A small amount of water hits Kirby O'Neil's face, and he opens his eyes to find April and Michelangelo staring down at him, one with concern on her face and the other with a faint smile. He groans and sits up, rubbing his balding head.

"I just had the worst dream," he says. "The Kraang were trying to invade..."

"Don't worry, Mr. O'Neil," Michelangelo says, leaning onto the arm of the couch. "Reality is way worse than your nightmare."

Mr. O'Neil whimpers and clutches his head. Donatello glares at Michelangelo and cuffs him over the back of the head as the freckled turtle giggles sheepishly. There's a rush of footsteps from down the hall before Raphael and Casey appear, winded but okay.

"We gotta move," Raphael says. "Kraang Prime is stomping this..." He takes notice of Diaval, who's still seated on the floor with a cat in his lap. "...way." He narrows his eyes. "Okay, why is he here?"

"Long story," Donatello says.

Raphael opens his mouth to speak, but Michelangelo interrupts with a happy exclamation of the red-masked turtle's name followed by a loving hug. Raphael smiles a tiny bit, patting Michelangelo's head.

"Aw, I missed you too, little brother," he says, momentarily distracted.

"Casey!" April greets as she wraps her arms around the hockey player's middle, her head resting below his chin. "Oh, I was scared I'd lost you forever."

"No worries, Red," Casey says, unable to keep the grin from his face as he rests his hand on her shoulder. "Your man is here."

Donatello rolls his eyes. "Uh, not to break this up, but Leo is still out there and Destiny went after him!"

"What?" Raphael exclaims.

"Wolfie is back?" Casey asks.

"Long story, bro," Michelangelo says. "Basically—"

The front window shatters as Leonardo's unconscious body is thrown through it. Diaval makes an uncharacteristic yelping noise as he lurches to the side, Leonardo landing right where he'd previously been sitting. The cat yowls and bolts away out the new opening.

"Leo!" Raphael cries.

Him and Michelangelo scramble to their leader's side, Michelangelo tugging him up into his arms as Raphael tilts his head towards his mouth and and listens.

"He's still breathing," he exhales, his green eyes darting all over his brother's body and taking in the extensive injuries.

"Dude, his shell is cracked!" Michelangelo says, his hand tightening against Leonardo's shoulder.

"Come out, turtles!" Tiger Claw calls from outside, his rumbling voice alerting everyone in the room to his presence. "We know you're in there! The wolf is already dead, you will be next!"

Expressions all around the room collapse and they share uncertain and frightened looks.

"Des?" Donatello whispers.

Diaval gets to his feet and tugs his bow off his shoulder, nocking an arrow back. He moves to the window, noting the multiple Foot warriors waiting for them at every possible exit.

His jaw clenches and he jerks his head to the Hamatos and their friends. "Get out of here."

Two four-armed Foot bots leap through the broken window, wielding tantōs and clubs. Casey grits his teeth and rushes at them with a shout, tackling both to the ground as a third and a fourth sneak in. Two arrows skewer them through the head and Diaval readies another fluidly.

Raphael tugs Leonardo onto his shell, piggybacking him as best he can.

"This way!" April shouts, grabbing her dad's wrist as they head for the hallway.

Another bot appears, causing April to scream. Donatello reacts instantly, spinning around and throwing his bō staff like a javelin. It hits the bot between the eyes, pinning its head to the wall.

With the assailant down, April snatches up Destiny's backpack and heads out, her dad, Raphael, and Donatello following. They reach the bottom floor and Donatello kicks the door open, bō staff at the ready, and Rahzar drops down directly in front of them. The skeletal dog snarls and rears back, towering over Donatello, but his ears perk as a scream from above distracts him.

"This is for my brother!" Michelangelo hollers.

A couch sails out the broken window and flattens Rahzar, who makes the dog equivalent to a cry of pain. Casey and Michelangelo drop down from the above balcony, joining the others.

Diaval climbs onto the fire escape as Tiger Claw opens fire on the group with his pistol, causing them to run. Diaval aims his arrow and shoots, hitting the tiger mutant's gun out of his paw with a cry of shock. The teenagers below keep sprinting away.

"You," Tiger Claw growls upon seeing the archer. "Traitor!"

A pair of Foot bots appear on the ledge, glaring down at him with emotionless eyes. Diaval steps back, aiming his bow at them, and they make a robotic screeching noise and lunge. He fires, skewering both of them through the head with one arrow, but more take their place. He nears the edge of the fire escape and casts a fleeting glance over his shoulder towards the ground. His back presses against the railing, the bots still advancing.

He lets another arrow fly, taking out its target, but it does little to halt their advance. Two bots rush him, his eyes widening, and he stumbles back only to tip off the edge. He gasps and shuts his eyes as he soars towards the concrete, his gut lurching as he musters every bit of his levitation magic.

He lands on what feels like a cushion. He bounces once, flipping over as he wobbles in midair. Twice; he pinwheels his arms and tries to regain control as his cloak covers his eyes. He lands a third time, his magic "cushion" pops, and he face-plants against the concrete. He groans and stumbles to his feet, dazed, and starts fighting with the cloak obscuring his vision.

"Brace yourself, dude!"

A solid hand snags the back of his cloak and he's flung off his feet, going weightless for a second. The second ends and he hits solid ground, the sound of a door slamming ringing in his ears. He finally gets his cloak out of his eyes to find himself in a van with all four turtles, Casey and April in the front seat, and no sign of Mr. O'Neil.

He looks out the back window as the van careens around corners, finally noticing a gargantuan Kraang brain in a robotic suit towering above them; Kraang Prime. Mutagen hits the ground directly behind their vehicle, purple crystals erupting wherever the ooze touches.

Casey cranks the wheel, sending the van into a narrow alleyway. Kraang Prime tries to reach after them, but it's too big to follow. Its screeching voice follows after them as they race away.

"Dude, your nose is all screwed up," Michelangelo says, pointing at Diaval's face before gesturing to his own.

Diaval lifts his hand and drags it across his upper lip, his pale skin smeared with red when he pulls it away. He shrugs. "It's fine."

"Guys," April says, turning around to look through the back window. "Do you think what Tiger Claw said is true?"

"I don't want to believe it, but—" Donatello starts, his russet eyes downcast.

"No," Diaval interrupts. "Destiny isn't dead."

"And how would you know?" Raphael snaps. The van jolts and he instantly steadies Leonardo's body, but he doesn't take his eyes off the archer.

Diaval meets his glare. "Feel it...I'd feel it if she was."

Nobody decides to argue, even though nobody believes or trusts his words in the slightest.

----------

Casey pulls the van into a secluded lot lined with garage doors. "This looks like a safe spot," he says, shifting the gear into park.

"Come on," Raphael says as he shoves the door open, hopping out. "We've gotta find Splinter!"

"No way! What about Leo?" Michelangelo asks, causing his brother to turn back around. His gaze flickers to the leader in blue for a split second.

Donatello climbs out. "We shouldn't move him," he advises.

"He can stay with me," Casey offers. "Diaval too. I'll keep an eye on him." As April steps onto the pavement, he turns his gaze to the front. "I'm going back to search for my family."

"Okay, but we meet back at this spot," she responds, pointing at the ground.

"You got it, Red."

He shifts the wagon into reverse and backs out, disappearing down the street. Diaval remains in the back, Destiny's backpack at his side and his eyes latched on Leonardo. Everything that he's seen in Destiny's desires from many nights of fear floods back to him, making his heart pound.

"She isn't dead," he mumbles to the unconscious turtle. "Brought her back t'you. Won't do any good for her t'die now."

----------

Destiny isn't sure how much further she'll be able to go. She passes deactivated Kraang droids, toppled garbage cans, and abandoned bags, but she keeps going. Anytime the Kraang appear, she hides, avoiding conflict for one of the rarer times in her young life. Her sword bumps against her hip with every limping step.

She rounds a corner, coming face to grill with an oncoming vehicle. The wolf mutant freezes up, squeezing her eyes shut and waiting for impact, but the vehicle screeches to a halt first.

She hesitates to look, but when she does she's greeted with the sight of a gaudy, yellow hippie van decorated with flowers. She makes eye contact with the driver, her face instantly brightening.

"Casey!" she barks.

"Wolfie! Boy, am I glad to see you!" he says, throwing open the side door and jumping out of the car.

They meet each other halfway, Casey's hands gripping her shoulders as her own hands fall to his forearms. The boy does a once over, his eyes clouding with worry when he sees the state she's in, but she ignores the sympathetic look.

"Casey, the Foot got Leo," she says. "I don't know where they took him, but—"

"Yeah, I know. He's in the back with Diaval, and the others should be at the lair by now. They're getting Splinter," he says. She tries to look over his shoulder but stumbles, causing him to grip her tighter. "You had us worried sick, Des. When Leo came through that window...Tiger Claw said you were dead—"

Her eyes fill with tears and her head snaps up. "They threw Leo...through a window?"

His solemn expression says it all, but he changes the subject. "Let's get you to the van. Stay with me, wolfie."

She manages a dazed nod, feeling as if she's going numb. He wraps an arm around her body, making sure to keep his hold on her as consistent as possible. She climbs in and Casey shuts the door behind her. Diaval crawls to her side as the engine revs to life again.

"Des," he murmurs.

She stares at Leonardo, biting back the tears on her lashes at the sight of him. An overwhelming surge of emotion comes over Diaval and he cups her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears as he turns her face towards him.

"Don't go breaking now," he whispers, a tremble rolling up his arms and into his fingertips.

She squeezes her eyes shut and swallows. "I should've gotten there sooner," she croaks.

She moves her face away from his hands, causing him to push himself back to his previous spot. Destiny lowers herself down, resting her head against Leonardo's plastron. Her ears twitch as his faint heartbeat reaches them. She whispers something, but Diaval can't make out the words.

"You didn't happen to see my dad or little sister, did you?" Casey asks, directing his voice through the back window. "Black hair on both of them, girl about fourteen or fifteen?"

Destiny shakes her head. "I saw Kraang, Kraang-people, and little else."

He sighs, a determined look settling across his face. His brown eyes can be seen in the rearview. "We've just got to keep looking."

They drive in silence, Diaval picking at pieces of dust that have gotten on his cloak. There's a loud buzzing sound and all the lights around them go out. Casey glances at his passengers, every expression reflecting the same confusion.

"That was them, wasn't it?" He flips his mask down.

"I'd bet money," Destiny replies.

Casey steps on the gas, launching the wagon forwards with a squeal. Destiny holds Leonardo as still as she possibly can, her gaze flicking to the front windshield. Through it, she just manages to catch sight of Kraang Prime, now just a bare brain, and a toppled over mech resembling a turtle.

"This is so metal!" Casey whoops, pumping his fist and honking the horn.

He floors it, going off a small ramp and ramming the creature in the side, making it squeal hideously. He drifts a little, pulling the van around and braking abruptly. He leans out the window and it's not hard for Destiny to imagine that he's smirking underneath that mask.

"You guys need a lift?"

"Did you find Destiny?" Raphael's voice asks. "Please tell me you did, Casey."

"Yeah, she's here."

The door opens and the rest of the group piles in. There's no sign of Master Splinter, something that makes Destiny's heart sink even more than it already has. The door closes and Casey drives out of the city, racing past numerous amounts of Kraang-people and purple crystal structures.

They're happy to see Destiny alive, of course, but whatever happiness they feel disappears abruptly as they sink back into rememberance of what's just happened. She runs her hand down Leonardo's bruised cheek. Donatello drapes a blanket over his brother, his face guilt ridden.

"I'm sorry, Leo. You were right. If we had just left the city when you said the Kraang never would've found the lair and started the invasion. None of this would've happened," he says, his voice thick.

Destiny's heart clenches for the umpteenth time that evening as thoughts of the Kraang raiding the lair enters her mind. Another home gone.

April turns back to look at them from the passenger side. "I've got a place we can go upstate, my old family home. I used to go there every summer. We can stay there as long as we want and there's no one around for miles," she offers.

"Upstate, huh? Sounds good to Casey Jones," Casey says.

"Did you find your dad and little sister?" April asks.

"No sign of them. They probably got...Kraangitized."

His face falls and the smile he's been keeping on his face disappears. April leans over and rests her head on his shoulder.

Diaval looks to each mutant, then at the humans in the front seats, reading into their desires. They're so similar. The turtles and Destiny all want Splinter back and for Leonardo to be okay. April wants her dad to be with them. Casey wants his family. Diaval looks at his lap, pursing his lips and knowing that he's the same as them. He wants his family.

Donatello's gaze falls on Destiny and he instantly takes notice of the blood staining her clothes. She tenses up, her ears flattening against her hair.

"Des, we've got to get that fixed up," he says.

"I'm fine," she mutters.

Destiny's entire being feels detached, like she's not really living and this is all a dream: an alien invasion, losing the city she's called home for so long, Leonardo's injuries, losing the only father figure that she has ever known. Do you blame her if she doesn't want this to be real?

"You're going to pass out. Let me check—" the purple-masked turtle starts.

"I'll live. Worry about him," she snaps, her voice breaking. Donatello looks taken aback. She swallows the lump forming in her throat, knowing immediately that she shouldn't have said something that sounded so mean. "I'm sorry...I didn't..."

He scoots closer to her and wraps his arm around her shoulder. "It's alright," he whispers. "We know."

She shuts her eyes, feeling weak and helpless as she leans against his lean, muscled shoulder. His hand rubs her arm, the movement familiar and soothing.

Michelangelo and Raphael keep their eyes on the floor, Michelangelo hugging his knees and Raphael with a supportive arm draped around him.

"What are we gonna do now, Raph?" he asks timidly.

"For the first time in my life, I have no idea, little brother," Raphael answers, his green eyes sorrowful.

"I miss Master Splinter," the orange-masked turtle whispers as he leans against his brother.

Not a word is said for a long time after that.