I have returned again, but if you wish, we could just wait another four months…
(evil death looks from readers as they sharpen their knives and swing blunt objects)
Or not.
Well, I'm just exasperated in my little box here. But hopefully, I'll be getting out in a chapter or two…
But, like Peter Laird with Season Four, I'm providing no spoilers! (laughs maniacally) Man, it feels good to be on the other end of the stick, as some of you other writers may know.
Now let's get on with it!
Disclaimer: (in a confession stall) Alas, father, I do not own the TMNT. (Priest: How's that a sin?) Oh, c'mon! How is it not?
&&&&&
Blackness faded to gray in Leonardo's vision, which then recognized certain ashen blobs. Very slowly, the blobs became more vivid and defined, ridges clearer and more precise, until he realized they had shape and dimension. There were backgrounds too. Leo tried focusing on them instead of nearly one hundred voices that were still lingering in his ears. Eventually, they too deteriorated into nothing but the soft hum of machinery.
He was in a large room, cold with what might appear to be a fresh dew on his green skin. The droplets that had been collected from this newest element of the children's world started to flow together and travel down the contour of his body.
In the place where those little ones were being held, he still couldn't see. That whole time, it seemed like he'd been floating above them, slowly progressing down to the level of their hell.
Except hell seemed to have subzero temperatures.
Leo dryly joked to himself. The heater must be broken. It really wasn't that funny.
The room, which he could only assume to be Stockman's working area, was full of electronic devices that Don could do wonders with. There were all sorts of machines recording lines and numbers only he could understand, glowing and beeping now and then. Most of them were attached to the slab of metal Leo was strapped down to.
"Like clockwork." Stockman came before him, grinning. That fact that he was before him sent the blue-clad turtle's heart sinking. It not only meant that Stockman could now do whatever he wanted with him, but that he'd defeated his brothers. Leo could only hope they weren't dead.
Behind Stockman was a large window. It appeared dark and empty. After pressing a few buttons on one computer, he turned back to him. "Every one of you work in the same way. The moment I order him to stop, they return to their preserved states and you leave their world. Within two minutes, you're conscious. Amazing."
Listening intently to the doctor's words, Leo found himself confused. "Who are you talking about?" He asked, referring to the one Stockman mentioned in his speech.
The hologram image smiled. "That's right, you haven't met him yet, have you? I suppose I could give you a little look into this fascinating development…" Stockman turned his head back, pressing yet another button, this one on a small remote control. "Slayer! Come forward."
Slayer? The moment he heard that word, Leo knew it wasn't going to be good. He remembered in detail the battle with Bishop's Slayer. That thing didn't fall easy.
But the surprise came when he actually saw it. Stepping forward was a Slayer, clad in the armor like Bishop's first one. But unlike that one, this one was very small.
Child size.
Catching his look, Baxter Stockman smiled. "I'd like to introduce you to my Slayer. I've been given permission by my new director, Agent Bishop, to continue this project with some new types of genetic research." He placed a hand on the Slayer's head. "This is one of my greatest creations, as well as, to answer your question, what is causing the children from your nightmares to scream."
Hatred welled inside the turtle for Stockman, as well as for this midget Slayer. "What is he doing to them?"
The Slayer started forward with tremendous speed, stopping only when Stockman pressed a button on a small remote control. "Now, now, my child. I still need him." He looked up at Leo. "He doesn't like you very much. Then again, he doesn't like anybody very much."
Noticing a large scratch in the Slayer's armor, Stockman pushed a button that sent a voltage of electricity through its tiny body, freezing it in place. "Now where did you get that from. "Now where'd you get that from?" He began to remove the armor on his arm.
When it was gone, it revealed a pale, scrawny arm. Bruises and whip slashes were visible in several places.
"This one is not a clone of Bishop." Stockman informed as he went on with his business. "He is the first child I took off the streets. At least, he used to be a child. It took many beatings and countless genetic rewiring to get him to this state. But now he's perfect."
In a flash, the hatred turned to sympathy. "How did he survive that?"
"With much pain." Stockman's grin grew broader. "And now his greatest desire is to return that pain to whomever he can."
The screams of the children echoed in his mind and anger returned to him once again. "How does he hurt them?"
"You'll find out soon enough. But I'll tell you what enables him to do so. Have you ever heard of the human genome?"
Leo nodded. "Don't know much about it, though. That's Donny's department."
Stockman finished his work and walked over to him. "Oh, yes, Donatello. I remember him. Well, since he's not here, I'll explain it to you-"
"What'd you do to my brothers?"
Frowning, the scientist took out that small gun he'd shot him with once before. He fired its blue blot into Leo's hand, making it go numb. "I do not appreciate being interrupted. Your brothers are fine. I have plans for them…" He added with a malicious smile. "Now as I was saying, the human genome controls many things in the body. There are also even ones that deal with things like psychic abilities, telepathy, pyrokinesis; the list goes on. They're evident, but not strong enough to actually do real business. I've retrieved their raw power through countless DNA samples of the children, since they're so much easier to control, I've taken off the streets and combined them into my Slayer.
"It had an interesting side effect. Not long after this, the children, who I kept for more research purposes, began to have extreme nightmares in their homeostasis. They would scream at all hours. Eventually, their sin would break open as if someone had cut them. I eventually figured out how. My Slayer, using the gifts he'd received from their combined genomes, had found a way to connect to them. Since he shares their DNA in sorts, he can trace them. My Slayer has united them in a hellish world," Stockman said with excitement, "and tortures them on a telepathical link."
Surprisingly enough, Leo was understanding this. It clicked, "You used my DNA too."
"Very clever, turtle." Stockman nodded. "I didn't know it was yours until the children started mentioning the 'blue turtle', but that just makes you the lucky one I suppose."
At that moment, Leo wished he could reach out and kill him.
"But let's not waste any more time." Baxter Stockman turned around to the little Slayer and pressed a red button on his control. Leo couldn't see his eyes, but he saw the thing grin evilly, sending shivers down his spine. As Stockman took his place behind his 'creation', he whispered to it. "He's all yours."
Profound darkness.
And then all hell broke loose.
&&&&&
Raph woke up with an intense headache, lying on his stomach on a cold, concrete floor. The first thing he noticed was the two other green bodies with him, one already up and the other starting to show signs of life. They were in some sort of holding cell. The three of them, instead of four.
With a groan, the red-clad turtle wondered what was happening to Leo.
Mikey was leaning against a wall and smiled slightly as he saw his other two brothers were up. Raph found he couldn't return it. Looking over at Donny, he saw he looked fine.
In fact, he looked better than he'd originally been.
"Don?" Raph asked slowly.
The purple-banded turtle turned his head. "Yeah?"
He had to pause for a bit, checking again. But no, it was gone. "What happened to the burn on your leg?"
Both he and Mikey looked at it. All that was left of the burn was a scar that had already stared fading into Donny's skin.
"Bishop requires that all specimens be in good condition for his work."
They turned to see Dr. Stockman on the other side of the cell, which was kept closed with some sort of blue force field instead of bars.
Raph growled. "What'd ya do to my brother?" He asked, referring to Leo.
"Touchy. Personally, I'd try to show some gratitude if I was you. Agent Bishop has all sorts of plans for you three, but I convinced him to keep you together. But if you'd prefer to be lobotomized, I could see to it for you."
They guy looked like he was going to continue his ranting when a loud, pained scream pierced their ears. Because it sounded so familiar, Raph felt he had a pretty good idea whose it was.
Stockman tisked, turning his head in the direction of the cry. "I should have put him with the others, in the sound proof room." By the time he turned back, there were three very angry turtles in front of him.
"What are you doing to him?" Don asked, in a voice lower than he usually kept it.
"It's not what I'm doing to him."
Their glares persisted.
The scientist's look faltered for a moment, but he maintained the grin. "If you want, I could bring him to you."
Raph's teeth were clenched so hard now; he felt they might break. He didn't answer.
Mikey did though. "That might be a good idea." His voice too was darker than usual.
Stockman left quicker than he came.
&&&&&
This was different than all the other times before. It was far worse than he could've ever expected.
Their screams came at him from all directions, as if right next to his ear. But that wasn't the worst part. He could smell them. He could feel their frozen bodies reaching out to his. God, he could even taste their blood in his mouth, mixed with the metallic mist in this place.
But he still couldn't see them. He was seeing something though. And if it was this bad, he briefly wondered if he actually wanted to see what they looked like.
And what he saw was so bad that he too had to scream.
&&&&&
When Stockman returned, he was pushing Leo on one of the metal examining tables that Bishop had put them on when they first met him.
Leo looked worse than he had when they first witnessed what was happening to him.
A mist had gathered on their brother's body and his breathing was very shallow, so quick that his chest tightened with each breath. He groaned and turned his head, completely unaware of what was actually happening around him.
Mikey wished he had his nunchucks on him, but all their weapons had been taken while they were out. The orange-clad turtle felt like pounding what was left of Baxter Stockman into a pulp. And if he felt like that, he could only imagine what Raph must be wanting to do.
Stockman must've been aware of their thoughts for he keyed in some sort of code on a panel by their cell before opening it. Mikey felt an unusually strong tug at his wrists and ankles before he, along with his brothers, were sent flying to the walls, where they were stuck. Donny muttered something about ultra-magnets.
The force field disappeared and Stockman pushed Leo inside, then quickly stepped out and keyed in another code. The force field returned and the three of them were dropped to the ground, immediately going over to their elder brother.
Safe behind the reestablished force field, Stockman smiled. "He's been out for only fifteen minutes. You're not going to like watching this." He said, and then left.
They turned their attention back to Leo, who let out a small cry with what little breath he had.
And that was when Mikey realized that Stockman hadn't been kidding when he'd said that.
&&&&&
Eighty-eight memories for eighty-eight voices. This was why they were screaming.
He couldn't take it. That was the last sane thought he could come up with. His mind was preoccupied with images that didn't belong to him.
-a dark alleyway, all sorts of trash littered in its path. Two small little hands picking up a candy wrapper, taking what chocolate was left and licking the sugar off of it for some means of food. Being slammed into the wall and turned around to face a much bigger boy with a stick. The stick being stuck down his throat, making him vomit what he'd just taken-
-forced to the floor in a room lit only by candles, but by no means comforting. Feeling the hands of an 'uncle' stroking her face, feeling her bruised body. The mirror to the right revealing the face of a young, blond girl, fear written in her eyes as he held her down-
-fiery hallways, smoke filling her lungs as she searched harder, fighting her way through the other orphans who were trying to get out. The door to her baby brother's room, the doorknob that burnt her hands as she drove it open. Flames that assaulted her face as she entered the room, moving aside and exposing the face of a little boy crying in pain as he burnt to death-
-running on the docks, trying to get away from the man with the knife. The twenty dollar clutched in his hands, the only way the boy would be able to make it through the week without starving. Being pushed against the side of a boat, facing the gang member. The blade entering his stomach. Falling into the cold water, going down deeper-
-screams as the man with the gun fired a round into the abdomen of the man sitting in the chair. Watching him take the gun to an older boy in blue scrubs that had her eyes, then the woman in the white lab coat with her hair. Trying not to give herself away as their blood fell on her hands and tangled with her long black hair-
-her boyfriend sticking a needle into her arm, releasing the drugs into her by force as he felt her out. The back of his car, loud music playing. First him on top of her, then his friend. Then another and another and-
This was why they were screaming. This was why he was screaming.
And it was getting colder.
&&&&&
Don hated not being able to do anything, though he was sure Raph hated it more.
Only another ten minutes had passed and already Leo looked half-dead. His skin was no longer his regular, healthy shade of green, but a mottled gray. You could see his breath now too, coming out slower now and in icy puffs. Donny kept his finger on Leo's throat, measuring his pulse, even though there was a small computer on the slab of metal that measured it, along with his brain waves.
Behind him, he could hear Michaelangelo crying softly as the digits went slowly from eight beats a minute, to five, to two.
Looking at his older brother, Donny could tell he was trying to hold on, but failing at the same time.
And then, there was no burst of cold air from the blue-clad turtle's lung to signify he was breathing. And Don no longer felt the weak drum of a pulse beneath his fingertips. According to the computer monitoring Leo's vitals, his heart had stopped.
Don felt the eyes of both Raph and Mikey on him. He didn't say anything, just watched the screen monitoring Leo's brain waves, which were still going strong. Somehow, although he was supposed to be dead, he was still in the midst of his nightmare.
Mikey really started sobbing then. Raph was yelling all sorts of obscenities in Stockman's direction, but he too looked like he was going to break down soon.
Five minutes later, Donny got them to calm down enough to look at Leo's vitals. The brainwaves hadn't slowed down at all.
And as long as they were going, Leo still might have a chance.
&&&&&
He lay gasping on the floor, the screams still going. Finally, the memories desisted. But they were still burnt in his memory, one sticking out in particular…
If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn that there was a small area in the darkness that wasn't so black anymore. It looked like a light hangin from a ceiling.
And then something else happened. One of the screams stopped, like the ones that had when they were telling him something. He thought he saw something else hanging over his vision, but more tan colored.
He could feel her fingers on his arm. It was a girl who had stopped screaming. But when she spoke, it sounded like she'd been crying so hard she'd been left out of breath.
Her voice was sorrowful, yet astonished. "Leo? Oh God, don't tell me he got you."
Leo froze and the screams seemed to fade a little bit with the shock of what he'd just heard.
"Sil?"
&&&&&
How's that for a cliffhanger?
Sorry that I didn't have very much dialogue this chapter, but I was hurrying to get to this last part. I was going to tell you guys before you found out why they screamed, but it wasn't going to be this chapter. I just couldn't stop writing!
It was longer! Be happy!
So how was it? Not too bad, I hope. I don't think I put enough thought into the middle of this chapter. Sorry.
Please review! I'll try to get another chapter up soon!