Deterioration
part 6

Raph was starting to worry that both of his brothers were going to pass out from exhaustion.

They had been in Bishop's stronghold for seventeen hours. Adding to that the five or six hours they'd been awake after their usual afternoon naps, none of them had slept in quite a while.

It wasn't as though they weren't used to exceptionally long hours without sleep; all of them had times where they'd been in situations that required they stay alert. Don tended to do that more than the others, and Raph could survive on power naps. Leo frequently used light meditation to rest without actually sleeping and was able to get by quite well that way.

The problem was that Leo was sharing his body with Agent Bishop, which was taxing his strength and threatening his health. Don had whispered to Raph the reason why Leo was refusing sleep and Raph knew his oldest brother was doing the best thing he could. That didn't mean that Raph wasn't scared for him.

In the last couple of hours Don had abandoned his computers and begun running tests using the genetic material located in the other section of the lab. There was a gleam in the genius' eyes that told Raph, who knew him well, that Don was onto something.

As elated as Raph felt about that, he was also in something of a quandary. Leo's signal to him those long hours ago was very clear; Dr. Garcia needed to be watched and Donatello was not to be left unguarded. Master Splinter's instructions to Raph were also crystal clear; protect Don and Leo.

Raph was reminded of a character in one of Mikey's comic books who had the ability to duplicate themselves at will. He wished his mutation had given him that same gift, Raph could sure use the extra set of eyes.

Master Splinter had also insisted on keeping Mikey with him in case someone had to break into Bishop's facility on a rescue mission. Raph understood the logic behind that but it didn't keep him from making a second wish; this one for his little brother's company.

He could have used Mikey's help, though he'd never admit that to the nut ball. Not only did Mikey have a seemingly endless supply of energy, but he would have gotten inside Dr. Garcia's brain by now and figured out what the man was up to. In another life, Mikey would have been a great psychologist.

Raph couldn't get Leo to sleep and he couldn't talk Don into it either, but at least he was making sure they ate. Bishop's kitchen staff were on the ball; Raph's specific requests had been met without question, the food delivered on a cart with each plate covered so it stayed fresh.

Since no one knew which of the Turtles would eat what food, it was a safe bet that the meal hadn't been tampered with. Leo took his time consuming his bowl of plain rice and fish, his favorite comfort food. Raph had no idea if Bishop liked fish and didn't really give a damn. If he wanted to inhabit someone's body, he would have to deal with the consequences.

For Don and himself Raph had settled on sandwiches and fruit. From experience Raph knew that Don would be more likely to eat if the food was portable, and had watched the genius carry half a sandwich around the room, waving it in the air between bites as he issued instructions to the scientists who were working for him.

Whatever had crawled into the genius' head now had him so focused that he had fallen off communicating with April and that job by necessity went to Raph. When he sent a message to April letting her know what was happening, she replied that it was a good sign. If Don was behaving that way it meant he had a solid idea. Big sis knew Don almost as well as Raph did.

Right at this particular moment, Raph was eyeing Dr. Garcia. He could see that Don's flurry of activity was exciting the man; the earlier sullen attitude was gone, replaced by grudging admiration. Dr. Garcia was following Donatello around like a wagging tail and as Don didn't seem to mind, Raph held his tongue.

Since the best perch Raph could come up with to keep both science labs under his watchful eye was the door between the two, that's where the red banded Turtle was. With Don in the genetic material lab, Raph's focus was primarily on him, but movement in the transference room caught the corner of his eye. When he turned his head, Raph saw that Leo was standing up.

Raph pushed away from the door frame he'd been leaning against and strode across the room towards his oldest brother. As Raph approached, he saw Leo bend over and flatten his palms against the floor, obviously stretching.

"Ya' ain't supposed ta be moving around, Leo," Raph reminded him.

His brother sighed and straightened up. "I have to move a little otherwise my muscles are going to atrophy," Leo said with a small smile.

Raph's lips twitched, he understood how cramped and useless Leo was probably feeling, but Don's instructions were pretty specific.

"I don't want ta come off as the bad guy bro', but Don said physical activity of any kind would only raise your temperature even further," Raph said.

"I am not aware of any ill effects from the elevated body temperature," Bishop broke in to say.

"Shut up, Bishop, I wasn't talking ta ya'," Raph snapped.

"If yours was a trained scientific mind you would find my observations to be invaluable," Bishop said.

Raph worked to control his temper, determined not to allow Bishop to goad him. Engaging in an argument with the man while he was in his brother's body would only agitate Leo, and that would do even more damage.

"Leo, do ya' feel dizzy or light headed or anything?" Raph asked. "Any body aches? Ya' know, like when ya' catch a cold."

"No, nothing like that," Leo said. "I think I'm still running just a low grade fever though."

Raph could see by the way Leo's eyelids drooped that he was tired, but it didn't surprise him that Leo wouldn't admit to that.

"It isn't in my best interest to have this body burn out too soon either, Raphael," Bishop interjected.

"'Too soon' and 'not ever' are two separate things," Raph said as his eyes narrowed. "The only reason Don and me are helping ya' is ta save Leo; if something happens ta him then ya' ain't got any leverage with us. Ya' need ta remember that."

"I wasn't aware that you were being of much help," Bishop countered, "although you have the makings of a very good waiter."

Raph grinned. "What's your real problem, Bishop? Ya' miss them alien probes? That why ya' spend so much time looking for 'em?"

"If you are so curious about probes, I would be more than happy to satisfy you," Bishop said.

"Ya' ain't my type," Raph growled. "I'm pretty sure ya' ain't anybody's type, unless they're skinny, gray, and come from another planet."

"I'm sure if we were to be visited again by those aliens, they would be delighted to trade some of their tech for one of you Turtles," Bishop told him. "Preferably you since you are the least useful one in the group."

Chuckling, Raph said, "Your pale ass got 'em off the last time, I doubt they'd be willing ta settle for anything else the second go round. Don't worry; I'm sure the government will make 'em pay first this time. Since you're such a whore, I'll bet that appeals ta ya'."

Leo didn't bother wasting energy to try and stop the conversation. Raph appeared to be calm and to actually be enjoying the banter, and for once Bishop wasn't saying anything that was overly malicious.

"I would have thought the idea of pushing Leo aside would have appealed to you," Bishop said in a nastier tone. "Hasn't it always been your wish to be the leader? Without the perfect Leonardo around to outshine you, maybe your Father might find something worthwhile in you."

Raph knew none of that was true; that his Father loved and respected him and his abilities, and that Leo had been chosen as their leader for other esoteric qualities beyond his fighting prowess. In fact, Raph had finally at some point in his life had an epiphany of sorts and realized that he didn't want to be the leader. He had watched that burden weigh Leo down numerous times and the allure had worn off long ago.

That didn't mean that hearing Bishop pick at the old, closed over scar didn't bother him, and Raph felt himself growing angry.

"Trying ta keep up the appearance of being human is damn important ta ya', ain't it, Bishop? Ya' lost that privilege a long time ago and it pisses ya' off that without your fake body, ya' don't pass for anything remotely human," Raph said. "Hell, we may be mutated turtles, but at least the four of us look like something that belongs on Earth."

Of course the conversation had gotten out of hand and now it was time for Leo to put a stop to it. He could feel the tension in Bishop; the need that the man had to not be outdone by Raph's taunting. The problem was that Bishop's ire was too strong for Leo to push aside as the Turtle tried to assert himself. Leo suddenly felt extremely tired and more than a little lightheaded.

Leo was going to have to exert a fair amount of energy in order to break up the growing fight and he wasn't sure he had it in him.

Just as Leo tapped into his small energy reserves, Don suddenly appeared. The genius looked both concerned and quite angry.

"Why are you standing up?" Don demanded, quickly gripping Leo's arm and tugging him back into the chair. Don shot a reproachful look in Raph's direction. "You aren't supposed to be arguing with either of them, Raph. It takes too much out of Leo; can't you see how pale he is?"

"'M sorry, Donny," Raph muttered contritely, upset that he'd even talked to Bishop, much less gotten into an altercation with the man. "I only came over ta get Leo ta sit down again."

"That certainly doesn't involve words," Don snapped as he proved his point. Turning his head to Leo, Don said, "Bishop, you should be able to feel the debilitating effects your presence is having on Leonardo's body, even if you don't want to admit it. I think you're experimenting on my brother; you see this as a prime opportunity to dissect him from within. That is unacceptable to me and in case I didn't make that plain enough to begin with, let me reiterate. My brother's health and well-being are of the utmost importance to me, everything else is secondary. Stop trying to injure him further than you already have or I'm going to take steps that will be extremely distasteful to you."

Dr. Garcia had come over when he heard the raised voices and now stood on the periphery of the small group, listening to their conversation. Bishop glanced at him and saw the almost imperceptible nod of the doctor's head.

"Despite my enforced incapacitation, don't think I haven't noticed the flurry of activity, Donatello," Bishop said. "You've gone from working exclusively at the computer to running back and forth between labs. I wanted to be kept apprised of your activities and you have shared nothing. If I'm forced to get up and go looking for answers, then I will."

"I think I've discovered the problem that is causing the deterioration of the DNA cells within the cloned genetic material," Don said. "I've been running a few tests in order to prove my theory."

"Explain it to me," Bishop said. "Don't worry about whether I'll understand or not; believe me when I tell you that I have an extraordinary grasp of the subject."

"Ya' ought ta," Raph mumbled sarcastically beneath his breath.

Don ignored him. "The underlying causation of the instability in the genetic sample isn't in the DNA structure at all. That has been studied by all of your scientists, including Stockman, so when I began looking at the work, I only gave that a cursory perusal. Taking a small section of the genetic material and growing enough to manufacture an entire body is a simple enough procedure; even Dr. Garcia could do it."

As mad at Bishop as Raph was, he couldn't resist a quick glance in Dr. Garcia's direction. It gave the Turtle no end of satisfaction to see the doctor flush crimson at Don's dig.

"The cells are breaking down at a molecular level, Donatello," Bishop said.

"But not at a macromolecular level," Don told him. "The nucleotide strands show no degradation whatsoever. Replicating them a hundred fold doesn't cause any variance in the strand."

"Then why do we have instability in the larger genetic sample created from the molecular cells?" Bishop asked.

"Because the degradation is in the bonding molecule," Don said. Bishop's head came up, sudden understanding flashing across Leo's face as the man reacted to the information.

Leo was not a scientist however, and he wanted to try to understand what Don had discovered. "Can you tell me what that means?" Leo asked.

"If you take a DNA strand and replicate it, you have a lot of strands," Don explained. "Those are macromolecules. To create a cell from them, they have to be given a marker to bond them together. These are the side pieces and bases attached to the ladder-like arrangement of the two nucleotide strands. While DNA strands are self-replicating by nature, they resist degradation. The side pieces however, give us our individual traits and are subject to . . . idiosyncrasies."

"That means they don't act the same from person to person," Raph said.

"Exactly," Don replied, giving his brother a small smile. "Even within a single person, the sequence of the bases can be varied, so we know they aren't replicated the way that the DNA strands themselves are."

"So if they aren't built through a process of replication the way that the strands are, how are they implanted into the DNA?" Leo asked.

"They're copied," Don answered. "Replication and copying are two separate things. Bishop has been copying his side pieces and bases from the original genetic material that made up his body after his first encounter with the aliens."

"Okay," Raph said. "Ya' make a copy of something; it's the same as the original. So what's the problem?"

"A copy isn't the same as the original," Don said. "Say for instance I print out a picture of a man in a striped shirt and take it to a copy machine. I make a copy of it, then I place the copy on the machine and make a copy from that. After I've made about five copies, I hold the original up next to the fifth copy made exclusively from other copies. The man is no longer standing in the center of the page, his facial features are no longer crisply clear, and the stripes are starting to melt into each other."

"This is a huge breakthrough, Donatello," Bishop said, his voice holding a touch of awe. "Why didn't Dr. Stockman see this?"

"Stockman was looking at the strands themselves for answers," Don said. "He was replacing some of the molecules and splicing in new ones with features that would strengthen the genetic tissue. That science was useful and the difference in your new body would be noticeable, but it didn't address the problem of bonding those new molecules together. The degraded cells would eventually become unstable no matter how strong the tissue development might be. We need to replace the bonding molecule with as pure a copy as possible."

"Is that what you've been trying to do in the lab?" Bishop asked.

"Yes," Don said. "I've been looking at all of the genetic material that's been stored, trying to find a sample from your original body. You have a lot of tissue samples out there, and they aren't all properly catalogued. That was a task Stockman would have thought beneath himself and delegated to someone who probably didn't have the correct credentials to do that kind of work."

"Dr. Garcia should be assisting you," Bishop said, shooting a look at his underling.

"He is," Don assured the man. "Dr. Garcia has been a great deal of help, but you haven't. Instead of being out there searching for the sample I need, I'm in here breaking up an argument between two individuals who don't seem to be capable of leaving well enough alone."

"My sincere apologies, Donatello," Bishop said regretfully. "The enforced inactivity is wearing on my nerves and I couldn't resist the urge for a little verbal exchange with your hot headed brother. He rises to the bait so easily."

"You're still doing it," Don chastised. "Raph has a job to do and that's to look after our brother. He has a right to question you if you seem to be doing something that isn't in Leo's best interest. Raph is not here for your entertainment and neither is Leo."

"I'll try hard to contain myself," Bishop promised.

"See that you do," Don said. "I'd rather not be forced to do it for you. Leo wouldn't care for it."

Leo pushed his way forward to say, "Don, I'll be fine. Concentrate on finding the sample you need. Raph is doing a great job of watching over me, it isn't his fault that Bishop is behaving petulantly."

"Ouch," Bishop thought to Leo. "Now I feel like an errant child."

Don squatted in front of his brother, both hands on Leo's knees as he leaned forward to gaze into Leo's face. He seemed to be looking for something there, and Leo held perfectly still, enraptured by Don's nearness. His legs, touching Don's sides, tingled pleasurably at the contact and his heart beat faster.

"I'm going to get Bishop out of you," Don said in a low voice. "Just hang on for me, will you do that Leo?"

"Of course I will," Leo responded, his voice equally as soft. "I've never doubted that you'd find the answer, Donny."

Don smiled at him, lightly squeezing his knees before standing up. Placing a hand on Raph's shoulder, Don drew his brother away from Leo.

Once they were across the room and Raph was again standing in the doorway where he'd been earlier, Don gave his shoulder a pat. Pulling his hand back, Don rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"Are ya' getting a headache?" Raph asked with concern.

"A little one," Don admitted. He looked up at Raph and sighed. "I know it's hard, Raph; we all hate Bishop, but while he's inside Leo's body you can't let him bait you."

Raph nodded. "I know. He gets my goat. I'm looking at Leo, my brother, and I'm hearing Bishop's smug, self-satisfied voice coming out of him and it pisses me off. He had no right ta do that ta Leo and he's gonna get what he wants because of it. I hate that, Donny."

"Bishop has a gift for survival," Don admitted. "Making him pay for his treachery isn't our main goal though. We have to stay focused on why we're here, and it has nothing to do with giving Bishop anything. It has to do with saving Leo. If we keep thinking of this as a rescue mission we should both be able to keep our tempers in check."

"I got your point," Raph said. "Ya' know, usually Leo would have jumped in and put a stop ta our argument long before ya' ever stepped in. It ain't just his color that's off; so is his breathing. I know he was trying ta hide it from me, but he's way past just being tired."

"Raph," Don whispered conspiratorially, "I'm thinking about giving Leo a sedative to knock him out."

"I thought Leo wanted ta stay sharp," Raph said.

"He's afraid to sleep because he knows that Bishop won't," Don said. "I'm hoping that a tranquilizer will force both of them to rest; that way Leo won't need to worry about Bishop invading his portion of their shared mind."

Raph frowned. "How do ya know a tranquilizer won't just knock Leo out and leave Bishop free ta roam around in there?"

Don passed a hand across his mouth and then rubbed it over his bald dome. "I don't," he replied with some frustration, "that's why I've been hesitant about using that option. But pretty soon I'm going to have to try something; Leo's body has to rest, it's fighting too hard and the strain is going to start affecting his internal organs before long."

"Maybe ya' can get Bishop's new body built before it gets ta that point," Raph said reassuringly. "If ya' think we need ta knock him out, then I'll back your play. The most critical secret in Leo's head is where we live and if we think that's been compromised we can always move. Ain't like we haven't done that before."

Bishop couldn't help but be impressed by Leonardo's focus and control. He knew the young Turtle was exhausted and ill, the pain in his joints could be felt by Bishop as well. His eyes burned slightly, his head had begun to ache, and there was a minute tremor in his hands. Yet Leonardo continued to block Bishop from entering a portion of his mind; the barrier as solid as when the ninja had first erected it.

Physical cues were something that Leonardo couldn't control quite so well and while they told Bishop how ill the Turtle was becoming, they also clued him into other things. Bishop had grown more suspicious about something with each passing hour that he spent inside of Leonardo's body and he now felt ready to present his theory to the Turtle in question.

Donatello had just finished conversing with Raphael and was now seated at his computer. Leonardo's eyes had been glued to Don since his brother had walked away. The blue banded brother was seemingly unaware of how much of his feelings he was telegraphing to Bishop; either that or he didn't care at the moment. Bishop wanted to know which it was.

"Why haven't you done anything about your feelings, Leonardo?" Bishop asked as he watched Donatello through Leo's eyes.

Leo felt his heart jump into his throat and he pulled his gaze off of Don. "I don't know what you're talking about," Leo replied stiffly.

Bishop made a derisive sound. "You've managed to shield nearly all of your secrets from me, but this one is too strong. Whenever Donatello is in the same room with you, your pulse quickens, your heart rate accelerates, your pupils dilate, and your nasal passages widen to take in more of his scent. You don't even notice the musk from Raphael, but Donatello's starts a fire in your gut."

"That's enough," Leo snapped. "Don is my brother and nothing more. Playing mind games with me is pointless, Bishop."

"We have nothing better to do," Bishop said with a smirk. "We're in here together and those feelings you're experiencing are fascinating. I haven't felt anything like them in years. What exactly bothers you? Is it the incest or the fact that you'd have to lower that famous guard of yours in order to get closer to Donatello?"

"I'm not having this discussion with you," Leo muttered darkly.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of something after all. I thought Raphael referred to you as 'Fearless' because you'd take on anything," Bishop said. "Surely this is a challenge you'd be most interested in pursuing; it isn't as though you're going to ever have a chance at any other kind of relationship. From all I've seen, women are not flowing into the sewers for an opportunity to roll in filth with you."

"Leave it alone, Bishop," Leo said, his tone dangerous.

"Is this why you refuse to discuss an alternative life for Donatello?" Bishop asked. "Are you afraid he'll leave you? Is it your selfishness that is holding him back?"

"Shut up!" Leo yelled out loud, jumping out of his chair, chest heaving. For one second, his guard came down and Bishop rushed towards the opening.

Dropping to the ground, Leo pounded the floor with the side of his fist, pushing back against Bishop's onslaught. He was groaning and writhing as he fought to rebuild the shield between himself and Bishop's consciousness.

Thoroughly alarmed, Don dove out of his chair, knocking it over in the process. Raph was moving as well, but Don beat him, throwing himself onto his knees beside Leo and wrapping his arms around his brother.

Leo felt Don's arms go around him and whimpered at the contact. Somehow he equated his brother's touch into a need to protect him from Bishop, and that gave Leo the strength to push his defenses back into place.

"Stop it, Bishop!" Don exclaimed, pulling Leo tight against his body. "Whatever you're doing; whatever you're saying, stop it now or I won't help you!"

Bishop immediately pulled back, retreating into the portion of Leo's mind that he'd taken control of. He forced himself into a tranquil state; allowing Leo to feel his nonaggressive posture so that the Turtle could relax.

Slowly Leo's breathing eased and his shaking stopped. He still shivered uncontrollably, feeling suddenly very cold, and the muscles throughout his body ached.

"Leo, oh god Leo," Don murmured, holding his brother and rocking in an unconscious effort to ease Leo's suffering.

As horrible as Leo felt, he thought he could endure the pain forever if Don would continue to hold him like this. Leo twisted around in his brother's arms so that he could embrace Don, pressing his beak against Don's neck and letting the genius soothe him.

Looking past Leo's head, Don caught Raph's eye. "Get a dose of liquid Ibuprofen from Dr. Garcia, he knows how much."

Raph ran over to where the doctor was standing, frozen in place by the sudden outburst. He had to shake the man to get him moving.

While Don waited, he retained his grip on Leo. "I'm so sorry, Leo. I'll work harder and faster, I promise," he whispered against Leo's ear slit. "I don't want to lose you, so please, please hold on for me."

"I will," Leo whispered in return. "I'm okay, it's fine. Don't worry, Donny, I'm not going anywhere. I could never leave you."

Raph appeared, a small cup in his hand. Don reached for it and then slid his head back from Leo's so that he could hold the cup near his brother's mouth.

"Drink this," Don said, touching the cup to Leo's lips.

Leo didn't remove his arms from his brother's shoulders; he tipped his head back and let Don pour the liquid into his mouth. Leo's eyes never left Don's face as he was ministered to and as soon as the medicine was down, he plunged into the hollow at the base of Don's neck once more.

At Don's insistence, Leo allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. Some silent message must have passed between his two brothers, because as soon as Leo was upright, Raph picked him up, dislodging his hold on Don. Carrying Leo to one of the cots that had been placed in the room, Raph set his brother down and Don tucked a blanket around him.

Kneeling next to the bed, Don took hold of one of Leo's hands and looked into his eyes. "I don't want to leave you."

"You have to," Leo said with a tired smile. "Do what you do best, Donny."

"Raph will stay here with you," Don said. "I don't need a guardian, but I can't work unless I know someone is monitoring you."

Don looked up at Raph, who was standing over him. Leo saw a silent message pass between them.

"No," Leo whispered. When Don turned back to him, Leo said, "I'll rest, but don't give me anything, Don. It's important that I remain alert."

Don bit his lower lip before saying, "I'll hold off for now, but don't ask me to promise, Leo."

"It isn't just secrets," Leo said, his voice so low that Don had to lean in to hear him. "If he gets in, I'll have no place to go."

Don instantly understood, his grip on Leo's hand tightening for just a moment before he jumped to his feet. Relinquishing his hold on his brother, Don told Raph, "Stay with him. I have to get that new body made."

The panic in Don's eyes registered with Raph and his hands clenched around the handles of his sais in response.

"What is it? What else is wrong?" Raph demanded.

"I can't explain right now," Don said as he moved back toward the lab. "Just watch him, Raph. I have to hurry."

Raph's mouth opened to ask for more information, but Don was already gone. Glancing down at Leo, he saw his brother was staring at the ceiling through half closed eyes. Leo hadn't looked so sick since the time that Shredder had attacked him and sent his body hurtling through April's apartment window.

That time was the closest they'd ever come to losing Leo for good. Raph started to feel the first stirrings of panic and thought he understood why Don had rushed off.

TBC….