Raph sighed again. They had made it safely to the lair, the roof was patched a little, and his brothers were secure.
But Leo was still missing. He could very well be dead. Raph hated the feeling of helplessness. He didn't know what to do for his big brother, and he had no idea how to help Beth and her family.
He paced restlessly, up and down. Mikey was asleep in front of him, sprawled over Raph's hammock. The youngest hadn't wanted to sleep alone. Donnie was dreaming in his lab, exhausted from the run and then welding the roof in place while Raph and Mikey held it up for him.
Raphael decided to watch the news, hopefully for a lead on how to find Beth and her family or Leo.
He sat down grumpily, watching with a bored expression as a news lady reported on the high tides being higher than regular.
"And up next, a talk with one of the Mutant Menaces," she said excitedly. "We invite you to listen in as this mutant reveals the story of its existence."
"Mikey, Don!" Raph bellowed, turning up the volume. The regular commercials played. It was the longest three minutes of his life as a moaning Mikey and drowsy Donnie joined him.
However, as the news lady came back on, they all sat straighter. "Well, we New Yorkers like to think we've seen everything. But here's something hardly anyone has seen until now. Jack, are you there?"
The screen split to reveal a middle-aged man with rich brown hair and matching eyes. He was holding a microphone and looking hesitant.
"Yes, Rebecca, I'm ready. I'm here in billionaire Oroku Saki's mansion right in downtown New York. This man has sportingly agreed to hold one of the mutants, known as MTWHS1, or Mutant Turtle with Wings, Horns, Scales, number 1. Biologists have determined that the original DNA of this creature was turtle, a pet shop turtle.
"Biologists have also determined that the mutant was – and still is – male. However, all of his organs were changed to accommodate an irregular mutation involving a winged reptile. Biologists have not confirmed what the DNA belongs to," he said.
Raph growled, "It's a dragon," and shook his head.
"Also, psychiatrists have determined, after a long talk with the mutant, that it is a sentient being, fully capable of thought equal to or greater than that of humans. Therefore, it is assumed the other three are.
"Before we meet MTWHS1, Mr. Saki has agreed to speak with us on the generosity of building and maintaining a room strong and large enough to hold the mutant."
Oroku Saki's face appeared on the other half of the screen, blocking out the news lady. He smiled as if he sensed the three brothers were watching.
"I am all too happy," he oozed, "to provide such a service to the city. I had the resources, and it is best to keep such danger in capable hands."
"Mr. Saki, how do you explain why MTWHS1 tried telling the psychiatrists that you headed a clan of evil ninjas, called the Foot?"
"Mad ravings, I suppose. I may be Japanese, but I assure you I have very little training in the martial arts. Only rudimentary, as was custom in my parent's house. Besides, who would name their clan the "Foot"? Now, shall we travel on to the turtle's containment room? We have him properly secured, so it is safe to go in and film him up close, if you wish."
The two men walked on, followed by the camera. They soon came to an observation platform, which stood above a tank like in a zoo. Raph jolted when he saw Leo's still form, crouched in the back.
"Can you explain the metal shell and plastron?" the reported asked Saki, the camera swinging around to look at the men again.
"Ah, yes. That was the work of Agent Bishop, a man who is here even now. He should be in the cage somewhere. Ah, there he is."
The camera swung around to fix on the door of the enclosure. Bishop stepped through, carrying something that looked like armor. He wore a black suit of metal, probably to keep him safe from Leo.
The hated man stopped and glanced up with a smile. The reporter, Saki, and camera man went down a couple stairs and into the room with Leo and Bishop. The scientist was grinning, his arms carefully cradling the item he had.
"Well, Bishop, what are you doing?" Saki asked, standing slightly to the side.
"I'm changing a few of the components on the turtle's shell. A couple wires fried, I'm afraid. Probably the meddling of another of them. I've also constructed another remote, so our plan is moving quickly forward."
What plan? Raph asked himself, leaning forward.
"Would you mind an audience?" the reported asked eagerly.
"Why not? After all, I'm sure everyone is curious about this one. A marvel of biogenetics, might I say. Quite possibly a marvel of science, as well, for we've discovered a defect in a gene."
"What does it mean for the mutant?" the reported asked.
"He's never going to stop growing. And as far as we know, that lifespan could very well be a few thousand years."
Don started. He didn't have the equipment to check on Leo's DNA strands, but he had suspected that was true. Leo had always healed faster than they had, but since his transformation, he had been healing slowly. Not enough to really hinder him all that much, but enough to be noticeable.
Mikey gasped along with Raph. Leo's always gonna grow? I wonder how big he'll get, Mike thought.
"This is MTWHS1, also known as Leonardo," Bishop said, pressing a button on his wrist. A form shifted in the shadows under a fake tree, and Leo stepped out of the dusky corner. He had metal along his arms and legs, strapped to him like a brace. His wings were loose, and he wasn't tied to anything.
"I thought you said he was secured!" the reporter shouted, backing up as Leo took another menacing step forward.
"He is," Bishop chuckled. "He has no control over his own movements. I control him, and when this goes on, I'll be able to control him with just my mind through neural interfacing and transmitting." Bishop brandished the metal thing in his arms.
Leonardo stood before his hated enemies with an ease that said he really wasn't in control. Raph also chuckled to himself. At last, the mighty leader was helpless! He sobered, however.
The camera followed Bishop hesitantly as the scientist walked around Leo until he was facing his shell. Then he put down the metal, took out a screwdriver, and unscrewed the display panel.
The reported chatted with Saki in the background, but Raph was intent on Bishop as he twisted a few wires in the fake shell, clearing a space for the metal board. He installed it with quick ease, took a wire from it and plugged it into the main circuit board, and then screwed the display panel back on quickly.
He stepped back and punched in a few clicks on his wrist watch. Leonardo collapsed, nearly hitting the camera with his right wing.
"Initializing upload sequence. We're live in five… four… three… two… one!"
Leo's eyes opened but he didn't move until Bishop jerked his head a little. Leonardo leapt to his feet then, but his face was taut as if trying to resist something.
"Leonardo," Saki said, turning to the turtle. "Bishop, is he responding well?"
"Very well," Bishop laughed, his fingers twitching unconsciously. Leo brought his arms up in a block. "I have full control."
"Excellent. Well, Mr. Wandal, would you like to see the power of this titanic turtle?" Saki asked, leading the way into another room. It turned out to be a glass booth. Bishop and Leo appeared in the room they were looking at, which was filled with weights and obstacle courses.
Bishop's fingers twitched a little and Leo walked slowly over to the free weights. Raph felt anger boil up in him. His brother, helpless at the power of Shredder and Bishop! That was their collective worst nightmare.
Leo continued lifting the weights easily; showing strength Don said was from his "super-muscles" that helped him control his heavy wings. They were very dense, which was the reason he'd grown from a light four hundred pounds to a thousand in so little time.
Then their graceful brother went through the obstacle courses, moving lithely and obviously to the satisfaction of Bishop. As the camera followed Leo, Saki spoke about the things his biologists had discovered.
After about twenty more minutes, Bishop called up to Saki that Leonardo was starting to resist his control – and getting better at it.
"Well, I think this interview is all wrapped up," Saki said, showing the reported and camera man to the door. The news lady appeared on the full screen again, and Raph shut the TV off angrily.
"Well, we know where he is," Mikey said timidly. "And we know that Bishop has full access to him."
"What we know is that he's in trouble!" Raph shouted, standing up and pacing. "We've gotta go rescue him!"
"We need to know about Beth and her family first. Leo'd never forgive us if we saved him first without worrying about the Jacksons."
"Fine," Raph hissed. "Let's just waltz up the police station and say, "Hi, I'm an escaped mutant turtle looking for my brother's fiancé, Beth Jackson" and hope they don't dart us again."
"Why not? Wear disguises, find out where she is. Say we're relatives of her family, want to know what's going on," Mikey suggested, standing.
"Let's go," Raph growled, heading for the rack at the front door with their trench coats on it.