Chapter IV

Leo, despite everything Master Splinter had ever taught him and everything he knew, bought Shredder's story allowed himself to fall to the shadow of evil. The story had, in short, been full of what Shredder had claimed to be truths and Master Splinter's divine plan to conquer the world by using Leo and his brother's as his puppets. Leo had bought in only because Shredder had told the story with what sounded like accuracy and knowledge and truth. He hadn't faltered once during the story, and to Leo, that was truth enough.

He was led by Shredder to a lab, using the darkness of night as a shield against. It was a fairly large lab and was filled, for some reason, with waiting foot soldiers. There was also a black man in a white lab coat and glasses, looking quite annoyed at something. Leo also knew this man - Baxter Stockman - and had decided that had been his permanent expression.

"You have told him everything, then?" Baxter said, his arms folded across his chest. "He knows?"

Shredder nodded and shoved Leo forward a little. He looked around at the foot soldiers, detecting tension in the way they had positioned themselves. He also detected a tension in himself, still a little nervous around them. His instincts flared as some one came from behind and began to remove the blades from his back and he whipped around, ready to fight. It had been Baxter, who was now looking more annoyed than before. Shredder, on the other hand, looked amused and laughed slightly.

"Already at it, eh Leonardo?" he said.

Leo blushed slightly and allowed Baxter to remove his blades completely as he was shown to a table that had been tilted upright. There was a place for his legs and arms, most likely to hold him down. It looked more like a device for torture rather than what they had intended on using it for.

"Explain to me, Master Shredder," Leo began, forcing the title out. "How will this... thing make me human?"

"It's actually quite complicated," Shredder began. "Baxter has developed a highly new technology that could change the world ..."

"Enough with the gab," Leo said, folding his arms across his chest. "Just tell me how it works."

Shredder lifted an eyebrow at him, but did nothing about the command and shook his head slightly. He looked at Baxter and nodded at him.

"It rebuilds DNA," Baxter explained.

"Rebuilds?" Leo questioned.

"Yes," Baxter said, hesitating a bit. "After it destroys most of the DNA you already have."

Before he could change his mind, Leo was forced back onto the table by three foot soldiers where they clamped his legs and arms down. Baxter lowered what looked like a glass tube lined with red lights so that Leo was staring straight into it before it was lowered over his body.

"Get comfortable, Leonardo," Shredder said with a grin just as Baxter began to lower the device. "This is going to be very uncomfortable."

* * * *
"So... we've ruled out running away?"

Raph tossed the paper angrily to the table in front of Don and began to pace around the room. Don sat on the couch, deep in thought, and Mikey had propped his feet up on the other side, a pizza in his hands and headphones over his ears.

"We could," Don said. "Unless he wanted us to think some thing else happened to him?"

"Doubtful," Raph said. He paused in his pacing to rip the headset off Mikey's ears. "Do you mind? We're trying to figure out where Leo is and you're sitting there like nothing's happened?"

Mikey shrugged and turned his headphones off, placing them on the small table before picking up a slice of pizza.

"I'm sure he's okay," he said confidently. "Leo's a big boy - he can take care of himself."

* * * *

Leo moaned to himself and tried to grasp his head, which was throbbing once more, but he found it slightly difficult to raise his arms.

These things never end, he thought, trying not to move his pounding head. After trying to restrain his headache by keeping his eyes closed for a minuet more, Leo finally tried to move. His muscles were extremely tight and sore, as if he had just spent a day at the gym, and he struggled to get up. He was again in the bed he had found himself in the day before, and sun light was now pouring through the windows, which were now drawn open.
However, these things were hardly noticed by him.
Instead he stared down at his hands, which were no longer green and there were five human fingers. He looked at them for a while before he threw the white sheets off of his body and looked down at his human legs, covered by jeans. He also wore a black t-shirt with what looked like the foot soldier symbol printed on the front in red.

Excited and unable to sit still, Leo jumped up only to fall forward slightly. He felt lighter without the shell on his back, and found it easier to move.
He dashed to a small mirror, which hung beside the door, and checked his human appearance. His face was human and shaped handsomely and his hair was colored blue. The only thing that remained was his eye color, which was black.

"Oh my god," he whispered in excitement. "Oh my god! Is this me?!"

As if to answer his question, the door opened and in walked Shredder, a pleased grin on his face.

"Do you like it, Leonardo?" he questioned.

Leo whirled around and looked at him, a grin forming on his own face.

"Shell yes!" he cried. "I can't believe..."

He trailed off and glanced at himself in the mirror again. Shredder laughed heartily and placed his hand on Leo's shoulder.

"I'm glad you like it, my son."