AN/: Hello! I sure some of you know me from my story "Mum's the Word" for Glee. Unfortunately, I won't be continuing that story, but I will be making news ones. I know the title seems stupid, but please give the story a chance.

This takes place some time after The Gauntlet. I made some changes, like that only Kirby was kidnapped, obviously, but for a different reason this time. Fishface, with his robolegs and Dogpond will be here. And the turtles had already met Karai. I haven't decided yet if Karai will be with Casey or Leo yet. Yes, Casey and Irma (not Kraang subprime) will be here later.

April will have been with the Kraang at TCRI her whole life. The Shredder and the Foot Clan was also a part of her life. You'll see evidence of that in a later chapter. In my story, since she had spent most of her life in solitude, she's closed off from other people and only really trust in her own abilities. Her initial reaction to the turtles will be cold and hostile, but she will eventually let down her mask around them.

Chapter 1. Breaking In

It was one of those evenings that threatened to turn frigid as the wind swept over the rooftops. The argentine moon was high and full, illuminating the buildings and avenues of New York like stadium lights. The streets below were quiet and empty— the perfect opportunity to make their move. Four giant turtles were on the roof of a building adjacent from their target, preparing for their mission.

Donatello continued to look through his telescope, standing at the edge of the closet roof with a foot braced on the ledge, watching the building from afar.

Yep. Still crawling with Kraang droids.

Leo was pacing behind him, obviously growing uncomfortable as the temperature dropped. He could hear Mikey sniggering behind him as he redoubled his efforts in annoying Raph, who anyone could see, was rapidly losing his patience.

"Seriously, Donnie, why are we still here?" he barked out, growling as he swatted Mikey hand away from his forehead.

"Shhh" Leo whispered, "We don't want to wake up all of New York"

Donnie mentally rolled his eyes as he remained intently focused on the scene playing out beyond the telescope.

"Just one more minute, Raph. I'm just double-checking the perimeter. And, if I may add, that would be much easier if you would stop breathing down my neck, like a cardiac arrest patient's family before the cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedure. "

Raph sighed exaggeratedly, whispering loudly "Geek."

Donatello didn't bother to respond. He remained vigilant in his study as he thought about what had brought them here.

Being allowed topside for the first time had been thrilling. The stench they had sadly grown accustomed to was replaced by a fresh, luscious fragrance. (At least it was better than the fetid sewers). Wide-open spaces, where they could jump great distances, feel the wind against their faces and the feeling of freedom after fifteen years of being trapped.

And the discovery of that yellow, delicious slice of ambrosia that the world called pizza was a definite bonus. It would have been a perfect ending to the evening, had they not botched up a rescue. Twice.

He visibly winced as he recalled the man known as Kirby. They had landed on the rooftop just as he was taking a stroll through the peaceful streets of the city. Then, just as they had decided to head back, a white van had appeared seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Then the Kraang had sprung out, intent to take Kirby with them.

Leo had insisted they save him, because "we're heroes. It's what heroes do". And due to their "lack of teamwork and sloppiness, they'd let them get away with him". He could still hear the disappointment and admonishment in Splinter's voice.

"Perhaps, in another year, we can try again."

That's how it ended. Or at least, how it would have ended, had Leo not insisted on saving the man. Perhaps it was him channeling his inner Captain Ryan or perhaps he was remembering the look in Kirby's eyes as he was taken away, but he had managed to passionately convince Splinter to let them try again.

"Yes, we did horribly and yes, we let them get away, but Sensei, keeping us down here for another year won't help anyone. It would be us leaving this guy to his fate, and as ninjas and as your sons, we can't do that." Leo had proclaimed, eyes locked on Master Splinter's, unafraid and unmoving. "How could we live with being both of these things if we go against everything you ever taught us about right and wrong and let this man get taken by those…things "

Master Splinter had bowed his head, thoughtfully tugging his beard.

"Please," Leo had practically begged softly, "Let us save him. It's the right thing to do."

Splinter had visibly mulled it over, quietly turning around to look at his only remaining picture of his former family and himself as a human.

Then he sighed. "Yes," he said, turning back to us, a newfound resolve in his eyes. "You must save him."

After a little debate as to who should be the leader (which he and Raph thought was totally rigged), the four of them had set out to get Kirby. After two very long hours, they had finally apprehended Snake and found the building where the Kraang had taken refuge. Tricking Snake and coming up with a new plan had been easy. Then after sneaking into their base, Kirby was easily found.

However, it was rough sailing from then. Raph managed to open the door, but the Kraang already had a 6-minute head start on them. By the time they had gotten outside, Snakeweed had taken position in front of the back of the building. Kirby was already being stuffed in a van behind him. Long story short,

They came.

They saw.

They defeated Snakeweed, but the Kraang still got away with Kirby.

Donatello felt a wave of sadness overtake him as he remembered their failure. Leo had taken it the hardest out of all of them. His first mission as leader: a debacle. A mess. But it was still very hard for the rest of them. They had all coped in their own ways. Raph had been training more, Mikey persisted in discovering all dishes even remotely pizza related. Leo spent long hours either brooding or intensely meditating and he, Donatello, continued inventing, hoping the right device will stop them from failing once again.

They had all vowed that night that they would find him and bring him home. If not for their honor's sake, then for the sake of their way of the ninja: To never do harm. And since that day, they had searched nonstop, although they ran into trouble here and there.

Bradford, Xever and then Dogpound and Fishface. The Foot Clan. Karai. Worse of all, the Shredder.

Once, they had met a new mutant, Pete, a pigeon-human hybrid who had claimed that he and Kirby were friends. He had led them to another Kraang facility (for breadcrumbs), where they had found Kirby. While breaking him out, he had given them some information on the Kraang; that they were aliens from another dimension. And they wanted to take the world for themselves.

Before they could find out more, Mikey had accidentally triggered an alarm. They had been outnumbered , they wouldn't have made it out. So Kirby had sacrificed himself , grabbing a blaster and taking down some Kraang so they could escape, his last words being "Stop them. Take the Kraang down whatever it takes."

Luckily, one of the trips to the Kraang facilities had resulted in more information. Using the T-phone, Donnie had managed to get some data on the Kraang. As well as some project the Kraang label "the one known as the link to the thing known as success for the plan known as the plan for invasion of the planet known as the planet earth." Moreover, after conducting a search for the symbol that had been on the data, they had been lead to TCRI.

Donnie stood, finally turning to face Leo. His fist was tightly clenched around the telescope in anxiety.

"It's clear. For now." Worry lines were etched in his face. "I don't know about this—"

"Oh, come on, Donnie," Raph huffed, getting up and stretching. "We already agreed on this. It'll be easy. Sneak in, find the right room, get this "key" or whatever and hack it to pieces, so the Kraang can't use it ever again." He raised his arms up, the elongated muscles in his forearms cracking in languid relief after sitting for so long. "It's foolproof."

Donnie frowned, looking slightly put off. "Oh is that all? Well, isn't that what we said last time? Look how well that 'foolproof plan' worked out!" he snapped, stiffly turning around, facing away from the rest of them.

They all stood there in silence for a few moments. Leo put his hand on Donnie's shoulders, squeezing in subtle comfort.

Donnie sighed. "I'm sorry," he said, turning around to face them. "That was uncalled for."

"Yeah, it was" Raph grumbled. Then he sighed as well. "I'm sorry too," he said, sincerity ringing in his voice. " I know how worried you get about things sometimes. I should know better than to brush off your concerns."

"Awww," Mikey said, eyes sparkling. "You guys just had a moment. Group hug?" he exclaimed, holding his arms out and instinctively closing his eyes.

Donnie and Raph exchanged looks for a second, and then simultaneously elbowed Mikey in the chest.

"Oof," Mikey huffed. "Well, that's love for you."

Leo shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. "Come on. Let's move."

One by one, they launched themselves over the edge, traveling from rooftop to rooftop. Dispatching the Kraang bots loitering around had been easy, as Raph had previously guessed.

"Now," Leo groaned, turning to his brothers in determination. "It's time for the slightly less easy part."

They ran through the halls, weapons drawn and at the ready for any enemies they were sure to encounter. Occasionally, they would make a wrong turn and end up in a roomful of Kraang bots, and they had to fight everyone they collided with in order to remain undetected to the entire building. Eventually they found the door where the project was supposed to be housed.

Unfortunately, it was guarded by another swarm of armed Kraang bots.

"Who said this was going to be easy?" Mikey shouted as he flipped and dratted around the lasers being fired at him. "Because I vote we should totally kick that someone's butt after this."

Raph growled. "Can it Mikey!" he shouted, knocking a Kraang droid down.

"Donnie! Open the door, quick! Before more show up," Leo said, slashing the last droid with his katana.

Turning to the door, Donnie noticed a retinal scanner. Without a moment of hesitation, he reached down and ripped off the head of the nearest abandoned droid. As he shoved the face up to the lock, he mentally prepared himself for whatever gruesome monster or complex machinery would be behind the door.

The door slowly slid open and he gasped as he saw the last thing he would have suspected across the room.

It was a girl.

She was fast asleep on a gurney with white sheets. Her red hair was tousled and arched around her head like a fiery halo. Her face was smooth, peaceful. Her chest fell up and down as she breathed in the kind of contentment deep sleep could bring. There were circles under her eyes, he noticed. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants, along with small, white shoes. One thought appeared in Donnie's head as he blankly looked at her:

Beautiful. Then:

She shouldn't be here.

"Donnie, what—" Leo pushed past him, only to stop short as he noticed the occupant of the room.

"Who is that?" Raph demanded, looking at the rest of the team, all with confusion in their eyes.

Mikey peeked around Leo, looking at the girl with wonder. "I think…it's a girl," he said, sounding somewhat amazed. He turned to his brother, a twinkle in his eyes. "I've never seen a real live girl before."

Donatello quickly scrutinized the room. It was small and rectangular, like how the inside of one of their rooms would be without their beds and stuff. The entire ceiling glowed with a soft white light allowing him to see that the room was empty of anything else, not even a window. The air smelled of something sharp and antiseptic.

"I don't understand," Donnie said, looking back at his brother fleetingly before looking back at the girl. "This room should be holding the weapon, not-I mean the data said—"

"Well whatever the data said," Leo grimly said. "It was wrong."

Just then, the hallway started flashing purple and they could hear a loud honking sound.

"Ah great," Raph groaned. "They know we're here. We have to go —"

"But what about her?" Donnie asked, walking toward the bed and kneeling beside the sleeping girl. "We can't leave her here. Obviously, she a prisoner. Like Kirby." He looked at his brothers as that statement sunk into their hands. "We have to get her out." He looked back at her. Up close, he could see how pale her skin looked, blue traceries of veins apparent just beneath the surface.

They all instinctively looked to Leo, who looked shortly conflicted. He looked at April, who seemed so vulnerable and innocent, an unwillingly captive of the Kraang. Then he nodded, his face showing signs of a newfound resolve.

"Grab her," he said, nodding toward April. "We'll come back another time to destroy the weapon, but right now, she needs us."

"Alright!" Mikey shouted, face lit up in excitement and pumping his fist.

Donnie gingerly picked her up, trying to throw her over her shoulder as gently as he could, holding her around her waist. Her head was against the middle of his shell, her long hair stopping just at his calf. She felt very warm against him.

"Let go." Leo said, quickly running out of the room, the others closely following.

They were all exhausted. Fighting every Kraang they had come across since they entered the building would do that. They all wanted to leave, before it became too much. Donatello half focused on the map on his T-phone, while the other half was making sure he had a secure grip on the girl.

"The exit's just around— oh, come on already!" They had turned a corner, only to stop as they entered a spacious room with big, complex-looking computers and square windows reaching from the ceiling to the floor , as well as encountering a team of Kraang droid with blasters, all powering up in unison.

"Kraang," one yelled. "The ones who are called the turtles have the one who is known as April O'Neil."

"Yes, Kraang," another yelled, moving forward with its blaster. "We must destroy the ones who are called the turtle and return the one known as April O'Neil to her room."

"Kraang. The returning of the one called April O'Neil to the room will be the thing that Kraang will be do—"

"Oh, would you SHUT UP ALREADY‼!" Raph roared, charging at the Kraang. Leo and Mikey quickly followed his lead, slashing and clearing a path for Donnie and the girl.

"Wait," Donnie shouted. He had noticed that there was a giant silver computer glowing purple on a platform above them.

"Mikey, quick. Check if there's a chip or a kind of flash drive up there!" Donnie screamed, dodging the lasers. Mikey looked up, then flashed a smile at Donnie.

"On it, D!" he shouted, showing a quick thumbs-up before jumping up to the platform, while Donnie quickly dodged a blast that had been headed towards him.

"Kraang. You must be the thing known as careful to not hit the one called April O'Neil," a Kraang droid shouted just as Leo took it down.

"Got it!" Mikey shouted, waving a green chip above his head, looking extremely proud of himself.

"Quickly," Leonardo cried. "The window."

There was a crash— the sound of shattering glass—and then Raph was outside looking in through a huge gaping hole in the window he had made with his foot. They all ran out after him and climb up onto the rooftop of the building. Donnie gently shifted the girl to a more comfortable position on his shoulder.

"Can…can we…I need a minute!" Mikey gasped, hands on his knees and panting in exasperation.

"We have a few seconds. Tops." Leo said stiffly. "Let's just get to the lair and then we'll regroup and figure out the game plan from there."

With that, they all quickly jumped from building to building, speeding away, all very anxious to return home.

As some of you may have noticed, I made some changes to this chapter because after brainstorming a bit, I realized that a few things that would happen in the later chapters wouldn't make sense unless I changed what happened in the first chapter. See if you can figure out the changes and guess what will happen later.

Because I'm sure you're curious, the episodes that have happened in my version are:

Rises of the Turtles, Turtle Temple, Old Friend New Enemy, New Girl in Town and The Gauntlet.

The other episodes, I'll write my own versions here and if you'd like, I will write how they met their main villains, like Bradford, Xever and Karai later, since the episodes in which they meet either involve April or wasn't listed above. Hope you like the revision of chapter one. Review, favorite and follow, please.

Thanks, J!