Hey guys! Long time, I know! I appreicate you all being patient (not that ya had much choice- sorry). I'm graduating December 7th and as you can imagine I have a lot to do to prepare for that and to finish up all my demanding last assignments! So bear with me!

I was able to get this prologue out for the sequel you've all been waiting for and I'm so exicted about it because I loved writing the last one! Now there is an IMPORTANT thing to note:

I introduced a group here that you'llrecongize if you see it. I made them a little OOC (Out of character) because of the alternate universe nature of this fic. A lot shall happen!

Anywho, hope you enjoy reading! I've missed this!

The summer after Shredder's escape…

Third's Point of View:

A lot has happened for the Hamato family and their friends the rest of the school year after they learned from Xever that the Shredder and the rest of his cohorts had escaped to Japan. Now that Hamato Yoshi and his newfound daughter, Miwa, felt as though they had closure, they drifted closer into their new relationship as father and daughter. Miwa was welcomed into the family with open arms, of course, and given Donatello's old room to make into her own. Donnie and Leo decided to share a room together and Miwa was grateful for how hospitable the Hamato boys were towards her.

Nakano had changed the most. The boys' biological father was still trying to make up for his mistakes, so he was still exchanging contact with the man he had paralyzed years ago during a drunk driving accident and he has begun to develop an awkward but closure-seeking overseas relationship with him and his family. Nakano had moved out of the home he was in and into an apartment to be closer to the Hamato boys, who were all legally and permanently there to stay with Master Splinter. Over the rest of the school year, he and Master Splinter had developed a close friendship that bordered on co-parenting the Hamato boys, much to everyone's amusement. Also, not only did Nakano move, but he had gotten himself a job at a bank because he was always good with mathematics and the like, which is where Donnie inherited some of his smarts from.

The boys had their first birthday together in March right before the summer and it was the best they had ever experienced. Leonardo will never forget a single detail. They had talked with their family and friends and decided it would be a small thing. No one was expecting anything boisterous and grand because they were just happy that they could remember their birthdays fondly this year. However, April and Casey managed to come up with a crazy scheme of them making their birthday cake at April's house together. After they were finished with that, which was super messy with lots of antics but nonetheless fun, they arrived back at the Hamato manor only to be surprised with colorful streamers and balloons. All their other friends, Nakano, Mikey's Mom, Terry, Frank and his wife, Mr. Murakami, Slash and his gang family, and even both Dr. and Mr. Kurtsman, the twins whom one was an investigator and the other a doctor that helped the Hamato family were all there waiting for them.

Mikey swears up and down that Raph had even teared up when they all smiled and sang happy birthday to them no matter their embarrassment and shock. That's okay though, because Mikey was also sure that Leo and Donnie were crying just as much as Mikey and Raph were too.

Raph won't forget the after-party either. Once they had partied almost the whole night away and everyone had left, the brothers just spent the rest of the night in the pit, enjoying each other's company and the high from their party. Raph would tell you how he laughed when Donnie and Mikey literally framed their change of name papers (which had been a thoughtful gift from Nakano, because he knew how much that meant to them. Splinter had even cried a little because he had not known about the gift) but he understood their sentiment to it.

Donnie would always remember how they all went through the pictures they took on their phones, mainly Mikey's. He'd remember how they all laughed or smiled and declared all their favorites.

A few weeks after their 15th birthday party, Mikey's foster mom, Macy, reported that her chemotherapy was working and that her body showed signs of improvement although her recovery process would be slow. Mikey and Leatherhead were ecstatic, and Mikey shown in his joy, almost annoyingly so, for the last few months of school.

On the last day of their freshmen year, they Hamato brothers were all surprised to get a signed poster-sized card from all their teachers and everyone in their classes wishing them a great summer. After all, the Hamato brothers and their friends were sort of a hot commodity as rumors of what they went through with their car crash, their numerous absences, and kidnappings made for popular gossip and drama. Everyone knew who they were and wanted to know more about them.

Now that the summer has begun, Leo just hopes that since they haven't heard from Shredder that he doesn't have plans to come back. After all, their life has just found a calm normality.

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Leonardo's Point of View:

It's been a few days since our summer break began and things have finally settled down into a normal routine. We finally finished all the changes we wanted to do to our permanent home. The pit hasn't changed much except that for our birthday Slash had given us a pinball machine which we placed there. Can you believe it? An actual pinball machine!

Anyways, Donnie and Sensei converted the study room, which barely had anything in it anyways, into a room for Donnie to make a lab out of or to study in. He's been ecstatic about it ever since and gets mad at us if we mess it up, not that it's stopped Mikey or Raph.

Miwa's room is finally finished with her own bed and dresser set, which was dark-stained wood that basically looks black with a purple and red patterned comforter and pillows. Her walls are painted a lavender purple and she stuck a bunch of pictures of us, Sensei, April and even Casey on her vanity mirror that she has on a tiny vanity table she has in the corner by her dresser. She told me many times how much she loved her new room and that made me happy.

Donnie moved some of his stuff in my room but sometimes it doesn't even feel like we're sharing a room with how much he stays in his lab and even falls asleep there. He loves his lab and can get a lot of stuff done in there. However, we're really compatible to share a room because we hardly fight over anything and he's good about not waking me up whenever he needs anything at night.

I was currently texting back and forth with my girlfriend, Miwa. She was hanging out with April at April's house and they were watching movies and apparently gossiping about Donnie and me; I still don't know if that's a good thing or not. She won't tell me.

Mikey and Donnie were in Donnie's lab where they were working on some project of Donnie's together. Mikey was helping him by drawing the blueprints since he was the best artist in the family. Raph had been in the dojo lifting weights that Casey had gotten for him for his birthday. Sensei helped Casey put into the dojo for Raph, or anyone really, to use. Raph had been ecstatic and uses it religiously. I smiled.

I should check to see how they're doing. I came in to meditate and then text Miwa. That was two hours ago. Coming to a decision, I jumped off my bed and shoved my phone in my back pocket before opening my bedroom door and entering the main room.

"Leo?" I glanced over to see my green-eyed brother, Raph, standing a few paces from the dojo's sliding doors. He had a water bottle in his hand and a towel around the back of his neck. Raph's sun-blonde hair had gotten slightly longer, the thick spiky curls still in the same wild style behind his ears.

"Hey bro," I greeted smoothly with a smile, "I was just checkin' to see what everyone was up to."

"Not much. Just got done liftin' weights. Was actually gonna check on ya guys too," Raph said as he thought aloud. I grinned at him.

"Then let's go see what Mikey and Donnie are up to," I replied as I turned and headed towards the sliding doors that lead to Donnie's lab. Raph was right behind me, practically on my heels. The closer we got to the doors the easier it was to hear Donnie's banter and Mikey's occasional laughter.

"What's so funny?" Raph immediately asked as soon as I slid open the doors. We entered to see Mikey on his knees in his spinning chair, leaning over something on Donnie's desk. Donnie was standing next to the desk and they both turned when we entered.

"Donnie got frustrated when he couldn't draw what he wanted," Mikey told us with a grin as Donnie huffed, "I only said that he needed more practice and he'd be as awesome as me. He got this funny look on his face after that."

Raph laughed as I shook my head. We joined them, and I glanced at Donnie to see how irritated he actually was or not. He caught me staring and smiled slightly, showing me he wasn't really angry or anything like that. I smiled back.

Donnie no longer wore his glasses unless he really needed to when he was building on something or reading. His mousey brown hair was as straight as always, just like mine, but it was longer in the back. It ended to the back of his neck and the front was longer as well, framing both sides of his face and ending at his collarbone.

"Donnie did really good at all the science-y stuff though!" Mikey suddenly burst with a cheerful smile, "No surprise there! I actually understood some of it!"

"Wow, no surprise there? That's actually a miracle!" Raph teased and we all laughed, even Mikey. He knew Raph wasn't being nasty about it or anything. I stole a glance at Mikey and admired his sunny outlook on everything sent his way.

Mikey hadn't changed much. His hair may have been slightly longer, but it was hard to tell because his hair was by far the curliest and hardest to manage out of us all. Like Raph's, his hair styled behind his ears but wasn't spiky like Raph's was. However, he always made whatever outfit or style he had on work for him.

"I at least try to understand D when he talks science-y stuff, right D?" Mikey asked, and Donnie nodded with a grin.

"That's true. Unlike Leo or Raph!"

"Hey!" Raph and I frowned as they chuckled at us for it. I continued, "I would listen more if I actually understood what you meant!"

"Half tha time I feel like I'm gonna fall asleep," Raph muttered under his breath but we all heard him. Donnie rolled his eyes as Mikey smirked at Raph.

"Anyways," I dragged on, rolling my own eyes. I didn't want a fight to break out, "What have you been working on?"

"Well, I finished fixing the module of that robot I wanted to build," Donnie stated proudly as our eyes widened except Mikey's, "Mikey's been helping me with my blueprints to build the actual thing."

"Wait…y-yer gonna build an actual robot?!" Raph damn near blew a gasket. If it could, my eyes would have widened more at him. Mikey threw back his head and bellowed out a laugh. Whether it was because of my reaction or Raph's, I'm not sure.

"Yes, and I was gonna ask Sensei if I could go pick out materials at the junkyard," Donnie explained as he looked away from us to his blueprints. This caught all our attention.

"Why the junkyard? You don't wanna go and buy stuff at a store?" Mikey questioned curiously, cocking his head at him. Donnie shook his head without looking at us.

"No. It would be outrageously expensive, and I can build from scraps at the junkyard for free," Donnie smiled, showing the gap in his teeth as he looked back at us, "Pretty cool, huh? If I do say so myself…I've been doing a lot of reading on robotics."

"Sure is!" Mikey exploded before Raph or I could even comment, startling all of us, "I can't believe you're able to do all this! How freaking cool!"

Donnie's face turned a little red, but he smiled largely at Mikey and I smiled at how happy he looked at the praise. I stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's great, Donnie! I have no doubt you can pull it off. Why don't we go now?"

"Now?!" Raph blurted, his eyes still wide as he looked between all of us.

"Yeah, why not?" I frowned.

"Err…well nothin' guess I shouldn't be surprised," Raph blinked, mumbling, "We gotta tell Sensei though. Are we walkin' there?"

"I do! Or I wanna bring my skateboard so I can practice!" Mikey grinned before he brightened, "Ooo! Raph! Why don't we all bring our skateboards?!"

"First, stop yelling everythin' ya say," Raph placed a hand over Mikey's mouth. He looked over at me, "Not a bad idea."

"Sure!" I smiled, and Donnie nodded eagerly, looking happy that we wanted to go to the junkyard with him in the first place, "I'll go tell Sensei. You guys get your skateboards and stuff ready."

They rushed off as I walked out of the lab and chuckled at them. I went into the dojo and saw Sensei meditating. I hesitated briefly, not wanting to disturb him. I slowly knelt down in front of him and jumped a little when he suddenly addressed me, "Hello Leonardo. Is there something you wish to talk to me about?"

"Uh, yes, Sensei," I said, recovering from my surprise, "Donnie needs materials from the junkyard and we were all planning to go with him on our skateboards. I know its farther than we usually go on foot but can we? Donnie really wants this."

Sensei opened his eyes in slight surprise and studied me before he smiled, "Well, I am worried about how far it is. You will be skateboarding there?"

"Yes, Mikey really wanted to practice and quite honestly, it's something we all like doing," I replied with a hopeful smile. Sensei chuckled.

"If you wear safety equipment and observe the rules of the road then I do not mind. Take your cell phones with you. I am trusting you to be responsible and look after your brothers, Leonardo," Sensei hummed as he rubbed his chin.

"Of course, Sensei! We'll call when we get there and when we're leaving!" I promised as I beamed. He chuckled after me as I bowed and rushed to get my own things ready. In the rush to my room I met my brothers halfway. They had their skateboards and Donnie also had a large duffel bag on his shoulder. I raced past them, "We can go but you need your helmets, elbow and knee pads!"

They groaned but rushed back into our rooms to get the needed materials. I laughed at Donnie as he struggled to put his knee pads on. Donnie pushed past me in response to be the first out of the room. We met back in the main room with Raph and Mikey.

"A moment before you leave, my sons," Sensei called and we all turned to see him near the front door. He stood calm with his arms behind his back.

"What is it, Sensei? We got tha helmets and stuff," Raph told him and Sensei smiled, nodding his head.

"There's one other thing I want you to wear. I finally prepared them for you." Sensei responded as he pulled fabric out from behind his back. We all gasped, and my breath got stuck in my throat. In his hands were four differently colored masks. We had talked almost a month ago about how we earned our masks, but it would take a while to be prepared because Sensei wanted to make them himself. We had all been excited to get them.

"Sensei…." Donnie trailed off in wonder, "Not to sound ungrateful, but why do we need to wear those when we go out right now?"

"To keep your identities a secret. You never know when Shredder or his henchmen will have returned from Japan. I want to make it less easy for anyone with evil intent to recognize you four," Sensei answered him with an emotion flashing through his eyes. He stepped forward towards me first and my eyes widened.

"For Leonardo, the blue mask," Sensei smiled as he handed it over. I beamed and felt happiness bloom in my chest as I tied it around my eyes proudly. The strands were long and fell over my shoulder, "This symbolizes loyalty and bravery among other traits that belong to one who possesses leadership qualities."

Sensei turned to Raph and handed him the red mask, his eyes widened in wonder as he tied it around his eyes, "For Raphael, the red mask. This symbolizes passion, temperament, and fierceness, everything needed to support the leader."

Raph and I exchanged looks of surprise. The red mask really stood out against his sun blonde hair and made his emerald green eyes stand out too. His mask even matched him in that the long ends were frayed. I smiled a little just as Donnie received the purple mask. He grinned and tied it around his eyes.

"For Donatello, the purple mask. This symbolizes mystery and intelligence which is a perfect fit to describe you, my son," Sensei explained as Donnie smiled at him. Mikey was bouncing on his toes excitedly when Sensei turned to him and we all laughed as he handed the final orange mask over to him. Mikey tied it around his eyes and I blinked when I noticed that, unlike us, his had short ties but it actually matched him. Did Sensei do all that on purpose?

"For Michelangelo, the orange mask. This symbolizes excitement, creativity, flexibility, and optimism. Honestly, there is no need for me to explain why this suits you," Sensei told us as we all burst out laughing again. Mikey jumped up and hugged Sensei as we all joined in the hug.

"Thanks Dad," I said to him, hoping he understood how happy he just made us. Sensei smiled warmly at us.

"You are welcome, my sons. Now go…but remember to contact me when you arrive and when you leave the junkyard. Be safe."

"We will!" Raph grinned as we all grabbed our things and rushed out the front door excitedly.

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"Hey! No fair, Raph!" Donnie yelled as Raph grabbed Donnie's arm and used it to push past him to be first.

"Raph! Don't push or pull on Donnie!" I scolded loudly as I pushed my foot to make myself go faster. I was now riding by Donnie's side.

Raph glanced over his shoulder and grinned like a shark, ignoring both of us. I frowned and pushed myself to go even faster. We had already past four streets and soon we would be close to town.

"Woo! This is totally awesome guys!" Mikey shouted and we all looked towards the right to see him speeding past lampposts and maneuvering out of the way of a lady walking her dog.

"Yer gonna end up killin' somebody goin' that fast!" Raph yelled back angrily. Mikey rolled his eyes and soon joined us as we went down a hill and took a quick right turn.

"Nah, I'm not the one that keeps taking his eyes off the road, Raphie," Mikey teased as Raph scowled darkly at him but made a show of staring at the road. Donnie and I laughed as we caught up with them again. We zoomed down a small hill and they laughed when I almost flew off my board trying to keep from swerving off into the road. The tail ends of my mask slapped me in the face.

"Bahahaha!" Mikey laughed, tears in his eyes. Raph and Donnie were bent over, hugging themselves. I blushed heavily and frowned at them as we came to a complete stop just close to civilian crosswalk.

"Oh, shut up!" I growled as I grabbed Mikey and lightly grinded both of my fists on both sides of his head as he whined. I eventually let him go and shot a dark look at Donnie and Raph, who grinned, "Let's cross the road. We're almost there now."

"Did you see that one guy earlier? He looked so shocked when Raph went flying past him!" Donnie chatted with an amused look on his face, "I imagine we look pretty ridiculous in all this gear and with these masks on."

"I think we look cool!" Mikey commented as Raph nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but who in the world wears ninja masks so casually?" Donnie cocked an eyebrow at us and then sighed when we just stared at him, "Never mind."

"I wonder why Miwa and April don't wear masks? Well April hasn't been doing this as long, but Miwa has," Mikey said as he put a finger on his mouth I thought.

"Miwa does have a mask. It's just one that covers her mouth and not her eyes," I explained as they looked at me in surprise, "She showed me once."

"Huh, that sounds pretty cool too," Raph commented with a grin, "Well, I like my mask."

"Yeah!" Mikey nodded excitedly in agreement.

"Guys, we can walk over now," Donnie turned his head to address us. We all grabbed our skateboards and walked across the road as I nervously eyed the stopped cars at the stoplight. Tons of people were either staring at us or giving us weird looks.

I ignored them and breathed a sigh of relief when we were out of sight from all those cars. I don't really know why I was so worked up but ever since our car accident a few months ago, I can't help but be wary of idiots behind the wheel.

"Ya okay, Fearless?" Raph questioned quietly and I felt startled by how close he was to be suddenly. Mikey and Donnie didn't hear him as they were chatting animatedly about something.

"Don't call me that," I frowned at the hated nickname, and he just shrugged with a smirk, "I'm okay. I was just thinking about idiots behind the wheel."

He looked confused for a moment before his eyes lit up in understanding. He scowled as he looked over our shoulders for a moment, "We don't have ta worry about that as long as we're careful."

"I know," I smiled slightly, and he nodded.

"Dudes!" Mikey suddenly cried, getting Raph and I to look over at him. He was beaming as he looked ahead, "There it is!"

A few buildings down were the fence and entrance to the junkyard. You could see piles of junk all the way from where we were. At the top of the fences were barbed wire. At first glance, there didn't appear to be anyone around, not even any cars. What was I expecting though? No one really comes to the junkyard unless it's the homeless people.

"Last one there is a rotten pizza!" Mikey laughed as he took off before we even knew it. I laughed because I couldn't help it as Donnie and Raph yelled after him angrily, taking off. I readied my skateboard and immediately pushed myself forward as hard as I could. The speed of it took me all the way past a shocked Donnie.

I swerved and kicked off a streetlamp, sending my flying past Raph who shouted at me in surprise as I laughed again, feeling the wind slap around my mask ties. We went down the tiny slop to get to the entrance and gained speed as a result. I grinned when Mikey jumped over a fire hydrant skillfully while holding his skateboard while I just swerved around it.

"Showoff!" Donnie shouted at Mikey, who grinned crazily as he slowed down and then used his hands to do a flip and grab his skateboard in his hands. I caught up to him and skidded to a stop before grabbing my board too. Donnie and Raph were practically right on my heels before also stopping and grabbing their boards.

"Ya do realize ya cheated and yer win don't count?" Raph scowled at Mikey, who blew a raspberry at him. I ignored their bickering behind me as I looked at the open entrance to the junkyard. Donnie walked to my side and grinned widely when he looked at it. I chuckled. He looked so happy to see the piles of junk!

"Let's go!" Donnie burst before taking off running, shocking me.

"Hey, wait Donnie!" I gasped as I rushed after him. I immediately heard Mikey and Raph stop bickering to run after us. I caught up with Donnie as he slowed down to a jog, his head going side to side as he looked at everything excitedly. I smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Where should we start, D?"

"I'm not sure! There's so much I could get from here!" Donnie fretted as he looked at his duffel bag, "I should have brought another bag."

Raph rolled his eyes, "We can come again sometime so just get what ya really need."

"Yeah! We can help you carry stuff," Mikey exclaimed as he also looked around with interest. Donnie looked surprised at Raph before he smiled.

"Okay. Thanks!"

"No problem. So, what exactly are we lookin' for?" Raph asked as he looked around. Donnie hummed loudly in thought as he stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth. He does this whenever he's concentrating on something or thinking.

"Why don't we just start pile by pile?" I suggested as Donnie brightened and nodded his head. We immediately followed him to his first pile of interest. Before we started, I called Sensei to let him know we had arrived safely then got to work helping Donnie. At first, we were diligently helping him try to find items he needed. Then after the first 20 minutes passed, we were getting bored with trying to figure out how to help, especially since what he wanted was very specific somehow.

Donnie's glee didn't lessen, however, and he just went about collecting items. I watched after him as Raph groaned and sat crisscross on a pile of rubbish. Mikey was picking through items with as much curiosity as a cat following a new scent.

"Donnie...it's already been half an hour!" Raph complained as he crossed his arms and glanced over at our genius brother, "And I don't even know what yer talkin' about when ya get that junk!"

"It's not junk! This just happens to be a worn-out circuit board that I could potentially fix up!" Donnie explained impatiently, "I won't take too much longer so cool your jets."

"I can't believe you just said that," I shook my head in disbelief as he glanced at me in confusion, "You're spending too much time with Mikey. 'Cool your jets, Donnie?'"

"Hey!" Mikey grinned, not looking insulted in the least, "Don't mock my language, bro! Donnie sounded cool just then!"

Both Donnie and Raph rolled their eyes as I huffed a laugh. After a few more minutes of searching for a particular item Donnie tried to describe to me, I gave up and sat down on the ground just below the pile Raph was sitting on.

"Hey, uh, Donnie…is this useful?" Mikey questioned, sounding really confused as he held up something, whatever it was, with many wires sticking out of it. Donnie glanced his way a little before his eyes widened.

"I'm…not sure what that is. I'd put it down, Mikey," Donnie advised, and Mikey glanced at the item in his hands with curiosity but shrugged one shoulder and tossed it. I grabbed my skateboard and began looking it over rubbing certain parts of it to try and clean it. Donnie began whistling a tune that made Raph groaned unnecessarily loud. I rolled my eyes.

"Raph, if it bothers you then you can always just close your eyes and ignore it," Donnie told him in a flat tone before continuing to whistle.

"Fine. Whatever," Raph sighed and I glanced up over my shoulder to see him get comfortable, his arms pillowing behind his head as he closed his eyes. I turned back and finished cleaning up my skateboard.

"Wow! Some of these wires can actually be salvageable!" Donnie cried in delight and I frowned as I looked up at him.

"They won't be dangerous to use?" I asked in concern. He looked at me and shook his head with a smile. I felt uncertain but decided to trust him. He knew what he was talking about after all, "Okay."

Then it hit me all of sudden that Mikey hadn't said anything the past couple of minutes which was very unusual. I felt a pang of panic when I glanced at where Mikey had been only to not see him there. I jumped up so fast that stuff I had been sitting against hit the ground and startled Raph.

"Mikey?!" I called out loudly, my heart banging in my chest. Donnie looked surprised as if he just noticed. Before we had any time to freak out, he poked his head around the top of the pile I had last seen him on, looking confused.

"Yeah?"

I wilted heavily in relief as Donnie's face smoothed out and he went back to searching. Mikey blinked at me when I looked back at him, "Sorry. I hadn't heard you talk and then you weren't where I last saw you."

"Oh, sorry," Mikey said with a sheepish smile, "I got distracted!"

"Geez, Leo, you wanna freak out a little less?" Raph grumbled angrily and I shot him a dirty look before sighing. I knew he was right after all. How often have I been freaking out lately? Mikey grinned reassuringly at me before he disappeared behind the pile again.

"Woah!" Donnie shouted, earning my attention. I shook my head in exasperation when I noticed he was awestruck by yet another item I didn't recognize. He stuffed it in his bag with about as much excitement as a child on Christmas morning. I chuckled to myself as I settled down.

"Almost done yet, Brainiac?" Raph asked loudly as Donnie moved further away to another pile. Donnie ignored him and Raph sighed, addressing me, "He's never gonna be done, is he?"

"Nope," I chuckled slightly before glancing up at Raph, "We'll leave soon. Even if we have to drag him out." Raph grinned at the thought.

"Might as well relax then," He replied as he laid back down in the position he was in before.

"Not a bad idea," I shrugged before leaning against the pile again, relaxing my shoulders. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to meditate a little to calm myself from earlier.

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Michelangelo's Point of View:

Man, the junkyard has so many items that are just ripe for the taking! Like, I found a cute little snow globe with an igloo, snow, and a penguin inside it! Who would throw that out?! I mean, it is a little stained, but so what?! I grinned as I grabbed my skateboard and moved to the pile beside the one I was working on.

I hadn't been shifting through stuff long when I heard a weird high-pitched whirring noise. It almost sounded like a machine. Well, that's not weird, right? This is a junkyard! I squinted my eyes in that direction and noticed a weird purplish light. Huh?

Squatting down, I moved a little closer just to take a quick peek. That way, I can figure out what it is. If it's anything weird, I can go tell my bros. I look around the corner of the next pile of rubbish only to freeze.

There were numerous men in black suits. They were all dark haired. What gained my attention where the cages of animals they were placing in the back of a van. I couldn't help but feel evil vibes off these men. Then my eyes widened when I noticed that the noise I heard earlier was the cry of an animal being hit with this steel looking rod that emitted a purple light. When he struck the animal, which was a small dog, it electrocuted the poor thing a little, so it could be put in the cage. I felt angry.

"With proper care, we could sell these for a lot, right Kraang?" One of the oddly serious looking men said to another man who looked similar somehow. I blinked. Kraang? What an odd name. I glared when I heard them talking about selling the animals. So, they aren't like animal catchers exactly. They're illegally capturing and selling animals? As in…. animal trafficking?

This is big…this is bad! I better get my bros! I back away a little but in a clumsy moment my elbow hit something in the pile I was hiding behind and something comes crashing down. My eyes widened when the men turned, and their eyes locked on me.

"The child has seen us!" Another of the men said in a weird voice. I panicked and immediately started running. Luckily for me, I wasn't far from my brothers and they heard the crashing of stuff from the pile I hid behind.

"Mikey?" Leo called out uncertainly. I pushed myself from around the pile and rushed at my brother. I immediately crushed him into a hug, feeling my heart thudding loudly in my chest. Raph was watching us in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"Leo! We need to go! There are a strange group of guys that look alike and talk funny and they are taking animals to sell them!" I explained to them in fast tone, still panicking. Leo and Raph's eyes widened but before they could finish reacting we heard commotion behind us.

"What tha hell?" Raph gasped when they saw what I saw. The group of oddly similar men were rushing our way with those electric rods in their hands, "Oh hell no!"

"We need to leave!" Leo gasped as well, his eyes widening largely when he looked away, "Where's Don?!"

"We'll find 'im!" Raph said with urgency as he jumped down beside us. We immediately started running away and I panicked again when I heard that group of men shouting after us. They were chasing us! "Are ya serious?! They're gonna chase after us?!"

"We don't have any weapons to defend ourselves," Leo fretted in worry as he looked behind us. We all skidded to a stop when Donnie came walking around the corner of a pile not far from where we'd been. We nearly ran into him and he gasped in surprise.

"Geez, guys, where's the fire?" Donnie frowned before gasping loudly when Raph grabbed his arm and started pulling at him.

"We're bein' chased by some weird group Mikey discovered here. We're leavin'!" He declared and poor Donnie just looked confused but let Raphie drag him off. Leo gently pushed at me to go after them, so he could be in the back. I immediately took off in a run.

"Wait, what weird group?" Donnie asked as he finally came out of his confusion, "Wait, they're chasing us?!"

"Yeah! I saw them electrocute an animal before putting it in a cage in their van with other animals! They talked about how they were gonna sell them!" I explained quickly as Donnie's eyes widened, "They noticed me and started coming after us with those same electric rods!"

"What the heck?!" Donnie shouted as he ran a little more quickly now. We didn't stop but I was starting to feel a burn in my chest from running so long. We finally reached the entrance and took a moment to catch our breath.

"W-What are we gonna do?" Raph gasped for breath like the rest of us, "Call Sensei for a ride?"

"That'll take too long!" I panicked thinking of what those guys could do to us if they wanted to in that amount of time. Leo must have been thinking the same because he froze.

"Uh…we need to get away from here for sure," He told us as we looked at him desperately, "We know they were doing some illegal so they might want-"

Leo didn't get to finish his sentence before we heard the weird voices of the group of men get closer. My breath caught in my throat and I felt my blood turn to ice in my veins in fear. We had no weapons with us, so we'd have to find something to use to defend ourselves.

"This way!" Leo panicked guiding us up the sidewalk as fast as we could go. We stopped in surprise when Leo rushed up to a fire escape on the side of the building in front of us. Raph, Donnie, and I exchanged a look before we looked behind us where the group of men were just about to be in our eyesight. I gasped and immediately rushed after Leo, who just began climbing up the fire escape. Soon all of us were climbing it and continued to follow Leo to the top of it. He flipped over the top onto the rooftop and we followed his lead then too.

We all laid or sat there on the rooftop panting for breath. It took several moments for the burning in my chest to lessen. I blinked when I noticed Leo crawl towards the edge of the rooftop and peer over it.

"We're okay now…they can't see us up here as long as we stay out of sight," He reassured us and we all heaved a relieved sigh.

"Who were those creeps?" Raph questioned with a glare, "If only I had my sai…"

"We are not attacking people we know nothing about," Leo scolded giving Raph a look that he scowled at. He turned to look at me, "Did you hear them say who they were, Mikey?"

I thought back on it as they stared at me, "Well, one of those creepy dudes did call one of them 'Kraang' but I don't know which one. They talked weird…they even looked alike!"

"Yeah, that was odd," Donnie commented with a sigh, "I didn't see as much as you did though, Mikey. You say they had a van and it was filled with cages that had animals in it?"

"Mhmm…" I nodded, shivering when I thought about what those poor animals might go through, "And I got the same evil vibes as I did meeting Shredder."

Leo and Raph's eyes darkened and I regretted bringing that up. Donnie sighed again and placed a hand on my shoulder comfortingly, "Well, it's a good thing you ran when you did, bro. We may want to avoid this place next time. That's too bad."

"We should call the cops too," Leo frowned as he looked towards the junkyard, "Maybe they can do some investigating about that group."

"Sure, whatever ya say. Can we just go home now?" Raph frowned, crossing his arms. I noticed how tense his shoulders were and frowned myself, "We all didn't get our skateboards."

My eyes widened when I realized that I forgotten to hold onto it in my rush outta there, "Aww man! Can't we go back another time for it?!"

"Not with the chance that those guys might be there," Leo shook his head firmly at me and I slumped, looking down. Those skateboards were our birthday gifts from Nakano-Otosan. I felt my eyes trying to water.

"Aww, it's okay Mikey! Sensei can get us new ones. It's not worth the risk, okay?" Donnie comforted, placing a hand on my head. I perked up a little at that and nodded my head. Donnie grinned and messed up my hair. I laughed slightly.

"Let's call Sensei for a ride and then call the police. We don't have to tell them it's us," Leo instructed as he gave Raph a look at that last sentence. None of us wanted to keep being involved with the police after the business with Shredder. Raph's shoulders relaxed.

"Great!" I boomed happily, feeling much better and safer already. Raph gave me an odd look before he chuckled. I grinned before thinking back on what just happened. I felt very angry about what those animals were going through. I wish there was some way to save them…but I wouldn't be able to do anything without getting myself or my brothers in trouble. If only I could.

My biggest fear was that creepy group…I sensed that evil vibe like when I met Shredder. I felt like that group was a group we should avoid. I don't know…it felt like they did worse things than just kidnap and sell animals…

I shook my head and Donnie rose an eyebrow at me. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. He laughed and called me weird. Good. I don't want to worry my brothers about my feelings.

My instincts are probably wrong anyways.

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Third Point of View:

"You were what?!" Master Splinter shrieked as he slammed on the breaks and jerked the car to a stop. All four boys gasped in the shock of it and Raph slammed against the back of the passenger seat even though he was wearing his seat belt. Mikey and Donnie stared at him, stunned, from their spots in the back seats.

"W-We were chased by a strange group of men with electric rods?" Leo explained again in a very nervous tone, smiling to appease his father. Splinter's eyes narrowed ahead, a deep frown marring his face.

"Why is it that whenever there is trouble in the city of New York, you four are always involved?" He asked aloud, clearly not addressing them particularly. Mikey laughed nervously as Raph snorted and Donnie sighed.

"I've been askin' myself that all tha time, Sensei," Raph retorted with a tad bit of sarcasm. Leo turned his head and gave Raph a look before turning back to look at Splinter. He had begun driving slowly again now that he had calmed down some.

"Please explain to me again what happened," He asked through his teeth, his fingers gripping the wheel. He had half a mind to turn the car around and find the group that dared to chase after his sons with harmful intent. Leo's eyes widened slightly as he and Donnie gulped.

"Well Sensei, one of 'em called the other a Kraang, whatever that means," Mikey begun, not reading the atmosphere as he continued, "They were hurting this poor little dog and putting it in a cage. They had a van full of stray animals and said they could be sold! They saw me looking and chased after us!"

"I see," Splinter sighed, looking calmer again, "I am glad none of you were harmed by this group. I also believe you made the right call contacting the police. However, why didn't any of you want to be there when the police arrived?"

"We…just didn't want ta have to keep talkin' ta them," Raph frowned, crossing his arms with a troubled look on his face. Splinter's eyes widened before they softened in understanding. Raphael didn't like the police that much and had conflicting feelings about them, after all.

"Was that wrong of us, Sensei?" Donnie questioned in a fretful tone, suddenly aware that maybe they should have met with the police personally to give more information.

"No, you did nothing wrong, my sons," Splinter smiled reassuringly, and the tension left the four boys' shoulders.

"I hope the police are able to figure out something about that group," Mikey started with worry in his eyes as he clenched his hands together, "They really gave me the creeps. They also made me angry with how they were treating those animals!"

"Don't worry, Mikey. I'm sure they'll be caught eventually!" Leo spoke confidently, looking back at his proclaimed youngest brother soothingly. Mikey beamed, and his eyes sparkled at Leo's optimistic confidence. Raph rolled his eyes and looked away out the window while Donnie chuckled softly, and Splinter smiled.

"Now you see why having those masks on were so beneficial," Splinter explained as they all looked at him in surprise, "I never would have imagined they'd be useful so soon. You may get weird looks on the streets, but I must insist you keep wearing them whenever you go out."

"Even if we're just going to Mikey's mom's or Aprils?" Leo asked hesitantly and Splinter nodded, smiling a little when his sons looked so shocked, "Well…if you say so, Sensei."

"Speaking of April, she and Miwa are supposed to be coming over soon," Splinter announced as Leo and Donnie's heads whipped around. Mikey laughed and Raph smirked.

"Nice! Maybe we can have movie marathon!" Mikey beamed, thrusting his hands in the air excitedly but narrowly avoided hitting Donnie in the face with one of his arms. Donnie glared at him and he smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe...that doesn't sound too bad," Leo chuckled as he glanced out the window in thought.

It'd be nice to just hang out at the house and try to forget how they were almost attacked by a strange group of men. Who were they anyway? What did 'Kraang' mean? And why were they trafficking animals?

Leo tried to forget the bad feeling deep in his gut and just focus on the here and now as his brothers and Splinter laughed at Donnie's lame attempt at a joke Mikey had started. Leo smiled.

How silly of him to be worried!

Well guys, I figured it wouldn't be a Ninja Turtle fic (even though they are humans in this AU) if they didn't have more than just the Shredder after them! Are Mikey and Leo's strange vibes unfounded? Or is there more to the Kraang than just stealing and selling animals?

Guess we'll find out soon enough! NOTE: This does not mean that Shredder won't appear again, because well all know he will at a most unexpected time!

Looking forward to reading your reviews and STAY AWESOME! (And warm, safe, etc)