A/N: Constructive criticism is always welcome!

CHAPTER ONE

"Come on guys, we have to hurry!" Donatello whispered, "The power grid is just up ahead."

"I can't believe you talked us into this Donnie," Mikey groaned, holding fast to the ceiling.

"It's bad enough that we snuck in here," said Leonardo, hidden somewhere so well that none of his brothers were quite sure where he was, "But did it have to be Bishop's headquarters?"

"Taking out his power grid is the only way to stop him from finding our lair," Donnie argued, "He's been trying to tap into our wireless frequency!"

"Let's just get in and get this over with," said Raphael, his form slightly visible in the shadows. He wasn't trying very hard to meld into the wall like Leo.

"Alright, here we go," said Donnie.

He took a deep breath, and place one foot on the tiled floor. Instantly an alarm blared.

"Great. Just great," said Raph.

"Mission aborted," said Leonardo, "Let's get out of here!"

"All right, all right!" said Donnie, "Mikey, open the vents, quickly!"

"You got it, bro!" said Mikey, retracing his steps to open their exit.

"Hurry it up already," said Raphael, "We don't got all day!"

With Mikey and Donnie in the lead and Leonardo bringing up the rear, the four turtles raced down the hallway towards the vents, mindful that Bishop's men would be after them within seconds.

"Change of plans. We need to split up," Leo ordered, "Don and Mikey, you take the vents. Raph and I will lead them on a wild goose chase down the hallway. We'll catch up to you later."

"Right," Mikey said, opening the vent grate, "Hurry up, Don! Slowpoke."

"You're the slowpoke, slowpoke." Don argued.

"Guys, be quiet, will ya?" Raph said, annoyed, "Now get going, Donnie!"

Donnie followed his brother into the vents, and Raph replaced the vent cover before running down the hallway with Leo. The two turtles in the vents began to crawl forward as quietly as possible.

"Hurry up, Don!" Mikey whispered, in the lead.

"You hurry," Don whispered back, "I'm staring at your feet here! And they smell!"

Suddenly Mikey stopped.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

Silence.

Then a small rolling sound.

"Shell!" Don said. Mikey didn't even have to ask, he knew it had to be something bad.

The two of them crawled forward as fast as they dared, the rolling sound getting slightly louder.

"The vent splits just ahead," Mikey said, "I'll go right, you take left. We'll meet outside."

"Got it," Don said. He proceeded to watch his brother shuffle off into the right tunnel, and he found himself finally able to see the vent in front of him. Wow, was it dusty. And full of cobwebs.

He grimaced, but continued forward. The rolling sound was still behind him, but it seemed to get just a little fainter. That might be a good thing. Then again, he hoped it wasn't following Mikey.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the vent tunnel had led to the outside shaft where they had entered the building not too long ago. He must have taken the original route by accident, completely backtracking without realizing it.

Donnie stood outside the building in the alleyway, panting. He needed to get away. But where were his brothers? Where they out yet? He cautiously made his way around the alley and over the next building. He wasn't going to enter the sewers so close to Bishop's headquarters, where he could most easily be tracked.

He finally made it to the safe-haven building, the one they had designated as their meeting place should they become separated. It was an abandoned apartment building, and they usually met on the roof.

There was no one there.

Hm. Maybe he was just early, and the others were on their way. And if they knew they were being followed, they would have to lead Bishop off their tail before coming to the building. Come to think of it, it could take them as long as two point five hours to get Bishop off their trail…

His shellcell rang, startling him about a half-foot off the ground. One look at the ID confirmed that it was Raph, so without a thought Donatello whipped it open and began speaking.

"Raph!" he said, "You're alright! I was getting worried. I got separated from Mikey, and-"

"Don! Good, I made it through! Listen, bro, this is very important," Raphael interrupted over the phone, "You gotta take five steps to the left."

"I-what?" Don stammered, "Raph, where are you?"

"Just do it, Donnie!" Raph commanded, and with the roughness that usually accompanied Raphael's calls, the line went dead.

"That was odd, even for Raph," said Donnie. Was Raph watching him? If so, why didn't he meet him on the roof? And why command him to take five steps, to the left?

Although confused, Donnie nonetheless took five steps to the left. His brother could have been telling him that he was exposed to Bishop, and had simply meant to tell him to step to the left. And because Raph was sometimes known for exaggeration, he could have added the 'five steps' just because it sounded cool.

Donnie tapped his foot. Where were his brothers? And why didn't Raph come reach him? He thought of calling them one by one on the shellcell, but chances were high that they were busy. Maybe he should meet them back at the lair instead…hey, what was that sound?

Something large and mechanical sailed out of the corner of his eye, and landed with a large crash on the spot he had previously been standing. With a surprised jump, Donnie landed on his shell several feet away, dangerously near the precipice of the building.

It was a very large piece of junk, glass, shrapnel and metal all woven together into a ball. On a second look, it was merely a badly mangled vehicle. A vehicle which had somehow managed to be thrown all the way to the top of the building.

Donnie carefully slid over to the side of the building, and risked glancing over the short wall. What he saw made his heart stop.

Army vehicles and soldiers lined the road. But what caught his eye was one person, a very angry person who was glaring at everyone present. Bishop.

Of course! With the new exosuit Bishop had been planning to build-Don had seen the schematics-the man could easily throw a vehicle to the roof of a building. It all made sense now. The man was probably mad that he and his brothers had once again escaped his clutches!

Wait. Did Bishop know he was up there on the roof? No, it didn't look like it, judging by the way Bishop was acting. But then, he probably was busy looking for Turtle.

Hm, had his brothers make it out? Raph did, and he was probably with Leo. Then again, Raph couldn't be with Leo; he wouldn't have called to warn him about the car if Leo had been with him because Leo would have called instead. And how could Raph have known where the car would land, anyway?

His shellcell rang again. He answered without looking at the ID.

"Donnie, listen, ya gotta get outta there," Raph said.

"I think I already know that, Raph," Don said, slightly rolling his eyes, "But I think I'm going to lay low for a while. Where are you? And where's Leo?"

"Donnie," said Raph seriously, "You have to get off that roof within the next ten minutes. Because if you don't, something bad will happen. Very bad."

"What?" Donnie asked, "What's going on? Where are you?"

"Bishop is after you, on your trail," Raph said, "Don't take the Battleshell, he's got men watching it in the alley. And don't go back to the lair, either. It ain't safe in the sewers."

"Alright," said Don, his mind processing information, "Can I come to you?"

There was a small silence on the other end of the phone before Raph began speaking again.

"Unlock the roof door of the building you're on and go to the third floor," he finally said, "Jump from the west window of the second apartment on the right, and land in the open window of the building next door. Hurry."

Donatello nodded, even though his brother couldn't see it, and hung up the phone. It wasn't like Raph to give such detailed instructions, but that meant that he had probably already come to the roof and left the same way. He was most likely waiting in the other building, out of sight of Bishop's men.

Donnie moved over to the roof door and used one of his tools to unlock it. It opened with a squeak, and he reminded himself to keep it as quiet as possible.

Wait. If Raph had already come this way, why would the door still be locked? This was an abandoned building; it wasn't like someone would come along and lock the door again.

Donnie slid into the stairwell and closed the door behind him. He carefully made his way down the stairs until he made it to the third floor, and then easily exited the hallway and went into the bedroom where he found the window Raph had mentioned. He opened it with a little trouble; the thing hadn't been opened in years, and easily jumped from it into the next building, where he instinctively closed the window behind him.

This next building was dark.

"Raph?" he whispered.

He bumped against something at waist level, and after a little fumbling his fingers found a light switch. He turned it on.

There was no one in the room, but the place was obviously a children's bedroom.

"Raphael?" Donnie whispered quietly, hoping that the family who lived in this house hadn't heard all the racket he had made.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion, and Don found himself knocked to the floor at the same time that the power went out. The rumbling continued, but for far too long. Initially he thought it was an earthquake, but that didn't seem possible given the circumstances.

Dust and debris seemed to fly around the window that he had just closed. The room took on dusty, swirling shadows as the full moon shined down through the window.

Don jumped to his feet. On the other side of the window was the building he had just jumped from. There could be no moon in the window, it was impossible!

He moved to the window, and gasped. The entire building was gone, demolished, all in one instant.

But who would demolish a building at night? Who had the means, and the motive?

Donatello's eyes narrowed. Bishop. He must had known Donnie was on the roof all along! Why else would he demolish the building?

Donnie's shellcell rang again, the faint glow only slightly adding to the luminosity of the room. Since the power had gone out-doubtless caused by the demolished building next door-the full moon had given the room a very bright atmosphere, which the room seemed to welcome almost happily.

The caller ID read one name: Raphael.

How had his brother known the building would collapse? How had he been able to give him such precise directions to safety? What the shell was going on?

The ringtone went off again.

Should he answer?