"I'd advise you to reconsider. Donatello, what you're threatening to do won't solve anything. I will walk out of here unharmed and I will come out of this encounter victorious."

Daniel Malvir hadn't exactly planned this far ahead. How could he possibly know this would happen? He was proud of the fact the he had underestimated no one and was sure that it was the key to avoid defeat. He'd found the turtles' weakness quickly and he knew that taking one of them out was the way to crush them completely.

Their greatest strength was in their bonds as a family. But in that was also their greatest weakness. He'd tried making them retreat. That bomb in the building was meant as a warning, a display of what they would lose should they choose to continue, and had a turtle or two died in that explosion, at least it would have driven the point home.

Instead it seemed to have made them more determined to stop him and he was not in the least bit interested in being stopped. The world needed prober leadership, prober guidance and he would create an empire.

"Tell you what. Let me go and I'll release your brother," Malvir suggested, inclining his head, making sure that they knew that this was a great mercy on his part – they didn't need to know that he'd decided retreat was the most sensible choice for him right now. He needed to be alive to lead, after all. Ignoring the sting of the blade tighten at the movement of his neck, he leveled a sincere gaze at Donatello. Don't be stupid, it said. "You know better than most that I can pull the trigger before your friend makes a move. If I die, I'm taking your brother with me. If you let me walk, your brother lives to see another day."

"Let him go and we'll talk. How's that?" Donatello said quietly.

Malvir scoffed, "Talk? About what, exactly?"

"How to stop you? Motives? The weather?" Donatello answered drily. "But I want that gun off my brother. Now."

A small sigh and Malvir shook his head, "Easy. How to stop me? Give me what I want. Motives? I can do better. I am better. The weather?" He glanced out the window and shrugged. "I doubt you'll be able to see the sun for a very long time when all of this is over, unless you cooperate. Now, get that pointy thing away from me, or I shoot."

It was evident that a look was shared between the turtles and the sai was slowly eased away from his throat. Nudging the turtle in his grasp, he first headed towards the door, but one glance at the angry, red-clad turtle standing between them and freedom, he headed towards the window instead.

"I don't understand why you're being so unreasonable," he muttered as he went, pushing the leader in front of him, Leonardo's hands locked firmly behind his shell, "This would be an ideal world for you as well, if you were in my favor – which you still can be. You could be left alone, couldn't you? A life, without fear, without threat, without fighting – I thought that was what you wanted? I can give you that and you know it."

"Malvir, I recognize your intelligence, so do me the favor of recognizing mine. You're not leaving this room."

Malvir's eyes narrowed but he ignored Donatello and continued talking, inching towards the window that Michelangelo had just made his jump through.

"Or is it what you want? Maybe I spoke to soon. You know, what I say will go in this new world and if I say turtles are to be given rights and become true American citizens, then you will be given them. Free to live in this world. Think about it, Donatello. No more hiding, no more limitation. No more screams or hurtful words. You could be human."

Raph rarely was as indecisive as he felt right now. He'd quickly choose an action and then just go with it. Right now he was frozen to the spot, wanting to do something but having no idea what the right thing to do was.

Normally he'd place a wall up against bad guy monologs, but living top side had been something they'd all yearned for. How many times hadn't he thought his brothers belonged in a world where they could make a difference, instead of this hidden away life that, when they weren't fighting bad guys, felt like a waste.

Malvir hadn't exactly proven honorable, but the need to be normal when you've been special or different your whole life, is always right at the surface. Honestly, if Raphael could wish for anything, he'd wish they were humans.

Not that they weren't blessed. They had a tight family and a surprising amount of friends, but Malvir's offer had him tempted, even if he knew it would never work. They'd never be able to go to school, make friends, play some sport or be teenagers. They'd never be able to find love or have kids.

But maybe it could open up some doors that wouldn't budge before. Casey and April could only do so much and with the right help, maybe, instead of being normal, they could at least make a difference in the world by being individuals and who they are, instead of this secret saving the world stuff.

Maybe Malvir wasn't offering them normal, that was something even he couldn't do, but he was offering them a chance to be something more than shadows. A chance they would never get otherwise. Raph wasn't going to take the offer though, for one simple reason.

The answer lay, and would always lie, in the gun pressed against his brother's head. The world wasn't going to change because it was told to, even if Malvir got his way. He would never have that kind of power.

The second part of the offer – to be left alone – that was a load of shit. No way were they going to stay hidden and watch people die or turn to slaves and simply get a free pass. They'd get involved somehow and it would destroy them.

Besides, Raph scoffed, he might not be human but he was an American. And the United States doesn't negotiate with terrorist, he thought defiantly.

"No thanks, asshole, we're good," and he didn't care how many heads turned to him as he spoke. "You go ahead and jump that window. We'll be on you before you can blink and we'll make you pay. So go ahead, scumbag. Make my day."

Malvir narrowed his eyes in anger and tightened his hand with the obvious full intention of shooting the head off the goddamn turtle, being sick of them and their inability to take a hint.

He forcefully pushed Leonardo's head down and moved to press the trigger. It happened so fast that when the gunshot went off, no one really knew what had happened.

Johnny had wisely stayed out of the discussions and happenings in the head, much more concerned with the ones lacking from the vicinity. Mikey and Juliet had plunged to their death and nobody seemed to care that much, all focused on the jerk that was the cause of all of this. Then Donatello had grabbed a gun from someone and the tables had turned, or so he thought, but Johnny was still dealing with the fact that he'd lost two friends. He barely heard what was being said, and that was when he realized that he hadn't come empty handed, but he wasn't sure he had what it took to do what needed to be done.

Cursing at himself he edged to the window, taking effort not to be noticed and stared down. He couldn't see them, which he couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Not a minute had gone by since they made the involuntary jump and he'd have to take a chance himself.

He didn't want anyone to see what he was about to do, so he moved quietly, very aware that he wasn't sure what he was going to try would even work. But he was a brave kid, dammit, he'd jumped at the chance of an undercover mission and now he was on the winning team(he still had hope) of perhaps the most insane invasion since the return of the dinosaurs. Not wasting any time, he pretended he was simply back at the police academy doing a rappelling exercise. He vaguely heard Raphael scoff at something Malvir had said, as he eased himself up on the window sill and allowed himself to fall backwards.

It felt like they'd been falling forever, but in reality, it had been a very short amount of time and Mikey had gotten a chance to work at a skill he didn't exactly excel at – quick thinking. No, that was more of a Leo-skill that Mikey had yet to master. He did not have a plan for everything, but what he did have, was an uncanny ability to wing it – there's a difference. Therefore, he maneuvered a stiff Juliet behind him and onto his shell and with expressive command that she was to hold on and a reinforcement of that command until he felt arms tighten around his throat, as he fastened his trusted ninja climbing claws on his hand. Getting them closer to the building was slightly more difficult, but free-falling was not unfamiliar to him, even if he rarely had tried it from such an impressive height. Bracing himself, he slammed his palms into the stone of the statue, ignoring the strain on his arms. At first try it didn't stick, but his second attempt had better results, and though they were still falling, he was offering some resistance and gradually, he managed to slow their fall, even if he couldn't stop it completely.

They were still falling too fast, though, and this was where Donnie's knowledge of physics or Raphie's brute strength probably would be more suitable for their situation. Also, it certainly didn't help matters much that his access to oxygen was decreasing because of the woman on his back who he, quite frankly, had not expected to be that strong.

"Can you grab the shell instead?" he tried, his voice squeaking uncomfortably at the immediate following pressure, as she tried to lean in closer to hear what he was saying. That certainly didn't help matters.

At first it seemed she was going to give a longer explanation, but instead, she just yelled, "No!" and followed up with a desperate, "Can we get off this ride?"

"I'm trying!"

"We're going to die!" she shrieked.

"Not happening!" he argued.

"It's likely!"

"No way!"

"It's probable!"

"Not possible!"

"And why the hell not?!"

"Just hang on! Gently!"

"I don't-" the rest disappeared as Mikey suddenly pulled his feet up and released the claws. With a mighty shove, he propelled them both backwards, and had the air not been pressed out of Juliet's lungs, her scream certainly would have been heard all over New York. Instead it became more of a silent squeak that ended in an oomph as their fall suddenly changed directions.

Juliet had her eyes closed as the wind was making them sting and water, so it wasn't until she felt her body no longer jerking around that she dared open them up. She knew they weren't on the ground yet, the strong wind being a solid indicator, if the way she was hanging limply from whatever her now favorite turtle was hanging on to. Also, instead of going down, she was fairly convinced they had stopped falling and started flying.

Looking up, she saw wings. Or maybe not wings. That certainly was a body and what looked like a glider.

"Johnny, dude, most excellent timing!"

Taken a breath and making an attempt at stilling her frantic beating heart as they glided through the air, at first unsteadily, but soon more and more fluently as they descended in circles, she finally asked, "Another one of Donnie's?"

"Oh yeah! It was in their van-"

"-Battleshell," Mikey protested.

"-shaped like a small bag pack and it turns out it unfolds to these wings-"

"- I think we just called them the Glider Wings-"

"-I thought it was a parachute-"

"- The Turtle Wings, maybe?"

"-so imagine my surprise when it folded out-"

"-The Green Glider?-"

"-and I could control, well somewhat, where I was going-"

"Stop! I don't really care!" Juliet finally interrupted, "Just get us down!"

Johnny closed his mouth abruptly, while Mikey continued his brainstorming for names.

".. Shell Slider? Nah.."

"Does it matter?!" Juliet shrieked once again, as she saw the ground rapidly approaching. With Mikey dangling from whatever he was holding on to and her clinging to him, she had no idea how they were supposed to land without getting hurt.

"Aim for the water, it's easier," Mikey instructed Johnny, and once again, the air completely left her lungs as he suddenly dropped them from several feet up. The water hit her hard and left her disorientated, but she managed to keep a tight hold of the shell in front of her, even managed to knock her head on it when they came to a halt in the water and suddenly they were floating and she could breathe again. Prying her cold fingers off the turtle, but not completely letting go as she didn't quite trust her body yet, she pushed strands of her hair away from her face, and spotted Johnny close by.

It was the first time she'd had such a close encounter with death, and it had all happened so fast, she hadn't been able to process it until now. In what felt like seconds, she'd been thrown out a window, been caught by Michelangelo who'd managed to slow them down enough for Johnny to rescue them both and bring them to the ground. Her heart was pounding and when she realized Mikey had brought them all together, she dropped all pretense and reached out to hug them both tightly.

"We're never doing that again!" she told them, pretending the wetness on her cheeks was from the water alone.

And suddenly they were laughing, and Mikey was asking them to hold on, as he brought them back to shore.

They had to get back up there.