Disclaimer: I own nothing except Kayla and the rest of my OCs.

Quick Note: This is a rewrite of the rewritten chapter, haha. I'm not a fan of how I originally wrote this...there are a half-ton of plot holes. DX

Chapter 1

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"Karai said that we would find her here."

"Why the interest in this girl? She is just a random teen, yes?"

Rahzar's eyes narrowed, glowing in the darkness as he surveyed the dimly-lit apartment building...and the eighth-story window that was their target. "I heard that there's something special about her. She's got ties to the Foot or something."

Fishface raised an eye ridge. "Perhaps Karai is worried about competition?"

The wolf-man grunted noncommittally. "All I know is that it's our job to get the girl, give her the serum, and bring her back to Shredder's Lair." With a sharp glance at his companion, Rahzar made a beeline for the window, his footsteps a near-silent whisper across the gravel rooftop.

A fanged grin appeared on Fishface's lips and he glanced down at the syringe on his belt, full of glowing green ooze. This was going to be fun.

Kayla Brent stared wide-eyed at the open door that led to the hallway, one hand reaching for the heavy lava lamp on her bedside table. She was sure that someone was in the front room.

The creaky floorboards in this drafty old apartment had woken her up a few minutes ago, making her pulse race. The floorboards never creaked unless someone stepped on them. But minutes passed without a sign of anybody, and the brunette started to relax.

And then a scaly, webbed hand closed over her mouth.

Kayla let out a muffled scream, her eyes opening impossibly wider at the sight of the hideous mutant fish that held her captive. An enormous wolf-man appeared at the foot of her bed, his fangs glistening in the dim light. The wolf grinned and gestured to her.

"Go ahead," he said in a gravelly voice.

Kayla was so preoccupied with trying to make sense of what was happening that she didn't notice the fish's hand drift to his belt. Nor did she notice him uncap the syringe. But the sharp pinch of the needle as it pierced her skin made her flinch.

Immediately, burning fire started to travel through her veins. The brunette jerked away from the mutant and let out a curse, grabbing her bicep. "What did you-"

The fish flashed another grin as the world around her started to tilt. "Just a little something special. Master Shredder sends his regards."

Ice shot into Kayla's heart, battling with the liquid coursing through her. Shredder. A name that she hadn't heard in a long, long time.

As the wolf-man picked her up and slung her across a bony shoulder, Kayla tried to call for help. But her voice failed her, the edges of her vision fading to black.

The last thing the teen heard was the wolf's laughter as he climbed out of the window and into the night beyond.

Leonardo was having a bad night.

Raph had been undermining his orders again, running off with Mikey to see who could make it to the Dragon Gate first while they were supposed to be searching for ooze canisters.

Mikey was easily distracted by every little thing he saw - more so than normal - and either didn't hear the leader's commands or chose not to obey them.

Donatello was the only one who was even close to listening. Which wasn't saying much, since the genius was currently planning on heading for April's apartment, eager to see how she was doing after her recent trip to the Bahamas.

On top of all that, they had tried - and failed - to stop the Purple Dragons from robbing a drugstore and they had gotten their shells handed to them by Hun at the ice skating rink.

The blue-masked turtle heaved a sigh, calling after Donnie. "We have to go find Mikey and Raph and then head back to the Lair. It's almost dawn."

Donnie returned to his oldest brother's side, allowing the disappointment to show on his face. "But she said that she'd give me some of the pictures she took." A scowl from Leo had the Bo-wielding ninja looking sheepish. "Maybe some other time,"

Leo stifled the urge to roll his eyes and started running for the Dragon Gate. He was about two blocks away when a voice he knew all too well made him freeze. Silently, the leader crept to the edge of the roof and looked down. Cobalt eyes narrowed.

On the rooftop across from him ran Fishface and Rahzar, the latter carrying something across his shoulder. Leo inhaled sharply when he realized what it was.

Light breathing alerted Leo to Donnie's presence, and a concerned look appeared on the genius's face as he took in the scene before them.

"Kidnapping," Donnie murmured.

"But why?" the blue-banded leader asked.

Two seconds later, Fishface's voice echoed in the air, giving them an answer. "Hurry up," he said urgently. "Master Shredder will not be pleased if we aren't back with the girl by sunrise."

Leo stiffened, and a glance at Donnie revealed that he'd heard, too. "Any idea why Shredder wants a teen off of the streets?" Leo asked.

Don shook his head. "Honestly? I don't know. But...if Shredder wants her, then she must be important to whatever he has planned."

"So what do we do?"

The unexpected voice of Mikey made Donnie jump. Raph snorted, crossing his arms. "Easy, Don. It's just us."

"I knew that," Donnie replied haughtily. "I just-"

"Guys," Leo interrupted. "They're getting away."

"Let 'em go," Raph said. "She doesn't matter to us. We don't even know her."

"But she could get hurt," Mikey put in, his eyes pleading. "We can't let that happen."

Leo studied each of his brothers' faces in turn, making his decision. He nodded after the trio and took off. Raph sighed but didn't comment further. The ninja caught up to Shredder's henchmen easily.

The only indication of Rahzar's surprise was the slight but telltale twitch of his eye. "And I thought that this night was going to be boring," he observed idly. "Never thought that you'd show your ugly faces."

Raph growled. "Look in the mirror lately?"

Leo glared at his brother. "What do you want with her?" he asked, nodding towards the unconscious teen.

"We don't want anything," Rahzar replied. "But Shredder has something special in mind."

"Mutation," Donnie guessed, his voice grim.

"What does it matter to you?" Fishface asked. "She is just another girl, yes? You do not know her. This is not a matter that concerns you."

Rahzar paused, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes. Then he gave the turtles a fanged grin. "Take her," he said, tossing the girl onto the gravel rooftop. Donnie winced at the sound of her head hitting the ground, but didn't dare step forward just yet.

Fishface's head whipped towards the wolf. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

But the mutant just chuckled. "If they want her so badly, let them take her." He turned to the ninja, that sly grin returning. "Later, freaks." Grabbing Fishface, the wolf-man disappeared into the darkness.

"Um...what just happened?" Mikey wondered aloud, his eyes wide.

Suspicions and doubts spun in Leo's mind. "It was almost like...they didn't care. Like they did something."

"They certainly did something," Donnie replied grimly. "I found a puncture wound on her right bicep. They injected her with a serum."

"But what kind? And why?"

The genius shook his head. "I don't know. But she's in bad shape, Leo. I don't know what they put into her system, but...she's fading fast."

"So what?" Raph asked again, the impatience clear in his tone. "She doesn't matter. We have no clue who she is, why the shell Shred-Head wanted her, or why Fishface and Rahzar just gave her up so easily. I say she's more trouble than she's worth."

"What do you mean, she doesn't matter?" Mikey repeated. His baby blues snapped with anger. "She's a citizen, Raph. She's an innocent. We save them. We protect them. No matter what. And if we just let her die, if we just left her here in the cold on a gravel rooftop, we'd be giving up. We'd be forsaking everything that Master Splinter taught us. We wouldn't have any honor." He turned to Leo. "Isn't that what you're all about? Honor? The Bushido Code? How would leaving a teenage girl out in the cold to die be following the code? How would there be any honor in that?"

Leo's expression turned pained. "Mike-"

"No," the freckled turtle interrupted. "If you guys don't help her, I will. I'm not gonna explain to Dad why we let someone die just because Raph was being a tool." And having said that, Mikey pushed past his older siblings, scooped the brunette up, and started walking towards the nearest manhole cover.

All three turtles were shocked into silence for a moment. Then Donnie burst out laughing. "He's definitely your brother," the genius told Raph, following after the orange-banded ninja.

Despite himself, despite the heavy burden that had been placed on his shoulders, Leo grinned and elbowed his immediate younger brother. "Looks like you've been outvoted," he murmured.

Raph just scowled, crossing his arms. "Shut up."

Hey, guys!

So, there's already a lot of change in this first chapter. I'm going to try and rewrite the beginning half of the story (probably until chapter 13 or so)...Let me know if this version is any better!

I figured it would be if it weren't so mushy - and there was an actual plot, haha.

Please review.