Disclaimer: If I owned the ninja turtles, I would not be here writing fan fiction. I do not own the turtles or any associated characters or places. They are the property of Mirage Studios. I make no money from this and I mean no harm. Please do not sue.


Chapter 29

"April?"

"Oh, Leo! What happened to you?" The woman rushed forward and caught the turtle standing in the doorway moments before his legs gave out beneath him.

Inexplicably the blue-masked turtle started laughing. April called his name several times, trying to get him to stop and explain what had happened, but it was to no avail. He continued laughing in an almost frantic way. It was only after he had finished and worn himself out again that he turned to April again and spoke, still with the occasional giggle.

"She's gone. The Foot-" Leo was forced by his exhausted and injured body to pause in his story telling. "is gone. They'll never bother us again." Leo returned to his laughing, though with less gusto than before.

"Leo? What did you do?"

"I killed them." Leo said, still with that slightly maniacal laugh. "I killed them all." And with that, the blue masked turtle passed out.

"Oh, Leo." April lamented sadly. Her friend seemed to have destroyed his mind along with the Foot. "What have you done?" She called for Casey who came running in from the other room.

"Holy-"

"Help me with him." April begged before Casey could finish the phrase he had started. Casey immediately hurried forward to do as April asked.

"He's in really bad shape." Casey commented as he moved the nearly unconscious turtle to the couch.

"I know," April sighed. "I know." Fear slipped into her mind and voice. "Where do you suppose the others are?"

Casey frowned. Neither of them had heard from any of the turtles in over a week now. And for Leo to show up again like this. Casey did not even want to think of what might have become of their other friends.

"April? Casey?" Anna asked from the hallway in a small voice. She did not know what had happened, but she had heard the commotion in the living room. Casey immediately looked up at her then toward April. He stood, leaving Leo in April's careful hands.

"Come on, Anna." With that, Casey went to keep Anna out of the room for the time being. He couldn't tell her anything, because he didn't know anything.

April turned her attention back to the injured turtle. Some time later, she noticed him coming around again.

"Leo? Where are the others?" She asked carefully, not entirely sure she really wanted the answer.

Again, Leo started with that strange laughing.

"They're gone." He chuckled. "I sent them away. They're safe now. The Foot's gone too. Never get them."

April frowned as Leonardo continued rambling. Half the time she was uncertain whether it was the Foot or his family that he was talking about. She hurried to the bathroom for some disinfectant and bandages. There were several infected cuts on Leo's form and he seemed warm to the touch. She wondered if that was contributing to his mental state.

The blue-masked turtle was still talking when April returned with the bandages and medication. She sighed and got to work. Casey came in and looked over her shoulder.

"Anna's in her room."

April nodded in response and kept working.

"How do you think the others are?"

"Leo seems to think they've left town. You might want to try calling Raph." She responded as she worked. "Try his shell cell, and maybe the farmhouse if that doesn't work."

Casey nodded and went to do just that.


Raphael cursed as he looked at the broken shell cell. Mikey's had disappeared somewhere along the way and his was non-functional.. Some part of Raph's mind vaguely wondered how long it had been broken. If Leo had tried to contact him, he would not have been able to get through to the shell cell. Though the phone at the farmhouse had been working, and Leo had known that the farmhouse had been their first port of call.

"We need to get back on the road, Mikey." The red-masked turtle called to his brother. "How's Donnie doing?"

Michelangelo sighed. "Still won't eat." He responded as he tried again to get Donnie to eat part of a sandwich. The child coughed and pushed the food away. "Donnie, you have to eat something." Mikey insisted.

"No." The young purple masked turtle objected, once again pushing away the sandwich. "not feel good."

"That's why you need to eat, kiddo." Raph scolded as gently as he could. "So you can feel better."

"No! No like." Several bats at the sandwich resulted in Mikey dropping the food on the ground.

The two adult turtles sighed. Raph's covered a quiet "Dammit, Donnie." With the state of the ground around them, Donnie had won this round. They would have to settle for the juice they had gotten into their young nephew.

"Want Daddy." The child complained as he dropped his head sleepily against Mikey's plastron.

"Yeah," Mikey agreed sadly. "We all want your daddy back."

When Donnie started coughing again, Mikey pulled him close and tucked the blanket around him tightly.

"We have got to find a place to stop, Raph. This traveling is doing him no good."

Raph sighed. They had decided that for the time being, it was probably better to go with a rural setting. At least until he and Mikey got a better handle on the area.

"Alright," the red-masked turtle agreed, "we'll keep an eye out for an abandoned house or something."

Mikey nodded and turned back to his nephew who had fallen asleep in his arms.

Raph glanced at the broken shell cell again. It would have to wait. There was nothing to do now, but get back on the road. He'd have to try to find some replacement parts for the small device later. Once Mikey and Donnie were settled in the back of the rig, Raph started the Battle Shell and pulled back out onto the small highway.


"They're not answering." Casey quietly told April, hoping to have spoken quietly enough not to upset Leo who was semi-delirious on the couch.

April fought back tears. Leo said that he had sent the others away, but either way, she found herself facing the very real possibility that she would never see Raph, Mikey or Donnie again. If Leo did manage to pull through this, she did not even want to think about what their absence would do to him.

"We'll just have to keep trying." April said carefully, willing her voice not to crack. "Maybe they just couldn't hear it."

"Or maybe they'll call us." Casey said, sounding just as unconvinced as April did.

"Maybe." She echoed as she watched the turtle on the couch. Leo had dropped into a deep sleep, and that was probably the best thing in the world for him at the moment. She just hoped that they had a little more information about his family for him when he woke up. While she hoped that rest would relieve the delirium Leo had obviously been experiencing upon his arrival, April couldn't help but think that it might buy her and Casey a little time to find out what had happened to the others without Leo worrying.

"Maybe we should get him out of the city. Take him up to the farmhouse?" Casey suggested of their injured guest.

April frowned. If Leo was correct and the others had truly left town then maybe that would be the best thing for all of them. "We should wait a little before we move him. I don't want to make his injuries worse."

Casey looked over at the blue-clad mutant. Leo was definitely in sorry shape. He nodded in agreement. "We can always go up there later. Maybe when he's feelin' a bit better?"

He slipped his arms around April's waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. April in turn, leaned her head against Casey's, taking comfort in the man's presence. She couldn't stop her mind from drifting to Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello. They could be anywhere by now, and right now the only clue to their location was in no shape to give any information.

"I hope they're ok." April commented softly.

"I'm sure they are." Casey responded, trying to sound more confident than he felt.