A/N: This chapter is a Mikey-special! XD Enjoy the complete attack of the Mikey all over this chap XD I will dedicate this chapter to my beta, Duckiepray, because Mike's her favorite and she helped settle my nerves on wiggling a bit with my strict POV center. I don't think I could have written this scene half as well if it was from any other perspective. This is why I don't do strict outlines either XD If I did, this scene and the next one wouldn't be here. This chapter actually gave me an idea by the end of it for a MUCH later scene (like ending climax scene which is still some chapters off). This was still one of the harder chapters to write even though Mikey usually leads me while writing unlike his brothers who I have just a bit more control over XD Anyway, I shouldn't hold you back from reading any longer. Enjoy!
Michelangelo barely escaped when Donatello lunged at him. He could still feel the phantom grip of his brother against his wrist. The only way he could free his arm was to painfully twist away. It was a pain he could easily ignore, but he still favored his good right wrist as he jumped on his skateboard and took off. He couldn't let himself get caught; he knew that could end up being his doom if he did.
He skated through the dark tunnels as fast as he could safely go. He still couldn't believe he was running from his own brother. That shift in his brother's stance, the broken plea of warning before Don attacked him… It just wasn't Donny. It couldn't be. No, it was more like something out of a horror film. Donatello's eyes were cold when he attacked. Cold with the desire to kill…
Mikey couldn't hear his brother behind him anymore. He knew better than to believe Don had given up. He was probably still behind him. I wish I could just hear him so I'd know what he's doing now. He pulled out his shell cell as he turned the corner. I have to call dad… He had left his father without a word when the alarms went off. I just hope he answers quickly… He disconnected the headset and put it on so he could keep his hands free. Once he pressed the speed dial, he only had to wait. Come on!
"Michelangelo?"
The voice on the other end allowed him a moment to relax. He sighed in relief before responding, "Sensei! I found out what happened at LH's. Is Raph doing any better?"
"Your brother is holding on for the moment. Tell me what happened." The sensei's voice came in various volumes, showing the still inept attempt to work with technology.
"It's Don." Mikey ducked a low-hanging pipe before using it to jump a gap with his skateboard. His voice came out in a rush. "There's definitely something wrong with him. I knew he was getting weird these past months… He attacked me! Like, seriously tried to kill me! He said something about Bishop and Leo… He told me to free him! Sensei, the lair was trashed! Even the ceiling had fallen in places and I found LH under all this debris and he wasn't doing so good. I thought he was dead at first, but I think he was just unconscious and I had to leave him because of Don. I don't know what to do! I can't go home now because that'll just make it easier for Donny to find me…"
"Calm down and breathe for a moment, musuko. That is always the best place to begin."
"I can't. I know he's behind me somewhere. I don't think I lost him, but I have no clue where he is! Why does it have to be Donny?! He'll find me, I know it! He's got all his tech stuff to help him… I'm so screwed! He's the worst to go psycho! I'm so going to get caught and then he'll do something really horrible to me. Like Leo! I saw the broken shards of one of his katana! What if he does that to me?! I don't want to be broken into tiny Mikey pieces!"
"Michelangelo!" Splinter's stern voice shattered Mikey's panic in one word.
"Sorry, sensei…" Mikey took a few deep breaths as requested earlier. "It's just…we're really down to the wire on who we can call for help right now… It's just me now because you have to stay home for Raph…"
"Hai, I am aware of how dire the situation is. I assume you are planning to go straight to Bishop's?" The rat's tone showed he already knew the answer. "I suggest at least bringing Mr. Jones along. While you are there, bring back as many medical supplies as you can find to aid in your brother's recovery."
"Will do, sensei. I'm heading to Casey's now. Call you back when I get Leo." He didn't wait for Splinter to say his own goodbyes. The ladder that would take him near Casey's apartment was already in sight. He hung up the phone and hooked his skateboard onto a strap along his carapace.
He took the climb slowly in case it decided to break on him. It was rusty and rarely used, especially this time of year. Mike could already feel the cool night air as he neared the manhole cover. He only lifted it a few inches to give the alley a cursory glance. When he was sure it was safe, he climbed out.
The winter chill bit at his exposed skin; he regretted not wearing a coat as it whipped his mask tails over his shoulder. This was the worst time to go on a turtle-hunt. Large snowflakes followed his progress to the fire-escape, coating his form in their chilly embrace. He ignored them as he scaled the building in record time. Casey was only a few buildings over and Mikey seriously contemplated borrowing a coat from him when he arrived.
His head was still reeling from the encounter with Evil-Donny. I should have seen it earlier! he scolded himself. Why didn't I? Every possible sign that something was wrong with his brother revealed themselves as he ran. Signs he had missed. I didn't even question when he zoned out on us. Stupid!
Mikey didn't allow himself to think differently. Everything had to tie into this one moment, whether relevant or not. He needed to believe it. Even that dream… He thought back on that night five days ago. He could almost see the dark shadow watching him once again. He remembered the fear of impending danger that had him surfacing from the night terror with wide eyes. But no one was there. Still, maybe it was like that crystal dream. I should've seen it!
He breezed down the side of a building and stopped in front of the window to Casey's shabby apartment. He knocked on the glass, impatiently, for several minutes.
"Hey, hold on a minute! I'm comin'! Ya can quit tha racket. Don't wanna give tha old landlord another excuse to kick me out." Casey's voice rumbled out of the room before the window was yanked open. The glass vibrated at the abrupt movement and a shard of glass wiggled free to clatter, noisily, against the grating Mikey stood on. "Dammit! I know that old bastard will add that ova my rent. Like I already don't pay enough for this piece a' shit closet.
Casey Jones looked more of a mess than usual. His shoulder-length hair stuck up in places; a pair of stained fleece pajama bottoms hung limply around his hips, the playful candy cane design clearly revealing them to be a gift from April; and his face looked drawn and old, even though he was still comfortably in his mid-twenties. He shuffled over to move the dozen empty beer bottles off the old patched couch in the middle of the room.
"We don't have much time," Mikey said as he climbed inside, taking extra care with the broken glass. "Where's Shadow?" He checked out the window before closing the blinds. Beads of light shimmered between the holes, but it was not enough to penetrate the deep shadows of the apartment. He didn't see the little girl anywhere.
"She's wit' April's sister. Robyn's been helpin' out a lot wit' this. I don't think she believes I can handle it. Bitch. I can, just don't fuckin' give a shit right now. Ain't got no right takin' my kid."
Mikey watched his actions closely, before turning away to the slob of the room. "If I was Robyn, I'd do the same at this point. Now stop talking and get dressed. I need your help. If you're not sober enough, you will be." He grabbed a worn sweatshirt that was slung over a table and shrugged into it. It would have to do with keeping him from hyperthermia. Not many things could fit over his shell.
"She's my kid! If you so much as start with me too, ya can turn yer shell around and get outta my apartment!" Casey tugged his pants further over his hips as he stomped over to the kitchenette. "I need another beer."
"No, you don't," Michelangelo stated, firmly, as he forcibly dragged his friend away from the mini-fridge and in the direction to the single bedroom instead. "Get dressed. I'll get your gear. Where did you stash them anyway?" Mike scanned the dilapidated apartment.
"You goin' fightin', huh? Ya don't need me. Ya got yer bros ta baby-sit. You forget my girl's still in the hospital, shitface?!" Casey nearly growled. "Ya don't be tellin' me what ta do! Almost two damn months now! She ain't eva' wakin' up! Fuck!" He shoved the end-table next to him, toppling the lamp that was standing on it. The bulb shattered upon impact with the floor, but it barely registered with the fiery dark-haired vigilante.
"You're in luck, then," Mikey wasn't fazed by Casey's reckless act. He snatched up Casey's bag from its hiding place and tossed it at him. "I don't have my bros, by the way. All thanks to Bishop. Raph's dying, Leo's Bishop's guest, and Don's out to kill me. You will get dressed and help me rescue Leo. He's the only one that can fix this."
Casey was never a good catcher. He was even worse when he was half-drunk and hung-over. He busied himself with picking up all of the spilled sports' equipment as he listened. He slowed with each reveal before standing to full height with slightly widened eyes. "Shit, Mikey. I get it." He roughly pushed his bag against the table before disappearing in his room, slamming the door behind him. "All you guys got tha fuckin' worst timin' ever. There should be an award fer it."
"Not our fault."
"Yeah, I know that. Still's shit timing." Minutes later, Casey stepped out of his room fully clothed. He swung his bag over his shoulder and slipped his mask over his face. "I wanna good one-on-one with Bishop. He needs ta learn not ta shoot other people's girlfriends.
"We'll see," Mikey said as he led the way out of the apartment. The cold chill greeted him once again, but the bite wasn't nearly as bad as earlier. He still wasn't as bundled up as much as his brothers would approve of, but it would suffice for now. His eyes cast to the glittering pinpricks of multi-colored lights hidden among drifts of the swirling snow. Christmas Eve. Some holiday I'm having so far…
"Why tha hell is Don trying to kill ya anyhow?" Casey blurted out as he kept pace behind him.
Mikey didn't answer right away. He ran and leaped between buildings in silence as he continued the thought on his brother's deterioration into what he was now. He was weird even before Thanksgiving. In fact…that whole flu or whatever lasted suspiciously long. The pieces were beginning to fit together. Which means the only time Bishop was close enough to do anything was… "Oh, duh! How can I be so stupid?!" Mikey nearly stopped running entirely as the thought crossed his mind.
"What? Whatchu talkin' about?"
"The power plant back in June," Mikey spoke, slowly. "Bishop got really close to Don there. I mean, he punched him right off the walkway! I always thought it was weird how he disappeared like right after, too. We never figured out what he wanted from the place. Nothing was reported stolen or tampered with. You saw the news, there was nothing! The whole situation was odd. Even how we found out about it, too. Don got this alert from one of his constant searching things and Bishop never made mistakes like that before. We always found out about his heists while they were happening. We never had a clue before one. …It's starting to all make sense now."
"What'd he do, Mike?"
"Mind control. Bishop's controlling his mind to make him do whatever he wants him to do." Mikey paused in his speech just long enough to cross a larger gap with the help of his nunchucku and a clothesline. "When he attacked me today, he did not look himself. He looked more like some…I don't know. I don't want to think too much on it. You see? I'm sure Bishop could do that. He's got the resources and the knowledge. And if he doesn't, Stockman does."
"That's fucked up. It can't be real." Casey followed, clumsily. "Do ya know where we're headin'?"
Mikey stopped running to bring out his shell cell. He played with buttons before bringing up the screen he wanted. "You know, I didn't think to check this before. You'd think Bishop would get wise to the tracker, right?"
Casey stared at him for a full minute before flinging his arms out on either side of him in aghast. "Yer tellin' me we've been headin' nowhere fer tha past twenty minutes?! Dammit, Mike!"
"Hey, I was more worried about getting found by Donny! And I did have an idea which direction to head. Over the past few months, we've nailed down a few of Bishop's possible haunts. I just didn't think…whoa, seriously?" Mike's eyes widened at the screen before him.
"What now?" Casey grumbled.
"…Bishop left Leo's cell tracker on. That doesn't seem right…"
"A trap?"
"That's what I'm thinking. With Don on his side, it has to be. But I have to do something. It's the best lead I have. Casey?" Mikey turned to look at his friend.
"Ya don't even gotta ask. Ain't no way I'm missing out on this." Casey's fists clenched. "I gotta score ta settle. Lead tha way, Mike."
A/N: Now you know what to do. ;) A certain review box is hungry! And once you're done with that, you can hop on over to Duckiepray's Bonds! It's getting really good as per usual with her epic fics! XD
