Chapter 25

Leo was getting impatient. He was asking too many questions- trying to catch Mikey out.

"What operation are they preparing for?"

"Um… They didn't tell me…"

"Why are they taking so long?"

"They um… they… They're cleaning the tools. Yeah! That's it."

"You're lying aren't you?"

"Nope. Never."

And so on. It was fair to say that Mikey was running out of ideas.

He quickly offered to make Leo some soup and escaped the lab when he heard a groan of pain. The youngest turtle was about to turn to run to Leo's side when he saw his other two brothers hobbling into the lair. Mikey blinked.

The groan had come from Raph, the toughest of the turtles. Something was obviously wrong.

"Mikey!" Donnie had his arm around Raph, supporting his entire weight with one arm, while the other was pressing hard against his own shell, "Give us a hand?"

Mikey blinked, shocked how a simple mission had led to his brothers getting hurt, before his gaze hardened and he took Raph's other side. Donnie nodded towards the lab.

"In there."

"But what about Leo?" Raph groaned through clenched teeth.

"Usually I would say no, but your ankle is snapped Raph, if you don't want to be able to use it again fine by me, but if you want it to heal we have to patch you up."

"Leo's gonna freak, man!" Mikey shook his head, "He's been bugging me since you left."

"Can you blame him?" Donnie moved his hand from his shell momentarily and Mikey saw a brief glimpse of red, however it was gone before Mikey could work out what it was.

Now was the moment of truth.

The three brothers walked in an instantly the fourth looked up. Leo's eyes widened, narrowed then grew concerned.

"Guys! What happened?!"

That was better than expected, thought Mikey, just as Raph cried out as he put weight on his injured leg and Leo stiffened, guilt written all over his face.

Without answering Donnie set Raph down on the work bench and began sorting out his ankle, the red mark on his shell now visible. All eyes widened, save for Raph's for he had seen it before.

"Donnie!" Leo automatically went into overprotective mode, but the scientific turtle just shrugged it off.

"It looks worse than it is." He muttered as he began layering layers of bandages and splints onto his brother's foot.

The flash of red Mikey had seen before was in fact a giant welt, almost burn like, which spread across the entire left hand side of his shell, some areas a deeper shade than others.

"How did that happen?" Leo glared at Mikey as if it were his fault, "You said they were still in the lair. "Cleaning tools" you said." The eldest visibly wanted to get up and help but his state meant he could only find out what had happened. "You guys have clearly been fighting."

"You don't say…" Raph muttered, attempting sarcasm but the pain from his ankle loosened the tone.

Donnie took a breath and began to explain,

"We made Mikey lie to you because otherwise you would completely freak out." He began, injecting shot of something into Raph's arm, making his visibly relax, "Me and Raph went to TCRI," he held up a hand so Leo wouldn't interrupt, "To find your files from the Kraang. I thought… With the notes… I may be able to reverse the damage." He saw Leo's eyes brighten in hope, yet his face remained steely. "Now I'm not saying the procedure would be successful, however after studying the notes I may be able to operate." He left the promise in the air, hovering, allowing Leo to grasp one final hope that he could be healed. "I didn't want to give you a false ideal."

Leo nodded, and to everyone's surprise, he changed the topic to Donnie and Raph's wounds. Then again, it was Leo so brotherly duties were his priority. Always.

Once Raph's ankle had been fully wrapped up, Donnie explained how they had snuck in, found the files- leaving out the part about the videos- then how a group of Kraang had barged in on them.

"During the fight they brought out their Biotroids, but as we were defending the data we found, they were more of a challenge. One of them stomped on his ankle after they threw him to the floor," Raph shrugged, embarrassed by his injury now the pain was out of the way, "Then they had those shock sticks…" Donnie rubbed his wounded shell, "And after they caught me with those we decided a retreat was in order."

Leo shook his head.

"You shouldn't have taken the risk on my behalf."

Donnie grinned.

"What? Yo wouldn't do the same for any of us?" That caught Leo off-guard.

"Of course I would."

"They you go! We're repaying the favours!" Donnie shot back pointedly.

Leo smiled.

"Thank you." Then his face hardened, "But don't risk your lives again!"

"So are you prepared to try the surgery?"

Leo looked at Raph who turned away. He knew something.

"What does it involve?"

For a second the scientific turtle didn't know what to reply with. He didn't want to lie yet he wanted Leo to recover. In the end, he decided it would be best to explain the procedure straight out.

"The same way the Kraang removed your shell- only reversed engineered." The eldest turtle's eye widened.

"You… You know how-"

"We saw the video of your surgery, and I have already created an artificial shell." Donnie interrupted bluntly. So much for keeping that bit of information secret.

"Can you manage it?" was Leo's next question to his brother. He didn't need to specify what he meant, Donnie understood the question.

"Yes. I can live with it."

Mikey watched the exchange in confusion, lost in the current conversation.

"Explain it to you later, little brother." Raph muttered, never taking his eyes off Leo.

"You know the maximum time?" Leo continued, his features giving nothing away.

"Twelve hours."

"Ok the. I'll do it. If it doesn't work… I… I just don't have another choice…" Leo looked down, "Just don't kid yourself."

Donnie nodded and helped Raph out of the room. Mikey followed giving Leo a reassuring smile, yet all of the turtles knew what Leo was trying to say.

If it doesn't work, I can't promise I won't try killing myself again…

That evening Donnie sorted out the equipment he would need. He didn't tell Splinter, but rather left the explanations to Raph so that his mind would be clear for the procedure. He reassured Leo when he sedated him, letting him drift off with a "see you on the other side." Before setting several timers, all for Twelve hours' time. He placed several clocks around the room so he couldn't let the time creep up on him and then he filled a syringe with a clear liquid the Kraang had used. He had snatched two off the side- one to stop Leo's heart, one to bring him back.

He breathed, put on some surgical scrubs and washed his hands three times.

It was time to begin.

In the pit of the lair, the twelve hours passed slowly.

Splinter remained in constant meditation, reflecting on the situation, pausing only to comfort one of his sons.

Raphael could only sit still on account of his ankle, so began to plough through his collection of comics, yet as the end of the time period neared, his eyes stopped moving and his gaze became focused upon the lab door.

Mikey spent his time being Mikey. He watched some TV, prepared some food for everyone and attempted to cheer his brother and sensei up, yet the explanation of the procedure still ran in his head.

Donnie would have to kill Leo.

It seemed like something out of a nightmare.

Then alarms blared to life from the lab- Donnie had warned them about it. The twelve hours were up.

Splinter came out of his meditation and watched the door with baited breath while Mikey moved to the bottom of the stairs ready to hear the news.

But the door never opened. An extra hour passed, then another- and suddenly the atmosphere became extremely tense. What if something had happened? Donnie wouldn't leave them this long… Would he?

Then, as the fifteenth hour passed, Donnie's cry echoed out of the lab.

"HELP! COME QUICK!"

Instantly Mikey and Splinter lunged forward while Raph was left to hobble into the lab. The sight which met his eyes was seared into the back of his mind forever more.

Leo lay on the table, his body jolting each time Donnie placed the shock paddles onto his new shell, the table covered in blood and fragments of bone.

Donnie himself was sobbing his heart out each time Leo failed to respond, his blood covered fingers pressing against Leo's neck without success of finding a pulse.

The only sounds were the 'whump' of the paddles and Donnie's continued wails of,

"I killed him! I left it too long! I wasn't good enough! Leo- don't leave us!"

Raph hopelessly surveyed the scene when his eyes fell against the clocks upon the wall.

It was three hours past the deadline.

Leo's heart had stopped for fifteen hours.

It was too late….

I give you all full permission to kill me! I would too!

There is one more chapter to put up, but it's massive in my notebook so it way take a little while to post it!

Review your reactions and thoughts!

Hohoho! Merry Christmas!

LL99 OUT! (And let's hope I won't be murdered before the next chapter! ;) )