(Theme song)

♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ​​​​​​♫
♫ Heroes in the shadows ♫
♫ Ninja power! ♫

♫ Here we go! It's the lean, skilled, ninja team ♫
♫ On the scene, cool teens doing ninja things ♫
♫ So extreme, out the sewers like laser beams ♫
♫ Get rocked with the pizza kings and queen ♫
♫ Can't stop these dudes and dudette ♫
♫ The secret of the ooze made the chosen few ♫
♫ Emerge from the shadows to make their move ♫
♫ The good guys win, and the bad guys lose ♫

♫ Leonardo's the leader in blue, ♫
♫ Does anything it takes to get his ninjas through ♫
♫ Donatello is a fellow, has a way with machines ♫
♫ Raphael has the most attitude on the team ♫
♫ Cleopatra, she's a special girl, ♫
♫ Does anything to protect everyone she loves ♫
♫ Michelangelo, he's one of a kind, ♫
♫ And you know just where to find him when it's party time ♫
♫ Master Splinter taught them every single skill they need ♫
♫ To be one lean, mean, skilled incredible team ♫

♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team​​​​​​​ ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Heroes in the shadows ♫
♫ Ninja power! ♫

(-)

Cleo's POV:
"Dude, this is awesome!" "I know!" Donnie grinned. "I can't wait to see the look on their faces!" I grinned as well. I looked down at Donnie's hands, which were filled with what looked like eggs. But I knew that they were much more. Me and Donnie walked into the dojo, and saw Leo and Raph were sparring. "Sup, boys!" I sang, and they turned their heads. "Check it out, guys!" said Donnie. "We are about to take our ninjutsu to a whole new level!" "Cool," said Leo. Suddenly he crouched down and swept his leg out, knocking Raph to the ground. Raph grunted as fell down, and I chuckled. 

"Anywho," I turned to Donnie. "Donnie, care to show these two what you made?" Donnie beamed and nodded. He then took one of the eggs and held it up. "Last night, I figured out how to make... ninja smoke bombs!" Donnie threw the egg on the ground, and with a loud bam, he disappeared in a huge explosion of purple smoke. There was another explosion from behind Leo and Raph, and the purple smoke cleared to reveal Donnie standing behind them. "Whoa..." Leo breathed as Raph stood up, looking amazed.

"I know!" I squealed. "It's totally wicked! I wanna try!" I ran up to Donnie, who smiled as he held his hand out. I took two smoke bombs in my hands and giggled. I threw one down, and purple smoke appeared. I threw my other one, and I reappeared directly behind Raph. At once I jumped and landed on his shell, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Boo!" Raph turned his head to look at me, and he laughed as he held onto me, so he was holding me piggyback style. I placed my chin on his shoulder as I looked over at Donnie. 

"Now," he began. "To make 'em... I carefully drilled two holes in an eggshell without cracking it, slowly blew out the contains, waited for the inside to dry, then pour in flash power, and sealed both holes with wax..." "Blah blah, science, blah! Do it again!" Raph urged. "Yeah!" I insisted. "What I'm trying to tell you guys is they take a long time to make," Donnie said seriously. "So, use 'em sparingly." "I'm making breakfast!" Mikey called from the kitchen. "Who wants omelets?" "I do!" I yelled. Donnie stared at his bomb. "Omelets...?" he gasped. "Mikey, don't-!"

*Bam!*

In a huge explosion of purple smoke, Mikey appeared in the dojo. His face was covered with black smudges, and he was coughing. "Ugh... I think that was a rotten egg," he groaned, looking down at the bowl of what was obviously more smoke bombs. I wrapped my arms around Raph's neck more as I giggled into his shoulder. Leo could barely contain himself, and he leaned onto Raph's shoulder as he laughed, too. "Those aren't eggs, Mikey," said Donnie. "They're ninja smoke bombs!" Mikey froze, staring at Donnie in pure shock and amazement. "Shut up...!" Mikey then took one of the bombs in the bowl and threw in on the ground. 

*Bam... bam!*

He reappeared on top of a branch of the tree. "This...!" 

*Bam... bam!*

He reappeared next to the trunk. "Is the best day...!" 

*Bam... bam!*

He reappeared above us, looking as though he were defying gravity. "Of my life!" 

*Bam... bam!*

It was when he reappeared on the ground in front of us that Donnie spoke up. "Mikey, stop!" Mikey grinned mischievously... and he dropped the bomb in his hand. 

*Bam!*

Donnie face palmed. Mikey then jumped up from behind our genius brother and hugged him from behind. "I love you, man!" Mikey kissed Donnie's cheek. "Seriously!" Donnie turned his head, glaring at his little brother. I giggled as I finally let go of Raph, and I slid onto the floor. At that moment, I heard running footsteps. "Guys!" It was April. At once, we all ran into the living room.

April was sprinting towards us, looking terrified. "Guys!" she cried, falling onto the couch. "You'll never believe what happened to me!" "Alright, April, calm down," Donnie said gently, putting a hand on her knee. "Are you okay?" "What happened?" I asked, kneeling in front of her. She looked up at us. "I am being hunted... by a giant pigeon!"

I stared at her. "What?" From behind me I heard Raph start to laugh. I whipped my head around and glared at him, so did the others. Raph stopped laughing. "I can't be the only one that finds that funny!" he said. "It's not funny, Raph!" Donnie stood up. "There's a creature out there trying to hurt my April!" I whipped my head around to stare at Donnie, eyes wide. April looked at him too, eyebrows raised. Donnie blushed, looking embarrassed. "Our April..." Donnie corrected. "April..."

"This is serious," Mikey lifted up a bomb. "I better get Splinter." "We don't really need-" Leo began. Mikey dropped it, and bam! When the smoke cleared, father was standing there instead of Mikey. "Michelangelo said you wanted to see me?" Father asked. I rolled my eyes as I stood up next to April. "Alright April, take a deep breath," I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Start from the beginning."

(-)

"... His talons were razor sharp!" April said as she continued to explain her encounter with the mutant pigeon. "He would've torn me to pieces! If he hadn't slammed into the glass..." Raph, who had reading a comic, burst into laughter again. He quickly calmed down and frowned. "Really? Just me?" Father then jabbed the end of his staff into Raph's head. "Raphael! Clearly, April is upset." "Yeah, dude! That's so insensitive!"

Mikey leaned over towards April. "Do you need a tissue?" "I think I'm okay-" "I'll get you a tissue." Mikey threw down the bomb and disappeared. A second later there was another bam, he reappeared. "We don't have any tissues. Can I make you some soup?" "Stop it!" Donnie snapped. He reached up and snatched the smoke bomb out of Mikey's hand.

"Don't worry, April," said Donnie. "We won't let anything happen to yah." "Donnie's right," said Leo. "We're gonna set a trap for this Pigeon-Man, and make sure he never bothers you again." I stood up. "Okay, first thing's first; how are we gonna set the trap exactly." Donnie shrugged. "Well, I know what we can use as bait." "Breadcrumbs!" Mikey pipes up. Donnie and Leo stared at him, looking as though he had suggested something stupid. Mikey frowned. "Pigeons eat breadcrumbs..."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "I meant April." "What?!" I exclaimed. "You're gonna let 'im eat April?!" Mikey shouted, standing protectively in front of the redhead. "I thought you liked her!" "Yeah!" said April. "Don't sweat it! We got your back," said Donnie. I sighed. "Well... Donnie's traps haven't failed us yet," I put a hand on April's shoulder. "Looks like you're playing the bait tonight, hon."

"Alright, Mighty Mutants," Leo said. "Let's do this!" "'Mighty Mutants'?" Raph asked. "What? 'Dancing Dorks' was already taken?" "And, last time I checked," I folded my arms. "I'm not a mutant. Remember?" Leo rolled his eyes. "I'm still working on it, alright?" I giggled. We all turned and sprinted for the exit.

"Wait!" We all turned to look at father. "We do not yet know what you are facing. Perhaps you should study your enemy before confronting him." "With all due respect, Sensei..." Leo shrugged. "It's a pigeon." "What you know is dangerous to your enemy," Father said seriously, poking Leo's chest with his staff. "What you think you know is dangerous to you. I fear you are all becoming overconfident."

"Even me?" I asked, sounding worried. Father nodded. "Yes, even you, Cleopatra." "Aw..." "Sensei," Leo started. "In the past few months, we've taken down giant spiders, plant creatures, alien robots, and an army of ninjas!" Donnie and Mikey gave each other a high-three. I smiled as I leaned an elbow on Raph's shoulder, and he winked, giving a thumbs up. "Maybe we're not overconfident," Leo smiled. "Maybe we're just that good." And with that, we turned and left. Though, I had a feeling father was still not convinced.

(-)

We were all currently in the same alley the mutant pigeon had attacked April earlier today. Raph was hiding in the manhole, Leo and Donnie had taken the dumpster, and me and Mikey were hiding up on the fire escape. April was walking around the alley, trying to be good bait. "Here I am!" April said loudly. "Walkin' around in the big city! All alone! Oh, I sure hope no crazy Pigeon-Man sneaks up on me! That would be the last thing I'd want!" "What are you doin'?" Donnie hissed, poking his head out from behind dumpster. "You wanted me to be bait!" April snapped. "I'm bait!" 

"That's not how bait talks!" "How do you know how bait talks!" "I know bait doesn't talk back!" I gasped. "Oooh...!" Leo, Raph, Mikey and I echoed in unison, poking our heads out from our hiding spots. "Oh no, you didn't!" Mikey said, waving his finger. "Shots fired, ladies and gents!" I said, smirking at Donnie before we all instantly shot back into our hiding spots. I watched as April frowned at Donnie, who laughed nervously. "Just... act natural," he said, and he retreated to his spot.

April sighed. "Here I am... acting natural. Just totally defenseless against any- I don't know- hideous, mutant pigeon guy who might happen upon me?" I snorted. "This'll take a while." April started walking in the alley again, when I heard it. A loud squawk. I lifted my head up to see a giant, ugly, mutant pigeon diving down. April screamed. Just when the creature was about to grab her, Donnie jumped out and shot the thing with his stun-gun. The creature twitched as it landed on the ground. "Now!" Leo yelled. Me and the others leaped from our hiding spots and jumped onto the pigeon, pinning him to the ground. 

"Okay!" the mutant cried. "Okay, uncle! Geez louise!" "You okay, April?" I asked, looking up at her. "Yeah, I'm fine," April turned to Donnie. "And you said I wasn't good bait." April smirked at him, and Donnie grinned back at her. "Okay," said Leo. "Start talking, Pigeon-Man." "I have a name!" "Yeah, we just don't care what it is," Raph said. "That's a bit harsh," I told him. "It's Pete!" the pigeon spat. Leo folded his arms. "Why were you trying to hurt April, Pete?" "I didn't wanna hurt her!" said Pete. "I was just bringing her a message! From her father!" April gasped. "Let him up!"

At once we all let go of Pete and stood up. The pigeon stood up shakily. "We were both 'guests' of the Kraang," he explained. "They poured some ooze on me and turned me into this!" "Oh, that must've been horrible!" said April. "Being turned into a... pigeon!" "Actually, I started out as a pigeon." "Lovely," I stated. "Told yah the breadcrumbs would've worked," said Mikey. Suddenly, Pete exclaimed with delight and grabbed Mikey, lifting him up. "You got breadcrumbs?!" I giggled as Pete shook Mikey, as though hoping breadcrumbs would just fall off of him. April cleared her throat. "My father...?" "Oh! Right!" Pete suddenly dropped Mikey ("Ow!"). 

He reached behind him and took out a phone that could only be Mr. O'Neil's. April took it and looked at the video presented. "Something terrible is about to happen! I don't know what, but it's extremely important that you get out of the city as soon as you can. Save yourself! And remember... I love you..." "I love you, too, daddy..." April whimpered, clutching the phone to her chest. "Do you have any idea what he's talking about?" Leo asked Pete. "I'm just the messenger."

"We've got to get you out of the city," Donnie told April. "I'm not going anywhere without my dad!" "But you heard him," he said. "Something terrible is gonna happen." "Then we better hurry." April continued to stare at Donnie. Her mind was set. Leo turned to face Pete. "Can you tell us where the Kraang are holding him?" he asked. "I can... But it's gonna cost you a lot 'a bread." Leo raised his brow. "We're talking about actual bread, right?" Pete nodded. "Yep! Sour dough!" "Phew!" I sighed. "That could've ended horribly!" "Done," said Leo. "Let's roll!" Mikey exclaimed, and he threw a smoke bomb on the ground.

(-)

It had taken us a while, but Pete was able to lead us to the building where the Kraang where hiding. Donnie was currently standing on top of Mikey's shell, trying to open an entrance into the facility. After only a few minutes, he succeeded and pushed away the metal lid. "Piece 'a cake!" he said. "Let's do this!" April said, a look of determination on her face. She started forward, but Leo put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "We need you to wait here, April." "Are you crazy? My dad's in there!"

"Along with who knows how many Kraang!" Leo told her. "This requires stealth and mobility! Leave it to the pros." April shook her head. "I can't just do nothing!" "You won't be doing nothing," Leo took the rope Raph was holding, and held it out to her. "We need you to lower this rope when we give you the signal." April still didn't look too happy about this. But she just sighed and took the rope. "Sorry, April," I said, patting her shoulder.

Me and the boys turned and went through the entrance and went inside, one at a time. Donnie went first and rolled silently behind a pile of crates when he saw a Kraang-droid standing guard. Leo went next, and then me. Then Mikey tried to mimic us but failed as he fell onto the floor loudly. The droid turned, and powered up its gun, pointing it at Mikey. At that moment, Raph jumped down onto the droid, stabbing it with his sais.

"Phew," I sighed. Raph glared at Mikey, who chuckled nervously. "C'mon," Leo whispered to us all. He turned, and we all followed him. He looked around at bit before turning a corner. Donnie did the same, and I glanced around as I moved around the corner. I glanced over in time to see Raph suddenly slap Mikey's head for no reason. "Typical Raph..." Leo suddenly stopped walking. He held his hand out, and we stopped, too. "Shh..." he breathed.

He unsheathed his swords and jumped around the corner. There were loud crashing sounds, and I peeked my head around the corner. It appeared that Leo had taken down a Kraang-droid. He gestured to us, and we all somersaulted towards him. Leo then spotted a few Kraang-droids were walking down the hall, and he quietly told us to follow them. The droids soon led us to a room. As soon as the door slid open, Leo grabbed both of the droids by their heads and bashed them together. The droid inside turned, but Raph threw his sai at its head, and it went down.

Making sure that no other droids were inside, we all walked into the room. I looked around, examining the large console in the center of the room, noticing the blue lights streaming down from it. There was the sound of loud squalling, and we turned to see the Kraang alien from inside of the droids had woken up. Leo reared his fist back and punched the brainy thing. "Eck..." I cringed. "Nasty."

"Donnie, hack into the system and see what you can find out about the Kraang's plot," said Leo. "Raph, Cleo, you two are with me. Mikey, stay with Donnie." "Why do I always get stuck with Mikey?" Donnie snapped. "Hey..." Mikey whined. "I don't want him! And I'm in charge!" "Hey!" "Well, then make Raph take Mikey." "Over my dead body. Make Cleo take him, she's the only one that will." "Guys, stop it!" I said snappishly.

"You know, I'm startin' to think nobody wants to be with me!" Mikey straightened up. "Fine! I'll just go off on my own." "Mikey..." But he threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared. There was a loud banging noise, and we turned to see a small, square door in the middle of the wall open. A huge puff of purple smoke was released, and Mikey's head emerged. He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Heheh... That's a closet..." I face palmed.

"Have fun, you two," said Raph. "C'mon, Cleo." I gave Donnie a small salute and followed the other two out of the room. It didn't take long for us to find the hallway with all of the cells. Leo had a pretty good idea which one Mr. O'Neil was in. He somersaulted over to one, crouching next to it. Me and Raph followed soon after, both of us withdrawing our weapons as we stood in our positions to cover Leo from any Kraang that might show up. "Mr. O'Neil?" Leo whispered. "Are you in here?"

I turned my head to look at the window of the cell door. There was a pause. Then a bald, red bearded man popped up, and I grinned. "You're one of the turtles who rescued my daughter! Is she okay?" "She's fine," said Leo. "She's right outside." "You mean, she's still in the city?" Mr. O'Neil shook his head. "That girl is stubborn!" "Yeah, we've noticed..." Leo muttered. He removed the cover from the electrical lock. He took out two wires and began to mess with it. Eventually, it got to the point where I was bored with waiting for Leo to pick the lock, and I could tell Raph was feeling the same thing. 

"You sure you know what you're doing, bro?" I asked, fanning myself with my tessen. "Yes, I'm sure," he said, not looking away from the lock. Raph rolled his eyes. "Since it's taking Leo forever to pick that lock..." "I'm working on it!" "... Maybe you could tell us what the heck's the deal with the Kraang," Raph finished, looking at Mr. O'Neil. "They're aliens from another dimension," he explained. "When they came here, they brought the mutagen with them." "Why?" Leo asked. "What's the point of turning people into monsters?"

"The mutagen doesn't work the way they thought it would. Apparently, the physical laws from their universe are different from ours." "So, they're grabbing scientists to help them modify the ooze!" "Wow! You figured it out!" Raph said sarcastically. "How's that lock comin'?" "So, what do they want the ooze to do?" Leo asked. "I wish I knew..." "Well, whatever their reasons are," I said. "it can't be good." "Guys!" I turned. Donnie was there, sprinting towards us. "They've planted a mutagen bomb downtown! They're gonna use it to disperse ooze over half the city!" "What?!" I exclaimed. 

"Oh, hi Mr. O'Neil," Donnie said calmly. "Your daughter's really nice." I face palmed. "Way to keep your priorities straight, dude." "Okay, we have to disarm that bomb," Leo said "If I can just get this stupid door open!" "Have you tried this?" I whipped my head around to see Mikey press a large button on the wall. "NO!" me and the boys yelled. Suddenly, a loud alarm went off, and pink lights began to flash. "Mikey!" I exclaimed. "And that's why no one wants to be with you!" Raph snapped. "Got it!" Leo said. The door finally slid open, allowing Mr. O'Neil to come out. But by then several Kraang-droids had shown up and were running for us. "Let's move!" Leo ordered.

He and Donnie held Mr. O'Neil by the arms and ran off, me and the other two following closely behind. The Kraang didn't hesitate to fire at us. I managed to block a few lasers with my tessen, but that didn't stop me from having to maneuver everywhere to avoid being hit. In no time we were right back where we started. Donnie and Leo made sure to keep Mr. O'Neil covered behind the crates. I quickly jumped behind another pile, and Raph followed me.

Mikey tripped on his way over, but Raph quickly grabbed him and pulled him over. Mikey laughed, and Raph slapped him. I heard Leo start making loud pigeon noises, obviously trying to get April's attention. "What are you doing?" Raph snapped. "April, throw the rope!" April poked her head out to look down. "Dad!" "April!" "Hurry up, April!" I yelled. "We're getting surrounded here!"

A second later the brown rope finally fell down. I looked up to see several Kraang-droids approaching, aiming their weapons at us. Raph kicked a nearby barrel, and it knocked a couple of them over. I looked over my shoulder to see a droid right up on us. I stood up and hit its face with my tessen, and kneed it in the torso. The droid dropped its gun and fell to the ground. "Guys, we gotta go now!" I yelled. But then Mr. O'Neil lunged forward and grabbed the fallen gun. "Mr. O'Neil, what're you doing?" Leo shouted.

He didn't reply. Mr. O'Neil stood up, aiming the gun forward. He fired it and knocked down two Kraang-droids. "Save my daughter," he told us. "Save the city." "Daddy, no!" April cried. Mr. O'Neil ran forward, firing at a few more droids. Leo and Donnie ducked as a few lasers just barely missed them. "Go, go!" Leo ordered. We all stood up and ran for the rope. But as Donnie grabbed it, I turned to look at Mr. O'Neil. "What about him?" I asked. "We can't leave him here!" Donnie said incredulously. "We don't have choice!" Leo said firmly.

He was right. There was nothing we could do for Mr. O'Neil now. As quick as we could, we all climbed up the rope and out of the entrance. I came out just after Raph, and as soon as I was out, I looked down the hole. Mr. O'Neil had been tackled by a Kraang-droid. "No!" April cried. The droids took Mr. O'Neil and led him away, no doubt taking him back to his cell. April stumbled back. Her hands were over her mouth, and a small whimper escaped her. "April...?" I asked unsurely.

Suddenly, April threw herself onto Donnie, her arms going around him. He held her closely, a sad look on his face. A second later he pulled back so he could look at her face. "We'll get him back, April," he breathed. "... I promise." She looked up at him sadly, tears threatening to fall. But I could tell from the look in her eyes that she believed him, and she was comforted by his words. "We gotta go," said Leo. At once we all ran, sprinting off of the roof.

(-)

According to Donnie, the explosion was going to happen at the 'Wolf Hotel'. We immediately headed that way, along with our bow and arrows. Each of the Hamato clan embroidered arrows had little bombs attached to them, so that when they hit their targets, they would explode. Me and the boys were positioned at different points around the building. I was up on the large 'W' of the hotel name. I carefully aimed my arrow at a Kraang-droid and fired. It hit the droid's head, and it exploded. I stood up and ran across the letters of the sign, firing at two more droids, and they each exploded. I jumped down and landed on the roof, where the large mutagen bomb sat, hidden behind the hotel sign. 

I looked up in time to see two halves of a droid and the alien occupant fall down from on top of the bomb, and Leo standing up there, katanas in his hands. The droid pieces fell, and the brain-like thing slammed into the surface, squalling loudly. I let out a small yelp and moved away as the thing ran pass me. It then sprinted forward, crawling between Raph's legs and scrambling out of sight. Raph, who had looked down between his legs to watch the creature, stood straight up, sticking his tongue out as he let out a grunt of disgust.

"Man, those things are nasty," I said, grimacing. "Okay, Donnie," said Leo. "It's up to you." Donnie ran over to the control panel and grabbed the cover. He took it off, and his eyes went wide. "Uh-oh..." "Please tell me that's a good 'uh-oh'," I begged. "It's a bad 'uh-oh'." "A bad 'uh-oh'?!" Leo repeated. "Donnie, you said you knew how to do this!" "I didn't count on a design this complex, Leo!" "They're aliens from another dimension!" Leo yelled.

"What did you expect? A big, round ball with a lit fuse that said, 'BOMB'?!" "No! But this is-" "Boy, I sure hope this argument goes on for another four minutes and fifteen seconds!" Raph snapped, pushing Leo aside and slapping Donnie's head. Donnie glared at our brother, rubbing his head. Then he kneeled down at the control panel. He moves his head this way and that, as though trying to find something inside the mess of wires.

"Donnie? You cool?" I asked gently. "Yeah," he said, a little shakily. "Yeah, I'm cool." He certainly didn't look too cool. He was sweating slightly and looking very nervous. He took a deep breath and reached for the wires. "Careful!" Leo said suddenly. Donnie whipped his head around, glaring at Leo. He slowly turned his head back around and went back to his work. "Watch out for those wires!" Raph warned. "You guys are not helping!" "What if we just pushed this button?" Mikey reached up, his finger inching towards a small, yellow button. But before he could do more Raph grabbed his hand and yanked it back. 

"Don't you think you've pushed enough buttons tonight?" he snapped. I rolled my eyes. Donnie tapped a finger to his chin, looking deep in thought. Leo was still being impatient, however. "Donnie, you're gonna have to speed this up-" "I cannot work with all this pressure!" Donnie yelled. "Leo, pushing Donnie isn't gonna help us," I told him. "He needs to work in peace." Bash! There was a loud, banging sound, and Leo turned his head. "Um... that might be a problem." I followed his gaze up to the sign, and gasped. It was Bradford and Xever!

"How do they keep finding us?!" I yelled irritably. The boys instantly withdrew their weapons, getting into position. "Cleo, stay with Donnie so he can disarm the bomb," Leo ordered. "Got it!" The boys ran forward, and Bradford and Xever did the same. I took out my kamas and looked back at Donnie. "You sure you got this?" Donnie didn't answer but wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

I looked forward to see Leo block Xever's oncoming foot. "You guys picked a really bad time for this!" Leo snapped, and he pushed Xever back. "Oh, sorry for the inconvenience," Xever said sarcastically. "When would you prefer to breath your last breath?" Xever aimed a kick for Leo's head, but Leo blocked it with his blades. "If that thing goes off, it'll wipe us all out!" 

"I'd rather parish with honor, than live in shame!" said Bradford. "Oh yeah? Well, we'd rather live with honor!" I snapped. Bradford, who had raised his sword, growled and ran for me instead. I raised my kamas up in time to block the oncoming blow. I pushed him back and swung right kama, then my left. Bradford dodged both. I raised both my kamas up and brought them down.

Bradford blocked with his sword and pushed me back, so I slid down to the ground. He was about to run at me again, but Raph jumped in, blocking his sword. "Will yah hurry up and defuse the bomb?!" he shouted. "We're dealing with a couple of nut jobs, here!" "Be quiet!" Donnie snapped. I backed up and kneeled next to him. "Relax, bro. Focus."

He took a deep breath and nodded. He reached back inside the control panel and began messing with the wires. I watched as he carefully took a yellow wire and cut it. He then grabbed a red wire and started twisting it. While he was busy, I turned around, still kneeling on the ground. I watched as the others continued to fight Bradford and Xever.

Leo and Mikey seemed to be keeping Bradford busy now, and Raph was fighting Xever by himself. "Down to two wires," Donnie said, his voice shaking. "Which do I cut? Black, or green?" "Go for the green!" Mikey shouted, right before receiving a punch from Bradford. I turned my head to look at Donnie, who was holding the pliers over the black wire, looking as though he were about to cut it. 

The timer started beeping louder and quicker, indicating that we only had seconds left. "Donnie," I said warningly. Donnie gulped, looking nervous. Then he shrugged. "Eh, why not?" He moved his pliers down and cut the green wire. The beeping stopped, and the little timer was stopped. "Are we good?" I asked. "Yes!" Donnie shouted, and he stood up. "Guys! Guys! Mikey... was right about something!" "Hallelujah!" I shouted. "Now let's go help the others." Me and Donnie fist-bumped and charged. "You handle Bradford, I'll take Xever!" I told him. Donnie nodded, and we ran off.

Raph and Xever were at the upper level of the bomb by now. I held my kamas tightly as I ran up towards Xever. Xever had just knocked Raph down when I swung my right kama at him. Xever turned, grabbing the handle of my kama. He pushed it down and kicked me back. I slid back, and he snorted. He ran towards me, standing on his hands as he made a few kicks towards me. I ducked and moved to avoid being hit. I stepped back, walking along the outer edge of the bomb. Xever made to aim another kick at me, but I jumped over him and landed several feet away from him. I glanced behind me as I saw Raph stand up, sais in his hands. "Ready to bash some heads?" I asked slyly. 

Raph spun his sais. "You read my mind." At once we both charged. Raph went at him first, swinging his right and left sai at Xever's face. Xever dodged jumped back to avoid them. I ran forward and swung my left kama, and soon after spun around and did a snap kick. Xever ducked and did a few flips to avoid my blows and started walking backward. We continued to force him back until we were on the other side of the bomb, I could see the other three leading Bradford the same way. Eventually Xever and Bradford bumped backs, both trapped by us. "This feel familiar to anyone else?" I asked, smirking.

"You are worthy adversaries," Leo raised his katana, speaking in a slightly formal tone. "But the fight is ours. Lay down your weapons." "Never!" Xever snapped angrily. Leo grinned. "You don't have a choice. You've lost." Bradford glared at Leo. "If I'm going down... I'm taking you with me." Suddenly, he lifted his katana and shoved it into the glass side of the bomb. "No!" Donnie shouted. There was a slightly crackling sound, and suddenly the wall burst open.

"Cleo!" Raph grabbed my arm and pulled me back, keeping me out of harm's way. The mutagen flooded out, swallowing Bradford and Xever, and taking them with it over the edge of the building. The remaining mutagen spilled, emptying from the now worthless bomb. Once all the mutagen was out of harms reach, we sheathed our weapons and hopped down to land on the roof. The last of the mutagen dripped from the hole, and the bomb officially powered down.

"So," Leo smirked as he put his hands on his hips. "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," said Raph, who was also smirking. Leo winked. "We're just that good." I let out a happy, gleeful laugh. "Whoo! Who's awesome, bros?"

"We're awesome!" they all chorused. We all cheered, and instantly met in a five-way high-three. I fist-bumped with Mikey as we started to walk away, still cheering for our victory. I walked up to Donnie, who had a confident, pleased look on his face as he held his hands behind his head. I laughed as I threw an arm around his shoulder. "Man, now we can finally go home..."

"Your skills are impressive..." We stopped walking, instantly freezing. The voice that had spoken... it was dark, and cold. We all turned our heads, looking up at the top level of the bomb. There was a man there. He was dressed in dark, silver armor. Large metal gauntlets were on both of his arms, and he wore a metal helmet that covered his whole face, except for his eyes. The second I saw him I instantly felt a chill crawl up my spine. The man jumped off of the bomb, and landed with a loud bang, crouching in front of us. "But they will not save you..." I gulped, taking a small step back. "Oh, man..." Donnie breathed. "Do you think that's... the Shredder?" "It's definitely a shredder," Raph muttered.

Shredder stood up, taking a few steps towards us. He looked a lot creepier up close. "There is undoubtedly a fascinating story of how my old nemesis came to teach ninjutsu to four mutant turtles, and one little girl..." I felt irritated at that. "Perhaps I shall let one of you live long enough to tell it." "You're gonna have to catch us first!" Leo said. "Mikey!" "So long, sucka!" Mikey yelled. He grabbed a bomb and threw it on the ground. But instead of purple smoke, a pile of yellow yoke had burst from the white shell. It was an unmade smoke bomb. "Oh, gosh..." I whimpered. Mikey gulped. "Oops... Alright, that one's on me." I gulped as I looked up.

Shredder threw his arms down, and large bladed shot out from each of his gauntlets. He ran forward, charging at us. Raph charged up at him first. Raph swung his sais at Shredder, who swung his blades up at the same time, metal clanging against metal. Raph shot both his sais forward to strike. Shredder crossed his blades, blocking both of Raph's weapons. Shredder swung his leg around, and kicked Raph with such force that he flew back and slammed into one of the letters of the hotel sign. The thing exploded, and sparks flew as Raph was electrocuted. "Raph!" me and Leo shouted.

Shredder suddenly landed in front of Leo, looking as though he were trying to punch him into the ground. Shredder swung his leg up to kick Leo, but Leo jumped out of the way. But he wasn't fast enough to miss the punch Shredder delivered. Leo fell to the ground, and Shredder kicked him back. "Leo!" Donnie ran forward, kneeling by his older brother, putting a hand on his shell. Then he stood up, glaring at Shredder. Donnie ran forward and swung his Bo staff at Shredder, who jumped up to avoid it. Donnie tried to jab the end of the staff at Shredder's face, but Shredder just grabbed the end of it. He punched the other end of it on Donnie's face before punching him, sending him to the ground.

I growled slightly as I withdrew my kamas and ran forward. I was a foot away from Shredder when I jumped up and somersaulted over him. I landed behind him and spun around, aiming my left kama up at his head. But Shredder turned and blocked it with his gauntlet covered arm. He quickly crouched and swept his leg, knocking me over. I sat up as he stood over me, his blades held up. "Cleo!" Suddenly, Mikey's kusaurigama chain had shot out and wrapped around Shredder's raised fist.

Mikey attempted to pull Shredder back, but Shredder was stronger. He pulled on the chain, and Mikey yelped as he was pulled forward. Shredder spun around and kicked Mikey in the chest. Mikey started rolling back but was able to throw a few stars. Shredder raised his blades, blocking the stars. And then, Mikey rolled off the edge. "No!" I shouted.

Shredder walked towards the edge, looking over to see where Mikey had gone. Suddenly, Leo was on his feet again, his katanas in his hands. He held them at his sides and ran up to Shredder, who turned his head in time to block the oncoming blades. Donnie ran up too and was even able to smack Shredder with his staff. I quickly got to my feet, grabbing my kamas. I ran over to the edge Mikey had fallen over and looked around. "Mikey?!"

Suddenly, I saw Mikey at the corner of the building edge. He waved. "I'm fine!" he called. "I'm gonna get Raph!" I nodded, and he was off. I turned my head, and to my horror, both Leo and Donnie were both down. Leo's katanas lay a few feet away from him, and Donnie's staff lay with the top half broken off. Shredder stood over them, raising his fist. 

"Hey!" I shouted. Shredder whipped his head around, and I smashed the end of my kama handle into his face. He grunted but wasn't distracted. I ran up and tried to repeat the motion, but he ducked and slid around me. I turned, and swung my kama blades up at him, and he blocked it with his own blades. I spun around and aimed a kick at his head. He ducked under my leg and aimed a punch for me. I was just barely able to block it with my right kama. I tried to swing my other one at his head, but he caught it. 

His fist came into contact with my face, and I fell back. It felt like I blacked out for a second, and the next thing I knew Shredder was kneeling over me, one of his hands holding me by my shirt. He glared at me for a moment. I gasped. "This is it," I thought. "He's gonna kill me!" I sat there, waiting for Shredder to lift his blades and shove them into my throat. But he didn't. Shredder's expression had completely changed. His eyes were wide, and... shocked. "No..." He let go of my shirt and stood up, taking a step back. "It can't be..." What was going on? Why wasn't I dead?

Suddenly, Raph fell from above and landed on Shredder. He started delivering several blows to Shredder's head, but Shredder quickly grabbed Raph and there him over his head and onto the ground. He raised his fist, and Raph yelled. But Mikey's chain appeared once more, wrapping around Shredder's raised fist. Mikey jumped over one of the signs support beams, holding the other end of the chain. Shredder was pulled up by the chain, and Mikey hooked his kusarigama blade on a lower beam. There was a sickening crack, and Shredder shouted in pain. 

Then he unsheathed the blades in his free gauntlet, and with a loud yell, sung them forward and sliced off a piece of the sign. The piece fell, and Mikey screamed as it fell on him. "Mikey!" I shrieked. Me and the others ran forward to help Mikey. The boys grabbed the sides and lifted the piece up. I dropped my weapons as I crouched down and reached under. I grabbed Mikey's wrists and quickly pulled him out. "You okay?"

Mikey nodded as the boys dropped the piece. He looked up behind me, and gasped. I turned. Shredder was standing there, towering over us. I instantly stood up, grabbing my weapons and taking a defensive stance. I was beat beyond belief, but I had to stay up. The boys followed after me, holding their weapons up. Shredder glared at us before charging at us. We raised our weapons and jumped towards him. I knew it was hopeless the second we charged. One by one, each of us were knocked down. 

First Raph, then Donnie, then Mikey, and then me. A punch with the force of an iron fist met my face, and I was knocked down with the others. I groaned, opening my eyes. I looked up to see Shredder holding Leo up against the wall. He reared his blades back and lunged them forward. The blades embedded themselves on either side of Leo's head, trapping him there. "Tell me where Splinter is, and I promise your demise will be swift!" A third blade slowly emerged from the gauntlet, moving dangerously close to Leo's face. Leo turned his head away from the blade, eyes going wide. "Oh God, no..."

Suddenly, there was a loud, shuttering gasp. I whipped my head around and saw two, large figures covered in mutagen had flopped onto the roof. The glowing ooze dripped off of them, and I saw two large, mutated creatures. A large, red fish, and a huge, bulky dog. It was Xever and Bradford. "Help me...!" the fish choked out with Xever's voice. "Oh, man..." I muttered. I wasn't the only one surprised. Shredder was so shocked that he had released Leo, who fell to the ground. "What is this?" he demanded. "Cleo, get up!" I heard Donnie hiss. "Please, get up!" 

Ignoring the pain in my body, I forced myself off the ground. I picked up my kamas and sheathed them. Raph helped Leo up to his feet, and we all backed away quickly and quietly. When we were by the ledge, we all quickly jumped over. I landed on the ground less gracefully than usual, and I stumbled a bit. From above us, we all heard a furious yell. "NO...!" Shredder knew we were gone. Without saying a word, we all turned sprinted as fast as our legs would let us. My feet were on fire and my legs fled like jelly, but I didn't stop. I ran, and continued running until we reached the nearest manhole cover.

(-)

In all my years of living here, the lair had never been so quiet, nor have I been so relieved to be back home. The second we passed the turnstiles I fell to my knees and whimpered. I couldn't help it. I was so tired, so weak... and still so scared. Raph knelt down beside me, rubbing my back softly. He helped me to my feet, and we continued forward. When we had, April ran to us and asked what had happened. None of us could speak; we had no words. Leo said nothing as he slowly made his way to the dojo. He had to explain to father what had happened; that was the leader's job. 

Not wanting him to go alone, however, I slowly followed him, trailing behind. He limped slightly as he walked up the small flight of stairs. It wasn't until I was on the stairs that Leo turns around. Only then did I notice the black smudges on his face and mask, and the bruises and cracks in his plastron. He looked surprised, as though he didn't know I had followed him. But he just gave a small nod and continued forward.

I followed him until we entered the dojo. Father was in there, meditating in front of the tree. "Sensei..." Leo said, his voice horse. Father opened his eyes and looked over at us. He gasped. "Leonardo! Cleopatra!" Father sprang to his feet and ran towards us. I had never seen him look so worried. "What happened?" he asked. "How did you get hurt?" I gulped and opened my mouth to speak. Instead, all that came out was a choked whimper. Leo put his hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. I closed my mouth and nodded. "Sensei," Leo started. "We were attacked." "By who?" Leo paused. "... Shredder." 

Father inhaled sharply, eyes wide. I held myself in my arms, shaking slightly. "We found out that the Kraang had planted a mutagen bomb on the Wolf Hotel," Leo explained. "We went to defuse it, but Bradford and Xever showed up. We were able to beat them and defuse the bomb. But... Shredder showed up, and..." He couldn't continue. Leo sighed, closing his eyes. Father sighed, too. "What matters is that you all came home alive." Leo nodded. I didn't say anything but stood there. 

"Cleopatra." I looked up. "Y-yes, father?" Father looked down at me with concern. But I felt that his concern was aimed at something other than my injuries. "Is there something you want to tell me, my child?" I gulped. "Shredder hesitated to kill me!" a voice screamed inside my head. "He didn't kill me, and I don't know why!" "No, father." Father's brows furrowed. "He knows I'm lying..." But, after a moment, he closed his eyes, and nodded. "Very well," he looked up. "Come." With that, me and Leo turned, and exited the dojo. I stood there and looked at everyone. Only now did I see how badly injured we all were. 

All of them had dents and cracks in their plastrons, and messes on their masks. They all had several bloody cuts and scratches, not to mention purple and black bruises, all of which covered their arms, legs, even their faces. Curiously, I glanced down at myself. My right knee was skinned and bleeding, there were several black bruises on my arms and legs, I can tell my clothes was covered in black dirt, and I don't need to know that my hair's messy from that fight.

Everyone except Raph was laying in the pit in the living room. Mikey was laying down on his plastron, resting on the beanbag chair. Donnie sat on the couch next to April, whose head was buried in her arms. Raph was standing next to the pinball machine, arms folded. I slowly shuffled my way over to the pit and fell to my knees on the floor next to Mikey. He looked up at me, and I looked at him. A second later he lunged forward, still laying in the chair, and wrapped his arms around my waist. 

I bent over slightly as I hugged him back. I heard Raph yell, and I watched as he pushed the pinball machine before sliding to the ground, folding his arms over his knees. "You were all very lucky," I heard Father tell us. "I think we defy that word differently, Sensei," Raph grumbled, but we all heard him. "Few have every faced the Shredder and survived," Father continued. Mikey glanced up, still hugging me. "He was just so fast..."

"It was like he was everywhere at once," muttered Donnie. "We'd be dead if he hadn't gotten distracted," I said, my voice cracking. Mikey looked up at me sadly and hugged me some more. "You were right about us being overconfident, Sensei," said Leo. "There are some things we're just not ready for..." I looked up to see Leo had a disappointed look on his face. Father put a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps..." he said. "But that no longer matters. It is clear now that the Shredder is a problem that will not go away." I hugged Mikey a little tighter, suddenly feeling very scared. "So, prepare yourselves, my children. Because as of this moment... we are at war..."