A big apology to all of you. I haven't had much time to write, and it probably won't be that much the next month. I have a pretty important assignment ahead of me, that simply needs to be done, and it takes a lot of my time. Then my computer has been down, and my rabbit died recently - there's been some odds against me, but I'm finally back with the next chapter. The longest chapter in the story, so far... Still, I hope you will all enjoy the story.

Enjoy...

"We're lost, aren't we?" Mikey sighed, looking at his elder brother. Donnie looked around without a word. He really wasn't happy to admit it, but yes, they were lost. He had lost track of the different hallways not too long ago.

"Well, yeah," he finally stated, "But I am pretty sure we-" Donatello was suddenly cut off by a cry not far away.

"It's Raph," Mikey gasped, "I can recognize that voice anywhere!"

"It… sounds like he's in trouble," the cat whimpered, laying her ears flat against the red hair. She didn't like the sound. It was like pure rage and desperation blended into a yell. She had heard it before, not from whoever was screaming, but from…

Now wasn't the time to think of it. Donnie and Mikey were already running in the direction of the cry, and the feline quickly decided to do the same.

What hit the three was the sight of a bleeding, beaten up turtle lying motionless before Shredder's feet, and a group of ninjas looking at the scene - and now they all turned to look directly at them.

Now would have been great for a remark. A tiny one, placed in the exactly rightful moment - but Mikey couldn't say a word. He couldn't even call to his brother to know if he was alive or not. He was frozen solid.

"What have you done to him!" Donnie finally broke the silence in the hallway. His voice sounded angry, almost too angry to really belong to the quiet turtle of the gang. Shredder chuckled to himself, not bothering to even answer the demanded question laid before him.

"Get them." he ordered his ninjas, who charged at full speed at the freaks.

Mikey quickly reacted, dragging out the pair of nunchakus from his belt to counterattack the Foot members coming his way. It was all instinct. He wasn't angry, he wasn't controlling his body, the blows hitting the ninjas landing exactly where they should. He had to get to his wounded brother.

Donnie was only a second slower than his youngest brother, before he attacked the other side of enemies. But unlike his brother, he was steaming mad. A fire burned inside him that he was somehow unable to explain. There surely had to be a logical reason, and there was - if he actually thought about it. Who would have guessed, that the quietest of the group of four would be the one to react more fiercely and in a blind rage unlike any of the others. Donatello's Bo staff flew through the air, hitting one Foot to come back and parry a ninja-to above him, only to swirl around and knock the attacker to his feet. These were perfect movements. Leo and Splinter would be proud, if they had seen him now. They would have looked at him in ave, knowing just how well he had followed his practice lessons. He hated fighting, deep down inside. But then, why was he acting like this? Donnie stopped his movements, looking around him with a skeptical look. He had gotten rid of all of his attackers. They were down. Wasn't this a good thing? Then why did he feel so empty inside? His gaze rose, looking up at the feline standing before him. She looked afraid, maybe even terrified. Like she had never seen the real face of war. But perhaps she hadn't. She was just a harmless experiment, not used to the sightings outside of her prison.

The turtle's thoughts were interrupted by a Foot member flying past him. He looked back, startled to see Mikey standing in the middle of what looked like a field of bodies. The Foot ninjas were down. Before them was only the Shredder, his glowing red eyes watching them. He was ready to take on the fight against them, it was clear. But again, he didn't have anything to loose. They all knew, that he was the strongest one, the one that would still be standing, when the battle was over.

"I see you have found my lab animal," the dark voice echoed through the hallway, making the cat shiver. Her fur was standing on end, the big, fluffy tail twitching from side to side. It was all she was to him. An animal…

The turtles didn't respond. The two brothers stood their grounds, side by side. Like they talked to each other through their minds, they jumped off in the exact same second, attacking Shredder from the front. Shredder raised his arms, blocking both pair of feet coming at his chest. Even so, the impact made him stumble backwards.

Donnie fell to the ground, landing in a bowed down position with his Bo still in both hands. He wasn't slow to react. The hit had left an opening for him to use. With all of is might, he thrusted the staff into Shredder's abdomen, making the huge figure bend over. It was a cowardly move, but it somehow didn't matter to him. What was going on with him? Was he starting to like the war, the fire of rage burning through his veins in the heat of battle? No. It was still wrong, but - Raphael. Shredder wouldn't hold back a move like that, if he had the opportunity to make it. Donnie had no reason to feel regret. He would attack again. He needed to get the Shredder down, for Raph, but before he could react, Mikey was already sending a flying kick to the enemy's head. A bull's eye. The turtle's heel connected with the cheek, sending Shredder's head back with a crack.

Mikey landed on the ground, the nunchakus landing on the floor. Shredder's body fell lifeless to the ground. Was it over? Had he really - killed him? That crack from his neck couldn't be mistaken. No one could have survived that. Mikey starred at the body. It had happened so quickly, and it made him feel empty inside. It hadn't been a fight. It had been simple revenge… He slowly turned to look back at Donnie, who looked just as surprised as him. No one had expected the Shredder to fall so quickly, not after the countless battles in the past.

Donnie lowered his head to push himself up again in a standing position. It was more difficult to look down at the armored body than he had thought. Not because he felt any guilt or grief. It was just wrong. All the troubles and scars he had cost them, worries for each other - and then it was ended after less than minutes of fighting. His eyes slowly opened looking down at the floor to watch the Shredder - only to find the floor empty. Donnie's head shot up. Shredder wasn't lying down anymore, he was standing behind his brother, who still hadn't looked back to witness the unbelievable.

Donnie wanted to cry to his brother to look out, but before the air could even leave his lungs-

Mikey suddenly felt the pain in the back of his head, like metal slamming into his skull. But it soon disappeared again. It lasted nothing but a few seconds. The world started spinning around him, as he felt the floor coming closer to his face. But he was out cold before he hit the floor with a loud thud.

The cat jerked backwards with a gasp. What was she to do? She couldn't help them, it was no use. Shredder was too strong.

Donnie's jaw dropped. Now two of his brothers were lying there. It had to stop, now. The purple-masked turtle attacked, his Bo staff drawn to the side, ready to fly towards his nemesis. The staff hit the metal hard, as Shredder dragged out his arm to block the attack with the two spikes on the back of his glove.

"You fool!" his voice boomed, as he grabbed the Bo with the other hand. He got a firm grip on it, dragging it hard towards himself, "You really think, you can take me on alone!"

Donnie hadn't expected this, as he was still clunging to the wooden weapon, when Shredder dragged it closer. The turtle fell forwards, stumbling right into reach for the Shredder to make his move. Donatello was grabbed by the forehead, being slammed into the wall with great force. It sounded like a bomb exploding inside his head, as it connected with the wall behind him. It blackened.

'No, stay awake, stay awake!' he called to himself, the light in the room finding its way back to him. Shredder was still holding on to him, his eyes narrowing at Donnie. The turtle was sure, that he could see pleasure in the eyes of his enemy. Two down, two to go - or maybe even one. They hadn't heard from Leo yet. Maybe the Shredder had already taken care of him, and he would be the last one to fall before the hand of Oroku Saki.

'No,' his mind cried back, as he fought to get out of Shredder's grip. The glooming red eyes were still watching him. Suddenly, a loud clang came from behind Shredder, making the figure turn his head around to face his attacker. The weapon came at him again, hitting the shoulder. Though it didn't exactly do any damage.

"Leave him, you fucking, twisted son-of-a-bitch!" the cat bellowed, smashing the Bo into Shredder's arm, making him loose the grip on Donnie. The purple masked ninja fell to the ground, trying to keep his gaze at the feline. She wasn't very strong, that was for sure…

Still, the cat hadn't any intentions on stopping. She directed another blow at Shredder's head, cursing on the top of her lunges.

The Bo was easily grabbed by the large metal hand and broken by its muscles. The small splinters fell to the ground, leaving the hand open for something new to hold on to.

Shredder threw out his hand to catch the cat by the neck, but the furry creature quickly jumped backwards. She was out of reach, safe from the hand coming towards her - if it hadn't been for the small chain hanging in a red, spiked color around her neck. Why hadn't Donnie noticed it before now?

'Because your mind was focused on other things,' the voice told him inside his head. And that was probably the same reason why they had gotten lost before. Why he had stopped on the street, when Mikey still wanted to continue. He wasn't focusing on the mission. Just like, when he was fighting the Foot soldiers… Instincts had been taking over his consciousness, making him do and think what he did. His gaze shot back up at Shredder holding the cat. His enemy wasn't focused either. He wasn't paying attention to Donatello, his mind was only settled on the female before him, caught in his grip.

The feline shrieked, when her movement was stopped by the sudden drag in the neck, making her fall to her knees. Still, she was quickly hurled up to look directly into Shredder's eyes.

"If you can't obey," he hissed in a hoarse whisper, "Then you're no use to me…" As the words left him, he drew the hand with the spikes out to deliver a deadly slash. The metal glinted in the feline's brown eyes, as it hurried towards her. This would be the end. She would be dead in less than seconds, her throat sliced open by the two spikes. She would be thrown on the ground, left to bleed until her mind would be as black as-

The lights in the room suddenly exploded in cascades of electricity, leaving the hallway pitch black. Though there was no light anymore. Donatello could still hear the sounds around him - hearing the metal go through flesh, the sound of blood landing on the floor and a thud - from a body landing hard…

Suddenly, Donnie welcomed the darkness. He had been sparred to watch what happened before him, though the pictures in his mind showed it too him exactly how it had happened. He closed his eyes. As if it even mattered. It was the same blackness as before. But now he couldn't get used to it, he wouldn't be able to see the true picture in the hallway, how the Shredder had murdered his own creation. But if he could just block out the sounds. The sounds made the pictures in his head come to life. He could see Raph, Mikey and the feline lying on the ground. A large figure standing in the middle, watching his enemies. Steps started coming his way. He had to defend himself, or at least get away, just something. Shredder was taking him as the last one. Maybe - maybe he had even finished off Leonardo before he had gone to Raphael. He was the last to be taken care of. Donnie's fists clenched, sweat started dripping down his face, some of them running down to his mouth and giving him the salty taste. The footsteps came closer, but he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. He just felt his breath becoming more rapid, more panicked, Shredder was close now, footsteps stopped beside him.

This was the end. Donnie felt something warm on his shoulder….