"How do you feel today, Donnie?" Leo stood next to the exam table where Donatello lay. After the last several days, the table had been padded with comfy cushions. They had set up a table on which to put fun things – some of Donnie's perpetual motion decorations, a vase of flowers, and about a half-dozen get-well-soon cards from Mikey.

Donatello made his usual reply. That is to say, he made no response whatsoever.

Leo shook his head and tried to pretend that he hadn't actually been hoping for a response in the first place.

Over the last five days, they had discovered that Donatello would swallow water reflexively, and if they put soft food in his mouth, he would chew and swallow that reflexively too. He would even sit up if pulled into an upright position, and if encouraged further, he would stand up too. Once standing, though, he would simply stand there, totally vacant. However, if one pulled on his hand and guided him, he would walk wherever he was led.

Leo sighed. He, Raph, and Mikey had teased Donnie hundreds of times about being a computer or being a robot, and now here Donnie was, reacting to little nudges and tugs as if they were pushing buttons on a machine.

Clearly, Donnie's brain was working, at least on an autotom – automat – autonomic? – level.

Donnie would have known the right word. And there he was, lying a few inches away from Leo, totally unable to communicate or think. Everything else about him was the same. Every little detail. But what made Donnie Donnie simply wasn't there.

"How can you not be in there, bro?" Leo whispered.

Donnie blinked.

"Blink twice if you understand me." It was something they had all tried at least once, but a small part of Leo kept hoping that if they didn't stop trying, maybe it would work one of these times.

Of course, it didn't. Donnie just stared at the ceiling. After about twenty seconds, he blinked once.

Leo buried his face in his hands. If only there was some way to reach him…

What was it that had gotten the unmutated turtle's attention?

Leo sat bolt upright. "Hey, Mikey, stop touching Donnie's stuff."

No response whatsoever.

Donnie was even more gone now than he had been as a regular turtle.

Leo clenched his fists. Maybe they should have just left well enough alone. Leo and Splinter had both questioned the ethics of trying to duplicate the mutation when it was possible that it might not work at all. But they had been so sure – so confident that this would work, since it worked on Xever – that they didn't stop to think about how it could go so terribly wrong.

And while Raph hadn't actually come out and blamed anyone, it was obvious that he definitely thought they should have just let Donnie be.

At least as a regular turtle, he could be happy, Raph had said.

Leo closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Donnie. I'm so, so sorry."

"I'm pretty sure that Donatello would have wanted us to try, even knowing it could go wrong."

Leo jerked his head up and turned around. Karai stood at the lab doors.

"I mean," she continued, "I didn't know him, but he certainly seemed like the stubborn type."

"Stubborn doesn't cover the half of it," Leo said. "What are you doing here?"

"I came because I found out the location of the Ronin's project."

"What? How?"

"I'm supposed to be overseeing it, remember? I demanded to see the progress, and they took me there. It's in the northwest corner of the new TCRI building, on the eighth floor.

"Great. Busting into TCRI is one of my least favorite things to do. Last time I did, I almost didn't make it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I would have died if Raph hadn't caught me…something he doesn't like to let me forget. I still can't believe how quickly they rebuilt that. We really messed it up."

"I guess it's time that we really mess it up again," Karai said. She smiled. "You're definitely the turtle for the job."

Leo felt his face got hot. "Uhhm, thanks…"

Pull it together, Leo.

"Let's go get the others and make some plans."

"Sounds good."

As Leo followed Karai out of the lab, he desperately tried to ignore Karai's delicate curves.

Donnie, I'm sorry I ever made fun of you and April…at least you actually had a chance with her.

"…and so he's just totally vacant, like an empty house." April wiped a tear from the end of her nose. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. We're supposed to be going over trigonometry."

Casey reached across the table and patted April's hand. The two of them were sitting at a corner table in Murikami's. "It's okay. I just can't believe that you took the time out to spend with me."

April sniffed. "I just…I needed to get away from it, you know? I've spent so many hours sitting in that lab with him…now I really know how he felt while I was in a coma."

Casey hung his head. He was quiet for a moment. "April, I'm really sorry about what I did. If I could take it back…"

April looked into Casey's eyes. She had once promised herself that she'd never hold a grudge again. Why should Casey be the exception to that rule? What was the point of holding on to her anger? She had enough problems without allowing hatred to build up inside of her. "I forgive you, Casey."

Casey jumped. "What?"

"I said, I forgive you."

Casey's whole face lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah. Really."

"You have no idea how much that means to me, Red."

April let out a deep breath, suddenly feeling a thousand times lighter. "No, I think I do."

They spent the rest of the evening working on trig. Afterwards, April called Jen to report that Casey had indeed come for tutoring, and the payment had in fact arrived. Then Casey walked April back to her apartment.

"I can't thank you enough, Red," Casey said. "My foster parents are actually starting to trust me again. Oh, and you'll be glad to know I haven't touched the bottle in weeks."

"I've got to hand it to you, Casey, you've really turned it around."

Casey turned around and started walking backwards so that he could face her as they went. "Ta-dah…I've turned it around again!"

April giggled in spite of herself. "You think you're funny."

"Hey, you laughed." He turned around to face forward and fell in step beside her. "Yeah, it's been tough, but I've really been trying."

"Mm. The only problem is, you don't really seem like yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the Casey I knew was full of sarcasm and snappy comebacks…this Casey is not much like him."

"What, the turning around thing wasn't enough for you?"

"I just mean…you're really subdued."

"Yeah. I've had a lot on my plate. For what it's worth, you seem different, too."

"I feel totally different." April stopped walking for a minute. "Almost like I'm a different person, getting to know myself again."

"Funny," Casey said softly, facing her. He took her hand. "That's kinda exactly how I feel, too."

April's skin prickled uncomfortably. He was giving her that look…that one that he'd had on his face right before they kissed for the first time. She drew her lower lip into her mouth and took a step back, pulling her hand away from his.

Casey blushed and stuck his hands in his pockets. "So…are the Kraang going to keep working on a solution for your boyfriend?"

April relaxed slightly. The way he said your boyfriend indicated that he was acknowledging that he and April were strictly just friends, and that he wasn't in fact hitting on her.

Or at least he wasn't doing it on purpose.

"Actually, we've run into a major problem with that. You remember Karai, right?"

"That b –"

"Yeah, that's the one. She's actually on our side now."

"What? You let her – "

"I forgave you, didn't I?"

Casey threw up his hands. "Yeah, but she was manipulating me."

"Well, Shredder was manipulating her." April hesitated, trying to decide if she really wanted to tell Casey the full story of what was going on.

On the one hand, he might be a weak point.

On the other hand, the trial they were coming up against was kind of an "all hands on deck" situation, and April remembered hearing Mikey say that Casey was a pretty decent fighter. There was a chance that they could use his help.

"She's actually Splinter's daughter, and she's on our side now," April said. "She's helping us take out what's left of the Foot…and unfortunately, what's left of the Foot involves this super-evil guy called the Ronin. He's working on an evil plot with the Kraang, and we have to destroy that. Whatever hope there is for Donnie…"

There was a period of silence. April fought against tears. Even if there was still a chance that she, Mei, and her dad could figure something out, it still seemed completely hopeless.

"I'm really sorry, Red. I wish I could help."

"Unless you're a chemistry genius, there's not much you can do to help Donnie. But we might need extra help when we take on the Kraang…that is, if you're game for it."

Casey's face transformed. A glimpse of his old self peeked through. "Are you kidding? Fighting aliens? That's wicked awesome!"

April could not keep herself from grinning. Oh, Casey. "I don't know for sure that we will need you, or even if the turtles will go along with it, but I'll let you know if we do."

"Sweet!"

"Oh…hey…we should probably get going. Isn't Jen expecting you soon?"

"Oh, yeah…let's go."

They resumed their journey back to the apartment. After they'd said goodbye, April headed up the stairs to Mei's apartment.

Fong shivered involuntarily when the new leader of the Foot Clan walked into the room. The Ronin's eyes were cold – colder than ice, more terrifying than Shredder's ever had been.

"So, uh…Shredder's daughter ain't around, is she?" Fong said, fighting the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"No. You asked to speak to the leader of the Clan, and you are speaking to him."

"That's good. I mean, I've got some info on her…for the right price."

"The right price?" the Ronin hissed. An instant later, he had Fong pinned to the ground with a knife to his throat. "Tell me, and I'll let you live. How is that for a price?"

"Okay, okay!"

The Ronin stood up. "Your information. Proceed."

"Well, one of my guys was roughing up merchants, and he was passing between places when he heard these two kids talking about those weird alien things."

"The Kraang?" Ronin's eyes lit up with a terrifying madness.

Fong shuddered. "Yeah. Them. They also said some stuff about Karai – how she was Splinter's daughter and on their side and everything, and how they were gonna smash some project the Kraang were working on."

A cold smile crept across the Ronin's lips. "Indeed. Very interesting. What else?"

"Well, then the kids walked away."

"And your man, of course, followed them."

"What? No, he was working his circuit."

The Ronin bared his teeth. "You imbecile. I could have used that information. You have hindered me in my purpose." He drew a long katana.

Fong swallowed. Shredder had threatened him similarly on countless occasions. "Now, now…let's not crazy here."

"Crazy?" Ronin said softly. "No. I am burdened with glory." He charged forward and plunged his katana into Fong's gut.

Fong screamed.

Then the Ronin pulled the sword out and swung it at Fong's neck. Fong couldn't do a thing, couldn't stifle the panic that seized him, couldn't even pray to his gods…

Sharp pain came to an abrupt end, and Fong knew no more.

Is it bad that I had waaay too much fun writing this chapter?