Guest: Am I really that predictable? ;) Thank you for reviewing!
jgrasper22: Sorry! Sorry! Thank you for reviewing!
DragonChild157: Interesting speculations. Continue reading. Thank you for reviewing!
lizzybudd: The thing with your cliffhangers (at least your most recent one) is that you then took off for a month and a half! So while I'm sitting here reeling and *patiently* waiting for an update, I'm sure you can squirm for a day or so. :P No, seriously, though, I'm just kidding. I know you're busy with work and stuff. I'm just teasing. :) I knew these next couple of chapters would have major cliffhangers and I couldn't arrange them in a way that wouldn't freak everybody out so I apologise. :) Thank you for reviewing!
TheDarkKunoichi: The climax is here! Enjoy! Thank you for reviewing!
BlueBoltKatana: I'm sorry for making you cry! As a heads up, you might want to grab a tissue box for this chapter, too. :/ Thank you for reviewing!
Turtlecrazy714: Most of your speculations will be either confirmed or denied in this chapter. Thank you for reviewing!
pownxmanonnie: I'm excited, too! I had so much fun writing this chapter! Thank you for reviewing!
theMusicofyourSoul: I refuse to keep you waiting! Here's your update! Thank you for reviewing!
tarin2014tfan: What's not going to happen? Details, man! Details! Leo's not going to die? The clan's not going to make it in time? Laurent isn't going to get his comeuppance? What? What isn't going to happen? ;) Thank you for reviewing!
snowflakeangel21: First of all, I must correct you. Laurent is not a doctor. He's just a simple mister. I couldn't resist not taking another of your suggestions into account. I hope you are satisfied. Thank you for reviewing!
5Mississippis: Haha! Thank you for reviewing!
prangersturtles: Yeeeeessssss! Thank you for reviewing!
Natalie Ryan: CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING THE 400TH REVIEW! Holy frack in a bucket, this is incredible! Four hundred! *Ahem* Every woman has a plan of sorts. Whether that plan is for the benefit of others or for the woman solely remains to be seen. Thank you for reviewing!
TheMaskedTimelord: I am pushing myself because I can't get this out fast enough! I would have posted this chapter yesterday but it was only half-finished and I wanted to give you guys a nice, long chapter! Thank you so much! I hope this chapter is to your satisfaction! Thank you for reviewing!
AlessandraDC: I almost missed your review! Good thing I was editing this thing and double-checked the review count! Thank you for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 25
Raph was beating up his punching bag when the paper doors to Sensei's room slid open so fast that they clacked sharply.
Before he could even open his mouth to speak, Master Splinter was bearing in his direction and talking rapidly: "Raphael, come with me now! Leonardo is in mortal danger. The collector is executing him today."
"What?" Raph squeaked even as he followed the racing rat into the main room.
"Donatello! Michelangelo!" Splinter rarely shouted and the fact that he did so now to summon Raph's brothers made the inside of his carapace crawl.
The two turtles burst from the kitchen, nearly falling over themselves in their haste.
"Fetch whatever you need for our mission. We leave now. The collector plans to kill your brother before sunset."
"Shell!" Mikey spat, instantly racing back to the kitchen for his nunchaku.
Don stood frozen to the spot for only two seconds before also leaping into action, snatching his duffel by the couch before heading for the elevator, Mikey right on his heels.
"Raphael, call April and Casey. We will meet them at Vince Laurent's base of operations."
Desperation focussed them, made them sharp. Raph followed his father and brothers to the elevator that would take them to the garage and the subsequent Battle Shell which was prepped and ready to go. He had his shell-cell in hand and had finished dialling before the doors had closed completely.
As soon as the line clicked to indicate someone had picked up, Raph was talking: "Casey, we're movin' now! They're euthanizin' him before sunset! We need ya and April at the front doors of Laurent's place yesterday! We're comin' in the Battle Shell! Don't talk. Just do it!"
Then he hung up and rounded on his elder brother. "If he dies today, Donatello, I will never forgive ya," he hissed.
Don looked back at him with haunted eyes. "Don't worry, Raph. I won't forgive myself, either," he replied, his voice as dead as his gaze.
Splinter turned to them, his black eyes filled with pain. "He does not blame us, my sons. We did what we thought was best. Now, we must race against Fate itself. Hold fast to your training and your bond with each other. They alone will see us through."
"Hai, Sensei," all three turtles replied in unison.
-:-:-:-
They came for him only minutes later. Fate really had something against him, apparently. Leo kept his eyes shut as he snapped out of his meditation and shifted into a crouch. He sniffed, craning his ears. Andrew was here, as were Harvey and three others he hadn't smelled before. Where were Jackson and Randall? They probably hadn't wanted to see this, he thought. They had been vocal in their pity, and pity and enemies did not mix.
The click of expensive shoes on tile, along with the familiar stench of cologne, announced Vince Laurent's arrival. "Ah, Leonardo. Expecting us, I see." He chortled. "Planning on fighting back at last? Too little, too late."
Leo lifted his head, opened his mouth. "We will see," he bit out.
"Holy cow!" spat one of the men but Vince Laurent was unfazed.
"You speak! Finally! Dose him."
Leo exhaled and dodged the first tranquiliser dart that snuck through the bars. He spun in his tight confines and took the second in the shell. The third ricocheted off his carapace and he made a show of accidentally falling on it. He staggered against the bars, growling, and slumped to the floor.
"Get him out," the collector commanded.
"Sir, it would be safer if we kept him in –"
"I said, get him out!"
The men approached slowly, their steps dragging across the tile. He held still, forcing his breathing to even out, and waited. The lock clicked, the door swung open, hands reached in for him…
And he moved.
Shoving against the back wall, he launched himself at them, the intact dart in one hand and his plum pit in the other. The former found a home in one man's throat while the latter sliced open another's cheek. Leo was on top of them in an instant, kicking, punching and whirling. The men shouted, trying to escape, but they were all down in less than a minute. No one had thought to fire another dart – the morons.
Straightening, he turned for the doorway, for where Vince Laurent had already fled. What a coward. Stepping over the threshold, Leo kept his fingers on the doorway and listened hard. No pounding footsteps. No near breathing, apart from his own.
Which way, though?
Left, his instinct whispered.
Leo smiled, an honest to goodness smile, and said, "Thanks, Sensei" before darting down the hall.
He was soundless, moving as swiftly as he dared.
Two approaching from behind, his father warned just as Leo's sharp ears caught the sound of heavy boots.
He spun on his heel and lunged for them, taking them by surprise in the same instant that he took them down.
Footsteps sounded behind him – Leonardo! Sensei cried – and Leo ducked the whistling blade aiming for his head.
"You didn't think you could escape so easily, did you?" Vince Laurent snarled, swinging the second sword.
Leo dodged and his left shoulder collided with the wall, nearly making him fall. He stumbled, side-stepped and regained his balance just in time to dodge again. The human was clearly untrained in swordplay but he was crazy and desperate which made for a no-less dangerous combination.
He avoided the fourth swing, hearing the blade bite into drywall, and then spun, kicking. He connected solidly with the collector's left arm and they both heard the snap – probably the ulna.
Vince Laurent screamed and chopped at him with the other katana. Leo scrambled away, having a care for the two unconscious men lying somewhere nearby. It wouldn't do to trip over them.
Pausing in a stance, Leo exhaled slowly. Wait and listen, he told himself. Just wait and listen.
A scuff of expensive shoes on the hard floor alerted him to movement on his right. He leaped forward, his right hand punching the man's vulnerable, broken arm while his left sought the sword still in his grip. Metal sliced his palm when he found it but he ignored it and slammed his right elbow into his enemy's face, turning sharply to the left to wrench the sword away. It slipped out of his bleeding hand and hit the floor with a clang.
"NO!" Vince Laurent screeched, throwing a series of wild punches which Leo managed to block. "You are an abomination to my collection! I will purge you from it and replace you with better versions! I will find your brothers, Leonardo. I will find them and they will be mine!"
And I thought Shredder was a gloater, Leo thought absently as he ground his teeth together and ducked beneath the next, unskilled hook. Coming up behind him, he slammed his foot into the back of his knee and grabbed the scruff of his jacket. Twisting, he helped the man fall face-first into the hardwood floor. Vince Laurent writhed under his grip and Leo pressed a knee into his back to keep him still.
"What are you going to do now, Leonardo?" the collector spat. "Are you going to kill me?"
Leo forced his haggard breathing to calm, felt Master Splinter curl around his heart, waiting to see what he would do.
"I can't let him hurt us anymore," Leo rasped aloud.
"Who are you talking to?"
Do what you must, Leonardo was his father's counsel. But do not linger. We're almost at the front door.
Leo shifted his weight uncertainly. His swords were both out of reach and he didn't want to give Vince Laurent the chance to get back up. Could he really kill a man with his bare hands?
He suddenly remembered a night long ago when a quiet patrol had taken a turn for the worse. He thought he had lost a brother, killed by a trigger-happy lunatic. He'd almost killed the man in retaliation, as vengeance, tossing aside honour and compassion and his swords to attack with his feet and fists. He could kill without a weapon because he was a weapon. He was a living weapon, trained and deadly, and he knew this human would never stop hunting him and his family. That decided him. He had to kill him. To protect his family, he would.
Leaning forward, keeping his weight on his enemy, he wrapped his hands around the man's neck. It would be quickest and easiest to break it rather than strangle. He felt Vince Laurent stiffen as he said, "I will not let you hurt my family anymore."
Before he could twist, deliver the force to break that fragile structure, there was a rustle of cloth and a click then a bang, and Leo did not dodge in time to avoid a dart hitting him in the shoulder.
Leonardo! Sensei shouted as Leo reeled backwards off the collector and fell to the floor. Numbness spread through his system more quickly than he would have thought possible. Was he dying?
"Excellently done, Doctor Burnette," Vince Laurent simpered. "Now, I want to be present for his execution. Get him to the room!"
Hands grabbed him – at least, he thought they grabbed him. It was hard to tell if they were touching him or not when he couldn't feel anything.
He couldn't even feel his father's presence wrapped around his soul. Father? he called desperately but there was no answer.
They half-dragged, half-carried him and Leo could smell the individual musk of Jackson and Randall. I guess their loyalty overpowered their pity, he thought absently. It wasn't surprising.
They brought him to a room that smelled different from the others. It smelled…fresher, like a window or door was open to let in air. They had just crossed the threshold when sirens went off, shrill wails that tore at Leo's sensitive ear-slits but he couldn't lift his hands to cover them.
There was a crackle and then a voice over a PA system announced, Mr. Laurent, an armored vehicle and a civilian car just breached the front gate.
Leo smiled wanly at the horror in Vince Laurent's voice as he said, his voice barely audible over the wailing sirens, "But they never come above ground in daylight."
"I think you made them desperate," Doctor Burnette said stiffly. "Set him on the table, boys. Make sure he's secured."
Jackson and Randall obeyed and Leo found himself strapped plastron-down on a large, metal table.
"Hurry, Doctor!" the collector ordered. "I want him dead before they can reach him. Randall, shut off that infernal siren!"
"Yes, Mr. Laurent," the woman and man acquiesced quietly. There was a moment before the sirens finally died away, and Leo caught the sound of a light clatter, a clink of glass and then sneakers neared.
Something sharp punctured the skin in his neck but he had no control to flinch or turn away. Darkness hedged his grey world – when had he opened his eyes? It explained why his head pounded – or maybe that was death weaving through his veins and brain?
A gentle pressure on his shell was a hand, small and soft and not Vince Laurent's. Doctor Burnette spoke, her words and tears slurring together. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
Leo sighed. It didn't really matter now. What did it matter? He forced his unwilling jaw and tongue to move. "It's okay," he told her.
He felt her stare, felt her surprise and amazement. "Did… Did you…?"
"It's okay," he said again. Then the darkness sucked him under.
-:-:-:-
Lindsay Burnette set the syringe on a tray and laid skilled fingers to Leonardo's throat. She was satisfied. "It's done," she announced.
"Good." Vince Laurent was a mess, the sharp-looking business man gone: his neat, sandy hair stuck out at angles; the left side of his face was swollen from harsh blows; his left arm was clearly broken which he kept tight to his chest. For some strange reason, he had a sword in his good hand. "Pack him up gently. Mr. Horne will not be happy if he comes to harm and I want him perfect when I see him next."
The veterinarian fought not to roll her eyes. This man and his perfectionism. "With all due respect, Mr. Laurent, Mr. Horne's secretary called me less than an hour ago. She said he has taken a leave of absence. Stuffing this creature will have to wait."
Laurent stiffened. "How long?" he demanded.
"She wasn't sure but it sounded like he wasn't coming back anytime soon. An extended vacation is what I think she said," she added.
"Now?" Laurent thundered. "I cannot wait! I have been patient long enough! Never mind! I have too many things to deal with right now." Setting the sword on the nearest counter, he pulled out his phone and began speaking rapidly. Lindsay watched him from under her lashes. "Jason, where's your team? … What do you mean, they've taken them out? They're turtles! … Yes… No, protect the compound. Draw your forces back. Center around the loading bay." He ended the call and glanced up at her, his blue eyes dancing with an insane gleam.
"I have business to take care of," he said. "Can I trust you to take care of him?"
Lindsay lifted her chin and smiled. "Have I ever let you down?"
He smiled back at her. "No. No, you have not." With that, he turned away, snatching up a discarded tranquiliser rifle, and left.
Lindsay leaped into action the moment he was gone. "Randall, secure the door. Jackson, get Sam and Omar on the phone and tell them we're ready." Grabbing up her cell from her pocket, she hit speed dial. "Ilya, bring the truck around. It's time."
-:-:-:-
Never in his whole life had Mikey felt so cold. The warm, afternoon sun shone on him but he didn't feel it – he couldn't feel it. He couldn't even feel the instinctual fear of being out in daylight he knew should have been coursing through every nerve in his body. Splinter had meditated on the ride over to Laurent's compound. He had told them that Leo had gotten loose but something had happened to sever the connection. Mikey really hoped his big brother was okay; otherwise, he'd have to race his family to beat the collector to a pulp.
He slammed another end of his nunchaku into his opponent's face and didn't bother watching him go down, knowing he wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon.
Around him was his family. Sensei was a grey and brown blur as he shot the last of his arrows and promptly tackled a much larger man, using his tail, claws and even teeth. Don was far less tactical than he'd ever seen him, ducking and weaving through a group of seven that he easily whittled down to zero, his bō spinning. Raph was the exact opposite, taking down one human after another with such cool precision that Mikey would have been frightened if he'd been feeling anything at all. Casey was a noisy rage, crashing through enemies and swinging bat and golf club with his usual battle cry of "Goongala!" The five of them were rapidly gaining ground against Vince Laurent's lackeys while April was in the van, hacking into the surveillance.
"Guys, I can't find him," she told them now through the headsets. "He must be somewhere that doesn't have a camera."
"What's his last location?" Don asked, his voice a low growl from exertion.
There was a moment's pause. Then: "West wing. There's an emergency exit that'll get you inside."
Don grunted. "We're on our way. Mikey, watch your four!"
The orange-masked ninja spun, his nunchaku whirling, and dispatched the man before following after his family.
"Don?"
"What is it, April? Do you have eyes on Leo?"
"No." Why did she sound like she was about to cry? "I have eyes on Laurent. He's heading your way. He's got a rifle."
Their entrance point was in sight and so everyone saw it whip open from the other side. All four mutants and the one human got their first look at their adversary: an unremarkable man with tousled hair, a bruised face and a bloodied suit. It looked like his left arm was broken but he obviously didn't care as he raised the rifle to his shoulder and took aim.
"DOWN!" Raph shouted, tackling Casey.
Mikey hit the asphalt as something whizzed overheard, shattering against the hard ground. "They're darts!" he yelled as he pushed himself to his feet. "They're not bullets! They're darts!"
Fishing into his belt, he tucked a shuriken between his fingers and let it fly with a flourish. Laurent barely managed to dodge the throwing star but did not avoid the second, third and fourth that imbedded themselves in his shoulder and upper leg.
Mikey sprinted and flipped up onto the short stairwell, yanked the man upright and pinned him to the wall. The gun fell harmlessly to the floor. "Where is he?" he snarled, their faces inches apart.
"Gone." The human had the gall to smile at him, his watery-blue eyes dazed with pain and insanity. "He's out of our reach forever. But that's fine. I have you."
"You have nothing!" Mikey spat as his family converged. "Where is my brother!? Where is he?" He slammed his head into the wall, hoping to knock some sense into him as much as to threaten him.
"Gone," he answered again, slurry. "My collection is perfect once more. I always watch the euthanizing. Burnette took his pulse. It's done. He's gone."
Everyone around him froze. Behind him, he was sure Raph had stopped breathing, but Mikey tightened his grip. "You lie!" he hissed.
"Why would I? He was a blemish. I enjoyed rubbing it out."
"Guys, I have cops incoming, as well as SWAT. You need to get out of there."
Mikey was close enough to Laurent for the human to hear April and he chuckled. "You didn't really think I don't have security measures of my own?" he queried. "I'm just a business man whose investments aren't even in this city. You attacked my personal home. In broad daylight." He grinned outright at Mikey. "Enjoy your last moments as a free creature, Michelangelo."
"You have harmed my family enough." The grisly snarl came from a completely unexpected direction. Master Splinter unsheathed a tanto from inside his wide sleeve and lunged forward, slamming the blade home in the man's heart, Mikey sidestepping just in time.
They watched Laurent's eyes widen and he stumbled, slumping to the floor in a heap. His blue eyes dulled but there was still the ghost of his grin on his swollen face.
"Guys?" April asked over the coms.
"Any sign of Leo?" Raph whispered.
"None, and the whole facility is clearing out. Looks like the workers are running."
"We should, too," suggested Casey, his voice small.
"Not." The word came out as a squeak and Mikey cleared his throat to try again. "Not without him."
"Guys." A whisper sounded from their right, from inside the building. Don approached – when had he left? – with something in his hands.
Leo's katana.
"I couldn't find the other one," Don said slowly. "It was imbedded in the wall just around the corner there. There's blood on the floor… Leo fought."
They could hear the sirens now, loud and growing louder, but Mikey was deaf to them. "We have to keep looking," he begged.
Gentle claws landed on his shoulder and made him look down into tear-filled, black eyes. "We would find nothing today, my son," his father said thickly. "These people were probably ordered to take your brother's body in order to avoid the authorities. Let us go home. We can find out the names of the workers here and track them one by one." He glanced at Don on that last part and their genius nodded.
"Come," the old rat commanded quietly.
They followed silently and Casey slid into the Battle Shell's driver's seat while the family settled into the back. April followed in her van, and they fled the scene quickly enough to avoid the incoming humans.
"We're gonna head back ta April's so ya guys can lie low until sunset," Casey called to them.
"Fine, Case." Raph was the only one to answer.
With the adrenaline easing, Mikey leaned against one of the seats on the floor. His left shoulder throbbed and tears burned in his eyes. His chest and stomach ached and he wondered if he was going to throw up.
"Mikey?" a soft voice wafted around him. "Mikey, let me take a look at that."
Take a look at what? he wondered, and then a gentle hand pushed him upright and lifted his right arm to reveal a bleeding cut across the bridge between plastron and carapace.
"Oh," Mikey murmured.
Donnie didn't comment, simply digging through his duffel.
As his brother applied a cloth soaked in iodine, Mikey gritted his teeth against the pain and looked up at him. Baby-blue met chocolate and he put a hand over the hand against his side. "I forgive you, Donnie," he whispered.
Their quiet pacifist was silent for three seconds before he collapsed into sobs. Mikey wrapped his now-eldest brother in his arms and held onto him as he cried. As they both cried; the youngest turtle felt his own tears dribble down his cheeks.
Splinter joined them a moment later and enveloped them in his small arms, like how he had done when they were tots.
Mikey looked over Don's head to Raph who sat alone, the single katana clutched to his chest. His head bowed, those strong shoulders slumped and he, too, dissolved into tears. But he stayed away, unable to forgive just yet. Mikey hoped he would. Eventually. For now, embraced by his brother and father, Mikey kept his eyes on Raph, silently including him.
-:-
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