I am startled out of a deep sleep the next morning.

   "Well, Casey Jones is going back down there, whether you sissies come with him or not!"

"You might run into trouble."

"So?! I ain't helpless! I have hockey sticks for a reason."

I pull myself to my feet, grunting at the stiffness in my injured leg. I notice it has been wrapped in cloth; Donatello must have done it while I was asleep.

I limp to the kitchen doorway and peek in. I see Leonardo and April sitting at a table, while Casey was leaned over it, looking quite angry. He has his face-paint on, something he does when he's planning to go out.

"Wait until it's dark and we'll go with you," Leonardo argues. I can tell he is struggling to stay calm.

Casey's frown is engraved into his face. "I need to find out who started that fire, and it's hard to do that at night when you can't see anything!"

I roll my eyes. Casey can see just fine in the dark; he is wanting to leave for other reasons. I just don't really care what they are.

Casey and I haven't exactly been "tight" since he betrayed us to the Shredder. Since then, he has reclaimed that he is only loyal to us. However, I can't make myself believe him, and neither can my brothers. How do we know Casey isn't reporting to Shredder the Dictator behind our backs in this very moment?

Leonardo shakes his head and rubs his temples. "Casey, we need to stay low profile for a while. If you go back to the fire site now, there might be an ambush waiting for you."

"I can handle it!" Casey insists stubbornly.

"You're being unreasonable," April steps in, the familiar hurt towards him still in her voice. "Just wait it's dark and we'll all go together, ambush or no ambush. We fight better as a team."

Casey gives her a look of resignation. "Fine," he agrees grudgingly. "But I'm still going out. See if I can find some traces of my dad and sister."

I feel a poke at my heart. So that's why he wants to leave. He's still determined his family is alive. Though we never say it out loud, I know my brothers, April, and I agree they're gone. But we don't dare tell Casey that. If he wants to hold on to a single, itty, bitty strand of hope, then he can. It's not like it matters to me one way or another.

"Stay away from the abandoned pizza shop," Leonardo calls after him, to which the teenager ignores.

"Hey, Raphie!"

I spin around to see Michelangelo looking at me. He has a wide grin on his face and I am instantly annoyed.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" I growl.

"Uh..." Michelangelo taps his chin and tilts his head to the side. "Sixteen? I don't know, I can't count that high!"

Elizabetta appears in the room beside Michelangelo. Her green eyes look refreshed from a good night's sleep. She gives me a sympathetic smile as she glances at my leg. "How are you feeling?" she asks.

"Fine," I grunt, barely making eye contact with her. The truth is that my leg is more stuff than a board, but I'm not about to admit that. Especially not to her, a girl who barely even knows who I am.

I kick myself over such a harsh thought. It's not her fault she doesn't remember. It's her father's fault. If he hadn't injected her with an alternate personality serum, she wouldn't have forgotten about us.

Besides, she relearns about us every day. She has also started to memorize Ninjutsu again, and she's become good at meditation. The latter is what has gotten her through so many nightmares about her brother and father. Though she doesn't remember their deaths, somehow she still has dreams about them. It freaks me out how much she doesn't realize she remembers. The brain can be a creepy thing.

I pull myself up onto the counter, careful of my burned leg, and settle down. "So, what's the plan for today?" I quiz Leonardo. All the hard feelings I felt toward him last night evaporate into thin air. Though, I haven't changed my opinions on him one bit. He's still a bossy know-it-all.

Leonardo rests his chin in his hand thoughtfully. "Well, Casey is eager to go dig through the remains of the fire, so we should check that out tonight. In the mean time, we should-"

"Watch Crognard and eat jellybean pizza!" Michelangelo butts in. His words are met with an awkward silence.

"What?" he asks innocently, rubbing his stomach. "I'm hungry."

Donatello appears in the room. He has his T-Phone out. By the twisted expression on his face, I can tell something is wrong.

"You guys need to see this," he says, turning his phone toward us.

Different angles of New York flash across the screen. Several Footbots are seen throughout the entire city, either standing guard beside shops or walking down the street like regular citizens. What makes it more terrifying is that the New Yorkers around them don't seem to care. It looks like an every day sight for them.

"They've never behaved like this before," Donatello says softly.

Leonardo looks at the purple-clad turtle. "What do you think it means?"

"Personally?" Donatello puts his T-Phone away. "I think Shredder sent them on a search for us. And if I'm correct, then Raph was probably right about the Foot starting the fire."

Leonardo's eyes widen and I feel a jolt of satisfaction. However, it fades far too quickly when the blue-clad turtle starts speaking again.

"No way. They didn't know where we were hiding out," he says in disbelief.

"They could have seen us go in there," Elizabetta suggests, never one to hide her opinions when it comes to Leonardo.

"Maybe they saw Casey going in and out while he was looking for his family!" Michelangelo puts in.

I blink. My dingy little brother actually has a point.

"You know, Mikey might be onto something," Donatello voice/ my thoughts. "Anyone could have seen Casey coming back to the pizza shop in broad daylight."

Leonardo shakes his head. "He was too careful."

I glare at my leader. "Have you met Casey?  He can be an idiot sometimes," I point out.

"He wouldn't be that reckless," Leonardo insists.  "He knows what's at stake."

"You just don't want to admit that I was right," I comment with an edge to my tone.

Leonardo doesn't acknowledge it, however. His eyes are suddenly sparkling with fear. "Casey's out in that mess right now!"

"What?!" Michelangelo gasps and jumps out of his seat. "Bros, we need to help him before he becomes Shredder-bait!"

"Are you crazy?" I ask, rolling my eyes. "He betrayed us! Who cares if he's out there?"

"He's still our friend, Raph," April speaks up, her blue eyes glittering with sorrow. "Friends stick by friends, always."

Elizabetta looks at me. She doesn't remember what happened with Casey, but she's been told the story numerous times. "We know you're hurting. But if you leave him out there and something happens, it'll make you feel worse."

I glance at Donatello. Though he isn't fond of Casey, the turtle still wants to keep him safe. That's why I'm surprised to see the worried expression on his face.

"We have to help him," my brother agrees.

"Who are you helping?" Master Splinter is standing at the entrance to the kitchen. His gaze looks straight through me, discovering practically every hidden secret.

"Sensei, the Foot are swarming the streets, and Casey went out in it," Leonardo answers him with a dip of his head. "We need to go find him before he gets hurt."

Master Splinter narrows his eyes before responding. "Very well. But I am coming with you. New York is no place for mutant teenagers in the day time."

Every one of us nod in agreement.  Even me, having been persuaded by the rest of my team.

"Where do you think Casey went?" Donatello asks, his gaze surveying us.

Leonardo frowns, a dark look in his eyes. "I know exactly where he went."

~*~*~*~

   The weak sun is directly overhead, beating down onto my shell. However, it isn't warm enough to dissolve the chill in the air. The summer weather is fading quickly into the background as autumn settles in.

   That doesn't hinder the citizens' activity, though. New Yorkers busily run from shop to shop, either for jobs or leisure. Looking closer, you can see Footbots walking stiffly through the crowds. They seem to be searching for something... Or someone.  I have a strange gut feeling that it's us they're trying to find.

   I pull my head back into the dark alley I am taking cover in. I crack my fists angrily as I think of punching one of the 'bots.  I want to tie them up and hang them from a steetlight.  Or a tall building.  Or a flying plane.

   Leonardo immediately notices my change in behavior. "We aren't here to fight, Raph," he warns me. His face has the expression it always does when he is showing dominance. "We just need to find Casey and leave."

   I feel a surge of annoyance. "Why can't we just pick the Foot off one by one so Shredder will get off our shells?" I ask, hinting at my pique.

   "Because, Raphael," Master Splinter steps in, only his eyes visible from the shadows. "It is daylight. You will be spotted and possibly captured. We must wait for the right moment to take down our enemies."

   Still angry, but afraid to be disrespectful, I nod. "Hai, Sensei," I mumble obediently.

   "If we climb up the side of this building, we can examine the pizza shop from the roof," Donatello suggests to Leonardo.

   We grapple our way out of the shadows and onto the top of the structure. All five of us land lightly on our feet and we peer over the edge.

   The pizza shop has been replaced with a large pile of ash. Contrasting the earlier perspective, there isn't a single soul to be seen. It's deserted and lonely, like a ghost town.

   "There's no one down there," I tell my leader.

   Leonardo is too caught up in wanting to be right, however. He ignores me and glances at Michelangelo. "Keep a lookout. I'm going to get a closer look."

   "Did you not just hear me?" I growl. "I said there isn't anyone down there!"

   "It will not hurt to check," Master Splinter says calmly. He is leaning on his staff as his gaze absorbs the view below.

   I clench my fists. "So I can't take out a few Footbots in broad daylight, but Leo can snoop around a pile of ashes where the whole street'll see him?!"

   "Now is not the time to lose your temper, Raphael," Master Splinter replies with a stern look at me. "Go with your brother and see that he is kept safe."

   Barely managing to stifle a glare at the rat, I follow Leonardo down. Donatello goes after us, leaving the remaining two mutants on the rooftop.

   I stick close to the shadows protruding from the building. I scan the useless soot, unable to spot Casey anywhere. We're the only beings around, besides the occasional citizen on the sidewalk a few meters away.

   "This place is ruined," Donatello mumbles sadly. He eyes the ashes in disappointment.

   Feeling edgy, I accidentally let my tongue slip. "I didn't notice," I retort sarcastically at my genius brother.

   Donatello shoots me an annoyed expression. "Then that fire blinded you, as well as injured your leg," he says shortly. "It's affecting your attitude, too," he adds, before walking to the other side of the ash mountain.

   I glare after him. Donatello is right; I am being more unjustifiable than usual.  The trials with Shredder's dictatorship over the past few months have left me mentally wounded.  It feels like there is a monster trapped in the depths of my stomach. It's cramped and eager to break into reality. It's all I could do to contain it; and I'm not managing that very well.

   I take a deep breath to relax, accidentally inhaling some of the ashes. I break out into a sneezing fit, whimpering when my burned leg smacks a brick wall.

   "Shhh!" I hear Leonardo hiss from a close distance.

   I shoot him a dirty look. "I didn't mean to!" I snap. "I just-"

   I freeze. Out of my peripheral, I see several black figures slinking over to us. At first glance, they look like regular people. But once I look into their cold, ruthless gaze, I realize they're far from that.

   Footbots.

   To add to the horror, another heartless being steps out from the heart of the multitude. There is no mistaking the iron gear, the blades, and the one blind eye.

   "Shredder!" Leonardo growls, his sapphire-blue eyes narrowing. He unsheathes his katanas, holding them in an 'X' form to guard himself.

   "Turtles," the Shredder's voice booms from his iron helmet. His eyes mimic my brother's, only more menacingly. "I thought you might decide to come back after your... calamity."

   "Where's Casey?!" I snarl, coming to stand at my leader's side.

   I can hear our enemy's amusement. "I do not know what a 'Casey' is."

   I feel a pang of fear. He's lying. He clearly knows who Casey is, considering he got information from him a few months back.  What has he done to him?

   My anger boils over in a microsecond. "You monster!" I yell as I run at the bladed man. With my sais at the ready, I aim for his face.

   My weapon is only a centimeter away from the Shredder's head when he dodges it. He bats me away like a cat would a fly, sending me crashing into the pile of ashes.

   I stand up and spit out the black mush, disguising a wince at the pain in my leg. It was irrational to charge at the Shredder. He's too powerful. Instead, I stare at him furiously, imagining all of the sanguinary things I want to do to him.

   Donatello and Leonardo take up protective positions on either side of me. Michelangelo drops down from the roof, standing directly behind me, his nun chucks swinging.

   I am annoyed; I can protect myself! I pointedly take a pace towards the Shredder, just to get away from them.

   Before any of us can move, Master Splinter lands skillfully on his feet in front of us. He holds his staff in a defensive way. "Oroku Saki," he says in a chilling voice.

   The Shredder suddenly looks interested. You can practically see his lips forming into a smirk under his mask. "Hamato Yoshi," he returns smoothly. "Still wasting your time on useless mutants, I see."

   Master Splinter tenses slightly, but does not react further.

   "Why do you insist on protecting them?" the Shredder goes on, a sly expression in his one good eye. "They are worthless. They are also dangerous, now that you have taught them our ways. They could turn on you in an instant. Especially the arrogant one," he adds with a sharp look at me.

   I curl my lip and take a step forward, but Master Splinter's staff hinders me.

   "Family is forever," Master Splinter responds calmly. "Though members may drift, they will always come back to where there is love."

   "Always the wise one." The Shredder admires his set of blades on his hand, as if he doesn't care what his opponent is saying.

   "Family's love is something you will never experience." Master Splinter's voice rings out in the silence. "You are blinded by power and greed."

   The Shredder suddenly glares at the mutant rat. "Love means nothing if they are not willing to stay loyal."

   "Loyalties can shift," is all Master Splinter replies.

   Shredder looks lost for words for a moment, but he recovers quickly. His good eye glows with amusement.

   "You do not understand the real world, rat. You spend it hiding in the shadows, while I have experienced it all. You do not need love to survive; you only need those who are willing to obey you."

   He throws his hands out to his sides, narrowly missing a few Footbots. "Look around! I own this country and everyone in it. They have sworn their allegiances to me. They will never change loyalties. Allow me to demonstrate," he adds, motioning for the Footbots to attack.

   "Seize them."