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Chapter Thirty Six: The Real World Part II:

In the Battle Nexus, a portal opened and seconds later Leo and Usagi exited, before they walked straight into the Battle Nexus area, looking around. As far as the Battle Nexus time went, it appeared to be autumn.

“Wow,” muttered Leo as he looked around, even if he had visited it once before, the Battle Nexus still looked amazing and well worth a quick look around. It was a shame Leo’s family was in a trouble, so he could take a closer

“Indeed, I have made this journey many, many times,” remarked Usagi as the samurai rabbit looked around at the scenery as they approached the Daimyo’s palace. “Despite that, I can never seem to fully appreciate the splendor of this realm.”

Leo stopped short as he looked at the Daimyo’s palace, a peculiar thought striking the terrapin warrior.

“Yes, but shouldn’t there be guards outside of the palace?” wondered Leo and Usagi looked around, a peculiar look on his face.

“Hmm, extremely interesting, we best get inside and find out,” replied Usagi and the two warriors walked inside the Daimyo’s palace, surprisingly not meeting one guard whatsoever as they entered the palace.

As they entered the Daimyo’s throne room, the Daimyo sat on the chair, looking older than ever, his hair unkempt and grown long, with a lingering smell that made it rather obvious that the ruler of the Battle Nexus had not bathed for week, not to mention bags underneath his eyes, and also the Daimyo appeared to have been in a depressed state of mind. Floating by his side was the mystical figure who was the ruler of the Battle Nexus, the Gyoiji and off to his side was the Daimyo’s most powerful possession, his war staff.

“So dark, no use,” muttered the Daimyo weakly, as it appeared he had given up on life and the Gyoiji’s eyes met the duo that had entered the room.

“Sire, look, it’s Miyamoto Usagi,” remarked the Gyoiji but the Daimyo offered not one sign of recognition towards the samurai rabbit. “Surely you remember Usagi and look he has brought with him Leonardo, Hamato Splinter’s pupil.”

The Daimyo just sat on his chair, unblinking, unmoving, remaining in his depressed state as Leo took a few tentative steps forward, before he bowed slightly at his presence.

“Daimyo, I come here to beg of your help,” started Leo in an uneasy voice. “My family, my brothers and my father, Master Splinter, are in grave danger, having been transported, where I don’t know.”

Leo took a deep breath, wondering exactly if he should elaborate on who exactly was the architect behind the incident that caused Leo to be separated by his family.

“Go on Leonardo, tell the Daimyo everything,” encouraged the Gyoiji.

“It was Drako,” dead panned Leo pausing, before dropping the biggest bombshell on the Daimyo. “And your son.”

The Daimyo remained unmoving, as if he did not hear what Leo had said and his silence was more unnerving than anything else.

“They’re still alive, merged together somehow into a horrible powerful entity, almost some kind of Ultimate Drako and they were responsible for what happened to my family,” continued Leo. “So, I ask you, please, to help me, to use your war staff to retrieve my family, I’ll forever be in your debt.”

“You would be in my debt, Leonardo?” asked the Daimyo quietly, after a few seconds silence. “You would be in my service. What could you do for me?”

Leo opened his mouth but the Daimyo was not about to give him a chance to respond.

“Would you bring back my son?” demanded the Daimyo, his anger rising by the moment. “My son that you took from me along with your vile brothers, and your rat master. Could you do that for me?”

Daimyo rose to his feet, a very malignant look in his eyes that was very out of character for the benevolent ruler of the Battle Nexus.

“Oh yes, I will help you, I will help you learn the meaning of loss, the meaning of suffering, as you rot in my dungeon,” declared the Daimyo as he rose to his feet, before he clapped his hands and several armored guards entered the room. “Guards, seize them, toss them in the dungeons.”

The guards circled Leo and Usagi, and moved in for the attack but the two warriors took a rather defense stance, just barely managing to keep the attackers backed off to avoid being injured. Despite their efforts, the guards did not relent and kept coming at their adversaries.

“When I came here, the last thing I wanted was a fight,” grunted Leo as he used his katana to slice the weapon of one of his attackers before he threw him to the side.

“Yes, and I’d rather not harm these fine warriors,” replied Usagi as he blocked a swing from the axe with his weapon.

“We need to get out of here, regroup,” suggested Leo as he ducked a near decapitation and the battle axe that the guard carried was lodged in the wall. With his opponent distracted Leo managed to kick him away before dodging more attacks.

“You lead, I shall follow,” answered Usagi and sure enough Leo leapt up over the attackers, with Usagi copying his movements. Springing up on the handle of the battle axe, Leo catapulted himself through an opened window, with Usagi following closely behind.

“Stop them, do not allow them to escape!” commanded the Daimyo angrily, before he sank back onto his throne, in the depressive state that he was in when they had arrived, coming to the point of weeping.

The guards looked out the window, seeing no sign of either the ninja turtle or the samurai rabbit. Jagged rocks and a roaring river was the only thing below.

“No one could have survived a fall from that height,” remarked one of the guards, as he looked down.

“We must make sure of it, come on,” retorted a second guard and the Daimyo’s guards made their way off.

Meanwhile, hanging from a part of the Daimyo’s palace, barely clinging onto the ledge of another opened window, slightly out of view, was Leo, with Usagi just managing to grab hold of his leg. Peaking into the window, Leo verified that the coast was clear, before he pulled himself in. With a hand from Leo, Usagi made his way in, as the two stuck to the shadows, as they crept towards a partially opened door and then to a hallway.

“I think all this sneaking around with you is turning me more ninja, than samurai, Leonardo-san,” whispered Usagi but Leo held his hand up to silence his friend, before he placed his ear towards the door to listen for activity in the hallway.

“C’mon, the coast is clear,” muttered Leo, as they slipped into the hallway, into another room as a pair of guards walked past. “I don’t get why the Daimyo attempted to lock up.”

“Yes, that matter is most peculiar Leonardo,” agreed Usagi. “It is almost like the Daimyo’s under some sort of spell.”

Leo nodded, that wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility and he wished that Harry was here, he would have been able to tell for sure but his youngest brother was off facing whatever dangers and with each second, Leo felt he was failing his family more and more.

“We need the war staff,” said Leo desperately. “If there is only a way to get inside…”

Leo trailed off as he saw two guards dressed in blue hooded robes walking towards the room that they hid inside

“Another deceptive plan, Leonardo-san?” inquired Usagi, quietly and Leo nodded.

“Take the guard on the left, I’ll take the one on the right, now,” muttered Leo and they pulled the guards inside.

A couple of small thumps could be heard from inside the room, with the guards falling to the ground. Seconds later, Leo and Usagi walked from the room, disguised in the blue hooded robes and quickened their strides as they moved closer, meeting no guards until they reached the throne room, as two guards stepped forward.

“Halt, who goes there?” demanded one of the guards.

“We’ve come to relieve you,” replied Leo calmly.

“But our shift’s not up yet,” argued the guard, but Leo grabbed the guard’s weapon.

“It is now,” said Leo as he expertly and flawlessly flung the guard over onto his back, knocking him unconscious as Usagi leapt up and wiped out the second guard, before they moved forward towards the Daimyo whose eyes looked vacant, as if he did not realize that he once again had visitors in his throne room.

As they approached the war staff, Leo reached forward to grab it before the Daimyo had realized their presence but the sudden appearance of the Gyoiji caused Leo to pause. He was so close.

“Gyoiji, I don’t want to hurt you but I need the war staff…” started Leo.

“I wish to help you,” interrupted the Gyoiji calmly as he looked at Leo and Usagi. “Quickly, take the war staff and follow me to the next room.”

In a flash, Leo took the war staff with the Daimyo sitting there, the fact that he had not reacted seem very unnerving for some reason. Following the Gyoiji into the next room, Leo held the war staff steadily.

“I have witnessed the malaise that has befallen my master and something must be done, and I will help you do it,” said the Gyoiji as he opened a window with his mystical paddle. “Concentrate on your missing father, the staff will do the rest.”

“Master Splinter, where are you?” thought Leo as the window opened to reveal a beaten and rather battered Master Splinter chained up in the Dungeon and Leo’s eyes widened in horror.

“Oh my, that is the dungeon in this very palace!” exclaimed the Gyoiji. “Now, Leonardo use the staff, call your father to you, you must concentrate.”

“Master Splinter, Master Splinter!” thought Leo frantically and for a few seconds Master Splinter’s body began to phase, fading out of reality as Leo could feel his master very nearly inching towards him but in an instant, Leo felt an unknown force pulling his sensei away from him.

“Very odd, perhaps you would ever better luck summoning one of your brothers,” suggested the Gyoiji waving his paddle as the Super Turtles world appeared and Leo screwed his eyes shut, attempting to bring Mikey back home.

“Wow, most deadly enemy that sounds wicked, can I come?” asked Mikey but in an instant, he began to phase in and out of reality. “Wait, I guess I’m in flux, this is it, I guess I’m going home, bye everyone, see you later, it’s been a pleasure, I’m going, any second not, I’ll be gone.”

The phasing stopped and Mikey stood there, sheepishly as the Super Turtles looked at him, in irritation.

“Guess I’m staying,” amended Mikey sheepishly.

Much like Master Splinter, Leo nearly pulled Mikey out but he was pulled away at him just when he had a firm grip.

“Leonardo, you need to concentrate harder, let’s try your luck once again,” lectured the Gyoiji, waving his paddle once again to reveal Raph’s inter-dimensional trip.

Just after he was blasted from the catwalk, Raph’s body began to phase in and out, slowly pulling away from that reality towards the Battle Nexus.

The shock of seeing his brother fall broke Leo’s concentration slightly enough, to allow the phasing to break, but save Raph from getting splattered across the factory ground.

“No, perhaps another,” suggested the Daimyo. “Concentrate as hard as you can.”

The scene shifted once again into the future Shredder ruled earth and Leo caught sight of Don, before he screwed his eyes shut, concentrating with every fiber of will power he could muster.

Mikey leapt down into the manhole and Don followed him closely behind before he paused as he began to phase in and out slightly. He stood there, in confusion, it was almost like something was trying to pull him somewhere but the phasing ceased.

The connection broke once again and Leo stood their breathing hard, rather frustrated at his lack of progress in retrieving his family.

“Leonardo you must concentrate hard, at least save one of them,” prompted the Daimyo as the scene shifted right towards the alternate world that Harry was sent to.

Leo concentrated, if he could only bring Harry back, he might be able to help him work on a way to save the others yet because of his vast knowledge of magic.

Harry was taken aback, as his body appeared to be fading in and out of reality. He felt as if something was pulling him away from this world for the briefest second, as his body looked all fuzzy and nearly indistinguishable but seconds later, Harry became more solid, almost as if what was pulling him away was abruptly ripped away from him.

Leo sighed in absolutely frustration, despite his best efforts, despite his most intense concentration, he was unable to retrieve Harry.

“I failed again, I don’t get it, I don’t get it,” lamented Leo in a depressed voice. “I was so close, I could feel them, all of them, I just don’t understand.”

“I’m certain it is not your fault, Leonardo,” suggested Usagi as the Gyoiji took the war staff from Leo.

“Yes, it is not, someone very powerful is blocking your attempts and enjoying it very much,” declared the Gyoiji, with a slightly sinister smile appearing on the mystical beings face.

“Huh?” asked Leo in confusion, this entire matter becoming more and more confusing by the moment.

“And enjoying it very much,” continued the Gyoiji with the smile widening before his voice shifted to a very unwelcome and quite familiar one. “Relishing in your pain and frustration, taking complete pleasure from your absolute sinister.”

The Gyoiji reared its head back in cold, high laughter, as cracks began to appear in its body before the body shattered like glass. The pieces of the Gyoiji vanished into thin air and the merged entity known as Ultimate Drako appeared in its place, wielding the time sceptre in one hand and war staff in the other.

“We have enjoyed watching you suffer Leonardo as we have enjoyed watching your rat master suffer in the dungeons,” taunted Ultimate Drako in unison. “And bringing Usagi here was an extra gift to us, he will rue the day he returned to my Battle Nexus!”

“The Battle Nexus will never be yours villain!” cried Usagi as the samurai leapt up but Ultimate Drako swatted him off like a simple insect. Leo attempted an attempt from the side, but he was also blocked from the attack.

Several more attacks were blocked by Ultimate Drako, no matter what neither Leo nor Usagi could touch the attacker. Finally, Ultimate Drako touched both the war staff and time sceptre together, creating a very powerful magical field that immobilized both warriors.

“Fools, I wield both the Daimyo’s war staff and Lord Simultaneous’s time sceptre!” shouted Ultimate Drako. “I am a god!”

With little effort, Ultimate Drako transported Usagi and Leo to a realm that only could be called “The Battle Nexus of the Damned”.

“Where has that fiend sent us?” demanded Usagi as his consciousness slowly returned to him as he looked at the rocky barren fields with stone statues surrounding him.

“I don’t know, but wherever is, it can’t be good,” replied Leo in an uneasy tone and a swirl of white light appeared, illuminating the statues.

Slowly the statues came to life, revealing giant demonic warriors as they moved forward and moved into the attack against Leo and Usagi. Leo just barely managed to block the attack of one of his attackers, before he kicked him back. Usagi ducked a vicious swing and sliced his katana at the chest of the attacker, staggering him backwards.

“Usagi, I’m sorry that I got you in this mess,” apologized Leo as he just barely managed to keep up with his attackers, who had demonic strength, amplified many times the amounts of the normal warrior.

“No do not say such a thing, I stand beside you, no matter what happens,” replied Usagi as he leapt up and knocked an attacker backwards but the upcoming onslaught was too much as a simple punch wiped Usagi out, causing the samurai to fall to the ground.

“No!” shouted Leo as Usagi seemed unmoving, but he had his own problems as his attackers kept coming, and Leo could not stop, he had to keep fighting, even if the fight was hopeless, he would fight to the very last breath.

Ultimate Drako watched the battle from a vacant field, just outside of the main Battle Nexus arena as Leo continued to struggle against his inhuman opponents.

“Soon, Leonardo will be destroyed!” cheered Ultimate Drako as the battle raged on. “Glorious, glorious!”

The Daimyo waved the time sceptre and seconds later, the Daimyo rose out of the ground, sitting on the same seat that he was left in the throne room, dismally unaware of the surroundings around him.

“Now time to finish off the Daimyo, his reign as at an end, he shall suffer horribly as he perishes!” shouted Ultimate Drako

Behind Ultimate Drako, the battered form of Master Splinter appeared, still unconscious but the full attention of Ultimate Drako was in fact on the Daimyo.

“First the Daimyo will perish and then the rat,” added Ultimate Drako.

Daimyo weakly looked up at the entity, slight recognition in his eyes.

“My son, did I hear my son?” muttered the Daimyo weakly and the face of the Ultimate Ninja stopped, hesitation evident on that part of the entity.

“Father?” questioned the Ultimate Ninja, but his mere statement appeared to disgust the Drako half to no end.

“Is that sentiment I hear in your voice?” demanded Drako.

“He looks so frail, weak, unable to harm anything,” said the Ultimate Ninja.

“Do not soften on me,” ordered Drako. “He must be destroyed.”

Little did the two know that Master Splinter’s eyes weakly opened, with the rat master beginning to become aware of the surroundings around him.

“Must he?” questioned Ultimate Ninja. “I mean we have all want. We have power, the war staff everything. He is old, and weak, there is no need for him to die, we can allow him to live, in exile.”

“We haven’t come this far to just simply let the Daimyo live, he must suffer, he must pay, all must pay, NOW!” shouted Drako as he raised the war staff, with slight resistance from the Ultimate Ninja half that he quickly overcame, to deliver the final, crushing blow to the Daimyo.

“NO!” shouted Master Splinter as he leapt up in the blink of an eye, before he grabbed onto the war staff and stared down his foe with intensity in his eyes. “You shall not harm you, no more destruction, no more!”

Splinter hung onto the war staff as Ultimate Drako lifted the rat off the ground, to stare him in the eyes.

“Obstinate rodent, have you so soon forgotten who is master of this race?” demanded Ultimate Drako in unison but Splinter screwed up his eyes in concentration. “You do not have the power, you can’t simply…”

They were caught off when it was evident that the war staff had been activated by Master Splinter.

“What, he has activated the war staff?” thundered Ultimate Drako as Splinter hung on with the staff glowing brighter. “NO!”

“My sons, my sons,” concentrated Master Splinter hard, in an attempt to draw them back to whatever realms that had been sent through, this was his last chance, he had to put everything into his attempt to retrieve his sons.

Mikey began to phase out.

“Oh no, not now,” said Mikey before he turned to the Sliver. “Quick, how do you stop the Nullificator.”

“Why would I design a way to stop it?” demanded the Sliver. “It is justice, it is rule.”

“I’ll stop it, I can fly up quickly where it won’t hurt anyone,” replied Gravi-Turtle as the Nullificator ticked down with eighteen seconds left to go.

“No, it will take you with you, there has to be another way,” said Griddex.

“If the Sliver said that he modified it to work outside the tower, maybe it can be fixed to work inside the tower,” suggested Mikey and Shellectro quickly made his way over and placed his hands on it, with ten seconds left to go.

“There it’s reprogrammed electronically to work in that matter, but we need to get out of here,” said Shellectro as the time ticked to eight seconds, seven seconds but Mikey had almost faded completely out.

“I’m already almost there, if they right a comic about this, make sure they call me the Turtle Titan!” yelled Mikey as his voice and body faded out.

“Now is the time to come back, my sons,” thought Splinter as he felt the pull getting stronger.

Raph, in typical Raph-fashion, gave chase, weapons at the ready but he was frozen in his tracks when he realized he was beginning to phase out again. His body began to get fainter and fainter with each passing second. As it turned out, Raph did not have all that much time to contemplate why this was happening as he disappeared in a blink of an eye from the alternative universe.

“My sons, you are needed, come forth,” concentrated Splinter, his eyes shut, his mind turned off to everything but retrieving his son.

“It’s done,” concluded Don as he looked around, at the depressing scene before him, realizing that he was the only one left, they had all given there lives and he just barely managed to stop the Shredder, but it was too late before it did.

Seconds later, Don watched as his body began to phase out, it had pulled at him, it was stronger than what happened before and Don felt himself being pulled to a location unknown to him. However, he reasoned that wherever it was, it was better than this nightmarish world.

“Come to me my sons,” thought Master Splinter.

“Several years of work, ruined,” said Nega-Harry. “You’ve made an enemy for life, hero, but now we finish what we started.”

Harry stepped forward but then his body began to phase and he looked off at his negative counterpart.

“Looks like someone wants me away from here,” remarked Harry.

“No, you won’t leave, this isn’t over,” said Nega-Harry as he rushed forward as his counterpart began to get fainter before he disappeared into thin air, leaving Nega-Harry with his fingers clasping at empty air.

“You are needed, now more than ever, my sons, my sons, my sons,” chanted Master Splinter mentally and a doorway in time and space, and Mikey, Raph, Don, and Harry flew out, managing to barely brace their selves, landing on their feet.

“Harry, Mikey, Raph, you’re young and alive,” said Don cheerfully. “And Mikey, you have both arms.”

“Good to see you too, I think,” remarked Mikey in an uneasy voice.

“What have you done rat?” demanded Ultimate Drako as he swung the war staff, ramming Master Splinter off the ground. The hybrid villain slammed Splinter off the ground again and again, but he clung onto the war staff. “What have you done? Let go!”

“We can continue this touching reunion later, Master Splinter’s in trouble,” said Harry as stepped forward with the others taking notice of Splinter being battered by Ultimate Drako.

“You filthy disgusting vermin, let go!” shouted Ultimate Drako. Let…”

At that moment, Raph, Mikey, Don, and Harry had sprung at Ultimate Drako at the same time, causing him to both drop Master Splinter and sent both magical artifacts out of his grasps.

“What, my war staff, my time sceptre!” shouted Ultimate Drako angrily as he found himself unable to get to his feet. “No, no, no!”

The villain knocked all four brothers backwards, causing them to fly before he pulled himself to his feet and made a movement for the time sceptre, fully intending to send them all to a place where they would never be able to return.

“We need to keep the time sceptre away from him at all costs!” shouted Don and Harry nodded, before he swerved in front of Ultimate Drako, before he kicked the sceptre out of his reach.

Ultimate Drako looked around, seeing that Raph and Mikey having grabbed the time sceptre and Master Splinter with the war staff in his hands.

“Fools, you can’t possibly think you can beat us,” taunted Ultimate Drako. “You do not have the power to use the war staff or the time sceptre.”

“Perhaps not, but we will never allow you to get their hands on them again,” retorted Master Splinter. “I swear it I…”

Master Splinter stopped as a jet of red light blasted out of the time sceptre and also, a jet of blue light blasted from the time sceptre. The lights intertwined in the air above them, resembling a spider web.

“What sorcery is this?” demanded Ultimate Drako as the lights began to glow brighter as Raph and Mikey lifted off the ground with the time sceptre, with Master Splinter doing so as well.

“Master Splinter what is this?” asked Mikey in a confused voice as they were levitated in the air, the lights forming a dome of sorts over Ultimate Drako.

“I don’t know, I…” started Master Splinter. “Hold on my sons, hold on with your lives.”

Back in the Battle Nexus of the Damned, Usagi had managed to shake off his earlier assault and rejoined Leo in the fight, as the demonic warriors would not give up.

“They just keep coming,” grunted Leo as he nearly was knocked backwards but he managed to block an attempt from getting his smashed in.

“Then we will just keep fighting,” replied Usagi but a flash of blue light appeared.

The next thing they knew, they were outside the Daimyo’s palace.

“We’re back,” remarked Leo dully.

“This should not be possible!” demanded Ultimate Drako as the scene faded right inside the Daimyo’s face with the three Turtles, Master Splinter, the Daimyo, and Ultimate Drako all back inside. A black tar like substance shot out of the web of magical energy, intertwining with Ultimate Drako. “You should not have the power!”

Both parts of Ultimate Drako screamed in agony as they were ripped apart, before they were back to separate entities.

“I don’t understand, how could this happened?” demanded Drako weakly as he watched his body slowly turn to stone. “No!”

Drako was silenced when he had completely turned to stone as the Ultimate Ninja turned towards his weary father as he also began to turn to stone.

“Father forgive me,” begged the Ultimate Ninja. “I am…”

Also, the Ultimate Ninja turned to stone and both figures crumbled into dust, before the time sceptre and war staff gently let Mikey, Raph, and Master Splinter down as Harry and Don made their way inside to join them.

“My son, did I hear my son?” asked the Daimyo weakly before he suddenly snapped out of his trance, and looked around to the dust on the floor. “What is going on here?”

“Master Splinter, guys, you’ll alright, you’re all okay,” remarked Leo in a relieved voice as he entered the palace.

Everyone seemed relieved that everything had worked out well, with Ultimate Drako finally defeated and the family reunited.

“Uh Master Splinter, what happened, how did we do that?” inquired Mikey.

“I truly do not know,” replied Master Splinter.

Harry opened his mouth to explain about emotionally charged accident magic but a flash of blue light stopped him roughly in his tracks as Lord Simultaneous appeared out of nowhere.

“It’s quite simple really,” remarked Simultaneous casually as he waved his hand and the time sceptre floated to him, before he expertly caught it. “It’s like I told your sons when I met them the last time, this time sceptre has a mind of its own. It saw the situation, weighed good against evil and set everything to right, with a little help of the war staff.”

Simultaneous floated down, looking at the dust with a disapproving cluck of his tongue.

“No one ever learns that time travel is not a toy,” lectured Simultaneous. “I get sick and tired of cleaning up after megalomaniacs and mad men.”

“No my, son, no,” sobbed the Daimyo and Simultaneous raised his eyebrows before turning to the Turtles, Harry, Usagi, and Master Splinter.

“Let me to show you, the true and good powers of the time sceptre,” remarked Simultaneous. “Controlled by the right hands.”

Effortlessly, Simultaneous waved the time sceptre and a small jet of blue light hit the dust, before an eight year version of the Ultimate Ninja grew out of the dust.

“Father, oh I had the most horrible nightmare, oh father!” cried the Daimyo’s son as he rushed over to his father, before leaping on his lap.

“My son, oh my son,” said the Daimyo in a relieved voice as he saw that his son was okay and he patted him on the head, comforting him “Do not cry, I too had a most horrible nightmare, but it’s going to be alright, it’s all going to be all right.”

Simultaneous watched father and son reunited, before he turned his attention to the group.

“And now it is high time I send you all back to where you belong,” added Simultaneous. “You’ve given me a heading flitting all over time and creation like that.”

“Usagi, I thank you for everything,” replied Leo.

“Do not mention it Leonardo,” said Usagi, graciously waving off Leo’s thanks.

“Until we meet again, Usagi-san, farewell,” added Master Splinter, gently setting the war staff down and a flash of light engulfed the group, sending Usagi back to his home world and the Turtles, Harry, and Master Splinter back to the lair.

They dropped down into the lair as Klunk meowed. In the cat’s perspective, they had only been gone for thirty seconds.

“We’re back, I thought I’d never see this place again,” remarked Leo.

“Yes, my sons, it is good to be home,” answered Master Splinter.