[b]IC: Leonardo[/b]

The Mousers were relentless killing machines, that much was for certain. Every time one of the turtles managed to cut down a group, another sprang up to take their place. It was as if they were self replicating. They weren't extremely resilient, but even Leonardo realized that he and his brothers would be overwhelmed before long. "Team, find an opeing. We're getting out of here."

"What do you mean we're getting out of here!?" Raph protested as he drove a sai through the eye of one of the mousers. "This is our home, Leo!"

"And it'll be our tomb if we don't get out of here soon, dude!" Leo shot back as he decapitated two robots with a swing of his blades.

"He's right, Raph," Donnie agreed with his eldest brother. "There's too many. They'll tire us out and trap us down here."

"Being shredded by walking garbage disposals isn't high on my list of ways to go out, bros!" Mikey yelled as he tossed a mouser at another one with his nunchaku, causing both to shatter.

"Rahhhh! Fine! Follow me," Raph cried out. Usuing his immense strenght, Raphael pushed back the wave of mousers almost alone, opening their escape through the back hatch of their home. 

Once all four of the brothers were through, Leo slammed the hatch shut, holding the robots at bay for the time being, "Come on, that won't hold them for long."

"Where are we gonna go now? The surface?" Raphael asked, the frustration showing in his voice. "Cuz last time I checked we were supposed to, like, stay in the shadows."

"No, we should stay to the sewers," Donnie planned. "They're down here, but we can keep them contained here."

"Great, I've always wanted to be a rat in a trap," Mikey said dejected as he began to trudge deeper into the sewers.

[center]**********[/center]

Baxter Stockman sat in the van he had rigged into a mobile control booth, smiling from ear to ear. Stockman had never been one to call himself giddy, but today he absolutely was. His mousers worked better than he had ever imagined they would. They were laying waste to this city that had treated him like an insignificant insect for far too long. One group had already put the Turtles on the run, another was following a large, mutated rat, and a third seemed to be headed for another, yet unknown signal. The fourth group of mousers were directly under Stockman's control, ripping through the concrete and steel of New York, heading for where he knew the mob goons that threatened him would be.

For once in his life, Baxter Stockman was in control.

[center]**********[/center]

Splinter dashed through the sewer pipes, the sound of the mousers' metal feet clanging and echoing around him. He dared not look back, but he knew they were much too close for comfort. But he needed to keep moving. His mutant body allowed him extended endurance and speed, but even his legs would be screaming in protest if he had to out run these metal beasts for a prolonged period of time.

The ninja master slid to a stop under a sewer grate, springing off his strong legs, through it, and into the sunlight. Luckily he found himself in an alley next to April's house, and not the street. The last thing he needed at this point was panicked humans around him. 

Splinter climbed up April's fire escape and rapped gently on her window. The teenage girl approached quickly, "Master Splinter! Come in where it's safe!"

"Nowhere is safe, April," the rat warned. "Those mechanical monsters are after the turtles and I. We need your help to stop them."

"Sounds like it's finally time for some action then!" Casey Jones's voice rang from the room as he came to the window as well. "We headed to StockTech, then?"

"That's the only place I could shut them down from," April nodded before they where interupted by the emergence of the machines that had been chasing Splinter. They pushed up from the concrete like ants emerging from a hill. "Looks like we need to move."

"Follow me," Splinter said, sliding the short sword that was hidden in his walking stick from its hiding place. "I will clear a path."

"Come on, Red!" Casey called to April, pulling her down the fire escape stairs, following Splinter.