It's finally happened. I typed for so long without a break that my hands have become part of the keyboard!
…Cool huh? It'll make eating difficult, but that might be good for me.
I'm kidding! Anyways, I better let you get to reading. I've been daydreaming about this chapter for months now- it's good to have it written out.
Oh, and in case none of you can't recall, Leo will be entering Day 11 in this chapter, Mikey- Day 6, and Raph and Splinter Day 4.
Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: (bound to a chair) (reads copied print before her) I, Pi90katana, do not own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Saying so is not only a violation of copyright infringement, but it also does not make sense, considering the TMNT were created six years before my birth. (yells) I could've traveled back in time!
&&&&&
Massaging his skull, Raph tried to follow the information X97 was telling them. Was he really actually saying anything useful? The turtle couldn't tell. He wasn't an idiot- he was actually quite intelligent. Maybe not like Don, but how many turtles could steer and properly take care of a motorcycle, much less count past two?
The stuff his brother and this alien were discussing though just wasn't his area of expertise, or interest, for that matter. Raph put in a sentence here and there, asking questions with interest because he really did want to know what was happening; wanted to know how to help his brothers. But it was easier just to listen.
Except for when the stupid headache acted up again.
It was the first sign. He knew it. And in less than two days, he'd be smart enough to do Stockman's job for him.
But he still had those two days.
The alien folded his hands together. "I remember my young daughter- back on my world," He was silent for a moment, lost in memories. "She was always so sickly, probably still is today. And she threw such tantrums when she was ill. During those weeks, her mother and I always had to take care that she slept little," He chuckled, "The more Nikiri slept, the more we had to clean up when she awoke."
Raph frowned. "Wait a minute," He said, looking confused. "Aren't people supposed to get more rest when they're sick? I thought it was good for them."
X97 explained. "Typically, yes. But not with the infection." He paused, seeing they'd come across another bridge that had yet to be cleared on both sides. "One of the main reasons why the infected sleep, besides the fever of course, is because that is how they learn. The voice, whichever it may be, teaches them constantly, but more information is given in a state of unconsciousness. When they rest, it is fast and deep. Coming out of their sleep is typically a slow process, unless the infected person feels they're in danger."
Nodding in understanding, Don adjusted his position. "I remember that. When I was bringing Leo here, he kept on asking to go to sleep. When I let him on the helicopter, he drifted right off. Getting him up was a bit more difficult. He was a bit different afterwards-"
The door opened and the same guard from earlier looked in at them. "I was instructed by Agent Bishop to inform you that if you wanted to see your brother, this is the time. Doctor Stockman and…" He tested the name; "Leatherhead will be very busy later."
After a second or two with no word from X97, Raph stood. "All right. We're comin'," He said as he moved to the door, nodding his head in thanks to the alien. When he got there, he saw his brother hesitating. "Yo, Donny. You coming?"
"Yeah," Don said. "I'm right behind you."
&&&&&
"Ballenger, are you seeing this?" Monroe addressed the red-haired doctor as Bishop entered the room.
The man walked over. "And what, may I ask, is so interesting?"
Surprised, the woman stood right up. It must've been good news, or at least a development in the study, for she smiled. "Agent Bishop, sir. The probes we sent into the turtle's body have just begun their video transmissions. It's rather exciting."
The one called Ballenger motioned to the screen. Each of the units sent into the body could act as a single camera, or, if given the order, they could be separated and travel to other areas in their region. "Only two of the twenty we sent in were damaged- which is pretty damn lucky for us. The first unit isn't quite at the section we want yet; it'll be another few hours before it reaches his hypothalamus. But we got the feed we wanted of the heart and the lungs. See for yourself."
Bishop examined the heart. As the autopsies of Coombs and Jacobsen had shown, that organ was unaffected. They hadn't expected to find anything, but it was always something to be examined.
He watched the turtle's heart beat on the monitor. The rhythm was slow; even with the cold, the only justification for this would be that Leonardo was sleeping now. The organ pulsed, the blood vessels standing out clearly against the tissue.
The command was given for the cameras to separate and they were sent within the heart itself, carefully, so as not to harm the specimen. Soon, they were seeing images of a canyon-like right ventricle.
All was normal here. Completely normal. Bishop didn't need to see any more of this organ. Very interesting. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it almost looked human.
Actually, unless he were to compare a human heart side by side to Leonardo's, Bishop probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. It was one of the things he hated about these medical studies. They led so many of his best scientists away from their work.
If it weren't for rare situations like these, he wouldn't even have such a branch in the Earth Protection Force. Their job was protecting the planet from this alien scum, not examining them.
So the only time this sort of thing was done was when a virus was leaked out into public, as had happened only three times now, or when the alien itself was dead.
"Let's see the lungs," He said in a bored manner. He knew these two doctors would come back to the heart later; examine the aortic valve and the ventricles more closely, as was their job. Hopefully, they wouldn't be led astray.
Leonardo wasn't human. He was far from it.
But it was rather strange. The turtle, in some aspects, looked as human on the inside, as Bishop did on the outside; clothed in an alien-like skin while Bishop's own subhuman characteristics were trapped within him.
Clicking a button, Monroe got the transmissions of the lungs. Again, the heart could still be seen slightly, nestled in between the two.
When one saw this picture, they'd see the pleural sacs around the lungs, which provide room for the organs to move. The sacs were smooth, with a low friction surface.
What they were seeing was anything but normal. Purple and green bacteria covered the sacs like a spider's web; only scarce parts of them were still exposed, a normal healthy color making them visible.
It was creating difficulty on the lungs, already- constricting the pleural sacs inward and making it difficult for the turtle to breathe in. He was still doing all right now, as they could see, but that would change soon.
"Can we get in there?" Bishop asked, indicating the inside of the lungs.
Monroe bit her lip. "Maybe. We have a probe positioned by his windpipe, but we'd have to be careful.
"Do it," He said
She switched to a different image. It reminded the government agent of looking into a long tube, or a giant hole that went on forever. The camera moved downwards, carefully along the tube. Ballenger monitored the turtle himself- it would be a shame if he choked now. What a waste of time and resources.
Progress was slow- the breathing hindered it. But it was still easy enough. And soon, they were at the junction of the two lungs.
"Send it to the right lung," Ballenger said. "It looked worse. We can come back to the other one later."
On the screen, the probe shifted to the right. The inside of the lung was starting to show signs, too. The bacteria had actually gone through the pleural sacs and the tissue; small particles were clinging to the walls of the lung.
"Why doesn't it affect anything else?" Monroe asked. "The heart, the liver- any of the other organs. This disease is spread by touch, so how does it end up at only the brain and the lungs?"
"That alien lived through this," Ballenger theorized. "His whole race probably can survive this thing. Maybe with more time, it would get to the other organs. Humans just die before that point."
Bishop folded his hands behind his back. "Which is exactly why we need to take care of this now. For all we know, this could be a manufactured infection. If the aliens were to invade and infect us all, they could roam free without fear of dying while we'd all perish," He told them, trying to strike the image into their heads, make them remember which side they were on in the case they were faltering.
Checking his watch, he saw it was time to go down to meet the other turtles. "Notify me of any new developments," He parted, leaving the room.
&&&&&
Waking up from his slumber, Michelangelo grinned. Everything was sharper- the sights and the sounds. They didn't drive him crazy now; it was like he'd lived his whole life with these heightened senses.
Mikey glanced down at the IV in his arm. The fluid in it was being pushed inside him and it hurt a little. But whatever it was made him feel really good.
In the window, he saw… one of the doctors. It took him several minutes to pull the name 'Stockman' out of his memory. The scientist was working in the lab. The doors to the room opened quickly and in came Bishop.
How fun would it be to listen in on their conversations? Could he do that?
Of course you can. The voice reminded him.
Laying his head back, Mikey increased his hearing and soon the two voices became audible.
Bishop: "Doctor Stockman."
Stockman: "Ah, Agent Bishop. You're here early. Come to make sure our lab turtles behave themselves?"
Bishop: "Not as much as I'm here to let them know that we still hold all the cards. Is the item ready?"
Stockman: "It's in about the same stage it was the last time you asked." There was a pause, then a sigh. "It will be complete in the next few minutes- well before you're little interrogation with Leonardo tomorrow."
Bishop: "And you're sure it'll work properly?"
Stockman: "From what I've seen with our other subjects, yes."
Bishop: "Make sure of it, Stockman. I want no mistakes."
Their conversation wasn't as interesting as he'd thought it would be. Part of him was convinced their words meant something important, but it made little sense to him.
He heard the door open, and soon his brothers' voices followed.
Mikey smiled, receding back into his room. His family was here? Oh that was wonderful! They'd understand it, he was sure. And they could help Leo.
But by the time they were in his quarantined room, he'd already forgotten.
&&&&&
When Don entered the room, Stockman looked up at him before, uninterested, he turned back to his work. He moved an oval-like metal object with a flattened base off of a stack of papers, placing the paperweight to his side and out of sight.
Master Splinter and Leatherhead seemed to have also been brought here. Don bowed his head in respect towards his Sensei before looking through the window, searching for Mikey.
He found his room. His little brother was awake, lying on the floor. He looked like he was thinking over something serious, but soon the expression started to clear into one of relaxation.
Bishop turned around to see them. "Right on time. As you know, we're very busy. I promised you could see Michelangelo, but only as long as it doesn't interfere with our progress in fighting this infection."
Donatello looked at him as he spoke. He was enjoying this- showing them that he could keep them under his thumb. They wouldn't fight back, not with so much at stake.
The government agent straightened his tie. "You are not to leave the room without authorization. If you wish to leave, knock on the door and one of the guards will let you out. You have two hours."
Apparently done speaking to them, the man left the room.
Stockman looked at some of the papers. "Rather to the point, isn't he?" He said, not bothering to glance away from his work. "Leatherhead, the lab has just sent in the first analysis's on the blood samples of the subjects. We should get to work on the cure- unless you have something better to do," He said tauntingly.
Leatherhead's eyes flashed, but he calmed down, looking at the three of them he nodded. "Go on, my friends. It is best I stay here- we can not leave the lives of your brothers in the hands of these monsters."
Chuckling, Stockman turned towards him. "Cry me a river, crocodile," He looked at them. "You're still here? The door is right out the hall- the guards will direct you the rest of the way."
Raph's fists tightened, but he turned out of the room. "Save some for me, LH," He said.
Shaking his head, Master Splinter bowed to Leatherhead and also left, Don following.
The door was easy enough to find. It led to a long hallway with a low ceiling, rows of doors on their right, each guarded by one of Bishop's operatives. One of the men stepped forward, very military-like. "Right here," He called them over.
When they arrived, he took out a key and opened the door. "You've been instructed as to our procedure?"
Splinter nodded. "Yes."
"Good." The door swung open. The man gestured with his hand inwards. When they were all inside, he nodded and shut the door. Don heard the click as it was locked once more.
Mikey moved into a sitting position and grinned. "Hey," He paused. "There was somethin' I was s'posed to tell you…" He slurred. "Can't remember now."
"That's okay," Don told him as they all gathered around him. "Don't worry about it, bro."
Master Splinter placed his hand onto Mikey's shoulder. "How are you feeling, my son?"
"Nice," The turtle said. "Kinda boring in here though. When can I come out?"
"Soon, bro. They just gotta figure out this thing- then we can all go home," Raph told him.
"Really? All of us?"
Don nodded. "Of course. We wouldn't leave without you or Leo."
Mikey frowned. "But that lady's sayin' they're not done with him yet."
Pausing, Don looked at him. "What lady?"
"Oh… some lady. She's talking far away. She says they haven't finished the tests, that they need to take him out later for an MRI," He was quiet for a second. "But this guy just told her they did one before they put him in… and the results'll be there in a few minutes."
He felt a sense of dread in his stomach. Raph shared the same feeling, obviously. "Put him where?" His brother pressed.
Don could understand taking him out of a room, if it were one like this. But people usually, but the way Mike was conveying the word 'put in' made it sound like… something different.
And if Leo posed such a safety risk, as they'd been told, why would they even chance bringing him out at all?
Shrugging, Mikey scooted back a little. "I dunno. They're not talkin' anymore."
The purple-clad turtle frowned. He was getting a bad feeling about this.
&&&&&
Doctor Monroe looked through the results of Leonardo's MRI, Stockman watching them too, over her shoulder. He could hear the woman mutter under her breath that she should be kept better informed around here, but the scientist could care less.
The excuse he'd given Leatherhead was that he needed to pick up a few sensitive materials for the cure- materials he would bring back, of course. But he had more jobs than one here, and overseeing these buffoons was one of them.
What they were seeing was very common among schizophrenics. The hippocampus was smaller now and the lateral ventricles in Leonardo's brain were larger than they should've been. The ventricles, when shown from a certain angle, tended to look like a butterfly. A small butterfly was normal, but the turtle's had clearly gotten larger.
But where tissue should've been lost, all was the same. As Stockman looked over this anomaly, he determined that, in theory, were the cure to work, everything would reverse back to normal in time, leaving none of the infected with this mental illness.
Below him, Monroe frowned and lifted the images. Now, it was possible to tell where the brain was active during a hallucination. In everyone of these pictures, it could be seen that the hallucinations, be it voices or images, were nearly constant and located in various lobes of the brain- the frontal, in particular, but occasionally the parietal and temporal lobes as well.
But the woman wasn't looking at that. "What is this?" She asked, pointing to an area on the shot. "I've seen it in every view we've been given."
Stockman rolled his eyes. "Those are the lateral ventricles," He told her with a sigh. Honestly, one would think that Bishop could afford to find a team with at least some basic knowledge of what they were working on.
"I know that. I mean hear, right in the center of them. There's something else."
Frowning, Stockman peered at the area closer.
Sure enough, right in the center of the butterfly was a dot- a piece of brain tissue that hadn't been there before.
He looked at the screen where the probes were gathering footage of the turtle's inside. "Are we in position to send the cameras to that region?" He asked Ballenger.
The man checked. "Yes. You want me to send one out to take a look?"
Nodding, Stockman walked over. "And make it quick."
Soon, the camera was there, moving within the cerebrospinal fluid within that cavity. And there it was- a small piece of tissue, coated in the same bacteria he'd collected off Coombs' lungs.
For a moment, it looked very dull. But then, before their eyes, not only did more bacteria form, it started glowing faintly, like a switch turned on.
Stockman began to wonder: Was this the source of the infection? Was it part of the brain itself, giving commands throughout the body- actually sending the virus that was floating around it's host's system to the lungs?
And the way it glowed… was it the source of their abilities?
But no, that couldn't be. Leonardo couldn't access the power in his current state.
Still. He wondered.
&&&&&
Half-asleep, Leonardo was aware of everything in his body, these tiny probes included. Half of him realized that they were what had hurt him the day before, only he couldn't really remember that event well at all anymore, so it mattered little.
But they didn't belong there, traveling inside his body. He was tempted to crush them then and there.
Do it, the shadow said. It always created a sense of angry energy inside the turtle. A thrill, knowing what the power could do and that it belonged to him. You know you want to.
Perhaps you should focus on finding a way out. The lighter voice counseled. No harm is being done yet, and the situation at hand is far more serious.
Now able to tell with his sonar what the room looked like, Leo examined it. With every beat of his heart, it was clearer.
Soon, the sound traveled to a hole it had found on the far side. Cold, Leo turned his head.
Yes, there was a hole. But, even as strong as his sonar was, the sounds his heart made could not travel far enough to tell him what was down there.
Besides, he couldn't even move. He lacked the strength to go over there and find out for himself.
But when the sleepy smell came to him again, from that very hole itself, Leo knew he wouldn't have long to wait. They were going to let him out again.
He could be patient.
&&&&&
The next day, Raph awoke with the same headache. Frowning, he turned over in his bed, unable to see how, if Splinter really were on the same path as him, could the rat stand it.
Yesterday, they'd stayed with Mikey for as long as they could, trying to instill any amount of cheer in him. He apparently wasn't the one who needed it though for, despite his situation, he'd been as pleasant as an old lady watching The Antique Road Show.
Getting up off his cot, Raph stretched his sore muscles and walked out of their temporary room. He was thirsty. Unfortunately, he didn't recall seeing a drinking fountain anywhere in this base.
Still, he walked about. He was sure there was something around here. God, he hadn't even really eaten since they came here, besides some sandwich.
As he got closer to the room Leatherhead had been working in, he caught movement to his left.
There were four people pushing something that looked like a fancy hospital gurney, following the orders of Agent Bishop.
Bishop looked at another hallway. "All right, take him to the interrogation room. Make sure to give him the mood stabilizers- just because he has to be awake for our little chat doesn't mean I want him aware of what we're doing."
The person on the gurney was his brother.
Angered, Raph charged forward. "Bishop!" He shouted as he made his way over to the man.
The government agent sighed before looking at him. "Yes, Raphael?"
Giving an Asian man who looked like he'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed a glare, he moved closer to his older brother. Leo was unconscious and his skin was cold to the touch.
"What the hell did you do to him?" Raph yelled, looking back up at Bishop.
"What needed to be done to ensure my men were out of danger. Your brother's abilities make him a threat. The proper measures must be taken so see that all turns out well."
"To hell with that!" Raph looked back down at Leo. 'Wait, where are you taking him?"
Bishop pushed his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose. "As I told you and Donatello yesterday, I plan on having a discussion with him."
"You said we could be there- were you planning on doing this without us?"
"I believe I said it all depended on your behavior," Bishop replied. "I promised nothing." Nodding to his men, he said, "Take him."
Raph held onto the gurney, but before he could speak, the man looked at him. "You have five minutes to gather your family and get down to where we'll be. It's the second door on the left, down this hallway. If you're not there within that time, then it's your own damn fault."
Giving his brother one last look, the red-banded ninja backed away from the gurney, jaw set, and ran all the way back to his room.
&&&&&
The room was small- there were a few chairs positioned towards another window, much like the ones used in police interrogations. They could see Bishop and Leo, but their brother wouldn't be able to see them.
Donatello frowned and sat down. He and Splinter had gotten here as fast as they could. Raph had wanted to get Leatherhead too, but there'd been no time.
Stockman was in the room as well, right up next to the window, by a table, where a large device was sitting. He snorted when he saw them. "Of course. Agent Bishop let you in here- of course. Doesn't he realize how sensitive the situation is?"
Master Splinter tapped his cane. "Doctor Stockman, I thought you would be assisting Leatherhead in completing the cure for this infection?" He spoke, a minimal sense of annoyance in his tone.
The scientist adjusted his equipment. "I have many responsibilities here, rodent, and I perform them all well. You should be more concerned about trusting the cure to that crocodilian behemoth of yours."
"Leatherhead is more than fit for the task," Splinter said. "I suppose I should be relieved that you are not with him. Perhaps the cure will actually work properly."
Don nearly laughed. It wasn't like their Sensei to take shots like that, but when he did, they were always delivered perfectly.
Stockman snorted and turned back to his work, mumbling curses under his breath.
Looking into the next room through the window, the humor was lost. Leo was sitting in a chair at a long table there, one hand cuffed to the arm of the chair. He was asleep, head resting on the table and right hand lying to the side of his face, fingers curled slightly.
The door to that room opened and Agent Bishop stepped in.
Don blinked once. What? The man was carrying in that same paperweight he'd seen with Stockman yesterday. Why would he need that?
Placing the paperweight on the table, Bishop took a seat, folding his hands neatly atop of the table.
Two minutes later, Leo started to wake up.
&&&&&
Bishop watched the turtle, aware that he'd have to proceed with caution. With his family watching, this could get ugly.
But he was still in control here. They'd just have to deal with what was about to happen.
Slowly, Leo came to. Drowsily, he sat up. When the ninja saw the light, he cringed as if in pain.
"Sorry if it's a bit too bright in here," Bishop told him uncaringly.
The turtle cringed again, opening his mouth with a silent cry as the man spoke. He put his head back down on the table and began to breathe easier. "What do you want?"
Bishop grinned. "Oh, just to talk."
&&&&&
Leo wanted to scream. In the dark place, all of his senses had been heightened to their fullest capacity with no results.
Now, back in the real world, everything was being conveyed to him at full force. It was so bright, he wanted to tear out his eyes. When the man spoke, his voice echoed in his ears so loud that he thought his head would explode from the noise. The feel of the metal chair beneath his skin irritated him to no end and the smells in the room made him want to gag.
He turned it all down, trying to reach a balance. God, it hurt. Ironically, he almost wanted to go back to the dark place, if only this would all stop.
Eventually he could respond. "What about?"
"Oh, everything. The power, your voice. It's all very fascinating, Leonardo. We have much to learn from you."
The turtle sat up and opened his eyes. The light bled in but it didn't hurt as much anymore.
"I don't really feel like talking," He said darkly.
"Too bad," The man told him. "While you're here, you'll have to. Despite your little gift, you'll find I'm the one in power here."
Leo frowned. "I doubt that. You'll be nothing when I kill you."
&&&&&
Splinter was taken aback at Leonardo's words. Before, the last time he'd seen him, Leo had acted much like when he was young- happy, and excited.
Now there was a hard edge to him that had not been there before. So angry was his son… so violent.
At that moment, Splinter knew that something had gone wrong. Something had happened that had change Leonardo.
My son… what have they done to you?
&&&&&
He almost laughed at Leonardo's words. He was well aware that the ninja could probably kill him with his abilities, but that was why he'd had Stockman create the device.
"Now, there's no need for that kind of tone," He said. "We can still have a civil conversation. How about we start with the voice? What does it tell you? How does it… show you how to use the power?"
Leo glared. "They just tell me," He paused. "Right now, one just wants me to kill you. Maybe it's right. If I don't, you're just gonna make me go back, aren't you? Maybe I should kill you."
This was getting interesting.
Bishop sighed and straightened his tie. "Leonardo, I'm afraid if you're going to act like this, you leave me no choice."
Lifting up the device, he pressed the small button on its bottom.
Immediately, Leo covered his ears and let out a cry.
&&&&&
They? Don frowned, looking at Raph. "That's not right."
Raph nodded. "I know. Didn't he say there could only be one voice?" He asked, referring to the conversation they'd had with X97.
There was no time to answer, for at that second, Bishop lifted the paperweight and pressed a button on the bottom, and Leo doubled over in pain.
It wasn't a paperweight.
Raph growled and looked at Stockman. "What the hell's going on?"
Stockman looked at the equipment. "Your brother gave us little choice. It's only a frequency machine- it produces a high, rotating frequency that only Leonardo can hear. Typically, only creatures such as a dog or a bat could hear it, but we all know how sensitive his hearing is now. He simply won't be able to us his abilities against us."
Don looked back. "But it's hurting him!"
"A minor side effect. Too bad for him."
&&&&&
The sounds attacked him. No matter how low he tuned down his sense of hearing, it was there, assaulting him.
He couldn't concentrate. The sonar fluctuated, unable to pick up anything. The power was still there, but he couldn't focus it.
Within the noise, the man spoke. "Now, the sooner you speak, the sooner this will all be over. Let's talk about your sonar. Just how far can it go?"
Leo cried out again- it hurt so much.
"Leonardo…" The man pressed. He recalled his name- the shadow told him it was Bishop.
"Nowhere now…" He hissed. "Uh… a long way usually," He told him, giving in.
"Miles? City blocks? Feet?"
Groaning, Leo tried to think of it. "Two miles…"
Bishop whistled. "Very nice. And what about this power? Is there anything else you can do with it that we don't know?"
What did they know? This wasn't very helpful. "No," He finally said. He hoped it were the right answer.
"And just how strong is it? What can you do?"
He began scratching the table. Got to stop this… "I can do everything. We're done here."
"No, I don't think we are. Just a few more questions."
"No," Leo repeated, still scratching. "We're done."
&&&&&
Stockman watched the turtle closely, then snickered.
Immediately, Raphael was on him. "And what the hell's so funny?"
Pushing the ninja's hand off of him, Stockman looked back at his console. The machine was performing perfectly.
"Oh, nothing really. Your brother- see the way he's scratching at the table? It's not just a release, he's doing it on purpose, timing it. He's trying to change the frequency. He'll never be able to."
Suddenly, all of the humor left the situation. The simple fact that Leonardo was doing this suggested that he understood the frequency and how it was working. In theory, with the right materials, he could alter the frequency. Just not in this matter.
But the fact that he knew that made Stockman realize just how intelligent he'd become in the small time they'd kept him in the sensory deprivation chamber. And he appeared to have gotten stronger.
Why was a sense of disaster starting to loom above his head?
&&&&&
"I'm in charge here," Bishop said. "Believe me, Leonardo. All of your attempts will be in vain. Just answer the questions, and this will stop."
Opening his eyes, Leo glared at him. The malice was surprising.
Then, stopping his scratching at the table, he turned his eyes on the device, jaw tight.
What the hell was he doing?
The turtle's hands shook slightly, his breathing hard and accented by sharp and pained intakes of breath. The infection was getting to him.
Pinpricks of blood started to appear on his beak, from the near invisible nostrils. He sneezed, and the blood spattered on the table, a few streaks on his face.
Bishop slowly slid his hand into his jacket. Leonardo was right. They were done here.
And then, there was a small explosion. The metal on the frequency device started to move and cave inwards. A hole was punched through it and smoke issued forth.
Leo relaxed for a second, and leaned back, apparently proud of himself.
Then his posture became rigid again and he glared at Bishop, a look of fear in his eyes. "You want to hurt me."
Bishop suddenly found himself flung back out of his chair, back against the wall.
&&&&&
It had taken everything he had to get a grip on the power, to focus it and destroy the source of the noise.
The minute that task was accomplished, Leo had felt relief. He was back in control again.
But then the sonar had expanded, and he'd realized that beneath the dark jacket this man wore was a gun. And that he was reaching for it.
And that, like everyone else, this man wanted to hurt him.
Standing up, he looked at the man. "You want to hurt me, but I won't let you. I should-"
He stopped, his sonar finding something else. Turning his head, he looked at a dark window. He could see nothing behind it, but he could sense what was behind it.
Walking up, he looked at the glass and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Yes, there were four.
"I know you're there."
&&&&&
Don watched in surprise as the glass suddenly shattered. None of the shards hit him or his family, but remained frozen in place before gathering together and crumbling in a near pile on the floor.
Before them, Leo levitated a little, his feet coming to a rest on the pane of the window.
The intense look of betrayal on his face was enough to break Don's heart. How did this have to look like to him?
Leo looked at each one of them. "You want to hurt me, too. Just like him."
"No, Leo," Don said. "It isn't like that."
"Yes it is. You want to kill me."
Raph shook his head in disbelief. "Hell no. Leo, no one wants to kill you."
"He does!" Leo shouted. "And you were going to let him!"
"What are you talkin' about?" Raph shouted right back.
Looking at them silently, Leo finally turned back to Bishop. With his telekinesis, he flung the coat open, revealing what Bishop had been reaching for.
A gun.
Leo looked back at them, breathing heavily. "Don't follow me," He said roughly.
Getting down, he literally made the door fly off its hinges. And then he walked out of the room.
And they followed.
&&&&&
Raph shot daggers at Bishop. "A gun?"
Bishop fell to the ground, landing perfectly on his feet. "Tranquilizers," He said. "He was becoming difficult to handle."
"This is why I told you it would never work," Stockman shouted at him. "He needs to be sedated constantly-"
"Sedated?" Don asked. "No. You idiots! He was sedated the whole time?"
The men looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
Don turned to Raph. "That's the key. That's what X97 was talking about. They learn how to manage the power in their sleep. They get stronger when they sleep. And you kept him like that the whole time."
Sending the two of them one more glare, he and his family went after Leo.
&&&&&
There! Chapter 14 is now complete! What did you think?
Wait 'til you see what else Leo can do.
Please review!