Chapter six: Matters Of The Mind

Leo gasped as another stick burned his flesh, he felt liked they'd been at this for hours; and silently begged for it to end. Technicians busied themselves all around him; connecting tubes, taking samples. Probes had been taped to his body earning them readings of all different types. His right arm was laid out perpendicular to his body, an IV tube infusing him with a glowing blue substance; one that made him feel a bit drowsy and distant.

"These readings..." he heard one of the techs say. "They're off the charts! I've never seen anything like it?!" Leo panned his blurring vision to his right, finding two figures standing toward the back corner of the room the stranger's back to him; Kai Shin just beyond him.

"Anything useful." Kai asked, his arms crossed stoically.

"Possibly, but this information is incredible!" The other man went on. "There is so much potential here! I bet this information will be most helpful to.. Him."

"Excellent, but of course we still must find Him. But first we must eradicate some... distractions. And I believe we've just found a means of achieving this. Do what you must! I want them taken out sooner rather than later." With this last command, Kai swiveled on his heel and exited. And the stranger turned back to Leo, approaching the table to his side.

"Alright mister turtle..." He said in an off sounding tone. Leo's vision still wandering in and out. "Let's fix you right up... shall we?" After just barely hearing this, he could not stay awake any longer; and darkness fell upon him.

XXXX

Leo stood in New York City. It was likely the middle of the night; and the moon was fully out, acting as the only light in the world besides the street lights. He stood there in a sudden onset of confusion. How was he here? What had brought him here? How did he end up here, when, moments ago, he was a prisoner of people he did not know? Suddenly a light drew his eyes up.

"The sun?!" Leo gasped. "But what is it doing in the night sky? The moon is already out?" Just then a stabbing pain in his right arm erupted, making him grimace grabbing it intensely. The black sky then opened up in the form of giant cracks glowing that same golden light of the sun. These cracks lengthened in seconds, like how the breaking of stone walls would occur; the glow intensifying as they went. The light from these cracks surged toward him in bright, shiny beams. They hit him straight on, swirling around him in a tornado sort of fashion; forming a ball of high-powered energy. Leo cried out as his eyes became solid white, and his head throbbed causing him to bring his hands up to it; attempting to fight off the influence that was attacking his mind. He grimaced again as the lights only brightened, and he was bathed in a white burst!...

XXXX

"Anything?" April asked glancing up at Donnie from the laptop. Donnie tapped at the keyboard of his lab computer and sighed lowering his head.

"No." He admitted sadly, dropping his shoulders.

"We can't give up." April told him. "Leo needs us. We have to get him back." Donnie turned to meet her gaze, and managed a slight smile. Then the two went back to their work.

XXXX

The shackles released him and Leo dropped to his knees. His head hung, his shoulders loose; and his arms sagging at his sides.

"Rise." Kai commanded. There was a slight hesitation, but the turtle finally obeyed. His head shifted up, his solid eyes gazing at him with a determinedly, distant glare. "Now go." Shin ordered. "Find the ones whom are our enemies... and taken the out!" The mutant then lunged forward passed him, and silently disappeared from the room; almost like magic.

XXXX

"Ugh, this place doesn't seem to have any sort of blue prints or schematics, or anything that'll tell us what's in there." Donnie articulated, his frustration becoming more and more evident.

"Maybe there aren't any." April guessed. "Maybe they didn't make a digital copy. I mean, this building is kind of old. They probably didn't have the technology to do it."

"Hm, maybe." Donnie admitted, bracing his elbows on the table, to place his interlocking hands in front of his face again. "But then how are we gonna get an idea of what the place is like, without a map of some kind to help us navigate the building?"

"Maybe this is one of those times, where we're just gonna have to go in blind." April sighed, leaning on the chair that the turtle was sitting on and placing a hand on his shoulder.

XXXX

"Ok, so it looks like we're gonna have to go in without a floor plan." Donnie declared, coming out of his lab.

"So what we're just gonna bust in and searched the building til we find him?" Raph questioned. "Some plan, Don." The turtle crossed his arms in the way he usually did with this last statement.

"I don't think we have a choice, Raph." Donnie returned dryly. "But we have to do something. Who knows what they'll do to him if we don't." The team looked up at the sound of the turnstile moving, and everyone was shocked to see.

"Leo?!" The turtle in blue didn't even look up, nor did he speak. Raph rose to his feet immediately.

"You're back! Thank goodness!" April sighed coming closer to him. "Are you alright?" Leo still didn't speak, instead he put his arms one side and swung them; releasing stars that April had to duck away from. "Leo?!" She cried, when she straightened up again. Leo reached up slowly and flicked out one of his blades. He only stood there a second longer before he lunged forward, leaping into the center of the lowered seating area slicing down on Raph; who barely managed to catch his blade with his Sai.

"Raph!" Mikey yelled, as the team all rushed forward. Leo looked up and withdrew in an acrobatic flipping sequence, taking out his other blade when he landed.

"What the heck, man?!" Raph snapped, recovering himself. Leo open his eyes to glare at them, everyone suddenly shocked by the icy, unrecognizable look in them. Leo came again attacking anyone and everyone he came into contact with. Leo caught Mikey's kasurigama chain around his katanas and kicked his brother's chest; knocking him to the ground. Releasing the chain and re-sheathing one blade, he raised the other for the final blow; which was stopped by Karai.

"What are you doing, Leo?!" She questioned. "This isn't like you?!" Her blazing eyes burned into his solid, hollow, and emotionless ones. The turtle in blue threw her blade off of his and came at her again.

"This doesn't make any sense." April remarked, meeting up with Splinter as Donnie helped Mikey up. "Why is he attacking us?" Leo relentlessly attacked, Karai doing everything she could to keep up with him.

"I fear this may be a result of Kai Shin's imprisonment." Splinter guessed definitively.

"What do you mean by that, Sensei?" Donnie asked, holding his Bo staff across his body.

"I fear they have done something to him.. to make him attack us." Splinter sighed regretfully.

"Then what do we do?" April asked, they had to scatter as Leo came down on the with both blades.

"We can take him!" Raph said, holding his Sai ready for battle.

"We cannot harm him. He is still your brother." Splinter reminded them.

"I'll see if I can get through to him." April offered. "But I'll need some time."

"Do what you must." Splinter encouraged, his immense hearing helped him catch the sound of an attack, which he blocked with his cane. As Leo was busy fighting Splinter, April stood there in silence. Closing her eyes, she focused deeply, summoning any and all power to channel together. She placed her hands to her head and mentally reached out to the turtle in blue. Calling his name in her mind, hoping to call him back from wherever his mind had been trapped. You are not a servant of the Foot! You are the leader of your own team! Her mind yelled, and with one final push, as bright yellow rings of mental energy surged from her head onto Leo. Feeling something shift, the turtle stopped attacking and grimaced, staggering back from Splinter. The turtle dropped his swords in an instant and sank to his knees; before completely falling flat on the floor, face down. The energy died down and they all raced forward, circling around him anxiously.

"Did it work?" Casey asked, try to get a look at the turtle's face.

"I'm pretty sure we'll know in a minute." Raph responded hotly, a bit annoyed by the teen's comment. Leo stirred and groaned coming out of it, his vision began to blur back to normal and an unmistakable throb hung over his head; like he'd been bashed in the head one too many times. He slowly shifted his hands up to push himself up off the ground. He only got to all fours before a dizziness set in and he froze, in the hopes of it subsiding. When he had recovered a little, he sat back on his ankles; his head still hung to recover some more.

"Leo?" A warm hand on his shoulder made him jump, suddenly looking up he locked eyes with a worried April.

"A- April?" The turtle gasped. The girl was so relieved, she lurched forward to embrace him. This act took him by surprise, but after a brief moment of confusion and shock; he returned the embrace.

"We're so glad you're safe." April said, as they broke apart. Her hand slowly sliding down his arms.

"I'm glad to be back to..ah!" Leo grimaced and grabbed his right arm.

"Sorry." April apologized, knowing she must have touched tender wound. Donnie knelt down to remove Leo's hand, to get a look at his upper arm.

"We need to take care of this right away." The brainy turtle said, looking back at the group.

XXXX

Leo grunted at the pounding in his head, as he was laid down in Donnie's lab. April set an ice pack over his head and shifted back a little.

"So like.. what happened to you out there?" Casey spoke up cautiously.

"More importantly, what did Shin do to you." Karai corrected, a bit of anger clearly ringing in her tone; directed toward the turtle's former captor.

"Ugh, where do I start?" Leo groaned, holding the ice pack to his forehead. "There was so much... so much action.. so many people... My head... it- it's all kinda fuzzy." Donnie took Leo's arm in his hand to inspect the bumps from earlier; and noticed something about them.

"Needles." He mumbled to himself. "Were you being-... experimented on?" He asked looking up.

"I don't know,.. maybe? I can't- seem to recall anything in vivid detail." Leo responded dryly. He sat up to hang his head forward weakly. "It's all just- ah!" An intense pressure suddenly hit him, like something was attacking his mind. And he grasped it intensely; desperately waiting for it to stop. Thankfully his silent wish was granted to him, as the pressure finally ceased.

Hey what's up, everybody?! This chapter and several others like it have been super fun to write! Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did writing them. Thx!!