AN: Hi there, thank you for viewing the first chapter of "Cracked Brand"! YAY! We've got a lot ahead, so I hope you enjoy the first chapter and keep reading for all the good times ahead!

A little bit about the AU: This is a world where Splinter is abusive, and the turtles grew up in a more strict enviroment. The major difference is they never went to the surface, and therefore their adventures do not start until Mikey's illness prompts more desperate action.

Warning! Story contains violence, abuse, and adult themes.

Cracked Brand

Chapter 1

Don leaned back in his chair, flinching at the sharp squeak it made in the silence of his lab. His eyes burned from the strain he had been putting them through these past few hours. A yawn slipped through his defenses and a glance to his clock showed it only to be quarter after eight in the evening. He had intended to pull another all-nighter, he was nearly done what he was working on and he didn't want to stop when he was so close. Not with what was at stake.

Break over, Don leaned forward again and focused his vision back through his microscope. The science portion of his brain was screaming that this wouldn't work, that he should scrap the project and get some rest. Try something new tomorrow. He shook his head softly and focused once again. This had been the first lead he had in awhile, and he wasn't going to give up until he had seen it through to the end. No matter how hopeless, this was too important to just scrap.

The sound of someone entering the lab didn't cause Don to even look up from his work, he continued making his observations on the slide before him for several minutes before he hit a good stopping point. The other sat on the edge of his desk, waiting patiently for Don to finish. It happened so often it was just part of routine now.

Finally, with a deep sigh, Don leaned back in his chair, wincing at the squeak. He needed to fix that. He turned his chair to face the figure that had slipped in to see him, and smiled softly in greeting. "How is he?"

Leo did not return the smile, "He asked for a story. I barely started before he was snoring." Leo's gaze met the ceiling, "His fever is down today, but he seems weaker."

Don nodded. "Mikey's been fighting it really hard lately, it's just starting to wear him out." He stated quietly. "If it keeps up this way and we can keep the fever down he should push through. He just needs more rest."

There was a long silence from Leo, and Don wondered if he was even going to reply at all. He could see the muscles in his brother's jaw working. Whatever it was Leo had wanted to say though, he kept it to himself.

Don cleared his throat, suddenly feeling awkward. He really should be working. Leaving Leo to sit and think on his desktop, Don spun his chair back to his microscope.

He was just getting it into focus again when Leo's voice halted all his pressing thoughts, "Maybe we should go topside to look for medicine."

Don jumped to his feet and turned to Leo with wide-eyed shock. He didn't even know how to reply to that. None of them had ever had permission to visit the surface, not even once. Even suggesting the idea to their Father would promise at very best a swift beating. Don guessed Leo meant sneaking out though, and if they were caught...

Don sank back to his chair. It wasn't an option. "If something happens to us, Mikey is the one that suffers." he pointed out, "I need to get back to work."

The sound of books falling from his desk caused the genius to start as he watched Leo with wide eyes. The blue banded turtle had just shoved the pile off of the desk in a rare fit of temper. Almost promptly Leo jumped from the desk to the floor, beginning to clean up the mess he had made. Don joined him, stacking the books and papers in order.

When Leo stopped moving, Don looked up and was met with a frustrated glare. "Raph was right." Leo said suddenly, "I should have gone with him. I shouldn't have come back."

Don felt a stab of hurt at Leo's comment. It had been difficult enough losing Raph six months ago, but the thought of losing Leo at the same time actually scared him. Without Leo, Don was sure Mikey wouldn't have lived this long. He would be alone.

Leo was picking up the pages again, putting everything back in a neat stack on the desk. "I am going topside tomorrow at sunset, Mikey can't wait anymore."

As Leo left the room, Donnie just sat there on the floor stunned. Deep down inside he knew that without his intervention, he was going to lose another brother.

It was about an hour before sunset, and Don was only at the first turnoff into the tunnels before he was having second thoughts about his idea.

After his discussion with Leo he went straight to bed and slept, needing to clear his mind. As soon as he woke up for training he knew what he had to do.

It was brutally simple. If Leo snuck out and got caught, Donnie didn't have the power to protect a sick Mikey. If Donnie snuck out and got caught though...

The idea felt better in his head, and the further from home he went, the more afraid he became. Images from the night Raph left flashed through his mind, and he knew he was making a mistake. No matter how many times he reminded himself that Mikey's life depended on this, he could not banish the memories from that night.

There had been no signs or warnings. One night Raph was just gone. He had likely been gone for about two hours before their Father had sent Leo to track him.

Leo didn't come back for two days. When he returned he was hunched over, his arms wrapped around himself like he was slowly freezing; Like he thought he would shatter. Don had seen one of Raph's sai in Leo's tightly closed fist, but before he could say a word, Master Splinter had taken Leo to the dojo.

Don and Mikey sat in awkward silence in the common area for a few minutes before Don went to work on the TV, leaving Mikey to a comic book. Neither were distracted by their task.

After about twenty minutes Donnie was called to the dojo. What he saw was the most frightening thing he had witnessed in his life. Splinter had always believed in physical punishment, but he had never ever hurt them severely. This time though, Leo was in a heap on the floor, beaten unconscious. Donnie hadn't even heard him cry out.

Don sprinted towards Leo as Splinter retreated to his room without another word. Aside from a couple of puffy bruises, a broken wrist, and a cut along his shoulder that needed stitches, Leo was fine in the end, just exhausted. He didn't tell them what had happened on his mission though, only that Raph was "gone".

It took some time for Donnie to muster the courage to ask what had happened in the dojo, but Leo just shook his head and said that he deserved everything he got. Donnie didn't push any further, sensing Leo's desire to drop the subject.

Mikey's usual pep diminished day by day, with all of the stress in their household there was little room for his bubbly laughter. Their training became more intense, and their discipline had become more strict. It was during a day that Mikey didn't wake up for training that they discovered him with a fever that wouldn't go away.

Which led Donnie to hit the books in an attempt to find some sort of cure. He learned that it was some kind of infection, and with no access to a strong enough antibiotic Donnie was unable to fix it, although he continued to try. When he approached their Father about it, saying that Mikey would die without real medicine, Splinter just said it was a waste of resources to continue keeping him alive, that going topside to steal medicine was not honourable and he would not allow it.

The sound of footsteps caused Don to duck into a side tunnel, but by the uneven, desperate stride he knew it couldn't be Leo. He knew he should leave it well alone, that his mission was more important, but curiosity got the better of him and he began following the sounds. He was led to an abandoned subway tunnel, and looking down the dark path his heart skipped a beat.

Despite being close to exhaustion, she looked to be full of fire. Her orange hair was a tangled mess, and by her limping gait he could tell immediately that she was hurt. She ran without looking back, seeming desperate to get away from whatever pursued her. Clutched in her arms was a too-big looking gun of some sort, lights on it giving off a purple glow. It seemed she was prepared to fight if it came down to it, and Donnie instantly fell in love with the spirit he saw. This was a girl who couldn't be held down, who did what she needed to do, no matter what.

Donnie managed to tear his eyes away from her after a moment, suddenly concerned about what it was that had her on the run. Behind her, and catching up fast were four men, each dressed in matching suits. She didn't stand a chance by herself. Still, Don hesitated; There was another life he should be saving right now.

Thoughts of his sick brother vanished as the four men closed in on her though, and Donnie sprang into action, pulling his staff from behind him with a spin and leaping between the girl and the men.

The first strike he took came from behind, as the fiery girl slammed the gun into his shell with a shout. He turned to her in surprise; He hadn't been anticipating her attacking him, although he guessed it made sense that she would be hostile. He turned fully, "No, it's okay. I'm a friend!"

In response, she screamed. She brought her weapon up in preparation to blast his brains out, and Donnie prepared to move out of the way when he felt unbelievably strong arms wrap around him, pinning his own arms to his side. He struggled as he looked to see the three other men surround them, and twisted himself sharply, tossing the heavy man to the side before striking him.

The blow didn't do a thing; the man simply turned back and began to come after him again. With a feral yell Donnie leaped into combat, but each strike was blocked and he was very quickly pushed back.

As his shell hit the wall, and the man stood over him, Donnie couldn't help but regret everything. Everyone he had been trying to protect he had let down. Leo, Mikey, and the strange girl who was already knocked unconscious. As a reflex he continued to block the heavy assault of fists, but with the girl down, two of the other men were coming over to help the first.

Donnie could barely handle one, let alone three. It was a losing battle. He was alone, and nobody knew where he was. Nobody would even know what became of him.

His eyes grew wide as he was pulled from the wall and pinned to the ground by the three men, unable to even shake their machine strong grip.

Maybe, just maybe, Leo could track him. He didn't care what the price was anymore, he wanted nothing more than to go home.

End