Chapter Eighteen: Theory & Fact

Michelangelo was sitting inside the lab watching as Donatello finished patching up Leeanne. The girl was so pale skinned anyway he couldn't tell if she'd gotten visibly paler or not. Her eyes indicated that she was away with the fairies, probably in shock. The youngest suddenly stood up: "We have to tell Splinter. I mean Leo is seriously loosing it bro, he breaks things, throws me and now cuts a girl, old Leo would have never done that, this new version is seriously messed up"

Donatello didn't respond but he was thinking that Mikey was right. He only hoped that Splinter would know what to do. Dad was older now, even with his skill in Ninjitsu there was no way he would be a match for Leonardo; not now.

"He's changed, something went wrong, with that teleport thingy, something changed him" continued Michelangelo "Oh and he also talks to himself, and answers, but in a different voice. First I thought it was some kind of joke but it really isn't"

Donatello hadn't heard that but he had seen the breakages, the shortness of temper, the isolating of himself in his room and his behaviour towards Leeanne; that alone was worrying. He looked like he wanted to kill her.

"Do you remember what happened in there?" Donatello focused his attention on his patient, her eyes flitted from one side of the room to the other before meeting his own concerned ones.

"He wanted me to fight" She took a breath "I said no but he wouldn't listen"

"Sounds about right" added Michelangelo seriously "He has lost it big time!"

"Mike, go and see if Splinter is willing to come here and grab Raph whilst you're at it"

"On it!" The orange banded brother slipped out of the door. Donatello returned his attention to Leeanne "It's always best to give him a task, he responds well to commands"

"You make him sound like a puppy" She inspected her bandaged arm and attempted a brief smile "Thank you"

"He is and you're most welcome" Donatello packed up the first aid kit and disposed of the blood soaked cotton wool in the burner at the other end of the room "Leo is going through something we don't quite understand but he is not usually like this...not so unpredictable, in fact, he is usually the one who is steady as a rock" He watched her body language as he went on: "If you remember anything, however small, it could help" Her shoulders crept up into her neck. Hopping down from the trolley she retrieved her slashed bloodied jumper and bundled it up "I need some more clothes - April's bits helped but I really want my own things, or to go home" She avoided looking at him.

"You know you can't. Even when all the forensic stuff is in the bag we still need to find out what is going on...and if you can't remember then..." Donatello tried to act like he didn't care one way or the other when really he was desperate for her to say what was so obviously plaguing her.

Meanwhile, alone in his room, Leonardo's mind was racing. He felt a rage that he had never experienced and his inability to be able to centre himself was driving him insane; as was that girl. If he could just get her on her own without the others interfering; the whole fight thing was just a game, she should have known that. Why did she not know that?

'You know why'

Leonardo observed himself in the broken reflection of his mirror "No I don't" he replied firmly "I thought she would understand it was a joke"

'Well, she didn't and now you know what will happen don't you?'

Oh he knew alright, he just didn't want to hear it.

'Your father will get involved and you will be punished'

"That wouldn't be everything, I mean, dad, he knows me, he knows me, I'm a good son.." He nursed his head in his hands and closed his eyes.

'Leonardo you are the failure, you have ruined everything and let everybody down. You should leave. Leave and find somewhere else before they throw you out'

"But.." He could think of nothing to say.

'Leave the girl to me'

As he opened his eyes - blue ones with dark rims looked back - ones full of purpose and hate.

Michelangelo burst through the lab door, making Leeanne jump "Got Raph sensei's on his way.." panted the youngest. Raphael shifted his bulk inside and exchanged a look with Donatello: "Is this gonna be some kind of intervention with the resident nut job?"

Donatello looked at him blankly "If you're referring to Leo, not an intervention per say..and you really shouldn't call him a 'nut job' - whilst we don't know what's wrong with him yet I have a few theories and madness isn't one of them"

"What's there to know?" answered Raphael scornfully "He's lost the plot he's a danger to the family and he cannot be trusted. End of" He jabbed a large finger down on the bench and then crossed his arms.

"He's your brother Raphael. I would think that would carry some weight of understanding don't you?" Splinter moved steadily into the lab as Michelangelo closed the door and then stood there like a bouncer at a nightclub.

Raphael sighed "Yes sensei he is but..."

The rat held up a paw "And that should be enough" He turned his attention to Leeanne "I must apologise to you for I fear you will now not have the comfort of safety which was offered to you. My eldest, you must understand, is never like this"

"That's what I said" added Donatello "He's the exact opposite..I mean, sure he's not overly warm and fuzzy but he would never hurt an innocent"

"Perhaps he thinks that I'm not" announced Leeanne. They all looked at her "An innocent I mean"

Splinter laid a paw briefly on her arm: "I have seen this different behaviour for myself and one thing that is more than evident Leonardo is not himself" Raphael opened his mouth to say something sarcastic but remained muted following a harsh stare from his father "Donatello, is there a way forward that you have thought of?"

Leeanne watched as Donatello perched himself on a chair and the others followed suit, apart from Michelangelo who remained as his post by the door: "It's obvious I have to get him to agree to tests"

"Good luck with that one" growled Raphael.

"If you cannot say anything constructive then please say nothing" Splinter shot his largest son another glare "Donatello, please continue"

"Well, to be honest this is all new for me and I really don't know why this is happening but I would start with bloods, scans, psychological assessment - I need to know if this is something which has gone wrong internally or something which has been added to the mix..."

"Meaning..?" The question came from Michelangelo.

"Meaning has he ingested something, something which has triggered these changes.."

"Okay" began Leeanne "You wanted to know why those guys in suits were chasing me, in all honesty I don't know but Sacks did tell me..." Her throat felt suddenly constricted. Would they think she was insane? "That I, was, the experiment. There were others but I don't know if, well, I don't know what it was all about"

You took, that's what her boss had said: You took. And then he was dead.

They all stared at her and said nothing. She felt very uncomfortable with all eyes on her.

"Look, I didn't say anything because I was, well, not sure about what I remembered and then there was the order of silence - it scared me a little. Whether it was real or not but when Leo got hold of me I read something in him, a connection, and I don't know if that's why he is being a certain way...behaving a certain way"

Donatello got up and went over to the computer, his fingers speeding over the keys "All that paperwork which Casey sent through I've got it entered onto the system in sections - broke it down in order to make it more manageable but I knew it was off - you should have told me earlier"

Heat filled Leeanne's cheeks, yes, he was right, but she didn't know whether what she remembered was what had actually happened, and then there was that stench of death. She would say anything about that. She couldn't.

"There" Donatello pointed to the screen "Behavioural change, mind control. I scanned through it and thought it sounded suspect - like they were trying to cover something up by writing about it as if it was something average"

"I hate to be the pin in the balloon but how would whatever happened to this one effect Leo?" Raphael raised a brow ridge "It's not like they were together were they?"

"True Raph but I wasn't thinking along those lines anyway. I was thinking about the teleport" Donatello walked over to Leeanne "Lee, this is important. Do you remember them giving you anything, liquid, tablet, injection? Anything like that at all? Anything that they asked you to take?" They were all staring at her again. This attention thing was making her feel odd. She moved further away and turned her back.

"I'm sorry but I don't remember, not really. I think I was drugged but I don't remember how.. I just remember waking up and.." The image of the small tentacled being flashed in her mind. Kraang.

"It could have been in that?" suggested Raphael "Well?"

"But then that wouldn't get through the teleport" Donatello nodded to himself "No. I think that is where it happened, how it happened and if my assumptions are correct then I think they used some sort of gas. Easily ingested, lack of trace so if the 'subject' was to go to the authorities I can guarantee there be no trace of this remaining"

"You are saying that whatever they gave her Leo got a hit too?" Michelangelo's face dropped "What about you, and me and Raph? We were there too"

"Yeh but you have no brain to be effected and geek boy here has too much brain - mine was obviously impenetrable and there you go, problem solved"

Splinter smacked Raphael on the head "Enough. Do not think that you will get out of punishment! The Hashi is still open for business my son"

"Screwdrivers" announced Donatello firmly.

"Ey?" Raphael waved a hand in dismissal and snorted.

"Mikey's theory" continued Donatello "Different brains - different reactions and that's why Sacks must have needed more than one person because each person is different. It was Mikey who first alerted me to this concept, so he gets the genius award for the day"

Under Donatello's praise, Michelangelo beamed.

"Seriously?" Raphael put his head in his hands and groaned loudly.

"And then there was the radiation spike which happened with our friend the Teleport - that could have just been enough to accelerate the event" concluded Donatello. He went over to Leeanne "Is that everything?"

"It's all I remember" she lied, keeping her eyes down to the ground.

"Well if you think if anything else, however small, please let me know"

"Of course"