Wow I did not mean for such a long break between these two chapter but with internet malfunctions and writers block during conversations it just seemed the world was against me putting this up -_-
Never fear though here it is the chapter that some of you may have been waiting for and personally the chapter I've been excited to write!
~Enjoy

The Truth Unfolds

"And if you take the next left to enter these tunnels it should lead you right outside the gates of the city near your shrine." The soldier explained to Mikey as she ran her finger along a drawn path on the map on the table. "These tunnels are used to get to different places without having to go above ground in risk of being captured by soldiers, this one specifically to get outside the city and to trade with our other bases in the surrounding areas. It was based off the sewer system you and your brothers used to live in."

"That's really cool." Mikey praised.

"Now, I just have to take these files to the infirmary and then deliver these plans to the General." She stepped away from the table with a folders in her hand.

"I'll take them to her for you." Mikey reached out his hand.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it's no problem. It'll save you the walk. Plus, I'm heading that direction anyway." Mikey shrugged as she handed the folder to him.

After she thanked him, Mikey headed towards the barracks and towards April's office. He gave the door a knock and waited.

"April? You in there?" He asked as he knocked again, but this time the door drifted open a crack. Letting his curiosity take ahold of him Mikey glanced around before stepping inside.

The rooms only light came from a lamp on the desk in the corner. It was covered with papers and maps hung on the walls around it. Mikey laid the file on top of the papers before his attention was drawn to a framed photograph on her desk.

The picture was an old selfie of his brothers, her, Casey, and himself. Picking up the frame he ran his thumb against the glass over his brothers, his mouth slightly lifting into a smile.

His eyes drifted down to the desk as he set back down the picture. A crumbled piece of paper sticking out from under the pile beckoned his attention. Giving another glance back at the door he pushed aside the surface papers.

The crumbled paper was a pencil sketch of the stealth bike that used to be connected to the Shellraiser. Looking closer, Mikey realized this was no ordinary sketch.

A pencil sketch made by his brother.

Pushing through the rest of the papers he started to recognize more of the sketches and notes and the handwriting they were written in. Each of them were written by Donnie.

Suddenly, the clicking of a gun behind him made him stand up straight.
"Step away from my desk." April's stern voice spoke.

Turning around came face to face with barrel of her weapon. "I thought I told you to never come in here, Michelangelo." She responded to realizing it was him.

"These notes- they all look so familiar." Mikey continued to examine the papers.

"Michelangelo, I told you to get away from there." Her voice grew sterner.

"This is Donnie's handwriting- these are his notes! You stole these from his lab, didn't you?" Mikey turned to face her.

"Michelangelo-"

"That's why the bolt was off the door when I went down there. You broke it off!"

"Just let me explain-!"

"Those notes belonged to my brother. My brother who's been dead for twenty years. We locked his lab up to keep his memory and you trespassed in there and stole his stuff!"

"I did not steal anything, Michelangelo-"

"Then why are his notes here instead of there? Why was the lock broken from the door! You had no right to be in there! What was so important that you felt the need to take these?"

"I needed these notes for something very important. Donnie would've understood."

"What would you know? I don't believe you." Mikey scoffed.

"You don't believe me? Then fine, get ready for your first solo mission cause there's only place you can go to get the truth if you don't believe me." With that April stomped out of the room, leaving Mikey glaring at the doorway. His blue eyes darted back to the papers scattered on her desk before following her out.

Mikey sat at a desk chair while Angel put in his ear piece.

"Your mission is to go to the lair and enter Donnie's lab yourself." April instructed.
"Oh, so now you want me to do the trespassing for you?"
"No, I want you to just go in there and take a good look around."

"April, I don't think this is such-" April held up her hand, silencing Angel.

"You wanted answers, that's where they'll be. You're not going to believe me if I tell you so you're just going to have to find out for yourself."

Mikey kept his hand in a tight fist as he trudged through the sewers once more. This mission was ridiculous. Why should he have to return to that god forsaken place just to prove a point?

April is a thief.

He stepped back through the small opening in the entrance to be in the main room of the lair. He faced the steal double doors and starred coldly at the broken lock on the floor. Picking it up, he pushed open one of the doors and slid inside.

Everything was as it was before, except instead of being occupied by a six foot terrapin it was occupied by an infestation of vegetation.

"Ok, I'm in Donnie's lab… what am I looking for?" Mikey scoffed into his head piece.

"Take a good look around, Michelangelo. Notice anything different?" April asked on the other end. "Nothing but vines and a good layer of dust." Mikey answered.

"Look harder, it's something that's been there before, but never explained."

"You know I'm not really in the mood for riddles, April." Mikey walked further into the room, sliding his feet to create a trail through the dust.

"The only real recent thing is his latest invention under this cloak but I don't know what that has to do with you stealing his notes."

"Why not take a look to see what's under that cloak?" April asked.

Mikey's curiosity jumped at her question as he looked back at the large object covered up.

"N-no. Donnie told me to never touch it and I'm respecting his wishes." Mikey snapped back.

"But why would Donnie not want you to know what's under there? I thought he always shared his inventions with you three?" April asked.

"What are you trying to do, April?" Mikey asked.

"Nothing, I just don't want any more secrets to be kept form you." She responded.

Taking another look at the cloak covered object, Mikey let out a sigh of uncertainty
He lifted his only hand to the cover but pulled it away before it made contact.

Removing this cover would be mean he had stooped down to her level, and Mikey wasn't about to let April have the satisfaction of being right.

Then again, what secrets were being kept form him?

Out of all of Donnie's precious inventions why would it be the one he worked the hardest on be the one he kept a secret from them?

What was this cloak keeping form him?

Mikey swallowed hard as he griped onto the worn, brown cloth, ripping it off from the device. His light blue eyes grew wide with fear as he stumbled backwards.

Standing before him was the dimensional portal form Shredder's lair.

"No... N-No this isn't right. This can't be."

"Mikey? Mikey what did you find?" April said over the line. Mikey couldn't muster anything to say as he backed away, eyes wide with horror.

"Michelangelo, what did you find?" April ordered. Mikey reached up and pulled the headset off his head, collapsing to his knees.

"He-he lied to us… he did this to us…" Mikey could muster fragments as he starred up at the portal before. The world he thought he knew shattered around him.

As Metalheads video was drawing to an end Mikey unsheathed one of the knives kept between the wrappings on his hand and threw it at the wall, the blade landing between Donnie's eyes. April followed him as he stomped out of the room.

"Michelangelo." She called out to him.

"No." He turned to her with a cold stare. "No, I don't want to hear anything from you."

"You wouldn't listen to me when I tried to explain. You had to find out someway."

"He did this! How could he do this to us? How could he have just-?"

"He didn't have a choice. He was a slave of the Shredder before the rest of us were and the only way to make sure nothing happened to you three was if he did what he asked. He literally gave up the world for you!"

"But he could've told us he was in danger! We're his family, we would've helped him that was our job!"

"And you heard him say what would've happened if he did. He did this to protect you. Shredder was keeping him prisoner and unless he created what he wanted you would've never seen him again and is that what you would've wanted? For him to disappear and you never know what happened to him?" April asked.

"But he did build that! And he's still gone! And now he's the one responsible for all of this! He's been the one to blame for everything that has happened to us these past twenty years! Me losing my arm, Raph's alcoholism, Leo's broken spirit, even Casey and Splinter's death!"

"Don't you dare, Michelangelo! Donatello is not to blame for all of that!"

"And why not? He granted that devil power! The one person who had the ambition to tear us apart and he gave him that opportunity!"

"And what was the cost of it?" April snapped back. "What was his reward for granting him that power?"

"Death." Mikey responded. "And maybe he did deserve it."

April's mouth dropped at Mikey's words. He took pride in that hurt as he walked away from her, leaving her stand still in shock.

"Michelangelo, wait!" Mikey stormed through the cafeteria as Angel ran to catch up to him.

"Michelangelo, I know how you're feeling. You're feeling upset, angry, confused, and I get that." Angel admitted as followed beside him in his attempt to get away.

"I felt this exact same way when my brother went back into that building to save those people and died. I remember asking myself every night why it had to be him. Why did he have to go in there and save those strangers- people we didn't even know- and give up his life? Why did he have to leave me?" Angel explained. Mikey stopped, keeping his back to her and his hand in a fist.

"Being here made me realize why he did. He did it out of love. He put others before himself even when he didn't know them because that was his job. It's our job too. And it's because of that sacrifice it inspired me to be where I am today. I didn't understand it either at first and just wanted to be mad. I also felt betrayed! I wanted to know why he ran from me to get himself killed for people he didn't know.

Just as Donnie went behind your backs to form his own plan to take down Shredder. He put his life on the line to make sure nothing bad happened to you guys. And when his plan failed he didn't surrender or back down he kept going with you guys and didn't hide from him even though he knew he was going to die that night because the thought of it happening to you guys scared him more."

"Maybe, but your brother didn't single handily give Shredder the power to take over the universe. He didn't put a device in Shredder's hands that enabled him to enslave all of us and turn the world into his empire." Mikey fired back.

"Donnie wasn't the only one created this machine." Angel defended.

"Well, besides the Kraang who else would've had the knowledge to build something that could send people to different dimensions who would have ties to Shredder…Stockman!" Mikey growled before turning on his heels towards the downstairs laboratory.

As he shoved open the doors, Stockman turned to greet him with a shit-eating grin.

"Ah, Michelangelo. I'm surprised to see you here-" Mikey grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him towards himself.

"I want answers and I want them now. No more dancing around the questions, got it?" Mikey growled. "I want to know what happened."

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about." Stockman responded in a calm tone.

"You know what I'm talking about Stinkhead, don't act like you and everyone else in this damned HQ don't know about who's really responsible for Shredder reign. That's why she's keeping you here isn't? Because you helped build that thing and now she thinks you can tear it down?"

"So, the truth unfolds." Stockman lifted a brow as he softly pushed Michelangelo off of him. "Ms. O'Neil let you in on our little secret?"

"Yeah, I now know everything. How long were you thinking of keeping it from me?" Mikey asked.

"Not very long. Just until April thought you'd be ready to be hit with such a curveball." Stockman answered.

"Well, now that it's in the open I want to know what happened. What made that- that bastard betray us and go behind our backs to just hand Shredder his key to unlimited power?"

"Donatello did not betray you and your brothers. I can call your brother many things but a traitor would not be one of them. And I would rather you not talk about your brother in such an ill fitted manner, considering all he's given up for you."

"What do you know about my brother?" Mikey growled giving him a cold glare.

"Your brother" Stockman stated. "He was unbelievable. In all the years I've spent in the field of science I've never seen anyone as bright as he was- and he was only a child! He cared so much about your group; so selfless. I remember the first day Shredder's soldiers dragged him in. He cursed and threatened and showed no fear towards him, for he knew you'd rescue him.

When Shredder finally got through to him Donatello and I began our work on the portal. We didn't quite see eye to eye at first, mainly because I was supposed to lead that project until one day he just drags in some kid to replace me, but as we continued to work together I started to see his genius and so did Shredder."

"What do you mean?" Mikey asked.

"One day before Shredder released him for the night he brought him into his throne room with no soldiers to escort him. Shredder tried to put in his head that he was much better off without you guys and you were only holding him back then he offered him a place in the Foot clan. He said he could put his knowledge to a better use than molding together garbage."

"If Shredder valued him so much than why did he kill him?" Mikey asked.

"Because Donnie believed he could out smart him and it didn't work out." Stockman replied. "When he first proposed his idea to hijack the device the next I thought he had finally lost it, but when he got it to work I knew it was pure genius. That was until Shredder found out." Stockman changed tones. "He was supposed to test it that night, not during the day. He sent a soldier in and when he didn't come back he directed his fury at me." He explained as he brushed his finger against the scar over his left eye.

"He sent the purple dragons to lure you in, I was hoping Donnie would've came up with a plan by then, but I guess Shredder just played the upper hand like always."

"When I was informed of his death I was… very upset. Shredder's present goons paraded the streets cheering that the "the violet, ignorant, fool has been destroyed" but that's not who Donatello was. He was my friend, an ally, and I'd like him to be remembered that way."

"More like a traitor to his family." Mikey turned.

"What your brother did was selfless act, without him doing what he did you wouldn't even be standing in this HQ perhaps you'd be right along beside him right now. What he did, he did out of love for you not hate and if you can't see that then maybe you're still too young to understand how the world works."

Mikey scoffed before he stomped out of the room.

"I don't think that was such a good thing to tell him at a time like this." Angel scolded as she walked up to him from standing in the doorway.
"Michelangelo may not be the young, innocent child he was when we first met, but he still has a lot of growing left to do. There are still so many things he's not been exposed to."

Mikey slammed the door to his bedroom, assuring that it made a loud enough slam for everyone to hear before throwing his gear against the wall.

"They're all liars." Mikey muttered as he paced the room. "Why did I let myself be plunged into this chaos again?"

Collapsing onto his bed he felt something hard poking at his side and making him uncomfortable. He reached into one of the side pouches on his belt and pulled out his old T-phone. It was pretty rough around the edges and had a few cracks in the screen but luckily it still worked after all these years. Turning it on, his thumb immediately went to his pictures. Scrolling through he came across a photo that triggered a light. It was a selfie of himself as he hovered over Donnie who was sitting at his desk, a look of disapproval on his face as he held up his arm in an attempt to push the camera away. He could remember that day vividly: Donnie sitting in his lab working endlessly on recreating the retro mutagen before he came bursting in and began his attempt to pull him away from his work, even resulting in him taking numerous pictures of his annoyed older brother claiming that "the camera loved him". In the end he was able to pull him out of his lab at the mention of meeting April above ground for a mission to spy on TCRI.

Sliding his thumb over again, he came across a video with a blurry image of Donnie's face as the front image. Hitting play his heart sank at the sound of his brother's voice.

"This is Michelangelo in an exclusive interview with world genius Hamato Donatello." Mikey's younger voice narrated as the camera accelerated towards Donnie crouched next to the Shellraiser.

"Mr. Donatello, What amazing scientific breakthrough are you working on now?" The camera zoomed in on Donnie's amused, but slightly confused face.

"Oil change." Donnie held up his greasy gloves.

"Oil change." Mikey gasped. "And what are you changing the oil to be? Is it going to make the Shellraiser faster?

"No, but it will keep the engine from getting ruined."

"And is it a dangerous job to change oil?" Mikey asked in a serious tone.

"No, in fact it's quiet easy actually. First I-"

"Ok! That's all the time we have for this interview!" Mikey quickly interrupted as he turned around, the last shot being Donnie shaking his head as he laughed in amusement.

Back then, anytime Donnie would go off on a scientific rant Mikey would immediately tune out, but today he would give anything to hear Donnie talk about those boring topics.

Before he could stop himself hot tears were streaming down his face.

He set the phone aside as he rested his face in his hand, his breaths coming out a gasps as he tried to hide his grief. How could he remain angry at something that no longer exists? His brother didn't purposely tend to hurt him, especially now while he's resting next to their father. But this thought didn't stop the pain in his chest. The Shredder had poisoned their family since the beginning and he wasn't about to let him take away his last hope.

Stockman had just finished wiping off his last tool when the doors to the lab burst open. Michelangelo stood in the lit doorway, his head down and his hand still holding the door.

"Good evening, Michelangelo." Stockman solemnly greeted him. Mikey didn't respond as he pulled out a chair and sat at the desk, resting his face on his hand.

The silence in the room was making it hard for Stockman to concentrate.

"Can I help you with something?" He asked.

"Do you… do you have any more stories about Donatello?" Mikey replied.

Stockman let out a sigh as he turned his back to him.

"One thing I came to know about your brother was that he had quite a mouth on him." Mikey smiled as he rested his head on the table. "I remember when Shredder first brought him into the lab where I working and right to his face he called him a, oh what was it, a heartless walking bastard? Now, none of us would have dared to speak to him like that but Donatello was not afraid of him at all...