Three weeks had passed since Donny's discovery that the pictures Raphael had taken off of Peter Babbot had come from his original dimension, taken during the final battle with that reality's Shredder. For Raph, Raphael, the Genius twins, and the Brats, those had been three tension filled weeks, particularly in light of Leo's revelation that who, or rather, whatever had produced those photos was some sort of evil non-human entity that had every intention of destroying him. That particular disclosure did not set well with his brothers. Leo, on the other hand, was completely composed about the whole affair.
"I don't get it, bro," Raph told him one day after practice. "Why doesn't the thought that this thing is out to get you bother you more than it does? I mean, you haven't even given it a second thought since you dropped that little bomb on us a few weeks ago."
Leo just shrugged. "After the past two years I've had, it's hard to get worked up over this. Besides, without any clue who or what this thing is, we can't begin to guess how or when it will strike, or even what exactly it wants."
"Oh, we know what it wants, bro," Raphael cut in. "It wants you; bleeding and broken from what I can tell."
"But we don't know why it wants me," Leo pointed out. "Without some hint of its motivation it will be a little hard to prepare. Until then, we'll just have to be extra vigilant and watch our backs."
"How about you keep your eyes straight ahead where they'll do us the most good. Raph and I will watch your back," Raphael said.
"Deal," Leo said with a good natured laugh. "But I don't think we have a whole lot to worry about. Whatever this thing is, I bet he has to have a human agent to work through; hence the Crazy Babbots. Seriously, if it had wanted to kill me itself, it could have done so without turning me over to those two nuts. Until he has a new ally, he won't be much trouble.
TMNTTMTN
Across Town: Foot Tower
Oroku Saki looked across his table at his new business "associate."
"Explain this to me again," he said. "Just what is it you need my help with?"
The large shadowy figure gave the warlord a look brimming with impatience; Saki didn't care. Until he fully understood just what this creature wanted, he wasn't going to apply the resources of his Foot ninjas to this plan.
"As I have explained, I am not from your reality," the hulking figure hissed. "My presence here is dependent on the peacekeepers of my kind not realizing I am here at this time, which means I am unable to directly interact with my quarry."
"And what does this have to do with those wretched reptiles," Saki inquired.
"Not with all of them; just the oldest. Leonardo is on the cusp of going through a very special transformation; a change that can only be brought about by facing and overcoming the deepest pains and challenges. This is his purging process; his trial by fire. Once the process is complete, and the metamorphosis has taken place, he will become a depository of great power. I will then consume his heart, and make his power my own."
"So what does this have to do with getting rid of his pesky brothers," Saki asked.
"They will be the means of completing the process," the dark figure said. "Leonardo has faced the trial of the heart as he overcame some 'family difficulties.' His recent encounter with the brothers Babbot, and his subsequent recovery, concluded his trial of the mind. All that is left is the final component: the trial of the body. This is the most difficult test to arrange, because the individual must willingly choose to accept a great deal of physical pain."
"And you plan to accomplish this how," Saki wanted to know.
"Through his brothers, of course," the shadow-man snapped. "Surely you have noticed how protective Leonardo is of his brothers. Your part in this is simple. Capture the turtles and threaten to torture each of Leonardo's brothers, but give him the chance to take the punishment himself in their place. Once he is completely broken physically, if he has passed the test, he will undergo a transformation. Once the change is complete, I will cut his heart from his chest and consume it, transferring his power to myself."
"I still don't see what is in this for me," Saki said.
"Once Leonardo is dead, his original three brothers will be yours to dispose off as you wish. The other three will go with me. On top of the power I will get from devouring their brother's heart, the fear, and pain, and heartbreak they will feel at his loss, and their inability to save him, will keep me sated for a long while."
Saki narrowed his eyes as he looked at the figure across from him.
"Before I commit to anything, tell me this: who are you," he said.
An image suddenly appeared in Saki's mind of a large, glowing black figure with red eyes. It was neither conspicuously male nor female; being instead a large, shapeless glob, but the sense of it was distinctly male. "I am called Lord Darktide," the figure said. "I am the consumer of pain, the bringer of discord, and the lord of nightmares. I live off the pain, hurt, anger, and other dark emotions the residents of the physical realms exude and produce."
"And your interest in Leonardo?"
"Our young turtle is a nascent receptacle of the Light; a being who has faced the darkest sides of life and triumphed over them. Once his transformation is complete, his strength will be enormous. By eating his heart, not only will I take his power as my own, I will also create a vacuum in the light that will be filled by the darker, shadow emotions that fill any space where the Light is absent, thus providing me further nourishment and strength."
Saki folded his arm over his chest. "I must consider your request," he said. "Return in two days. I will have your answer then."
TTTT
Once Lord Darktide was gone, Saki summoned Hun into the room.
"What shall we do, master," he asked, kneeling humbly before Saki.
"I believe we shall provide this creature with the assistance he has requested," Saki told his underling. "Too long and too often have we faced defeat at the hands of those annoying reptiles. This way, we not only do we rid ourselves of them once and for all, but we will get revenge for all the trouble they have caused us, all the times they interfered."
"Command me, master," Hun said.
"Have a holding cell constructed," Saki ordered. "I want Leonardo's brothers to be able to watch as their beloved older brother takes their punishments for them. Then I want you to personally go to the lab down town and bring back the Serum 431 poison. I believe it's time for a live trial."
"Yes, my master," Hun said obediently. Saki dismissed him with a wave of his hand, and the large man silently departed. Crossing to look out the window over the bright nighttime city skyline, Saki smiled. He was going to enjoy this; the turtles would cease to be a nuisance once and for all.