Defeated, the Turtles found themselves back at the lair, sitting in silence with April and Master Splinter. Their battle with the Bradford Mutant had left them hurting, and worst of all, ashamed. They were no closer to discovering Shredder’s plan. Their home, along with everyone and everything in it, was in danger.

Leo sighed. “We couldn’t do anything right.”

“Dogpound was just too powerful,” Mikey said sadly. “I came up with that name because he’s a dog, and he pounded us into the—”

“We get it,” Leo interrupted. “I don’t see how we’re going to get close to that Purple Dragon meeting now.”

“Maybe we just need to find a new place to hide. I hear the sewers in Florida are nice this time of year,” Donnie suggested.

“No,” April protested, which made them all look up. Judging by the seriousness in her voice and the determination on her face, she had a plan.

“I’m not letting you guys give up,” she said, knowing the last thing they wanted to do was go back up to the surface. “I’ll spy on the meeting.”

Her suggestion was met with a wave of nooooo’s from the Turtles. There was no way they were going to let April risk her life.

“I can do this,” she pleaded, looking at Mas-ter Splinter. “You’ve been training me to be a kunoichi.”

“But only for a few weeks!”

“What choice do we have? Shredder’s going to attack your home, and we need to find out how. And I’m the only one who can do it,” she declared.

No one wanted to admit it, but they all knew she was right. The bad guys would be expecting four Turtles, not a redheaded high school girl.