Sorry for the delay! Action scenes are very hard for me to write and this chapter took several edits and rewrites to get postable. Hope you enjoy!

...And don't kill me?

Thanks again to Pi for the edit help!

Another Fight

It was only through sheer luck and determination that they made it outside. The brothers practically had to bowl over the stunned humans-- it was fortunate that it was mostly scientists that had gathered to witness their tranquilization and transport, and not more the more dangerous security types.

Anthrozoologists and vets weren't exactly known for their fighting prowess, after all. The guards on the other hand--

Well, they could be a real problem. So... for now... the turtles ran.

Raphael was recovering from his abrupt wakeup and subsequent shock of the attack on Mikey quite rapidly; they had only been outside for about thirty seconds before his voice and thoughts caught up with him, and with that anger and concern. "We have to go back! Now!"

"The... pond first..." panted Leo from several feet in front of him. "We... need our... weapons!" Not even pausing, he gestured in front of them, where some light was shyly peeking through the palm trees and scruffy bushes. "Almost... there."

Sure enough, the stupid fake pond in the middle of Mikey's exhibit was right in front of them, and Raph knew that those two branches of his were right by those reeds that were bent just so.

Reaching into the moonlight-stained water, Leo pulled out his own make-shift weapons. "You know..." his eyes were locked onto the pond, gaze considering. "We should go in here. Hide from them..."

"We do have much a much larger lung capacity than they do." noted Don, looking excited. "They might not even consider us coming up with such a plan..."

"...So they will get confused as to where our location is." continued Leo, his expression matching Don's and breath apparently back now.

Raph didn't even pause to think about it-- he implicitly trusted his brothers-- with both his life and Mikey's-- before he quickly leapt into the brackish water, trying not to think of all the times he and his now missing brother had rough-housed in it. At the time it had seemed so annoying and childish, now he would do anything to go back to those times.

Once under, he heard two other splashes-- Leo and Donnie. Raphael watched as dark blobs moved across the surface above him-- humans, searching for them-- even as his heart and chest ached.

Together, the brothers waited underwater for several long minutes. Finally, his lungs screaming for air, Raphael was forced to break the surface. He didn't feel as glad as he thought he would to see his siblings emerge right behind him, practically at the same time. Apparently, in this regard, they were all on the same ground.

A quick look around revealed no humans nearby. For a minute the group was silent, listening, but could hear nothing as well. It was peaceful-- deceptively like any other night.

"...We... go back now?" gasped Raph, still feeling slightly concerned that his lungs would explode out from his plasteron.

Leo nodded, breathing quickly and taking several steps forward and to their sleeping area. "We need Mikey." he said quietly.

"No point if we don't get out of here -together-" agreed Don, carefully lifting his bulk out of the water. "But..."

"There might be people there." continued Leonardo for him. "It's risky."

Raph gripped his sticks tightly, countless memories of a young turtle making him laugh, playing with him, and speaking to him flashing through his mind. "I'll--" he began.

"I'll scout ahead." interrupted Don, a determined look on his face.

Spinning around to face his brother so rapidly he felt slightly dizzy, Raph protested. "I said I was gonna--!!"

"Sssshhhh!!"

"And that's why," sighed Don, giving him something of a wan smile. "I'm quieter than you-- lighter on my feet..."

"The perfect scout." noted Leo, nodding. "He can check out our cave and see who is there without blowing our cover." Now he looked worried. "...We don't have much time."

"Let's go."

--

"Only two of them?" hissed Raphael, giving the two bulky humans stationed outside of the cave his most hate-filled look.

"...You are complaining?"

"No," whispered Raph hoarsely. "...They just thought we wouldn't come back for him." He was satisfied to see both of his brothers' expressions darken at that.

They understood the insult. Good.

He and Leo moved forward, their crude weapons at the ready-- and several seconds later both had made quick work of the security personal. Luck-- and a generous helping of surprise ambush-- being on their side. It had been a close one though, the younger turtle had just barely missed being hit by a needle filled with liquid 'Nighty-Night'.

At Leo's suggestion, they hid the bodies inside the prickly berry bushes neaby-- hopefully anyone that passed by would assume they went into the enclosure to guard Mikey more closely... or had simply went to the bathroom.

Warily, they entered the cave and found their brother inside, still collapsed on the floor where they last saw him. No one human had even bothered to carry him to some place more comfortable. Instead they left him sprawled on the dirty ground like some piece of garbage.

"Mikey..."

Raph and Don quickly and gently slipped their arms under the unconscious turtle's, supporting him as they near-dragged him out of the human-made enclosure. Leo warily lead the way, obviously trying to look everywhere at once.

They moved quickly-- or at least they did before Leonardo suddenly halted, his eyes widening. "...Shit."

Feeling his muscles tense-- Leo never swore-- Raphael spun around, barely keeping up his brother's weight. Then he saw what the older turtle saw.
"Fuck."

There were roughly twenty humans around them-- an inner crescent of beefy-looking and armed security personal, with several scientists and zoologists standing right behind them, looking panicky.

"There they are!"

"The ones..." Leo looked strained. "Behind.. -this-... won't even face us on their own." In the darkness Raph could hear his older brother gritting his teeth. "Cowards...!"

The humans didn't even seem to hear, instead one of them, Johnson, who looked to be more or less in charge here, spoke up. "Gentlemen." His eyes were on the guards, not on the turtles. "I believe it's time we relax these poor beasts? They seem... distraught."

"You--!" Raph surged forward, leaving Donnie to bear Mikey's weight.

Right behind him, Donatello staggered for a minute before carefully lowering his little brother's body to the ground. "Please..." Don rushed forward, his hand briefly resting on Raph's shoulder before he stepped forward by a few more steps-- closer to their captors. "We just want to stay together! It's not like there isn't something in it for--"

The stinging whistle of a dart-gun going off was the only response their keepers gave.

"Donnie!"

Horrified, Raph and Leo watched as their brother's eyes widened in shock and then slowly began to close, pupils dialating. Don seemed to struggle against the inevitability of it, his hand reaching up to remove the dart from his tricep even as he wobbled on unsteady feet.

But it was too late.

Brief seconds later, Donatello was on the ground not far from Mikey, and Raph and Leo were left alone, with two unconscious brothers and many armed humans around them.

Not good.

Raph turned his gaze to Leo, feeling well and truly panicked now-- there was no way he and Leo could carry both Don and Mikey out of here safely-- and hell if that wasn't a lot of people, and shit, they had dart guns...

They were probably fucked now, but hell if he wanted to give up, and from the look on Leo's face, his brother didn't want to either. Raphael felt something like determination-- though it might have just been desperation-- seep into his body. They would do this. Or die trying.

For their family.