Song: I Am Machine - Three Days Grace

I let my sorrow drain from my body.  Numb with no emotions, I rise to my feet and back away from Charlotte's grave.  My daily grieving is over and it's time to move onto my next routine: hiding in my bedroom.

   As I turn around, I catch a glimpse of the annoying blonde who bothered me.  Lucy's back is to me, and her head was lift almost towards the sky as she gazes at the figure in front of her.  Her ridiculously long hair is only a foot above the ground, though that isn't surprising since she's so short.

   The more I look at her, the more her hair bothers me.  Why would anyone want so much of it?  Isn't it irritating to have it in her way all the time? Either way, I'm glad I don't have that problem.

   I make a mental note to shave my head if I ever mutate into a human.

   There is an uncomfortable lurch in my abdomen as I recognize who Lucy is talking to.  Even after several months of avoiding him, there is no mistaking his dark, mysterious eyes and the smirk he carries around like a trophy. He posture is flawless and his stance is mellow, as usual. Casey Jones hasn't changed a bit since I last saw him.

   The way Casey holds himself indicates that he's trying to properly converse with Lucy. I roll my eyes and drag my attention away from them, shaking my head. "Let him deal with her," I grumble.

   Deep down, I know I shouldn't be out in the park so much.  Lately, I've been careless about getting spotted.  What if Lucy had been some stranger?  I would have gotten the cops called on me faster than I could take a step backwards. I am a ninja, yet I completely disrespect that trait just for a grave.

   The whole point of being a ninja is to explore New York City while dodging the public eye. I trained my entire life to accomplish that, yet I can't bring myself to care about it anymore. Leonardo is going to be furious.

   However, as I descend into a manhole, I no longer care what my eldest brother thinks.  It was simply Lucy who spotted me, so what's the big deal?  She's keep our existence a secret without question.  I trust her, though I still do my best to stay as far away from her as possible.

   Besides, if Lucy did go and tell the city that she saw me, no one would believe her. We haven't been glimpsed properly since Shredder tried to get us arrested when he took over the city. Since then, the citizens believe that we're myths, that all the posters with our faces are just some intense photoshop.

   Not caring what Lucy does with her new information, I let my mind rest until I arrive at the lair. There, I see Michelangelo with his legs criss-crossed as he sits in from of the television. He rocks back and forth eagerly as he obsesses over the sci-fi action. A little over to the right, Leonardo and Donatello seem to be having a heavy discussion. By the panicked look in Donatello's russet eyes, something bad is about to happen. Curious, I stand off to the side and eavesdrop.

   "... That's what the readings indicated," Donatello is saying, practically gasping in his efforts to calm down. "The chemical compounds of the clouds are at three on the pH scale. Some factor has forcefully absorbed itself to the atmosphere and altered the make up of the clouds!"

   "How?" Leonardo looks just as concerned as Donatello, though frankly he looks more worried for the purple-clad turtle's sanity.

   "If you can decompose a chemical mixture, then you can replace key elements and recreate the substance," Donatello explains rapidly, his frown creasing his green face. "Somehow, an element found a weak point in the balance of the clouds. Now they're no longer clouds, but containers full of acid!"

   I blink. I've been outside for the past three hours, yet I hadn't noticed anything odd about the clouds. Yet, I barely noticed Lucy's dog sneaking up on me either. Grimly, I cross my arms and grit my teeth as I prepare for what's to happen next.

   Leonardo finally looks convinced that Donatello isn't mental. "What can we do to help, Donnie?" he asks immediately.

   Donatello hops impatiently from foot to foot. "I have something we can try, but I can't guarantee success," he admits.

   "Like what?" Leonardo presses.

   "I've whipped up a concoction that might neutralize the effects of this new mysterious reactant," Donatello elaborates promptly. "It's aerosol, so I can hook it up to the Turtle Blimp and spray it into the air. If it works, the acidic clouds will dissolve and we will have a clear, starry sky tonight."

   "Right," Leonardo agrees without question. "Go get the blimp ready and we'll be there in a few minutes."

   Donatello nods and races off to his lab.

   "Mikey, turn the television off. We've got a mission," Leonardo orders the orange-clad turtle. He's always one to try anything to save the world, no matter the consequences.

   My stomach turns uncomfortably at the thought of this mission taking his life. What if he doesn't come home? I'll have lost him as well as Master Splinter and Charlotte. I'm not sure I can handle losing yet another loved one. The black hole of my life would become even more impossible to climb out of.

   I glance at Michelangelo. I can't let my little brother die. I can't watch the light leave Donatello's eyes, either. The prospect of adding to my list of deceased family members makes my chest tighten. I refuse to let it happen.

   Maybe if I die first, I won't have to watch them all vanish one by one. With that new idea in my head, I decide to go along with Donatello's crazy idea.

   Leonardo seems to sense something is off about me, because there's a flicker of mistrust in his sapphire eyes. "You ready, Raph?" he asks cautiously.

   I give a dull nod. "Let's get this over with." Just because I'm going doesn't mean I have to do much; I just plan on standing guard and jumping in when someone needs help. And in the end, I will be the sacrifice to keep them alive. That's my new goal in life.

   Within ten minutes, Donatello is packed up and ready to hit the surface. As we break out into the other world, we all stand around and stare up at the sky. Our mouths gap at the horrendous sight before us.

   Even though it's the afternoon, it has gotten dark dramatically. The clouds are heavy and deformed. They are almost black, giving away that they're about to release their load of rain.  Except when a huge blast of wind hits me in the face, I realize it doesn't smell like rain at all.  The aroma is like cleaning products gone wrong.  It makes my nose go numb, and I have to slap my hand over my face to keep from losing my sense of smell.

   Beside me, Michelangelo mutters the one word that all of us are thinking.

   "Whoa."

   Getting the Turtle Blimp hooked up is challenging in the strong wind. I practically have to cling onto the basket to make sure I don't blow away. I am so caught up in holding on that I'm not exactly much help in connecting the compound to the blimp, nor can I offer much advice with the wind blasting my words over my shoulder. All I can do is sit patiently and wait for Donatello to finish. Only, patience is never one of my strong points.

   Finally, Donatello seems to be done fiddling around with the blimp mechanics. He puts his wrench back into the toolbox and stores it inside the blimp. He turns back towards us and gives a nod, before the wind sweeps his feet out from under him.

   "Donnie!" Michelangelo reaches out and grabs him to keep him from falling over the edge. The pause gives Donatello enough time to get a grip on the basket, and then he is able to handle his weight on his own.

   "Thanks, Mikey," Donatello gasps breathlessly, trying to calm himself down. Once he recovers from the scare, he reaches over and begins to steer the blimp single-handed.

   As we ascend into the sky, I feel my stomach lurch. Looking down, I squirm in my shell at how high up we are. My green palms begin to whiten as I tighten my grip on the bars. I do not want to fall.

   As we rise into the clouds, my brothers and I break out into coughing fits. The clouds make my eyes sting, and my skin tingles uncomfortably. My coughing continues as we get deeper into the mass of darkness. The beautiful clouds seem poisonous.

   The hacking begins to get so bad that my chest aches. I double-over in pain, the wind the least of my problems now. Through my watery eyes, I can just make out Leonardo and Michelangelo in the same condition. Donatello is the only one still fighting through as he situates his aerosol. He presses a button, and a burst of a gassy compound explodes into the clouds. I watch as the compound leaks into the clouds and slowly dissolves them.

   The feeling in my chest is unbearable. I can't stop coughing, no matter how hard I try. If we don't escape the clouds soon, I'm going to be bleeding out of my lungs.

   Apparently, Leonardo is having the same problem. "We're going to have to abandon ship!" the blue-clad yells over the whipping wind. He sounds hoarse, as if it hurts to talk. "We can't stay in this."

   "I haven't sprayed enough of the compound yet!" Donatello protests around his own coughing fit. The determination in his eyes shows that of a true hero. "We can't just quit now."

   "We'll die if we-" Leonardo's reply is interrupted as a laser beam whizzes by. It collides with the balloon and creates a gaping hole in it. The blimp suddenly goes crazy, darting around in every which direction.

   "AAAAAAAHHH!" My brothers and I scream as we hold onto the basket desperately. The blimp goes up, down, sideways, and even in circles. I quickly begin to feel vomit rising up my esophagus.

   "Turtles weren't meant to fly!" Michelangelo shouts in terror, his voice going up and down according to the motion of the blimp. Suddenly, his hand slips out from under him and he flies backwards. He soars right passed me, but I can't reach out far enough to grab him.

   "No!" Leonardo drops off the balloon and plummets after Michelangelo.

   "Leo!" I scream after him.

   My heart races wildly, but I soon find there is no need to panic. Leonardo grips onto Michelangelo's ankle and saves him. Donatello also contributes by getting a hold of Leonardo's wrist, connecting a chain of turtles back onto the blimp. They're fine.

   I let out a sigh of relief, but it's too soon. My sweaty palms cause my grip on the basket to slip, and I am sent falling in the same manner as Michelangelo.

   I cry out for help and try to grab Michelangelo's hand as I drop by. I'm able to graze my fingers over his, but it isn't enough to catch me. I call out as I continue to fall straight towards the ground, which is many, many meters below me.

   Remembering that I'm a turtle, I pull myself into my shell to brace for impact. My shell crashes onto a stone rooftop and shakes my whole body. I pop out of my shell and groan, realizing my plan hadn't worked exactly how I wanted it to.

   I jump as more crashing sounds around me. Looking through my blurry vision, I see my brothers fell to the same fate. For a moment I think they're dead, but then their moans of pain tell me that they're alright. Well, for the most part.

   "What the heck happened to you idiots?" I grumble. They were completely secure on that blimp, so what made them fall?

   "Leo said not to leave you alone," Donatello snorts as he sits up and dusts his hands off. "So we dived after you."

   I glare at Leonardo. He returns the look steadily as he sits up. Why am I not allowed to be left alone? That isn't a rescue mission. It was more like babysitting. Did I do something to prove I can't be left on my own? I try to find the answer in Leonardo's gaze, but it's more guarded than Gringotts.

   I don't have a chance to ask them anything, because a big shadow falls over us. My heart practically stops as I turn to see a line of enemies standing beside us, weapons pointed at our heads.

   "Nice of you to drop by," Tiger Claw purrs, his yellow eye gleaming. He licks his lips hungrily as he gazes at the four of us, his laser gun ready to shoot if our muscles so much as twitch.

   Beside him, Rahzar stands with his long claws curled. Hun and Fong take up positions on the outside of the small group, looking leaner and more powerful than usual. I actually feel a twang of fear in my chest, which is rare for me.

   Leonardo jumps up beside me, which immediately gets all weapons turned towards him. "Purple Dragons and Shredder's henchmen working together?" he comments with narrowed eyes. "And I thought you guys had gotten smarter the last time we met you."

   Tiger Claw curls his lip, but ignores the jibe. "I own the Purple Dragons now," he growls lowly.

   I glance at Hun to see what he thinks of that, but it's impossible to tell with those stupid sunglasses on. Still, he doesn't argue, so that's agreement enough.

   Did Hun really give up his leadership to Tiger Claw?

   Michelangelo steps forward, which immediately draws the weapons away from Leonardo and towards himself. He has his hands up in a consoling kind of way. "Look, dudes, we don't have time to fight right now," he explains. "We're too busy trying to save the city. But if you want, we can meet back here tomorrow and start this whole thing back up!"

   I stare at Michelangelo in confusion. Does he actually think that they'll agree to that? I suspected it before, but now it's official: Michelangelo has lost his marbles.

   Tiger Claw smirks and steps forward, aiming his gun at Michelangelo's head. "I do not like to wait for my prey," he rumbles.

   Then with a flick of his ears, the tiger bellows, "Attack!"