Leo felt the hands restraining him release causing him to stumble forward. His eyes never left Donnie's form as his brother stood up the knife in his hand. Leo could make out every injury that been added to his younger brothers form, it was clear to anyone that Donnie was in no condition to be standing let alone fighting. Slowly Leo reached down for the sword, he had no intention of using on his brother…but there to be a way to break the Shredders control.

Donnie went ridged and brought a hand to his head as though he had a headache, a shiver passed through his form before his eyes returned to his brother. Leo noted they had become the familiar blank white they would become when faced with an intense battle. Around them, everyone from the Foot Clans stood watching.

"This'll be the good fight!" Rocksteady roared in delight.

"Agree with you there," Bebop crowed with his obnoxious laughter. Fishface and Rahzar were grinning delight at the impending bloodshed they would witness. Stockman buzzed overhead not wanting to miss a second of the action, while Tigerclaw eyed the proceedings impassively. Shredder knelt the way he had the day that Raph had been subjected to Shredder's control. The malicious gleam in his eyes made the smirk that was likely gracing the face beneath the mask all too clear. He was anticipating death.

"Begin!" Shredder barked. Immediately Donnie launched himself as his eldest brother. Leo brought up the sword blade, not to slay his brother but block the knife strikes has they flew at him.

"Donnie!" Leo called trying to reach his younger brother.

"Don't call me that!" Donnie snarled. "Don't talk to me as though you care about me! We both know I'm worthless and pathetic."

Leo's eyes widened in horror before he narrowly avoided getting stabbed by the knife Donnie was wielding. The blade managed to graze his arm drawing blood, but not enough to do any real damage. His genius younger brother was coming at him with no restraint. It was almost unperceivable how vicious that Donnie actually could be, the brother he knew hated to see anyone get hurt. Especially if said people were his brothers. And the vehement self-loathing that was coming from his mouth was not something Donnie would have said ever.

"I would never say that to you!" Leo yelled out to his brother in protest.

"You've all thought it!" Donnie sneered as he lunged at Leo once more, the knife narrowly missing Leo's throat. "You've probably wished I wasn't even your brother!"

"This is nonsense! I'd never think that of you…or any of you!" Leo asked as he blocked another thrust.

"Oh don't act so high and mighty. Don't think I don't know what you talk about behind my back." Donnie growled. Then thrust the knife towards Leo's left eye. It was so quick Leo had no time to raise the katana blade he was holding to block it. Just as he was starting to prepare himself for the blades entry into his eye socket, it suddenly stopped. The knife tip was half a centimeter away, but Donnie himself had paused just short as though an unseen force had commanded him to halt the attack.


The small cadre of rescuers slipped unnoticed into the Shedder's lair. Aside from the small contingency of Foot Bots, there didn't seem to be anyone around.

"Doesn't it seem rather quiet to anyone?" Pigeon Pete cooed with apprehension.

"Now that you mention it, yeah..." Casey said. "I was expecting we'd see mutt face or horn head and pig-breath at the very least."

"I sense people here…there is a group of them a couple floors below us…I sense Leo and Donnie are with them." April said as she placed her hand to her head feeling the energy signatures of each of her friends. "And both Raphael and Michelangelo are further down."

"Let's get to Raph and Mikey, first," Slash said.

"But what about Leo and Don?" Casey asked.

"Leonardo is the best fighter of the four of them." Rockwell assessed.

"Donatello should not be underestimated either." Splinter also pointed out.

Raphael sighed in frustration for what felt like the umpteenth time since Leonardo had left. He knew wherever the blue-masked turtle was it had to be with Donnie. The gut feeling he had told him this, but he wondered if he should have insisted on being allowed to be taken wherever Leo was.

If anything he felt bored with the bare metal walls that stood around him. What he would give for the sound of Mikey's prattling, Leo scolding him, Donnie endlessly talking on about things he could care less about.

"Raph's in here." He heard a voice…a familiar female voice coming from the other side of the sliding panel that served as a door.

"April?!" He asked.

"Stand back!" Rockwell said. There was a beeping noise and the door panel slid open. In seconds a large figure rushed into the room. And for Raph, he was the best sight he had seen in hours.

"Raphael!" Splinter said his son's name as he ran to his side.

"Father," Raph said in relief as he allowed himself to be pulled into Splinters arms. The Elder Rat didn't bother asking his son if he was alright. He could the burns that striped his son's body for himself, which was, fortunately, something he would recover from given ample rest over the next couple of days.

"Come on, bud!" Casey said as he stalked forward placing an arm under Raphael's shoulder as both Splinter and Casey hoisted him to his feet. "We're getting you out of here!"

"Mikey's here," April called from another cell some distance down from Raph's cell. Rockwell immediately set to work trying to disable to lock.

"Mikey…" Raph suddenly gasped in alarm. "Oh man...in case you're wondering Sensei, they did worse things to Mikey then they did to me."

"Like what?" Casey asked as though uncertain he wanted to know the answer.

"Mikey!" April cried out in alarm which was echoed with a roar of rage from Leatherhead.

"April…Leatherhead?" Mikey weakly asked as Leatherhead gathered him into his arms.

"You will be alright, my friend," Leatherhead growled soothingly to the young turtle.

"Michelangelo…" Splinter said leaving Raphael's side. His eyes in taking the horrors that have been done to his youngest son. April stepped out of the room not far behind Leatherhead, her face pale and drawn at the level of depravity that had been committed upon the young turtle.

"Hey, Master Splinter," Mikey greeted, from where he rested in Leatherheads arms. "It may look bad, but it's alright. It only hurts when I smile."

"My poor son," Splinter whispered as one hand affectionately ran the unpeeled side of Mikey's face.

"Mikey!" Raph yelled out and stumbled his way to where Mikey. "I'm right here, little brother."

"Dude, what sick bastard would do something like that to somebody?!" Casey asked as his dark brown eyes taking in the sight of Mikey with horrified disgust.

"A sick bastard called 'the Shredder'," Raphael grumbled with increasing disgust. "There are so many people in this stupid clan whose butts I need to kick! I'll need to keep a bucket list just to keep track of them all!"

"Calm yourself, Raphael." Splinter soothed. "Be grateful that you and your brothers are still alive."

"Right then," Rockwell answered taking on a professional tone. "I will need to assess their injuries so I know how to properly treat them. Let's get them to the van."

"Great Splinter," Slash bowed to him respectfully "You can't face the Shredder and all his followers alone in order to same Leonardo and Donatello. Let me come with you, I owe the Shredder for what he has done to Raphael."

"And me!" Leatherhead growled in agreement. "You and your sons are my friends…and I will pay in kind to whoever hurts my friends."

"Then let us move quickly." Splinter said as he started to make his way out of Stockman's subterranean lab, to the bottom floors of the Shredder's lair. Leatherhead handed Michelangelo to April before following before following Slash after the mutant rat.


Donnie pulled back a look of confusion crossing his face. He looked at the knife in his hand as if seeing it for the first time and unsure as to why he had it.

"Stockman! What is happening?" The Shredder bellowed to the mutant fly buzzing overhead.

"I don't know! *buzz*" Stockman replied. "It's like he is trying to resist the mind serum, but that's *buzz* impossible." Leo's eyes glinted with hope, as they focused on his younger brother. For a small moment, Donnie's eyes seemed to appear, he shook his head as though trying to clear it whatever was cluttering it. But then he clutched his scalp his teeth gritting in pain as though he was suffering from a massive headache. When Donnie glanced up at Leo, again the gentle mahogany eyes were replaced again with the blank angry white once more.

Leo knew his younger brother's mind was being suppressed once more. Looking at the katana he had been given he tossed the blade aside. This was a mental fight, not a physical one.

"Fool, a ninja never throws away their weapon!" Donnie shouted at Leonardo before launching himself at his brother once more. Leo, however, was prepared and grabbed both of the purple-masked terrapin's wrists in his hands. Giving the wrist of Donnie's knife hand a hard squeeze he forced his brother to let the blade drop to the floor.

"Donnie, listen to me!" He firmly said. "You are under the control of one of Shredder's mind worms. I know it's hard, but I need you to keep fighting it."


"You are under the control of one of Shredder's mind worms. I know it's hard, but I need you to keep fighting it."

Donnie heard his brother's words in his mind and the look of conviction that filled Leonardo's eyes. A look full of love and trust for someone he deeply cared for as a brother and friend.

"He lies, child." A voice filled Donnie's mind, a cold sinister voice, a voice he knew he shouldn't trust. But he couldn't shake the compulsive feeling that he had to listen to it. "None of them have never cared about you or what you contribute to your team. This one least of all!"

The memory of the invasion was brought forward. It was his lab in the lair, Leo was pacing back and forth in irritation while Donnie sat at his computer. Mikey was only interested in shoving pizza into his face and wasn't paying attention to either of his older brothers.

"I'm so worried I can't even eat." Donnie griped as he tossed aside the slice of pizza he had only managed to take one bite out of. Mikey caught the partially eaten slice in midair.

"Yeah me, too," Mikey said through a mouth full pizza. "Oh well, more for me." Mikey happily finished the slice he held in one hand and then started to devour his brother's partially eaten slice.

"There is no time for worry." Splinter said as entered the lab. "The Kraang invasion us upon us, what plans have you devised to stop it." Eagerly Donnie stood up and pulled over his display board.

"I give you my latest invention, the Turtle Mech!" Donnie announced. "It's fully armed with rockets, flame throwers, and an electro-harpoon. Good to stop a massive Kraang army or your money back."

"Yeah,." Leo scoffed with disinterest. "That's cute and all, Donnie. But we are going with my idea, which is evacuating the city, and starting a second base outside of it."

"Count me in with, Leo." Mikey cheered as pumped one fist in the air.

"Besides, you aren't even finished with that thing ye," Leo added. "We can't use something that's barely functional."

"It's functional, for the most part!" Donnie stated defensively. "Besides, we don't have time to start a second base. You heard Splinter, the Kraang Invasion is practically on our doorstep. We need to nip this thing in the bud right now."

"Yeah, and what are your plans for when that thing of yours fails." Leo derisively commented. "Like every single one of your other mechanical abortions."

"Leo, the Turtle Mech is solid." Donnie insisted becoming more irritated with his brother by the minute. "If I were leader…"

"But you're not leader, are you?" Leo growled. "Last I checked I was leader, I was appointed by Splinter and you weren't. That's why I lead, and you do what I say. Got that! If you don't like it…there's the door, you can leave anytime!" Donnie's face twisted into an angry snarl; he started to open his mouth to tell his brother off.

"Oh snap, this is going to be good!" Mikey chortled with amusement.

"Stop this, both of you." Splinter said. "Leonardo is right; starting another base outside the city is the wisest decision."

"Such a shame." The cold voice said. "Any caring brother and leader would have at least considered the weapon you were creating, not brush it aside as though it were garbage. And if he had his doubts he could have brought them up before you built your creation, not after the fact."

Donnie's eyes wavered…he could vaguely recall the memory of that time being different. But this memory seemed so real, so there had to be truth there.

"The fact is you've always hated your older brother." The voice continued to croon with its vile tone. "You've done nothing but tried to impress him with your skills; you look up to him and have loyally followed him. By all right he should treat your suggestions as gold, and instead, he regards them the way he would a used Kleenex. You've hated the fact he is appointed leader when you feel you are better suited to the job. You've hate the fact he's better than you at fighting and everything else. And you what's this…you've seem to be concealing of something, a memory of when he saved you when you were children. Oh, how unfortunate…it seems this is a memory when he tried to kill you."

Another memory came forward, as much more of his childhood memories were being looked through now. Most of his memories of Raph were the less than pleasant ones, Raph yelling at him, hitting him, using him as a puppet to entertain Mikey. Donnie was certain, with those memories but some of them seemed harsher then he recalled them actually being. The memories of Mikey were fewer which was weird. Obviously, Mikey was a presence in his life, but much of the less pleasant and horrible memories had Mikey being a victim of Raph or Leo or both. And occasionally from Mikey's own brand of foolishness, such as rubbing failed retromutagen on his face and body or thinking a human superstar would openly accept him without question.

Even the memories of Splinter had his father praising his sons and passing over him as though he didn't exist. And other times verbally chastising him for not doing a technique properly, or stating that if he devoted the same level of attention to ninjitsu as much as he gave to his lab he would be at the same skill level as Leonardo.

The memory that was being brought forward was one of the many childhood memories with Leo. In the memory featured Leo and himself around the age of six. Leo was struggling to pull Donnie out of a river of sewage that threatened to sweep him away to certain a death at the bottom of a drainage tunnel. The memory slowly shifted so that Leo's face twisted from frightened and concerned to maliciousness and hate. Making it look like he was threatening to let go of his own brother leaving him to his fate.

A cold certainty filled his mind. Yes, he did hate Leonardo…despised him, completely and utterly loathed him and for that, he had to pay."


"I don't want to fight you 'D'!" Leonardo said as he looked into his brother's eyes. Willing Donnie to fight the mind control he was under.

"So I'm not worthy of a fight, am I." Donnie shot back tossing Leonardo aside hard enough to send him stumbling back some steps. Donnie regained control of the knife once more and rushed at his foe. Leo looked longingly at his second brother. The only truth Donnie understood was the truth the Shredder supplied to him. There had to be something, something Donnie would know and recognize but the Shredder never would. At that moment he realized he knew exactly what he should use as he opened his arms like a martyr.

Donnie held the knife out, smirking as Leonardo lay himself open for the knife thrust that would impale his heart. To Donnie's surprise, though, Leonardo stepped to the side and enfolded him into an embrace. The purple-masked turtle was so shocked by this action he couldn't move. This didn't make sense, Leo was his enemy, why would his enemy hug him.

"I love you 'D'," Leo whispered from where his head rested on Donnie's shoulder as he guided the both of them so they were kneeling on the ground. The moment they were on the floor Donnie regained himself gripping the knife that was still in his hand he brought it up and plunged the blade into his brother's shoulder. Leo gasped with sudden pain, but that made him hold on to his brother all the tighter. So long as he still had use of that arm he would never let go. Leaning in closer to Donnie's ear slit he softly whispered a name.

"Shion…"