Michaelangelo was afraid to enter the room. It was all so confusing. The being dieing behind that door couldn't be Sensei. His master was down in the lair mixing his morning tea. He was positioned in his favorite recliner attentively watching ridiculously old soaps or the four o'clock news. He was alone in the dojo executing an impossible kata effortlessly. How could he not be there? Someone needed to tend to their wounds after harsh battles, to soothe their constantly troubled souls and provide a listening ear. How could he leave them here? Alone?
Mike's hand was firm on the door knob.
"I know this hurts, Mike, but we have to make this quick," Leo said in a hushed tone.
"This could be our last time ever-"
"I know," Leo placed his hand over Mike's on the knob. He gently wrapped his fingers around his brothers, and twisted the doorknob. The same dreary room assaulted sore eyes.
April looked up sadly as Mike and Leo halted at the foot of Splinter's bed.
"Could we have a moment with him alone?" Leo asked.
"Of course," April stood running a hand through her hair. She looked exhausted, Leo thought.
"Thank you."
April put her hand on Leo's shoulder for a moment. He could feel her sympathies overflowing from her eyes and touch. She said nothing else and shut the door softly behind her. Leo immediately sat in her chair and took Splinter's limp hand in his own. It was warm and familiar. A touch he'd come to know so well. He stared longingly at the slack face. There was a peculiar odor hot on Splinter's breath, a sign he was slowly but inevitably deteriorating from the inside out.
Mike sat on the other side and took the other hand.
"Sensei," he sqeezed softly, "This is Leonardo."
The hand didn't squeeze back. Fright washed over him like ice and a tear escaped his eye. He quickly caught it with his free hand.
"And Michaelangelo," Mike stroked the other hand with no response.
"God, what do I say?" Mike thought as he closed his eyes tightly to dam off the tears threatening to flood out. He slowly lowered his forehead and touched it to the limp wrist while still clinging to the fingers.
Leo's insides jerked hearing a muffled wail escape from his brother. He looked away blinking repeatedly. He had to stay strong. Crying wouldn't help any. His eyes came to rest on Splinter's heaving neck. There he spotted visible a vein pumping rapidly. The only sign of life besides the roar of fighting for air. He gripped the hand tighter feeling a similar pulse quiver in his palms. Life was so fragile. How could he be so blind to that fact without these heart-wrenching moments?
Mike suddenly stood, taking his hand away and cupping them over his face. "Oh God," he wailed, "God, oh God, he's- I can't...oh God."
Leo broke away as well and caught his brother in a tight embrace. For a long moment he just let him cry on his shoulder. The coughs and hiccups rock them sorrowfully.
"We can't leave him Leo," Mike finally gasped out.
"It's what he would want. Something's very wrong if Raph and Don haven't come back by now. They need our help, and there's nothing more we can do for Sensei here."
"I'm afraid...so scared that-"
Leo hugged him tighter, "We can pull through this together. I'll always be there for you Mike, whatever happens." He was crying now as well.
They sobbed themselves dry in each others arms, parting finally at struggling words.
"My...sons."
They rushed to the bedside, but Splinter had already lapsed back into unconsciousness.
"Let's go," Leo guided Mike to the door, "He needs to rest."
"Good-bye Sensei. I love you," Mike sniffed and left the room.
Leo paused in the doorframe and gave a deep bow. Nothing else could properly express the affection and respect lodged deep in his heart. He backed out after a final glance.
"Turn here," Leonardo motioned Casey to the right.
"You got it," their human friend cranked the wheel and pulled into a very narrow alley. The headlight beams revealed nothing more then an empty trash bin. Michaelangelo and Leonardo stepped out to further inspect the area. This is where Donatello said he and Raphael would be, and obviously, they weren't any more if they ever were in the first place. Casey stayed in the running vehicle keeping the lights on.
Michaelangelo retrieved a pair of nunchucku from his belt and created a firm step for Leo to boost up onto the rim of the trash bin. The thin ledge didn't offer much balance-wise, but Leo maintained it expertly nonetheless. Crouching down, his shadow projecting against the back wall elongated eerily. Mike watched in silence, not liking this at all.
"Nothing," his brother landed neatly next to him on the ground.
Mike squinted in the headlight beams and let his eyes roam over every detail of the alley. A form near the entrance caught his attention.
"Leo," he nudged him, "A fire escape."
As they walked toward it, Leo opened the passenger door of the truck and told Casey to drive around town and search while they looked on the rooftops.
"We'll turn every leaf over if we have to," he finished.
Casey nodded, "Good luck."
Leo closed the door. The truck backed out and disappeared. The turtles then hurried up the fire escape with ease.
"Damn," Michaelangelo cursed under his breath as he pulled something from the wall. Leo could see a shuriken in his hand glinting in the moonlight.
"The Foot. I should have-"
Mike held up a hand to silence him. Using the same hand, let his palm glide over the railing. He swabbed something sticky up and rubbed it between his fingers while inhaling its metallic scent. There was no mistaking it. Blood.
"This could be a problem," Mike understated.
Leo didn't reply. Instead, he stepped up on the last rung of the fire escape and leaped onto the roof. Mike followed close behind. They both halted seeing bodies littering the ground. Foot soldiers. One of them groaned. Leo bent down on one knee and savagely ripped the mask off. A pale and bruised face pinched with horror and fright.
"Who are you and what happened here," Leo commanded sharply.
"My n-name is Kento Akio. Our orders," he paused to inhale raggedly, "were to capture the enemy."
"What happened! Where are my brothers?" Leo tightened his grip.
"We found one...alone, but we were only able...to wound him," he gasped.
A moment of silence passed as Leo gathered his thoughts to piece this all together. He turned back to ask more questions, but the soldier had passed out again. Leo released the limp form and stood looking over the roof edge.
"The rest of them are dead," Mike came up from behind.
Leo looked thoughtful for a moment. "We have a trail," he said finally pointing out a blood smear on an overhang just below where further drippings continued down the wall and to the sidewalk. They jumped down and followed across the blank road to the hospital. From there it passed through a broken window. The area was still quiet and dark, so they continued.
Finally they halted in a small stockroom. Several shurikens were lodge in the walls, shelves were tipped and scattered haphazardly, and blood coated the floor. Before either could comment on the wild scene, however, something popped at their ankles. White smoke exploded around them smothered the brothers unconscious.