Raphael and Casey scope out the Argosy Theatre, ignoring the movie currently playing and not bothering to wonder how in the world a movie is playing when pretty much all of the New York humanity has disappeared into who knows where.

The two friends leave the theatre, looking disgruntled.

"Eh, these ooze specs aren't working right," Raphael grumbles. He shakes Donatello's goggles repeatedly and gives them a smack or two. "Maybe I should call Donnie."

"It's not your specs, dude," Casey says. "We searched every inch of the place. Karai's definitely not here."

"Let's check one last time," Raphael offers. He looks back at the theatre entrance. "Maybe there's a basement—"

There's a roar as a giant form lands on the road behind them, making dust flare up beneath his giant feet. They turn around as Steranko straightens up, brushing off his shoulders.

"Vell, vell, vell. Comrade Zeck made good on info. Turtle here...and strange human friend." The rhinoceros grins and puts his fists together.

"Whoa..." Casey gawks, flipping his mask down. "Another mutant? Dude," he says to Raphael, "he's kind of rad."

Steranko smirks. "Rad and strong!"

He bellows and grabs a nearby car, spinning it around and whipping it the two teens. They dodge it, Raphael more gracefully than Casey. The turtle slides underneath the vehicle as it sails by before he launches himself into the street, racing towards the rhinoceros with a steely glare in his electric green eyes.

He lunges and Steranko punches him aside. He goes again only to get smacked backwards. Steranko advances as Raphael clutches his arm, wincing, but the rhino is halted by exploding hockey pucks nailing him in the face, courtesy of Casey.

The Russian rhino laughs as the bombs keep exploding against him. "The July of Fourth. Fireworks do you nothing."

He lunges at Casey, sharp horn ready to stab the hockey player, but Casey skates away. He readies his baseball bat as he spins around, his brown eyes narrowed behind his mask.

"Well, let's see what this does," he challenges. "Goongala!"

He zooms forward and smacks the bat into Steranko's horn, but the wood is no match for it. It splinters, leaving Casey with a shattered weapon and a hopeless, dreadful feeling in his gut.

"Okay, that didn't work," he mumbles.

He turns around just in time for Steranko's fist to make contact with his face, sending him flying into the theatre's ticket booth. The rhino snorts heavily, his footsteps rattling the ground, and Raphael's voice rings in the air.

"No, Casey!"

Steranko rounds on the turtle, his beady eyes brimming with malice, and Raphael lets out a scream and rushes him. Steranko ducks his head and collides his horn with Raphael's plastron, lifting him into the air, slamming him onto the road with a sickening crunch, then flinging him into the theatre wall. Casey crawls to his friend's unmoving form, shaking his shoulder. No response.

"Raph! Wake up, Raph! Wake up!" he pleads.

Heavy breathing sounds from behind him. Casey slowly turns around, his pupils dilating in fear as Steranko bears down on him.

----------

Coney Island is eerie and quiet, the wind whistling over the vacant rides. The metal fence at the entrance rattles with the gust, giving a haunted ambience to the pathetic scene. The smell of popcorn and sugar, the sound of gleeful screams, the bustle of tourists, everything is empty and it's unsettling.

It does, however, set the perfect stage for three mutants and a human wizard to go inside without issue. Michelangelo is completely unfazed, his freckled cheeks stretched in a brilliant grin as his bright eyes try to drink in everything all at once.

"Dude, Leo, this is so cool," he says gleefully, twirling around as he walks. "Can we go on the Whirlwind?" he asks, pointing to the ride. He flips on a dime and aims his finger at another ride. "What about the Wheel of Fun? Ooh, can we play Robot Ringtoss? Please?"

Leonardo turns around to face his little brother, making Destiny and Diaval stop too. The turtle narrows his eyes, placing his hands on his hips.

"You promised you wouldn't goof around, Mikey. Seriously," he reminds him, that stern tone of his making Michelangelo stop his giggling. "We don't want to scare Karai off."

He keeps walking. Destiny and Diaval hesitate for a second before following. Michelangelo scoffs, also making his feet move after his teammates.

"Pfft. Desti-bear can just use her freaky powers to calm her down," he says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Destiny sighs, her pointed ears flicking as she sniffs the air. "Mikey, I told you, it's not powers. I just talked to her." She looks down, her voice dropping to mere mumbling, "It's really nothing..."

Diaval stares at the roller coaster in the distance. "What'd you say to her?" he asks.

"Just...stuff," Destiny says. She kicks a soda can and it clatters away across the boardwalk.

Michelangelo shrugs. He cups his hand next to his mouth and leans over to Diaval. "I still think it's powers," he whispers.

"Mhm..." Diaval nods. He looks down at his hands, curling and uncurling his fingers a few times. He looks oddly pensive.

The quartet keeps going. Despite how three of them would prefer silence, Michelangelo doesn't catch the unspoken memo and keeps talking. "She's got to know we're here by now, right? Why doesn't she just come out?"

Leonardo stops again, heaving a sigh. "Maybe she's not in her right mind," he murmurs, his dark blue eyes darkening as his shoulders slump, "or maybe she's worried she'll lose control and attack us."

He looks at Destiny briefly and she takes a deep breath, eyes finding her feet, and Diaval acts enthralled with a passing cotton candy machine. Michelangelo hugs Destiny's arm, sending her a smile that comforts her more than words can, and she smiles back at him and grinds her knuckles against his head lightly, making him laugh and smack her hands away playfully. Their antics stop when Leonardo sighs again, shaking his head.

"I feel so bad for her," he admits.

"Me too," Destiny agrees in a quiet voice. She runs a hand over her hair, gently twirling the black streak around her finger. "I never really realized how alike we are...in some ways, at least."

Michelangelo and Leonardo nod in silent agreement. Diaval picks at his nails, his shoulders rising as he takes in a cleansing breath, and Destiny steadies him as he stumbles over a loose plank.

They've gotten a little further in when the wind brings a familiar scent to Destiny's nose. She tenses, pivoting around as her bright green eyes search the shadows of the amusement park. Diaval stops as soon as she does. Both turtles keep moving.

"Hm, no sign of her. I hope the guys are having better luck," Leonardo comments.

"There!" Destiny whispers, pointing at a spot behind some trash bins.

In a flash, a serpentine form goes dashing out from behind the barrels with a soft swooshing hiss. Destiny's claws unsheathe in surprise at the swift movement. Diaval gasps. The two turtles instantly perk up.

"Whoa! Dude!" Michelangelo exclaims.

"Karai!" Leonardo shouts.

They chase after her, but she's faster. She disappears into a rickety green building with paintings all over it depicting ghosts, vampires, zombies, and other monsters. Thunder crashes as lightning splits the sky. Destiny promptly hides herself behind Diaval and Leonardo.

Michelangelo gulps and scoots closer to his brother. "She went into the ghost house."