Ignoring the pain that had begun to spread through her abdomen, she hobbled down the hall as fast as her legs would take her. The sirens continued to blare, screeching throughout the empty halls, and announcing her escape. She stopped to catch her breath as she came upon yet another junction where the hall intersected with a corridor, and branched out to the right. She glanced around for a moment, staring first at the straight path, then to the one at her side. All of the passageways looked the same - sterile and white with numerous doors lining the walls on either side. She knew she had to decide quickly. She could already hear their excited voices echoing through the passageway, not far behind her. Finally, in a moment of confused desperation, she chose to stick to the course she'd already been traveling.

Philipe and Dr. Hudson had gathered a crew of six lab assistants to help track the escapee. Most of them had no clue who this girl was and what she was doing here. But that didn't matter. If Dr. Stockman wanted something, they would obey, no questions asked. They were hot on her trail now. She could tell by the volume of their voices, and the echo of their footsteps, not far behind her. Dr. Hudson instructed a couple from the group to search the right passage, just in case, but Philipe new better. She was this way - straight ahead. He could sense it.

Gasping from exhaustion, she continued to push her body, even further than she had ever dreamed was possible. Her lungs screaming, she continued to run as best she could, her feet pounding on the linoleum until she thought her legs would burst into flames. At last, the hall ended into a control room of some sort. Machinery lined the walls from tile to ceiling, and large glass tanks sat in the middle of the floor. As she glanced at them, she could see they were filled with all sorts of odd looking objects. She stopped to catch her breath for a moment. She knew she didn't have much time, but if she didn't take a quick rest, she was sure to collapse from exhaustion.

She glanced warily at the strange containers. A tall, cylindrical one, the biggest of the bunch, caught her eye. It was filled with a dark purple liquid, which barely concealed what appeared to be an exoskeleton of some kind. She shivered as she approached the tank, squinting in curiosity at its contents. What sort of creature had such a body structure? She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. Maybe the other containers would provide her with more information. But as she walked past the strange creature, and glanced into the following tube, she froze in fright.

"My god! Oh my god..."

She stared at the rubbery skin and the slumped posture, and wondered at first if it was some sort of a joke. Maybe someone had placed a life-like dummy in here for someone to find...But as she got closer, and stared into the glass, she could tell that it was indeed a real human being. The body was naked. It was a man, thin, normal height, with a nice bone structure. Its eyes were closed, the body unmoving in the clear liquid. She could tell this person wasn't alive. The body looked as though it had already started to deteriorate. The dark brown skin was sunken in in places, and looked as though if coaxed, it could slide right off the bones. Nausea gripped her just then, and she felt like she was going to vomit. She backed up quickly, unable to remove her eyes from the ghastly figure.

Suddenly, a nearby sound jarred her back to reality. The footsteps were growing close again. What now? Glancing around frantically, she spotted a large cargo door built into the side of a far wall. She wondered where it would lead, but she knew she didn't have much time to decide. Maybe it would be her freedom to the outside! Her heart began to pound as she hurried toward it. This was it. Whatever was waiting on the other side, she was ready to face it. The handle was easier to locate than she'd expected. It was even in a nice, reachable place, adding to the ease of her escape. She took a breath and began to pry it open, but as her hands made contact, the metal lit up, causing the room to take on an eery blue glow. A sharp pain traveled through her, throwing her backward to the floor. She laid there for a moment, unable to move as the pain racked her body.

In seconds, the room was filled with people in white lab coats. Sqeezing her eyes shut in pain, she could just make out the angered voices and the clacking of shoes on the linoleum. Philipe crouched down next her, so close, his breath brushed across her cheek. She opened her eyes slowly, still gasping from the pain.

"You're a foolish girl." he said coldly.

She didn't answer. She couldn't even catch her breath to speak. Despair gripped her as she felt a pair of hands grab each of her arms and slowly lift her up. As soon as she was to her feet though, she felt her legs give way. She couldn't walk back on her own. The electric shock had weakened her too much.

"Get a chair." Philipe commanded. Dr. Hudson rushed out the door and out of site. He returned a moment later with a wheelchair. Philipe roughly lowered her into the seat and tied a strap around her waist. "You won't be escaping this time."

He began to wheel her toward the exit. As she passed the other workers, she stared at them weakly, taking stock of each one. There were only a couple of women there. The others were all male. And they each refused to make eye contact with her. It was as if they were afraid of something.

"Geeze..." he sighed and set the box down on the counter. The place was a total mess. The walls were crumbling all around him, and he could hear the bits of plaster crack and crumble every now and then. The fallen debris had already ruined his couch and broken the attena on his television. There wasn't much left. Most of what he'd owned had been destroyed, and that hadn't been a lot to begin with. This was the only real home he'd known besides the sewers. But he couldn't go back there. The memories of his childhood were just too painful to face at the moment. He sauntered to the coffee table and began to brush the chunks of brick and moulding from the surface. The flash of gold caught his eye, and he quickly reached into the rubble, pulling the object to safety. The frame was badly bent and scarred. As he glanced at the picture, his heart almost broke in two. It was a picture from his youth. He and his brothers were strategically posed, each of them dressed in weird costumes for a Halloween party. They all looked so happy, even Raphael. Mike had on a full clown outfit, most of which he'd dug up from a dumpster outside a costume shop. Sure, it had a few holes in it, but he cleaned it up and April had sewn it back together for him good as new. Don was dressed in some flashy attire, claiming to be a member of the mob. Raph had an old broken chainsaw in his hand, and had painted blood all over himself. Typical, Mike smiled. And Leo...he was one of the Three Musketeers...D'Artagnan, it must have been. And of course, in the center of them all was Splinter. They'd even coaxed him into wearing a costume. He was an eighteenth century Japanese warrior. He looked pretty darn cool too. And that party...ah, the memories...

It was nearly five years later, but he still remembered that day clearly. How could he not? It was one of those rare days when spirits were high, and they had all been truly happy. They hadn't experienced the responsibilities of adulthood yet, or been introduced to the female species. They had still lived together under the same roof, as a real family. Even with the remainder of the Foot Elite giving them trouble from time to time, their lives weren't nearly so complicated. He ran his finger along the scratch in Splinter's fur, where the broken glass had rubbed against the picture - their beloved sensei and father, the one who they could always turn to in times of despair and hopelessness. Now he was gone. It had been almost a year already, and still the pain hadn't subsided. He doubted it ever truly would.

Mike closed his eyes as the warmth began to spread down his cheeks, and tossed the broken picture into the box. Where would he go now? He felt so out of place suddenly, like he had nowhere to turn, like his whole life had been nothing but directionless wandering. The others had their own lives now. They lived apart, Don and Raph had women and families on the way. But now, his sense of self was lost. It had been burried under the rubble just like his few meager belongings.

He knew he couldn't intrude on their privacy. It wouldn't be fair. And with April and Casey's apartment burried in debris, there was nowhere to turn. This was one of those times he wished he was like everybody else. Maybe then he'd have money in his pocket and a handsome enough face to be able to go out and find a job or at least book a hotel for a few nights while he figured all of this out.

Maybe he could stay with Raph. He figured he could probably use the company. Besides, Don had Trevor to worry about right now, and Casey had already decided to move in there for a couple of weeks until he and April could figure out what they were going to do about the apartment building. Don needed the company, and since April had Shadow and Christian to look after, she probably wouldn't mind helping him look after Trevor once she was out of the hospital.

Maybe in return, he could help Raph keep his mind off of all the bad things that were going on. He remembered the old days, back when they were young and innocent. Innocent? Raph? Yeah, right. He smiled. They had been best friends while growing up, and it seemed no matter what awful thing was going on in their lives, Mike had always known what to do to cheer Raphael up. Maybe it would still work. Besides, with everything going on, they needed eachother right now.

Mike wiped at his eyes and picked up the phone. At least it was worth a try. The worst Raphael could say was no, and that would mean the sewers.

"Raph? Hey, it's Mike..."

Trevor sat down in the chair and stared at him nervously. It was still taking him some time to get used to this strange turtle man. After the solitude his father had put him through, he still had a hard time trusting people. It had, however, pushed his imagination further than ever. He had often pretended there were people there in the attic with him so the isolation wouldn't consume him. Some of his best conversations had been with these imaginary people, and the creatures he'd conjured up. It had taken some time before he was convinced that Don and his brothers were indeed truly real. At least they never judged him or sent him away. Donatello figured that maybe this is what helped him to slowly gain the trust that was developing between them. Trevor was still apprehensive, however. This turtle was like something he only saw in his mind, and being here, away from everything he knew, was like a dream from which he could never wake up. His mom's deteriorating health hadn't helped matters either. He felt as though he barely knew her, and he knew, despite everyone's cheery disposition, that he may never get his chance. Even so, he was still too young yet to fully understand the severity of her condition, and in many ways, Don was thankful for that.

Don set a plate of food in front of Trevor, and took the seat next to him at the table. It was hard to even think about eating breakfast, but he knew that he had to keep up his regular routine, or he might be driven to insanity. Besides, it was best for Trevor. He picked up his fork and nibbled at the scrambled eggs, uninterestedly. They tasted like seasoned cardboard. He definately was not the cook of the family.

He stared at Trevor in silence for a moment, watching the boy intently as he took a sip of his juice. Talking to kids had always made him a little uneasy. He had to keep reminding himself that he was a kid once too, and this was no different. Oh, what Splinter must have gone through trying to figure them all out!

"Trevor, I saw your mom last night."

The kid set down his fork and stared up at him in silent anticipation.

"She's still...asleep." He had to remember to keep his words in simple terms, which was quite a challenge for him, being so used to thinking scientifically. "But her heart's doing good. It's...pumping like it's supposed to, and that's a good sign. She just needs to sleep right now, and we have to wait for her to wake up." He found that the words were harder than he'd imagined. Seeing her there, silent and frail was one thing, but having to talk about it, and relive that moment was almost too hard to bear. He found himself having to take a deep breath on more than one occasion to keep from choking up.

Still, the boy remained silent, just staring into Don's sad brown eyes, waiting for the answers that the turtle was so reluctant to give.

"I know she wants to see you, Trevor. And hopefully she'll be awake really soon so we can go visit her. I'm sure she'll be really proud of you when..." He could hear his voice quaver as the salty liquid threatened to spill over his cheeks.

"Is she gonna go to heaven?"

Don jumped a little at the sound of Trevor's voice. The child hadn't spoken more than two words since they'd found him. He stared into Trevor's eyes, realizing how deep and thoughtful they really were. But how to answer a question like this? Don thought for a moment and decided to answer it the way he would have wanted it to be explained to him - with the truth.

"I don't know, Trevor. She might. But it looks like she could wake up any day now, so let's just hope that she gets better, okay?"

The little boy nodded.

He gazed at the half-empty plate. "Are you finished with your breakfast?"

He nodded again.

"Then why don't you go play with Shadow while I clean up? I'll come get you after I call the hospital."

Trevor stared at him for a while, as if he wanted to ask something more, but after a moment had passed, he rose silently and hurried down the hall.

Don began to clear the table. He scooped up the plates and stacked them with the juice glasses. He stared down at the bacon and the partially eaten eggs. His plate had hardly been touched. He just couldn't eat right now. He shook as he carried them into the kitchen, and nearly dropped them before he reached the sink. "Damn..."

"Don? You okay?"

He glanced over his shoulder and was surprised to see Leo at the refrigerator, pouring himself some juice.

"I don't know, Leo, I..." he turned away quickly, trying to conceal his tears.

"Hey..." Leo set down the glass and put his arm around Don's shoulders. "Hey, Don, it's gonna be okay..."

"I just wish I could believe that." Don lowered his head and stared at the floor.

"Come here." Leo gripped Don tightly, wishing there was something more he could do to comfort him.

Feeling some of his inhibitions loosen, Don returned the hug, burrying his head in Leo's shoulder, and wept.

Almost a week had passed since their return home. Donatello had sunk away to the hospital every night without fail. His only regret was that his visits were so short and mechanical. His outward appearance made it very difficult to stay with her for any extended periods of time, and she was under constant supervision, providing him with very little time to actually spend with her while he was there.

April had been discharged yesterday. She was still a little sore and weak, but her condition was much improved. She also went to visit her sister as often as she could, and had prayed over her bedside on many an occasion. It just didn't seem fair. Why did her sister have to suffer when it was she Baxter had been after?

Megan was also still missing. Casey and Raph had searched high and low for her, and still nothing had turned up. A good friend of April's who worked at the police station had queried the officers on duty that night, and asked a lot of questions, but it seemed that it only led to another dead end. No one seemed to know anything, and that was what was most frustrating. Each night, Casey would join Raph on a hunt to find his wife, and each night, they would come back empty handed, even more depressed than when they had left. Mike was surprised when he saw Leo head out with them a couple times, but he realized that his brother needed this. He needed to feel like he was part of a team again.

Don had been real quiet the past few days, mainly keeping to himself and getting to know Trevor. It was more responsibility than he was really ready for, but he made the best of it under the present circumstances. He had never really expected to have to raise a child, particularly on his own, and he was glad for April's company in that area. During the day, Trevor and Shadow played together, and at night, Don would come home from the hospital to tuck him in and give a report on his mother.

Mike was concerned about Raph, and he too went out with him from time to time to search for Megan, but he knew it was a pretty hopeless cause. There were too many buildings in this city to find her that way. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Most nights, he'd sneak away while Raph was gone and go visit Amber. It seemed as though something was troubling her too, but whenever he asked her about it, she'd say nothing was wrong. He figured she just didn't want to burden him with it right now, seeing all the things he was going through. It didn't matter. She was there for him, and that's all he cared about. Besides, with Leo and Raph staying in the same house with him, he needed an occasional breather. Their constant bickering was doing nothing for his nerves.

She stared at him curiously, wondering what could possibly be going through his mind at that moment. His head was down, staring at the floor, his elbows resting on his knees. His hands were rested under his chin, propping it up a little. His posture reminded her of a child who had gotten in trouble and was forced to sit in 'time out'. He looked sort of cute this way, so vulnerable and open.

"Mike? Are you okay?"

He glanced up at her as the trance was broken. "Huh? Oh, yeah...I guess..."

"What is it?" She could always tell when something was on his mind.

"Well...it's just...they still haven't found her yet, and Robyn's not getting better."

Amber felt the guilt travel through her again. She knew she should tell him. Afterall, they had been together every day this week, and she was really taking an interest in him. They had gotten to be really good friends, and she knew he trusted her. But something inside of her just wouldn't let her say the words she knew he needed to hear. She was scared inside, afraid that Baxter would read her mind and find out somehow. Besides, after hearing more about Raphael, she was a little worried that he might come after her as well.

"I just...I don't know what to do." his eyes traveled toward the plush carpet again. "I see Raph going crazy. He's getting deeper and deeper in these funks of his, and I can't blame him. He thinks she's dead. And his kid--and I think I'm starting to believe it too." He wiped at his eyes. "And I just can't keep acting like everything's gonna be okay. I just can't--"

"Mike." she swallowed hard and took his hand. "I know things look awful, but you can't let go of hope. You have to keep trying. She's out there somewhere, Mike. I know it."

He nodded, but he still couldn't bring himself to believe in her words.

"Look, if you want to get away...if you need some time to yourself tonight...you can stay here."

He lifted his head and stared up at her in wide-eyed amazement. "What did you say?"

"I mean it, Mike. My dad won't be coming home tonight. He's got a lot of...work to catch up on. I'm gonna be here alone anyway, so I could use the company. I could make some tea and we could just sit and talk or something. That is...if you want--"

"Yeah, that would be great, thanks."

She wrapped her arms around him reassuringly. "It's going to be okay."

He could smell the sweet perfume of her hair and feel the warmth of her small body, and he began to melt in her arms. Amber let go and sat back down akwardly. Maybe she had gotten too close this time. She thought again about what Megan had said - about the way Raph had made her feel, and her body began to tingle.

Mike stared at her for a long while, just gazing into those icy blue eyes. She was so beautiful, he just wanted to reach out and grab her again, pull her close and never let her go. She forced an uneasy smile as she felt herself fall into his gaze. Before he even knew what he was doing, his mouth was on hers, kissing her passionately.

"I still don't think you should be up like this. You should be taking it easy."

"Casey," April openend the cupboard and began to search for a suitable pan. "I'm fine. I need to do some things for myself. If I have to sit here one more day watching soaps on tv for hours, I'm gonna go nuts."

Casey took the pan from her hands and set it on the stove. "I know, I'm just..." he took her hands. "I'm just worried about you. The doctor said you need to take it easy."

April smiled that quirky, determined smile. "I know, but I need to do this, okay? Sitting here, moping all day only reminds me of all the bad things that are going on. I need something to keep myself busy. And, if I feel like I'm pushing myself too hard, I'll go lay down for a while, okay?"

Casey stared at her apprehensively for a moment, but he knew he wasn't going to win this battle. When April made up her mind to do something, there was no stopping her. "Okay..." he said at last. "But if you start to feel sick..."

April rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about me, I'm a big girl."

Casey kissed her on the forehead. "That's what I love about you."

He left for the bedroom and April returned to dinner. She had to admit, doing simple tasks such as simply preparing chicken and rice for dinner had rendered her a little breathless - more so than she'd expected. No matter. She was determined to get back to her normal life again.

"Hey, Don? Where do you keep the salt?"

There was no answer. Then she remembered that he had left for the hospital again about a half hour ago. She tried to push the worry about her sister aside. But, seeing her today, laying there so silently had brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't help but already feel the pain of her loss. The paleness of her skin reminded her of the fortress when Don had narrowly saved her from hypothermia. When she really thought about it, Don had always been there to catch her. No wonder he was taking her condition so hard. It was the first time he'd been away, unable to protect her from the pain, and now she could possibly die.

April closed her eyes as the tears began to stream down her cheeks. What would she do if Robyn left them? All her life, she had been able to look up to her big sister. And even though they were different in so many ways, they had been as close as any siblings she had ever known. Probably even as close as her turtle friends.

A strange, eery feeling consumed her suddenly. Gasping, she opened her eyes and scanned the area - first the kitchen and then the living room. She found nothing, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was there, in the room with her. A chill went up her spine as she called out to Casey. And in an instant, she knew...someone was watching her.

He woke up to a pounding headache that spread across his forehead and ran down toward his temples. Darkness surrounded him, and all he could make out were the hushed voices that danced all around his head. He remembered going out with Raph and Casey last night, how something had gotten into his mind, a weird image of Megan. It had freaked him. He hadn't told Raph or any of the others yet. He was still trying to figure out what all of this could mean.

As the blackness slowly faded, and was replaced with light, he found himself laying flat on his carapace on a hard table, his wrists and ankels pinned down in metal shakles. Figuring he'd been caught for lab experimentation, he began to squirm, tugging on his wrists to try to free them from their binds.

"It's no use. You can't escape..."

Startled by the sound of the menacing voice, he glanced up, and came face to face with his captor, the hypnotic green eyes seeming to probe his very soul. An evil grin spread across the perfect jaw, and his skin was young and vibrant. Leo figured him to be in his mid to upper twenties, and he looked almost like a god. He forced his eyes shut, struggling to break the entrancing gaze.

Suddenly, he found himself crying out as an excrutiating pain began to spread through his abdomen and down his legs. Shit! What's happening to me...?

The man smiled wickedly. "Now hold still...this won't hurt a bit."

Leo kicked as much as he could as the needle sank into his skin...

"Holy...!" He sat bolt upright, his head flying side to side as he struggled to regain his bearings. He glanced down at his legs, realizing that they were free to move about underneath the bed sheet. A dream...it had all been a dream. But it seemed so real!

Suddenly, a strange feeling overtook him. Silently and swiftly, he threw back the covers and jumped out of bed, reaching under the box spring for his katana. He gripped them tightly and rose to his feet, scanning the darkness for intruders.

"Who's there?" he yelled. He thought he saw movement off in the corner. He rushed to the wall and flicked the switch, holding his katana ready to attack, but as the room filled with bright light, he paused in confusion. No one was there. He searched every corner, the bed, the closet, but there was nothing living to be found. Sighing, he resheathed his swords and slid them back under the bed.

As he was about to turn off the light again and climb back under the sheets, a soft rumbling filled his head. As he listened, it grew into something more like a laugh - a rolling, maniacle laugh that sent shivers through his body. Suddenly, he realized - he knew this voice.

"Baaaaxterrrr!" he yelled.

Chapter 11 Coming Soon!

Lightning Crashes

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