CHAPTER 6

Brothers at war

Leonardo straightened, flexing his fingers. In the several weeks had passed since the turtles and their human friends had broken into Stockman's laboratory to restore Donatello to his mutated form, the cut on his arm was healed with just another faint scar remaining to show where it had been

Donnie's newly mismatched eyes had shown no sign of reverting to both be the reddish-brown hue that they had been previously, nor had the teenager stopped moping about since learning that anything other than platonic affection for April was now off limits.

He'd been patient with his brother, after all Leo did understand a little of what the other was going through. But really, Donnie needed to accept the situation for what it was and move on. He still hadn't told April the truth and it was reaching the point where Leo was just going to have to inform her himself.

But, right now, all four of the turtles were carrying out surveillance. There had been several reports of a block in downtown Manhattan being frequented by the Bebop Records van used by the aforementioned Bebop and the hulking Rocksteady. However, the turtles had been here for several hours now and still seen no evidence to suggest the two were operating in this area.

On the far side of the roof stood the sturdy form of Raphael, arms folded as he glared out into the night. He was lost in whatever thoughts went through that thick head of his, but at least he was doing his job.

The same couldn't be said for Michelangelo who, by the way he was crouching, was quite possibly asleep on his arms.

Donatello meanwhile seemed to be challenging Raph for who could manage the most brooding angst upon the rooftop this dark night. Leaning against his bo staff, he occasionally let out a heavy sigh.

With an inward sigh of his own, Leo walked over to his lovelorn brother with the intention to try, once again, to appease him.

"Are you ok, Donnie?" he asked, keeping his voice low and already knowing what the answer would be.

"No." Donatello lamented. "I just can't get her out of my mind, Leo!"

"Yeah. I can tell."

Donnie seemed to miss the sarcastic edge to his brother's tone. "If only… If only I could use the retro-mutagen again, then re-mutate myself with another person!"

"Well, why don't you?" Leo asked, spontaneously trying a new tack.

His brother shook his head. "It's too unpredictable. Mutations are too unstable. Honestly, I'm lucky I wasn't turned into a pile of goo. I just… I can't risk it."

Leonardo was silent for a moment, his mind working quickly before he suggested, "Well, maybe you could test it on someone else first."

Donnie snorted. "Yeah. Who'd volunteer for a job like that!"

"I would."

When Donatello didn't answer beyond a surprised expression, Leo continued, "I'd volunteer. I know you could do it. But, even if it did go wrong, I know you wouldn't rest until you found a way to turn me back."

"Leo…" Donnie said, clearly touched by the offer. But then he shook his head. "No, I couldn't. It wouldn't be right."

"I just… I need to give up on her." he concluded, sadly.

Leo shook his head, running with the idea that had crept into his mind. "No, Donnie. If you feel this strongly about her, then you should fight for that! You're the smartest guy I know."

On the other side of the roof, Raphael glanced over towards them. His expression was unreadable in the gloom.

Donatello tightened his hold on his bo staff, staring at Leo and clearly on the path to being persuaded. Seizing the opportunity, Leonardo pressed on.

"If you try, I know you'll find a way to change my genetic- I mean, your genetic, er… Our genetic code." he continued, stumbling over himself.

Leonardo knew he'd blown it as Donatello's expression suddenly darkened. "Your genetic code. Your genetic code?"

"This wasn't about me at all, was it?" Donnie accused, raising his voice and prodding Leo's plastron roughly. "It's all about you!"

"I thought you cared!" he continued, angrily. Across the roof, Raphael was frowning at the pair of them and even Michelangelo stirred.

"I do care!" Leo protested. "But I just… I thought that maybe there was a way we could both get what we wanted…"

"You're so hypocritical, Leo!" Donnie shouted, looming furiously over his brother. "You lecture me when you're no better yourself."

"What would you do, even if I did fix your problem?" he continued, pushing Leo backwards. "She's under Shredder's control. At least April is on our side!"

"Uh, guys?" said Mikey, gesturing at the street below. But no-one was listening.

"Karai is not our enemy." Leo snapped, growing angry at Donnie's massive overreaction. "We can save her! And then-"

Donatello raised his arms in frustration. "She's Sensei's daughter! And you're his son!"

"I know!" Leo shouted, shoving Donnie roughly away in frustration. "I KNOW ALREADY!"

"Hey, hey!" Raph interjected, stepping over. "I never thought it'd be me saying this but… Cool it, the pair of you!"

Leonardo and Donatello both turned on him, glaring furiously. "Stay out of this, Raph!"

Raphael's response was to reach out and bash his brother's heads together.

"We're here to do a job! Remember?"

"Guys?" Mikey said again.

"Yeah, well you can just do it without me." Donnie snapped, rubbing his head. "This is a waste of time anyway. I'm going home!"

Leo glared. "You're not going anywhere. We're a team, we stick together."

"I refuse to be a team with someone so duplicitous and narcissistic!"

Mikey's head reeled. "Whoa, long words dude."

"Fine, I wanted something for myself!" Leo admitted brashly, throwing up his arms. "Is that so wrong? Because I'm the leader, am I never allowed to WANT anything?"

"D'you think your argument could be any LOUDER?" Raphael shouted. "I think there are enemies out there that haven't heard you yet!"

"No, I'm pretty sure they heard." Mikey said. "And you might want to move, because they're aiming a rocket launcher in this direction."

Leo whipped his head abruptly round to Michelangelo, then saw the hulking form of Rocksteady on the street below with the rocket launcher propped on his shoulder and ready to fire in their direction.

"SCATTER!" Leonardo yelled, sprinting for the edge of the roof as his brothers all did the same.

Not a moment too soon, as with a roar the weapon fired and the missile came flying towards the rooftop where they'd been standing just moments previously. It exploded, sending shrapnel spraying out in all directions.

Swinging down the side of the mercifully abandoned building, Leo ducked his head briefly into his shell to avoid being hit by falling masonry. A pang of fear gripped him as he reached street level, as he frantically hoped that all of his brothers had safely escaped the detonation.

Although, with a briefly bitter thought, he did find himself considering that Donatello taking a rock to his smug face might not be so bad right at the moment.

"Did I get zem?" Rocksteady gruffly asked his flamboyant partner.

"Boom! A direct hit, baby!" Bebop crowed, somersaulting down from where he was viewing the attack from a canopy extending out from the warehouse they were parked outside. "A work of art, my friend. There is no way that any of those little green freaks could have survived that explosion!"

"Guess again, pig." came Raphael's surly tones, as he stepped out from the alleyway with sais drawn menacingly.

"Ooaaww, what?!" Bebop complained.

"We're like, ninjas dude!" Mikey said, bouncing out from behind his brother.

"We're not like ninjas. We are ninjas." protested the grammar police from behind Leo's shoulder.

Leonardo glared briefly at Donatello, earning him a glower in response, before he pointed a ninjaken towards the warthog and rhinoceros mutants. "Get them!"

The four turtles sprang into action, leaping forward with weapons ready for the fight. Although, Leonardo noticed that in Raphael's case the leaping was hampered slightly as he seemed to be favouring one ankle following the rooftop explosion.

"Aw, Snap! We gotta move!" Bebop called to Rocksteady.

"I would like to fight you." Rocksteady explained gruffly, throwing the spent launcher into the back of the van. "But we has be going. Prototypes must be delivered now. Nyet delay."

He turned back around just in time to see Raphael's fist flying towards him. "I don't think so!"

Beyond Rocksteady, Leonardo could see that there were several large boxes loaded into the back of the van. There was no indication about what they contained, but if the Shredder wanted them so badly then it was unlikely to be anything good.

"Donnie," he called, stepping up to face Rocksteady after Raph was sent flying, "get the boxes!"

"No." came the response, much to Leo's surprise.

"No?" Leo repeated, anger rising. "What do you mean, no?"

Donnie peered around the side of the van, from where he'd been taking on Bebop with Mikey, before continuing cuttingly. "I mean no, Leo! If you want something, do it yourself."

For a moment the two brothers glared at each other, fury flying between them. But Leo didn't get any more time to protest about the blatant contempt for his leadership before Rocksteady's giant fist battered him backwards.

"I'll do it!" offered Mikey, leaping onto the roof of the van and swinging down inside. "Bebop's gone anyway…"

Leo sat up, rubbing his head, "Gone?!"

"My name is NOT Bebop!" protested the warthog's disembodied voice.

"He's invisible again." Donnie complained, reaching to retrieve some smoke bombs and use them to illustrate the enemy's location. But, before he could throw them, his hand was batted by the invisible individual and the smoke bombs sent flying.

Bebop crowed at his success, "Whoo, yeah! Too slow this time, turtle-tike. You ain't never gonna catch me like that again!"

The smoke bombs hit Leo straight in the face and exploded into a cloud of choking, blinding powder. It really didn't help Leonardo's mood regarding Donatello. Coughing and spluttering, he rubbed at his reddened eyes and tried to blink his vision back into focus.

He heard a pained yell from Raph and through the haze saw the huge form of Rocksteady swing his brother by his ankle before throwing him into a nearby dumpster. The motion triggered the lid to slam down shut on top of the unfortunate turtle, but the infuriated yell that came from within indicated that Raphael wasn't in too much trouble.

"Yo, let's go, y'all!" Bebop's voice prompted, as he finished up by whacking Donnie to the ground and leapt into the van.

"Later, turtlez." Rocksteady snorted, turning to pound over and jump into the vehicle himself. As his door slammed, the van sped off and left the turtles coughing in a cloud of exhaust fumes.

Taking a few moments more to recover, Leonardo gave his bloodshot eyes one final rub then took in the scene around himself. Nearby, Raphael threw back the lid of the dumpster and vaulted out, pausing to pick trash off himself before limping back over to the group. Meanwhile, Donatello sat back on his heels and rubbed his shoulder.

Close by stood Michelangelo, having exited the van just in time before Bebop and Rocksteady made their escape. In his arms, he held one of the boxes that Leonardo had sighted.

"Well, that was embarrassing." concluded Mikey. "If anyone asks let's just say we won, ok dudes?"

Raphael grimaced as he approached. "Yeah. Fine by me."

Sheathing his swords and climbing back to his feet, Leonardo sighed. "Well, at least we got one of the boxes!"

"Good job, Mikey." he then emphasised, with a sideways glare at his insubordinate brother, "Let's open it up and see what Shredder is up to."

Obligingly, Michelangelo set the box down so that Raph could prise it open with a sai. As the lid was lifted away, they all peered to see what lay inside. There, perfectly smooth and oval, lay an oversized egg. It nestled within insulating and protective packaging material.

Mikey blinked. "An egg? It's huge! Does Shredder want the world's largest omelette, or something?"

"Oh great, not this again." groaned Leo, mentally recalling the last time they had come across an egg like this. The resultant giant wasps and the associated mind controlling hadn't gone well.

He drew one of his blades, intending to put a stop to things right away. "Stand back everyone."

"Wait, wait!" Mikey protested. "Look…"

Reaching out, he picked up the egg and held it up to a nearby street lamp. The light illuminated an eerie silhouette of the unborn creature within.

"Is that… A turtle?" Raphael asked, doubtfully.

"A mutant turtle!" Donnie confirmed, in shock.

Leo frowned doubtfully. "But, that's impossible. Isn't it?"

"Whatever you say, Leo." Donatello snarked. He clearly had several ideas of how it might be possible, but was not currently prepared to voice them.

"We can't destroy it." Mikey implored, giving the egg a cuddle. "It might be family."

With a frustrated sigh, Leo pressed his fingers to his head. "Fine, whatever. Bring it back to the lair while we figure out what to do."

Raph frowned. "Leo, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"No, I'm not." Leonardo said, irritated, "But since the pubescent professor doesn't feel like helping, the rest us are going to need more time to figure this out."

"Hey!" protested Donnie.

Raphael groaned. "Seriously guys, cut it out already. Before I knock you both out of your shells."

"But you said that was impos-" started Mikey.

"We're going!" snapped Raph, turning to limp towards the nearest manhole cover.

"I'm the leader, I say when we're going." Leo protested.

Donatello barely hesitated before glaring at Leonardo and moving off. "Lead on, Raphael." he said, putting his arm around his shorter brother and helping him take some of the weight off his injured leg.

Mikey dithered a moment, glancing between the warring factions. Carefully putting the egg back where it came from, he picked up the box and turned to Leo. "C'mon, Bro."

With no small degree of reluctance, Leo moved to follow the group. He had a bad feeling about that egg. If it was part of Shredder's plan, then it couldn't be anything good.