she lowered her head, making sure she was completely submissive to The Shredder. The sound of his blades unsheathing from his gauntlet unnerved her.

“Next time you see Leonardo, you must finish him!” The Shredder ordered her. “Understood?”

Karai was backed into a corner. There was only one way to respond to an order. Especially if she was to emerge from the throne room relatively unscathed.

“I understand, father,” Karai nodded.

She kept her eyes closed, only opening them when she heard the sound of The Shredder’s retreating footsteps.

Looks like her planned meeting with Leo was going to go in a different direction.

**

It was fair to say that tonight was not Raph’s night.

He had been so sure of himself. So confident that he could be a better leader than Leo. But confronting Snakeweed in his lair proved to be the opposite. He could not come up with strategies on the fly. He froze as he kept telling his brothers to ‘go for the head’.

And then Mikey got hurt.

Mikey was still unconscious as he was carried into the lair by Donnie and Raph. It was only thanks to Donnie that they escaped Snakeweed’s lair at all. Donnie had intervened in the midst of Raph’s panic and insisted they needed to retreat.

“Help!” Raph cried as they raced into the lair.

Master Splinter immediately appeared at the sound of Raph’s distressed cry. His eyes widened in horror when he saw Raph and Donnie carrying Mikey’s unconscious form. Something clearly had happened and it was disastrous.

“Set him down,” he immediately ordered.

Donnie and Raph immediately set Mikey down on the couch as Master Splinter raced over. He sat beside his injured son, only one question at the front of his mind.

“Where is Leonardo?” he asked. After all, he had sent Leo after them. If he wasn’t with them…

“I don’t know,” Raph sighed heavily. “Sensei, this is a disaster and it’s all my fault! I don’t know what happened. I just froze up. I mean, I have no problem risking my own life, but risking my brothers’?”

As Raph stammered his shaky explanation, Master Splinter rested his hand on Mikey’s head. He was checking for signs of life. Hoping to feel breath on the back of his hand. He only relaxed slightly when he felt signs that did indeed confirm that Mikey, while unconscious, was still alive. There was hope.

So now, he could turn tonight’s incident into a learning opportunity.

“Now, you see the price of leadership: responsibility,” Master Splinter told him.

“Yeah. I hate it,” Raph grumbled.

“So, you understand Leonardo’s burden?” Master Splinter asked pointedly.

Raph nodded. Now, he finally understood. He understood what Leo had to put up with every day since they first went to the surface. Since he was first appointed leader. He felt something he didn’t feel often. Regret.

It also made him look at his actions with Alina in a whole new light. A sympathetic one.

“We need him back,” Raph decided. “I need him back.”

“Then, go get him,” was Master Splinter’s response. Really, it should’ve been obvious.

“But, sensei, I don’t know where he is,” Raph began arguing.

“He’s going to the Byerly Building,” Donnie revealed. Raph was quick to shoot a look at him. “April texted me.”

Then, Donnie’s own words sunk in.

“April texted me!” Donnie gasped. His voice was filled with amazement and excitement. “Oh, this is the best day!” The pained groan from Mikey’s unconscious form certainly changed the mood. “Well, I mean, its had its ups and downs.”

**

Karai stood on the rooftop of the Byerly Building. She waited impatiently for Leo’s arrival. Her objective was clear to her as she paced the edge of the rooftop. She didn’t need to turn around to know that Leo had arrived. She sensed his presence.

“I was beginning to think you were a no-show,” Karai quipped, then she turned around with a smirk, “but you don’t disappoint.”

Leo approached her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alina’s apartment building. He feared this was why Karai brought him here. He feared she was going to go after Alina and make him watch. It caused all these thoughts to swirl in his head as he approached Karai with trepidation.

But he didn’t let her see these thoughts as he asked, “So, what’s this about?”

Karai’s response was to toss him a pair of binoculars. She pointed in the direction of a building across the road from them. It filled Leo with relief that it wasn’t Alina’s apartment. It wasn’t just Alina he was worried about (even though she dominated his thoughts). If her foster siblings were caught in the crossfire, it would destroy Alina.

But he didn’t give that away. Instead, he used the binoculars to look through the window Karai highlighted.

It was a museum. Leo knew of it well. Alina had mentioned it to him frequently. She loved it there. She loved all the history housed within. And then, he saw what Karai was focusing on. He recognized the object anywhere.

“That’s the sword of Miyamoto Musashi!” Leo gasped in shock.

Kneeling next to him, Karai added, “The greatest swordsman in the history of Japan.”

Anyone who studied ninjutsu knew of Miyamoto Musashi. He really was the greatest swordsman Japan had ever seen. Considered a kensei (sword saint) of Japan, Miyamoto was known for his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in 62 duels. He conceived the Niten Ichi-ryu style of swordsmanship, a practice Leo was intimately familiar with. He had died in 1645, allegedly of lung cancer, his legend well established. His sword was considered a priceless relic.

Leo was barely aware that Karai was still talking, “It’s ancient. It’s priceless. And its yours… if you help me.”

Leo’s trepidation returned as he asked, “Do what?”

“You know what. We’re going to steal it,” Karai revealed. Really, it should’ve been obvious.

“No, we’re not,” was Leo’s firm response.

“Come on! That sword is just sitting there collecting dust!” Karai argued. “You know you deserve that katana – certainly more than some lazy rich guy.” She then moved closer to Leo, going for the kill, “Stop being responsible, Leo. Stop waiting for people to give you the life you want. Go out and take it.”

If Leo faltered, even momentarily, he did his best to not show Karai. Or to show how much of an effect Karai’s words have on him. For different reasons than Karai clearly intended, but an effect nonetheless.

He stood firm with his answer: “No.” It was one line he would never cross.

Karai was less than impressed. “I’m getting that sword, Leo. With or without you. Choose.”

Standing before her, Leo’s resolve only strengthened, “I can’t. It’s wrong.”

“You’re starting to bore me,” Karai warned him.

She would have drawn her sword, but a large hand on her wrist stopped her. Leo was clearly trying to appeal to the good in her that he believed he saw before.

“Karai, you don’t have to do this,” Leo pleaded her.

“I know. That’s what makes it fun!” Karai smirked.

She then knocked Leo to the ground, forcing him to land on his plastron as she held his arm out behind him. She was going to show Leo just what happens when someone bores her.

“Leo!”

They both looked up at the sound of the voice. Raph and Alina were racing towards them. Karai’s presence halted them in their tracks.

“What are you doing?!” Raph demanded.

Alina’s priority was, “Who’s that?!”

Leo briefly stammered before making some awkward introductions, “Uh, guys, Karai. Karai, Raph and…”

“Arina?” Karai whispered.

“That’s not my name,” Alina deadpanned.

And she was totally not jealous. Nope. Not jealous. She remembered that conversation between Leo and April she eavesdropped on (with April’s knowing consent). This wasn’t the time to get jealous. This was the time to save Leo from the very obvious trap he had fallen into.

Raph, however, didn’t see it that way.

“What are you, friends with her?!” Raph demanded, an angry tone in his voice. He stormed over, ranting, “We’re out there risking our necks, and you’re up here holding hands with the Foot!”

Leo, who had been allowed onto his feet, stammered, “I can explain!”

“This should be entertaining,” Karai quipped with a smirk.

Alina would have been shooting murderous glares at Karai if she wasn’t so preoccupied with her concern over this yellow powder that was suddenly emitting itself from Raph’s shell.

What the heck happened with the Turtles while she was gone?

“You see, Karai and I share an appreciation for the fine craftsmanship of…”

“I found you, Turtles!”

All four figures on the rooftop turned around to see Snakeweed looming over them. It made Alina realize in horror that the yellow powder coming off of Raph’s shell was some sort of tracking device, allowing Snakeweed to track them down.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Leo sighed in relief.

Never before had he been so thankful for the appearance of a villainous mutant.

That didn’t stop Alina from shooting him a look and saying, “We’re talking about this later.”

Leo could only nod. He couldn’t say anything else because they all had to dodge an attack from Snakeweed.

Even in the midst of the battle, Raph took the moment to quickly say to Leo, “All is forgiven. You’re the leader again. Welcome back.”

Alina grunted when she found her back colliding with the nearby rooftop entrance into the building. She’d remember the name of this specific entrance if she could bring herself to care. She shot a glare at Karai, who seemed to be making her escape.

“Oh no you don’t!” Alina snapped, charging at her.

“You might want to duck,” was Karai’s kind warning.

Alina didn’t take the kind warning for what it actually turned out to be. She screamed as she found herself wrapped up in a vine and yanked away from Karai (much to her displeasure; she had a word or two (and maybe some punches) to exchange with her).

Looking around, she saw that Leo and Raph weren’t fairing that much better. Leo had lost his katana and was being pinned to where Alina once was by Snakeweed’s vines. The vine was wrapped around his torso and Leo held onto the structure with a death grip. Raph was being held up by his foot, dangling in the air. They were all trying to avoid being… actually, they weren’t exactly certain what Snakeweed would do to them, but they already knew it wouldn’t be pretty.

“Karai!” Leo screamed. “Karai, please! Help!”

Karai was the only one who could feasibly help them now. Alina’s arms were pinned to her side by the vines. Raph was quite literally trying to avoid being eaten by some creepy plant that was attached to one of Snakeweed’s many vines. Leo was where he was.

But surely, Leo had to know that Karai wasn’t interested in helping them.

Or was she?

Leo squeezed his eyes close as he saw a blade suddenly flying towards him. He was preparing himself for the fatal blow. Was Karai’s version of help going to be giving him a quicker death than whatever Snakeweed planned to do to him?

But the blow never came. Looking up, he saw where Karai’s sword had landed. In the door above his head.

“Sayonara,” Karai smirked.

Then, she took her leave.

It looks like she had decided to listen to Leo’s plea for help.

Allowing Snakeweed to pull him away, Leo managed to grip the sword Karai had thrown at him and used it to slice at the vine restraining him. Using the momentum, he kicked Snakeweed in his chest, giving Raph the moment he needed to slice himself free. Alina continued struggling against the vine gripping her body, but Snakeweed’s stunned demeanour allowed her to slip her arm free. If only her weapons weren’t so far out of reach.

Quickly, Leo threw Karai’s sword into Alina’s hand, allowing her to slice herself free.

With the trio now on the roof, Leo told Raph and Alina, “Follow me. I got an idea.”

“You’re the boss,” Raph shrugged.

The trio climbed down the fire escape into the alley below. They needed to corner Snakeweed. They began racing for what Leo knew would help them: the containers of antifreeze in the alleyway.

But Snakeweed obstructed their path, knocking them into the wall. Well, Leo and Raph were knocked into walls. Alina found herself being knocked into Leo’s plastron. Almost immediately, she felt a protective arm wrap around her body and hold her against him.

“I’m sorry,” Leo muttered in her ear.

Alina nodded, signifying that she had heard his apology. But they couldn’t talk about this anymore right now. They needed to take care of Snakeweed first.

“Now what?” Raph demanded impatiently.

“We charge him,” Leo answered.

“Really?!” Raph questioned.

“Trust me. Let’s move,” was Leo’s response.

Clearly, Leo had a plan in his mind, and it was a plan Raph and Alina were more than happy to follow. Even if they didn’t know the minute details.

Leo struck first, leaping up and delivering a kick to Snakeweed’s chest. Specifically over his exposed heart. It winded Snakeweed enough for Leo to get past him and get his hands on one of the antifreeze containers. Raph and Alina worked together to knock Snakeweed down.

But this battle wasn’t going to end that easily. Snakeweed quickly caught onto their plan. After knocking all three turtles down, he knocked all of the antifreeze containers out of their reach. All except the one Leo was resting against.

Leo grabbed it with his hands, which were rested behind his back, as Snakeweed brought him closer to his face. Him roaring allowed Leo to force the sole remaining antifreeze canister into Snakeweed’s mouth.

Kicking himself away from Snakeweed, having the convenience of jamming the container further into Snakeweed’s mouth, Leo shouted at Raph, “Now!”

Not needing further prompting, Raph threw one of his sai at the container, breaking it and dispersing its contents all over Snakeweed. The effect was immediate. He was frozen in his tracks. And that was when Alina went for the kill.

“Booyakasha!” Alina cheered.

She flew through the air, gripping her axe as it sliced through Snakeweed’s frozen body. The shattered ice sounded like music to her ears as the pieces crumbled to the ground. Landing in the classic superhero landing, Alina panted as she felt Leo and Raph coming to stand near her.

“Nice work,” Raph praised Leo.

“Thanks. Good to be back,” was Leo’s sheepish response.

If Alina hadn’t moved to stand on her feet, she was certain she wouldn’t have heard Raph’s whispered apology. She knew Leo certainly did, but she also knew that Leo wasn’t going to let Raph off that easily. Especially with how rare an apology from Raph was.

“What did you say? I couldn’t hear,” Leo teased.

Raph’s response was, “I said I’m… sorry!”

Alina wasn’t surprised that Raph ended up shouting his apology directly into Leo’s ear. They should’ve known he would go from one extreme to another. At least she was certain that Raph’s apology was genuine for… whatever had happened between them. She was certain she’d get the full details later.

“Apology accepted,” Leo grumbled, holding his ringing ear. Leo then turned to Alina and said, “Allie, I…”

Alina didn’t give Leo the chance to say anything. She just pulled him into a hug. One that he was eager to reciprocate. As he buried his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder, he realized just how much he missed her. He missed having her in her arms.

And he never wanted to let go.

“I know,” she whispered to him.

They both knew they had to talk about it later, but the talk could wait.

“You know, we should get back to the lair and see how Mikey is,” Raph suggested.

“What happened to Mikey?!” Leo and Alina immediately demanded.

**

On their journey to the lair, Raph gave the duo the cliff note version of what had happened in their absence. Including how Mikey was incapacitated by a battle in Snakeweed’s lair that had gone disastrously wrong thanks to Raph’s leadership inexperience. But they had to concede a victory: they had to concede that they did manage to rescue the people Snakeweed had kidnapped and was planning to turn into fertilizer.

Yep. That was decidedly creepy.

It was during this trip that Alina came up with a way to stir Mikey into consciousness once more. Wave a slice of pepperoni pizza under his nose.

It had the desired effect. Mikey opened his eyes and sighed dreamily, “Pepperoni…”

“Works every time,” Leo quipped.

“Mikey!” Raph gasped, getting between his youngest brother and that slice of pizza. “Don’t scare me like that, buddy! I thought we lost you!”

When he was freed from Raph’s worried embrace, Mikey began saying, “Dudes, I had the weirdest dream. I dreamt that the stuff in the sewer was made of…”

“Eh, forget about it, Mikey. It was just a dream,” Donnie quickly interrupted.

Alina quickly figured out what Donnie had told Mikey, and decided the innocent orange-masked Turtle was better off continuing to live in ignorance. She wished she could.

Alina mentioned having to get home, and Leo immediately volunteered to escort her home. Raph followed them to the entrance of the lair, giving them the chance to talk about the elephant in the room. An elephant named Karai.

“So, what’s with the girl who tried to kill you?” Raph asked Leo pointedly.

“She didn’t try to kill me. She saved me,” Leo quickly corrected him.

“She threw this at your head,” Alina reminded him. She held up the sword Karai had thrown at him, which was, for some reason, still in her possession. It stirred up something strange in her. A distant memory that she couldn’t understand.

“She threw it near my head,” Leo retorted.

“She’s in the Foot Clan,” Raph stated.

Defeated by the argument, Leo sighed, “Nobody’s perfect.”

**

Indeed, Leo escorted Alina all the way to her apartment window. Surprisingly, it was still the early hours of the morning. With everything that had happened in a short period of time, Alina was fully expecting to see the sun rising in the sky.

But before Alina could climb back into her bedroom (not that she could call it a bedroom – bedrooms typically had beds), Leo gently grabbed her arm. Alina turned around, surprised by the gentle action.

“Leo,” Alina began saying.

“I’m sorry,” Leo told her. “I… I never should have pushed you away.”

“I know you’re sorry,” Alina stated. “Just… don’t push me away again.”

“I promise,” Leo vowed.

Alina gasped when Leo reached forward with his free hand, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“We should talk tomorrow,” Leo said.

“Yeah,” Alina quickly agreed. “We need to.”

Leo then showed his desire for the situation to return to normal by doing something he had not been able to do. He leaned forward and gently brushed his lips to Alina’s cheek. She closed her eyes at the contact, only realizing now just how much she had missed this. Missed him.

If their words were enough to communicate, the message would be clear.

I love you.

Chapter Text

It was a strange thing that had happened the previous night. It had certainly started out normal enough. The Turtles and Alina were in an alleyway fighting Kraangdroids. A very typical night. But then, suddenly, Leo started showboating, swooping in and saving everyone from the Kraangdroids. Even if they didn’t need saving.

Then, Raph and Alina looked up and saw why Leo was acting the way he was. Karai was watching them.

Neither of them said anything in front of Donnie and Mikey. Against his better judgement, Raph had agreed to keep Leo’s secret from the others. So had Alina. But that didn’t stop Raph from giving Leo a hard time over it, as demonstrated by their current private training session.

“You knew the Foot Clan was watching us!” Raph accused Leo.

“Not the Foot. Karai,” Leo was quick to correct him. It was definitely not a statement that helped his case.

“Karai is the Foot!” Raph snapped back. “You knew she was watching us, and all you did was show off!”

Leo used the momentum and their entangled weapons to flip Raph over him and force him onto his shell. Clearly, Raph’s words were having an effect.

“I was demonstrating how formidable we are. I knew she wasn’t going to attack us,” Leo argued.

Circling around Leo, Raph issued his counterargument: “Of course not! She’s studying our moves for next time. You don’t flirt with the enemy, Leo. You take ‘em down!”

“No! You’re wrong about her!” Leo adamantly denied. “She has a good side!”

Their weapons clanging together once more, Raph pushed himself forward to invade Leo’s personal space. Their faces were almost touching with the close proximity. The only thing separating them was their respective weapons.

“Oh yeah? Well, if that’s what you’re doing, why don’t you go tell the others?” Raph dared him. He knew what Leo’s answer would be before he even said it.

“Because they wouldn’t understand,” Leo responded.

Leo grunted when he suddenly found himself forced against the wall. He went to push himself off of it, but Raph was quick to ensure he stayed there. He pressed an arm against Leo’s upper chest, resting just under his throat (he wasn’t about to cut off Leo’s oxygen supply, even if he was pissed at him). He was using his strength to keep Leo right where he wanted him.

“You really think Mikey and Donnie wouldn’t understand?” Raph scoffed. His face twisted into an unreadable expression as he considered his choice of words. He amended his statement, “You really think Donnie wouldn’t understand?”

Yep. That sounded better.

Leo forced Raph off of him. “Look. I know what I’m doing.”

The two Turtles fought once more, neglecting their weapons in favour of hand-to-hand combat. This battle showed just how formidable Leo and Raph were as fighters, as neither held the upper hand for long before the other was able to turn the tide in their favour once more. After forcing Raph off of him, Leo jumped from behind, wrapping his arms around Raph’s neck as he forced him into a headlock. But even then, Raph wasn’t about to go down fighting, struggling against his older brother’s grip.

“You have to trust me,” Leo told his brother.

“Why should I?!” Raph snapped.

“What is going on in here?!”

The two Turtles looked up to see Master Splinter standing before them. Hand resting on his cane. Looking at the two of them with a facial expression that held concern amidst the hard gaze. He was daring the Turtles to lie to him.

A dare Leo was quick to take.

“Uh, nothing important,” Leo was quick to say. “Right, Raph?”

Once more, against his better judgement, Raph sighed and relented, “Right.”

He was following Leo’s lead, but the way he deliberately bumped himself into Leo’s shoulder as he walked past told the oldest Turtle that it was a reluctant support. Raph was not going to hesitate to make his displeasure known.

Then again, he was never the type to keep his displeasure to himself.

**

Alina had other things on her mind. She held her mouth open as April swabbed the inside of her cheek with a cotton swab. After making sure that Alina’s sample was appropriately sealed as per the guidelines they had been given, April turned her body and opened her mouth to allow Alina to do the same to her.

Mikey was watching the scene unfold in front of him with fascination.

“What you doing?” Mikey asked in a sing-song tone.

“Sending in a sample for a class project,” April answered politely.

“You’re mailing in your spit for a class project? Man, school sounds awesome!” Mikey gasped excitedly.

“It isn’t,” both April and Alina grumbled. It was fair to say for the two teenage girls that school was anything but ‘awesome’.

“Well, I’d be awesome at it!” Mikey proclaimed. “Check this spit out!”

Donnie was quick to realize what his youngest brother was planning to do. So, he leapt over and cover Mikey’s mouth with his hands accompanied by a firm, “Don’t.”

“Mikey, it’s not about the spit. It’s about the DNA,” Alina explained.

She thought she was being helpful with her explanation. But she forgot who she was talking to. Mikey was staring at them all with a vacant stare. So, Donnie tried to make things clearer.

“DNA. Genetic code. You know, the building blocks of life?” Donnie elaborated. When Mikey’s vacant expression did not abate, Donnie pressed on, “Okay. DNA is a microscopic blueprint that tells every living thing what to grow into and why am I still talking to you?”

“I don’t know. You’d think you’d have learned by now,” Mikey quipped.

“Everyone in our class is sending a DNA sample to this research group, the Worldwide Genome Project. Then, they’ll send us back a report telling us all about our ancestors,” April explained. “Neat, huh?”

Mikey was nodding along, “Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Wow. It’s amazing what they can do these days. Just kidding.”

Alina sighed. Normally, she wouldn’t be surprised by Mikey’s response, but today, under these circumstances, she couldn’t help but be upset.

“Mikey, this could help me find my family,” Alina stated.

At least Mikey was wise enough to keep his mouth shut and not say anything else. Everyone knew how much Alina struggled with not knowing who or where her family is. And if this got her closer to getting answers, it’s only natural that they wanted to support that.

**

Leo stood on the roof of a random building in the city, leaning against the chimney. He was lying in wait. He knew she would come. It wasn’t a matter of if. It was a matter of when. He knew Karai had eyes on them, and she would pounce at the opportunity to go after one of them alone.

Tucking the bracelet away once more, Leo asked with a smirk, “How’d I know you’d show up?”

He had looked up, katana gripped tightly in his hands, to see Karai crouching atop the water tower, watching him.

“‘Cause you’re not good at hiding from me.” Even through her mask, Karai’s smirk was clear.

“Like last night,” Leo countered, the smirk never leaving his face.

“Were you there? I didn’t notice,” was Karai’s coy response. “I did see a bunch of robots, though. What’s their deal?”

“Their deal is they’re incredibly dangerous. Stay away from them,” Leo warned her. Any joking tone in his voice was quick to disappear.

“I like them already,” Karai quipped. But she too turned serious as she demanded, “Something else is going on. What is it?”

“I’m not sure I should tell you anymore. Raphael says I can’t trust you,” Leo stated.

“He makes a good point,” Karai conceded. She finally hopped off the water tower and stood before Leo. “Eventually, I am going to destroy you.”

The battle began once more. Karai and Leo charged at each other and commenced a battle on the rooftop that resembled the battles they had the night they met.

“I don’t think you are!” Leo challenged her once he got some space between them.

“Really?” Karai laughed. “And what do you think this is?”

Leo could not answer Karai’s taunting question as he was busy dodging and blocking her latest round of attacks.

But the moment he could, he did: “I think it’s a cry for help.” After finally managing to launch an attack of his own after spending almost the entire battle on defence, Leo smirked, “I think you’re looking for a way out of the Foot Clan, and I can help you.”

Karai chuckled, “You’re adorable. Stupid, but adorable.”

If Karai’s aim was to catch Leo off-guard, she certainly succeeded. Because the mutant turtle, at the end of the day, was still a teenager – and someone easily caught off-guard by praise. Especially from a girl (well, a girl who wasn’t April or Alina).

“Really? You think I’m- Gah!”

Leo was barely able to block Karai’s latest attacks. It was then that he realized the dangers of being distracted in a fight. It only strengthened his resolve. He needed to finish this. But before he could, he needed to make one thing clear to Karai.

So, he cut off her attempted escape and told her firmly, “You wanna play games? I can handle it, but I need your word that you will not attack Alina or my brothers.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Karai pointed out.

And deep down, Leo did know that. So, when they clanked swords together once more and found themselves face to face, Leo made one final thing clear:

“Then, understand this. If you come after them, I’ll come after you. Hear me?”

Karai didn’t say anything. Not until she had moved to the edge of the rooftop she and Leo were standing on. Once there, she took off her mask and said three words: “Loud and clear.”

But even then, she didn’t leave. Not straightaway. Even though she already had the final say in this fight, she needed to say this.

“I can promise you one thing. Arina is safe.”

Once those words were said, Karai finally left the rooftop. Leo didn’t even get the chance to ask her why she kept mispronouncing Alina’s name. Had been since that night on the top of the Byerly Building.

“Leo?”

Leo turned around in surprise to see Alina standing behind him.

“Allie?” Leo spluttered. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m worried, Leo,” was Alina’s simple response.

Leo sighed, “If you’re gonna lecture me about Karai, save it. I already got it from Raph.”

“Well, you’re gonna get it again,” Alina told him firmly. She appeared before him, blocking his path to escape. “You promised you wouldn’t shut me out anymore. Now, you’re up here having secret rendezvous with Karai?”

“It’s not a secret rendezvous,” Leo objected. “I’m trying to get her to keep you safe. Keep everyone safe.”

“I don’t think Karai wants to hurt me,” Alina shook her head. “Something… something feels different with Karai.”

“I don’t know if I like the sound of that either,” Leo stated.

“Neither do I,” Alina was quick to agree. She stepped closer. “But I don’t think she’ll hurt me. She’s had plenty of opportunity to. She’d have made a move by now.”

“That’s true,” Leo hummed. He then saw Alina shiver slightly when the wind suddenly picked up a chill, so he approached her. “Here. You need to stay warm.”

Alina wasn’t about to turn down a hug from Leo. She nestled her head against his plastron, relishing his body heat. It took a moment for her to realize that Leo had sat them down, but she was sitting in his lap so she had as little contact with the cool ground as physically possible.

Shifting slightly, Alina realised that there was a shift of a different kind. The kind of shift she and Leo felt on her birthday when they sparred together. When they talked about it, they both said they were going to let things unfold naturally. But even then, she held back. It had to be natural, and consensual between the both of them.

So, when they kissed, it was safe to say that they had both made the first move. It was the natural moment. The kiss itself was tender. Sweet. Romantic. While Alina had her hands rested on Leo’s shoulders, Leo held her as though she was the most precious thing in the world. Both of his hands were splayed across her back, holding her close as he protected her from the chill.

When the kiss ended, nobody said a word. In fact, Alina snuggled further into Leo’s warm embrace. There was no further movement to be made. Nothing further to be said. They knew deep down it would come later.

But for now, they both wanted to live in the moment.

**

For Alina, the moment continued even as she walked into the school building with April. She continued feeling like she was walking on air. She swore her lips still tingled from when Leo had kissed her the night before (let’s just say that first kiss was not the last).

“Are you alright?” April asked her friend worriedly.

“Hmm? What?” Alina took a bit longer than usual to respond.

“Your head’s in the clouds,” April chuckled. “You didn’t make a remark about the metal detectors.”

Alina was quick to cover that with a, “Well, what’s the use in complaining? It’s never gonna change.”

April knew there was more to it than that, but found she couldn’t interrogate her best friend further. For there were surprised by a middle-aged woman standing in the middle of the school hallway.

This middle-aged woman had auburn hair done up in a very old-fashioned hairstyle. In this light, Alina could also see the white highlights through the hair. She wondered if that was a sign of age or a stylistic choice. Because the woman’s back was turned to them, they couldn’t describe anything else about their features. But they were quick to recognize the beige jacket with rolled-up sleeves and a belt tightened around her waist, the long dark brown skirt and high heels. She was dressed like a typical businesswoman.

“Hello! I’m Ms. Campbell from the Worldwide Genome Project. Are you April O’Neil and Alina Herber?” the woman inquired politely without turning around.

“Yes,” April nodded.

“I’m here to present your DNA test results. Come with me,” Ms. Campbell instructed them.

It was then that she finally turned around to face them. It was how Alina was able to identify her blue eyes and the dark red lipstick that adorned her lips.

“Wow. Personalized service,” Alina remarked with a chuckle. But the tone of her voice told the two other people in the conversation that she was impressed. “Other companies would just send printouts.”

“No. We don’t send printouts. Come with me,” Ms. Campbell responded.

Alina exchanged a subtle glance with April. There was something off about this. As she and April started walking backwards down the stairs, Alina made the extra point of positioning herself slightly in front of April to protect her. After all, she was the more adept fighter (although, April was quickly coming into her own as a kunoichi).

“Uh, where, exactly?” April asked nervously.

“We’re going to a place where I will present your DNA test results. Come with me.”

There it was again. Those three words. Come with me. There was something with those three words. Not just the repetition. But how they were said. The phrase sounded almost… robotic.

“Shit,” Alina muttered under her breath. Now, she felt like cursing out those metal detectors for preventing her from bringing her weapons. She hated going into battle unarmed.

“Uh, what did you say your name was again?” April pressed.

Ms. Campbell answered, “I’m Ms. Campbell from the Worldwide Genome Project. I’m here to present your DNA test results.”

Alina sensed there would be a battle ahead, but she still tried to defuse it (or at least defuse it enough to get time to call for help) by saying, “You know what, Ms. Campbell? How about we schedule this meeting for another time? Because we have a massive group project due. We really just came to grab a couple things…”

That wasn’t going to fly for Ms. Campbell. With a stealth that would have impressed Alina under different circumstances, Ms. Campbell leant forward and grabbed their forearms, preventing them from making any moves.

“Come with me.”

“No thanks,” Alina responded haughtily, struggling against the person’s grip. ‘Man, she’s strong!’

Alina called upon her training to get out of Ms. Campbell’s tight grip, but found that nothing worked. She could only grunt as her back collided with the display case for the school’s numerous awards. (None of them overly recent, Alina noted cheekily.)

“Whoa!” Alina cried when Ms. Campbell dove for them.

Both April and Alina dove out of the way when Ms. Campbell went to punch them. Their efforts resulted in Ms. Campbell punching out the display case instead of their heads. Given the way the glass shattered under her forceful punch, it was something they were grateful for.

“Thank you, Splinter,” April remarked to herself.

“Split up. She can’t get both of us,” Alina told her.

That was advice April did not hesitate to follow as the two girls ran down opposite directions of the hallway. They both listened carefully for the sound of Ms. Campbell’s heels clacking against the tiled floor of the school hallway. Alina admittedly relied on her extensive ninja training to make it harder for Ms. Campbell to follow her.

She thought something was off with Ms. Campbell the second she laid her eyes on her.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Alina gasped when she finally recognized where she was. She had been running indiscriminately, taking various shortcuts through the open classrooms that were available to her, feeling she could not stay in one place for too long. (Besides, classrooms weren’t optimal hiding spots realistically.) So, she was able to see that April had been cornered by Ms. Campbell.

“Shit!” Alina hissed under her breath. (When did she start swearing so much?)

Alina looked around her. She needed something. Quickly.

Oh. A Viking head. Perfect.

April looked up in relief when she heard the sound of the Viking head being forced onto Ms. Campell’s own head. Alina leapt over her, grabbing April’s hand and pulling her in the direction of the broom cupboard. There was no way for them to handle Ms. Campbell on their own. They needed time. They needed backup.

They needed the Turtles.

That decision was solidified when they saw Ms. Campbell peaking through the blinds in the door with glowing red eyes.

**

“So… are you gonna tell the guys about her?” Raph pressed Leo when they were alone.

Leo was only half-listening, so it took him a minute to realize not only that Raph was talking to him, but what he was talking about. In a brief panicked moment, he thought Raph somehow knew about the kiss (or kisses, if they were being realistic) he shared with Alina on the rooftop the previous night.

Realizing Raph was talking about Karai, Leo adopted a cool demeanour and answered, “No need. We had a little chat, and, uh, she’s gonna leave us alone.”

“Oh, right! Because villains always back off when you ask them to! Maybe I’ll text the Kraang and ask them to stop mutating stuff!” Raph scoffed.

Leo was clearly as unimpressed with Raph’s answer as Raph was with his. It made him wish Alina was down in the lair instead of at the school with April. Although, he had to admit his suggested plans with her would’ve been a bit more… private. A private conversation… with a make out or two thrown into the mix. Because he found he liked kissing Alina.

Wait. Liked is the wrong word. He loved kissing Alina on the rooftop. He never wanted to stop.

“Okay, guys, what do you want: omelette pizza or pizza omelette?” Mikey asked as he searched the fridge.

“What’s the difference?” Raph asked.

Taking the bowl of eggs out of the fridge, Mikey sighed, “Okay, you called my bluff.”

Food was forgotten the second all four Turtles heard their T-Phones chiming with an incoming text message. They all quickly took out their T-Phones and found April’s name flashing across the screen. The text had come from her.

“Hey, did you guys just get a mass text from April?” Donnie asked his brothers. When his brothers all answered in the affirmative, he pressed on, “Well, does yours also say she and Alina are being attacked by an old lady?”

“Sure does,” Leo’s response was heard the clearest over Raph and Mikey’s own affirmative responses.

“Is that considered an emergency?” Donnie queried.

“I guess,” Leo shrugged. “Let’s go!”

**

“Suh-weet!” Mikey gasped excitedly. “So, this is what school is like!”

The excitement quickly disappeared when they heard an alarm going off next to them. Their weapons were setting off the metal detectors that were stationed at the front entrance to the school. Only, they didn’t realize they were metal detectors, having never seen one before and having never been told about them by Alina.

That didn’t stop Raph from stabbing it with his sai until the noise stopped.

With that obstacle out of the way, the Turtles were able to advance further into the school building. It was there that they saw Ms. Campbell standing at the top of the staircase with her back towards them. Much like she had been when April and Alina arrived.

“Okay, I feel stupid,” Raph remarked.

Leo groaned in frustration, “April’s gotta learn the T-Phones are for emergencies only.”

Mentioning April’s name triggered something in Ms. Campbell. Her eyes turned red once more and her head quickly turned to face the Turtles. Just her head. Not her whole body.

“A-A-April O’Neil?”

“Aw, sewer bunnies,” Raph grumbled.

If they weren’t entirely convinced of the urgent nature of April and Alina’s situation, they were certainly converted when Ms. Campbell shot missiles at them from her elbows.

Landing on the staircase, Mikey began snarking to his brother, “Leo, I think this does count as a…”

“An emergency, I know!” Leo interrupted his brother rudely.

He was already wondering if Alina would accept kisses as a form of apology for not initially believing she was in trouble. (Wow. Who knew one kiss would change everything?)

As the Turtles fought Ms. Campell, they briefly wondered how the destruction to school property would be explained. Especially since they knew it wouldn’t just be limited to a destroyed banister on the staircase, the destroyed metal detector, nor the hole punched through the glass on the display case. (In fairness to them, the latter was there when they arrived.)

Raph managed to force his sai through Ms. Campbell’s hand, but once cornered, he was quick to learn with horror that the file she carried contained sharp white squares that could almost double as shuriken. Not as small, but certainly just as dangerous.

And he also added to the school’s growing repair bill by cutting a… could he even call the hanging wooden display a chandelier? Either way, it was left in splinters by the time he was done with it. It was just unfortunate it broke on the stairs rather than on Ms. Campbell. At least then, it would’ve been considered a noble sacrifice to defeat the enemy. Now, it was just an unfortunate accident.

All five of them standing in the hallway (on opposite ends, of course, to highlight their opposing stances), Leo quipped, “Alright, guys! Let’s put Old Mother Hubbard back in her cupboard!”

Mikey groaned in dismay. Donnie sighed. Raph took it a step further by saying, “Dude, it literally hurts to listen to you sometimes.”

Any teasing was forgotten when Ms. Campbell fired missiles at them from her elbows once more. (Even seeing it happen still made it hard to believe, and they’d seen a lot of things.) But rather than diving out of the way, the Turtles pressed forward. With some precisely thrown shuriken, Raph was able to harmlessly destroy the missiles that were charging towards them. Leo and Donnie led the group in their pursuit of Ms. Campbell. Diving around the hallway, Leo and Donnie were able to slice Ms. Campbell’s arms clean off her robotic body.

Well, that was one weapon source taken care of.

Her arms weren’t the only thing to hit the floor. Ms. Campbell’s face mask did as well, revealing the robotic circuitry underneath.

“Mikey, the water fountain!” Leo called to his youngest brother.

“I know! School has everything!” Mikey gasped excitedly.

“No! Spray her!” Leo snapped.

Finally understanding, Mikey pressed the button on the water fountain with enough force to send the spurt of water flying across the hallway. His aim was spot on, hitting the robot’s exposed circuitry dead on. Something they all knew with absolute certainty? Water and electricity don’t mix.

It was shown when Ms. Campbell’s body fell to the floor, buzzing and crackling as smoke emitted from her lifeless form.

“April! Alina! Where are you?!” Donnie called worriedly.

Both girls emerged from the broom closet they were hiding in. April decided she was only satisfied when she kicked Ms. Campbell’s lifeless form and grunted, “And stay down!”

“I think she will,” Alina deadpanned.

With her sarcastic quip out of the way, Alina was quick to race into Leo’s waiting arms. He was subtle as he turned his head to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth. For some reason, kissing her on the cheek didn’t feel right anymore. He heard in the background Donnie having some type of awkward exchange with April, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. Besides, that was situation normal.

“So, what the heck is that thing?” April asked the important question as they all stood over Ms. Campbell’s body.

“It looks like a Kraangdroid. Minus the Kraang,” Leo observed.

“She was waiting for us,” Alina informed the group. “She said she was from the Worldwide Genome Project.”

Mikey, who was playing around with Ms. Campbell’s mask, asked, “Whoa! How did the Kraang know you sent your DNA spit to the Worldwide Thingamajig Project?”

Raph screamed at the sight of Ms. Campbell’s face, only to growl in annoyance when he realized it was his merely youngest brother screwing around as he always did. He had to admit to taking great satisfaction in slapping the mask off Mikey’s face.

“The Kraang must’ve hacked into their system. Who knows what kind of info they could be stealing?” Donnie pondered.

For Leo, the decision was made: “April, you’d better head to the lair where it’s safe. We’ll go check out the Worldwide Genome Project.”

“But first, we gotta take down the Eastside High Panthers!” Mikey proclaimed. “According to that poster, they’ve got it coming.”

“Please tell me you guys have my weapons,” Alina pleaded.

Leo wordlessly handed them over to her, deciding he wouldn’t stop her if she decided to use them to inflict some sort of pain on his youngest brother.

**

By the time the group got out of the school, night had fallen over the city. So, as instructed, April headed straight to the lair, and Alina and the Turtles used the darkness to infiltrate the Worldwide Genome Project headquarters. It was a procedure that proved rather painless. They encountered they few obstacles.

Well, getting to the building at least.

When they reached the rooftop door, Raph asked, “How do we get in?”

“Leave it to me,” Donnie answered. “I’ve got an app for that.”

The group groaned at Donnie’s quip. It made Leo have a hard time believing the others gave him a hard time for his remarks. They watched as Donnie plugged his phone into the electronic lock and began pressing some buttons.

Wanting to bypass the lengthy process, Raph quipped, “I’ve got an app for that too!” before kicking in the door.

Donnie glared in annoyance before following his brothers and best friend.

Taking in his surroundings, Mikey said, “You know, for a human lab, this place is awfully Kraang-y.”

Alina found she had to agree with Mikey’s statement. The place strongly resembled the numerous Kraang hideouts she had infiltrated with the Turtles. Particularly the prisons where they had kept Kirby O’Neil before he was relocated following the botched rescue attempt.

“Guys, I think the Kraang are the Worldwide Genome Project,” Leo whispered to the group.

The suspicions were further confirmed when they finally made their way to the giant centre room, which housed not only numerous DNA samples of all forms of life on Earth, but a giant supply of mutagen. Not to mention the Kraangdroids guarding it.

Kraangdroids that were very easily dispatched and trapped in a… Alina decided to call it an electronic closet.

“Now, you two play nice in there,” Raph smirked.

“Yep. I’m ready to agree with you,” Alina quipped.

“What are those?” Leo asked Donnie, referring to the various labels around them.

“Well, it looks like they’re collecting DNA from every plant and animal species on Earth,” Donnie observed.

When Leo voiced his confusion, Mikey piped in, “Building blocks, dude. I’ll drop the science on you later.”

“What would the Kraang want with so much DNA?” Alina pondered.

“Whatever it is, it can’t be good,” Leo proclaimed. “Let’s shut this place down.”

“Hey. Where’s Raph?” Mikey suddenly asked.

It was only then that the group noticed the hot-headed turtle’s absence. But his absence was quickly explained by some yells, the impact sounds, and Raph landing on the floor before them. Pinning Karai beneath him.

“Karai!” both Leo and Alina gasped in shock.

“Ka-who?” Donnie stammered in confusion.

“Bet you think you’re pretty slick,” Raph quipped.

Getting Raph off of her with ease, Karai smirked, “I have my moments.”

“Raph! Karai! Stop it!” Leo pleaded, already rushing to break up the fight that had started between them.

“Okay, what the heck is going on here? How do they know her?” Donnie demanded.

“Yeah, and how do we know her?!” Mikey asked. He then frowned, “Wait. Do we know her?”

“So, this is the stuff that turns people into monsters, huh? How’s it work?” Karai asked Raph as she blocked his attack.

“Why don’t you lean in a little closer and I’ll show you?” Raph offered.

“Enough!”

Both Leo and Alina got between Karai and Raph, with Leo blocking Raph and Alina blocking Karai. With the close proximity, Alina found her back pressing tightly against Leo’s shell.

“You’re gonna set off…”

Alina didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence as she and Leo found themselves stumbling backwards. When Leo reached out a hand to right himself, he ended up pressing a button on the console behind him.

“…one of those,” Leo sighed as the alarm started blaring around him.

“Nice going, Leo! You’re protecting her?!” Raph immediately began rebuking his older brother. “What is wrong with you?! She is bad news!”

“No, she’s not!” Leo objected.

“Yeah, I am,” Karai was quick to agree.

“Can you at least pretend to help your case?” Alina asked Karai incredulously.

“Why would I do that?” was Karai’s serious response.

Alina groaned in frustration when she saw all the Kraangdroids enter the room and surround them.

“The ones who are not authorized by the authority of Kraang to exist in this space will now be destroyed by Kraang in this place.”

“Would it seriously kill you guys to learn proper English?” Alina couldn’t help but ask.

‘This day just keeps getting better,” Karai remarked.

Karai was quick to join the fight against the Kraang when they started firing their weapons. Each member of the group was preoccupied with their own Kraangdroid.

But Leo still found the time to remark, “Look! See? She’s on our side!”

Saving Leo from a Kraangdroid that was about to attack him from behind, Raph scoffed to his brother, “Are you even listening to yourself?”

“I like your brother, Leo!” Karai said. “He’s almost as entertaining as you.”

With his sai sticking through a robotic hand that still twitched, Raph vowed, “Oh, when this is over, I’ll show you how entertaining I can be.”

“Kraang is now arriving to provide the help that has been requested by Kraang.”

“Aw, come on!” Alina moaned in dismay. Bringing in a giant cannon to corner them? Now, that was just playing dirty.

“We’re trapped!” Leo cried.

“No. You’re trapped.”

Everyone turned to the sound of the voice. Even the Kraang. They all turned to see Karai casually leaning against the control console in the middle of the room. Alina knew by her demeanour alone that she was looking to cause some trouble and leave them to clean up the mess.

“What happens if I do this?” Karai teased, holding her finger over a specific button.

“No!” Raph screamed.

“Don’t do that!” Leo cried.

Even a Kraangdroid answered, “Highly undesirable outcome.”

“Well, now I gotta,” Karai shrugged.

Then, she pressed her fingers down on the button. The button itself was not red – it was blue like the rest of the buttons on the console – but it turned red the second it was pressed. The liquid bubbled around them as it was drained from its respective storage units. Mikey held his hands over his ears and emitted a high-pitched scream when he saw one of the DNA samples was for cats.

All of the DNA samples were mixed in with the massive vat of mutagen in the middle of the room, which began glowing brightly. Smoke filled the room. It did not harm the people inside, but it did obstruct their vision. So, Alina could only hear the sounds of the Kraangdroids being taken out by… wait, Alina couldn’t describe what they were dealing with. Not yet.

Karai leapt back over to the group, avoiding the tentacles that had emerged from the vat. It was at about this time that the smoke cleared and Alina got a good look at the creature.

It was a giant octopus. With giant eyes. Weird ears. And a cat’s meow.

“Aw, he’s so cute!” Mikey cooed.

That cuteness quickly disappeared when the mutant grew to its full monstrous size and commenced another attack. For now, everyone had a common enemy.

“Whoa, that was wicked!” Karai gasped.

“How the heck am I gonna name this?” Mikey asked in dismay.

Alina sympathised with Mikey. Naming the other mutants they encountered had come easy for the youngest Turtle. Snakeweed. Spider Bytez. Stockman-Pod. Leatherhead. This one… was going to need a lot of creativity.

“Good question,” Karai smirked. “Well, see ya.”

Alina watched as Karai began making the retreat she knew she would make. The only thing she didn’t anticipate was Karai taking an empty Kraangdroid with her.

“You’re not gonna help us beat this thing?! It’s your fault!” Leo reminded her.

“I’ll let the heroes handle it!” Karai decided.

“I trusted you!” Leo cried.

“I know! That’s messed up, right?!” Karai quipped.

“Get back here!” Alina called after her, climbing the structure to catch up with her.

“Allie, what are you doing?!” Leo called after his… does he call her his girlfriend?

But Leo found he couldn’t worry after Alina. He had bigger problems in the form of the mutant Karai left them to deal with.

“So, guys, we all fans of Karai yet?” Raph asked Mikey and Donnie casually.

“I don’t know who she is, but I know I hate her!” Donnie answered.

“Hey, look, Leo! The Kraang are on our side now!” Raph teased his brother, noting the way the Kraang were fighting the mutant off themselves.

“Save it,” Leo grumbled. He was not in the mood.

Raph gasped when he felt a tentacle wrap around his leg and pull him across the floor. Before long, he was being held up in the air with the tentacle wrapped around his entire body. His arms were pinned to his sides, but Raph was able to escape the mutant’s tight grasp easily enough.

“Nice try, octo-punk!” Raph growled.

“No, no! Call him Octo-Eyeball-Jelly-Bug!” Mikey suggested. Realizing the name sounded wrong and deciding it would not be an easy feat to name the mutant, Mikey sighed, “Let’s just call him Justin.”

Justin decided to express his gratitude for the name by whacking Mikey into the wall, Raph onto the floor, and shock Donny with an electrical current emitted through his eyes. Leo looked around at his unconscious brothers and realized he was the last Turtle standing.

“Raph’s right. It is my fault.”

The rage Leo felt lit a fire in his eyes as he charged at Justin.

**

“Hey!”

Karai turned around to see Alina leaping through the air, axe gripped in her hand. The Foot Clan kunoichi dropped the Kraangdroid she was holding and quickly pulled out her tanto to block Alina’s attack. Her moves were careful. Calculated. She wasn’t looking to hurt Alina, but she was looking to disarm her.

Alina grunted when she found herself pinned under Karai, her weapons out of reach. But much to her surprise, there was no blade being held to her throat, nor any immediate threat to her life.

“What? You’re not gonna clean up your mess?” Alina challenged her.

“I figure your friends have a good handle on that,” Karai shrugged nonchalantly.

Karai grunted when Alina kicked her leg up to knock Karai off of her. Much to Karai’s surprise, the tides ended up turning, with her face being pressed into the wall and Alina pressing Karai’s arm into her back.

“Not bad, Arina,” Karai praised.

“Why do you keep calling me that?” Alina demanded. “Alina is my name.”

“I think I know my own sister’s name!” Karai spat.

Alina froze in shock as the weight of Karai’s words hit her full force.

“You’re… you’re my sister?” Alina gasped.

Alina made the potentially fatal mistake of letting her guard down. Karai took her chance to hit Alina with the powder she carried on her. It didn’t merely disorient her the way it had done Leo. It knocked her out.

She barely registered Karai gently cradling her head and laying her on the ground before the darkness overtook her.

**

“Allie? Allie, wake up!”

Alina gasped when her eyes snapped open. Looking around her, she saw that she was no longer inside the Worldwide Genome Project headquarters. She was on a fire escape with the Turtles watching the aforementioned building burn to the ground. She made a mental note to ask the Turtles what happened while she was chasing Karai.

Karai… her sister.

“So…,” Mikey began.

“We’re thinking somebody should start talking,” Donnie glared at Leo.

**

And Leo did start talking once he got to the lair. But he didn’t just talk to Alina and his brothers about Karai. He was also forced to talk to April and Master Splinter about her.

“I should’ve told you about Karai sooner,” Leo conceded. “But I really thought there was a chance she would be good. And I… actually, I don’t know what I was thinking. Go ahead. Laugh.”

“Dude, I can’t believe you trusted her,” Mikey rebuked him.

“I can’t believe you didn’t trust us enough to tell us,” Donnie voiced his own hurt thoughts.

“I was wrong. I’m really sorry,” Leo apologized.

“I tried to warn him,” April admitted.

“You too, huh?” Raph and Alina drawled.

Master Splinter, who had been standing there silently this whole time, finally stepped forward. “Leonardo, you are not the first young man or turtle to make a fool of yourself over a girl.”

“What about Donnie?” Mikey cried out in pain when Donnie whacked him on the arm and glared at him.

“However, when that girl is a kunoichi in the employ of your enemy, that is an error you cannot afford,” Master Splinter warned his son.

“Hai, sensei,” Leo sighed.

“Deception is the ninja’s most powerful weapon, and it seems Karai is a master,” Master Splinter stated gravely.

His words didn’t just affect Leo. They affected Alina too as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“I know. We can’t trust her,” Leo echoed what he had been told repeatedly on the way home. “I see that now.”

“Good. You must learn from your mistake,” Master Splinter told his eldest son.

“Thank you for understanding,” Leo smiled in relief. “I’m glad you’re not mad.”

“Who said I’m not mad?!”

Leo learned that the hard way when Master Splinter stomped his cane into Leo’s foot. Alina thought Master Splinter was actually going very easy on Leo, considering the circumstances.

**

Leo was concerned when Alina asked to talk privately. More so when he tried to kiss her when they were alone and she pushed him away.

“No, Leo. I didn’t call you in here for that,” Alina sighed.

“Did I do something wrong? Do you regret it?” Leo’s nervous questions came out in a rapid-fire fashion.

“No, it’s not that,” Alina reassured him. “It’s Karai.”

Misunderstanding the situation once more, Leo rushed forward to reassure Alina, “I was never interested in Karai that way. I really thought I had the chance to turn someone away from the Foot Clan. I never thought of her the way I think about you.”

“That’s… nice,” Alina admitted, “but that’s not what I’m trying to tell you.”

“Did something happen when you went after her?” Leo inquired.

He still remembered finding her on the ground unconscious with Karai nowhere in sight. There was no mark on Alina, so Leo had quickly figured that Karai had incapacitated her in a way that did not cause actual harm, but still allowed her time to get away. That didn’t make the sight any less confronting.

“I know we just saw what happened with secrets, but I’m not ready to tell the others. But I also don’t want to keep it from everyone.”

“Allie, you’re rambling,” Leo stated worriedly. “What’s going on? You can talk to me.”

“I’m just scared to say the words because it’ll make it reality,” Alina confessed.

“Make what reality?” Okay. Leo was starting to get a bit scared.

Taking a breath, Alina finally said the four words: “Karai is my sister.”

Okay, Leo did not expect that.

Chapter Text

Leo could only stand there in shock at Alina’s words.

“Karai’s your sister?” Leo could only repeat her earlier words.

Alina nodded, “I don’t want to believe it, but… I don’t think she’s lying.”

And the more Leo thought about it, the more he agreed. Everything about Karai’s interactions with Alina started making sense. And the fact that she kept calling her a different name. Arina rather than Alina.

And Leo remembered Alina having a lot of troubles with her Rs when they first met.

“Has she told you anything else?” Leo asked her.

“Nope. She just dropped the Manhattan Project on me, stunned me with some type of powder and the next thing I know, I was waking up with you outside,” Alina answered.

By this stage, Alina had sat down on Leo’s bed. It was clear that everything that happened was taking its toll on her. And Leo understood. She had gone from knowing nothing about her family to finding out she had a sister.

And not only that – a sister in the Foot Clan. Even Mikey would be able to piece that together to mean that the rest of Alina’s family was in the Foot Clan.

Alina had been born in the Foot Clan.

“Do you want to find out anything else?” Leo asked. “If Karai is your sister, she could lead you to the rest of your family.”

“I-I don’t know,” Alina stammered. “I feel like I… I need some time.”

Leo could only nod. He sat next to her on his bed, keeping a respectable distance between the two of them and waiting for Alina to make the next move. She was the one who was dealt with a lifechanging revelation. She could take the lead on what she wanted from him. Did she want him to keep his distance? Did she want him to hold her? Did she want…?

Leo’s thoughts came to a stop when Alina scooted across to get close enough to rest her head on his shoulder. Despite himself, Leo couldn’t resist the temptation to press a kiss to the top of her head. He was glad to see that Alina didn’t recoil from his touch or his kiss. In fact, she seemed to welcome it.

He then recalled what Alina had said. She was hesitant about keeping this a secret – especially since they were still reeling in the aftermath of the consequences of Leo’s secrets involving Karai. But she still wasn’t ready for this to be out in the open. Not with how Raph has been,

“So, you’re not ready to tell the others?” Leo meant for his words to come out in the form of a question, but it came out as a statement instead. Deep down, he already knew the answer.

He felt Alina nod her head before she verbalized her answer, “Yeah. I… I don’t mind telling you, but I don’t want to tell the others. That includes April and Master Splinter. I just… I need time to process what this means.”

“Does it have to mean something?” Leo challenged her.

“I think you know it already does,” Alina retorted. “If I have a sister who is in the Foot Clan, the most logical conclusion is that my whole family is in the Foot Clan. I mean, Xever could turn out to be my brother or my uncle for all I know.”

Leo clenched his jaw. He knew Alina was trying to lighten the mood as a way of coping with her own situation. But this was a miss. A massive one. Because thinking about how Xever was with Alina whenever they encountered him only served to make his blood boil. He wondered if Alina could feel the rage that suddenly started coursing through his body.

When did he turn into Raph?

There was one question that was forming in Leo’s mind, and he found himself asking it before he could fully process it: “Why did you tell me?”

“Because things are changing between us,” Alina replied. “And because of that, it didn’t feel right to keep it from you.”

That led Leo to want to ask another question: “So, are we… are we having that moment?”

Alina remembered the conversation they had after the almost kiss on her birthday. The one where they agreed to let a moment happen naturally if it happened at all. They never wanted to force anything.

“Yeah. We’re having that moment,” Alina nodded. “Do you want it to happen?”

“Yes.” Leo hoped he didn’t sound too enthusiastic in his response. “Do you?”

“Yes,” Alina nodded eagerly. Perhaps a little too eagerly. “This is probably… one of the few things I’m sure of right now.”

Leo felt lighter at her words. More confident. He was one of the few things she could be sure of; and he wanted to make sure he was worth that confidence. Worth her faith. Her certainty. Worth… everything.

“I…” Leo could taste the words on the tip of his tongue again. Something was daring him to let them spill out. But there was something inside that stopped him. This wasn’t the time. Not on the heels of everything. So instead, he said: “I want to kiss you. Is that okay?”

Alina lifted her head off Leo’s shoulder. Her expression unreadable as she turned her head to face him. For a moment, Leo worried he had ruined the moment. Here she was, confiding in him. And he had gone and put his foot in his mouth. Again.

But then she smiled – God, he loved that smile – and said, “I thought you would never ask.”

This time, it was easier to say who made the first move. It was Alina. She leaned in to initiate the kiss this time.

The kiss was tender, but no less fuelled with emotion. They both relied on instinct and an admittedly intimate knowledge of one another to guide their next steps. Where they placed their hands. Alina found she kept one hand to herself while resting her free hand on the back of his neck. She suddenly seemed insecure on where to put it.

But then, she decided she could rest it on one of Leo’s wrists. He was cupping her face with both of his hands. One digit was tenderly stroking her cheek. She wasn’t entirely certain, but she guessed it was his thumb. Or his equivalent.

Pulling back, they both seemed to be thinking the same thing. This wasn’t enough. There was too much distance between them. They needed to be closer.

So, they both laid on their sides. Facing one another on Leo’s bed. That way, they could easily look innocent if someone walked in. The fact that they were above the sheets rather than under them helped.

It was an unspoken agreement that would soon become verbalized. They would keep this between themselves for a little while. When things were more… official.

Was official the right word in this scenario? Because they were both thinking that things were becoming official. Or at least were due to become official.

But there was one thing laying on their sides facing each other enabled them to do. It allowed them to hold each other close. Press their bodies against one another in a way that maintained a PG-13 rating rather than coming dangerously close to something that would be seen in those adult magazines they kept stumbling upon in the sewers.

And it enabled them to resume their kiss. It remained tender. Gentle.

Alina allowed a soft moan to escape in the kiss as Leo gently sucked her bottom lip. She could feel Leo press a gentle hand to her back, helping her to maintain their closeness. Alina, in turn, rested her hand on the back of Leo’s neck once more. She could feel him smile in the kiss, and it made her smile in turn.

They lost all concept of time as they allowed themselves to get lost in each other. For all they know (or cared), it could have been a handful of minutes. It could have been hours. But when they broke the embrace, neither of them made a move to verify the time. In fact, they remained laying on their sides facing each other. The only move either of them made was Leo reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He wanted to see her face more clearly. Her sparkling eyes. Her beautiful smile.

“You should probably ditch the weapons,” Alina’s voice was hardly above a whisper.

It was only now that Leo realized he still had his katanas strapped to his back. And when he thought about it, it wasn’t exactly comfortable. So, it was with the greatest reluctance that Leo sat up to properly discard his weapons. But the second he was able to, he was back where he was. Lying on his side facing Alina in his bed.

“So, are we keeping this between us too?” Alina already knew the answer. But she still felt the need to ask.

Leo nodded, “Are you ready for the comments from the others?”

“Definitely not,” Alina was quick to answer with a laugh. “They’re bad enough now.”

For Alina, this part was to remain unspoken. But she also wasn’t ready to deal with all the comments from April regarding her relationship with Leo. She was okay with being friends with them. But she didn’t think Alina should date any of them. A couple of hangouts ended on a sour note when April tried to set Alina up with some teenage boys they knew from their classes. She seemed to stress the human aspect.

At least April stopped doing that after some stern words from Alina for the sake of their continued friendship. Who Alina dated – human or mutant – was her business alone.

“Besides… I think we could both use the time,” Alina finally said after a moment of silence. “To establish more what this is and where we stand with one another.”

It was only natural, of course. From what Leo was able to observe of human interaction during his time on the surface, it was common to see some new relationships be kept quiet until the couple felt it was time to share it with their loved ones.

He pressed a gentle kiss to Alina’s lips, pulling back after a couple of seconds. He only intended for it to be a quick kiss anyway. Not an invitation to resume his make out session (no matter how much he would enjoy another make out session). He rested his forehead against hers and decided for now he was content to just hold her.

And she was clearly just content to hold him as well.

“I’m going to have to go home soon,” Alina pointed out.

“I know,” Leo nodded. “But maybe we could stay like this a bit longer? I just… I wanna make sure you’re okay, Allie.”

“I am now,” Alina reassured him. “I’ve had one question answered, and that’s led to a million more. But I’m not looking to have those questions answered right now. I’ve waited ten years. I can wait a little bit to process what I found out before pursuing more answers.”

Leo not having a nose like a human’s had the potential to make his next move awkward, but when he nuzzled his face against hers, he found it was the most natural thing in the world.

“But us…,” Leo trailed off. “We’re doing this?”

“We’re really doing this,” Alina nodded, that bright smile returning to her face once more. That smile turned coy as she suggested, “So… maybe you can kiss me and really make it official.”

Leo did not need further prompting.

**

Master Splinter watched from the shadows as Leo and Alina finally emerged. He knew that whatever they wanted to talk about, they wanted to keep private. Hence why he made a point of keeping the others away. He knew the second they came out, the others would be bombarding them with questions. Questions they clearly weren’t ready to answer.

But when he watched the way Leo rested his hand on her back as he guided her out of the lair – clearly in the processing of escorting her back to her foster home – he allowed himself the smallest chuckle. He was Leo’s age once. He knew the signs of love when he saw it.

He made the point of not using the words ‘young love’ or ‘teen love’. Because he already knew this was different to that. The love Leo and Alina share was very much like the love he once shared with Tang Shen.

He smiled as he made his way back to the dojo. They would come clean. One day.

But for now, he was more than content to sit with the knowledge that he knew before the others. Even before the couple themselves.

Chapter Text

“Ugh, what’s taking so long?” Mikey whined. “Donnie knows I have a short atten… Ooh, gum!”

Alina did nothing to stop herself from face palming when Mikey demonstrated his short attention span by immediately picking up the gum on the ground. She decided it wasn’t even worth pointing out how long that gum had been down there. She exchanged a small smile with Leo, who was clearly thinking the same thing.

“Man, this better be worth it,” Raph grumbled.

Alina found herself agreeing with Raph. Donnie had been acting so mysterious concerning his inventions. Well, more than usual. That usually meant he was onto something big. Especially since he wasn’t letting her help like he usually did. He wanted her to be surprised too.

And she certainly was when she saw a very familiar subway car pull up in front of them. It was covered by different types of graffiti. Its tires were high up on the side, clearly not required since the car was on the subway tracks. Aline knew she would be able to identify all the modifications Donnie made to it later. But for now, she wanted to revel in its glory.

“Worth it!” Raph immediately proclaimed. Alina immediately nodded in agreement.

“So?” Donnie smirked as he opened the doors into the subway car.

“You turned Leatherhead’s old subway car into this?” Leo asked, the amazement in his voice.

“Donnie, have I ever told you how awesome you are?” Raph remarked.

“No, you haven’t,” Donnie answered with a smirk.

“Well, I’m seriously considering it,” Raph proclaimed.

“And there’s the Raph we know,” Alina smirked. She then sighed, “And there’s the Mikey we know,” when she saw Mikey hugging the subway car in admiration.

“What do you call this thing?” Leo questioned Donnie.

“Well, it’s a transaxled, multi-armoured, electromagnetic…”

“The Shellraiser!”

Nobody was surprised when Mikey interrupted what was certain to be a long-winded explanation of his latest invention. Especially since Mikey had appointed himself the role of name master, naming not only the mutated villains they encounter, but the inventions Donnie creates in his lab. Most of the time, everyone else just rolled their eyes and went along with it.

But this time was different.

“What?” Donnie could only stammer.

“The Shellraiser,” Mikey repeated. “It’s the perfect name!”

“That is the perfect name!” Leo gaped in shock.

“Of course it is, bro! You guys always underestimate me!” Mikey scoffed. “Ooh, gum!”

This time, Alina did nothing to hide her disgust over Mikey picking up chewing gum that had been left on the floor of an abandoned subway station for God only knows how long.

But that was forgotten when they all entered the Shellraiser. Especially when Donnie hit the button to make the Shellraiser come to life. Every computer. Every system. Every light. It was truly a sight to behold.

“Nice setup, Donnie!” Alina whistled in appreciation.

“Thanks!” Donnie beamed. “Now, I’ve assigned everyone to a station based on your individual skillsets. I can’t drive because my station’s in the back, so…”

Alina was not surprised to see Leo, Raph and Mikey immediately call dibs on being the driver, nor was she surprised to see them immediately start squabbling over it. Donnie physically blocked their path to the driver’s seat with the help of his bo staff.

“Leo drives,” Donnie cut in. Leo immediately smirked at his younger brothers.

“Why?!” Mikey and Raph whined.

“He’s least likely to hit something for fun,” was Donnie’s pointed response, moving aside to let Leo sit in the driver’s seat.

“True,” Raph and Mikey conceded.

“Do I have a station?” Alina asked.

The others had clear stations. Leo was the driver, Raph was in charge of their defences (Alina wondered if it was the best idea putting the hot-tempered Turtle in charge of weapons), Mikey was in charge of navigation (again, Alina questioned the wisdom behind that considering how easily distracted Mikey is), and Donnie was in charge of monitoring the vehicle’s vital functions (which, along with making Leo the driver, was the only assignment that actually made sense).

“Your main station’s next to mine,” Donnie said, gesturing to the empty seat next to his own. “You’re in charge of monitoring reports from news outlets and police scanners for anything that indicates mutant or Kraang activity. Also, since you got your certification recently, you’re officially our First Aid person.”

“Fine with me,” Alina shrugged, sitting next to Donnie.

“Also, you can be a bit of a floater, taking over for one of us if someone’s out of action,” Donnie added. “Maybe later, I can take you through the inner workings of each station so you can take over if something happens.”

Alina nodded in agreement. She was just happy that Donnie clearly thought out a role for her at all. (Even though for Donnie, including Alina was an absolute no-brainer.)

Leo (who was totally not thinking of asking Donnie to put a passenger seat up the front for Alina) asked eagerly, “So, how do we get this baby going?”

Donnie’s voice and face came through the monitor next to Leo, since his station was far enough back to prevent Leo from hearing him, “Okay, just ease the throttle forward ever so sli-“

Leo did mean to ease the throttle forward slightly. He truly did. But that did nothing to prevent the lurch that resulted when the Shellraiser took off.

“What is powering this thing?!” Raph demanded, excitement laced in his voice.

“The Kraang power cell we got from Leatherhead,” Donnie answered.

“I thought you said that was dangerous, like the Kraang could track it!” Leo argued.

“That’s why I put it under a lead glass shield,” Donnie reassured him.

“Nice,” Alina whistled, turning around so she can see the setup for herself. “It lets you regulate the output so you can power the Shellraiser and hides its signature so the Kraang can’t track it.”

Donnie and Alina were quick to exchange a high-five, enjoying their own geeky moment.

Mikey, at his own station, slid across so he was directly in front of Donnie, “I hate to interrupt, but… dead end!”

Alina watched the screen and saw that they were indeed coming up to a dead end. There wasn’t any track left. Leo was getting his own alarm from his own console.

“Uh, Donnie, how do I stop this thing?” Leo asked. The excitement was gone from his voice. Now, he was terrified.

“Don’t!” Donnie was quick to answer.

“What?!” Leo and Alina were quick to gape in shock.

“Trust me!” Donnie retorted.

They really did trust Donnie, but it did nothing to stop them screaming as that wall came dangerously closer. Donnie just sat there calmly with a smirk before hitting a button. That button opened a ramp up to the surface, allowing them to emerge through an alleyway. They flew through the air momentarily, allowing the Shellraiser time to convert from its train wheels to tires more suited for urban streets. When the Shellraiser landed on the ground, Leo regained control with a seemingly practiced ease.

“Donnie, you’re awesome!” Raph gushed.

“Does this thing have a stereo?” Mikey asked. He had been humming random tunes to himself before asking. Alina had to agree with him. They needed some music.

“What good would this thing be without some tunes?” Donnie smirked. “Alina, would you care to do the honours?”

With a bright smile, Alina hit the button Donnie gestured for her to hit. It was conveniently at her own station. It looks like aside from monitoring for suspicious activity, she was the Shellraiser’s DJ.

Although, when classical music began playing through the Shellraiser’s speakers, she shot her own glare.

“Are you for real?” she glared at her friend.

“Hit that button to skip to the second movement,” Donnie winked at her.

Alina was quick to do that. She didn’t mind classical music, but it had its time and place and this was not it. She found the heavy metal that began playing through the speakers instead much better suited. The Turtles seemed to agree as they all cheered. Leo even used it to energize his driving.

Alina watched as Raph, Donnie and Mikey gripped something above them as Leo did donuts in the middle of a deserted street. She was having the time of her life, but that was one activity she was more than happy to sit out of. Besides, she was going to bring this activity to a stop with what she saw on the screen.

“Leo, pull over!” Alina kindly requested her… could she even call him her boyfriend in her thoughts when there were others around so dangerously close to finding out?

“Aw, come on, Als! I was just gonna poke my head out!” Raph whined, glaring at Allie when Leo obeyed her.

“I think this will make up for it,” Alina drawled.

Everyone looked at the screens that gave them a view of the curb outside. They saw three familiar faces climbing out of a smashed window carrying items that most certainly did not belong to them.

“Okay. You’re forgiven,” Raph quickly decided.

“Purple Dragons?!” Leo laughed in delight, “Oh, this night keeps getting better and better!”

“Oh yeah! It’s like candy for my knuckles, and tonight’s Halloween!” Raph smirked, cracking his knuckles.

“Oh, wait a minute. Who’s that?” Donnie asked.

There was a figure lurking in the shadows, waiting for the Purple Dragons. There was only one question on their minds. Was this figure a friend or a foe? They would soon get their answer.

“Excuse me, boys. I think you forgot to pay for that. But don’t worry. I accept cash, cheque or teeth.”

“Huh. That was actually a pretty good line,” Leo praised.

Alina bit her lip, deciding now was not the time to make a quip about how Leo should ask him for tips.

Fong was quick to drop his stolen goods and challenge his mysterious enemy, “What are you gonna do? There’s one of you and three of us.”

“Oh, you want to call a couple friends, make it even?”

The guy jumped off the dumpster and stood in front of the Purple Dragons. Alina couldn’t properly see all the details through the dark, but she could tell that the boy (because he sounded like he was around her age) wearing a rubber green suit with a yellow stomach area and a red bandana. If she didn’t know any better, she could’ve sworn that he was trying to dress like her friends.

“This guy’s got guts!” Raph whistled in approval.

“It’s time to face the wrath of… The Pulverizer!”

“This is gonna be great!” Mikey giggled excitedly.

Alina held out hope, but when she saw The Pulverizer emerge from the shadows, she was fully expecting things to not go well. Firstly, her suspicions were confirmed. The Pulverizer was clearly trying to imitate her friends with his attire, which made her question when he would have seen them.

For another… he was not the most agile person on the planet. Alina made a point to not directly attribute it to his weight. For one thing, Alina didn’t believe in weight shaming. For another, she has seen plenty of overweight people with incredible agility.

But for this guy… his moves were weak. Very weak.

“Or not,” Alina winced.

They all moaned and winced when they saw the Purple Dragons make quick work of the Pulverizer.

“Oh, the Pulverizer’s getting just…,” Mikey trailed off. “Well, I don’t know the word, but we gotta help him!”

Alina was quick to grab her weapons. She wasn’t about to stand by and let the poor guy get creamed if she could do something about it. And she was glad to see her friends thought the same as they all raced out of the Shellraiser. By the time they got into the alleyway, the Pulverizer was on the ground in bad shape.

“How do you like the odds now, Fong?” Leo smirked.

Fong looked around to see the Turtles and Alina surrounding both himself and his crew members.

“Whoa, the Turtles!” the Pulverizer gasped in excitement.

“How does he know who we-?” Donnie’s amazed question was cut off by a punch from Sid.

Donnie was able to make quick work of Sid, kneeing him in the stomach and kicking him away when Sid held himself over him. Sid landed in front of the Pulverizer, who immediately elbowed him in the stomach, determined to get his own blows in.

“Oh, nice combo!” The Pulverizer cheered. “High-five!”

Sid was quick to grab The Pulverizer’s hand and throw him in Donnie’s direction while Mikey charged at him.

“Fong’s getting away!” Leo cried, struggling against the grip of the gang member whose name Alina had forgotten.

“Oh no he don’t!” Mikey vowed, throwing his chain at him.

“I got him!” The Pulverizer cried… only to get caught in Mikey’s chain. “Oh dang, I almost had him.”

“Not cool, man!” Mikey whined, freeing him from the chains.

“Leo, we got cops! We gotta move!” Alina warned.

Alina and the Turtles were quick to take off in the direction of the Shellraiser, needing to make a clean getaway before the cops laid eyes on them. The other members of the Purple Dragons made their own getaway, looking to catch up with Fong.

“Oh hey, uh, great teamwork, guys!” The Pulverizer called after them.

“Look, I don’t know who you think you are, or what you think you’re doing, but don’t!” Raph told him sternly.

The Pulverizer was not one to take a hint, continuing to talk as though Raph hadn’t dismissed him so coldly. When Raph pulled the Shellraiser’s door shut, the Pulverizer found himself spun around. When he went to move forward, he realized the tails of his bandana were caught.

Before he could say anything, screams tore from his throat as the Pulverizer took off.

“You guys hear something?” Leo asked. He heard screaming over the metal music.

**

But they wouldn’t identify the source of the noise until they got to the lair and Donnie saw The Pulverizer lying in front of the door, now free from his trap.

“We got a problem!” Donnie reported to the group.

“What the?!” Leo gaped in shock.

Alina raced forward to tend to the injured Pulverizer.

“Are you okay?” Alina asked worriedly.

“Uh, sure,” The Pulverizer groaned. “You… you can survive with just one kidney, right?”

The Pulverizer than opened his eyes, having closed them in his pain, and his facial expression changed. There was no trace of pain on his face. But rather… if Alina had to describe the look on the Pulverizer’s face, she would liken it to the look on Donnie’s face when he first laid eyes on April. And it made her uncomfortable. Looking at Leo, she could’ve sworn she saw flames in his eyes.

“Great! First, this doofus gets in the way of a good Purple Dragon stomping; and now, he knows where our lair is?!” Raph ranted.

Yeah, both things were a problem. Alina had to concede that Raph had every right to be mad.

“Oh, no problem. I blacked out most of the way here,” the Pulverizer remarked.

“How do you even know about my friends?” Alina demanded.

“Oh, I saw you months ago!” The Pulverizer revealed.

Alina listened as the Pulverizer excitedly detailed the battle where he first laid eyes on the Turtles. From those details, Alina was able to piece together that he saw them when they were battling Stockman-Pod. And she had to admit. He was describing the Turtles with startling accuracy. Right down to Donnie being the strong, silent type.

“And you…,” the Pulverizer trailed off when he laid eyes on Alina once more. “You were this hottie who was kicking butt and looking good doing it!”

“Dudes, we have a stalker,” Mikey whisper-yelled to his brothers. Raph, meanwhile, was highly amused by the animalistic growls rumbling from Leo’s throat.

“You inspired me to become a hero. I saw you guys and I thought what have they got that I haven’t got?” the Pulverizer scoffed.

“Years of training under a grand master of ninjutsu?” Donnie deadpanned.

“No, an awesome costume!” The Pulverizer corrected. “Where’d you get yours, by the way?”

“Uh, we are not wearing costumes. We’re mutants,” Donnie answered.

“Right,” The Pulverizer smirked. It took him a minute to realize Donnie was serious. But once he did, he approved. “Cool! How do I do that?!”

“You! Stop talking!” Raph snapped at him, pressing a finger into his chest and getting in his face. “We gotta get him out of here!”

“I thought he was being a bit too quiet,” Alina muttered under her breath.

She turned to Leo, expecting him to make some noise in agreement or even laugh. She gasped when she saw him… basically turn into Raph as he glared at the Pulverizer. That shock turned to amusement when she quickly worked out what was up.

Leo was jealous.

“Whoa! This place is amazing!”

“What is up with this guy?!” Alina asked in frustration. She couldn’t believe he had the audacity to just walk into their lair when he was very much an unwelcome guest.

“What’s with all the pizza boxes?” The Pulverizer asked.

**

Things got even worse when The Pulverizer found his way into Donnie’s lab. The guy was really handsy, wanting to grab everything. Even though Alina felt sorry for Metalhead being subjected to the Pulverizer’s curiosity, she was glad he wasn’t getting grabby with her.

She didn’t feel like dropping off a random teenage boy at a random hospital with his hands having been sliced off by katana swords.

“Hey, what’s this?” the Pulverizer asked, holding a piece of Kraang tech in his hands before Donnie swiped it back. “That looks like the stuff those guys were stealing.”

Donnie scoffed, “That’s impossible. It’s Kraang tech.”

“What’s a Kraang?” the Pulverizer frowned in confusion.

“If we told you, we’d have to kill you,” Raph threatened him. Then began telling him anyway, “You see, the Kraang are aliens from another dimension.” He only stopped when Leo and Alina elbowed him.

“Wait. Why would the Purple Dimwits want Kraang robotics?” Leo mused. “It’s not like they’d know what to do with it.”

“Unless they’re stealing it from someone else,” Raph pondered.

“Well, who do we know that would be interested in stolen evil robot parts?” Donnie wondered.

For Alina and three of the Turtles, the answer was obvious: “Baxter Stockman.”

“Donatello,” was Mikey’s guess. When everyone shot him looks, he amended his answer to, “Baxter Stockman.”

Although, Alina had to give Mikey some leeway. Donnie was also the type to show interest in Kraang tech. He just wouldn’t commit crimes to get his hands on it.

“We’ll check it out,” Leo decided. “Donnie, fix the Shellraiser and take Captain Rubber Pants home.”

Alina was going to open her mouth to say something, but when Leo grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him (not roughly, but firm enough to get his point across), it was clear that he wanted her to go with him. He had no problem leaving Donnie alone with the Pulverizer. But leaving Alina alone with him was one thing he would never do.

“Wait! Why do I have to…?” Donnie began whining.

“So, what now?” the Pulverizer asked innocently.

Donnie had a hard time keeping his cool when he heard the sound of beakers breaking behind him, and he immediately worked out that the Pulverizer’s clumsiness was to blame.

**

Alina made a note to talk to Leo about his behaviour later. (Even if it was to say that she had no problem with it and actually found it pretty hot.) Right now, they had bigger problems in the form of Baxter Stockman.

Fortunately, they already knew where his lab was. So, they weren’t wandering the city aimlessly looking for a bad guy lair. They already knew where to go.

“Baxter Stockman!” Leo announced their presence. “Whatever you’re up to with those robotics parts, it ends now!”

“You want to see what I’m working on?” Baxter smirked. “Well, here it comes!”

With a click of his fingers, Fishface appeared before him. Alina was quick to recognize the mutated form of the man who was once Xever Mendes, and she had actually wondered what happened to him. He hadn’t been seen or heard from since that fateful first encounter with The Shredder.

Well, it looks like Baxter was… Alina would say he was putting the tech to good use if it was actually for altruistic purposes rather than giving a bad guy who would die on land robot legs to kick their asses.

Her Turtle companions, however, were amused more than anything else.

“Look! Sushi that delivers itself!” Leo cackled.

Xever decided to show how offended he was at the comment by kicking a toolbox in their direction. Fortunately, the group managed to dodge the projectile. Alina found herself admitting that, again, she would find the legs impressive… if they weren’t built for villainous purposes.

“Dude, Fishface is a little sensitive,” Mikey remarked.

“You’re calling him Fishface?” Leo and Alina asked him.

“Well, it was either that or Robocarp,” Mikey shrugged.

Mikey cried out in pain when he suddenly found himself being slammed into the wall. When he landed on the floor, he was a whimpering mess. It didn’t take long to work out the cause. Fishface had delivered a pretty powerful roundhouse kick on Mikey with his powerful new legs.

“Important safety tip: avoid the legs!” Raph quipped as he charged at Fishface.

Fishface was certainly putting his new legs to good use. Not just on offence, but on defence. He was using them to dodge and defend himself against Raph’s attacks effectively. Alina would be impressed if he was a good guy and wasn’t using those legs to kick Raph around the lab.

“You know,” Alina began as she joined the fight, looking to help Raph even the odds, “in other circumstances, I’d be impressed.”

“Oh, how I have missed you, estrelinha,” Fishface chuckled.

Raph was served a painful reminder of Fishface’s familiarity with Alina, and he didn’t like it. He was fuelled with the desire to protect his best friend, and he decided to do that by taunting Fishface so all his focus was on him.

“What do you got besides legs?” Raph taunted, pinning Fishface’s legs to the wall.

Fishface’s response was to bite Raph in the shoulder. Alina managed to get Fishface off of Raph, and watched in concern as he stumbled backwards, dropping his sai.

“Raph!” Alina cried as she raced forward.

“Teeth… I think they’re… poison,” Raph groaned before falling unconscious in Alina’s arms.

Leo immediately charged at Fishface, keeping him at bay while both Alina and Mikey tended to Raph.

“Raph, are you okay?” Mikey asked worriedly.

“Huh. Sure, yeah,” Raph moaned, moving to get up… only to fall down again.

“Take care of Raph,” Alina muttered to Mikey.

Before Mikey could ask why Alina was leaving, he heard the sounds of punches being landed. Looking up quickly, he saw that Sid from the Purple Dragons had gone to charge them and Alina had interceded.

“I’m fine,” Raph sighed as he grasped Mikey’s hand. “I love you.”

“He’s not fine!” Mikey cried, clearly distressed.

Flipping Sid into the wall, Alina took out her T-Phone, “I’m calling Donnie.” Groaning when she saw another Purple Dragon coming, she tossed the dialled phone to Mikey before engaging in another fight.

**

Donnie was having problems of his own. When the Pulverizer wouldn’t leave him alone, he began showing him some moves. Master Splinter allowed it with great reluctance. As Donnie said, he was going to go out and continue his reckless vigilantism no matter what they did; the least he could do was teach him some basic self-defence to give him some chance of going home alive.

The Pulverizer was certainly an eager student. But his eagerness did not translate to skill. Nor did his natural clumsiness.

“Donatello,” he answered the phone. He was thankful for the interruption. Especially since the Pulverizer was already asking for a black belt.

“Donnie! We need help! Raph’s been bitten by a giant poisonous robotic fish!”

“That’s not possible!” Donnie objected. “If he was bitten, it’s venom, not poison.”

“Interesting, interesting… GET OVER HERE!”

Donnie raced to the lab, grabbing everything he thought he would need to manufacture an antidote on the run. Going in the Shellraiser would certainly get him there faster. But he faced another issue. He can’t drive and manufacture the antidote at the same time.

“Hey, do you know how to drive?” Donnie asked the Pulverizer.

“You kidding? I’ve been driving an ice cream truck all summer!” the Pulverizer scoffed.

**

“What are his symptoms?”

Alina heard Mikey answer Donnie’s question in the middle of her fight, “He keeps telling me I’m the smartest guy he knows.”

“Okay. Okay, he’s delusional. How’s his colour?”

“Green, man, and I mean way more than usual,” Mikey answered worriedly.

“Mikey, duck!” Alina warned, jumping over Mikey to tackle both Sid and Baxter. When she knocked them both to the ground, she stood over them menacingly. “Attacking from behind? That’s cowardly.”

Sid and Baxter opened their mouths to argue, but the withering look on Alina’s face, combined with the tight grip on her axe, made them shut up and raise their hands.

“I knew you ate my pizza! You liar!” Mikey rebuked his poisoned brother.

Alina gasped when she saw Fishface defeat Leo with ease, kicking him repeatedly and landing on top of his prone body.

“Donnie!” Alina shouted, “Get here now!”

“Almost there!”

Alina raced forward to help Leo against Fishface. She could hear Mikey following her, figuring Raph would be okay on his own for the time being. Donnie was nearby. He had to be. But Leo clearly couldn’t take Fishface on his own.

Alina slid under Fishface as he leapt into the air, blocking one of his feet. He didn’t account for using his robotics to swing his free foot around and kick her in the back. She grunted when she landed on top of Leo. He moaned at the impact.

“By the way… you getting all jealous over Pulverizer? Kinda hot,” Alina winked.

Leo did not know what to say to that. Even less so when Alina pressed a quick kiss to his lips before pushing herself off of him.

Fishface had kicked Mikey down before the Shellraiser smashed through the wall. When it landed on the ground, FIshface was knocked down by a garbage ball released from the cannon. Whatever works, right?

With all the bad guys defeated, everyone raced over to Raph.

“Raph, you still with us, buddy?” Donnie asked worriedly.

“Donnie?” Raph rasped. “Why are there fingers on my feet?”

“Hang in there, buddy. You’ll be okay,” Donnie promised.

Raph grunted when he felt the needle break the skin of his arm. Donnie had managed to craft the antidote based on Mikey’s description of his symptoms. Delusions. Nausea. Colouring.

“Uh, thanks, magical unicorn,” Raph moaned.

Alina relaxed in relief when she saw the antidote was already working. Pulling Raph onto his feet, she hugged him, knowing that Raph got bit trying to bait Fishface away from her.

“You pull something like that again,” Alina began threatening him.

“Don’t even bother, Als,” Raph advised. He was never going to change. He was going to do it again. Alina's words would be pointless.

“We saved him!” the Pulverizer cheered. Alina moaned in dismay when she realized Donnie had brought him along.

“We saved him?! You wanted to stop and sell ice cream!” Donnie snapped, referring to the Pulverizer’s lacklustre driving skills. “If I hadn’t jumped and smashed through that wall…”

“Uh, Donnie,” Mikey interrupted Donnie’s tirade, “is the Shellraiser supposed to do that?”

Everyone followed Mikey’s line of sight to the damaged Shellraiser. It was emitting purple sparks that surrounded the entire length of the upgraded subway car. Worriedly, Donnie raced inside to identify the cause, barely aware of the others following behind him. He gasped in horror when he identified the cause: the casing containing the Kraang power cell sustained damage when they drove through the wall.

“It’s cracked!” Donnie gasped. “Oh, this is bad!”

“The Kraang will detect the energy signature,” Alina pointed out. “Donnie, what do we do?”

“We gotta get back underground before they come looking for the power cell!” Donnie answered.

**

Leo sped through the streets of New York, racing desperately to the entrance of their lair. He drove considerably better than the Pulverizer did, keeping his balance and not coming dangerously close to turning the Shellraiser over when he took a corner.

Everyone monitored their surroundings, looking for signs of the Kraang. Unsurprisingly, they found themselves being pursued relatively quickly. Three white unmarked vans began following them. They all had seen them enough to know they were filled with Kraangdroids pursuing them. Above them, they saw a helicopter hovering, shining a searchlight down on them.

“Overkill, don’t you think?” Alina quipped. Although, it was exactly what she expected from the Kraang. They really wanted their power cell back.

“Hold her steady, Leo! I’ll take care of this jokers!” Raph reassured him.

Watching Raph fire manhole covers at the Kraang vans made Alina concede that Donnie did make the correct choice assigning Raph to that particular station. Not only was his aim accurate, but he had the temper to match.

Alina gasped when she heard a thud above her. Turning to the monitors, she was quick to identify the cause.

“We’ve got Kraang on the roof!” Alina warned them.

Donnie and Mikey were quick to climb up onto the roof, ready to battle those Kraang. They both gasped in shock when they saw even more Kraang incoming. But they didn’t come from the helicopter or any of the vans chasing them.

“Leo, Kraang can fly! Kraang can fly!” Mikey screamed.

While Mikey held on for dear life after being knocked off the roof, Donnie began making quick work of the Kraangdroids.

“Wow, no one told me they were robot aliens!” The Pulverizer gasped in amazement.

“Why would we tell you?!” Leo snapped, proceeding to flatten some Kraangdroids who were trying to physically block their path. Seeing how close the Pulverizer was to Alina made him growl lowly once more.

“Down, boy,” Alina quietly chided him.

She suddenly screamed when Leo swerved, clinging to his driver’s seat when Leo lost control. He had been trying to avoid the van that was coming at them head-on, but he overcorrected at some stage and was unable to regain control, sending them crashing into the wall. The Shellraiser was down for the count. They could no longer drive underground.

So, Alina and the Turtles leapt out of the Shellraiser, deciding to attack the Kraang directly. Nobody had time to question the wisdom of leaving the Pulverizer alone in the Shellraiser. Not when they had numerous Kraangdroids to defeat.

Leo and Alina worked together to dispatch a Kraangdroid that had gone to attack them both. Looking up from the defeated robot, Leo gasped in horror when he saw one fleeing.

“He’s got the cell!” Leo cried.

“I’ll stop him!” The Pulverizer vowed.

“Pulverizer, no!” Donnie was quick to voice his objections.

“I can do this!” The Pulverizer proclaimed.

“You really can’t!” Donnie objected once more.

The Pulverizer slid to the ground, gripping the robot’s legs with his own as he tried to approach the waiting chopper. It was clear what he was trying to do. He was going to try to use his own bodyweight to force the robot to the ground. It was the last move Donnie had taught him before getting the call about Raph.

But it had taken him time to knock Donnie down. Time this Kraangdroid wouldn’t give. In fact, the robot easily grabbed the Pulverizer by the shoulder and threw the teenage boy away from him, throwing him against the nearby apothecary.

“Hey! That’s my power source, slime bot!” Donnie snapped, charging to the helicopter.

But there was a sound that made him stop. A whimper. Turning around, he saw that two robots had approached the Pulverizer and had him surrounded. He was clearly in a spot of trouble; trouble that he wouldn’t be able to get out of on his own. He needed Donnie’s help.

“Donnie!” The Pulverizer cried.

Donnie was torn. The Kraang were about to get away with the power cell, but there was no one else who could save the Pulverizer. The others were too engaged in their own fights.

“Oh crud!” Donnie cursed. Why did he have to be such a good guy?

His choice made, Donnie threw his staff at a Kraangdroid, knocking his gun away. Using his momentum, he caught the bo staff midair and proceeded to defeat the Kraangdroids threatening the Pulverizer’s safety. The others looked up from their own defeated Kraangdroids to see the helicopter retreating with the power cell. Donnie, meanwhile, was helping the Pulverizer to his feet.

“Aw man,” the Pulverizer moaned. “It looks like I mucked everything up, didn’t I?”

“Hey, bro, it’s not your fault,” Mikey went to reassure him.

“Actually, Mikey, it is,” Leo was quick to correct him.

“Oh yeah.”

“Not completely,” Donnie shook his head. “I’m the one who sent the Shellraiser through the wall, and that’s what cracked the power cell.”

Alina decided it wasn’t worth pointing out that Donnie was doing what he had to do to save his brother. He wasn’t ready to hear it. He was going to be beating himself up over losing the power cell for a while.

“Uh, so you think we could pick up our training again sometime?” The Pulverizer asked sheepishly.

Donnie approached the teenage boy, rested a hand on his shoulder, and told him firmly, “No.”

“Fine. But I’ll be practicing! And I’ll be back!” the Pulverizer vowed. “And wherever crime may roam, wherever help is-.”

“Bye!” the group snapped at him haughtily.

The Pulverizer slumped, but ultimately walked away. But before he left completely, he flashed Alina a wink and said, “Call me, babe.”

Alina had to tug on Leo’s arm to stop him from pursuing the Pulverizer. His brothers would certainly give him shit for it later. But right now, they had other priorities.

“I’ve got to figure out how we’re getting that power cell back!” Donnie punched his palm into his fist.

“Which raises the question,” Leo began, “how are we going to get the Shellraiser back home?”

Leo brought up a fair point. With the power cell gone, the Shellraiser had no power. Not that it was drivable to begin with.

**

It was what led to what felt like several hours of agony as Leo, Raph, Mikey and Alina pushed the Shellraiser through the sewers while Donnie sat inside, helping to steer.

“Are you sure the parking brake isn’t on?!” Raph grunted. Pushing the Shellraiser should not be this hard.

“For the hundredth time, yes!” Donnie snapped.

Alina felt murderous rage coursing through her when she suddenly heard the sound of the parking brake being released and Donnie popping his head out to say, “Try it now!” And it appeared her comrades shared her murderous rage with the way they growled Donnie’s name.

**

Alina moaned when she collapsed in Leo’s room. She did not have the energy to get home. Not yet. She would wait a few hours. And if worse comes to worse, she could ask one of the Turtles to carry her home.

“So…,” Leo began coyly as he laid next to her, “you think I’m hot when I’m jealous?”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Alina sighed, but a smile still made its way onto her face. “I did think you were going to turn into Raph a couple of times.”

Leo decided that was a comment that could not stand, and Alina’s laughter could be heard echoing around the bedroom as Leo began tickling her. At some stage, he found himself on top of Alina. The tone shifted once more, the humour stopped as Leo leaned down to gently kiss Alina.

“Seriously. I didn’t like the way he was looking at you,” Leo admitted.

“Me neither,” Alina reassured him. “Don’t worry. I’m yours.”

Leo decided he loved the sound of that, and he decided the best way to show that was with a kiss.

Chapter Text

Alina and the Turtles spent… actually, Alina didn’t know how long they spent trying to regain the power cell from the Kraang. The days seem to blend together for her. Go to school. Spend time with April and the Turtles. Protect her foster siblings from her abusive foster father. Sneak some romantic time in with Leo. Rinse and repeat.

Her time with the Turtles consisted of this mission, but Alina didn’t complain. In fact, she was eager to help. Because she understood the stakes. She remembered when Leatherhead first told the group about the power cell he stole from the Kraang. It powers their portal. If they power up their portal again, there was no telling what they would bring over from their own dimension.

And the fear wasn’t just an army to help them take over Earth. It was everything else.

But they weren’t having any success. The Kraang seemed to taunt them in their repeated defeats. At least that was how it felt to Alina. The power cell remained out of their reach.

After their most recent failure to reclaim the power cell, Leo made a decision: “That’s it. We’re going to see Leatherhead.”

Leo’s proclamation made Donnie stammer the mutant alligator’s name in fear. Clearly, even now, he was still confronted with the memories of when Leatherhead grabbed him by the face. It was something that had happened to him repeatedly, so Alina did not blame Donnie for his trauma response.

“He’s also the one who likes to grab my face and shake me like a rag doll!” Donnie snapped.

When Mikey began laughing about those supposed ‘good times’, Donnie was quick to tell his younger brother to zip it.

Mikey’s response? “Oh, come on! He’s a pussycat… who likes to grab your face and shake it like a ragdoll!”

Alina did nothing when Donnie shot a murderous glare at Mikey for his words. In her eyes, he had it coming. At least Mikey was quick to decide they should get moving.

**

Something that Alina had learned to master through her time with the Turtles is holding her breath for an extended period of time. Some people would equate what she was doing to deep diving. Especially when she was diving through lengths of water for extended periods keeping up with mutant turtles who can stay underwater longer than she could.

One of the Turtles always kept Alina close to them, knowing that her humanity left her with limitations. If they started detecting any signs of distress from their human companion, they would grab her and get her up to the surface as quickly as possible.

Alina was about to reach her threshold when they finally broke the surface of the water, having reached their destination.

“Who can hold their breath? We can!” Mikey boasted proudly.

“We wouldn’t have to if you hadn’t kept swimming off to pick up trash!” Raph rebuked him with a glare. He was the one swimming closest to Alina this dive, and he had noticed she was beginning to show signs of distress. He released his grip on her wrist, having helped her surface quickly.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” Mikey recited a saying he had heard Alina say from time to time.

“You know, there are sometimes when trash is trash,” Alina pointed out.

She climbed out of the water, feeling better all the time with each intake of air into her lungs. She felt Leo wrap an arm around her shoulders, his eyes filled with concern. Alina gave him a small smile to reassure him that she was fine.

Anything else was stopped when they heard the sound of light snoring. Turning around, they saw Leatherhead curled up in a corner sleeping. Alina had been told by the Turtles that this was where he had originally hidden the power cell. Obviously, he had turned it into a more permanent living space after they commandeered the train cart he was using before.

“Guess we found him,” Alina shrugged casually.

“We don’t wanna warn him, so don’t make any sudden moves,” Leo said firmly.

Leatherhead was getting better, but he still experienced the odd setbacks. Triggers could still send him into a fit of rage. And having been on the receiving end of his fits of rage before, it was not something they wanted to repeat.

“Aww, look how cute!” Mikey cooed.

Mikey went to approach Leatherhead (Alina could have sworn she saw love hearts in Mikey’s eyes), but that approach was quickly forgotten when Leatherhead roared in his sleep. Mikey was quick to back away, positioning himself behind Alina and his older brothers.

Alina was trying to decide if she should be surprised or not when she suddenly found herself trapped between Leo’s form and the nearest wall. There was a fierce look in Leo’s eyes. But it didn’t inspire the heat in her that it did a few days ago. (Even if Alina didn’t exactly recognize or understand the heat that stirred in her at the time.) It was… it was protection. It was love.

Eventually, they broke apart after noticing the not-so-subtle look from Raph, Donnie pretending to look anywhere else, and Mikey… well, Mikey didn’t really notice what was going on. Something Alina found herself thankful for.

“Who’s going to wake him up?” Donnie asked.

“Not it!”

Alina, Leo, Raph and Donnie immediately sprinted out of the way. They didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Leatherhead’s rage. Alina didn’t try to hide her confusion when Mikey cheered as though he won when he realized he was the last person standing. But as long as he was the one trying to wake up Leatherhead, that was fine by her.

After all, Mikey built the strongest bond with Leatherhead. He might be more receptive to Mikey than any of the others.

Eventually, Mikey finally realized what exactly it was he won and he was momentarily seized by fear. He had to be pushed forward by Leo, who then disappeared as quickly as he had appeared once Mikey was within close distance of Leatherhead.

“Leatherhead… Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey…”

In his own way, Mikey was actually trying to be delicate as he wakes Leatherhead. He was gently poking Leatherhead with his foot, not wanting to be in too close proximity to his friend in case he woke up in one of his rages.

Sure enough, when Leatherhead awoke from his sleep, his eyes were white instead of their normal green. He rose to his feet with a growl and roared in Mikey’s face.

“Can we make sudden moves now?!” was Donnie’s pointed question to his blue-masked brother.

With a final roar, Leatherhead charged. But he seemed to divert away from Mikey, making a beeline path direct to Donnie. With his webbed hand, he grabbed Donnie by the face once more and began shaking him around like a ragdoll.

“He’s grabbing me by the face again!” was Donnie’s muffled whine.

“Leatherhead, don’t!” Mikey pleaded.

Raph, Leo and Alina raced forward, hoping to rescue Donnie, but the trio found themselves being knocked back. Alina found herself being propelled into Leo, who was in turn propelled into Raph. Mikey, meanwhile, was sent flying when he tried to approach Leatherhead from behind, having been smacked away by the tail. He continued roaring and maintaining his tight grip on Donnie’s face.

“He’s having a nightmare,” Alina said in realization. “Or, to be more accurate, a night terror.”

“That makes two of us!” Donnie screamed.

Donnie’s screams continued as Leatherhead tossed him aside. He splatted against the wall front-on, having flipped in the air uncontrollably, before falling into the water. Raph tried to sneak up on Leatherhead and was successful in climbing on Leatherhead’s back as he continued to rage and writhe uncontrollably.

“He’s your friend, Mikey! What do we do?!” Raph demanded impatiently.

“Rub his belly! He likes that!” Mikey suggested.

“What did you say?!” Raph’s voice was filled with disbelief.

He didn’t get the chance to dwell on it because he found himself colliding with the wall when Leatherhead backed into it. Raph found himself winded, forcing him to loosen his grip on Leatherhead.

“Leatherhead!” Mikey called for his friend. “Come on, dude. It’s Michelangelo. Turn off the crazy eyes, buddy.”

Leatherhead leapt in the air before crawling his way over to Mikey. With a roar, Leatherhead grip Mikey in one hand and raised the claws in his other hand. With a whimper, Mikey braced himself for the strike that was coming. His arms were pinned to his side. He could not fight back.

But then, it stopped. Everything was suddenly quiet. Leatherhead’s eyes change back to their normal green colour. The hand that had been preparing to strike Mikey suddenly moved to his head as he moaned.

“Michelangelo?”

Glancing around him, Leatherhead laid eyes on not just Mikey, but Leo, Alina, Raph, and Donnie. Leo was helping Alina to her feet as she clutched at her torso. To Leo’s dismay, he realized that Alina’s continued agony couldn’t be entirely attributed to the force of Leatherhead’s blow. Rather, Leatherhead’s blow aggravated preexisting injuries.

“Allie,” he began gently.

“Later, okay?” Alina pleaded him.

“My friends!” Leatherhead gasped as they all approached him. Placing Mikey gently on the ground, Leatherhead asked in dismay, “Oh no! I got angry again, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did it again!” Donnie snapped. “Why do you keep grabbing my face?! What is wrong with my face?!”

“Would you like the list alphabetically or in descending order of grossness?” was Raph’s quick-fired retort as he wrung out the excess water from his bandana tails.

Leatherhead’s tone was apologetic, “I am sorry. You are my friends. The only ones I can truly trust. That’s why I gave you the power cell for safekeeping.”

The five teenagers then began to feel awkward as Leatherhead brought up the power cell. They were already nervous about bringing it up to Leatherhead, and those nerves only grew after what they just witnessed. Now, they were terrified.

Donnie began stammering nervously as he moved to stand behind Leo, suddenly desiring to put as much distance between himself and Leatherhead where possible.

Wondering why everything seems to fall into his lap, Leo began nervously, “Um… about that…”

“Funny story. True story,” Mikey cut in.

“But before we tell it, why don’t you sit down, and I – and my face – will take one big step backwards?” Donnie was quick to suggest. Once he had moved himself to the furthest corner away from Leatherhead, Donnie told Leo, “Okay, go ahead!”

“Well, about the power cell, we sort of lost it… to the Kraang.”

Leatherhead’s eyes were glazing over as Leo revealed they lost the power cell. But then, when he revealed who they lost it to, Leatherhead’s rage was uncontainable. Leo was quick to dive into the water to escape Leatherhead’s wrath. Alina decided Leo had the right idea and was quick to follow after him. Unfortunately for Donnie, that left him in Leatherhead’s path. His whimpers and screams were muffled when Leatherhead picked him up by the face once more.

But much to Donnie’s relief, Leatherhead was able to snap himself out of his rage very quickly. His eyes returned to their normal green colour and his grip on Donnie’s face, while still there, was gentler than before.

“No, Leatherhead. These are your friends,” Leatherhead rebuked himself. Sighing, he gently placed Donnie on the ground, “Obviously, you did everything you could to protect it.”

“Yep. We sure did,” Alina was quick to agree as she climbed out of the water. Mikey had gone to open his mouth to say the truth, but Alina decided that there was a better chance of getting Leatherhead’s cooperation if he thought it was lost despite their best efforts to protect it rather than through their own reckless actions.

“Leatherhead, we need to get it back,” Leo told him.

Leatherhead (who, by that point, had released Donnie’s face) reminded the group, “With the power cell, the Kraang can open the portal to Dimension X. And when it opens…”

“They can use it to bring anything from their home here,” Donnie finished Leatherhead’s terrifying thought.

“Things so horrible, they terrify even me,” Leatherhead further elaborated.

That made Alina nervous. It didn’t take much for Leatherhead to be thrown into a fit of rage (something that could be directly attributed to the Kraang’s experimentations on him). But it took a lot to truly unnerve him. And for Leatherhead to be unnerved like this… it told her everything she needed to know about what he saw in Dimension X.

“Leatherhead, we need to stop them from opening the portal. But we can’t do that if we don’t know where it is,” Alina pointed out.

“All I remember is this,” Leatherhead said.

He then drew a symbol on the ground.

**

Before returning to the lair, Donnie had taken a photo of the symbol Leatherhead drew on his T-Phone. Now, he had to find out where it came from.

“I know I’ve seen this symbol. It’s so familiar.” But no matter how much Donnie wracked his brain, he couldn’t place it.

“The Olympics!” was Mikey’s helpful suggesting. Donnie objected to the idea. When Mikey suggested it again, Donnie snapped, “Stop guessing!”

“Clearly, it’s a Kraang symbol,” Alina pointed out. “Because Metalhead has the same symbol and you built Metalhead from Kraang parts.”

“But where is it from?” Leo asked.

When Mikey guessed the Olympics again, Donnie lost it: “Quit it!”

Mikey leapt into Raph’s arms and the two brothers clung to each other in fear of Donnie’s outburst. While Leo and Alina did not react like Raph and Mikey, they still decided to give Donnie a bit of space.

“There’s something here and I can figure it out if you’ll all just go away and let me think!” Donnie snapped.

The other teenagers decided that was the best thing to do.

**

The group didn’t get much time to settle into any type of activity (Alina’s may or may not have involved finding a way to get Leo alone to resume the make out session they were having earlier) when Donnie suddenly raced out of his lab, telling them they had to go somewhere. In a way, Alina wasn’t surprised. She had seen Master Splinter go into the lab, and she knew he would say something that would spark Donnie’s memory.

“Donnie, hold on!” Leo called after his brother.

“Just hurry up!” was Donnie’s response as he raced ahead.

“I hate when he’s like this!” Raph grumbled.

It was only when they were on the roof of one of the many apartment buildings in New York City that Donnie finally explained everything.

“I’ve figured out where else I’ve seen this,” Donnie revealed.

“Where?!” Leo demanded.

Donnie simply pointed to a nearby building. Well, nearby was relative. It was still a few blocks away. But it was close enough for the group to recognize the building Donnie was talking to. And more importantly, the glowing symbol on the side. It was the same symbol Leatherhead had drawn for them.

“Wait. That’s the TCRI building,” Alina pointed out.

The building was a prominent fixture in Brooklyn; and she also recognized the building to be Baxter Stockman’s former workplace.

“They’re behind the Kraang plot?!” Raph gaped.

“The invasion?” Leo pressed.

“The Olympics?!” Mikey asked hopefully. (Alina was beginning to wonder what was up with Mikey’s sudden fixation on the international sporting event.) When Raph whacked Mikey, Mikey demanded. “What was that?”

“A new Olympic event,” Raph shrugged.

“They’ve been in plain sight the whole time. We just never realized it,” Donnie pointed out.

For Leo, the solution was simple: “I think it’s pretty obvious what we have to do. We’re going in and taking down that portal!”

**

Saying they were going to do something was a lot easier than actually doing it. They couldn’t just storm TCRI. Not without a plan.

So, while Donnie built a bomb to destroy the portal, April and Alina were getting their hands on the blueprints for the TCRI building. They were standing at a table with Leo, Raph, and Master Splinter. Mikey was annoying Donnie and trying to touch the bomb he was working on. He only backed off when Donnie dryly said he could… if he wanted to blow up the whole lair.

“We managed to download blueprints for TCRI,” April revealed. “Now, the bottom two-thirds are just a normal office building. And from what we could tell, normal humans work there.”

“Imagine if they knew who they were working for!” Leo quipped. He then launched into a scarily accurate imitation of Kraang: “The ones who are working for this place must punch the card that is known as the time card in the clock that is known as the clock of time.”

“Oh boy,” Alina muttered under her breath. She noticed the looks April and Master Splinter were giving him. And she was also certain Raph was preparing to call his older brother an idiot.

Giggling sheepishly, Leo asked, “Sorry, where were we?”

“What about the upper floors?” Master Splinter inquired. He noticed that April only mentioned the bottom two-thirds being a normal office building.

“We don’t know,” Alina admitted. “The top third’s completely blank. There’s no schematics. Whatever’s up there…”

“They didn’t want anyone to know about it,” Leo finished Alina’s train of thought.

“Which means that’s exactly where you have to go,” Master Splinter stated.

Alina heard some yells and rebukes next to her. It didn’t take long for her to figure out that Raph decided it was a good idea to scare Donnie and Mikey when they were in close proximity of the bomb Donnie was still building.

“One thing we did manage to work out. Security in the lobby’s pretty tight,” Alina pointed out.

“It’s not like we can just pack you in a box and send it special delivery,” April joked.

At least, April intended for it to be a joke. But the look Leo suddenly got on his face told her it wasn’t going to be a joke for much longer. It also made Alina moan in dismay. This plan was certain to trigger her claustrophobia.

**

Alina didn’t know how long she was crammed in the box with the Turtles and Leatherhead as April (disguised as a delivery girl) wheeled them into TCRI. But to her, it felt like an eternity.

Leatherhead had been briefed of Alina’s claustrophobia. So, he was able to help the others to quietly guide Alina through some grounding techniques to keep her calm.

But relief only came for Alina when the box was opened and she was able to climb out into the elevator shaft. The entire group had made sure she could go first, knowing she would be desperate for an escape.

Leatherhead would stay in the lobby as a distraction, keeping the Kraang at bay.

“I kind of feel bad leaving Leatherhead down there,” Mikey told his brothers.

“I think he’ll be fine,” Leo reassured his brother.

“So, how far to the top?” Raph asked.

When they looked up, they saw Alina was already beginning to climb the cables. In fact, there was already quite a bit of distance between them. She was obviously eager to escape the confining space and looking for a way to burn her excess energy.

“Yikes,” Raph winced.

Eventually, the Turtles caught up with her. And were coming up with all sorts of way to pass the lengthy climb.

“Are you humming the Olympics theme?” Donnie asked in disbelief.

“It seemed appropriate,” Mikey shrugged.

“Pipe down, you two!” Raph rebuked them.

Hearing Alina breathing heavily next to him, Leo asked worriedly, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Alina answered quickly. Too quickly, for the group’s liking.

Raph helped Alina open the elevator doors they were coming up on. They had climbed up pretty far by this point. Surely, they were close to their goal.

The good news is… they were in the Kraang-dominated portion of the TCRI building.

The bad news is… they were caught by Kraang.

After making a remark about having to wash his eyes out, Raph winced, “That’s bad,” when they heard an alarm go off.

“Alright!” Mikey cheered. When everyone looked at him in confusion, Mikey elaborated, “Finally, someone set off an alarm and it wasn’t me!”

That was certainly a first.

But Alina couldn’t dwell on that for long. The elevator doors opened on another level and a Kraangdroid began firing lasers at them. The confined space meant they had to focus on defence rather than offence. And in this case, there wasn’t much they could do in terms of defence except dodge the lasers.

However, Mikey managed to find a way to make things work in their favour. He was able to wrap his chain around that Kraangdroid and pull him into the elevator shaft. The group watched as the Kraangdroid fell to its… Alina couldn’t say demise because, while the droid itself would be destroyed, the Kraang inside it would survive.

“Uh, darn it!” Mikey pouted. “I forgot to say, ‘See you next fall!’”

“Next elevator shaft fight,” Alina suggested helpfully.

They began their climb up, but the climb was quickly abandoned when they heard the sound of machinery whirring. Looking down, they saw an elevator car approaching them, with at least four Kraangdroids standing atop it. The group of teenagers immediately leapt down to battle those Kraangdroids. Fighting them took some time. Alina couldn’t help but note how their skills in hand-to-hand combat has improved in recent months.

But eventually, the end result was the same.

“Okay!” Leo panted. “Let’s get inside, where it’s safe.”

Alina went to open the hatch atop the elevator car. When she did, the first thing she did was shoot a look at Leo. Because the elevator car they were currently riding was filled – almost to the brim – with Kraangdroids.

Slamming the hatch shut when the Kraangdroids started firing their lasers, Alina said to Leo, “You’ve gotta stop saying things like that.”

Opening the hatch again, Alina dropped a smoke bomb she had on her person, plunging the elevator car into darkness. Even with their vision (which was heightened due to the fact that were robots), they could not see their enemy coming.

By the time the smoke cleared and the lights inside the elevator came back on, the five teenagers were surrounded by dismantled Kraangdroids.

“Can we please just ride this thing to the top now?!” Raph asked impatiently.

When Donnie went to press a button, he answered, “We can’t. There’s a retinal scanner.”

Alina, who is more than eager to get out of the confined space, was quick to put her problem-solving skills to good use. Grabbing a head of a Kraangdroid, she held it up to the retinal scanner Donnie pointed out. She was hoping it would still work, even though the droid was deactivated.

To her relief, she heard an automated voice (one that sounded like Miss Campbell) reply, “That which is known as access is granted to Kraang.”

The group relaxed in relief as the elevator began moving to the top floor.

“Hey. This is so much easier,” Mikey pointed out.

“Yeah. Finally a chance to catch our breath!” Raph added.

Alina had to give him that. Climbing an elevator shaft and battling Kraangdroids in a confined space was exhausting work. But the moment to catch their breath would be brief. Because before long, they would find themselves on the fortieth floor. The five teenagers tightly gripped their weapons once more, preparing for another intense round.

But another round wasn’t what greeted them when the elevator doors open. Rather, it was a green gas that robbed them of breath. Leo could barely splutter something out about poisoned gas before all five teenagers fell to the floor unconscious, their weapons slipping from their hands.

**

When Alina woke up, the first thing she figured out was she was in a confined space. And she was separated from the Turtles. She went to lift her hand to grab her head, which still ached from whatever knocked her out, but she found she had limited space to do so. Glancing around, she saw that she had a window she could peek out of.

She was deep in Kraang territory. That much was certain. There were many Kraang floating around all over the place, and the room was filled with the same green gas that had knocked her and the Turtles unconscious. In the centre of the room was the portal they had come to destroy.

Pressing her hands around… she was about to describe it as a cage, but a cage had more room. It may have been filled with air, but the space was cramped. Feeling around her prison, it felt very much like a single-occupancy escape pod. But for Alina, it was a coffin.

The thought alone caused the first scream to tear from her throat.

The Turtles heard her scream and turned around towards the sound. Leo cried out in horror when he saw what Alina was being kept in. The Turtles were horrified themselves, given Alina’s known history with claustrophobia. They were already scared when they woke up in their air-filled floating cell and Alina was missing. Seeing where she was being held intensified their horror.

“We need to figure out how we’re gonna save Allie and destroy Donnie’s bride over there!” Leo told his brothers firmly.

Referring to the portal as Donnie’s bride was a reference to the conversation they were having before they heard Alina’s screams. Donnie was admiring the portal (from a scientific point-of-view, he would argue) when Raph sarcastically suggested he marry it if he loved it so much. Mikey was already beginning to act as the officiant for this rather whacked out wedding ceremony when they heard Alina’s screams.

Raph, who was worried for Alina himself, pointed out, “We’re stuck in here, our weapons are way other there…” Raph paused to point to the Kraang who were playing around with their weapons (until it hit itself in the face with Mikey’s nunchuck and flew away screeching), “…in a room that’s filled with, in case you forgot, poisoned gas.”

“If it’s poisoned, how can they breathe that stuff?” Mikey asked.

“I think it’s what the air is like in Dimension X,” Donnie pondered.

“Well, that’s stupid!” Raph scoffed. “Why would you invade a place where you can’t even breathe the air?”

“Yeah, what are they gonna do?” Mikey scoffed in turn. “Mutate the whole planet so they can live here and we can’t?”

Leo, Raph, and Donnie gaped at Mikey as soon as his incredulous suggestion (or, at least, a suggestion Mikey thought was incredulous) left his mouth. Two things horrified Mikey’s three brothers.

The first thing that horrified them was the plan itself. It made perfect sense. If they were looking to take over a planet, it would make sense to make that planet habitable for them. Right down to the air they breathe.

The second thing that horrified them was the source of the plan.

“I don’t know what’s scarier. What you just said or that you said it,” Donnie voiced what he knew his brothers were thinking.

“Wait, wait. What’d I say?” Mikey asked in confusion.

“Mikey’s right,” Donnie proclaimed. (Yeah, he didn’t think he’d be saying those words; they certainly tasted weird on his tongue.) “The Kraang are trying to transform the planet into something that they can live on.”

“And we can’t,” Leo added. After all, the Kraang atmosphere knocked them unconscious. It was toxic to them. “We’ve got to stop them.”

“How are we supposed to get out of here with these guys watching our every move?” Raph demanded. He then pointed to the Kraang that had gathered around their floating cell, seemingly sensing their pending escape plan.

“We need a distraction,” Leo reasoned.

The Kraang themselves would unwittingly provide the distraction the Turtles needed. Because they moved away from the cell holding the Turtles (but there were still a couple surrounding Alina, who was now in a full-blown panic attack due to the confined space) to their respective consoles. It quickly became clear what they were going to do. They were going to activate the portal.

“Like the portal?” Mikey was quick to suggest.

“That might do it,” Raph shrugged.

“Once that thing opens up, anything can come through there,” Donnie pointed out.

Wordlessly, Raph tossed Donnie his knife, and Donnie got straight to work cutting through the glass dome that made up their prison.

“Mikey,” Leo urgently turned to his youngest brother, “you said you can hold your breath?”

“Like a turtle do!” Mikey boasted proudly.

“Now’s your chance,” Leo proclaimed.

The four Turtles took a very deep breath and held it in. They knew one of the first things they would have to do once they got out of their prison was find a way to get oxygen into the building itself. While they could hold their breaths – and they could hold them longer than most beings – they couldn’t hold them indefinitely.

Mikey retracted his head and limbs into his shell, allowing Raph and Leo to use him as a battering ram against the weak spot in the glass (there thanks to Donnie). The glass shattered on the third hit and Mikey flew through the air towards the ground. His shell bounced on the ground a couple of times before he popped out and took care of the two Kraang he landed near.

He was going to do his signature battle cry (Booyakasha) before he remembered that he couldn’t breathe in this atmosphere. He clasped his hands over his mouth to stop himself from releasing the breath he was desperately holding onto. Before he went to join his brothers in the fight, he looked down and noticed a series of data chips spilled onto the ground. With a shrug and a hum, he picked one up, figuring it would come in handy.

As much as Leo wanted to rescue Aline, he knew the first thing they needed to do was make sure they could breathe. So, when the Turtles were fighting the Kraang and kicking them away, they deliberately aimed them towards the various windows in the room, hoping to break one. Leo managed to kick one towards the window, but it only cracked. It didn’t shatter. No air came rushing in.

At least until Donnie hit an approaching Kraang with his bo staff like a baseball. His hit would easily be considered a homerun because it broke a considerably-sized hole in the window. The gas rushed out of the room as oxygen flowed into it, angering the Kraang as the Turtles gasped for air.

“We’re good!” Leo wheezed out.

Hearing Alina’s screams once more, they all raced over to her… they were going to refer to it as a coffin too because they knew that’s what it would feel like for Alina. Raph used his sai against the latch that was keeping it shut and wedged the door open. Alina fell out trembling, tears running down her face as she hyperventilated. They could see the scratch marks on her throat, indicating she had clawed at it as she struggled to breathe.

Leo knelt before Alina, subtly telling the other three to stand back. Alina’s panic attack was due to her claustrophobia, so having them crowd around here (even with good intentions) wasn’t going to help her. The sound of the portal behind him was forgotten.

“Allie, look at me.” Leo’s voice was calm and steady as he grasped her hands.

He remembered a technique Alina had told him about that helped her in the midst of a panic attack. It was called box breathing. You inhale slowly through your nose, hold your breath, slowly exhale through your mouth, hold again, and repeat. All to the count of four. It was why it was also known as 4-4-4-4 breathing.

Raph, Donnie and Mikey stood like sentries nearby, reading to protect Leo and Alina from any threat as Leo calmed her down. While performing her box breathing, Leo also had Alina focus on his hands. The texture of his skin. The wraps. The slight bump from the small blade he kept hidden. Anything to help ground her.

He gently coached her and praised her when the techniques began working. Leo could feel Alina’s heartrate calming down. Her trembling had ceased. And her breathing was slowing down. She was no longer hyperventilating. She was coming out of it.

“That’s it,” Leo encouraged her. “You’re okay, Allie. You’re safe.”

When Leo looked into Alina’s eyes, he relaxed in relief. They were no longer filled with panic. She was back. He knew she would be feeling the after effects of her panic attack for a while (because it was pretty intense), but she was present. She was safe. She was calm.

“I’m… I’m okay,” Alina reassured them, her voice hoarse from her screams.

Leo helped her to her feet, only stepping closer to Alina when she gestured for him too. Her legs were a bit shaky.

“The portal!” Donnie suddenly gasped. “We’re too late!”

“Something’s coming through!” Leo observed.

Sure enough, when the whirring from the portal died down, the blinding light disappeared and something else was left in its place. Something that could only be described as a giant lava rock creature.

“Oh no,” Alina winced, immediately regretting it when her throat hurt once more.

“Welcome to Earth, giant rock man,” Mikey greeted their foe.

The giant monster did not appear to like Mikey’s greeting, as it roared at them. Leo screamed at the group to scatter, all five of them dodging as the monster approached and stomped their foot. Leo made sure he stayed close to Alina at all times.

It wasn’t that he doubted her capabilities to fight and look after herself. He knew she could (even if there were times where her self-preservation was non-existent). But he also knew how she could be in the aftermath of a panic attack. That alone made him want to keep her in his line of sight at all times.

“Wow, an entity made out of living rock!” Donnie gasped in amazement. “I wish I could study it.”

“We’ll be studying him after we smash him to a million pieces!” Leo retorted. Seeing how Donnie was stunned by his bo staff having no effect on it, Leo charged forward with his swords… which broke upon impact. “Or not.”

While Leo, Alina, and Donnie avoided the rock monster’s attacks, Raph and Mikey charged forward next. This time, the rock master didn’t use his considerable limbs against them. He used something else.

“Watch out for the lava barf!” Raph warned.

Yep. Alina found that Raph wasn’t kidding. He really was spewing lava from his mouth.

The rock monster grabbed Raph and held it close to its face. Raph tried kicking himself free, but was not having any success. He was only able to grumble, “Ah, shoot!” before he found himself being tossed aside. Donnie, Mikey and Alina soon joined him. Leo raced between them and threw three smoke bombs in his face; something that pissed off the rock monster and made Leo into a moving target.

Leo jumped out of the way when the rock monster went to swat at him like the others. All the rock monster did was smash a hole into the wall behind Leo. Leo stood there with his arms folded across his plastron with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Booyakasha!”

The rock monster being distracted by Leo allowed Raph, Mikey, Donnie and Alina time to recover. The four of them charged at the rock monster, using their combined force to unbalance it and knock it to the ground. But that still wasn’t enough. He was climbing back onto his feet in seconds.

“Do you have anything that can hurt this thing?!” Raph asked Donnie urgently.

“The explosives might do it,” Donnie pondered, “but then we wouldn’t be able to take out the portal!”

“Unless we do both at the same time!” Leo countered. “Hand them over.”

Donnie handed Leo the bag with the explosives and the five teenagers disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The rock monster was confused. Weren’t his enemies standing before him mere seconds ago?

Then, he heard the sound of a beep and felt the sensation of something attaching to his back. Leo had primed Donnie’s handmade bombs and attached them to the monster’s back. The monster began to struggle to get them off, but it wasn’t anywhere he could reach.

“Awesome, Leo!” Mikey praised his brother.

But then, they thought of another problem.

“How do we get him into the portal?” Alina asked, slouched forward slightly. The burst of energy she had before was gone, and she was exhausted.

Leo sheepishly admitted, “Um… I kinda hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

That was certainly a first. Leo usually had all sorts of contingencies in place for all of his plans. He typically prepared for every eventuality.

The ding of the elevator would bring their salvation, along with the Kraangdroids falling out and the familiar growl that brought the teenagers comfort rather than fear.

“Leatherhead!” Mikey cheered.

“Traag!” Leatherhead roared, drawing the monster’s attention.

Clearly, Leatherhead and Traag had a past. It made sense considering the time Leatherhead spent in Dimension X as a prisoner.

“Leatherhead! Get him by the portal!” Donnie called to him.

Leatherhead headed Donnie’s words, even in the midst of his own fight with Traag. He was quick to throw Traag in the direction of the portal, with Traag landing smack dab in the middle of the platform he arrived on.

With Traag in prime position, Donnie was able to press the button on his T-Phone needed to trigger the explosions. With the air being filled with thick black smoke, they couldn’t clearly see if they were successful. But with the sounds of the explosion and the zapping that was commonly associated with damaged electricals, they liked their chances.

The four turtles voiced various cheers, with Donnie cheering, ‘We did it!’, Leo and Raph voicing their own respective cheers, and Mikey calling for a ‘Hi three!’

But the celebrations were short-lived as Alina groaned, “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!”

Because when the smoke cleared, the group saw that Traag – and the portal – were still standing.

When they heard the portal activate again, Mikey said lamely, “Hi three cancelled.”

“What are we supposed to do now?!” Donnie asked worriedly.

After all, his explosives were their trump card. The explosives were meant to take out both Traag and the portal. And both were still standing. They didn’t have anything else.

“I could punch it a few times,” Raph suggested, “but I don’t think that’s gonna do it.”

“Uh, guys?” Mikey began meekly.

Traag was rising to his feet, prompting Raph to grumble, “Well, this day can’t get any worse.”

Alina shot Raph a look that was silently asking him why he even put that out there. Because the universe responded with the sounds of the portal coming back to life, preparing another opening.

“And it just did,” Raph deadpanned.

“Something else might come through!” Donnie cried. “What do we do now?”

Leatherhead decided there was something he could do. He leapt into the air, landing on top of Traag and delivering a series of blows to Traag’s face. That all would have been well and good… if Leatherhead wasn’t in the middle of the portal that was coming to life once more.

“Leatherhead! Something else is coming through!” Mikey shouted.

“Not if I can help it!” Leatherhead growled.

It was clear what Leatherhead was going to do. He was going to make a sacrifice play. If they couldn’t destroy the portal, he would sacrifice himself to make sure that not only Traag went back to Dimension X; but whatever was coming through the portal would remain in Dimension X.

Even if it meant sacrificing himself by sending himself back to the very place he fled.

Turning to the group of teenagers, Leatherhead said, “Farewell, my friends,” before pushing Traag through the portal.

“Leatherhead, no!” Mikey cried.

But before anyone could react, the portal disappeared in a bright light with a force that knocked them all to the ground. By the time they got to their feet, the portal, Traag, and Leatherhead were gone.

“Leatherhead,” Mikey spoke his friend’s name with heavy sadness in his voice, “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“We’ve gotta get out of here,” Leo proclaimed as he helped Alina to her feet.

“We can’t just leave!” Donnie argued. “With that portal operational, the Kraang are more dangerous than ever! We have to destroy it!”

Any plan to do such thing was forgotten when more Kraang arrived to the top floor. The teenagers were outnumbered and outgunned. They would not win this fight. And if they wanted to defeat the Kraang, they had to live to fight another day.

So, they raced to the hole in the wall Traag created during his fight with Leo and made their exit with their grappling hooks. But there was one thing Leo promised:

“We’ll be back.”

**

Coming home to the lair was bittersweet. They told April and Master Splinter what happened. The portal was still standing. They couldn’t destroy it. And Leatherhead sacrificed himself to force Traag back into Dimension X along with whatever else was coming through.

But then, Mikey revealed the Kraang storage device he recovered from TCRI. Donnie excitedly got straight to work decoding the information within, hoping it would give them something they could use to destroy the portal.

But it was a time-consuming process, so they decided to entertain themselves with TV. It also gave Alina time to further settle from her panic attack. She stuck close to Leo, something nobody questioned because of their close friendship. (Only Master Splinter knew with absolute certainty that it had evolved romantically.) She snuggled into Leo’s side, struggling against the fatigue that washed over her all of a sudden.

“This just doesn’t make sense,” April broke the silence that had fallen over them. “If the Kraang are trying to terraform the Earth, what do they need my dad for?”

“Well, he is a scientist,” Leo answered. The tone of his voice told the group that he thought it was obvious.

“Yeah, but he’s a psychologist. He studies rats running through mazes,” April revealed. She then quickly turned to Master Splinter and muttered, “No offence.”

“I like a good maze,” Master Splinter shrugged, showing that no offence was taken.

April continued, “My dad wouldn’t know anything about what they’re trying to do.”

“But if they didn’t need your dad, why were they after him in the first place?” Raph questioned, making his presence known.

Raph asked the obvious question. Surely, the Kraang would have gone through great lengths to research the people they wanted, making sure they got the right people. So, they would have known that Kirby O’Neil was a psychologist, as April said. A useful skill in itself, but useless for them. So, why go after him?

“I don’t think they were.”

Everyone turned to face Donnie as he stood in the entrance of the living room. That alone told the group he had decoded the data storage unit Mikey swiped. So, they all rushed into his lab and crowded around his computer as he began to explain his findings.

“I used the Kraang processor inside Metalhead to access that storage device. A lot of the files were damaged, but I think I found what they’re after,” Donnie revealed.

Then, Donnie got the contents of the storage device up on the screen. The storage device contained pictures. But they weren’t pictures of scientists who have disappeared all over the city, or pictures of components they need for their schemes.

They were pictures of April and Alina, confirming what they were starting to think.

The Kraang weren’t after Kirby O’Neil that night. They were after April.

**

Seeing the confirmation of the Kraang’s interest in Alina made Leo even more hypervigilant when he escorted Alina home that night. It took them longer than usual because Leo seemed determined to check every hiding place on the way to her apartment for any Kraang lurking.

“Leo,” Alina sighed in frustration.

“Allie, we now know they’re after you. It explains their interest in you. It explains why they imprisoned you away from us!” Leo cut off any argument Alina had. “I don’t want to think about what they’ll do to you!”

“So don’t,” Alina answered as though it was obvious. “Because nothing happened and nothing will happen. As long as I’m with you.”

Leo stopped in his tracks. They were on top of the Byerly Building. Where they had their first fight together with Karai. They were so close to Alina’s apartment. But they didn’t find themselves making that final leap. They suddenly found themselves staying on the rooftop of the Byerly Building a little longer.

And Leo gave into the urge to kiss her. Now that he had the opportunity. They were alone. Nobody would make any comments. So, Leo could pour everything into the kiss. Every feeling he feels for her communicated in this kiss, even if neither of the teens could accurately communicate those feelings just yet. Alina reciprocated in kind, one hand cradling the back of his head as she pulled him close by the straps draped across his plastron.

When a cold wind suddenly pulled up, Leo pulled her closer, shielding her with his body. Alina smiled into the kiss at the care Leo displayed for her. The care that he always displayed.

As much as Alina wanted to stay there all night and keep kissing Leo, she knew she couldn’t. Eventually, Alina broke the kiss and whispered, “I should go.”

Leo nodded reluctantly and escorted Alina back to her apartment. Specifically, her bedroom window (not that he could call it a bedroom). Leo glanced around quickly and noticed that her foster father was absent. It was something that brought him relief. He wasn’t unknowingly delivering her to another beating.

With one final kiss, Alina disappeared into her bedroom and Leo only left when the window was closed and locked. The revelation that the Kraang were after April and Alina settled uneasily within him. It was a reality he had to accept.

But there was one reality he was determined to keep: they would never get them. Not while he’s around.

Chapter Text

Alina did eventually find Raph after the scare Mikey had pulled on him following a rather intense mission. This mission proved to be one that forced Raph to confront his fear. A fear Alina didn’t even know he had – and she had known him for ten years.

Raphael, as it turned out, had a fear of cockroaches. Or katsaridaphobia, if you really wanted to get technical.

It all started when Leo, Alina, Raph and Mikey were gathered in the kitchen enjoying some bowls of instant ramen. As the Turtles were being introduced to more human foods, Alina also took to passing onto them her limited cooking knowledge so they could look after themselves and not rely on pizza delivery all the time. Alina was surprised to see Mikey pick it up very quickly, but at the same time, she wasn’t. He was always the kitchen enthusiast.

The others certainly picked up enough basics. Leo was able to put together the bowls of instant ramen without any issues.

But the quiet dinner was changed when a cockroach suddenly approached the group, exposing Raph’s fear. The only sympathetic person in the room was Alina, and she was quick to make her displeasure known over the way they teased Raph. (For only a brief moment, she did worry if they would make fun of her claustrophobia.)

Nobody was surprised when Donnie revealed himself to be behind the specially-fitted cockroach (although, they were a bit grossed out when Donnie nuzzled it). It was his latest invention: the Spy-Roach. Fitted with cameras and microphones (as well as the natural abilities of a cockroach), they could use Donnie’s latest stroke of genius to spy on TCRI.

The Spy-Roach was quick to pay dividends, because they learned of the Kraang’s latest scheme: use a laser drill to bore a thirty-mile-deep hole into the Earth and unleash a huge fountain of lava on Manhattan. But the Kraang couldn’t make the laser drill work without a special diamond lens. Regrettably, the Spy-Roach fell into a vat of mutagen before the group could discover where they planned to steal the lens.

It didn’t take the mutated Spy-Roach long to find the group (turns out Donnie fitted it with homing capabilities). Aside from learning what can happen when something organic and inorganic fall into the mutagen together, they also learned the Spy-Roach had a serious grudge against Raph. Raph had tried to kill the Spy-Roach earlier in a fit of fear. And the Spy-Roach wanted revenge.

Raph’s phobia did prove to be a complication in their efforts to stop the Kraang. It enabled the Kraang to get their hands on the diamond lens they needed to operate the laser drill. Raph was only able to confront his fear and defeat the Spy-Roach and stop the Kraang plot when the Spy-Roach kidnapped Mikey. Raph’s love for his youngest brother was the only thing that beat his fear. And it secured their victory.

Regardless, that did not stop Alina from chewing the other brothers out once the mission was over. Especially when Mikey claimed to have slipped a cockroach in Raph’s shell and they laughed at him running around the lair in fear. It wasn’t the first lecture she had given them over it, but it was intense. It left the other three Turtles feeling incredible sheepish – especially when Alina asked them if they made fun of her claustrophobia behind her back.

“Figured I’d find you up here,” Alina remarked as she climbed onto a rooftop.

When Alina went to find Raph after chewing out his brothers for how they treated his phobia, she couldn’t find him anywhere in the lair. But she immediately knew where he would be. Since the Turtles were allowed to voyage to the surface, Raph was quick to establish a rooftop he liked to go to to clear his head. Particularly when his brothers annoyed him just a little too much. It was part of his efforts to keep his temper under better control.

“Did you come to laugh at me, Als?” Raph grumbled.

“Raph, how well do you know me?” Alina did nothing to keep the hurt out of her voice.

Raph winced at the hurt in Alina’s voice. He regretted his words the second he said them. He considered Alina his best friend, and he knew she was the only one in his corner when he was haunted by fear. She was the only one who offered comforting words rather than scorn. She was the only one who offered sympathy rather than judgement.

“Sorry, Als,” Raph sighed. (She was the only one he could apologize to unreservedly.) “Thank you. For standing up for me.”

“Well, we all have our fears, Raph. You fear cockroaches. I fear tight spaces,” Alina pointed out.

Raph pondered Alina’s words. They all had their fears – even if some refused to admit them. But Alina’s claustrophobia struck differently for Raph because he knew how Alina’s claustrophobia came to be. It came from trauma. It came from abuse. It came from foster parents deciding the best way to punish Alina was to lock her in confined spaces, such as a closet or even the trunk of a car. (Raph’s hands tightened around his sai as he involuntarily recalled having to rescue Alina from that situation only recently.)

“If you don’t mind me asking…,” Alina began tentatively, “how did your fear of cockroaches come about?”

“I honestly don’t know, Als,” Raph admitted. “I think it’s just one of those things I’ve always had. I mean, if there was a trauma, I don’t remember it.”

“I understand,” Alina reassured him. “But I want you to know you did a big thing today, Raph. Not everyone can conquer their fear like you did. I don’t know if I could do it.”

“You’re stronger than you think, Alina,” Raph told her firmly. “But what I did didn’t feel brave. I just wanted to save my brother. Nobody gets to hurt Mikey. Except me, of course.”

Alina laughed. Yep. Raph was starting to come back to himself. He was not being haunted by fear anymore.

“But seriously, Als, if I’m being honest, I didn’t really think about it,” Raph told her. “All I could see was my brother was in danger and I was the only one who could save him. Stopping the Kraang was an added bonus.”

“Sometimes, that’s all there is. You have to let love outweigh the fear,” Alina said.

Raph snorted, “You’re spending way too much time with Master Splinter.” It sounded like something his sensei would say.

Alina offered no response to his comment. It was true. She had been spending a lot of time with Master Splinter lately. And it wasn’t just because he wanted to give her some more one-on-one training. He was also recruiting her to help April’s training. April was coming along well. She still wasn’t able to beat Alina in a sparring session, but she was lasting longer. And that in itself was a win. Especially for someone who only started training in ninjutsu a few months ago.

Shaking herself out of those thoughts, Alina looped her arm through Raph’s. She decided to think about how thankful she was that Raph was able to open up to her like this. She was close with all the Turtles, but if she had to rank the closeness, Raph ranked a very close second behind Leo. And it was definitely very sibling like.

“Well, he does pass on some wisdom,” Alina shrugged.

Raph made a noncommittal noise. He knew she was right, but he wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of hearing those words from his lips that easily. While he was able to be a lot more vulnerable with her than with the others, he still had a reputation to uphold.

“How can I… not freeze up like that again?” Raph asked.

“When I work it out, I’ll let you know,” was Alina’s response. “I mean, you saw me when we were breaking into TCRI.”

And Raph did. They all saw how hard and how long it took them to calm Alina down from her panic attack. She had already been on edge all night due to her claustrophobia. Being confined in a box to infiltrate the building and climbing up an elevator shaft. And that was before she woke up in that coffin. Even if they managed to calm her down enough to get through the rest of the battle, she was shaken for days afterwards.

In fact, she was only just starting to feel normal when everything with Spy-Roach unfolded.

“Do you feel up to going back to the lair?” Alina asked. “I’ll give the others hell.”

The thought made Raph laugh. He had seen Alina give the other Turtles hell before – and had been on the receiving end more than he would care to admit. So, he knew she wasn’t kidding when she said she would give the others hell if they tried to say anything.

But still, Raph decided he wanted to stay up here a little longer, and he decided to voice that to Alina. “Not yet,” he ended up saying. “It’s a nice night.”

Alina’s phone buzzed with a text, and she winced. This wasn’t a wince that made Raph nervous. He had come to know her winces in their friendship. The winces that made Raph nervous were the ones that told him it was a text from her foster father or foster siblings. Whenever those happened, Raph never wanted to leave her alone, despite her objections.

But fortunately, this wasn’t that wince. This was a different wince. But it was still one that made Raph nervous. Because this was a wince that told Raph that Alina was hesitant to tell him something.

“It’s probably a good call to stay up here a little longer,” Alina began hesitantly.

“What is it?” Raph couldn’t hide the nerves in his voice.

Alina hesitated once more before deciding that Raph was better off knowing, “Donnie’s making more of those Spy-Roaches.”

“WHAT?!”

On the nearby rooftops, the pigeons emitted frightened coos as they fled at the echoing yell.

**

When Raph and Alina made their way back to the lair a little while later, nobody said anything. Not with the way Alina was shooting them looks. (Or, rather, was shooting Leo and Mikey looks. Donnie had locked himself in his lab creating more of those Spy-Roaches for reason beyond understanding.)

The only person who had something to say was Master Splinter. They had hardly seen him all night. But he had undoubtedly heard about their latest adventure. And he was not going to let the moment pass by.

It was clear in his eyes that he was going to take a sympathetic approach, even if his face remained impartial. After all, Master Splinter would be the first to admit that he had been haunted by fear. Haunted by trauma. And he still is. It is not something that goes away overnight.

In the end, he settled on a well-known quote from Mark Twain; something Alina recognized because it was something he had told her before:

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear; not absence of fear.”

“I don’t understand,” Raph admitted.

“You were afraid tonight, Raphael, but you were able to find the courage to push through that fear. That takes a special kind of bravery,” Master Splinter said. “Even if you decided one fear outweighed another, you still found the courage to act in spite of your fear.”

Feeling he had gotten his point across, Master Splinter walked away, undoubtedly to meditate. (He had been doing this a lot lately.) When he was gone, Raph turned to face Leo and Mikey. Neither of them said anything. But they offered their own smiles and nods. Sometimes, the brothers didn’t need words to convey their feelings. Their actions said it all.

And it was through this that Raph decided that he could find the courage to face his fear. And he also realized that even if they had teased him and (he does think rightfully) rebuked him at first, at the end of the day, they were brothers first; and they would always have his back when the fear haunted him.

Chapter Text

Master Splinter was in the mood for an interesting lesson in the dojo today. He was having all five teenagers (because Alina found herself being roped into this training session) kneel before him while he came behind them, holding a Randori. They all had been warned ahead of time. But they would never know when the hit was coming.

Donnie was up first. He awaited the strike with nervous anticipation. Anytime he thought the strike was coming, he winced. But those winces also turned into hesitations. So, Donnie did not move when he should have.

“Ow!” Donnie cried out when he felt the randori connecting with his head. “Aw, man!”

Mikey was next in line. He knelt like his brothers did. He swore he could feel Master Splinter lift the randori in his hands, poised to strike. But he just stood there. Primed to strike. Mikey kept going to lean forward, ready to pounce away. But he kept second-guessing himself, thinking that moving away too early was as dangerous as moving away too late.

“Just so we’re clear, Sensei, you are planning on swinging, ri-? OW!” Mikey’s question was cut off by the randori colliding with his head.

Raph was up next, and his test was over before it could truly begin. Because Master Splinter swung his randori without waiting like he did with Donnie and Mikey. Some would say that it was unfair. But fights were rarely fair. So, Raph could only scowl and rub at the top of his head where the randori hit.

Alina was situated between Leo and Raph, so Master Splinter went to her next. She could feel the shift in the air as Master Splinter poised to strike. It was something she was adept at picking up. She was usually good at detecting when someone was going to hit. But her problem wasn’t avoiding the hit. It was the fact that she often threw herself in the path of the hit.

And that was exactly what Alina did. She threw herself in the path of the hit when she could have avoided it.

“Habit,” Alina shrugged when she noticed the looks she got.

Leo would have talked to Alina about it, but he could feel Master Splinter’s presence behind him. And he didn’t want to deal with the headaches his brothers were dealing with. He wanted to pass this exercise. And he wanted to beat his brothers. (But mostly, he didn’t want to deal with the headache.)

Like Alina, he sensed when the hit was coming. But unlike Alina, he immediately dodged it. He moved to his right, flipping away when he heard the sound of the randori colliding with the ground where he once kneeled.

“Yes!” he cheered.

“What is the point of this anyway?!” Raph finally snapped.

Alina had been wondering when Raph would finally snap and voice the question they all had. Like he usually did. Master Splinter simply told them they were doing this exercise. He wouldn’t tell him why. As always, the why came later.

“Evading a sword you cannot see demonstrates an ability to sense your enemy’s intention,” Master Splinter answered wisely.

“I already know my enemy’s intention, Sensei – to take me down!” Raph argued. Everyone had to admit. It was a compelling argument.

But Master Splinter was quick with a counterargument: “Knowing that your enemy will strike is a given. But sensing when he will strike can mean the difference between victory and defeat.”

“Hai, Sensei,” Raph acquiesced.

There was no refuting that. Because Master Splinter was right. Raph was right in that the enemy’s intention would be to take them down. But knowing when it was coming would make all the difference.

“Alina,” Master Splinter began gently, “sacrifice is noble, but not when it becomes self-neglect. You cannot protect those you love if you cannot protect yourself as well.”

“Hai, Sensei,” Alina sighed. She wasn’t in the mood for the continued discussion.

Master Splinter’s expression softened as he discretely nodded towards his sons. When he left the dojo, the four Turtles immediately turned their attention to Alina.

“Did he hurt you again?” Raph immediately asked, barely able to keep the growl out of his voice.

“Not too badly,” Alina answered. “I can still fight. And I can race.”

“Just to be clear…,” Leo trailed off, deciding it didn’t need to be said. Alina had a differing opinion for what qualified as ‘not too badly’ compared to the rest.

“No broken bones,” Alina reassured him.

Leo relaxed. That was a good definition of ‘not too badly’. He could focus on what he and the other Turtles were doing to help her. Such as tending to her bruises.

**

Dogpound, Fishface and Baxter Stockman were also kneeling in front of The Shredder. But they were not kneeling before The Shredder for a lesson. They were kneeling for mercy.

Their latest mission did not go well. They were seeking to obtain a Sub-Spacial Endo-Particle Disruptor from the Kraang. The group – Baxter Stockman in particular – were eager to obtain it for their own evil purpose. Unlike the Turtles, who were eager to obtain it to ensure it did not fall into the wrong hands.

The resulting fight ended up… disastrous. The Kraang ended up getting away with the Sub-Spacial Endo-Particle Disruptor. But returning to The Shredder emptyhanded was a danger in its own right. The consequences for failure were painful.

“We had the alien technology in our grasp, master!” Dogpound revealed.

“Unfortunately, Stockman’s plan was flawed,” Fishface glared at the only human in the lineup.

“Is this true?” The Shredder asked, towering over the scientist.

“Well, um, yes,” Baxter nodded, much to the surprise of the two mutants next to him. “They’re right. It was my fault. I’m sorry. And I’d like to make amends. That is, if you’d allow me.” When The Shredder did not offer any argument, he pressed on. “You see, I’ve designed a trap for the Turtles – a foolproof trap. But I’d need the help of my good friends here to lure them into it.”

“Very well,” The Shredder acquiesced. “Consider those two at your disposal.”

Dogpound and Fishface were certainly not happy to hear that. But they would have been even unhappier if they had seen the smirk on Baxter’s face.

**

On another night, the four Turtles and Alina were racing on the rooftops. They maintained the stealth they were known for. Stealth was paramount after all. Eventually, they came to a stop on a rooftop. They were on patrol, looking for any sign of trouble. Kraang, mutant or otherwise.

“I’ve got eyes on one giant dog and fish. Six o’clock!” Donnie reported.

“Where?!” Mikey cried out excitedly as he raced forward. He then deflated, “Aw man! It’s just Fishface and Dogpound.”

“What are they doing out in the open like this?” Leo pondered. “I think we should proceed with caution, guys.”

But when he looked around him, he saw that his brothers have already gone down to fight Fishface and Dogpound. Only Alina remained with him.

“Together?” Alina asked with a smile, offering her hand.

Leo was only too glad to take it and make the leap with her.

**

“Where were we? Oh yeah! I believe I was turning you into fish sticks!” Raph glared at Fishface.

“Actually, I believe I was turning you into turtle soup,” Fishface sneered.

Alina appeared next to Raph, quipping, “Mind if I cut in? I have a craving for sushi.”

“Be my guest,” Raph was only too happy for the company.

Leo had gone to fight against Dogpound, knocking him down rather quickly. Unlike the last fight, where Dogpound had overpowered the blue-masked turtle. Either way, the end result was Leo standing on top of the downed Dogpound pointing his katana at him.

“Stay. Good dog,” Leo quipped.

Dogpound only slapped the katana out of his face and managed to get out from under Leo. He began running away. Along with Fishface, who had escaped his fight with Alina and Raph.

“Look! We’ve got them on the run!” Mikey cheered.

“Oh, they aren’t getting off that easy,” Raph growled. He was already chasing after them.

“Raph, wait! Something’s not right!” Leo called after him.

“Yeah! You talking while they’re getting away!” Raph retorted.

That made the other teenagers follow the red-masked turtle. He did have a point there. Dogpound and Fishface were getting away. And if they allowed that, they wouldn’t find out what they were up to on this particular evening. There could be another plan afoot.

Following Dogpound and Fishface led the group to a seemingly abandoned warehouse. It was one they had gone past many times before in their patrols. (Alina actually wondered if this was a warehouse where they had foiled a few Kraang plots in this very warehouse.)

But this was forgotten when Dogpound suddenly appeared.

“Alright. You got us.”

“Something’s wrong,” Alina muttered to the group. “This is way too easy.”

After all, it wasn’t just Dogpound that was surrendering to them. Fishface was too. And Alina knew Fishface well enough to know that he didn’t just surrender. Not without an ulterior motive. Everything smelled like a trap.

“What are you worried about?” Raph asked. His voice lacked the bite he would’ve had if he was talking to one of his brothers; particularly Leo.

“No. She’s right, Raph,” Leo began saying.

Leo and Alina ended up being proven correct when an orange circle appeared in the ground around them. Alina was certainly surprised to see that Dogpound and Fishface had been trapped right alongside them.

“Oh, I see,” Raph grumbled.

He certainly wasn’t expecting them to be surrounded by a black and white… he wasn’t sure if he could call them walls. They were certainly an impediment of sorts. Some type of cage. They couldn’t escape.

“Careful, guys. This may be a trap,” Mikey warned them. A warning that came just a little too late.

Then, they heard Baxter Stockman’s voice.

“Welcome, contestants. I’m so glad you could join us tonight.”

“Blister Stockboy?!” Leo gaped in shock.

“It’s Baxter Stockman! I’m your archnemesis!”

“I can totally think of five nemesises way archer than him,” Mikey winked at Donnie.

Alina had to give Mikey that. In his own weird way, he was saying that they had come up against enemies that were way more formidable than Baxter Stockman. Two of them were trapped in the same situation with them.

“You’ll be playing for the ultimate prize – your lives – in the all-new family-friendly, incredibly deadly Maze of Doom!”

The teenagers were quick to start rolling their eyes. This was already an overly inflated scheme that was doomed to fail. Par for the course where Baxter Stockman was concerned.

Well, they were thinking that before they found themselves dodging rockets fired at them. Dogpound and Fishface had been standing there with cool, calm and collected facial expressions. At least until they found themselves on the receiving end of the rockets. This was most certainly not part of the plan. And it was something Fishface immediately began questioning.

“You fool! What are you doing?!” Fishface demanded.

“I’m sick of you freaks. You treat me like dirt, threaten me… well, Baxter Stockman doesn’t make threats!”

“Have you gone mad?!” Fishface raged.

“You’re only just working that out?” Alina deadpanned.

“Mad?! I’m full-on mega crazy!”

“You traitor!” Dogpound growled.

“And even if you make it through my maze alive, you’ll still have to face my monster of…”

“Doom? Is it a Monster of Doom?” Leo smirked.

“No! Uh, monster of, uh… oh, the heck with it!”

Baxter decided to treat it as the trigger to send all of his enemies into his Maze of Doom. Because they all found themselves screaming as the floor disappeared beneath their feet. Alina also found herself feeling a bit sick from all the black and white stripes she was whizzing past. It was all disorienting.

Alina couldn’t tell how long she had been falling. The black-and-white-striped surroundings made time lose all meaning. She was certainly aware of the ground, though. She grunted as she collided with it roughly. She heard the sounds of the others hitting the ground around her.

Looking around, she saw that Baxter was still favouring the black-and-white motif. But rather than stripes, he used squares this time. He has clearly taken his inspiration from the finish line at the races.

“Where in the…?” Raph trailed off, struggling to make sense of his surroundings. His question was cut short by the arrival of Dogpound and Fishface.

“Now, where were we?” Dogpound growled.

“Total turtle takedown!” Fishface answered.

Clearly, the villains weren’t interested in giving the Turtles time to absorb their new surroundings. Raph and Alina immediately focused their attention on Fishface. Leo, Donnie and Mikey focused their attention on Dogpound, thinking the three of them working together would better their odds against the larger mutant. It didn’t. Dogpound was still able to take them down, using his considerable size and strength against them.

Leo pushed himself back on his feet after being knocked down by Dogpound. However, before he could rejoin the fight, he heard the sound of something coming to life. Something electronic. He recognized the sound well enough thanks to Donnie’s near constant lab work. He turned himself in the direction of the sound. Several feet away from where Raph and Alina were fighting Fishface, red aces were starting to form. Swinging ominously from side-to-side. The laser blade caressing the ground without slicing through it.

“What is…?” Leo trailed off when he heard the sound once more. Turning around, he saw more of these red aces several feet from where Donnie and Mikey were fighting Dogpound. “Uh-oh. This can’t be good.”

Especially since it looked like more was forming.

Raph heard the sound directly above him. Looking up and seeing the other red axes around him, he knew what was coming. He also knew that Alina and Fishface would be directly in the axe’s path.

“Watch out!” Raph cried.

What surprised him was what he did next. Well, somewhat surprised him. Raph tackling Alina away was not what surprised him. He would’ve done that in a heartbeat. What surprised him was that he had saved Fishface right alongside her.

“I saved you why, calamari boy?” Raph snarked.

As more red axes appeared, Leo was quick to suggest, “Everyone, I suggest a fight rain check.”

Alina already knew that Dogpound was going to object to the idea the second Leo suggested it. She could certainly see the merits behind the two sides working together. After all, they need to get out of this Maze of Doom. And they now had a common enemy. It is as the saying goes: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

And since Baxter Stockman was their shared enemy, it seems they were going to form a temporary friendship to defeat this shared enemy.

“Never! We do this now!” Dogpound growled.

However, when Dogpound pounced at Donnie and Mikey (who were thankfully able to dodge), he found himself directly in the path of a red axe swinging ominously towards him. Alina was quick to throw one of her small knives (that she only started keeping on her recently) at the hinge of the swinging axe. It managed to deactivate the axe before it could do significant harm to Dogpound. Well… harm beyond giving his fur a little bit of a trim.

“If we keep fighting, we are never gonna get out of here alive!” Leo told the group firmly.

“The exit! There!” Donnie cried.

The group followed Donnie’s line of sight. There was indeed an exit. A literal light at the end of the tunnel. All they had to do was get past the swinging red axes to reach it. It certainly seemed simple enough. But Alina was afraid that the fact that it seemed simple would mean that things were going to become deceptively difficult.

“Follow me!” Dogpound barked, pushing past the group to take charge.

It was purely out of necessity that everybody else followed. It was something that Raph was quick to question Leo about. The questioning happened when they stopped to wait for the next axe to swing by.

“Leo, you don’t think we can trust them, do you?” Raph asked his older brother.

“It’s our only option,” Leo answered.

Alina knew he was right. This really was their only option. But it didn’t stop her from saying, “You do know they will turn on us, right?”

“We’ll just have to trust that we’ll see it coming first,” Leo told her.

Raph hated every aspect of this plan. But one silent communication exchange between him and Alina told him what he already knew. They didn’t have a choice.

Before long, they had made it past the swinging red axes and were calmly walking towards what was supposed to be the exit. The adrenaline of avoiding the swinging red axes had dissipated and was replaced by an air of distrust. Fishface and Dogpound were walking in front of Alina and the Turtles. The five teenagers were watching the two mutants walking before them closely. Watching for any sign of an impending betrayal. And it appeared at the very least Fishface had the same idea. Because he kept glancing back at the quintet.

“I have my eye on you, Turtles,” Fishface proclaimed.

Dogpound started sniffing the air. Clearly, his mutation had given him an enhanced sense of smell. Alina hoped it meant he was able to sniff a way out. Because something she noticed was that they were in a different part of the maze. Baxter still favoured the black-and-white motif. But he had reverted back to the stripes rather than the squares. It made her wonder if there was another trap coming.

“Fresh air. Coming from that direction,” Dogpound revealed.

“Uh, please, after you,” Fishface was quick to suggest Leo go ahead of him.

But Leo wasn’t having it. “No, no, you go ahead. I insist.”

“What’s the matter? You don’t trust me?” Fishface smirked, already knowing the answer.

“If you think we’re going to turn our backs to you, you’re nuts!” Raph snapped.

“I know!” Mikey cut in. “We go like this! Turtle, turtle, jerk, turtle, turtle, jerk. Wait, no. Jerk, turtle, jerk, jerk… No, too many jerks.”

“How about I go between you guys and them?” Alina offered, already stepping forward to do just that.

Alina’s idea was met with a firm, resounding, “No!” from her Turtle companions. But the argument was stopped before it could truly commence by the appearance of…

“Balls!” Leo cried. “…of doom.”

“What are those?” Dogpound asked.

“Not good!” was Leo’s answer. Especially when blades emerged from those silver balls.

“We should move!” Alina was quick to suggest.

“Me first!” Fishface declared, to the surprise of absolutely no one.

“Doom balls! Run!” Leo cried.

Everyone was racing around the limited space, trying to avoid these balls of doom. (Alina quipped in her head that Baxter should really consult Mikey when it came to naming things. If there was one thing Baxter lacked, it was Mikey’s creativity in that aspect.)

One orb in particular seemed to take an interest in Mikey. Anytime Mikey moved, the orb followed menacingly. Yet, the orb kept an ominous distance from Mikey. Almost as though it was teasing him. Keeping him on edge. Leaving him waiting in suspense for the attack Mikey knew was coming. In the end, Mikey swatted it away with his nunchuck.

Donnie didn’t have as much luck as Mikey. He tried to swat one away with his bo staff, but it simply lodged itself into the wooden stick. Seeing that they could not fight all the orbs that kept appearing, they began running. Dogpound kept trying to push himself ahead of Donnie and Mikey. Or was he trying to slow them down so they would get hit? Acting in self-preservation. Alina couldn’t be bothered working out Dogpound’s motivations.

Hearing the sounds of explosions behind her made Alina turn around. Raph had hung back towards the rear of the group. Turning around, she realized that he had thrown some of his ninja stars at the orbs, which exploded mid-air.

It was only when the threat from the balls of doom had been taken care of that Alina realized they had run into another part of the maze. A part that looked familiar.

Sniffing the air when they all stopped to take a breath, Dogpound proclaimed what Alina already knew deep down: “Wait! We’ve been here before!”

“He’s right! We’ve been going in circles!” Donnie cried.

“Donnie, are you sure…?”

Raph’s question was cut off by the appearance of a blade-like wall appearing before them. It made Raph and Alina jump back in shock. Raph immediately raced forward to pound on the sudden blockage. Especially when he realized that he and Alina had been separated from Leo, Donnie and Mikey. (And Dogpound. But they were more concerned about Leo, Donnie and Mikey.)

“Time to split you guys up!”

Alina looked up at the… could she even call it a roof? Either way, she was glaring in the direction of the hidden speakers where she heard Baxter Stockman’s voice. Raph, meanwhile, was glaring at the third person who ended up trapped with them. Fishface.

“Looks like it’s just you and me,” Fishface smirked.

“Could you not be creepy for five minutes?” Alina pleaded with a shudder.

**

On the other side of the barrier, Leo was doing his best to slice through it with his katana. Desperately trying to get to Alina and Raph. He hated the thought of them being separated. Particularly with Alina and Raph being stuck with Fishface. Especially given Alina’s complicated history with the mutant.

“You’re wasting your time, Leonardo! Those walls are magnetically sealed!”

Leo came to a stop at Baxter’s words. He knew enough to know that if the walls were magnetically sealed, there was no way to get through. If he wanted to save Alina and Raph, he had to get through the maze and hope they met up somewhere along the way.

Noticing that Donnie was pulling out his T-Phone, Leo was quick to say, “I tried that already, Donnie. There’s no signal!”

“I know! I’m reconfiguring the T-Phone’s internal magnet so that it can detect ambient A/C current. We can use it to trace our way back to Baxter,” Donnie explained.

The prospect of finding their way out rather than wondering aimlessly around the maze made Leo order Mikey and Dogpound, “You two, keep Stinkman talking!”

“No problemo!” Mikey lit up at the prospect. “Hey, Boxton!”

Baxter’s annoyed voice predictably came through the speakers, responding, “It’s Baxter.”

Donnie subtly signalled for the group to start walking. He had found a path to follow. But Mikey kept up his task. After all, he was able to work out that they didn’t want Baxter catching on to what they were doing.

“So, I was wondering, what made you interested in a career of supervillainy?” Mikey asked casually.

“Well, since you won’t be around to read my autobiography, I’ll tell you. I was a frail and delicately sensitive young child.”

“Well, there’s a surprise,” Dogpound grumbled. Both he and Mikey were already starting to show their annoyance at having to hear Baxter’s life story. They already knew it wouldn’t exactly be the most compelling they’ve ever heard.

“That’s when I decided to develop my greatest power: my technological genius.”

“Oh, good grief,” Mikey voiced aloud.

This was going to be a long night. He wondered how Alina and Raph were fairing with Fishface.

**

“The world’s longest tunnel!” Raph growled in frustration.

Things with Alina, Raph and Fishface were actually progressing… relatively well. Nobody was trying to kill each other. They were simply focused on getting out of this maze and exacting their revenge on Baxter Stockman. (Well, Fishface and Raph were certainly looking forward to the revenge. Alina was just hoping to get out before Baxter gets any ideas about exploiting her claustrophobia.)

“Of doom?” Alina supplied.

Fishface was laughing before another magnetically-sealed wall appeared before them, blocking their path once more.

“We’re trapped!” Raph cried in panic.

“Oh no,” Alina whimpered.

Sensing what could happen, Raph moved to reassure her, “There’s a lot of space around us, Als. You’ll be okay. And we’re gonna get out of here and get you outside.”

However, the trio soon found themselves wishing they had just been confronted by another magnetically-sealed wall. Because it turned out to be an industrial fan. But rather than simply blowing air onto them, it was trying to suck them in. Alina already knew that if they got sucked in, the blades would shred them into pieces. And while Alina did not want to die in general, she certainly did not want to die like that.

She certainly got a glimpse of that when she saw parts of the very floor she was standing on being lifted up, unable to resist the industrial-strength suction. Watching the tiles (if she could call them that – she really had no idea what kind of space Baxter Stockman created) be shredded into dust confirmed to her that it would certainly be an awful death.

A death she and Raph seemed certain to meet. Because while Fishface was able to use his bionic legs to ground himself, Raph and Alina had nothing. Their hands slipped whenever they tried to grip the floor. And eventually, they were flying through the air, unable to grab onto anything.

But just as Alina was certain that she and Raph were going to come into contact with the fan’s blades, they stopped. The fan was still going, so it was certainly not the fans suddenly turning themselves off. Something had to physically be halting their path. It was only then that Alina realized something had grabbed her. Something slimy.

Looking up, she saw that her saviour was Fishface. He had walked along the ceiling, using his bipedal legs to keep himself steady. Once he was able to, he grabbed both Alina and Raph, preventing them from meeting a gruesome fate. Seeing the tiles being lifted off the floor had given Fishface an idea. Using his momentum, he was able to kick a path through the floor into a black room. It enabled them to travel through the maze while avoiding all the traps Baxter orchestrated for them.

“Well, that makes us even, huh, Fish Sticks?” Raph quipped.

“You think I’d let Baxter do away with you?” Fishface scoffed. “That is a pleasure I am reserving for myself.”

“Situation normal,” Alina muttered to herself as she pushed herself onto her feet.

“You know, estrelinha, when this is over…,” Fishface began saying.

“You can keep asking all you want, Xever, but the answer’s still no,” Alina told him firmly. “And you know why that is.”

Raph made a mental note to ask Alina about her interactions with Fishface later as the trio began walking.

**

To say that Leo, Mikey, Donnie and Dogpound were bored was certainly the understatement of the century. Given what they knew about the man himself, they certainly expected Baxter’s origin story to be… not what they would expect of a villain. But they were certainly unprepared for the dull-fest it turned out to be.

Some might say that being forced to sit there and listen to Baxter’s story would serve as a villain origin story for somebody else.

“And I built a science fair volcano, but with actual molten lava. Burnt down the whole gymnasium. I was expelled. And I vowed revenge on those who wronged me.”

“You poor, poor man,” Mikey sighed. He was almost praying for something to come up. Another something of doom to save him from the boredom.

A turret appeared in the ground before the quartet, and even though he wasn’t fully praying for something to happen, Mikey was still learning a painful lesson: be careful what you wish for.

While Dogpound, Donnie and Mikey were avoiding the laser fire from the turret, Leo decided to attack it head on. Using a lifetime of momentum and agility that had been trained into him, he soared through the air. Boosting himself off the walls within the maze as he pounced towards the turret. He was able to slice it with his katana, stopping the lasers and destroying the turret.

Leo was originally thinking to himself that Baxter doesn’t seem to have thought much about the durability of his machines when even more of these turrets appeared. And started spinning in front of the quartet. He was thinking that was too easy.

So, they all had to dance around the room, dodging lasers and smashing turrets along the way. Mikey was even able to use Dogpound’s massive build as a means of boosting himself towards some of the turrets. If Dogpound had a problem with it, he didn’t voice it.

**

Raph, Alina and Fishface seemed to have fallen into a comfortable silence as they continued walking. Alina, in many ways, was grateful that the room was one colour, but still well-lit enough that they could see where they were going. And they could see each other. It was a welcome reprieve from the stark black-and-white room they were in before. It was highly disorienting. Which Alina supposed Baxter was going for.

But if there was one thing Alina didn’t like, it was silence that went on for too long. It did not always end well. So, Alina wanted to find a way to fill the silence as quickly as possible. But Raph didn’t seem to be in a talking mood, more preoccupied with keeping as much distance between Alina and Fishface as possible. (Something that made Alina inwardly wince. Leo was bad enough. She didn’t need Raph combining overprotectiveness with his infamous temper.)

That left Fishface. And it enabled her to ask her something she always wanted to know.

“Hey, Xever,” Alina began, “how did you end up crossing paths with someone like Shredder?”

Fishface pondered Alina’s question before sighing and recalling his life story, “In many ways, it’s all I’ve ever known. At a young age, I learned a very simple rule. You want something, you take it. I was the best thief until one day, my luck ran out. They would’ve left me to rot there. Fortunately, the owner of that briefcase found my skills… useful.”

“Shredder,” Raph guessed.

“Yes,” Fishface nodded. “And he employed me for many of the Foot’s dirtier jobs. Most recently, the destruction of you, your brothers, and your Sensei.”

Alina didn’t know how she felt about the fact that Fishface seemed to deliberately omit her from his job. Surely, the Shredder would have given orders for her to be destroyed alongside them because of her firm alliance with them. Right?

“So, you do all this because you owe Shredder?” Raph asked.

“Eh. Mostly, I like having a job where I get to crack skulls every day,” Fishface shrugged.

“Okay. I can relate to that,” Raph shrugged.

“Yes. We are of a kind, you and I,” Fishface stated.

“Well, maybe,” Raph conceded, “but I’m still going to whip your butt when this is over. Especially if you keep looking at Alina like that. Which brings me to my question.” Raph turned his attention to Alina. “What is your history with Fish Boy here?”

“Xever runs the underground race network I take part in,” Alina revealed. “My current foster father was not the first to force me to race. I was forced to race when I was eleven. When it became clear I knew a thing or two about bikes. I race to protect my siblings. To make sure they have food on the table.”

“And Fishface’s… offer?” Raph did little to suppress the growl in his voice.

“I am offering her a good life,” Fishface decided to answer. “A life in my crew. A life where she will not have to worry when the next hit is coming. A life where she will have a bed. Food on the table.”

“But I don’t like your price, Xever,” Alina reminded him. “Especially if I have to leave my siblings behind. I have to protect them.”

“Admirable,” Fishface praised, “but something I learned from my childhood, estrelina, is you have to protect yourself first.”

Normally, Alina would not have given Fishface’s words much credence. After all, he had just admitted to them that he had a childhood where it was survival of the fittest. You had to look out for yourself because nobody else would. But then, she thought about what Master Splinter had told her not long ago. About how sacrifice is no longer noble when it becomes self-neglect. How she cannot protect the ones she loves if she does not protect herself.

Should she start putting herself first for once?

**

Leo, Mikey, Donnie and Dogpound were exhausted. There were plenty of destroyed turrets surrounding them. They were no longer moving around. So, nobody was having to pounce from one point to the other dodging lasers. Something their aching bodies and lungs were thankful for.

It was a reprieve that was short-lived when another turret appeared from the ground. Leo immediately pounced, since he was closest, making quick work of the machine with his katana. The moment only served to fuel Dogpound’s growing frustration.

“Skunkman!” Dogpound growled. “I know you’re in here somewhere!”

**

Raph, Alina and Fishface found their paths stopped by the sound of the voice. Were they finally catching up with the others?

Fishface approached a nearby wall, pressing his ear to it. He could hear the muffled sounds of fighting and laser fire. But he could ascertain enough to know that it was directly on the other side of the wall. They were travelling parallel with the others.

“Hey. It’s coming from the next room,” Fishface revealed.

Fishface was quick to make use of his powerful bipedal legs to kick a path. Clearly, the others were startled and had drawn their weapons, preparing to face another one of Baxter Stockman’s doom devices. However, they all relaxed when they saw it was Raph, Alina and Fishface.

“You enjoy your playdate?” Leo teased.

“Ha. Very funny,” Raph grumbled.

When Alina was close enough, Leo was able to ask her quietly, “Seriously, Allie. Are you…?”

“I’m fine,” Alina reassured him. She knew why he was asking. He didn’t like the thought of her alone with Fishface – especially given his established interest in her. But surely, he could’ve been reassured by the fact Raph was with her, right?

Those thoughts were forgotten when Donnie reported, “A strong ambient A/C current is coming from underneath this cannon.”

Dogpound was only too eager to make use of his considerable strength to rid Donnie of that obstacle. They were peering into the hole it left behind when they found themselves falling into it. Ripping out the cannon had caused the rest of the floor around it to collapse beneath their feet.

“We’re out,” Alina observed.

The group found that Alina was right. They were no longer within the Maze of Doom. They seemed to be back in the warehouse, albeit a different part of it. But either way, they were able to finally confront Baxter Stockman. And he didn’t seem to be happy.

“No! You were supposed to destroy each other, not work together!” Baxter raged, stomping his foot on the… whatever it was he was standing on that was floating above them. Taking a deep breath, he smirked, “No matter. You may have made it to the end of my maze, but now it’s time for…”

“The bonus round?” Mikey asked excitedly.

“Yes. The bonus round… of doom!” Baxter proclaimed.

The group watched with varying reactions as a giant robotic suit appeared before them. When Baxter stood atop it, Alina recognized it immediately. It was the robotic suit Baxter had donned when they first encountered him. Back when the Turtles were sneaking out of the lair after being grounded by Master Splinter. But something that had quickly become clear to Alina? The suit has undergone some upgrades.

“Kneel before the awesome power of my monster…”

“Of doom,” the group finished lamely.

Baxter sneered, “You all think you’re so clever. Let’s see how clever you are when you’re hit by my missiles of d…” Baxter stopped himself when he realized he had indeed been naming everything ‘(insert object here) of doom’. “When you’re hit by my missiles!”

The group cried out in horror as they immediately moved to dodge the four missiles Baxter had fired at them. While moving herself away from a missile (along with a collection of gas tanks that were nearby – Alina did not want to find out the hard way whether or not they were empty), Alina noticed that Baxter wasn’t actually in his robotic suit this time. He was controlling it remotely. Perhaps he learned the hard way of what can happen when he operated the suit from within.

But she was too busy dodging laser blasts to think about it. Along with missiles and retractable arms and….

“What the heck are these?!” Alina asked.

“Mousers,” Leo answered. “Very annoying.”

Alina was certainly finding that. Along with the fact that they were very easy to destroy. Baxter must make them in bulk.

Leo was climbing up the retractable… eyes that shot lasers to reach the screen where Baxter’s face was displayed. Alina certainly understood what Leo was trying to do. He was planning to stab his katana through the screen, thinking it was the heart of the suit. Take out the heart, and the suit becomes a lifeless husk. Sound in theory. Poor in execution. Because it only served to enrage Baxter.

In fact, it enraged him enough to emit a sonic wave that knocked them all to the ground.

“How do we stop this thing?!” Dogpound asked Leo. Clearly, the group were still upholding their forced alliance. At least for the time being.

Examining the surroundings, Leo was quick to formulate a plan. He hissed to the two people standing next to him, “Mikey, Dogpound, draw it under Baxter!”

Dogpound growled as he leapt forward alongside Mikey. He clearly approved of whatever plan Leo had forming in his mind. They charged over towards what could only be described as Baxter’s flying saucer. Baxter flew higher into the air when Dogpound and Mikey got a bit too close for his liking.

“Ha! Nice try! But you’ll have to be faster than that!” Baxter taunted them.

“Yoo-hoo! Monster of Doom! We’re over here!” Mikey called to the machine.

Leo then raced over to where Raph, Alina and Fishface were still battling the Mousers. Alina couldn’t help but compare them to the Hydra legend. Cut off one head, two more grow back. It certainly seemed to be the case with the Mousers. She swore two more appeared for every one they destroyed.

Wow. Baxter really did make them in bulk.

“Guys, there!” Leo cried.

“I’ll keep the Mousers off you,” Alina immediately promised.

Raph and Fishface seemed content with that. While Aline fought off the Mousers, Fishface began sliding on the ground on his back, lifting his feet up. Raph immediately jumped on top of them. It became clear what they were going to do. The two mutants worked well together in a perfectly coordinated attack. After a countdown, Fishface boosted Raph into the air, enabling him to fly through Baxter’s flying saucer sai first.

“NO! STOP HELPING EACH OTHER!” Baxter whined.

Those were the last words that were heard before the flying saucer collided with the robotic suit, causing both to explode on impact. When the smoke cleared, they were all alarmed by the absence of a key figure.

“Where’s Dexter?” Mikey demanded.

“Fools” Baxter growled, flying above them with his… Alina could only describe what he was wearing as a helicopter helmet. “You haven’t seen the last of Dexter… Baxter Stockman!”

He then flew away.

The group seemed to agree amongst themselves that they could deal with Baxter another day, if they could be bothered to at all. They certainly weren’t in a rush to chase him down. They would have to wait until he reared his ugly head on his own accord with another hare-brained scheme.

So, the exhausted group made their way out of the warehouse, turning their attention to each other once more after collapsing.

“The truce is over,” Fishface decreed.

“Let’s… finish… this!” Dogpound panted. He couldn’t do more than lift himself onto one knee.

The five teenagers showed their own exhaustion as they drew their own weapons. Mikey couldn’t even finish crying out his signature ‘Booyakasha’ before collapsing in a yawn.

“How about…?” Alina panted, “…we kill each other tomorrow?”

“I… I agree,” Dogpound relented.

The two groups then went their separate ways.

“You know, Raph, you and Fishface actually made a pretty good team back there,” Mikey remarked.

“He’s still our enemy, Mikey, and he’ll take us out the next change he gets,” Raph told his youngest brother firmly.

And Fishface proved to do just that. Before rounding the corner with Dogpound, he tossed something in their direction. It is revealed to be one of the Balls of Doom from Baxter’s Maze of Doom. Raph suddenly stopped in his tracks when he felt something coming. But not at himself. At Leo. He immediately thrust his sai out, destroying the silver orb before it could come into contact with his older brother.

“Trust your senses. You’ll see ‘em coming,” Raph finished his speech.

Fishface had to concede. He was impressed. But that was as far as he was willing to go before the two groups separated for the evening.

“I guess some good things came out of this forced alliance,” Alina remarked weakly. “We’re able to sense them better.”

The Turtles shrugged in agreement. That was one thing they got out of it. They were really able to put Master Splinter’s latest lesson into practice.

Normally, Alina would be going with them to make sure they got home safe. But when she looked at them apologetically and asked if they would be okay to get themselves home, they reassured her they would. When he hugged her, Leo was able to press a discreet kiss to her cheek. Then, they went their separate ways. Alina back to her apartment, the Turtles to the sewer.

“Thank God,” Leo sighed in relief.

“Yeah. She’s finally putting herself first,” Raph smiled.

Once upon a time, she would’ve pushed her own exhaustion just to make sure everyone else was okay. But if there was a lesson she was learning, it was the lesson in the best way to look after others: to look after yourself.