April wanders into the living room, her eyes still bleary and slack with sleep as she yawns aloud. She rubs the edge of her sleeve across her face, trying to rub off the line of drool on the corner of her mouth. Her light blue eyes dart over to the open window, and narrow at the curtains billowing in the night wind pouring in and she shivers consciously. Then her eyes register the five-foot-tall mutant turtle standing off to the side of the window, standing at his full height with his arms slack at his sides as he mutters nonsensically to himself. He arm gives a slight twitch, shifting in place.

The human girl cocks one eyebrow as she murmurs," Leo...? The sun isn't even up yet, are you already going for a training run," She edges closer going to stand off to his right side, leaning forward to see his face," Leo?"

Leonardo's eyes are lightly closed, his lips parted ever so slightly as he mutters under his breath," I'm underwater...deep, deep underwater. I'm drowning," He pauses his breath guttering from his lips and he gives a slow methodical nod,"...Yes."

"Leo - Leo you're just having a dream. A-a bad one... Let me help you back to bed," April whispers, taking a cautious step forward with her hand extended, her fingers grasping at empty air. Then the latter lets out a startled breath and he stumbles forward, hands slapping against the window's outline," Leo! Leo, please...you're scaring me. Just let me -"

"Mikey! No, get away from there," The blue cladded turtle abruptly screams, making the human girl let out a yelp and jump a few feet back. Then he leaps up swiftly onto the edge of the window, eyelids still shut, and without so much as a creaking from the wood underneath his feet or even a disruption in the wind, he front flips out the window onto the fire escape.

The human girl emits a tiny shriek as she scurries over to the open window, leaning out of it as she exclaims," Leo -! Oh, shoot - I didn't get enough sleep for this," She hesitates, before letting out a groan and slides out of the open window, her bare feet slapping on the cold metal of the fire escape," Leo...Leo...!"

"Mikey, get back here! Right now - I'm not joking," Leonardo snaps angrily, jumping off the edge of the fire escape, before kicking off of the brick wall on the other side of the building, catching the railing of the ladder and doing a backflip from it. He lands crouched on his feet, his breath coming from his gaping mouth in harsh pants," Get away from there...! Mikey -"

April quickly scuttles down the fire escape, practically sliding down the ladder and gets to the bottom just in time to find the latter pulling a manhole cover over his head as he recedes into the sewers. She hauls the manhole cover back up with a strained grunt, panting harshly as she eases herself down the ladder and jumps past the last three rungs in an attempt to catch up with the mutant turtle. She wrinkles her nose at the foul odor, giving a slight shake of her head as begins to sprint across the wet pavement. Her fingers fumble into her pajama bottom's pockets and she yanks out her cellphone, fingers flying across the screen. She brings it to her ear just in time to hear a single ring, before a voice answers.

"April," Donatello inquires on the other end, voice alert," Are you alright - Did something happen? Oh, my poor, sweet cherry blossom - I'll be over there in two shakes of a turtle's tail -"

April cuts in sharply," I'm fine! It's Leo - Does he sleepwalk that you know of?"

There's a brief pause, before the purple cladded turtle answers uncertainly," Well, he used to there for a while, when we were little. We couldn't have been more than five, er, maybe six...? I don't even remember it," He sighs aloud, the signal crackling," I just hear stories from Raph. Why...? Is he - ?"

"Yes," The human girl exclaims with a hiss," He somehow managed to blindly front flip out of my window, and now he's taking me on a tour of the sewers! What do I do? I heard that it's dangerous to wake up sleepwalkers, but if I don't act soon he's going to end up wandering into open traffic and end up on Channel Six News!"

"Uh, well, most experts recommend that you don't wake up a sleepwalker because they're likely to lash out at whoever did it. And considering the fact that he's an expertly trained ninja that could probably take out someone with, well, with his eyes closed..." Donatello trails off," Okay, just let me wake up the guys -"

April interjects," No! I'm already here. Just - Just let me handle this, okay," She watches as a shadow recedes into another tunnel, and she skids to a halt, turning," Tell me what to do and quick! I've almost caught up to him - I'm right on his toes!"

"I'm tracking your phone signal and it looks like neither of us has a choice in this. He's running in the exact opposite direction of the lair, and it'll take too much time for me or the rest of the team to get there," The purple cladded turtle confirms with a distressed sigh," Don't touch him unless it is absolutely necessary! Just get close to him and make as much loud noise as you can to try and wake him up! Can you do that?"

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try," The human girl replies," Track both of our phones, just in case something goes wrong - I'm hanging up now!"

"Mikey, no! No!"

April gulps heavily as the roar of water thrums into his ears. She nearly slips on the slick concrete as she comes upon a long chain of bars that protrude from the concrete wall that is bent and split in the middle, leaving a small opening she crawls through. She quickly gets to her feet her eyes taking in the spacious area with large, rusty pipes protruding from the walls that lead to a cavernous hole in the middle of space that's filled with a roaring whirlpool of water. And the mutant turtle as at the very edge, his bandana tails whipping in a flurry behind him in the wind.

"Leo," April cries out running towards him haphazardly, her bare feet slapping against the moist, mildew-ridden ground.

"Mikey! Mikey, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. Please, please, just get away from the edge," Leonardo pleads, his voice trembling as he edges one arm forward, offering it to the figure of his feverish dreams," Come to me...Walk slowly..."

April grabs a rusty, discarded pipe, clenching it in her grip as she slams it against the larger pipes expending from the ground. The pipe shakes violently in her hands and the sound of metal on metal reverberates throughout the space, but the mutant turtle doesn't even give a twitch in response. She grits her teeth, swinging the small pipe in her hand's against the larger one repeatedly, as she helplessly watches the latter take a step closer to the edge. Then his arms are thrown in front of himself as he takes a few stumbling, desperate steps towards the swirling torrents, a cry of despair tearing from his lips as he makes a motion to lunge forward. Hesitating for a split second, she throws the pipe to the ground and rushes towards him, her arms flailing around his torso as she skids to a halt, digging her heels into the rough concrete as she heaves him back with all of her strength. She feels the back of his shell press into her chest and the breath is forced from her lungs as the two stumble back simultaneously.

"Mikey," Leonardo cries, pulling against her grip and nearly throwing her forward," No! No! Mikey, hold on -"

April clenched her eyes shut, grabbing either one of her elbows as she tightens her grip around him, leaning her face into the back of his shell. Her arms are secured over his, and she can feel the muscles rippling beneath her, about to throw her off with ease when his body abruptly goes still against her's. The blue cladded turtle goes to his knees, dragging the human girl down with him as he tosses his head forward, loud, scrabbling breathes escaping his lips. She keeps her face pressed against the cool, yet rough surface of the shell, her fiery red hair brushing against him. She hadn't even realized it that she was crying softly until she felt the warm, salty tear cascade down her cheek, dribbling down the surface of the shell and she chokes out as a whimper as her arms tremble uncontrollably around the turtle's taut, muscular form.

Leonardo utters weakly, stiff in her grip,"...A-April...? Where...where am I...?"

April sniffs, letting out a shaky exhale as she draws her shaking arms away. "I...I don't know. I don't know. Y...You started sleepwalking and I just followed," She answers hoarsely as she ravels her arms around herself, embracing herself,"And then you...you almost...you almost jumped into the drain pipe and - "

The blue cladded turtle shifts on his knees, turning to face the human girl with a stony expression in his face. He pauses, then slowly settles his hands over her shoulders and giving them a firm, reassuring squeeze. "It's okay. Hey," He raises his voice catching her attention and her eyes flicker up to meet his," It's okay, April. I'm fine...We're both fine. Come on, let's get you home."

The human girl nods stiffly, going to her feet as she rubs her sleeve across her face, wiping away the drying tears. The blue cladded turtle pulls one arm away but keeps one hand on her shoulder as steers her out the mutilated grate that blocked the area off, towards the tunnels. The pair is awkwardly silent, for only the trickle of water and their own padding footsteps can be heard in the winding tunnel they walk side by side down. The mutant turtle frowns deeply, his eyes staying glued to the concrete beneath his feet as a soft pink flush creeps up his cheeks. He nervously rubs his neck as he abruptly stops, making the girl stop in turn as she glances at him.

"April, I...I just wanted to say...thanks," Leonardo remarks, embarrassed," You, you kinda put your life on the line back there for me and I can't help but feel like...like I owe you. Shell, I owe you big time."

April cracks a smile, stepping close to the turtle as she replies," Wow, the great Fearless Leader owes me. Wait until the guys hear this," She giggles softly, her lips parting to give him a weak smile," In all seriousness, you don't owe me a thing. I just did what you do for me on the daily. And I...I was so, so scared because for a second it looked like - It looked like I was going to lose you."

The blue cladded turtle stares at the girl quizzically, until his face contorts with a brief realization and he states in a stiff voice," Come on. It's late, and I'm sure you're tired," The blue cladded turtle questions her as he starts embarking down the tunnel again," Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine...it's just...I keep thinking about when you were sleepwalking and how you kept calling for Mikey," April utters as she walks behind him," Do you remember what you were dreaming?"

"It wasn't a dream...or at least it didn't feel like it because it was really more of an old memory," Leonardo responds as his arms cross over his shell, and his pace slows as a thoughtful expression spread across his features," When the guys and I were around six years old, they decided to wander away from our usual tunnels and ended up where we just were. At that drain pipe. They were angry at something I'd said, or done, it's been so long now that I can't even remember, and they needed to vent. Raph was kind of the ring leader of their antics at the time so they all followed his lead. There used to be a small walkway across that drainage pipe, and they were playing on it. The thing was old and rusty, basically condemned and it was taped off."

April remarks dubiously," I take there's a reason it's not there anymore?"

"Yeah, uh, I remember finding them goofing off on it and yelling at them to get the shell off. That, of course, only made them want to stay on it even longer, and they started jumping up and down on it. I grabbed Don and Raph by their arms and just barely managed to drag them off, but Mikey...Mikey was at the very end and he was fast, so fast, so he kept on dodging me every time I tried to grab him and..." Leonardo gulps thickly, going stock still as he stops walking entirely," It broke off from one side while both of us were still on it. I managed to grab him by his arm, but I didn't have the strength to haul both of us back up. It was cold and wet and I was so tired. I threw him up over my shell and allowed him to crawl up, and he managed to get off just before it broke the rest of the way."

"Oh, my gosh, Leo," April exclaims in dismay," How did you -"

"I don't remember anything in between that and waking up in a tunnel not too far away a few days later. Master Splinter and my brothers found me. They'd been wandering all through the sewers, worried sick that I...I didn't make it. But they still had a little sliver of hope because the drainage pipe passed through several tunnels, and they found me at the very last one," The blue cladded turtle explains as he resumes his brisk walk, the human girl trailing behind with her heavy gaze boring into his shell," For a few months after that I'd sleepwalk and I always managed to find my way back there...to that drainage pipe. Luckily, it got barred off, or it was... Anyway, I hadn't done that in a good number of years, but I guess with everything going on lately, I've just started falling into old habits."

The human girl states as they reach the ladder leading back up to the surface," Leo, I don't know what it is that you're going through right now, and I'm not going to pressure you into telling me," She goes on after a beat," But I want you to know that...I know what it feels like better than anyone to not be sure of themselves, of who they are."

Leonardo turns to the human girl, confused before he let's out a short laugh," Right, psychic," He sighs tiredly, the smallest of smiles still on his lips and he gave a toss of his head as he gripped the rungs of the ladder," Look, April, I don't...I don't know if I can really talk to anyone right now about what's going on inside my head. I want to, believe me, I do. I just feel like if I tell anyone that our already bat-shit crazy lives are going to be taken to a whole new level of insane."

"Okay, Leo. I told you I wasn't going to pressure you, and I won't," April replies understandingly as she begins to follow him up the ladder," Well, I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep after all that just went down. How about I make us some hot cocoa and we find some movies to watch until it's time to head back to the lair?"

"Sounds good to me," Leonardo comments as he pushes up the manhole, peaking his head up, before crawling out. He offers his hand to the human girl, gently pulling her up. As he slides the manhole back into place, he doesn't notice the small, luminous fungi hiss softly before edging back into the darkness as the cover goes down.

———

"You know, Casey, it's awesome having someone else who knows about the turtles. I had like no one to talk to," April exclaims with her arms folded behind her head as she walks down the sewer tunnel with Casey, Leonardo wandering up ahead.

Casey scoffs, responding," Gotta admit the whole thing's pretty mind-blowing. Bunch of ninja turtles living in the sewers with their rat master? I mean, you couldn't make this stuff up," His eyes dart up ahead to the mutant turtle and he whispers," What was Leo already doing with you anyway? He gave the guys and me a bit of a heart attack when he pulled that disappearing act."

"Oh, he was, uh, just hanging out last night. I think he just needs some time to sort out whatever it is he's struggling with, so you guys need to lay off," The human girl answers shortly, her eyes narrowing.

"Jeez, Red," The human boy responds, holding his hands up in mock defense," I didn't know you felt so strongly on the subject. I'll lay off, but I don't control the guys, you know."

April shakes her head, before changing the subject. "So what's with the mask," She asks curiously," It's not like the turtles don't know who you are."

"Same reason people have worn masks throughout history: 'Cause it looks cool," Casey replies haughtily, before letting out an exaggerated gag," Ugh. Doesn't help with the smell, though."

Leonardo, in true ninja fashion, is suddenly right in front of them, making them both jolt, with one arm raised that's curled into a fist. "I've lived in these sewers all of my life," He utters lowly as moves his arm towards the sheathes strapped to his back," That's not the usual smell." 

April adds, wrinkling her nose," Something does smell really weird, like moldy cheese and puke."

From the distance, a scream bursts through the tunnel, and the mutant turtle darts off to the side, sinking into the shadows just as a human sewer maintenance worker comes bolting down the tunnel. He roughly shoves the two teenagers aside as sewer water splashes around his thundering footfalls. The blue cladded turtle emerges from the shadows, going to stand in between the two humans with a deep frown on his lips.

"Where'd he go," Casey asks, before wandering in the direction the man had scurried," Hello? Crazy dude?"

"It doesn't matter," Leonardo responds briskly," Something isn't right. We need to call my brothers and get to the lair."

April concurs," Something's wrong."

April hesitated for a moment, before trailing after Casey and motions for Leonardo to follow her, but she halts in front of an intersecting tunnel. She feels the mutant's fingers curl around her arm as she leans forward, peering down into the azure space as she lets out a gasp. The mutant turtle tries to gently pull her away, but she plants her feet in the ground.
Big, yellow eyes blink glisten in the darkness, then there's a burst of luminous spores that take to the air. The blue cladded turtle stumbles back in a haze, gagging and coughing uncontrollably as the spores flood into his mouth, surging up into his flared nostrils. He balls up his fist and puffs wetly into it as he leans against the tunnel's wall. He tries to blink away the sheen of hot tears in his vision as he breathes shallowly. He fumbles his shaky fingers forward, clenching them down on a piece of cloth as he blinks rapidly.

Casey crouches down beside the pair, questioning April first," You okay, Red? What'd you see?"

April let's out a weak cough, lifting her up and her eyes widen in horror as her mouth arches open to release a long, high-pitched scream. She tears away from the three-fingered hand gripping on the sleeve of her shirt. Flailing her arms in front of herself defensively as she staggers backward, she turns on her heel and hurtles herself in the opposite direction.

"April? April," Casey calls after her.

"A-April...?" Leonardo wheezes, and then he jolts when he feels a hand on his shoulder blade, directing his watery gaze towards the human boy," Casey - Something's wrong...my head - Gah, you've gotta go get the guys...my brothers..."

"Bro? What the heck did you guys see," The human boy demands, hauling him up with a grunt," Leo...? Aw, c'mon don't you go running off on me too."

The blue cladded turtle pushes away the human boy as he settles a hand over his forehead, floundering his way across the misty sewer water. He cranes his neck back in the human boy's direction and he slaps his palm over his mouth as he lets out a throaty gasp. The human boy is suddenly strewn out against the side of the tunnel, his mask resting atop his messy head of raven hair and his lips are parted as he wheezes weakly. He coughs, a spray of blood exploding from his lips as he weakly shifts his head to face the mutant turtle.

"Y-You...you let them do this," Casey chokes out, blood foaming from his lips. His eyes go wide and he lets out a croaking breath, then his face goes slack, his eyes going still in their sockets and staring emptily at nothing.

"No, no, no - No! Casey," Leonardo cries out in anguish, going to his knees beside the human, gripping the sides of his face," No, please, no...Who did this? Who did this?!"

There's a weak cough from a few feet away and he whips his head around and his eyes settle on a figure stumbling forward. "L-Leo..." The human girl wheezes, tear streaks running down her face as she collapses against his chest,"...T-They're...g-gone...! G-Gone. W-where w-w...were y-y-you...?"

The blue cladded turtle kneels, gently laying her on the ground as his eyes skim over her bruised and battered form. Her left eye is swollen shut, her upper lip busted, but her mouth is gaping and spilling blood. His eyes settle on a scorch mark on the lower side of her chest, fusing her clothes with her skin and obliterating the tissue and muscle beneath, leaving only dried sections of blood around the pulsating wound. He grimaces, cupping her face and gently turning her head away. She doesn't push against him, she simply flutters her eyes shut and releases a gasping choke for air.

"Sh-Shredder...K-Krang...t-t-too m-many..."

"Don't look, April. Just take deep breaths and hold on to me. I'm going to get you to Don," Leonardo reassures her, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear," He's going to fix you, okay? He's going to fix you..."

April shakes her head, gulping thickly as she hisses," W-who's g-going t-to fi-fix h-hi-him," Her fingers scrabble up his arm, her nails digging into his elbow as she pulls him closer and whispers tearfully," Y-Y-You...d-did...t-t-t-this...Y-You f-f-failed..."

The blue cladded turtle stiffens when he feels her petite hands tense against his skin, before they slowly cascade down his arm, hitting the concrete below with a dull thud. He bows his head, brushing his fingers over her open eyelids, tenderly pushing them down and his fingers graze her eyelashes. Cradling her limp neck in his palm, he gently lowers the rest of her body onto the concrete, before he goes upright to his feet. His eyes flicker back and forth between the two human corpses strewn across the sewer tunnel's and before he can muffle it, push it back down a deep, throaty cry escapes his lips. And he shoves his hand over his mouth, clenching his eyes shut as he groans into his palm.

"Raph, Don, Mikey," Leonardo realizes aloud, and then he's bolting down the tunnel, the cold, murky sewer water splashing up his legs. He doesn't know how long he wanders the sewers, his mind foggy as he simply follows where his legs carry him. Eventually, he comes to the end of the tunnel he was tumbling down, and he finds himself in a spacious junction that leads to another set of tunnels at the far end.

The area has much evidence of a great fight that had occurred in his absence. The walls are covered in scorch marks from laser-powered weaponry, and there are several dozen shurikens etched into the brick with chunks taken out of the walls. There were several impact points across the brick walls and some of the cracks have blood etched into them. The mutilated remains of both Krang exoskeletons and Footbots are dispersed throughout the area, laying in great heaping piles with their weapons either limp in their grip or flung out of their reach. three limp forms are splayed out on the ground, all positioned differently as if a sculptor had crafted their fanned out limbs out of thick marble.

Leonardo stumbles forward, almost in a haze as he individually scrutinized each pale, lifeless form before his eyes. He abruptly plummets backward, his shell slamming against the brick wall with a reverberating thud. There was something solemn swimming in his eyes. Their stunning, deep blue held an almost unfathomable truth that his face could not hide as his lower lip trembled and his eyelids slid closed. His hand brushes against his mouth as he let's out a strangled moan, and he cracks open his teary eyes, gazing feebly at the corpses.

Donatello was sprawled out on his side, several laser burns etched into his skin. The largest one had hit him square in the middle of his chest and had splintered his plastron, exposing the flesh and bone underneath, leaving the area around it charred. The blood around it was scorched into the mutilated remains of his plastron. His bo staff was beneath his stiff fingers, blasted in half with the wood chips scattered all around him. His eyes are glassy, the lids slack over his reddish-brown eyes with his mouth hanging open, his final scream etched on his lips.

Michelangelo is laying across from Donatello, his fingers laying flaccid on his older brother's arm. One of his nunchakus is still in his tight grip, his fingers pale and stiff around the wooden rods. The other one is thrown a foot or so away from him, the chain is broken and the two rods etched with cracks. His freckled face is speckled with flecks of drying blood, his lips oozing a long line of the crimson liquid that dribbles onto the front of his plastron. His mortal wound is inflicted on the back of his shell, a wide, gaping tear that is surrounded by a pool of blood that oozes across the concrete. His baby blue eyes are glued on his other older brother laying not too far from him, the hand holding his nunchuck outstretched towards him.

Raphael was lying flat on the back of his shell, his muscular arms spread-eagled. His fingers were curled gently towards the top of the tunnel, palms open as if in offering. His emerald eyes were wide open and gazing emptily at the ceiling, his lips parted. A foot-long piece of metal is buried in his lower plastron, and blood coated the sides of his shell, the floor, seeping into the red tails of his mask, matting to his pale green skin. The metal is the blade of a katana, broken off at the hilt with the force of the blow. The hilt is laying a few feet away, the intricate pattern of strings torn and frayed.

Leonardo wailed and he was on his knees at his brother's side in an instant. And he wanted to touch him, cradle his face in his hands, but he couldn't bring himself to, not with that thing in his abdomen. Looking at where metal met flesh was like a stab in the heart, so he gripped the blade with both of his trembling hands and pulled it out. No blood seeped out of the wound, and he knew if his heart had still been beating, it would have been a geyser. Tears ran silently down his face as he heaved his brother's limp body upwards, propping his head against his chest and pulling him close, settling his chin atop his head.

"This isn't real. This isn't real," Leonardo whispers pathetically as more tears trickle down his cheeks. He grits his teeth tightly, clenching his eyes shut," It can't be. It can't...it isn't...Please, please, please...Raph, Don, Mikey..."

The blue cladded turtle shakes his head in stubborn denial, tightly pursing his lips. He gently settles the corpse down onto the damp concrete beneath him, his fingers flinching at the feeling of the cooling blood. He crawls forward cupping his hands over the purple cladded turtle's face, patting his cheeks and grazing his thumbs over his jawline. The skin is ice cold at the touch, the muscles taut as he coaxes involuntary movement from them. He inclines his head forward resting his forehead against the latter's own, his fingers fiddling with the long tails of his mask. Then he hesitantly raises his head once more, stiffly turning his head to the youngest of the orange cladded turtle.

"Mikey -" Leonardo stops, the words dying on the tip of his tongue. The tears fall like the soft patter of rain just as a great storm brews.

The blue cladded turtle buries his face in his baby brother's neck, inhaled deeply, smelling the heady sweat and the bitter, metallic blood. He ravels his arms around his small, svelte form, feels his slender muscles beneath his fingers. The short ends of his mask tickle his palm, brushing in between his fingers as he cradled his lolling neck. The sobs were stifled at first as he attempted to hide his grief, but all pretense of quiet coping was lost when he meets those eerily still baby blue eyes. He sobbed into the crease of his baby brother's neck and the tears dripped down his cold skin, burning like hot oil. His breathing was ragged, gasping and the strength left his limbs as he went boneless against his brother.

"No! No, no, no," Leonardo spits out, slamming his balled fist into the ground beside him," Noooooo!"

———

Michelangelo is laying on his stomach while leaning on his elbows, his legs kicking enthusiastically behind him in the air. He chirps, his eyes glued to the cartoon playing on the television screen," I heard in the original Japanese version, Coolstar gets squashed for real."

Donatello disagrees, waving one hand towards his younger brother and not taking his eyes away from his phone," That's just a cartoon myth," He snaps his head up abruptly," She still hasn't texted, or called, or emailed - She's gone radio silent on me! After all, that went down last night -"

"Cool your jets, Don," Raphael cuts in with a scoff," You're just jealous that Leo got to have a slumber party with your puppy love."

"Or I'm worried for my older brother and leader, who is obviously in quite a bit of mental distress," The purple cladded turtle replies, glaring at the latter. Then a flush creeps up his face and he concedes," Okay, maybe it's a little bit of both."

"You've got issues, man," The red cladded turtle comments, rolling his eyes," Speakin' of issues, our Fearless Leader seems to have more than any magazine as of late."

The orange cladded turtle cuts in, "Yeah, dude. I'm really starting to get worried. At first, I thought he was just still a little jumpy after the whole invasion thing. I mean, after what went down on that stinking ship... But he still hasn't chilled out," He huffs, going on, "And he won't even tell us what went down that night he came in...all covered in blood..."

"It seems prying only makes it worse. Besides, I have a feeling the cork is going to pop off that unopened bottle, and soon," Donatello remarks gravely.

Raphael raises a brow, inquiring suspiciously,"And what makes you say that, Don?"

"Well - Uh, well...Oh, shell," Donatello huffs, a deep frown settling on his lips,"I, er, sort of told April I'd try and keep it on the down low -"

The conversation is interrupted by a harsh, loud panting as Casey leaps over the turnstiles leading into the lair and exclaims, "Guys! April. Leo. Sewers. Hurry!"

"Casey, what's wrong," Raphael demands, swiftly standing up from his lax position on the couch.

"We were on our way here. Next thing I know April starts acting freaked out, then runs off. I tried to see if Leo knew what her deal was, but then he started rambling to himself and ran off too! They're both gone!"

Donatello interjects, "Wait, wait. You just lost April and Leo?"

"Dude," Raphael yells angrily, "How the shell did you lose them?! One's a giant frickin' turtle - A little hard to miss - "

Michelangelo remarks, placing a hand on the latter's chest to keep him from charging forward, "Relax, you guys," He crosses his arms over his chest, "I'm sure there's a logical explanation like they were eaten by a giant sewer snake or something."

"Let's go," Donatello exclaims, slamming into Casey with little regard and sending him flying off to the side.

———

Casey abruptly stops in the intersection between two winding tunnels, wondering aloud," I think I-I-I lost them around here."

"You think," Donatello demands, stomping towards where the human is waiting," Oh, that's not vague or anything."

Growling lowly, Casey retorts," Back off, stick master."

"Who you callin' stick master, puck head?"

Raphael interjects by slapping the human and the mutant turtle upside their heads, snapping irritably," Shut it, both of you! I can't think with you two gawping in my ear!"

"Ha! Now you know how it feels - Ow," Michelangelo yelps as Donatello's hand goes flying to swat against his cheek.

"Whoa, Don! Don't smack, Mikey," The red cladded turtle exclaims," That's my job!

The orange cladded turtle yells," Hey! Do I look like a piñata?"

The human boy screeches to a halt crying out," Rats," He holds his hockey stick close to his chest, his eyes wide and glued to a small group of rats huddled in a take-out container," Why'd it have to be rats?"

"Dude, they're everywhere down here," Michelangelo states happily, a smile playing across his lips as he scoops up a rat by its tail and cuddles it against his face," They're nature's cuddly little friends."

Casey groans in disgust, taking a step back," What's wrong with you," He shakes his head and sits on the edge of a tunnel coming out of the wall when a soft chirping comes from behind him," You hear that?"

"Hear what, dude?"

Casey pokes his head further into the tunnel, then comes stumbling out, coughing violently as a luminous yellow substance is blasted into the air around him. "That was hideous," The human boy chokes out, stooping over.

Raphael places his hands on his hips as he quips," Dude, you put your nose in a New York City sewer. What'd you expect?"

Casey mutters weakly," I thought I saw —" He freezes directing his gaze towards the tunnel again, before screaming and running backward until his back is up against the wall," The demon rat! It's here, it's real!"

"Demon rat," Donatello repeats dumbly," Sounds like you took a few too many hits at hockey practice — What on earth?"

The human boy is swinging his hockey stick back and forth frantically across the tunnel, screaming hysterically as he hops from foot to foot. "Get 'em off me," He shrieks in a high pitched voice," They're everywhere!"

The red cladded turtle sighs aloud, cocking his head towards the purple cladded turtle. They both nod simultaneously and jump forward, pining the human boy's arms on the sewer walls

"Not gonna lie. That felt pretty good," Donatello admits with a smirk.

"Let me out! Let me out," Casey pleads, struggling against the hands holding him in place.

Raphael barks out," Calm down, man," He slowly eases away and the red cladded turtle demands in annoyance," What is your malfunction?"

In the distance, there's a blood curdling scream and the purple cladded turtle exclaims," April," Then he takes off in the direction the scream originated from," I'm coming, my sweet!"

The red cladded turtle rolls his eyes, muttering," Great, just great. Leave me here with the one who flew over the cuckoo's nest," Then another scream echoed across the tunnels and he froze, feeling his heart start to hammer anxiously in his chest, going completely silent, before shouting,"Leo. Leo!"

"That sounded like him, bro," Michelangelo remarks, nervous.

"C'mon, Mikey! Let dollar-bin Romeo chase his frickin' Juliet - We've gotta find our brother," Raphael proclaims, tilting his head in the direction of the scream, yanking out his sais with a flourish.