Author's note: Hia guys, sorry for longer wait. I went to see my favourite band last weekend and had an awesome time and got a drumstick from them which made my day, weeek, month, year, life! So in short was not in the mood to write. But can I just point out that I'm updating as soon as I can. I work all week at a phsyical job so don't have the energy to write in the week meaning I have 2 mornings to get a chapter written each week. I'm sorry if this is a pain, but I'm trying my best.

Yet in a more positive note, I am overwhelmed by the mass of supprot I've gotten so far, keep it coming it means so much. :D

Also if anyone knows how to enter Reader's Choice Awards could you PM me? I have no idea how these things work so would appreciate some tips, thanks!

Now for the story.

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Chapter 2

0100 Hours

April P.O.V

Since the turtles' injuries had all been tended to and there had been no dramatic changes in their health, Splinter had respectfully asked if he could be left alone with his sons in order to talk to them and see what had happened, yet when the stressed rat finally emerged from the infirmary, seeming even more weary than before and with the four freshly cut masks clenched in a fist, April knew something was wrong.

The moment before she had finally stopped pacing around the Mutanimals's warehouse and decided to sit down with a mug of tea to sooth her ragged nerves however – as she swapped a concerned glance with Karai beside her – she now realised Splinter was in much more need of the comforting beverage.

"Sensei?" Her voice sounded too tentative, too afraid, as she held out the tea cup, her trembling hands betraying her feelings. The ninja master looked up, his wide eyes full of sorrow and the psychic got a sudden burst of heartbreak and fear. Blinking, she tried to push aside the strong emotions she was sensing to focus on her sensei.

"Thank you." Splinter breathed as he lowered himself onto the bench, his movements those of someone who had been leaning over for too long. He took a long sip of the steaming tea before sighing. "I'm afraid that man did more damage than we initially feared…" When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy.

"What do you mean, father?" Karai leant forward, her usually cold gaze now tender.

"I mean that my sons seem to have lost all hope and do not appear to show their usual concern for one another's wellbeing." Another sip of the tea and April noticed how her sensei's shoulders had fallen slightly, his usual erect posture giving way to the pressures life had thrown at him.

"Have they said anything about what happened?" Karai's voice had a sharp edge to it, her anger bubbling just under the surface yet Splinter merely shook his head.

"They're too scared to." April muttered, reading her sensei's expression. "You couldn't reach them." It wasn't a question but the rat still affirmed the statement making the older woman curse.

"Sono yatsu ga harau tsumorida!" Karai's tone was sharp leaving little room for mis-interpretation, but the term "yatsu" was one April had grown accustomed to lately. Bastard. It was clearly a threat directed towards the man who did this to their family.

Setting the cup down, Splinter turned to April, his eyes pleading.

"April. For years you have stood by our family, given us shelter, kept our secret and have never asked anything in return from us, yet now I must ask another favour of you. Do you think you could attempt to reach my sons using your abilities? I apologise for placing such a responsibility upon your shoulders but –"

April held up a hand, touched by the serenity of her sensei's words.

"Of course, master Splinter. You guys are my family, I want to do anything I can to help." She touched his paw, giving him a small smile as she stood.

She wanted to do this – no, she needed to. All those times the turtles had helped her flashed through her mind. From being saved from the Kraang and their first meeting to Donnie finding the retro-mutagen to save her dad and spending hours helping her hone her powers to perfection, nearly every good memory she had from the last several years included the faces for her mutant friends.

She didn't know where she would be without them.

Upon entering the infirmary April had to catch herself from reacting. Seeing the guys straight after they had been rescued had been shocking, sure, yet it had been in an expected manner. They weren't going to come out of a month's imprisonment smelling of roses, however to see them now, curled up in their individual beds – their skin still too pale and their forms too still – it brought reality crashing down around April's ears once amore.

It seemed as if they were all asleep – and with the drugs pumping through their systems it was a possibility – however April could sense their minds still roaming, the faint pulse of many different strands of focus capturing her attention and indicating that the turtles were still conscious.

Taking a breath she entered the room, shutting the door behind her. As the door closed she felt four spikes in energy, a hint of tension growing behind closed eyelids.

She reached the first bed and paused.

Before her lay Michelangelo. The young woman could remember only a handful of times she had not seen a smile grace the youngest turtle's face, however now it seemed there would never be another smile upon the freckled face ever again. Mikey's face was pressed into the pillow, the edges of his mouth just visible with the harsh marks of where the stitches had cut across his lips puckered against the pale green skin. Bruises still littered his face while his hand which lay atop of the sheets attached to the IV line was tightly wrapped and splinted, holding the broken fingers straight as they healed. But it was the edge of his carapace which hit April the hardest. The area where several sections of his shell had been taken from him was covered in thin sheets of plastic and thick bandages, wrapping around his back and sneaking across his shoulder and plastron beneath the sheets. Despite the drugs being pumped into his bloodstream, Mikey's forehead was creased in pain.

"Oh Mikey…" April breathed as she reached out and placed a hand upon the youngest's slightly warm forehead.

Pretending she didn't notice the shiver which passed through her friend's frame, April reached her mind out so she touched his own, allowing herself to float away from her own fears and embrace the chaotic energy before her.

First there was a sudden overwhelming sense of distrust and pain which was quickly supressed and replaced with an indifference which trembled, telling April that it was not a true emotion, merely what the turtle was telling himself to feel.

Then the emotions were demolished by a new one. Pure agonising terror swept through the psychic's mind as a blurry image pushed it's way forth…

A flash of light.

A faint shape of a man, his face cast in shadow.

A needle coming closer, the gleam of metal hovering before her eyes before pausing for a short moment. The there was a sudden burst of pain as the needle vanished from sight…. There was a taste of coppery blood…

Yet as the taste filled her mouth, April felt herself being dragged away from Mikey's mind, the connection she had felt only a moment before rapidly slipping away leaving her trembling from the experience, forced back into her own mind with a lingering sense of hostility never before experienced. Beside her Mikey's breathing hitches as if stopping himself from crying out and the woman quickly sent calming thoughts to her friend, allowing the turtle to slip into a dreamless sleep.

For a long moment, April could only just sit as she processed what had just happened. Only when facing extremely hostile foes had she ever been forced back from someone's mind, yet this was the mind of one of her best friends. She shouldn't be getting this from him…

Shaking her head she silently moved to the next bed. In it lay Donnie – the only one of the four brothers who was sleeping – or at least pretending to – on his front due to the infected sections of his shell. As she began the same process of entering his mind she found a lot of the same fear and distrust that she had found with Mikey, yet if she dug a little deeper she began ti discover something different…

Pain, fiery and raw.

Guilt… Something big was weighing on his mind… April pushed forth a little and was met with a flash.

It started with a quick flash of what looked like blue prints before a figure radiating power tore them away. This image was replaced with shadowy figures moving towards her, but when April tried to see their faces she couldn't make out any features… There was a pause, a spike of terror then these mysterious soldiers jumped up and began attacking. April caught a glimpse of whip marks on its carapace were hit…

And just like with the younger turtle, April was forced back out of her friend's mind. She blinked as she realised what had happened, the confusion overwhelming. What was going on?

Unlike Mikey, it seemed as though Donnie had slipped back into unconsciousness of his own accord and did not need any mental assistance from the woman. Beginning to shake slightly, she stood and moved towards Raph. There was a troubling pattern emerging, it was like there was some sort of mental block on the turtles' minds, stopping her from reaching them.

Raph's face looked strangely vulnerable as April sat beside him, the lack of the mask stripping away his menacing attitude, yet it was the heavy bruising around his mouth and the crease between his eye ridges which captured the trauma he must have been subjected to. He looked scared, and that was not something that suited Raph's warrior attitude.

Like with the others, she delved into his mind no longer surprised when she was met with resistance.

First there was shame, heavy and numbing…

Then a dull throb and a pressure to the face…

Then April touched something which jumped to life before her.

Raw terror. A fear which made her freeze as a faint image appeared before her eyes.

Bowing to some man – the same one which had radiated such power in Donnie's mind – but once again his face was blurry. All she could tell was that he emanated death. She saw flashes of red and felt as though she were being suffocated before–

Once again she was pulled away and was left just as confused as before.

Pressing a hand tenderly to his heavily bandaged shoulder, she offered a silent show of support yet the turtle did not stir.

With a sigh she reached the final turtle. Leonardo. Of all the brothers, he was the one whom had caused the most worry in terms of dealing with his injuries for not only had he been suffering from early hypothermia, but the trauma to his plastron was extensive, burning deep into his chest thus causing a lot of stress to his internal organs. Now he was stable, yet with the layers of bandages and splints strapped around his shoulders and wrists he still looked far from the strong leader April knew him to be. Here, he just looked shrunken against the white sheets, his battered body trembling with each breath while his face screwed up in pain.

Tentatively, April approached his side and placed a hand upon his own, stretching her mind one final time, yet the resistance she met was much stronger than it had been for the last three.

There was a glimpse of the same blurry face.

Yet the fear was even more overwhelming this time.

There was a deep shame.

Burning humiliation and a strong sense of failure.

Then nothing.

April was back in the infirmary, shaking as she opened her eyes.

What was going on…?

With a sigh she stood only to feel a weak hand touch her hand.

"You're not... going to find anything…" Leo's eyes were unfocused and his grip weak, yet April could see he was trying to tell her something. She sat back down and leant closer. "He knew about… the spiritual plane… I couldn't…" His voice steadily grew quieter but April couldn't quite make out the words.

She watched her friend's eyes grow distant as if he were remembering something and the change which came over him was as dramatic as it was shocking. The hand dropped from hers and fell back against the bed. His face turned impassive as his jaw clenched. "Just go…" He whispered. "Forget I said anything…"

Accepting she wasn't getting any more from him, the woman patted his hand tenderly, watching the turtle wince slightly at the action, before she stood and left the infirmary, escaping the darkness which lingered in each of their minds.

0101 Hours

Red P.O.V

Once he felt April's presence move from his side, the turtle allowed himself to open his eyes, escaping the horrible darkness. The terror had been building up inside ever since he had closed his eyelids to pretend to be asleep, and he was worried he wouldn't be able to keep up the act long enough to fool the woman, yet thankfully – just as the silent scream he had been holding back was about to break loose – she had left his side, permitting him to open his eyes and take in the light once more.

The darkness was terrifying. He was scared that if he kept his eyes closed for too long he would slip into the dark oblivion of death – the one thing he now lived in terror of. Being with the Master had shown him how fragile his life was and that was something he didn't want to lose. He would… Wait.

Tossing aside his terrors, he focused on the faint voice he could now hear. Was that…?

"You're not... going to find anything…" Yes… It was Leo. That stuck up failure. The one who had failed to get them out of that hell… So he was actually talking with April? Figures. Probably acting high and mighty with her like he had back with the Master when he said he had a plan… "He knew about… the spiritual plane… I couldn't…" The voice was so weak, Red had to pause his hostile thoughts. It wasn't the lecture he had been expecting to hear. What was going on?

"Just go…" The voice finally finished. "Forget I said anything…"

Red just lay there, confused. That wasn't the arrogant turtle he had silently despised during their capture. Something had changed…

He heard footsteps and quickly shut his eyes, feigning sleep once more. A door closed and only then did the turtle open his eyes.

"Hey…" He whispered, his throat feeling too thick. Only silence met him.

Good. He didn't know what he was going to say any way. He had no words for him…So why did he even bother?

This question continued to plague him as he felt his eyelids grow heavy once more and beneath the blankets he pressed a finger to the covered stab wound in his plastron. He stifled a gasp as the touch sent a shock through his system, yet it was enough. The pain flared back forcing his eyes open.

He didn't want to sleep.

He wouldn't let darkness claim him.

Death was his enemy and he would do everything he could to avoid it.

Blue P.O.V

"Hey." The voice made him stir. It was Raph… Why was he…? The turtle just lay there, waiting for the voice to go on, yet it never did. So he was right.

His former 'brothers' hated him. He could sense their hostility filling the room. They knew he was tainted and that he had failed them. They didn't want anything to do with him, and he couldn't blame them.

With a sigh he pushed his head further back into the pillow.

He was just so tired of it all. He had known peace for a few short wonderful moments as they had been rescued and he had felt everything slip away. Apparently his heart had stopped when they were being brought back to safety, so that would explain the sensation. Why had he been brought back? He had failed as a brother and a leader, so what purpose did he now serve?

Closing his eyes, he tried to drop away from it all yet he only saw the Master's face leering over him, his scent overpowering as his eyes gleamed with evil intent.

Blue's eyes snapped open in an instant, his breath hitching.

No.

He couldn't sleep.

Not when the memories were that close to the surface, fighting their way forth whenever he closed his eyes. He sighed. So he would just have to stay awake till exhaustion took him… So be it. He turned his head towards the doors, wincing as a pain shot down his shoulders. Outside he could hear low voices and it took a long moment to identify them.

"…Some sort of mental block… Apparently that man knew about the Spiritual plane…" That was April.

"How do you know that?" Wait… That was… Another woman… One that Blue felt he knew well…

"Leo told me. He wasn't awake long…" The voice faded away again.

"Perhaps it's time for a new approach…" Splinter… The rat… "Maybe we should try a more direct approach. You both have a unique relationship with two of my sons, perhaps – with the help of Leatherhead and Slash, we could talk with them…" Blue stifled a huff. Of course that would work… How naive…

"I don't think it'll be that simple, father." That voice again… What was her name…?

"Karai's right, Splinter," That was it… Karai… Images of the woman flashed through his mind – memories seeming to come from another life where he was carefree and innocent. And clean. His mental wandering made him loose trail of the start of the conversation, and he tried to pick up what was happening. "…Back in their own rooms? Give them space?"

"They are not yet stable enough to move. But perhaps we could give them some space?"

Blue's breath caught in his throat. They were serious. They were going to try and reach them. The turtle closed his eyes again, praying the Master wouldn't enter his thoughts. It was all too much.

Just give him peace….

Please…

Just a moment…

Well...

Next chap is going to be interesting.

Questions:

-Will they heal?

-Will they open up?

-What's with the mental blocks?

-And will I provide more answers?!

See you in the next chapter.

LL99 Out.