Author's note: Sorry it took so long to get this out! I tried, but I kept on getting bored! Here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles & company...


Leo glanced at the entrance to the lair for about the tenth time since Donny had left. He found it strange it strange already that Donny had lied about where he was going, but he expected Don to be back by now. It was already getting late and Leo was really staring to worry.

"Do ya know ya worry too much, Leo?" Raph asked his eldest brother.

"Aren't you worried?" Leo asked without looking away from the entrance.

"O'course I am," Raph said, "But that doesn't mean ya hafta keep glancin' at da door like dat. He probably jus' lost track o' time 'r sum'thin'."

"I've got a gut feeling something's not right," Leo said. And usually they're right…

"Do you think we should check up on him?" Mikey asked from the couch were he was obviously listening in to his brother's conversation. "Can we call him on his shell cell or something?"

"Maybe dat'll help ya stop worryin'," Raph agreed. Leo sighed as he took out his shell cell and pressed the speed-dial for Don's cell. They heard ringing coming from Don's lab. Mikey ran in and returned a few minutes later holding what was obviously Donny's shell cell.

"He didn't bring his shell cell wit'im?" Raph asked out loud.

"Something's obviously wrong…" Leo said slowly.

&&&&&&&&&&

"The first thought that goes through my mind when I finally manage to open my eyes is where am I? It's too dark to see anything clearly, but I can tell that it is small, cramped, and probably metal. My wrists are held together somehow behind my carapace. The same force is binding my ankles as well. I can see a ring of violet light surrounding them unnaturally not breaking through the darkness. Memories from before flash through my mind, reminding me of how I got here. Somehow, it seems this man knows about my nightmares going as far as claiming responsibility! The guy must be nuts. No one can create nightmares…right? Ugh! That guy was probably just messing with my mind.

I still don't fully understand what this guy wants. I get the research part. It seems I'm about to be his test subject; a scientific guinea pig; whatever you want to call it. Isn't that ironic…? Why am I always the one in this kind of situation? Alight, sometimes my brothers get dragged into it with me, but it's usually just me! I hate it when men like him try to dissect me every chance they get! What I really what to know, though, is, who are these men? I know they look human, but not with that speed! No one can run or fight with that speed! This whole thing is highly illogical.

I'm starting to wonder how wise it was to leave my shell cell at the lair. For one thing, if I still had it on me, I would be able to inform my brothers on my current situation. They'd probably come to my rescue immediately if I had brought it along, but that's the thing! All my nightmares basically imply that it's my fault they get captured and killed. What if that actually happens in this case? I don't know what I'd do then.

Am I really turning my nightmares into reality? Am I actually considering I can link the two? This is crazy! They are two different, unrelated things. Reality may affect dreams, but dreams can never affect reality! Am I losing it? But the leader of those men; he was from my dreams…or at least he resembled him. The guy even pointed out where I recognized him from! That's just not possible or probable! Great! All this thinking is starting to give me a headache. This is just not my area of expertise. I lay my head back against the wall as I close my eyes. Why must I go through this?

&&&&&&&&

All three brothers look around at Donny's lab. "Everything's packed away." Leo noted.

"It's almost like he expected to be gone for a while." Raph agreed.

"And he doesn't want us contacting him…" Mikey put in.

"…Or tracking him," Leo added. "He left everything that could help us find him here at the lair."

"He doesn't want us to find him, does he?" Mikey asked. He was still holding Donny's shell cell as he slumped down in one of Don's computer chairs causing it to roll backwards some. His two older brothers looked at him.

"He probably just needs his space for a while," Leo said. He didn't like the idea, but at least it might cheer Mikey up.

"I can't believe he would jus' run away like dat!" Raph growled, grumpily. "He could of at least told us where he was really goin' or that he was leaving fer dat matter. Not including that lie he told you, Leo."

"He probably wouldn't have told me at all if I hadn't caught him in tha kitchen," Leo admitted, sadly, "He's not very good at lying. I should have made him stay. I knew something was up."

"He still woulda found another way out though," Raph said. "I wish I coulda talked ta 'im. Maybe he wouldn't have run off. What was botherin' 'im anyway?"

"Do you think it was the nightmares?" Mikey asked.

"I am sure it was," Master Splinter said from the doorway. The three turtle brothers quickly looked towards the wise old rat in a start. "I do not know exactly what they were about, but they have been troubling Donatello severely. I have heard him screaming in his sleep countless times, especially during the last few weeks. It is my understanding that these dreams concerned you three in desperate need of assistance and Donatello probably feels he can not help for some unknown reason." By the time he had finished speaking, he was standing in front of his sons.

"About us?" Mikey asked.

"That would explain a lot…" Leo said, slowly.

"I wonder what kind of trouble he saw us in…" Raph thought out loud.

"He was never able to tell me," Splinter said, sighing, "That would leave me to believe they were terrible."

&&&&&&&&&&&&

After a long time in my metal cage, a side wall is knocked off and the bright sunlight streaming in temporally blinds me. I close my eyes and turn away before I feel arms reach in and pull me out of the crate. As soon as my eyes adjust to the light, I look around at my surroundings. Two of those men in white are dragging me off a boat, down a wooden ramp, and onto the shore of what could be an island. The men stop walking, stand me on my feet, and push me forward. I stumble a bit and a hand reaches out to stable me.

"Walk!" One of the men orders me. I look down at my feet, surprised to see the violet ring is still around my ankles yet now I can walk, when I knew I wouldn't have been able to before. "WALK!" The man says again as he pushes me forward a second time. I start walking, testing how fast I can go. The ring prohibits me from doing any more then a slow walk without ending up tripping and since this place is an island, I won't be leaving anytime soon.

The men lead me through the trees until I catch sight of double metal doors hidden among the vines and other greenery. One of the men type in a password into a keypad and the doors slide open almost instantly. The force me down a flight of stairs which opens up to a hallway seventy steps down, more or less. I lost count… The hallway is long and all the doors are closed when I pass them. Close to the end, one of the men opens a door to my right and forces me inside. Monitors and wires litter the room with no specific order, but there is still enough room to walk around.

A door to the side of the room opens and the leader of the men in white steps into the room. "Welcome to our testing area, Donatello," He says, "Get used to it, because you will be here for the rest of your life."

&&&&&&&

Leo laid back against the couch thinking of everything that had happened so far. Something still seemed to be nagging at him. Mikey and Raph had already gone to sleep, but Leo couldn't. They had already informed April about what happened and had searched for any sign of his missing brother, but nothing had come of it. He felt a sense of urgency he couldn't shake. He knew there was a bigger problem, but he couldn't quite see it yet.

As Leo stared up at the ceiling, an alarm rang out through the lair. He jumped to his feet and ran into Donny's lab. With a cursory glance at a monitor, he ran back out again just as Raph stepped out of his room, yawning.

"What's goin' on?" He asked, sleepily.

"Something's triggered the perimeter alarm," Leo said, "Get Mikey out here."

"I'll be glad to," Raph said with an evil glint in his eye. Leo waited as he silenced the alarm.

"OW!" He heard Mikey yell before the young turtle left his room, rubbing his head as Raph followed. "Ya didn't have to drag me off the bed, Raph!"

"What other way was there?" Raph asked, smirking.

"Come on guys," Leo said, seriously, "We have to start looking for the intruders."

&&&&&&&&&&

I watch as the leader of the men in white paces in front of me. The invisible force caused by the violet ring holds my wrists and ankles against the wall of the room. The other men had left, leaving me alone with their leader.

"Now that we're alone, Donatello, let me introduce myself." The man says, "I am Doctor Elias Svone, creator of project nightmare. You see Donatello, I'm very interesting in the subject of dreams. Where do they come from? Why do we have them? And more importantly, can we influence them? Have you ever wondered if it was possible to never have nightmares? They serve no point expect bring fear in the hearts of men. Fear we can do without. There are countless legends about the idea behind these nightmares including the ever-popular dream-catcher.

"Then I found an answer that works. First, I found a way to eliminate dreams completely. Then I found a way to make a subject only have sweet, happy dreams. I figured if I can cause someone to have good dreams, I can also influence that subject to only have nightmares. A good torture device you know? The government loves the idea. It's not like it's harmful...just terrifying!

"More ideas soon came to me. With what I can do already, shouldn't I be able to cause someone to have dreams of the future? I mean some people say a dream can come true, right? Mostly that's just wishful thinking of course. What I may accomplish could bring the futures into my hands. Think of the possibilities, Donatello! Knowing what's going to happen before it does! It's everyone's dream!" He stops walking and turns to me. "That's where you came in. I have to see if this works and to do that, I'll need you to be the one I test it on.

"The mind is difficult to understand to the smartest of people. It might not work and I wouldn't want to harm an innocent person if something goes wrong. That's why I will be testing it on you."

"I'm not your lab rat!" I hiss at him. He only laughs.

"You are, Donatello. When and if your brothers ever arrive, they will be joining you as well." He says. He walks closer to me as he says, "All I have to do is to hook you up to the machine."

Author's note: Yes, there are no nightmares in this chapter, but there will be one in the next! Please review!