Raphael is pretty sure he's losing his mind.

First, it was that damn cockroach on his pizza, and now Stockman's got an army of bugs. He feels like he's blacking out, bugs following him at every turn, all beady compound eyes and pincers and fangs. He hears Taylor scream but he can't find her anywhere.

"Get away!" he screams. "GET AWAY, GET AWAY, GET AWAY!"

Suddenly, there's a sharp pain against his cheek and he startles. The bugs disappear. Michelangelo and the rest of his family stand before him, gathered in an alley, all staring at him with varying degrees of concern. Michelangelo still has his hand raised, eyes bright and expectant.

"Mikey!" he growls, raising his fists. "Why, you..." He registers what happened, the sting of a slap still resonating against his skin. His arms drop to his side in shock. "You...you snapped me out of it. Thanks, little bro!"

"No problemo," Michelangelo says. "That's my role in the group: to bring sanity."

Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello sigh and roll their eyes. Destiny and Sarina share a glance, Destiny letting out a tiny bark of a laugh as Sarina hides her smile behind her hand. April giggles.

"Did you have to slap him?" Annalise asks.

"It worked, didn't it?" Michelangelo retorts.

Raphael looks around. "Wait, where are they?" he asks, noting the absence of Casey and Taylor. "Oh, no, they got away, didn't they?"

"Define 'they,'" Leonardo says.

"Stockman's got two new mutants!" Raphael says. "An ant that splits itself into copies and a big, buggy, spider freak!" He gestures up into the air, as high as he can, then sags, panting a little. "They got away with millions of dollars and Casey and Taylor!" He squeezes his eyes shut, head bowed. "Because of me..."

He stares at them, oddly demure, and everyone shares a few looks.

"Um, are you sure it wasn't part of your hallucination?" Donatello asks, wiggling his fingers near his head. "Why would bugs need money?"

"Because they wanna buy jetpacks!" Michelangelo says. "It's lame having to use your wings all the time, dude! Trust me."

Destiny ruffles her feathers, eyebrow raised. "Takes one to know one, Mikey." After a pause, she turns to Sarina and says, "Opinions on jetpacks?"

"Useful, although hard to maneuver. I'll stick to my boots," Sarina says.

"We have to get them back," Leonardo cuts in. "Raph, show us where this all went down."

----------

On the scene, Leonardo stoops to grab the broken end of Casey's goalie stick. Michelangelo toes the splintered remains of Taylor's baseball bat. Donatello kneels as he scoops up Casey's shattered cell phone.

"Donnie, anything?" Leonardo asks.

"Well, we won't be tracking him by phone," Donatello says. "Des-"

"Got it!" Destiny calls. Her nose wrinkles and she waves her hand a bit. "Bleh, bug smell."

"What exactly is...bug smell?" Annalise asks. "Genuinely curious."

Destiny tilts her head, stroking her chin. "You know...when you go into somewhere really old, and it's all dusty or damp, and there's that...smell? Like it's musty, but there's an extra hint of...something. Geez, I don't know how to explain it in deeper terms. Rot, maybe?"

"I think I get it," Annalise says.

"You could also look for Taylor or Casey's smell," Sarina points out, "if the bug one is unpleasant."

"Oh, I've got them too," Destiny says. "Taylor's all tropical, with a hint of hair dye, and Casey...typical wood and leather, except..." She pauses. "April, did you buy him new cologne?"

"I did!" April says.

"Nice. I like it. His old one smelled kinda..."

"Typical high school boy?"

"Exactly. He did seem like the type to like Axe."

"Guys, can we stop talking about smells and hunt them down already?!" Raphael snaps.

"Alright, alright, don't get your shell in a knot," Destiny teases.

"Lead the way," Leonardo says.

----------

Destiny tracks them to Karai's hideout but, by the time they get inside, there's no sign of Karai, Stockman, or any of the hench-bugs. All that remains are the remnants of spiderwebs stuck to the ceiling, a few giant ant corpses, and plenty of unconscious foot ninja.

One of the ninja groans, shifting as he tries to get up, and Leonardo hurries to his side. He grasps his shoulder and shakes it firmly.

"What happened?" he demands.

The Foot soldier sits up with some difficulty, holding his head as he winces. "I...I'm not sure. We were going over training regimens and then, suddenly, there were giant, mutant bugs everywhere. We tried our best, but they got away with the master."

"And Shinigami?"

"She is out with the others, patrolling. She won't be back for hours."

"Alright. I need you and the others to stay here and be on guard for another attack. We'll go and track them down," Leonardo assures him. He turns to the rest of his team, standing at attention. "Off we go again, guys."

"A tracker's work is never done," Destiny sighs as she stretches her wings to full size.

The team heads back outside, but another roadblock appears almost immediately. Destiny stops in the middle of the street, nose wrinkling, head turning this way and that as her tail lashes irritably.

"Des?" Donatello asks.

"The trail split off," Destiny says. She points down the road. "Bugs on both ends, Karai on one, Casey and Taylor on the other."

"Trying to lose us or something?" Michelangelo asks.

"They most likely did this expressly to avoid being tracked," Sarina offers. She casts a sympathetic look at Destiny. "Apologies, but we may have to split the team."

"I can try to track them," April offers, raising her hand. She closes her eyes, pressing her fingertips to her temple. "I can try to latch onto Casey's presence. I'm a little rusty, but I'll do my best."

"It's better than nothing," Annalise says with a thumbs up.

"Alright. Raph, Mikey, and Annalise, go with April after Casey and Taylor. I'll take Destiny, Donnie, and Sarina and go after Karai."

No one argues, nodding their agreement before splitting away from one another.

----------

Raphael lingers at the back of his group as they wander down the street, trying not to sulk and yet definitely sulking. He finally takes Taylor with him on a mission and she ends up captured, and the only reason that she got captured was because of his stupid phobia.

Oh, and his best friend also got bug-napped. Awesome day, Raphael. Awesome. Day.

At least Annalise seems to be having fun. She's taking things seriously, not treating this like a game, and yet she's staying positive. She and Michelangelo are keeping things light while April focuses ahead.

Raphael makes a promise to himself. When he gets Taylor back, he's going to work on his phobia, and also offer to train her some more. He hates the idea that she isn't able to protect herself as well as she used to. He wants her to stay the kickass woman he fell in love with.

April stops abruptly, her eyes flying open. "Guys, we–"

Too late, there's a fluttering of paper-thin wings from the sky as the spider mutant and Stockman appear ahead of them and, rounding the corner, five or six of the ant mutants appear too. They let out sharp screeches, mandibles clicking.

"Gotcha!" Stockman cackles.

Raphael tries. He really does. He tries to look into the kaleidoscopic eyes and mandibles and claws and tries not to freak the fuck out, but he does. He majorly freaks the fuck out, and it feels just like the last time. Suddenly, all he can see are bugs, coming at him from all directions.

They tackle him, bite him, pinch him, and all he can do is scream and run. His mind spins, breaths heaving, and he's only faintly aware of distant screams and the sound of struggle. He turns, searching for a way out, and an ant mutant the size of Leatherhead pins him down. Raphael screams and flails and punches wildly but can never seem to land a blow. He squeezes his eyes shut as the mandibles loom closer.

Then...

"RAPH! DUDE, SNAP OUT OF IT!"

There's another sharp sting against his cheek and this time, he isn't mad about getting slapped. He shakes his head, blinking as the world comes back into focus. Michelangelo's face appears before him, eyes wide and mouth twisted into a worried frown.

"Mikey..." he breathes. He looks down and groans. "Oh man, I was gone again, wasn't I? What happened?"

"Um...well, the biggest thing is that the bunch of Anthrax, Scumbug, and Stockman got away with April and Lisey," Michelangelo says. He rubs the back of his head, then winces as he grabs his arm. "I...couldn't fend them all off. All I could do was grab you and run."

Raphael slumps back. His head knocks against brick and he realizes they're tucked away in an alley. He composes himself, sitting back up and reaching for Michelangelo's arm. When his little brother pulls his hand away, there's a rather large cut across his bicep. Michelangelo smiles faintly.

"Pinchers," he says. He puts his thumb and pointer finger together a few times. "Bad news, bro."

"Mikey...shell, I'm so sorry," Raphael says. He gets to his feet, pulling him with him. "We've...we've got to get the others. We have to get Annalise and April, and–"

"Dude, you're hurt too," Michelangelo insists. Raphael looks down at himself and, yeah, there's a few cuts and bruises here and there. "Let's call Leo. He'll know what to do."

Raphael nods as he goes to pull out his t-phone. Leonardo won't be happy about this.

----------

Back in the lair, things are...tense. Michelangelo is quieter than usual, jittery with nerves, and he keeps looking towards the exit like at any moment, he'll just run off and save Annalise himself. Raphael doesn't blame him. Taylor's gonna give him the scolding of his life once he's got her back.

The only good thing to come out of all this so far? Destiny was able to track the bugs back to their hideout–a construction site full of not-yet-completed buildings. With two more of their teammates gone, they were forced to retreat, to re-group and rethink their plan of action.

Leonardo wasn't exactly ecstatic about it, but Raphael just counted himself lucky that Leonardo didn't chew him out for blacking out. He did give him a few stern words about getting his phobia under control, but that's nothing Raphael doesn't already know.

Still, sitting in the dojo in front of Master Splinter, all he feels is shame. He couldn't protect his woman or his friends and what's more, his little brother got hurt because of his ineptitude.

He winces as Splinter dabs yet another cut with antiseptic and he pushes his hands away. Splinter steps back, eyebrows lifting, and Raphael avoids his eyes.

"I'm fine, father. We have to find the others. Those...buggy freaks have them and–"

"If you do not allow yourself to heal, you will be of no help to anyone," Splinter retorts. "This wound runs deep."

Raphael slumps his shoulders, frowning as he glances down at the bandage on his arm. "It's just a bug bite."

"I speak not of the wound here," Splinter says, touching his arm, "but of the wound here." He places his hand on Raphael's head, almost covering one of his eyes as he squints.

He pulls back and Raphael sighs. "I thought I was over it," he says, getting to his feet, "but I'm not, and now the team's suffering because of it."

"It takes time, my son." He feels his father's presence come closer, footsteps soft on the tatami. "Damage to the mind and spirit are no less grave than injuries to the body."

"But, Sensei..."

His words stop, just for a second, and everything just feels heavy-like carrying the weight of all of this is just too much. It's a stupid phobia. It's not like he got knifed in the side or something. Still, the longer he thinks about it, the more he knows that's just his shame talking.

He would never tell Destiny that the mental scars she still carries are less than the scars marking her skin. He'd never tell Annalise that her anxieties about Circa are stupid and to "get over it," so why can't he give himself that courtesy? Shell, he still wakes up in a cold sweat sometimes, the ghostly weight of Mutacorp's chains lingering on his wrists. Sometimes he can still feel the ache of claws digging into his biceps.

"What do I do?" he whispers, and he hates the way his voice starts to crack.

Splinter kneels, closing his eyes as he settles into a meditative pose. "Find your centre," he says. "Meditation will enlighten your path."

Raphael scoffs a little. "No offence, Sensei, but I don't think daydreaming will help."

"Not daydreaming. Meditation," he retorts sternly. Raphael walks over and kneels next to him. "I will teach you a personal mantra to chant. It will focus you." Splinter closes his eyes and says, "Kore wa nani mo imi shinai. Kore wa nani mo imi shinai." He looks at his son. "Repeat."

Raphael frowns a bit. He knows some Japanese, but he isn't sure what that means. Well, if Splinter says it'll help. He closes his eyes and focuses. "Kore wa nani mo...imi shinai."

"Yes. Continue."

"Kore wa nani mo imi shinai."

"Good."

Raphael keeps his eyes closed and tries his hardest to meditate, following his father's lead.

----------

When Raphael finally leaves the dojo, he's greeted by the sound of excited cheering and the clap of palms on palms. He shoves open the door to the lab, already cracked open slightly, to find the others inside. Destiny, Leonardo, and Michelangelo stand back a few feet from Donatello and Sarina, who are standing next to each other. Donatello wears a strange piece of machinery, built up using the hub of a car wheel, a small motor, and long ropes made of metal cables, among other bits. It attaches to his shell with thick leather and elastic straps.

"What the heck is that?" Raphael asks.

Donatello grins. "This...is a grappling harness." He turns this way and that, showing off the device. "I've been working on it between figuring out retromutagen and what-not. It'll allow us to move up, down, sideways, and...any way we want, just like Stockman and his bugs!"

"You had this lying around and you didn't tell us sooner?" Leonardo asks, eye-ridge lifting.

"Um..." Donatello laughs a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've mostly been fiddling with it to try and help our general maneuverability during tougher missions, and I've only got three of them available. The fourth is still a work in progress."

The brothers share a glance. Leonardo exhales, then nods a bit.

"It's good to have," he says. "Raph, Mikey, you two should take the others. I'll go without." He smiles a bit, glancing over at Destiny. "Promise you'll catch me if I fall?"

"Of course," she replies, tail wagging.

"We shouldn't waste any more time," Sarina says. "I don't want to think about what those insects have planned for the others."

"Then let's go!" Raphael says, punching his palm and cracking his neck.

"Ooo, ooo! If we're doing this, there's one last thing I've gotta grab," Michelangelo pipes up. "You know, a quick costume change."

Raphael doesn't trust the mischievous grin on his face, but what he doesn't know can't hurt him, he supposes.

----------

Taylor tries not to look down and, more often than not, she fails.

The fly mutant–Stockman, apparently–and his gang of bug mutants have relocated them to the top of a barely-built high rise. The whole thing is just metal support columns and concrete, built high into the sky, and a giant yellow crane stands patiently by, waiting for the construction workers to return.

It's at the top of this building that Taylor finds herself. She's been tied up, stuck to a giant spiderweb with Casey and Karai. She doesn't know when Stockman captured Karai, just that she woke up and the kunoichi was there alongside her and Casey. The bugs disappeared briefly and, when they returned, they had April and Annalise with them. Only Annalise was still awake.

Now, they're all stuck in a web, preparing for who knows what, and Taylor is starting to wish she had just stayed home.

"Do you think they're gonna eat us?" Casey whispers, eyeing Stockman and the spider mutant, Scumbug, as they flit around.

"Whatever they're planning, we have to get out," Karai hisses. She yanks at the webbing holding her in place, but they're stuck tight.

"Whoooo, boy, this is gonna be a fun story to tell mom," Annalise mumbles, more to herself than anyone.

"April, wake up! April!" Casey calls to the still-unconscious redhead. Whatever the bugs did, they knocked her out cold. "Come on, Red, wake up and psychic us outta here!" Nothing. April's head stays lolled forward, unresponsive, and Casey slumps a little. "Dang it."

Taylor stays silent, searching the street below in vain. She can't hope to see anything from here, but she's still searching for a certain red mask. Hell, at this point, she'd take a blue one if it meant getting out of here and away from the sheer drop below her feet.

Damn it, Raphael, why'd you have to run off screaming? Why'd you ditch us? Why'd you ditch me?! she laments.

No sooner has the thought crossed her mind than she forces it away. Since when has she needed a man to save her? That isn't how Taylor Fuentes rolls, and if she weren't so scared shitless of dropping to her death, maybe she'd try a little harder to get out of this web.

Usually, she keeps a pocket knife on her person at all times, but of course, today was the day she left it in her other pair of pants. Despite that, she has the sinking feeling that even if she could get out, she wouldn't get far. She's up against two flying mutants and an endless army of duplicating flightless ones. The odds aren't in her favour.

She snaps out of her thoughts as the sound of wingbeats sounds overhead. Her first thought is of pigeons, but the wingbeats are too far apart. She lifts her head to the sky just as Destiny drops onto the metal beams next to them with a pointed, wolfy smile.

"Sorry we're late! We–"

Her eyes widen and she leaps back into the air just as a gob of webbing soars at her, narrowly missing her foot. Taylor's attention turns to Stockman and Scumbug.

"You! Go away!" Stockman cries, shaking his fist. "Zzzzztop ruining all my planzzz!"

"Let my friends go and we can talk!" Destiny retorts. Scumbug takes to the air and Destiny's eyes widen. "Oh, holy shit. You can fly?!"

She zips away as he gives chase, firing more webbing at her. As Karai groans and Casey shouts at how unfair this fight is, Taylor searches the nearby rafters. Where there's Destiny, there has to be...

A white figure ascends through the space in the middle of the building and Taylor exhales. Sarina appears before them, smiling softly, her short hair blowing around her face as her eyes flash.

"Never fear, I'll have you free in a–" she starts.

There's a blast of sound that makes Taylor flinch hard, biting back a scream. Sarina jolts in the air, wobbling for a moment before dropping down a few feet, struggling to stay afloat. Stockman perches on a nearby beam, aiming a smoking gun at them. Sarina has just enough time to fling herself onto a lower beam before one of her rocket boots dies, sputtering its last breath.

"Sarina!" Donatello's voice echoes from below.

"Flash, you okay?!" Casey shouts.

"Fine! He only got the boot, and it's very well-armoured!" Sarina assures them. She rolls out of the way as another bullet pings off the metal next to her and she glares up at Stockman. "Excuse me, could you stop that?"

"No!" Stockman retorts.

"Is that a gun?! DOES STOCKBOY HAVE A GUN?!"

Aaaand there's the other turtles, Taylor thinks. She sees Michelangelo first–or at least, she thinks it's Michelangelo. He's wearing this gaudy moth costume, complete with giant crudely-painted wings and goggles with bouncy antennae.

"Mikey!" Annalise shouts, a smile lighting up her face. "Guys!"

Okay, yeah, it's Michelangelo. His mouth hangs open in a gape of shock, like he's never seen an actual gun in his life. She supposes that, for a bunch of guys who almost exclusively fight aliens and mutants and ninjas, guns wouldn't be a staple in their enemy's repertoire.

"It'zzzz Stockman! How hard izz that to remember, honestly?!" Stockman screams. He aims the gun down, wings fluttering. "My friendzzz! Get them!"

A bunch of the giant purple ants flood from the beams, scuttling towards the turtles as they appear a few levels below.

"Taylor, hold on! We're coming!" Raphael calls. "And, uh, you know, the others too!"

"Thanks. Good to know you're thinking of us, Raphael," Karai says dryly.

"Huh? W-What...?" April mumbles as she comes to, looking more than a bit woozy.

Taylor hears the sound of an engine, like the one in a lawnmower, and for the first time, she realizes that Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo are flying somehow. Donatello and Michelangelo go after Stockman and the ant army while Leonardo goes to check on Sarina. Then, distracting her from everyone else, is Raphael, cutting her free from the webbing and dropping her into his arms.

"I'm so sorry," he says.

"We are so talking about this once we're safe again," she retorts, but there's no bite in her words. Honestly, she's just happy to see him again.

He turns, deploying his weird harness thing, and he holds her tight as they go flying down to a lower level. Taylor is about to ask about the others, looking over her shoulder, but she sees that Leonardo is already freeing them. He catches April, still waking up, while Casey, Annalise, and Karai land on the metal supports below them, some more steady than others.

"So what's with the harness?" Taylor asks as Raphael sets her down.

"Donnie's invention," Raphael explains. He gives his surroundings a cursory glance, then locks eyes with her. "Okay, let's–"

A chorus of screeches cut him off as three ant mutants–Michelangelo called them "Anthrax"–appear, with five more still coming. Taylor reaches out, grabbing Raphael's bicep as she hears him suck in a sharp breath. If he freaks out now, she's toast.

"Raphael..." she pleads.

He squeezes his eyes shut, hands shaking as he grips his sai, and she hears him mumbling under his breath. "Kore wa nani mo imi shinai. Kore wa nani mo...imi shinai."

"Raph?"

He opens his eyes, a smirk crossing his face, and she feels him flex a bit beneath her hand. "Don't worry, babe, I've got you."

A little jolt runs through her entire body and she tries not to grin like a dope. With a battle cry, Raphael rushes forward, batting two Anthrax off the building at once, then punching the third in the mandibles. Their buddies surge forward, filling the space, and Raphael backs up.

"Can you keep yourself safe for a minute?" he calls.

She nods and he returns it before he's off again, swinging and leaping and zipping around as he takes out bug after bug after bug. Taylor scoots closer to the corner, gripping onto the nearest pillar and tries to figure out the best way to get down.

Destiny is still flying around, trying to fend off Scumbug, while the four turtles, Karai, and April fight the bugs. She can't see Casey or Annalise. There aren't any stairs to help her get down, not that she can find.

"Taylor!"

Taylor turns just as a blast of light blows an Anthrax to bits and Sarina touches down in front of her, arm raised. She turns to Taylor, smiling a bit.

"Are you hurt?"

"No. Thank you," Taylor replies. "I was just trying to find a way down."

"Unfortunately, that will probably have to wait until our enemies have been subdued," Sarina says. She notices something over Taylor's shoulder and raises her hand, firing off another blast. There's a garbled screech of pain and Sarina's eyes narrow. "That may take a while."

Taylor gawks at Sarina for a second, then says, "You know, chica, remind me not to get on your bad side."

"I shall!"

Above them, there's a mighty screech and the entire structure seems to wobble. Taylor immediately grips Sarina's arms, trying to steady herself, and Sarina looks upwards as concrete chunks and dust rain down. The crane is moving and there's the sound of buzzing laughter in the wind.

"You're in my house now, homiezzzz!" Stockman hollers.

The crane moves again, swinging a metal support into the building again, and Taylor's eyes widen when she realizes that it's coming straight for her and Sarina.

"HEADS UP, GUYS!" Destiny shouts.

Taylor drops, arms covering her head, and Scumbug meets the rebar with a sickening crunch. The mutant drops, spiralling back down to earth, and lands with a hard crash in the rubble below. As Taylor peeks down at the damage, Destiny drops down next to them, a sheen of sweat on her brow and her chest heaving slightly.

"I can't believe that worked," she admits. She turns, cupping her hands around her mouth, "WATCH THE FRIENDLY FIRE, STOCKS-BUG!"

"IT'ZZZ STOCKMAN!" Stockman screams from above. There's a tirade of angered buzzing and Taylor wobbles back to her feet, gripping the nearest pillar as she tries to keep her footing. "You'll pay for thizzzz!"

"Look–" Sarina starts.

The crane screeches and the rebar comes flying back towards them. Before Taylor can blink, the ground beneath her feet is gone and she's falling. Above, for just a second, she sees the rebar crash through the platform they were just on.

Then, in a flash of black, Destiny's got her, her giant wings parachuting them back to the ground. Taylor can hear the motor of the turtles' harnesses and, when she looks to the side, she sees that Donatello caught Sarina.

Destiny sets Taylor on her feet as Donatello does the same for Sarina. Destiny's gone again in an instant and Taylor looks back up the tower at the chaos, heart in her ears, stomach still a little turned around.

"The ants?" Sarina asks.

"We can't squash them fast enough. They keep coming back!" Donatello says, rushed. "With Stockman in that crane—"

The ground seems to shake as the tied rebar goes through another section of the tower. More metal rains down, dust clouds flying, and Taylor backs up. She can hear the other turtles shouting to each other and she can see Michelangelo on the rebar, clinging to it for dear life as sparks fly from his harness.

"Can't someone stop him?!" she snaps.

"We're trying!" Donatello retorts, voice pitching with stress.

"I don't think you are! I–"

A gunshot goes off and all three stiffen. The crane stops moving, rebar creaking, and they turn towards it just in time to see Stockman spiralling down to the ground, wings unmoving. There's a heavy crash as he lands in a pile of concrete powder below and he doesn't emerge again.

Sarina runs towards him without a word and Donatello follows. Above, the sounds of fighting slowly cease.