A/N: Still have almost a full chapter pre-written for after this. ;) I would start typing it up now, but I'm rearranging scenes in it, so... Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

Losing it

Donatello climbed down the ladder of the shell sub mark 2 and closed the hatch before hopping down the rest of the way. His gaze lingered on the hatch, wondering when it would next open, before searching around for Michelangelo. "I didn't think I'd have to see this sub's maiden voyage so soon. I didn't have the chance to weaponize her yet." He frowned as he caught sight of April bending over his brother.

"Hey, Donny!" Michelangelo waved at him as he struggled to sit up.

"I see you're awake." He tried to smile as he walked over. "How is he, April?"

"Stay down, Mikey," April huffed. She didn't respond until she made sure Michelangelo was back against the bench he laid on. "He has a possible concussion and his right leg doesn't look too good. He also has burns in varying degrees covering a good portion of his skin." April dabbed at Michelangelo's forehead with a damp rag, causing the turtle to hiss.

"Awe, I hate concussions," Michelangelo whined. "They're no fun!"

"What happened down there anyway?" Donatello asked as he gave his brother's injuries a cursory glance.

"The entrance just blew up before we reached it. There was this big blast of heated metal and other debris. I blocked Leo from most of it, but I musta passed out afterwards or something. Is he okay?"

"He's fine, thanks to you. He should be coming soon. He and Raph covered my escape." He forced a smile for his brother.

"I'm sure they'll both be here soon." April's own worry reflected back at him, belying her otherwise calm voice.

The smile faded. He knew his brothers all too well. Anything could have happened in just the short amount of time he lost sight of them. Though he knew they were both skilled fighters and would not go down easy, each passing second worried him more. Donatello glanced behind him in time to catch the hatch open again, but it wasn't who he was hoping for.

Leatherhead slowly climbed down the stairs, dripping wet. "The beast patrolling the area has been dealt with," he said; his voice heavy with the lingering adrenalin from battle. He nodded to Donatello when he saw him. "I am happy to see you well. When Leonardo called about the explosion, I was worried you may have been caught up in it as well. He didn't give many specifics."

"LH!" Michelangelo's giddy voice caught the crocodile's attention. "April's forbidden me to move or I'd totally greet you better. You saw that big snake-thing? Wasn't it huge? I wonder if it's tamable. Hey, Don? Can I have one as a pet? It could make an awesome addition to the lair's security! I can call it Slither and take care him. Just make sure it doesn't smell like that snake-beast. It was gross!"

Donatello's gaze darted to the ceiling as, beside him, Leatherhead shook his head with a smile. "No monstrous pets, Mikey. Especially if it was as big as you say. Something that huge would certainly draw more attention than we need right now. You know what Leo would say."

"Yeah…" Michelangelo frowned, but his voice perked up as he continued. "That's why I asked you! It can be all robot! That would stop the smell. And you can make it transform! It would be so cool! You can equip it with weapons and we can use it to fight in battle. Bishop wouldn't stand a chance! You've already started in the right direction. You have Metalhead. I know you made him when you were younger so he could be so much more now! Just imagine the benefits! You can work on it when you finish fixing my rocket-powered skateboard. That shouldn't take too much longer, right?"

Donatello inwardly grimaced as he recalled the skateboard in question. After his brother crashed it last year, he had conveniently set it aside in favor of more pressing projects. He had hoped Michelangelo would've forgotten about it by now. Seems that was wishful thinking. "Yeah, yeah. Maybe." He frowned over his overzealous brother, especially considering the condition he was in. His gaze lingered on Michelangelo's leg. The frown deepened as he took in burn lines running down his knee. He could tell they were cuts, though the wound appeared cauterized thanks to the heat of whatever had cut him.

"What's the diagnosis, Doc?" Michelangelo grinned.

"You're definitely not walking on that leg anytime soon." Donatello responded.

"That bad, huh?" He frowned now. "Are you sure? Like really sure? I hate getting bedridden at a time like this. I mean, it doesn't even hurt that bad."

"With the way you were going on about it on the way here, I highly doubt that." April crossed her arms over her chest. "I better hear you've been a good patient when we get back, Michelangelo."

"Awe, man!" The injured turtle turned away, grumbling. "I hate that look."

Donatello snorted. "Thanks, April. Maybe he'll sit still for once now."

"Only if I get all the good parts of the invalid status." Michelangelo jutted his chin out, though his position took away from the gesture.

"I'll think about it."

The hatch opened once again, silencing the occupants. Donatello looked back at the ladder, relieved to see Leonardo hop inside. The hatch door closed behind him with a heavy thud. When coupled with the subtle slump of Leonardo's shoulders and clenched fists, the genius knew that something had gone wrong.

"Where's Raph?" Donatello asked, immediately. Hoping that wasn't the issue, but his fears were quickly confirmed.

"He stayed behind." Leonardo's words were calm to a casual observer, but to his brother, they were laid thick with a dark emotion boiling beneath the surface. It was the typical response after Raphael had done something reckless against the leader's orders. It meant one thing to Donatello.

"What do you mean 'he stayed behind'?" Donatello's own voice was bordering on calm as well, barely hinting at the anger burning beneath it. "You couldn't stop him? He promised me he would be right behind me."

"He didn't give me a choice in the matter." He continued his careful search of the sub without a word about his goal.

"Bishop has Raphie?" Michelangelo's quiet voice butted in. Donatello frowned in his younger brother's direction, watching Leatherhead move in to lay a hesitant hand on the injured turtle's shoulder.

"What are you planning?" April had noticed the searching as well. When Leonardo didn't respond, she grabbed his shoulder. "Leo?"

"Is there a mini-sub on board?" Leonardo directed his question towards his genius brother.

"Yeah, this door right here." Donatello waved his arm behind him. "The weapons on it are limited. I haven't tested them yet."

Leonardo nodded in acknowledgment. "That's fine. I don't plan on relying on them anyway." He pulled away from April's touch.

"You're leaving already?" Michelangelo pushed Leatherhead's hand away and sat up. "On your own? We're supposed to be a team."

Leonardo paused on the way to the door. "I have to get Raph back." He darted a quick look at him. "Don't worry, Mikey. We're still a team. We'll be four again in no time." He finished the short walk before turning fully towards Donatello, allowing the room a better glimpse of the fierce unyielding determination in his eyes. And there was something else: fear. "Don. I'm counting on you. Find Master Splinter." His eyes darted to the side. "I…I felt him again. He called to me after the explosion. It's bad, Donny. We can't keep running around half-blind here. There's no time. Continue the search without me and only contact me when you know, beyond a doubt, that you've found him. As soon as I have Raph, we'll join you there."

"I will accompany you, Leonardo." Leatherhead strode over to him. "I have much to speak with Bishop over."

"I appreciate the help, LH." With that, both crocodile and turtle slipped through the door, leaving the remaining occupants in tense silence until April broke it.

"Well, you heard Leo. Time to head back home."

Splinter was well aware of the exact moment the semi-paralysis holding him captive started to dissipate. He no longer felt fatigued. In fact he felt almost normal. If it wasn't for the fact that his acute senses were screaming at him that something was not right, he would call today one of his better ones, considering his predicament.

He could still hear Cleopatra's childish voice chattering in the background. She spoke to him a lot now, but only when he was alone. She was talking about her brother again today; something about Theodore losing her favorite toy. Splinter wasn't listening. He was too distracted by that odd feeling. He always trusted his instincts. It had saved him many times. There was no reason to doubt it now. If only he knew why now, of all times, the warning demanded his attention so loudly.

Cleopatra's voice suddenly stopped, alerting Splinter to his visitor before the door even opened. He relaxed his hands from the fists he didn't remember clenching and turned, expecting Cartwright. All the tension eased at the sight of a worn out redhead entering instead. "Kimberly-san."

"Splinter," she smiled, pushed one of her braids back behind her shoulder. "I'm back!"

"I thought something had happened to you." Splinter shook his head. "Where have you been?"

"Yeah, sorry I couldn't say goodbye. You were asleep so Doctor Cartwright told me not to bother you. I wasn't planning on going LARPing this year, but I…kinda used it as an excuse why I wasn't where I should have been. So she told me to just go." She sat down before him, folding her legs and laying her hands on her calves. "Doctor Cartwright said you already had breakfast, but I thought I'd still say hi. It's horrible you didn't make it out."

"It is alright. I am just glad you were not caught as my accomplice."

Kimberly grinned. "No worries. I was scared too, but it's over now. I'll try to be braver next time. I really let you down." Her smile faded as she pulled her braid back over her shoulder and absentmindedly rubbed out the frizz always escaping it the best she could.

"Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, young one. Yours just may lie elsewhere." Splinter watched her relax, that smile returning almost instantly. He returned her smile as that bad feeling of before creeped up again. It was worse now. He could feel something tugging at his mind and it was only getting more distracting. He raised his hand to grip the back of his head as the nagging turned painful.

"Splinter?"

Splinter stood and backed away from the glass partition. Her voice had directed his attention to another problem. He could hear it now. A buzzing emanated from the glass, growing louder every second. He wondered if the two were connected as he felt the danger approaching. He gave the glass a suspicious look, catching Kimberly's confused expression.

"Back away from the glass as far as you can," Splinter quickly demanded. She did as asked without question as the buzzing grew loud enough for even her to hear. His back pressed against the hidden door behind him. He couldn't go any further, but he worried about the young woman opposite him. Her half of the room was smaller than his. The buzzing had reached its peak. He watched her shield herself as he did the same.

BOOM!

The small room erupted with sound. Glass shards flew in every direction, sparing nothing in its path. The sheer force of it sent Splinter's ears ringing until he couldn't stand it any longer. With his vision fading, he gave Kimberly's prone form one final look. The blood was the last thing he saw before he gave in to the darkness.

Kimberly Davis wasn't used to the kind of pain she woke up to. Yeah, she's gotten a few scrapes and bruises over the years. She even broke her arm when things got a little too rough at LARP, but pain all over her body like this? She had to admit it was new to her and she didn't like it one bit. Her head felt like it was trying to split in two, not to mention the prickling glass piercing every inch of her bare, unprotected skin. She groaned, shifting her weight until pain shot up her legs. What happened? Her eyes darting around the room as her memory slowly came back to her. "Splinter?!"

She jumped to her feet, wincing at the aggravated throbbing of her head. She laid her forehead in her palm as she looked around for her charge. With the only light source spilling in from outside, it was difficult to make out proper shapes. A tinge of fear welled up inside her gut as the hollow echo of alarms blared in the distance. Something about this whole mess before her sent shivers down her spine. "…Splinter?"

The light in the room flicked and snapped, revealing a horror show's version of a silhouette in the room with her. It looked like Splinter, from what little she could make out, but something was off about it. It appeared like a beast before her, its tail scraping the ground louder than she's ever heard it. Its teeth were a glittering row of fangs. A monstrous roar erupted from it, sounding nothing like the kind old rat she risked everything for. It seemed to be struggling with itself, the thrashing of its tail growing more violent as it barely remained standing.

Kimberly took a hesitant step forward, instantly regretting the action as the beast froze. For a second, she heard her own stuttered breathing before it burst forward, bowling her over with such force, she momentarily stopped breathing. She could feel its claws digging into the flesh of her arms, its breath hot on her face. Her wide eyes stared at Splinter in pained confusion. Dark eyes stared back with an unnatural flicker of red – or was that just her imagination?

"Kim…berly-san."

The whisper almost didn't register past the frantic beat of her heart. Her eyes focused as she blinked. Didn't she just promise to be brave? She took a shaky breath and spoke, hesitantly, "Splinter?"

"I do not wish to hurt you," Splinter continued in the same – almost strangled – way. "You need to leave here. Now."

Kimberly silently nodded, biting her lower lip. She slowly turned her head towards her aching shoulder and watched as her own blood slid down her arm from where those claws pinned her. "I'm stuck."

The clawed hand trembled before it was yanked away. "Sumimasen – I apologize. Something is… I cannot talk long. The longer you are here, the more danger you are in. Leave now." His whisper grew harsh.

Kimberly carefully dragged herself out from under her entrapment, ignoring the sharp pains of her numerous cuts.

"What is going on here?"

A new voice joined them, startling Kimberly back to the less terrifying real world. "Doctor!" She stumbled to her feet, but Splinter beat her to it. The beast was back again. His clawed hand drove towards Doctor Cartwright, catching the soft skin of her face and tearing it in three gouged lines. She covered the injury with one hand as her other one wildly signaled the guards Kimberly didn't notice behind her.

"Get him under control! I don't care how you do it, just take him down!" She screeched, blood seeping between her fingers. A small group of men and women in blue security uniforms rushed forward to do as ordered before Splinter could make another move. Kimberly watched in horror as the rat went on a rampage against his attackers. His attacks were savage, but beneath that was the hint of skill that she had only seen in movies. Still, the thing that scared her the most was the war between those two sides. She could see it in each move he made. The internal struggle stiffened his attacks as if he hesitated to make the kill shot that his beast-side wanted more than anything. Only he was losing. The battle was growing more vicious as she watched in stunned silence.

Suddenly, Splinter's words came back to her: run! She quickly straightened and slowly side-stepped the growing battle. Her heavy footfalls sounded like cannons to her ears. She froze when something like glass shattered beneath her feet. Splinter's dark eyes found her in the semi-darkness, no longer resembling the friend she once knew. Only the beast remained, waiting for its kill.

Kimberly burst into a run, faster than she knew she was capable. She didn't pay attention to where her feet took her as long as it was far away from those dark, haunted eyes. She didn't understand why Splinter was acting like that, but she wasn't going to wait around to find out. She just ran. She was almost out of the building now. She was almost free…

A/N: I suppose in a way this is the second Kimi POV. But the first one doesn't really count. This one's kinda necessary, so I hope you enjoyed it. And for you Cartwright haters out there, enjoy her now bloody face. That was for you all ;) (And for Splinter. He really wanted to scratch her face and how can I deny a ninja master like him?). This is when things start going downhill, so hang on for the ride! Remember to feed the review box before you leave!