Sorry for the absence. December is always nutty around my house. I promise, this story really is done on my end! But I don't want to spam people with a gazillion chapters in one night, so I'm holding it to 2 per update right now. It's done, though. I promise. And I'm rather proud of it.

That's all I get paid, though – nothing else is earned but the knowledge of finishing a story that presented itself to me! So no suing me; you won't get much out of my muse. She's...unreliable.

Enjoy!

Nick,

Nothing new to report on my end. I ran the simulations with the newest scan data you provided, and the chances haven't changed much. I did manage to acquire some gear I think you'll need – the list is in the attachment. Let me know if you want anything else before we do this. I did have one new idea about trying something else, but I'm not getting far. I guess I'd better start getting used to calling you "doctor."

In terms of the other stuff, we noticed it happen again. This time it was during practice, which I've tried to keep doing even though everybody, including Master Splinter, keeps telling me to rest. They don't understand that resting won't help and won't make it go away, but I know they're just trying to do their best.

Anyway, we were sparring, and I felt that same thing happen where I was just suddenly really defensive about myself and my space and everything. I almost took Leo's head off when he tried to calm me down, and if you've ever seen Leo fight, you know it takes a lot to catch him off guard! It faded afterwards, but that's the second time this week.

I'm not sure what to think about that. I'm not sure I can think about it.

Speaking of which, yeah, I can definitely feel a presence now, though I don't really understand it. It's not like when you and I meditated together. It doesn't feel like Godzilla the same way either. It's there, though.

Let me know what you've found out.

Don

-==OOO==-

Nick pushed back from his desk with a bitter taste in his mouth. It had been nine days since Donatello's diagnosis, and each day seemed worse than the last. If Don had been a human patient with a tumor, they would have begged doctors to operate at once, but with mutant physiology and the added difficulty of the embryo's growing attachment to the very synapses of the turtle's brain, they had to risk moving slowly. Nick knew it was a delicate balance between the need for quick action and the need for detailed information, but he couldn't rush it – Don's mind would literally be on the table and in his hands.

In the meantime, things were not going well. In spite of an attempt to be his usually-upbeat self, Donatello had reported headaches, partially from stress, certainly, but partially too from the encroaching size of the embryo in his brain. And more worryingly, the turtle was beginning to display certain behavior traits that were unfamiliar to him and his family, but all too familiar to Nick. Possessiveness, territorial rage, a quickness to anger were all alien to Don's gentle nature, but were the hallmarks of Godzilla's temperament. Nick suspected that already the presence of the clone was beginning to instill changes in the young turtle, changes that were at best unwelcome, and at worst, incredibly worrying.

Nick wasn't quite sure what Donatello was sensing, but he understood all the same the impact a foreign shadow in one's mind could have, and he ached for what his friend must be feeling. Even so, though, the situation was scientifically intriguing. How could an embryo, just a tiny collection of cells, already be impacting Don's thought processes? Most developing creatures, including Godzilla, were not really sentient until nearly the end of the development process. How could this creature already be possessed of enough personality to influence the mind of its host?

"I don't suppose you have any ideas," Nick said wryly into the quiet of the lab. But he spoke inwardly, where Godzilla was half-listening and half-not, swimming lazily in the offshore waters.

Nick opened his mind to Godzilla, feeling familiar confusion and interest and yet disinterest flow across the bond. In some ways, Godzilla was deeply committed only to the protection of his territory and parent, and nothing else registered. But in others, if anything took up space in Nick's mind, Godzilla wanted to understand it as well, not cognitively, but just to determine if it indicated threat. The mutant lizard was somewhat accustomed to the complexities of Nick's thoughts, and that most of them had nothing to do with him, but he still followed them uncomprehendingly anyway.

Nick dove a little deeper, not merging directly with Godzilla, but instead exploring his memories. Godzilla didn't remember things the same way a person did, but impressions and images were stored nonetheless, and with practice, his human companion could access them. Nick dug around in Godzilla's mind, vaguely aware of a giant presence following his progress like the ultimate big, scaly brother peeking over his shoulder.

"Come on, big guy, how far back do you remember?" Nick pushed, seeking deeper and deeper. He knew he had imprinted at Godzilla at hatching, so he used that image to dive farther back, but met only darkness.

"Well, I guess that makes sense. I don't remember being born, so why should you?" Nick sighed. "But I sort of wish you did. It would explain a lot."

Godzilla mentally nudged his parent fondly, like a reptilian hug, and Nick relaxed a little.

"Yes, I'm upset, but not with you. I just don't know what's happening to my friend."

A gentle tug pulled on Nick's mind, an invitation to enter Godzilla's own, and sparing a glance at the email once more, the scientist acquiesced. Godzilla couldn't help him solve these problems, but if his charge had something to say, he wanted to hear it properly, and it was truly only when he entered Godzilla's mind fully that they could "talk."

"What's up?" he asked as he found himself once again completely within the consciousness of the enormous mutant.

"Friend," Godzilla thought, the image of Donatello rising in his mind.

"Yes, I'm worried about Donnie. But what…?"

"Friend. Me. Parent." Godzilla was obviously struggling to communicate something, so Nick relaxed even further. He let his mind become Godzilla's, let the mutant's thinking and feeling consume him, leaving only a little bit of himself to control their direction. It was disorienting, but he was becoming more and more skilled with it all the time.

Godzilla repeated the image of Donatello, but added to it a feeling of connection, similar to the feeling of connection he shared with his parent. It wasn't the same, not exactly, but Godzilla could still tell that something was there. He didn't have any direct awareness of the turtle, but he could feel the turtle anyway, as he had once felt Nick before the events that bound them consciously. Somehow, they were together.

Nick flung himself out of Godzilla's mind with surprise, hitting his own body at a mental sprint. He jumped from his chair and went back over everything he'd ever pulled about Godzilla and telepathy and their psychic bond. Then he raced to the other side of the lab and grabbed the most recent readout of the embryo in Donatello's mind.

"That's it!"

He rejoiced for one bare moment at the realization, the scientific discovery. And then his excitement faded.

"Godzilla's mind is the one in Donnie's. Somehow, something about his psychic abilities is transmitting his consciousness to the clone that got implanted into Don, since the embryo itself is essentially asleep and therefore Godzilla's mind is filling the void. It's acting like a relay tower or satellite dish, beaming the source brainwaves from Godzilla into Don. But if that's the case," and Nick's stomach constricted in fear, "what about all the other clones Don said Bishop was developing? And what happens if any of them wake up?"

-==OOO==-

Leonardo cringed, closing the door to the dojo behind him quietly as he approached the living room. From the sounds of it, today was not a good day.

"Just stay out of here!" Donatello bellowed.

"Fine! If that's how you want it, you got it!"

A moment later, Raph stalked out of Don's workshop, nearly shaking with rage. He kicked a lone cardboard box that had probably once held medical supplies and now held whatever garbage had been nearby, causing the carton to fly across the room with a trail of papers and other debris soaring in its wake.

"Raph…" Leo began.

"Don't start! I already got told off once today!" the red-banded turtle snarled. Leonardo looked at him steadily for a few moments, and as expected, Raph's face slowly melted a little. "Yeah, I know. But he ain't eaten in more than a day, Leo! I just wanted to…"

"You went into his room, didn't you?" he interrupted.

"Yeah." Then, "He can't help it, can he?"

"No, I don't think he can." Leonardo sighed with pain.

The stress of his situation, combined with the rapid growth of the invader in Donatello's mind had been having some impacts on the usually-gentle turtle. Primary amongst those was a newfound and extreme territorial instinct around his personal space, particularly his workroom. For the last two or three days, anyone who so much as peeked their head into Don's space ran the risk of being bodily thrown out. On a good day, he could control the impulse. But on a bad one, the measure of his trust in the invader determined how physical his reaction – that he had merely shouted at Raph rather than attacking outright indicated he felt particularly comfortable with that brother, appearances notwithstanding.

"Leo, what're we gonna do? This ain't Don! This ain't our brother!"

"I know," he said, voice low, "but what can we do? We can't operate on him ourselves, Raph, and everybody agrees that they need more time."

"Yeah, but how much more time do we have?" Raphael demanded. "How long before it's too late to…?" He couldn't finish the question, but it hung in the air.

"We've got to trust that they all know what they're doing. If they say the time now is more important and won't…hurt Don's recovery, then we've got to believe them," Leo replied with more confidence than he felt.

"And in the meantime, he's in there, all by himself, hurting!" Raph's voice grew louder as he pointed at the closed workroom door. "His head is only getting worse, he forgets to eat because it hurts too bad, and he won't let anybody near him. He even stopped going to see HEAT because the walk was too hard, but he won't let us drive him in the Battle Shell either. Leo," and a helpless note crept into his anger, "it's like he's already fading away from us."

"Raph, I know. Believe me, I know." The leader of the turtles clenched his jaw to keep his anger in check, sadness at the edges of his voice. He reached out to put an arm around his brother's shoulders, and the fact that Raphael didn't pull away spoke as to how shaken the so-called toughest of the turtles really was. "The only one who has any luck getting through to him lately is Master Splinter."

"Not true!" came a sudden voice. Both turned to see Michelangelo standing outside his room, apparently listening to their conversation. He smiled cheerfully, and it was only a little forced. "I just got Don to agree to a real dinner!"

"How the shell did you do that?" Raph wanted to know. "When I asked him, he nearly tore my head off."

"I didn't go in there," Mikey shrugged. "Learned that lesson already, bro! I sent him an IM instead. It's how he talks to HEAT, so I thought he might talk to me. And he did!"

"Mikey, I never thought I'd say this, but sometimes you're a genius," Leo smiled, shaking his head.

"Have I been in there so long that the definition of 'genius' changed?" All three were surprised to see Donatello closing the door of his workshop behind him as he moved to join them. "Because it seems like only yesterday we were calling Mikey a doofus. Has language really degraded so far? It's probably because of the internet."

"Don?" Raph asked, a lot of questions in the one word.

"Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you," he said all in a rush, face falling to sheepishness. "I…I don't really know how to explain it. It's really hard. But I didn't mean it, Raph. I don't mean any of the nasty stuff. It's just that sometimes…" he absently rubbed the back of his head and fell into silence.

"We understand," Leonardo smiled at his brother, grateful to see the usual friendly light in Don's eyes. It was a look they hadn't seen in days. "Don't sweat it."

"Thanks. I did just give myself a big shot of pain-killer, so although I'm a little foggy, at least I can think straight and act more like myself."

"Sure that's okay?" Raph asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I checked the dosage with Nick. Should be fine," the genius assured him.

"So, anything new?" Mikey wanted to know.

"Um, yeah. Come on. I'll help in the kitchen and tell you what we figured out so far. The good news is that we can probably do something about my situation really soon." Donatello started to move towards the kitchen, but was stopped by a hand on his elbow.

"My son," Splinter said, having appeared from out of nowhere, "if there is bad news to accompany the good, I would rather hear it at once."

Don guiltily looked at his feet, and Leo kept himself from smirking in triumph. If he'd suggested his brother share the details right away, he'd have been evaded or distracted until Don felt like coming clean. But not one of the turtles could avoid a direct query from their father. Leo hoped someday he'd be able to produce the same honesty in his team, but realistically, he'd never get the same obedience from his brothers. On the other hand, it had been his brothers Don had trusted first and their father later, so that counted for something, too.

"Um, yeah. The bad news," the purple-clad turtle took a breath and straightened up, reporting to them as if he were relaying a dry scientific discovery and not the state of his own health and wellbeing, "is that the clone implanted in my brain appears to be picking up psychic signals directly from Godzilla."

"Wait, what?" Raphael asked.

"Something about Godzilla's DNA and Bishop's cloning process linked the mind of the embryo he put in me with the mind of Godzilla. Like, if instead of creating a baby from Godzilla, he split off a piece of Godzilla directly. They have a shared consciousness."

"So, what does that mean?" Leo pressed.

"Well, it's the reason for my, ahem, mood swings," Don blushed slightly. "I'm being influenced by Godzilla's emotions. His territorial instincts and behaviors are being directly transmitted to me somehow, and whenever he's been particularly upset, it impacts how I think and feel."

"When the G-man gets mad, you get mad too?" Mikey tried to clarify.

"Basically," Donnie admitted. "And it's getting worse. The more the clone develops, the more it taps into Godzilla and transmits back to me."

"I believe I understand," Master Splinter nodded.

"I'm glad somebody does!" Raph exploded. "'Cause I sure don't! How can you have his thoughts in your brain, Donnie? That don't even make sense!"

"I know, but it happens, Raph. I'm not even the first." At the questioning looks, he sighed. "Okay, this is something I found out a while ago, but I promised Nick I wouldn't tell anyone unless he said it was okay, and given what we've just figured out, he decided you had the right to know. Besides, he said you saw something the day you went after Raph in Bishop's lair, so this probably won't be a big shock.

"I'm not sure exactly when this happened," Don continued, "but a while ago some crazy woman kidnapped Nick because she realized there was some sort of bond between him and Godzilla. It's actually something that I'd speculated about too, given just the behaviors that I'd seen on some of the footage I found online. I knew that Godzilla had bonded with Nick the way a baby bird does with its parents at birth, and this woman apparently had some theory that the bond went deeper than that. So she did something to Nick, though he didn't tell me exactly what. Something with drugs, and something to Godzilla, too. But the end result was that Nick and Godzilla were forced into a psychic bond."

"A what now?" Mikey asked.

"Um…the only example I can think of is the time Master Splinter entered my mind to save me from the Triceratons. They're mentally and emotionally symbiotic, sharing each other's thoughts and feelings. When Godzilla gets hit in battle, Nick feels the pain. When Nick is afraid or angry, Godzilla shares the feelings. Nick's learned to block a lot of it out, since trying to survive as half of a giant lizard is hard enough given the differences in Godzilla's cognitive processes, but it's there. Nick had wondered before how strong exactly Godzilla's psychic abilities were. I guess this proves that they're pretty strong, if he can impact my own brain with just a couple of cloned cells to forge a connection.

"Anyway," he continued past their thoughtful stares as they processed what now made so much sense about Nick's "backup" when rescuing Raph from the underwater lab, "it also explains how I was able to embed a message to Nick in Godzilla's mind while I was unconscious at Bishop's. Once that clone was in here, I had a hard-line connection to Godzilla, and in that state of deep sleep, my mind could tap the connection. It's how HEAT knew Bishop was cloning Godzilla, because I told them."

While everyone took in the information, Don felt his own mind race, grateful that for the moment, at least, he could think freely. Living half in a fog, his mind not even his own, would have been frightening if he was self-aware enough to experience it; most of the time lately, though, he hadn't been. It was like being drugged – he knew he should be more worried, but he couldn't get the worry through the outside influence exerting pressure on his mind. But that was not even his biggest concern.

Don's bigger question was the same as Nick's. What happened if Bishop had more clones than just the one taking up residence in his brain? What happened if there was more than one mini-Godzilla out there? Would they all be shared? Whose mind would be strongest, and who would wield control? Already they had proven that Don's moods and emotions could be influenced and, once, almost completely swamped under by Godzilla's. If Godzilla could rule in Donatello's mind with only an embryo there, what happened with a true clone under Bishop's control?

It was a terrible thought any way he speculated.

"So, what do we do?" Leo finally broke the tense quiet.

"For now? I guess just have patience with me while we finish up the research before we start digging this thing out," Don tried to smile but it fell rather flat. "And, I think I'm going to do a little more meditation. You could help me with that if you wanted. It seems to help me keep control," he answered the question he could see on his elder brother's face.

"Sure, we can do that," the blue-banded turtle nodded. "But Donnie, this is…it's so hard, you know? We're pretty helpless here. If there's anything you need, anything, you'll tell us, right?"

"I will. I promise," Don nodded.

"Well, you asked for dinner, so dinner it is! Come on!" Michelangelo led the charge towards the kitchen, practically dragging Raph at his side and chattering about chopping vegetables. Leonardo gave his brother a long look before following.

"My son?"

"Yes, sensei?"

"You have not told us all, I can see it in your eyes," the ninja master said softly. The guilty flush of Donatello's face proved him right. "I will not press you now, but know that you may trust us with all your news, joyful and dire. And that which is of risk to you is of great import to me, my son. Do not try to fight this battle alone, Donatello."

"I'll try, father," he replied, bowing slightly. While his master accepted the bow and moved to his chair in the kitchen, Don took a deep breath.

"Here's hoping there aren't any more clones out there," he whispered to himself, "or that whole 'dire news' thing is going to be the worst interruption to our regularly-scheduled turtle luck yet."

Suddenly a white-hot pain shot through Don's head and he reeled, leaning heavily on a nearby table as the world spun around him. He'd been getting more and more used to the consistent headaches that made him forget other things, like food, but this was something else entirely. He was dimly aware of his family turning to him in concern, of someone approaching him. But there was an almost-audible SNAP in his mind and everything changed.

Danger. Danger everywhere. Only safe was Home. Home was…somewhere else. Confusing. Anger. Fight. No, defend! He had to return Home, to protect, to defend. To kill! He was supposed to find and hurt! Protect! Home!

"Donnie?" Leo asked, moving slowly. The purple-banded turtle was trembling hard enough to rattle the table carrying his weight, his eyes wide and unseeing. It was like someone had snapped off a light somehow, and he was as completely not himself as he had been normal only moments before.

"My son?" Splinter moved slowly, as he would approach a frightened, wild creature, one hand extended.

"What's goin' on?" Raph's voice was torn between deep worry and frustration. He was rooted to the spot, unable to move. Beside him, Michelangelo swallowed hard, fear evident in his expression. Don looked, for a terrible moment, as they could only imagine he had right before he had been lost to the outbreak virus.

"Do not startle him," the rat ordered softly. "Be quite calm."

"Donatello," Leo whispered, still moving slowly. "Don, it's me. Come back to us, Donnie," he used his in-charge, big-brother voice, hoping that would snap him out of whatever held him. He was almost within reach when his quarry's head snapped up as though struck.

The gentlest turtle uttered an impossible growl, a sound not one of them had ever heard him make before, backing away with his shoulders hunched over and his eyes strangely black inside the whites as though completely dilated.

"My son," Splinter's voice was serene. "Control yourself and your mind. You are not what has filled you. Be yourself."

But Donatello was beyond hearing. He backed up until his shell bumped the wall of the lair, where he crouched in an almost feral way, his hands curled into claws, his face an alien snarl. His head whipped around, and with a cry, he launched himself towards the nearest exit.

"Stop him!" Leo ordered automatically, breaking into a run at full speed. He could feel rather than hear his brothers flanking him, their dash fueled by desperation. Splinter blurred ahead of them all, but a wild swing from their brother struck him in the throat and he crumbled to the ground.

"Master!" Raph skidded to a halt while the other two kept pursuing their brother. "Are you alright?"

"I am. Do not worry. Save Donatello," his sensei rasped, waving him on.

Fury at the world, never at Don, burned in Raphael's veins, and he ran with all his might. Donnie was already out of the lair, half-sprinting, half-crawling on all fours through the familiar sewers, Mikey and Leo somewhat behind. Raph was no doctor, but even he could see that the way Don was running was probably going to hurt him – their bodies were just not built to move that way!

"What're we gonna do?" he shouted as he caught up.

"It's got to be Godzilla!" Mikey called back. "Something's happening and Don's caught up in it!"

"So he'll run to HEAT," Leo put in. "Mike, call them, find out what's up. Maybe we can head him off and beat him there."

As one, the three brothers adjusted their course, no longer following Donatello directly, but instead moving parallel to the path he would take, where they could monitor his progress but move more efficiently. Michelangelo dialed while running, his fingers shaking. He was almost afraid to have to ask the question on all of their minds.

What could have happened to make Godzilla that angry?

-==OOO==-

"What made the big guy so upset?" Randy shouted. It was just barely twilight, the sky still yellow with light that illuminated the harbor. The hacker had come running at the roar that usually meant trouble, and had almost crashed into the rest of HEAT gathered on the dock.

Out in the water, Godzilla was bobbing erratically, spitting fire into the sky between screams that seemed to rip the air with their anger. He was keeping away from the shore, and since this particular stretch of water was infrequently traveled he had not run into any boats yet, but if he didn't calm down, and soon, there would be a giant-lizard-sized problem. HEAT's neighbors were only vaguely used to the mutant's presence, and any amount of disturbance resulted in calls to the police and the military. The police had long since stopped coming on those calls, but Major Hicks would not be pleased if Godzilla's antics wound up on the evening news.

"We don't know!" Elsie shouted back to him. She was gripping Nick's shoulders tightly, worry etched in her face. The scientist was bent over the railing, breathing hard, oblivious to anything but the contact obviously overriding his mind.

"There is no danger in the immediate vicinity," Monique reported sharply, "so this is not a territorial dispute."

"It looks like they're in pain," Mendel put in, only slightly backing away from Nick and, by extension, Godzilla. Even as accustomed as he'd become to the concept of the bond between his human friend and the mutant, he was still not comfortable with it when it manifested so wildly.

"Jefe," Randy said, pushing closer to Nick, "what's going on? What can we do to help?"

"Give…me…time…" he gasped.

Nick never heard Randy's phone ring, nor the conversation that started happening around him. All his effort was focused inward. His skull felt like it was cracking in two, and he knew Godzilla felt it far worse. But it wasn't pain, it wasn't an injury. This was different. It was a bit like when the outbreak virus had entered Godzilla's mind, but less like a controlling fog and more deliberate, targeted, even. If he didn't know better, Nick would have thought someone was attacking Godzilla psychically.

Of course!

"Godzilla," Nick called through his mind, lending all his determination to his inner voice as he fought to reach his charge through the confusing sea that seemed to be drowning them both. "Godzilla, listen to me! You've got to listen! Follow me, Godzilla!"

The more he concentrated, the more he could see the tempest in the mutant's mind. It threatened to throw him from his aim, but the hands on his shoulders and one on his arm anchored his consciousness to himself. Surprise had caught him undefended, and the moment Godzilla had been taken down so had he, but now he knew what to expect and he could weather it. He pushed himself farther into Godzilla's mind, calming the deep waters as he reached forward.

"Godzilla, it's not you! It's not us! It's someone else! Pull yourself back to me, back to yourself!"

A blast of denial hit him, and Nick flinched as if struck. The sensations swam around him, feelings and thoughts that were neither his nor Godzilla's. Obedience, rage, a different parent.

"A different parent?" Nick wondered. Then he understood completely. "Bishop!" He refocused on his charge, reacting violently against the mind that was pushing itself into his. "Godzilla, Bishop is trying to control us! Remember me! It pulled you out of mind-control once before. Don't let him beat you now!"

There was a tremendous shudder inside, like an earthquake, and Godzilla's inner fire burned. Nick felt his own stomach heat uncomfortably with suppressed rage and denial. But the image of himself coalesced in Godzilla's thoughts, and the mutant clung to it.

"Parent. Nick."

"Yes, Godzilla. I'm here. This is what is real. Don't let Bishop tell you otherwise."

"Parent. Protect parent. Not fight for other. Protect parent." With every thought, Godzilla's mind gained strength against the outside influence. "Protect!"

"You do protect me, Godzilla. You always will. Separate yourself from everything else. I'm here."

"With parent. Always with parent."

Calm. It radiated across the bond, as though a floodgate had been closed, and Nick considered that possibly it had. Godzilla had always been better at psychic contact than himself – perhaps the mutant had some inherent shielding abilities. He had already proven he could, at will, choose not to intrude in Nick's mind. Could he then block out another's? It seemed as likely as anything else at this point.

Nick breathed, feeling the heat fade within as his charge began to collect himself again. Acting as one, Godzilla ceased his thrashing about, diving under the familiar waters to return to his lair. Once there, he curled up on the rock. One sleepy eye remained trained on Nick within his mind.

"I will protect you from this," Godzilla seemed to be telling Nick.

"I know you will. And I'll anchor you so you're not lost or alone." The rush of protectiveness the human carried for his charge surprised neither of them, but it comforted them both. Gently, delicately, Nick pulled himself from Godzilla, not completely, but enough to return to himself. But he kept a few "feelers" with the mutant, in case his steadying presence was needed.

"Nick?" Elsie's voice called him to open his eyes.

"We're okay," he breathed, aware that his throat was dry and his voice hoarse as he shook himself back to full, physical reality.

"What happened?" Monique demanded, scarcely giving him a chance to breathe.

"I think we've got a problem." Nick straightened up a little shakily. "Something just tried to control Godzilla's mind, and it almost worked."

"What?" Mendel's eyes were almost comically wide.

"You remember how Godzilla and I got like this in the first place, right? For a while there, the drugs and the piece of equipment embedded in his brain forced him under the control of that woman," Nick almost growled. He never named her if he could help it – it raised too much anger in him, and that always woke Godzilla as well.

"Right. But you broke through it and reached him yourself and her control was gone forever," Elsie said.

"Exactly. This time it wasn't drugs or machinery that caused the contact, but it was the same problem. Something got inside Godzilla's mind and tried to give him a new parent, a new personality. But this time it was Bishop."

The other four members of HEAT exchanged uneasy glances. Then Randy cleared his throat.

"Um, you didn't happen to notice the phone call we got while you were in the G-man's head, did you?"

"No. Why?"

"Apparently Donatello reacted to what was happening here and attacked his own family before fleeing their lair," Monique said coldly. "He was heading in this direction when we lost contact with them."

"How is that possible?" Craven asked.

"Because the only way Bishop could implant those thoughts into Godzilla's mind would be some kind of programming, and since he hasn't been programming me, Godzilla, or Don, there's only one option left. He's got a clone, maybe more than one, and he's trying to convince them that he's their parent and they should work for him." Nick's voice became hard and sharp.

"Will something like that work?" Elsie almost whispered.

"If, as you have suggested, the mind of Godzilla is common to all, it is unlikely Bishop will forge complete obedience in any clone that shares in the connection," Monique considered. "But if he employs any means to influence them biologically, they may become distant from Godzilla, and as a consequence, you, in which case, it is possible."

"You mean if he drugs them the way Godzilla and Nick got drugged," Randy put in. "So, like, the G-man's brain is split across a bunch of little guys, and if Bishop dopes them up enough, they'll, what, forget they're part of Godzilla? And then his brainwashing will work?"

"It is plausible."

"What will that do to the real Godzilla? And Nick and Don?" Craven rubbed his nose worriedly.

"Impossible to speculate. Obviously it causes them pain and perhaps loss of themselves within their minds." Monique crossed her arms. "However, this is not our priority. It is now apparent that Bishop is intent on turning at least one clone of Godzilla to his own purposes, and we may assume that includes our elimination. We must neutralize this threat at once. All else must be secondary, or there will be nothing left of any mind to save."

"Agreed," Nick nodded, the sting of his encounter with Bishop's intent still giving him a headache. "We need a way of finding him and shutting him down, fast. Before this happens to me, Godzilla, and Don again."

"The turtles! They might be able to find him!" Elsie's eyes lit up.

"I can find him without any help, thanks," Randy said, pride stung.

"Yeah, but we'll still want their help to shut him down," she countered.

"They are likely already on their way here," Monique pointed out. "Randy, begin what you must to find Bishop. We will prepare for the turtles' arrival and determine a course of action to keep Godzilla and Nick from being overwhelmed while we eliminate the threat."

All five members of HEAT had turned to head into the lab when they were stopped as sharply as if they had run into a glass wall.

Before them, four turtles stood, and three of them bore expressions that promised death. Swift, painful death.