A/N: Thank you to those who have reviewed. Reviews are the fuel for my plot bunny. And speaking of plot bunnies, this chapter was supposed to be all about Leo, then the plot bunny had other ideas.

Please note: Character thoughts are in italics.

Disclaimer: I had a dream that I owned the turtles, then I woke up.

Chapter 11-Elite Planning

Leonardo stared at his reflection on the computer screen. It wasn't uncommon for his opponent to arrive late for their daily game of chess. Leo's intelligent brother would often get swept away in whatever inventions he was creating. And after agreeing to help Leo with his plan, his opponent had probably lost track of the time.

Leo crossed his arms in front of his plastron. He unconsciously began rubbing his hands up and down as he leaned back in the chair. The office was warm, yet Leo felt a disturbance in the air. He just couldn't put his finger on what the problem was. Rolling his head from side to side, the black clad teen began working on the kinks in his neck. His eyes glanced down, and then Leo wished he hadn't looked at his arm. Out in the open, for all to see, was the tattoo of the Foot Clan. Twisting his arm, Leo gave the symbol on his bicep a hard glare. The emblem he had once worn with pride, he now loathed. It was because of the Foot Clan, that Leonardo was no longer with his brothers. He raked his nails along the symbol. Leo might be stuck with the Clan's mark on his skin, but nothing lasts forever.

Before long, fifteen minutes had passed, and then it was thirty. Leo let out a sigh. Looks like there will be no chess game today. Finally, giving up on a game of chess for the evening, Leonardo headed to the dojo. With nothing else to do, Leo decided to put in some meditation time to help settle his mind. If that didn't work, he would follow that up with an extra training session to burn off some of his nervous energy.

Walking down the hallway of Foot Headquarters, Leonardo's thoughts puzzled over his latest problem. He needed to know why the Triceritons were coming to Earth. And he had to find out if Commander Mozar was among them. If the Commander came to Earth, the young leader would have to figure out a way to protect his family, especially Raphael. Leo frowned. His plan to leave the Foot had been so simple. But with all of these unanswered questions, things could become complicated, quickly.

Pushing open the dojo doors, Leo entered. He walked over to the meditation mat. He crossed his legs as he lowered his body to the floor. He placed his hands on his knees and took a deep breath. At least his brothers were all safe, for now.

Hidden in the shadows, Saburo and Shiro observed their young master. The black clad turtle had begun his dojo session with a restless attempt at meditation. Then Leonardo moved on to stretching and now he was performing a routine of katas. Leonardo easily moved from one kata to the next. The ninja moved with his usual precision and grace. As Leo finished his kata he began anew, this time with a sequence that Shiro was not familiar with.

Saburo's voice remained low, as he whispered in Japanese. The frustration was clear. "That kata is not one of the Foot."

Shiro frowned, and then nodded in agreement. Indeed it was not any kata that he was familiar with from his time with the Foot Clan. Yet one or two katas that were not of the Foot, was hardly a reason to accuse their young master as a traitor. But combined with Leonardo's rebellious past, this could signal a problem.

Leaving their posts, the two Elite Guards headed back to their comrades.

Disturbed by what they saw, the trident and sword wielding Elites entered the room.

Sin'ichi and Shinji rose from their seats. Their curiosity was written all over their unmasked faces.

Well?

Shiro spoke first. "Our young master is practicing forms that are not of the Foot Clan."

Sin'ichi crossed his arms in front of his chest. "This is a problem."

Shinji began to spin his battle axe around in a lazy circle as he agreed. "A leader must be one hundred percent loyal to his Clan."

Shiro stepped closer. "Leonardo still longs for his brothers."

Saburo turned to Shiro. "This is not the first time our young master has strayed from his responsibilities to the Foot."

Placing his twin bladed sword on the table, Shiro nodded as his eyes lit up in recognition. "I remember."

Sin'ichi and Shinji looked at the two elder Elite's, the question on their faces. The details about Leonardo's upbringing as the Shredder's son were not well known to the lower ranking members of the Foot. New to the position of Elite Guard, any information Sin'ichi and Shinji had gathered over the years was limited. Mostly from rumors that had passed throughout the clan over time. The specifics of the mutant's younger years were only known to the Shredder, the members of his personal Elite Guard during that time frame, and Leonardo himself.

Saburo said. "When Leonardo was younger, he befriended one of the Foot soldiers."

Sitting down, Shiro said. "Yuto. A skilled warrior. Rose within the organization quickly. The young soldier had all the makings of becoming an Elite Guard. Until the fool fell in love. He tried to leave the clan."

Sin'ichi and Shinji were intrigued by the tale. It wasn't very often that the two elder Elite's spoke about the past.

Sin'ichi asked. "What happened?"

Shiro traced a finger along the sharp steel in front of him before continuing. "Master Shredder ordered young Leonardo to assassinate Yuto."

Clearing his throat, Saburo took over. "He disobeyed the Shredder's direct order. The child let Yuto live. Then he tried to cover it up. Master Shredder was furious with his rebellious son. We brought Yuto back to Foot Headquarters. Master Shredder wanted to teach his son a lesson. Restrained, the child was forced to watch as Master Shredder slowly tortured Yuto. Using Leonardo's own blade."

Shinji looked at his fellow Elites as his mind processed the tale, thinking outloud. "Our young master has a history of being loyal to those he views as friend or family. The problem is the brothers."

Shinji's eyes widened. "If the brothers were gone, the only family our young master would have left, is the Foot Clan."

Sin'ichi interjected. "We are honor bound not to harm them. It was the condition we agreed upon in order for the young master to return to the Foot."

Fingering his twin bladed sword again, Shiro had already caught on to Shinji's train of thought. "We cannot harm the brothers, but that does not mean that someone else cannot."

Sin'ichi's eyes flashed with determination. "We must find someone who can."

Excited, Saburo rose from his seat and grabbed his trident. "There has been talk on the streets that someone is looking for the red turtle. A Commander Mozar."

Surprised at this information, Shinji asked. "Does the young master know of this?"

Saburo shook his head. "No. The report came in with the last patrol. Our young master has yet to be informed."

Shiro said. "I have heard that the Commander is not of this world. He should not be too hard to find."

Shinji turned to his brothers. "Then it is settled. We find the red turtle. Lead him to this Commander Mozar. The off worlder will do the rest."

In agreement with their plan, the four Elite's quickly left the room. They were ready to begin the hunt.

A/N: Speaking about the red masked brother, in the next chapter we'll check in on Raph and Mikey. Why not leave a review before you go? I bribe with virtual treats. Virtual Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing to those who do.