"Michelangelo," Sarina calls, walking out of the lab. "Have you seen Leonardo or Destiny?"
Michelangelo, half asleep in the living room with a pizza box over his head, groans and sits up. The box tumbles to the floor.
"Nada, sis," he says. "I thought they had that meeting with Karai."
Sarina's eyes flash, narrowing at the same time. "They did, but that was hours ago. Destiny has not answered my texts. Neither has Leonardo."
"What about calls? Leo's real good at picking up calls."
"Negative."
Michelangelo frowns and gets to his feet. "Huh? But that's totally weird!" He huffs. "Uh...maybe they got home and went to bed? They could've slipped past."
"That would be a worthy option, except I already checked."
"Dang, Sari, you're really on top of things."
"Thank you. I do try my best."
Michelangelo laughs, then gasps. "Wait, then that means they're missing!" He leaps out of the living room and races to the bedrooms. "Guys, wake up! WAKE UP!"
"Aw, come on, Mikey," Raphael groans as he stumbles out of his room. "It's like...too early o'clock."
"If this is about Dr. Squirrelenstein..." Donatello starts as he leaves his own bedroom.
"Worse!" Michelangelo says. "Leo and Des are still missing, and they aren't picking up their t-phones!"
Raphael and Donatello share a glance, then look towards the entrance to the hall as Sarina appears, faintly glowing even in the dark.
"One guess where they are," Raphael says.
"I'll track their phones," Donatello says, already pulling out his own. The three brothers move closer to Sarina. "Karai must've recruited them for something," he adds as they go.
"Should I accompany you?" Sarina asks.
"Hold up the base," Raphael says. "We'll call if it's bad."
Sarina nods. "Yes, of course. I will be on standby."
"Tracking now," Donatello reports. "We'll have a location soon. Let's go."
----------
When Karai, Leonardo, Destiny, Shinigami, and the rest of the new Foot Clan arrive at Auman Chemicals, the only sign of a guard is a single Foot bot. Destiny stares at it for maybe a little too long. She hasn't fought a Foot bot in...well, a long time.
They hide in the rafters and, with a brief nod from Karai, her and Leonardo drop to the floor, making quick work of the sentry. Shinigami and Destiny drop down next, Destiny with a few flaps of her wings, Shinigami with the help of her chain.
"Plant the explosives, get out fast, and blow the place," Karai whispers, peering down at the glowing orange vats far below. "Nobody will ever know we were here."
"Uh-uh," Shinigami says, sliding to Karai's side, hand lithely resting on her shoulder as she points down. "Somebody will..."
Sure enough, a door opens a few levels down as Tiger Claw and Rocksteady walk out onto the metal platforms. Destiny's eyes narrow and she immediately searches around for any sign of Bebop. Whenever Rocksteady's around, his warthog companion isn't far behind.
Her ears prick and her nostrils flare.
"This isn't gonna be as easy as we—" Leonardo starts.
"Look out!" Destiny shouts.
A wad of pink goop zooms past them as all four teens duck to the ground. Bebop shimmers into view, one hand aimed out at them.
"Hee hee! Gotcha, son," he says. "I sniffed you a mile away!" His hands fall to his hips as he starts swinging them. "Whoo-hoo!"
More globs fly from his belt. Destiny takes to the air while Leonardo, Karai, and Shinigami duck and dodge. Shinigami front flips forward, snatching a glue blob out of the air and whipping it back at Bebop. Before he can oink, he finds himself plastered to the far door.
"Aw, snap!" He grunts and struggles. "You goo-ed me with my own goo! That's sick, bro!"
The door he's glued to opens, sending him ramming against the railing, again and again as Foot bot after Foot bot rushes out to meet them. Without a word, Destiny swoops down to the lower levels, quickly followed by the others. Tiger Claw stands before them, teeth bared.
"I was hoping you'd show up here, girl," he says.
"Let's make with the crushing already!" Rocksteady bellows, ramming his gold-studded knuckles together.
Karai smirks, putting her fingers to her lips and whistling. Immediately, the newest Foot recruits appear, scattered across different levels.
"So the cub's recruited Foot soldiers of her own," Tiger Claw says. "Let's see if they are worthy of the name!"
He roars, ushering Foot bots to appear all around him, and Karai eyes the new company with amusement. She crouches, readying her tanto. Destiny flexes her fingers, already feeling her wolf coming forward, and Leonardo and Shinigami unsheathe their weapons.
Karai smirks. "I didn't want it to be too easy."
----------
"Well, good news is that they're together," Donatello says as Raphael drives the Party Wagon down the quiet streets. "Bad news, they're at Auman Chemicals."
"Huh? Why'd they be there?" Michelangelo asks, his face appearing through the back window.
"Think," Donatello says. "They're probably trying to take down Shredder's assets."
"What, and they didn't tell us?" Raphael asks. He grits his teeth. "Stupid, what if Tiger Claw got a hold of them?"
"I could see you doing something like this, Raph," Michelangelo says. "Maybe Destiny, but Leo? Never. Sort of, I mean, he's had his moments—"
Raphael's jaw clenches harder as he shifts gear and presses on the gas, drowning out Michelangelo's voice. "Stupid," he repeats under his breath.
----------
The battle feels a little one-sided, but that's okay. Between fighting the Foot henchmen, their only goal is to plant the explosives and get the hell out of Dodge. Leonardo takes on Tiger Claw while Shinigami effectively distracts Rocksteady and Bebop.
"Come and get me, dinosaur!" she cackles.
"Dinosaur?! I am rhinoceros!"
Destiny and Karai have the fun of planting the bombs and fending off bots with the rest of Karai's ninjas. Destiny soars to the hard-to-reach places while Karai takes the perimeter. They plant bombs inside pipes, underneath bridges, in vats, and all over the walls.
"We've gotta get out of here!" Leonardo shouts as even more Foot bots pour in.
In silent agreement, Destiny, Karai, and Shinigami head for the nearest door. Destiny shifts into her wolf briefly, roaring as she clears a path through the main door and out into the night. Behind them, Tiger Claw shouts for retreat.
Shinigami laughs as they race out onto the rooftops, already lauding their victory.
They're a good distance away when the factory blows, smoke and flame billowing into the air as the earth rattles. Destiny's ears twitch at the sound of shattering glass, of cracking brick, of screams—
She stops dead, eyes wide, heartbeat spiking. Those screams are familiar. She sniffs the air slowly, and her stomach drops into her feet. She smells smoke, the acrid scent of chemicals and burning metal, but beneath that, she smells the turtles. All four of them.
"Leo..." she says, her voice dying before the second syllable.
She turns, hoping to see her group, but Karai and Shinigami are silhouettes against the night and Leonardo is close behind them. Destiny swallows hard, giving her wings a hard flap as she zooms forward.
"Leo!" she repeats, and this time, he stops. He turns to her as she skids to a stop in front of him, breaths fast. "Leo, your brothers, they...they're here."
"What?"
"They're—"
Her ears twitch at the sound of pattering footsteps and she turns her attention to the street. Raphael and Michelangelo hobble as fast as they can towards an alleyway, Donatello held limply between them.
"What?" Leonardo repeats, but there's no confusion in his voice this time. "What happened? What are they...?"
"Leonardo, Destiny!" Shinigami calls.
"Go on without us," Leonardo returns. "I have to help Donnie!"
"Donatello?" Karai repeats, but Destiny and Leonardo are gone.
----------
By the time Leonardo and Destiny reach the others, they're at the Party Wagon already. Destiny jogs towards them, only slightly halted by the sounds of struggle fading behind them; robots screeching, Tiger Claw's ice gun.
Karai and Shinigami can handle themselves, she tells herself.
Leonardo climbs into the Party Wagon after his brothers, Destiny peering in behind him. More smells reach her: burnt skin, blood. Her stomach churns and she has to step back, finding minimal comfort in the fact that she can still hear four heartbeats inside that van.
"What are you guys doing here?!" Leonardo demands.
"What are we doing here?!" Raphael repeats. He steps forward, finger aimed at Leonardo's chest. "We were looking for you two when Donnie got blown up!"
"Hey, I know how much you like to fight, but the bad guys are still out there!" Michelangelo says, pointing outside and past Destiny.
"I can hold them off," Destiny says, already turning around. "I'll—"
"No, we stick together," Raphael retorts, already stepping out to grab onto her arm. "I know you two apparently don't work like that anymore, but it's what we're doing."
She pales at the rage in his eyes, nodding. Leonardo and Raphael take the front seat, Michelangelo and Destiny taking the back with Donatello, and the Party Wagon peels out as Bebop and Rocksteady's van appears in their rearview.
Yellow lasers fly at them from behind, making Raphael curse as he swerves to avoid them. He whips the van around as Michelangelo readies the weapons, eyes narrowed.
"Don't mess with the Party Wagon!" he hollers. "Booyakasha!"
A stink bomb launches from the roof and the tires screech as Raphael zooms away again, leaving the Foot to drive through a cloud of stench. It doesn't hold them back for long.
Michelangelo stares through the periscope, gulping. "Guys, they've got sickles! Go faster!"
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Raphael retorts.
Bebop puts on a burst of speed and with an ear-splitting screech, the Party Wagon jolts. They go sliding around a corner, Raphael desperately steering.
"We've lost a tire!" Leonardo shouts.
"Hold on to something!" Raphael retorts.
Destiny grabs onto Donatello and holds him close as the car crashes onto its side, sliding across the pavement until it comes to a rough stop in a narrow parking area. The turtles and Destiny don't waste a second, kicking open the nearest door and taking to the rooftops, Destiny carrying Donatello.
The Foot soldiers search the wrecked Party Wagon, but by the time they get there, the Hamatos are long gone.
----------
"Sensei!"
"Sarina!"
Splinter and Sarina, already standing and talking in the living room, turn as the turtles and Destiny rush inside, carrying Donatello between them. They set him down and Sarina gasps. She rushes to his side, kneeling down and cupping his face. Leonardo presses his hand to Donatello's chest, sick with worry.
"My children, what happened?" Splinter demands.
"Factory, uh...explosion!" Raphael says, too frazzled to think of anything more to say.
"Get him to the dojo," Splinter says. "I will prepare the healing mantras. It will be quicker."
Again, Raphael and Michelangelo are quick to obey, Sarina helping to lighten the load. Leonardo and Destiny stay rooted in place, Destiny's hand reaching to her mouth as her ears press to her hair.
"Father, wait," Leonardo says as Splinter moves towards the dojo. He stops. "It's my fault. I—"
"No, it's our fault," Destiny insists, stepping forward as she presses a fist to her chest. "We...we've been helping Karai take down Shredder's old operations. I...we..."
"We wanted to keep the peace we fought so hard to get," Leonardo says. He bows his head. "We're...sorry."
Splinter gazes at them both, then motions once as he keeps going to the dojo. Taking each other's hand, they follow.
Inside the dojo, Donatello lays on a tatami mat, a pillow beneath his head, while Raphael and Michelangelo kneel nearby. Sarina stays by his head, palm pressed to his forehead, expression pinched with turmoil. Splinter moves to his scroll shelf and Destiny and Leonardo trail after him, waiting for him to say something, anything.
"There is danger in keeping secrets, especially among a team," Splinter says as he kneels, picking out the mantra he needs, "but I am proud that you admitted to your wrongdoing."
"We thought we could handle it..." Destiny adds.
"If we had told the others what we were doing, they would never have gone into that building," Leonardo says.
"It is right that you should feel pain for your mistakes, but it is one thing to regret bad decisions after they are made," Splinter says, getting back to his feet. "Leonardo, a leader must foresee how bad decisions can lead to bad results."
He leaves them to go to Donatello's side. Destiny pulls her hand from Leonardo's and hurries outside, tail between her legs, and Leonardo hesitates for a second before going after her.
He doesn't have to go far. She sits on the dojo steps, head in her hands, and he slowly takes the spot next to her. He props his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor.
"Des?" he whispers.
"I'm sorry," she croaks. He looks down at her and she shudders, voice choked. "I'm sorry I agreed. I'm sorry I brought you into this."
"Des..."
"Let me talk!" she begs as she looks up, a tear rolling down her scarred cheek. "Leo, she paid me. She used me to get to you, to get you in on this and now...now Donnie's hurt and we've hurt their trust in us!"
Leonardo starts to retort, but stops. "Wait," he says. "Paid you? What...?"
"She said all this stuff about protecting our family, about having a better life," Destiny says, again turning away from him. "Before we burned that money, she gave me a cut."
"Des, that's...that's mob money." He grasps her shoulder. "That's crime money!"
"Do you think I don't know that?!" she retorts. "I know. I've been agonizing over it ever since I agreed to take it. I wanted to pay April back, to actually buy something with money I earned for the first time in my life and—" She sucks in a breath. "God, I'm sorry. I thought, in the long run, we'd be better for it and that it wouldn't end up like this, but..."
Her head falls back into her arms. They sit, Destiny's soft, choked sobs breaking the tense quiet. Leonardo stares at the far wall, heart heavy, twisted, everything feeling grey. He hates that, behind all the morally good responses, he wants to know how much she has stashed away. He wants to know what it'd be like.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Destiny's sobs cut off and Leonardo feels a chill roll up his shell. Sarina stands behind them at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, mouth set in a firm line, eyes glowing. She's statuesque and powerful, no room for excuses.
"Correction," she says, a bite in her voice. "Why didn't you tell any of us?"
"I'm sorry, Sarina," Leonardo says, looking up at her. He braces his hand against the step. "It was a mistake."
"Indeed, it was."
Sarina takes a step down, now staring directly at the back of Destiny's head.
"In truth, I am not angered by the dismantling Shredder's assets part. I understand why you would help Karai. If you had told me, there was a high chance that I would have joined you." Her arms uncross, falling to her sides as her hands clench. "I am angered that you lied, that you pretended nothing was going on. As if we would not understand! As if we would not help you if we had known!"
For a moment, that rage flickers out, and her expression is so disheartened that Leonardo feels his heart clench. Destiny's head bows further, as if she feels the weight of it without having seen it.
"Do you really distrust us that much? Do you...not trust me?"
"No!" Destiny says, finally twisting herself to look up at her sister. "No, Sarina, it's..."
"Then why did I find out about the duffel bag of money because I stumbled across it?" Sarina demands. "Why did I have to deal with wondering whether my best friend was a thief, or if you were being paid to do something horrible? Why did I have to learn about it by overhearing you?" She sucks in a sharp breath, fists trembling. "We...we do not hide such things from each other, Destiny. Especially something like that."
Destiny stares up at her, eyes reddened with tears, and all she can say is, "I'm sorry."
A few seconds pass, long and poignant. Sarina exhales and takes another step down before she sits, gazing down at the both of them.
"Can I ask why?" she murmurs. "Leonardo, you specifically. I'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around why you, of all people, would stoop to Destiny and my levels of recklessness."
"I don't know. I...maybe I thought I could control the situation," Leonardo says, rubbing the back of his neck before propping his head against his hand. "I wanted to keep an eye on Karai and Destiny, protect them."
"I may not know Karai well, but I can tell that she is the type of woman who does what she wants," Sarina says. "When she desires something, she locks onto it until she is fulfilled."
"That sounds pretty accurate, yeah," Leonardo sighs. "How'd you figure that out?"
"Diaval told me. He has spent a lot of time reading her desires, it seems. They rarely fluctuate, he said," Sarina says, earning the tiniest of fond smiles from Destiny. Sarina breathes in, out, then rises to her feet. "I must return to monitoring Donatello. Leonardo, Destiny...please, remember where your loyalties lie, and with whom."
She turns and disappears back into the dojo.
"She definitely has a way with words," Destiny mumbles.
"Hard to argue with," Leonardo agrees.
His phone rings and they both look down at his belt. There's a missed call notification, then two text messages. Leonardo pulls his phone out to read them.
Karai
Where r u?
New mission.
"Leo, we can't," Destiny says, not missing a beat.
He purses his lips as he stares at the screen. "Not without some backup, at least."