Down in the turtles' sewer lair, Splinter was in the middle of a training session. However, it was not his sons he was instructing, but Willow. She had her new gauntlets on, facing the rat as he began his lesson.

"Are you ready to begin, Willow?" Splinter asked.

She nodded, sliding into a basic fighting stance. Her metallic fingers hissed slightly as she readied herself, her eyes never leaving Splinter. She charged forward and tried punching him, but he simply caught the fist, swept her off her feet, and placed a foot on her stomach in one motion.

"Lesson one," He spoke. "You are never as good as you think you are."

She grunted, Splinter removing his foot and allowing her to get up.

"Well that was embarrassing." she let out.

"Well, no offense, but charging straight forward as a ninja master might not be the best idea." Donnie commented. "You need to plan your moves through before engaging."

"She's not a ninja, she's a normal girl." Mikey remarked. "She was going with her gut and trying something her speed."

"Oh what, like five seconds ago?" Donnie commented.

"So she had a bad run." Mikey remarked. "It works sometimes, just watch."

Willow tried a second time, charging forward with her claws bared. She swiped twice, Splinter dodging each time. The third time, he caught her wrist, twisting it and putting her back down on the ground.

"See?" Mikey piped up. "She lasted longer this time."

"Just happenstance." Donnie dismissed. "It's still no excuse for proper strategy."

"Donatello, Michelangelo." Splinter called out, drawing their attention. "Do you wish to share your thoughts with the rest of us?"

The two froze up a bit before turning towards Splinter.

"Uh, it's nothing, Sensei." Donnie insisted. "Mikey and I were just debating the importance of strategy over 'going with the flow'."

"I see." Splinter noted.

"Yeah." Mikey replied. "Sometimes you just gotta go with your gut, follow your instincts and act without thinking because the bad guys don't always give you time to think."

"However, going in without a plan could be the last mistake you ever make." Donnie argued. "You need to know what you're doing, have an idea of what you want to do, and act on it."

"You both make very compelling arguments." Splinter commended. "Willow, what do you think?"

Willow blinked, contemplating the question.

"Well… Goliath is often stressing how important it is to have a plan before going through with a mission." she recalled.

Donnie grinned at Mikey.

"But often times, the plan falls through, and we're forced to rely on based instincts to survive." Willow amended.

Mikey smirked right back in confidence.

"So what you are saying is that they are both right, and both wrong." Splinter summarized.

Willow shrugged.

"I guess?"

"Then it seems this matter is settled." Splinter decided before walking off.

The three watched him go, the two turtles exchanging confused looks.

"You know it's Splinter wisdom when everyone's left confused at the end." Mikey declared.

…

Out in the city, Leo and Raph were out with the trio on patrol, the gargoyles keeping close to the roof so they could converse while flying.

"So, you guys do this every night?" Brooklyn questioned. "I thought you guys slept at night."

"Sometimes." Raph replied. "Other times we patrol the city for scum like the Purple Dragons and those robots."

Lexington growled at the mention of the robots, his eyes drifting to a faint scar on his wing where Krang had removed a small piece. Though a day of rest had healed him, he was still bitter over the experience. He quickly shook his head and returned to the moment.

"What do you know about those robots?" He asked.

"About as much as you do." Leo answered. "They created the ooze, they're incredibly strong, and-"

"Headed down mainstreet at reckless speeds." Broadway interjected, pointing downward.

The others looked down and saw a truck similar to the one the trio stopped the night Lex was taken. The green gargoyle's eyes lit up as a snarl slipped from his mouth.

"Let's see why they're in such a hurry." he declared, swooping down.

"We better follow him so he doesn't get himself in anymore trouble." Leo decided before he and Raph vaulted off the roof.

Brooklyn and Broadway follow after, unaware of the shadowy figure watching them from the darkness. Down below, the gargoyles swooped down in front of the windshield, catching the driver off guard. They immediately swerved to try and avoid the flying assailants. While they were doing that, Leo and Raph each drew a set of shuriken, throwing them at the tires and blowing them out. The truck swerved out of control before crashing into a lamp post. As smoke emanated from the scrunched up hood of the truck, the five inhuman heroes landed on the street and moved towards the downed vehicle. Just then, the back doors flew open, and several robots in human disguises came out and began opening fire on them.

"Move!" Leo ordered, causing the five to scatter.

They all quickly moved out of the way of the blaster fire before any shots could hit them. As Raph rolled onto the ground, he quickly pulled out a sai and threw it at the head of one of the robots, impaling it and knocking it to the ground. Leo dodged around the laser blasts before finally reaching the robot and slicing through it with his sword. Broadway dropped between two robots, smashing their heads together. Brooklyn darted up to one and managed to tear its arms off before smacking it with them. Lexington ended up pouncing on top of one, his claws tearing away at the metal as he howled angrily.

With all the robots down, the five heroes turned to the truck itself. Raph glared at the back doors, seeing a complicated electrical lock keeping it shut.

"Of all the nights for Donnie to stay home." he muttered. "How are we supposed to-?"

Brooklyn punched through the lock, then began bending the door out of the way, revealing the contents.

"Open." the red gargoyle declared.

"That works." Raph remarked.

"Wow, you boys certainly know how to make a mess." a familiar female voice called out.

The five of them turned to see Karai standing on a neighboring lamp post before leaping to the ground.

"Karai." Leo let out.

"Hey Leo, been a long time." Karai remarked. "Though I never pegged you for the armed robbery type."

"This has nothing to do with you." Leo insisted.

"You're clearly interested in whatever's in that truck." Karai argued, taking note of all the robot parts strewn across the street. "Interested enough to decimate those robots. That alone has me incredibly intrigued."

"These things are dangerous." Lex insisted. "Leave now."

"Well now I'm definitely seeing what's in that truck." she declared, drawing her tanto.

"Last chance to book out of here, Karai." Raph threatened. "Unless your itching for your undies to make an encore performance."

Karai went stiff for a moment, then her vision went red. Letting out a primal yell, she charged at Raph. She swung her blade violently at Raph, making him duck and dodge every strike dealt his way. Raph quickly brought his sai up to block the blow as she stared him down.

"Still a touchy subject, I see." Raph remarked.

Karai quickly shoved him off and was about to run him through when Leo quickly came up and blocked the blow. The two traded blows at rapid succession, with neither one gaining ground on the other. Karai tried kicking at Leo's head but he quickly ducked under it and tried kicking at her, forcing her to leap out of the way.

Brooklyn swooped in and tried slashing at her with his claws, but she just blocked it with her blade and kicked him aside. Broadway came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her, trapping her arms at her sides. She reached as best she could, grabbing him and flipping him over her back. He collided with the truck, causing it to shake and making a canister of mutagen bounce across the ground. Karai stopped it with her foot, picking it up.

"Well, this isn't what I was expecting." she admitted, looking at the glowing concoction. "What is this stuff?"

"You don't wanna know." Broadway told her, pulling himself up.

"I guess I'll just have to figure this mystery out on my own." she said with a nonchalant shrug.

She then pulled out a smoke bomb and chucked it to the ground. The five of them tried to rush her, but just ended up dogpiling one another, the kunoichi nowhere to be seen.

"Damn," Raph let out. "She got away."

"And she got your ooze stuff too." Brooklyn remarked. "That's not gonna end well."

"No, it is not." Leo agreed.

…

At Foot headquarters, Karai walked through the main doors with the glowing canister in her hands. She walked right up to the throne room where Shredder sat, with Nakumo standing off to the side. Karai bowed respectfully as she approached.

"Father, I found something you might find interesting." She told him, holding up the canister.

"What is it?" Shredder asked.

"I'm not sure." Karai admitted. "But the turtles and gargoyles were insistent that it was dangerous."

She held up the canister, offering it up to him as he stood up and walked down towards her. He opened it, examining to contents. As he did, a fly buzzing around the room settled on the sludge, drinking a small bit of it before flying off. It made it about a foot away before suddenly dropping to the ground and growing. Karai and Shredder backed away in shock at the mutated fly, which buzzed loudly before flying towards them. Karai quickly kicked the fly right into the wall, knocking it unconscious.

"Incredible." Shredder remarked, glancing at the creature before his gaze returned to the ooze in his hand.

"If that stuff can turn a fly into that," Karai began, gesturing to the fly with her tanto, "Then whatever it is may be the key to the turtles' origins."

"Indeed." Shredder agreed, examining the ooze. "Just wonder though, if this had been in contact with a more powerful animal…"

"Perhaps it would make a creature strong enough to destroy the turtles." Karai finished. "Or even better, their gargoyle allies!"

"Exactly!" Shredder agreed, handing her back the canister. "Karai, Nakumo,take this to Stockman and tell him to prepare his laboratory."

"Yes, father." she replied, closing the lid once more.

"As you command, master." Nakumo replied

The two walked out of the room as Shredder took his place on his throne once more.

"Hun!" he called out.

Hun walked into the throne room and knelt in front of Shredder.

"You summoned, Master?" Hun asked.

"I have need of some of your Purple Dragons for an experiment." Shredder told him. "Round up a few volunteers, and have them brought to Stockman's lab immediately."

"As you wish, Master Shredder." Hun complied, heading off to complete his task.

…

Meanwhile, Leo, Raph, and the trio returned to the lair and informed the others what was going on. Donnie, Mikey, and Willow all sat on the couch as they explained, the latter downing a bottle of water.

"And then she got away with the mutagen." Leo concluded.

"This is grievous news indeed." Splinter dreaded. "The mutagen is dangerous enough on its own, but in the hands of the Shredder…"

"Incredibly catastrophic and potentially life threatening to the entire city?" Willow offered up.

"Exactly." Splinter confirmed.

"Then we need to find this guy and get your ooze back." Brooklyn rationalized.

"Easier said than done." Donnie responded. "Shredder's lair is a certifiable fortress, one we have yet to locate unfortunately."

"We've only ever dealt with them out on the streets, so we don't even know where to look." Raph grumbled.

"So what do we do?" Broadway asked.

"We'll have to wait for them to make the first move." Leo answered. "It's the only thing we can do."

About that time, Donnie's cell phone began to ring. Curious, he picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?" He spoke.

"Donnie, it's Angel. Remember me?"

"Oh, hey Angel." he replied. "What's up?"

"I did promise to act as your spy as a thanks for sparing my life." she reminded him. "Well, I've got some news that you might like… or not like actually."

"What is it?" Donnie inquired.

"Hun came into the headquarters today, asking for volunteers for an 'experiment for the Master'. He promised it would be a worthwhile venture, and that volunteers would be granted 'the tools they needed to squash the freaks plaguing our operations'. I'm assuming he meant you guys."

"No other freaks ruining the ventures of street gangs come to mind." Donnie replied. "How many did he take?"

"Two. Bebop and Rocksteady. That's the guy with the purple mohawk and his buddy if you're not familiar with who they are."

"I recall, they tried to kill us once." Donnie replied.

"Well, something tells me that once this experiment is over, they're going to try again. For your sake, I suggest you either make yourselves scarce, or arm yourselves to the teeth."

"We'll keep that in mind, thanks." Donnie responded before hanging up. "We got a problem."

…

At his laboratory, Dr. Baxter Stockman studied a sample of the mutagen under a microscope with gleeful curiosity.

"I have never seen anything like this..." he let out. "The chemical formula contains elements not even on the periodic table, and the bonding rate of these cells is astronomically fast."

"That's fascinating and all," Karai replied, stifling a yawn and looking bored out of her mind. "But we didn't come here for a science lecture. How does it create these… mutations?"

"Hmmm, well from the looks of it, it combines the DNA of two creatures, creating a single, mutated being." Stockman answered. "The turtles are no doubt a human-turtle hybrid."

"Really?" Karai replied sarcastically. "I never would've guessed."

"Sarcasm will not get you far, Miss Karai." Stockman informed her.

"Neither will you testing my patients." Karai replied.

"Can you create more mutations for Master Shredder?" Nakumo asked.

"Naturally." Stockman reassured. "All I need are test subjects, and some DNA samples.

"Your test subjects have arrived." Hun suddenly announced.

Both Karai and Stockman turned at the sound, seeing Hun escorting Bebop and Rocksteady in. Shredder accompanied them as well, curious to see the results of the experiments. The two dragons looked around, whistling at Stockman's set up.

"Hell of a place you got here, doc." Bebop commented.

"Yeah, quite the set up." Rocksteady agreed. "So, can you really make us as strong as those freaks? Even the winged ones?"

"Indeed I can." Stockman promised. "It's simply a matter of combining the mutagen with the right mammalian DNA."

"I brought some samples I would prefer." Shredder declared, holding up two vials. "I'll let you decide which goes where."

Stockman took the vials and brought them over to his work table, pouring some of the mutagen sample into each. He then loaded the mixtures into two different darts, which he then loaded into a dart gun.

"I suggest everyone step back." he warned. "I do not know what will happen, but I get the feeling that this process will not be pretty."

He then shot both Bebop and Rocksteady with the darts, hitting both of them in the two winced at the darts containing the vials pierced their skin and the mutagen coursed through their bodies. As they pulled out the darts, they could already feel something happening. Something changing inside of them. The mutation process had begun.

Bebop started feeling the effects of the mutagen. His body was starting to get bigger. So big that his feet burst through his shoes destroying them, and he had to tear off his shirt just to compensate his larger torso. His skin also seemed to be sprouting hair all over. His ears were pointing out and his face started contorting into a snout with tusks coming out.

"What is happening to us?!" Bebop questioned surprisingly laughing.

"I don't know," Rocksteady replied joyous as well. "But this feels great!"

Rocksteady was also going through a transformation. His hair started falling out as his skin began turning gray. His ears started pointing upward and his nose started contorting out and pointing upward into a horn. His feet and torso also became too big for his shirt and shoes.

Finally, the mutation was complete. Bebop and Rocksteady stood up to get a good look at each other's altered forms. They seemed to be laughing at the results.

"You Rock, you're a Rhinoceros!" Bebop exclaimed, patting his friend hard on the shoulder.

"And you're a..." Rocksteady stumbled, looking confused. "I don't know what you are, man."

Bebop laughed, then grabbed a metal dish off the table, looking at himself.

"Huh… I'm a little piggy!" He announced.

"You're a warthog." Karai corrected, letting out a groan. "Father, please tell me these idiots aren't your big plan to destroy the turtles and the gargoyles."

"If anything, they will serve as good test subjects." Shredder told her.

"So Rock, whaddya say we put our new forms to use?" Bebop asked. "I want another crack at that fat gargoyle!"

"Oh yeah!" Rocksteady agreed. "Let's go kick some turtle and gargoyle butt!"

The two quickly made their way out of the lab, unfortunately shattering the door frame as they did.

"No no, go ahead." Stockman let out. "I didn't need this place intact or anything."

"Master, is it wise to let those two loose?" Nakumo questioned.

"They'll certainly give our adversaries a hard time." Shredder replied. "Besides, if the mutagen could do that to them… imagine what it can do to our troops."

"Oh the possibilities are endless." Stockman agreed. "Even so, perhaps we should observe the… test subjects before recruiting more."

"Finally, something to do." Karai let out, stretching.

…

Meanwhile, the turtles and Willow met up with the Gargoyles on a nearby rooftop, Donnie quickly explaining the situation.

"The Shredder got ahold of that ooze potion?" Lexington asked.

"Yeah, and he took two of the Purple Dragons, Bebop and Rocksteady, to test it on." Donnie confirmed.

"Performing such dark magic on his own underlings..." Hudson muttered, shaking his head. "Never have I witnessed such cold hearted cruelty."

"All the more reason to find this potion and destroy it." Goliath declared. "Where is Shredder's fortress?"

The turtles exchanged uneasy looks. Willow caught on first.

"You don't know where it is, do you?" she guessed.

"No." Leo reported. "All our past battles have had him coming to us."

"Great." Brooklyn grumbled. "So Shredder has your potion, and we have no way of finding it."

"Our best bet is to find these two ruffians and have them lead us to Shredder's fortress." Goliath surmised.

"Just one problem." Broadway pointed out. "How do we find them?"

Suddenly, there was a large crash from down the street, accompanied by a car alarm, the sound of shattering glass, and a terrified cat screeching.

"Found em!" Mikey called out.

"Let's move guys!" Leo declared.

The turtles vaulted off of the rooftops, the gargoyles taking off after them with Willow in Brooklyn's arms.

…

Down in the street, Bebop and Rocksteady were doing everything they could think of to make a huge mess. They ripped off fire hydrants, smashed windows, even overturned cars as they made as much noise as possible.

"Oh turtles!" Bebop called out in a singsong voice. "Come out and play!"

When they didn't get a response, the two continued to wreak havoc on the street. As Rocksteady prepared to throw a hydrant at a building, something connected with the side of his face. He paused, looking down and seeing a hockey puck settling down.

"Hey fellas!" A voice cried out. "Looking for a good time?"

The two turned to see a man in a red sleeveless shirt, a hockey mask, weilding a hockey stick standing across the street.

"I must say, you two are the ugliest Purple Dragons I have ever met." He declared.

"Is that so?" Rocksteady replied. "Well you ain't exactly much to look at either, vigilante."

"You wanna test that?" He challenged.

The two mutants started moving towards the man, prompting him to run forward and slide under the two mutants. He then got up and swung his hockey stick at Bebops head, shattering it upon impact and knocking the mutant back slightly. Rocksteady retorted by punching the man in the stomach, sending him flying into a car.

"That was just a love tap, pal." Rocksteady remarked. "This next one's gonna hurt a lot more."

"Sorry to disappoint you, pals!" Leo's voice called out. "But you aren't gonna hurt anyone else, tonight!"

Bebop and Rocksteady looked up to see the turtles and gargoyles perched on a rooftop above them. Casey went wide-eyed, shocked at the sight of the gargoyles.

"Wow, and I thought the turtles were the weirdest thing in this city." he remarked.

"Who's the guy in the hockey mask?" Brooklyn questioned, gesturing to the man.

"Casey Jones." Raph informed. "A friend."

"Good enough for me!" Broadway declared, jumping off the roof.

The other gargoyles and turtles leapt down to the ground and stared down the their new mutant foes.

"Well well." Bebop let out. "Just the freaks we were working for."

"You think we're the freaks?" Mikey jeered. "1987 called, it wants its haircut back."

"Still got jokes, huh?" Bebop replied. "Well let's see how funny you are, after we bash your heads in!"

Bebop and Rocksteady ran forward towards the group, Goliath flew forward first, ramming right into Rocksteady. The rhino dug in his heels, kicking up pieces of the road as he tried to stop the gargoyle. He grabbed Goliath by the arms and tossed him aside, throwing him into a wall. Goliath rebounded hard, leaving cracks in the brickwork. Rocksteady saw this, grinning widely. Goliath quickly shook it off as he got back up, gritting his teeth in irritation.

Bebop meanwhile, was fighting with both Mikey and Broadway. He batted Mikey aside before Broadway tackled him to the ground, prompting the two to wrestle. The pig mutant quickly got on top, delivering several punches to Broadway's face. Mikey then quickly leapt onto Bebop's back, hitting him on the head with his nunchucks repeatedly. In return, Bebop grabbed him by the shoulders, flipping him off and onto Broadway.

"Ow…" Mikey let out.

"Thanks for trying." Broadway replied.

Mikey smiled as the two got to their feet. Broadway held Bebop's fists back long enough for Mikey to kick him in the gut. Bebop hunched over in pain, allowing Broadway to uppercut him in the snout.

"Aw yeah, son!" Mikey cried out. "Gargoyle turtle combo right there!"

The two high threed, or four'd in Broadway's case, then prepared to continue the fight. Meanwhile, Willow came rushing up to Casey, who was still staring at the gargoyles. She grabbed his arm, ducking as he instinctively swung at her.

"Whoa there." she called out. "Friendly."

"Sorry." Casey replied.

Willow shrugged.

"Hey, considering what you're staring at, I understand being on edge."

"Yeah," Casey replied. "New York. A hell of a town, eh?"

"Agreed." Willow nodded, holding out a hand. "Willow, by the way."

"Casey Jones." Casey replied, shaking it.

"Well, Casey Jones, I suggest we get to safety while our friends deal with bacon and bonehead." Willow insisted.

"You kiddin?" Casey replied. "I was made to take on boneheads like these."

"Maybe when they were human, but considering they're giving Goliath a run for his money, I say we leave this fight to them." Willow pointed out.

Casey peeked back over to see Goliath being pushed back by Rocksteady, the rhino mutant a bit too much for even him. Donnie tried leaping onto him, but Rocksteady just grabbed him and threw him off.

"Right." Casey allowed. "But I doubt even the big ones can hold off these losers for long. Unless you want to be scraping your pals off the sidewalk with a spatula, we need a plan and fast."

"I'm open to suggestions." Willow replied.

Just then, Mikey was thrown next to them, hitting the wall hard.

"Oh, hey guys." He greeted in pain. "You two getting along? That's nice."

Willow reached down, pulling Mikey back to his feet.

"A direct assault isn't working." She insisted. "We need to outthink these guys."

"Shouldn't be hard." Casey snorted. "I've seen doornails smarter than these two."

Mikey perked, getting an idea.

"Dude, I think I got an idea." He declared. "Casey, get Willow to safety."

"Uh oh." Willow let out. "I don't like this."

"You heard the turtle." Casey told her. "Let's hit the road."

He grabbed her wrist, pulling her to safety as Mikey ran back into the battle. He passed by Bebop and threw several shurikens at the mutant warthog.

"Hey Pumbaa!" Mikey jeered. "Little piggy wanna play?"

"What are you doing?" Brooklyn hissed, swooping down and landing beside Mikey.

"Trust me." Mikey insisted before raising his voice again. "You and Rocksteady have got to be the biggest and smelliest scumbags I've ever seen, and I've seen what you used to look like!"

The two mutants roared in response before charging at Mikey. Mikey quickly leapt over them, causing them to crash into a nearby construction site.

"We got 'em on the run, now!" Mikey declared.

"I think ye may have it the other way around, lad!" Hudson corrected.

Goliath began putting the pieces together, realizing what Mikey was planning.

"No, Michelangelo is right." He realized, looking at the site before them. "Everyone, in there!"

Not about to argue with him, both Gargoyle and Turtle alike began vaulting into the site, just as Bebop and Rocksteady got to their feet.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Rocksteady swore.

"And whatcha gonna do about it, horn face?" Mikey taunted.

"Do you seriously have a death wish?!" Raph asked.

"Just trust me." Mikey begged. "I have an idea."

"Why does that not fill me with confidence?" Lexington muttered.

Bebop and Rocksteady charged forward, tearing through several support columns along the way. Mikey glanced up, seeing the entire site beginning to shake.

"Everyone brace yourselves!" Mikey shouted.

The group stood their ground as the partially constructed building began to crumble, crashing down on top of them all. The Gargoyles began covering themselves with their wings, crowding around the turtles as they were buried in I-beams, wooden planks, and plywood. Willow and Casey, who were watching from an adjacent alley, both had to cover their mouths to keep from screaming. The two mutants watched the dust settle, seeing a piece of red cloth and the hilt of a viking sword.

"Guess that did it." Rocksteady remarked.

"So much easier this way." Bebop declared. "And look, souvenirs!"

He grabbed the mask, as well as she sword, giving it a test swing.

"Not a bad blade, eh Rock?" he asked.

"Not bad." Rocksteady agreed. "Come on, let's go tell the boss."

The two then took off, forgetting all about Willow and Casey. Once they were out of sight, Willow broke free of Casey, rushing over to the wreckage.

"Brooklyn!" she cried, trying to shift some of the rubble. "Goliath! Leo! Anyone!"

"Don't worry kid." Casey concoled. "Those guys are tough."

Willow didn't seem to hear him, continuing to try and shift the rubble. As she did, Casey heard the sounds of sirens approaching and panicked.

"Aw crap." Casey let out. "Hey kid, we need to go!"

Willow either ignored him, didn't hear him, or didn't care. Casey was just about to grab her and drag her away when a police cruiser pulled up into the entrance. Out of the cruiser came Elisa, who surveyed the damage before locking eyes on Casey.

"Well, well, if it isn't the masked vigilante." she greeted. "What are you doing here, Jones?"

"Detective Maza…" Casey let out.

"This has to be the fifth time I've caught you disturbing the peace." Elisa pressed. "I hope you have a good..."

She trailed off when she spotted Willow by the wreckage. Her face fell and a worried expression crossed her face.

"Oh no..." she whispered.

"Elisa..." Willow cried. "They're trapped. Please, you have to-"

Just then, the rubble started shaking, and Goliath came tearing out of the pile. The other gargoyles and turtles followed close behind. All of the gargoyles had white glowing eyes, howling like angry monsters.

"Wow, look at that." Casey let out, trying to act aloof. "Strange monsters, in New York. what could possibly-"

"Goliath!" Elisa called out in surprise and relief, stowing her gun and rushing over to the lavender Gargoyle.

"Oh," Casey let out. "You guys know each other. Good."

Willow threw herself around Brooklyn in relief, gripping him tightly. The white in his eyes faded immediately as he was caught off guard by the hug.

"Hey, we're tougher to kill than you think." He told her, patting her back.

"Oh, hey Eliza." Leo greeted, spotting the detective. "I see you've met Casey."

"We've run into each other on occasion." Elisa remarked. "Though I'm surprised to see you know him. He seems a bit reckless to be one of your allies."

"He's Raph's friend." Donnie explained.

"Ah." Elisa nodded.

"Anyway, what's with giving us a heart attack like that?" Willow questioned. "We thought-"

"We were roadkill?" Mikey guessed. "Exactly. Bacon and Bonehead will go back to Shred-head with the good news, and proof to boot."

"Meaning we can follow them back to where Shredder is hiding." Hudson pieced together. "Well played, lad."

"I try." Mikey smirked.

"Come, we must hurry." Goliath insisted. "Our quarry grows farther away with each passing moment.

"Then let's get going!" Leo declared, the group running off.

…

Back at Stockman's lab, Shredder was pacing restlessly, waiting for word back on Bebop and Rocksteady. Karai was laying on a desk, spinning a kunai in her hand out of sheer boredom as Nakumo sharpened his blade.

"Ugh..." she groaned. "How long is this going to take? I'm not getting any younger over here!"

"They have been gone longer than anticipated." Shredder admitted. "Still, I am certain that-"

The doors were suddenly thrown open as Bebop and Rocksteady came walking in.

"We came, we saw, we kicked mutant and gargoyle ass!" Bebop cheered.

"Check it!" Rocksteady declared, tossing Raph's mask and Hudson's sword onto the table before Shredder. "Those chumps ain't gonna need these anymore."

Shredder looked down at the trophies before turning to the mutants, punching them senseless. They both saw stars, falling on their butts and rubbing where the hits had connected.

"You imbeciles!" Shredder let out. "How have you brought me these trinkets and not the corpse of a single mutant or gargoyle!"

"I told you these guys were idiots." Karai let out. "I knew they'd fail because they can't even count to twelve without taking off their shoes."

"But… we squashed them under a ton of stuff!" Bebop told them. "They were pancakes."

"They are tougher to kill than most," Shredder retorted. "Believe me. So I ask again, where are their bodies?!"

"Right here." Broadway proclaimed.

The villains turned and saw the turtles and gargoyles in the doorway.

"And they are perfectly fine." Mikey added, flexing and kissing his bicep.

"Get them!" Shredder ordered.

They all charged at the heroes, causing them to scatter. Goliath charged at Hun, the two locking hands and wrestling with each other.

"I owe you big after last time, freak!" Hun told him.

"We shall see of that!" Goliath replied, showing Hun into a wall.

Brooklyn and Raph meanwhile went at Rocksteady, the latter leaping over the mutant rhino as Brooklyn moved in for a punch. Rocksteady stumbled back as Raph kicked the back of his leg, causing him to kneel over. Brooklyn then grabbed him by his shirt, lifting him up before throwing him through a wall.

"Not so tough now, are you?" The red gargoyle sneered.

Raph meanwhile went over to the table and grabbed his mask and Hudson's sword.

"Hey, Hudson," He called out, tossing him the sword. "Heads up!"

Hudson caught the blade just in time to stop Nakumo from striking him down.

"Thanks lad!" Hudson shouted, pushing Nakumo off of him.

"You think you can best me you old beast?" Nakumo sneered.

"Lad, I was battling the hordes of Scotland before ye were a twinkle in her great grancestor's eye." Hudson retorted, his eyes glowing white as he slashed at him.

The two continued clashing blades, neither gaining ground over the other. Hudson then whipped around, using his tail to knock Nakumo off his feet before slamming him in the ground. Across the room, Leo and Karai clashed blades themselves, the fury and intensity in their eyes evident.

"I'm going to enjoy tearing you out of your shell." Karai swore.

"Funny, I thought you'd rather play games with me." Leo remarked. "Spark lost between us?"

"You left me in my underwear!" Karai shrieked. "In New York! In Autumn!"

"Well you tried to kill my friend's father." Leo retorted.

"Xanatos has it coming and you know it." Karai snorted.

"Maybe, but you don't get to decide that!" Leo replied, shoving her aside.

She quickly kicked him in the face, sending him stumbling back as she leapt up to bring her blade down on him. He rolled out of the way as she landed, springing up and clocking her across the face.

"Right in the kisser." Leo remarked.

"Kiss this!" Karai snapped, kicking him in the mouth.

He fell back onto the ground, Karai ready to stab him. Leo dodged the blade, allowing her to stab the ground. She tried to pull her blade free, but it was stuck, allowing Leo to punch her across the face, knocking her down.

Meanwhile, Mikey and Broadway were fighting against Bebop, avoiding his massive fists to land some blows of their own. Mikey was dodging and weaving, performing his signature backflip in order to get on Bebop's shoulders.

"Hey Broadway, piggyback ride!" He cheered

Bebop thrashed around while attempting to throw Mikey off, but nothing seemed to be working. Broadway took this as an opportunity to fly in and tackle Bebop, prompting Mikey to leap off as Broadway flattened him.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey cheered, holding up a hand for a high five.

Donnie and Lex meanwhile, were going head to head against Shredder, barely avoiding his killer blade. Lex leapt towards him, but Shredder grabbed him by the throat and tossed him aside. Donnie tried swinging his staff at Shredder, causing him to bring up his claws to block it. He then kicked Donnie aside, causing him to roll back to his feet. Lex tried coming at him again, but Shredder easily swatted him back.

"Pathetic." Shredder dismissed.

Lex and Donnie just groaned as they got to their feet.

"We're getting nowhere with this guy." Lex realized.

"I know." Donnie replied. "We need a plan."

He looked around and saw the mutagen canister on the table. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. Donnie immediately sprang forward, pole vaulting over Shredder and landing on the table. He used his staff to swat the canister towards Shredder, using the electric relays to to zap it. It caused an explosion that knocked Shredder away, sending a small drop of mutagen towards the cowering Stockman, who ducked near a fly covered trash can.

"Guys, the mutagens gone!" Donnie called out. "Let's go!"

The gargoyles all took to the skies, grabbing a turtle as they flew the coop.

…

Down in the lair, the turtles filled Splinter in on their adventure, the gargoyles adding in their own input.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Michelangelo's idea saved our skins." Brooklyn admitted.

"Hey, I do have good ideas every now and then." Mikey insisted. "I just saw the construction site and all the pieces just started falling into place."

"And Don, nice thinking with the exploding mutagen." Leo commended.

"Yeah, how did you know that would work?" Lexington asked.

"I'll admit, it was a spur of the moment thing." Donnie conceded. "Guess there is something to be said for improvising."

"Now you understand the lesson." Splinter told them. "In a team unit, there is no true right way to complete a mission. Each of you possess strengths and skills that are invaluable. It is merely a matter of how you use those gifts that determines victory."

"It seems we all learned something today." Goliath said with a small nod.

…

Back at the lab, a grotesque abomination made up of insect chitin, fly-like spindles, and massive red eyes slowly pulled itself up onto the table. It gazed into the reflection of a beaker, horrified by what it saw.

"What… what happened to me?!" it let out. "What izzz thizzz?"

"It is your punishment for failure, Stockman." Shredder told it, walking up to him. "Your creations failed to bring me the turtles, and I do not tolerate failure."

Karai pulled herself up from where she'd been dropped, rubbing her face.

"I can't believe we lost." she muttered before pausing. "Actually, I can believe it, because we put our hopes in two complete morons!"

"Indeed." Nakumo replied, sheathing his sword. "What I want to know is how did they respond so quickly to their chaos."

"A fair question." Shredder replied. "Considering the only ones aware of these dealings were us… and the Purple Dragons."

"Master, you know I am loyal to you and only you." Hun insisted. "As are all of my men."

"Apparently not all of them." Karai snorted. "You've got a rat in the Dragons."

"And we need to exterminate it." Shredder declared. "By any means necessary."