#kurtzman

Donatello picks up the picture of Splinter, his wife, and his daughter. “We gotta move,” he tells his brothers. “Everyone, gather one meaningful thing you want to take with you. First we find Splinter, and then we get out of town.”

The purple masked turtle walks to his lab and grabs a few things, mostly medical supplies. He then turns to a frozen mutant. “We’ll be back, Timothy,” he says. “And if we don’t make it, you should defrost in about seventy years or so. Hopefully the world is a better place by then.”

Michelangelo goes to the kitchen, opening the freezer. “I know this is your home,” he tells Ice Cream Kitty. “You know we have to leave, Ice Cream Kitty. Now come on, kitty kitty.” He tries to pull her out of the freezer, but she did not want to go. “Easy, easy.” Michelangelo manages to pull the mutant cat out, putting her in a cooler with two boxes of frozen pizza. “Just squeeze in there between the frozen pizzas.”

Raphael went to his room, removing a can out of the way. He grabs a photo of Slash that was taken some time before he was mutated. “Wherever you are, I hope you’re safe, Spike,” he says sadly.

(Meanwhile)

"I need a lot more training,” Dani admits to herself. She didn’t know how long she ran, but she kept going, worried that she won’t be able to find Slash or a place to hide. She felt guilty leaving Splinter behind while he was fighting Shredder, but she knew she had to get herself to safety before she gets hurt even more. Suddenly, she heard a voice shout, “Hey! Down here!”

Dani came to a screeching halt and turned to see a middle-aged man waving at her. She came down from the rooftop and landed in front of him. “Who are you?” she asked. “The name’s Kurtzman,” he responds. “I’m a journalist who knows a lot about the Kraang. It’s a good thing I found you, miss. This city’s in chaos! Quick! Come with me inside.”

Kurtzman opens the door and motioned Dani to go inside the warehouse. She was hesitant. He seems to have a lot of knowledge, but.. can she trust him? What would Slash do?  After a moment Dani sighed. ‘He would want you to be safe,’ she thought. She enters the warehouse, hoping that she will find a way to stop this invasion, and that Slash would be okay.

(Meanwhile)

The Turtles and April enter the Party Wagon and escape Kraang Prime. As soon as they were inside and the vehicle drove off, Donatello covered his unconscious brother with a blanket. “I’m sorry, Leo,” he says. “You were right. If we’d just left the city when you said, the Kraang would never have found the lair and started the invasion. None of this would have happened.”

April glanced around at her friends. “I have a place we can go upstate,” she says. “My old family home. We used to go there every summer. We can stay as long as we want, no one’s around for miles.” “Upstate, huh,” Casey says pulling his mask up, “Sounds good to Casey Jones.” April asks, “Did you find your dad and little sister?” “No sign of them,” Casey sadly responds, keeping his eyes focused on the road. “They probably got Kraang-atized.” The redhead rests her head on his shoulder.

"What’s gonna happen now, Raph?” Michelangelo asks. Wrapping his hand around his brother’s shoulder, Raphael shakes his head. “For the first time in my life, I have no idea, little brother,” he says. “I miss Master Splinter...”

(Meanwhile, in the sewers)

The mutant rat was washed through so many tunnels underwater. Shredder managed to defeat him and throw him down a pipe. A tail grabbed hold of him and took him to the surface. Gently setting her father down, Karai touches his face for a response. The only response she received was a shallow breath. She jumps back to the water and disappears.

(Meanwhile)

Inside the warehouse, Dani sat alone in the couch, while Kurtzman stepped outside to see if anyone needed help. She was still in shock. So much has happened. The Kraang invaded again, Leonardo is missing, she tried to help Splinter fight a man in metal armor, only for him to knock her down. She watched him and the rat plummet down the large hole. She doesn’t know if Splinter survived or not. She could only hope he did. Suddenly, a noise interrupted her thoughts.

Dani turned to see that the door opened and Kurtzman stepped inside with a smile on his face. “There’s a friend I’d like you to meet,” he tells her. “Friend?” Dani repeats, raising her eye brow. ‘Who could this friend be?’ she wonders. Kurtzman signals a shadowy figure to come inside. She could hear loud footsteps coming from it. She walks over to take a closer look, and gasped. She couldn’t believe who she saw!

Stepping inside the warehouse was Slash, who looked surprised to see her too. Dani was in shock. She was speechless. Her friend was okay, and he is finally with her. After what seemed like a moment, the mutant tortoise smiled softly at his friend. “Hey, Danielle. Long time, no see,” he greeted her.

Acting fully on impulse, Dani ran to Slash and hugged him. The tortoise carefully wrapped his arms around her (noting that she’s injured), returning the hug. Perhaps some good has happened today.

Moments later, Slash told Dani all that has happened since they last saw each other. She was surprised when he told her that he tried to find her in the apartment. She then told the tortoise about Splinter and the man she fought. Slash growled at the mention of it. He heard many things about the Shredder, but never would he have guessed that HE was responsible for Dani’s injuries. Slash swore that he will gladly give him a taste of his own medicine. But now wasn’t the time for a vengeance quest. They need to recover, they need to train, they need to find a way to take this city back, with or without the Turtles.