Chapter 3

This wasn't the first time he'd had this particular nightmare, though each time felt more surreal than the last. He'd seen images flicker vividly around him on repeat, like they were telegraphed to him through a blurry screen. He'd hear voices, echoing through a long tunnel until they were warped further and further into unclarity. And every time he did, he'd try to follow it. Reach toward the chaos in the darkness surrounding his field of vision, seeking the answers his subconscious was trying to give him, whatever they may be. But every time he went closer, it was like he hit a brick wall. Unable to move or even make a sound.

He felt water reach over his angles, colder and colder, the surface of the tunnels smooth bricks hitting his face. He'd try to open his eyes, managing a weak gaze that drifted off to the silhouettes yelling around him. There were so many of them, swallowing all he could see, sounds of blades clashing in the distance. He wanted to help. Wanted to do something, but it was like everything around him protested against the idea.

"Get up! Come on!" someone begged him, and he could feel how desperate the voice seemed, but the pain was too much. His head felt like it was on fire, spreading, bleeding… clawing at his mind.

"Remember… please…" something oddly familiar sounded inside him. He just didn't recognize it anymore, despite the fact that the voice was his own.

And he tried. He really did. Whatever it was he'd forgotten, he knew it was important, he just couldn't figure out why. Couldn't break through the wall. He'd lie there for what felt like days, the fog surrounding him, coolness turning into a cataclysm that unraveled as different colors filled his mind. Reddish, greenish hues vanishing as he blacked in and out. Someone dragging him, the sudden slash in his skull going numb as his entire body started to jag like a thousand volts of electricity shot though him at once.

"You're not doing this to me again-"

Green eyes looked back at him for just a moment. And then all at once, they were gone. Whisked away like dust never to be seen again. He tried to reach out to him again, to the person in his mind so eager to bring him back to reality, and then all at once it was like he tumbled inward. Falling towards gravity and all laws of physics into the fog. He turned around, panic swelling up inside him. He couldn't see anything, walking around frantically searching for a way out. Calling out to someone, anyone, but he was all alone. All by himself, shivering, fear overwhelming every single thing around him. His hands felt all wrong, along with his skin, his hair, his heart… everything was just wrong. Something wasn't right, he knew it, he just couldn't understand what it was. The pain in his skull, it made him bundle up and close his eyes. "I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm gonna be okay-

Then a hand fell over his shoulder. Soft, calming… he knew this hand. He let it embrace him, holding him tighter as tears welled up inside him.

"My son… " the familiar voice whispered, and for a moment it was like he was home again. Just a moment.

That's when the hands grip suddenly transformed into claws, cutting through his skin and tearing him into pieces as he struggled to escape the shadows crying out for help.

"Fear nothing"

All he heard was screaming, sweat on his forehead as he opened his eyes only to come to the horrifying realization that-

he was on the floor… Again... and it hurt. His chin taking a solid smack to the carpet, all the while his elbow accidentally banged into the wooden desk as he turned himself over. Falling from the bed- that never stopped being fun, he thought. Leo begrudgingly untangled his duvet and checked the time. 01:29 am. Typical. He'd given up on trying to go back to sleep ages ago, even if he somehow wanted to reenter the never-ending nightmares that plagued him every night. Instead, he decided to go down to the kitchen, grabbed a juice box and wiped the sweat off his brow, yawning his way to the living room.

The lights were still on when he entered. It seemed the good policeman was still at work, a habit he'd made very apparent these last few weeks. Leo walked over to the table, where just like yesterday and the day before, a stack of files lay spread out in a messy pile of police reports and old pens. Taking a closer look, he noticed the small corner of a map sticking out from underneath. Now this wasn't very unusual, though that still didn't stop Leo's curiosity from sorting through the papers one after the other. And as fate would have it, he wasn't wrong, starring down at an outline of several different locations spread out on the city map. As far as he could tell, the only spots marked was from around downtown. Not very recent, but the weird thing was that all of the marks had been drawn very recently. He remembered, given he'd borrowed the map yesterday to find his way to the doctor's office. And as far as he could tell, none of the locations had anything to do with Leo's from three months ago.

Digging into the pile, he worriedly looked over his shoulder- praying that his ward wouldn't unexpectedly quit his all-nighter and return to see Leo's unapologetic prying into his work. But with his patience wearing thin and the ache in his forehead still pounding away, he almost felt like the old man had it coming. He really hated secrets. But mostly all he could find was scribbled up notes and names having no connection. Some lined over and others circled around very matter of factly, leaving Leo to wonder if any of this was useful information, or the ward's way of using policework as a coping mechanism. But the more and more he found, the more and more his nerves started to twitch, folder after folder pulling on his strings as he realized something. That liar.

This… this wasn't his case. In fact, it was so much not his case that Leo was compelled to grab his jacket and boots from the hangar, before he hurried down the hallway in quick steps and out into the night.

And though he was too busy storming down the stairs to hear it, as he slammed the door- the light thump of a katana-holster usually hidden away by coats and boxes could be heard falling over in the empty hallway.

Though a bar of all places wasn't necessarily an unconventional place to talk in private, Donnie still couldn't help but question how smart it would be for them to enter one as minorities. Probably the reason why his brother urged them to keep their hoods on. In truth this was the first time he'd entered one, and if it wasn't for the day's events, he might've showed a bit more awe at this new experience. But as it stood, the young ninja remained mostly flabbergasted, though admittedly relived to find Raph of all people at the warehouse. Or maybe relived wasn't the right word, granted he was nearly killed with an alien powered voltage when their paths crossed. Though on the positive side, if it wasn't for that, Donnie might've not been able to pinpoint his location in time had he not been nearly toasted alive. So, there was that at least.

Donnie still couldn't stop starring at his brother when they sat on the lower end of the bar table in the corner of the room. Human Raph was… a lot to take in. Sure, he still sounded like Raph. Donnie could unmistakably recognize his fighting like that of Raph, not to mention his sai's were just as tethered as the ones he'd always used. Then there was his temper, his insults, and his impressive ability to survive close encounters with death- something any other civilian would surely not recover from as easily. And while all of that remained true to the big brother he knew and tolerated, seeing him in this new form was just… weird.

He wore tattered clothes that looked like it hadn't been washed for days. He had bruises up and down his face and knuckles and his lips were as dry as ricecakes. His dark red hair wasn't all that surprising as it matched his tone quite well, though Donnie couldn't help but wonder how it was possible for the mutagen to spark such a rapid change in molecules. When the young scientist looked in the mirror, he'd usually see at least a hint of sensei's human features, which would make sense given that's how it usually operated. Mixing the original DNA with the new chain from the previous organism the victim touched.

So, how in the shell did that result in Raph being ginger?!

As said before, weird. Even more so, considering the last thing Raph wanted to do was make the change in the first place. Donnie wasn't even sure his brother would be able to go through with it after they split up, panicking at the thought of him and Mikey being the only ones who took the pill.

And yet here they were. Both human. Both out in the open. No more shadows to hide in and no more people running away screaming at the sight of them. Donnie couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty though… sure, Raph's irrational believe that being human would somehow be a bad thing, still baffled him to some degree. But given their current circumstances, Donnie also couldn't help but feel a little bit bad too, basically forcing his big brother to have to make that decision when he made it very clear he didn't want to. Though this wouldn't be the first time for Raph to initially hate something or someone before eventually warming up to them. Just look at Karai and Casey, he thought. Maybe this was like that too, he silently hoped, fiddling with his hands as if he was aggressively trying to subdue an itch. Maybe Raph was happy in his new state of being- tattered clothes and burning flesh aside. At least, the way he looked at Donnie right now could indicate either. Raph was fiddling with the tip of his blades underneath the table, looking at his younger brother who had no idea what you say.

And luckily, he didn't have to.

"That gap-tooth just won't go away no matter what happens, huh?" Raph finally said, same casual tone as the brother Donnie knew from three months ago. It was strange to Donnie how much even Raph's mocking had become something he'd actually really missed, granted his brother probably irked with millions of different questions right about now- the most important one probably not being about his teeth.

"Well, theoretically, just because the purple mutagen is still unpredictable, that probably doesn't mean it can cure something as specific as diastema, Raph."

His brother let out a chilled laugh and leaned back, arms crossed, "So, it really is you, Donnie. Hard to believe."
"I think hard to believe is an understatement. What happened to you? I mean- are you really… you you? Where have you been all this time?"

"What do you mean where I've been? Where've you've been?! I thought for sure you'd track us down sooner or later! Lost your mojo or something?"

"Well, at least I'm not dressed like a street thug!" Donnie challenged, carefully avoiding the word hobo as a means to describe his appearance.
"And you're just as dumb-looking as you've always been. Though, gotta admit- the human look…. kinda suits you"

Both brothers seemed to have to take a double check.

"Did the mutagen warp your brain? Or was that actually a compliment?"

"Just forget it!" Raph scuffed, red in the face. His eyes studied the corner of the table anxious to look away. Though not out of embarrassment exactly. It wasn't hard to tell his brother had something on his mind, something of which Donnie knew all too well, was about to explode out of him any second now. And rightfully so, Raph soon enough turned his attention back to the young scientist before he could even open his mouth in protest.

"Look, Donnie it's great to see you and all. Really, it is! It's just… when the lair was… compromised and all... I just can't figure out, I mean- with all of the surface tech up here, I still can't quite wrap my head 'round the whole, you know… not being able to track us down thing. So... what's the deal?"

"Well, it's not like I didn't try. I did look for you! All of you, I just couldn't quite-"

"Yeah, well you didn't exactly make it any easier for us! Man, I told you guys this was a bad idea!"

"I know! I know…" he sighed, recalling their very last conversation that night.

If there was one thing Donnie felt notorious for, it was solving problems. He was always the guy with the answers, the right tools, the one who fixed everything every time without fail. It made sense why Raph would've relied on him when they couldn't find each other- as a matter of fact, Donnie was sure the others had too. That after the mutation, he'd somehow be able to find his brothers by whatever means necessary. He was a human now, so it wasn't as if resources were that hard to come by anymore, but even so, he had no clue where to even start. No time to properly research the ooze and no discernable knowledge as to what components he could use to actually find his brothers in their new state of being.

But they'd probably thought so anyway and that's what mattered in the end. Waited for him to come reunite them with some tech-tracking device or science trick up his sleave like he'd always done. The difference between then and now, however, was that Donnie was by himself for the first time in his life, with nothing to connect him to his family. No T-phones, no DNA traces, just as scared of the new world they'd entered as his brothers probably were when they woke up. In basic terms: He'd failed. Failed to find them, failed to find out what the foot was up to, failed to do anything worthwhile other than cleaning floors and fixing pipes.

When he first saw Raph, he nearly didn't believe it. After all, it wouldn't be the first time for his mind to play tricks on him whenever he encountered someone about his age on the streets with the same hardened attitude. He recalled going around for week on end, embarrassingly walk up to strangers using code words and personal phrases to somehow locate them without having to utter their name in case the foot was listening.

Needless to say, it didn't go over that well.

"Look, I'm sorry. I should've told you about the mutagen when I had the chance. Maybe if we'd had more time to discuss it beforehand, things wouldn't have gone so-"

"Catastrophically wrong in every way possible?"

"Yeah" Donnie couldn't help but lower his gaze, his voice deep in his throat. "Raph, I'm sorry"

For a while it seemed as if both brothers didn't really now what to say, though Donnie's genuine apology did seem to make Raph a lot less tense than before. Not that this was an unusual thing, as a matter of fact, Donnie had grown a lot humbler ever since the invasion, for better or for worse. In a way he'd always been like this, not being immune to self-doubt despite being 'the guy with all the answers' and it was something he'd really admired about his little brother. The ability to be so sure of himself even when he was wrong. Maybe something he'd even envied. Raph knew how much Leo's condition had weighed on his conscience ever since back then and how easily his little brother was to second guess himself more frequently afterwards as a result. It wasn't exactly a change he was too fond of, especially not in a crisis, but he still appreciated the gesture coming from Donnie. Raph knew he was right of course, as he'd told himself over and over again these last few months, but hearing it from someone else for once, really was as satisfying as he'd anticipated. Unnecessary, but satisfying.

"Let me guess, Leo made you, didn't he?" he finally said, Donnie's silence answering for him. He still sometimes wondered what would've happened, had it been Raph that walked into his lab that day and not Leo. Maybe things wouldn't have been all that different.

After a minute or two he sighed, shaking his head like a disappointed parent. "Why am I not surprised…"

"He did it to protect us"

"No, he did it because he's too stubborn to admit I was right!"

"He probably thought it was the right thing too, at the time. I mean come on, you know how Leo is. He always tries to keep us safe, even if he can be a jerk about it sometimes. And we weren't exactly in the best of positions last time." Donnie reminded him sternly, the memory of their fight in the lab still echoing in his mind.

"Yeah, well maybe that's the problem. If he'd just consulted us in the first place-

"no one said being sensei is a walk in the park. Cut him some slack. Either way, you can yell at him all you want once we actually find him."

"If we find him." Raph interjected bitterly, cutting the underside of the table with his sai, before Donnie hastily grabbed it out of his hands. Luckily, the Japanese war instrument seemed to escape the bartender's eyes just in the nick of time. Man, it's like he wants to get arrested!

"Of course, we'll find him"

"It's been months. Months and he hasn't shown. Not even Mikey or Casey. Don't you think they'd at least have an easier time making themselves noticeable if they were out searching for us? No, something happened to them. I'm sure of it"

Donnie hated to admit it, but Raph did have a point. Even he was dead certain that the infamous Casey Jones would at least have made an appearance not long after the turtles had vanished, but if not even Raph had heard from him all this time, maybe there really was something wrong. Though honestly, he felt worse for the foot having to deal with him than the other way around. Casey was an unpredictable loose cannon, annoying as hell and a reckless idiot with next to no thought behind his actions, but even Donnie refused to believe any bars could hold him. If anything, he was one of the few people they knew able to take care of himself, no problem. So, why hadn't they seen him? It would at least make sense why Raph would be the first one to seek out the vigilante, mutant or not, but as more and more criminals roamed the streets, the more dangerous it seemed to be a friend of the turtles.

"Is that why you were at the warehouse?" Donnie recalled, eyeing the bruise on Raph's neck probably caused by the strange metal rod the foot carried.

"No. I was just… nothing. It was just a wrong place, right time kinda deal, ya know? Truth be told, I was kinda hoping you'd know where they are"

"I'm sorry, but no dice. Yesterday I picked up a signal though. See, I've been tracking the foots movements these last few weeks using the same frequency and distorted lineal waves to boost the emp on the broken radio they left in the lair, but they keep switching locations so it's hard to keep up. And since trying to fight an army of foot-bots in an untrained human body is probably not the best idea, let's just say I've had to lay low for a while."

"Mind skipping to the part where I should actually care?"

"Oh, yeah! Sorry. Anyway- Yesterday, I secured a safe line to one of the bases, that being the warehouse, and get this: they said they were after orange. "

It didn't take more than a second before he caught on, a mix of hope and worry in his already weary human gaze, "Michelangelo."

"See, that's what I thought! After all, it would make sense for them to go for our masks now that we're human since they can't use our DNA anymore to track us. Really should've thought about that before we changed, actually, hehe... Yeah, that ones on me"

"But that doesn't make any sense- HOW would they know we're still alive then? I thought the whole point was so that they couldn't track us!" Raph nearly knocked over his glass, banging his fist in the desk as the bartender send both boys a death glare in the sudden commotion. Yep, it's Raphael alright…

"Well, technically yes, but there's a big difference between thinking we perished and knowing we used their own weapon to stay hidden in public. Meaning, someone must've figured it out and told them, but how and why exactly, I have no idea."

"Great! Just perfect! Exactly what we needed! Man, I told you guys this was a terrible idea!"

It seemed people had begun to turn their heads in their general direction just as the boys began raising their voices. Discretion was clearly not in their favor anymore Donnie thought, his mind starting to ponder worst case scenarios.

"Would you just quit it?! I don't think they quite heard your screaming on the twentieth floor! And need I remind you, being discreet from now on, might be a good idea if we don't wanna get blown to pieces!" he hissed, forcing Raph to look around by once again not so discretely grabbing him by the face. It took him five solid breaths and a good chug from his glass before he finally calmed down and reevaluated the information.

"Okay so, our masks… you're saying they're using them to track us down?"

"If I were to guess, yeah"

Another sigh escaped Raph's mouth as he dug his hand down into his coat. "That at least explains why they went after this" he said, placing the ragged blue mask in the young ninja's hands. It didn't take a genius to figure out that most likely wasn't a good sign.

"But that's, Leo's… why do you have that?" Donnie asked, unable to take his eyes off of the blood stain soaked into the fabric. His hands were still shaking when he turned back to meet his brothers guilt written frown. "Raph, what exactly happened to you that night?"

"Well, let's just say things didn't exactly go to plan. After we took the pill, I tried to get us out of the tunnels, but there were too many to barge through. Leo was out cold, I didn't know left from right, and the next thing I know my shell's on fire. I black out, wake up in a ditch, no sign of him."

"You think they took him?"

"What else?"

Donnie tried to gather his thoughts, even if the crippling feeling in his stomach didn't make it any easier for him to think positively. He tried to circle back, his mind doing a rerun as he clung onto the blue fabric in his lap as if it would somehow help him focus. He recalled the explosion, the masses of foot soldiers storming the lair from left and right at random, while they scurried towards the exits.

When Leo received that blow to his head, they'd all been sure he wasn't going to make it out of the tunnels by himself. So, when he somehow managed to come back on his feet and continue fighting, Donnie had assumed Leo's head trauma would only worsen the more and more enemies started attacking. It wouldn't be surprising in the slightest if he'd already been captured, whether it be by succumbing to his injuries or worse, killed in the effort.

But it was weird because the thought hadn't even occurred to Donnie until Raph voiced it, making the idea that after all this time their big brother had perished, an even more unwelcoming thought. No, he simply refused to believe it.

And he knew Raph couldn't possibly believe it either.

"Well, it's still Leo we're talking about. He's tough. I'm sure he'll be okay, wherever he is. And even if they did capture him, he probably escaped somehow. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time"

"And what about Mikey? You got him out of the tunnels, right?"

Donnie suddenly lost all ability to speak. What could he say? No, instead I abandoned him like a coward and probably left him to die? That was the truth, wasn't it? What would Raph even think? He relied on me, and I failed. Again… What would he say if he knew that Donnie had no idea where their little brother was? What happened to him? They both knew Mikey was a force to be trifled with, and as Sensei once put it, one of the most skilled ninjas of all time. He could take care of himself, sure.

But that still didn't erase the guilt Donnie felt for leaving him that night. Call it an older-brother's intuition, but one of the things that had weighed most these last few months wasn't just the uncertainty of his brothers whereabouts, but whether or not he could've stopped it if he hadn't left.

"Right?"

Snapping back to reality Donnie didn't think twice when answering, sure he would regret it later, "Yeah, yeah. I got him out. But no sign of him either when I woke up"

Raph sighed, clearly disappointed, "Figures… He shouldn't be too hard to find though. Have you tried going to a rooftop and shout free pizza? Usually works"

"You're not funny"

And though he meant that, it was all too late to hide his flashing grin at the remark. Now that he thought about it, why haven't we just tried that? Then we'll turn on a massive projector showcasing the exclusive episodes of Space Heroes and there you go! We'll have them running in no time. Its genius.

"Shame, I thought for sure that would've worked." Raph chuckled, sipping the remnants of his drink as both boys, perhaps without realizing, settled into their usual small talk. "So, what did you do then? I mean, besides showing off your new exterior to April?"

"WHA-? I did not! You're just jea- THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HER!"

"Really now?"

Donnie blushed. If he wasn't so eager to prove he wasn't as much of a love-sick puppy as he used to be, he might've made an actual effort not to raise his voice, the more surrounding guests seemingly beginning to take notice. Raph on the other hand, only seemed to find it all the more amusing.

"And for your information, I haven't seen her. You know we'd only bring her in danger too. We can't get her involved. It's safer for her if I- if we just stay away…" he explained, the last words turning into a regretful murmur.

That's when Raph nearly knocked over his chair as he suddenly sprang on his feet.

"Are you serious?! You spend years crushing on this girl and as soon as you're not in the sewer anymore you don't even have the guts to tell her? Come on D!"

"Will you just stop it? It's not like that!" he hissed, anxiously waving for Raph to sit back down.
"I thought for sure you'd go to her first chance you'd get, I mean are you kidding?! They've only started going after us yesterday, but you could've told her way back in August! If you haven't been crashing with the O'neils all this time, where the shell have you been?"

People started talking. Donnie was convinced they must either think they're crazy, be tempted to call the police or both at the same time. He bit his lip, looked at the time and just as he was about to answer, got an idea. Raph still stood expectantly aback when Donnie quickly paid for his water, grabbed his coat and started dragging his brother towards the back entrance. The sooner they got out of that bar, the better.

"I'll show you. I need to grab some of my gear anyway, then we can follow the foot to Mikey's location"

"Where are we going? Wait- what about Leo?"

"Right now, their main objective is Mikey, so we have to hurry. I can probably use the emp signal to locate one of the foots datasets. All I need is to hack one of the bots database, like I was going to before you showed up-

"Oh, well do excuse me, I'll scream a little more silently next time!"

-and figure out where they located him before coming to the warehouse. Maybe Leo too" Donnie finished, as they stepped out into the night.

"Sounds like a plan" he said, swinging his sais expectantly in his hands. Wherever Raph thought they were going, Donnie hoped his brother wouldn't get too disappointed.

"We'll also need to fix you up. I have some painkillers you can use, but that's all I got"

"I'm fine. You really think a little zap is enough to bring me down? Come on, Donnie"

Someone hasn't changed in the slightest. They didn't get two steps towards the nearest fire escape, before Donnie started climbing first, all the while smugly uttering the word: "Cockroach"

"What?! WHERE? AAARGH!"

The sound of Raph falling flat on his butt never failed to send Donnie cackling with laughter. As a matter of fact, if it wasn't for the view of his brother's mask hanging crookedly over his spikey red hair, then the sight of Raph's fists tightening in the very eager urge to beat Donnie to a pulp, would probably be more intimidating.

"Yeah, you're definitely fine"

"Okay, point taken! Come on" he murmured, accepting the hand Donnie held out when they found themselves on the rooftop, New York shimmering with life all around them. Just like the good old days. Both brothers were just about to take their first leap across the building, when Donnie suddenly had a realization.

"Raph, did…did you dye your hair?"

An almost inhuman sound escaped his brother in that moment, which subsequently was enough to convince him that yes it was indeed not a sideeffect of the purple mutagens molecular reconstruction.

"Wha-no! I just thought- Look can we just go already?!"

"Don't feel bad! I knew you'd show your true colors eventually- OUCH!"

Instantly followed by Donnie taking a massive smack to the back of his head.

It didn't take long for Hopkins to realize his suspicions about this case being way out of his depth was proven right. After the research assistant handed him back the DNA sample from the throw star's fingerprint, he was left completely baffled by the results. Or that is to say- lack thereof. Apparently, whoever threw this thing didn't appear to match anyone in New York. The archive had been looked through front and back, but with nothing to show for it. Layton blamed it on the laboratory, claiming that something must've gone all messed up with the analysis messing up the data. Either that, or someone among them really didn't want the results to come out, but Hopkins didn't buy it for one second. Lord knew he'd had enough conspiracy theories for one lifetime.

It doesn't make any sense, he pondered, frustratingly rubbing the side of his head, as if that would somehow provide him with the answers he was seeking. It had to belong to somebody. And whoever they were, apparently, they were in league with a gang capable of taking down the purple dragons empty handed. Though Hopkins never in his career encountered a gang doing their job for them. Not that he didn't appreciate the gesture.

"That symbol…" he thought, analyzing the figure in his mind, trying to figure it out. Because something though he didn't know what, told him he'd seen it once before, but where? He tapped at his desk, chucking down the last remaining coffee, and then proceeded to make his way to the lab again.

Now, it wasn't out of the ordinary for Hopkins to reach his conclusions a little earlier than others. Perhaps that was also why most of his colleagues didn't hold him in such a high regard. It didn't exactly bother Hopkins that he wasn't well-appreciated, nobody was perfect after all, but it did however give him the occasional feeling of scorn every time he wandered the halls. Most people sparing him a quick glance before turning back to their work and leaving it there, making his habit of isolating himself in his office all the more appealing right now. The manner of some people…

"Mr. Hopkins?"

He was just about to round the corner, when Tom from intelligence stopped him dead in his tracks. "I believe this is yours" he said, passively shoving a teenager towards the officer who was anything but relieved at this.

It was none other than the young Leo, his second case of the month- looking very angry and very like he's supposed to be in bed right now and very much not supposed to be at the police station at this hour. "Do you have any idea what time it is? I'm working, Leo. Go home"

"Well, apparently I'm not the only one having trouble sleeping lately"

Hopkins let out a heavy sigh. Figuring the kid wouldn't leave that easily, stubborn little runt, he instead handed over the throw star, giving clear instructions to run an analysis on the symbol, while he took care of it. He begrudgingly grabbed the kid by the shoulder, leading him back to the office as the staff made weird glances in his direction. Apparently babysitting wasn't in most people's minds when trying to solve a double homicide on the workday. At least, that's how Hopkins saw it.

"What are you doing here? Can't you see I'm busy?" he sighed, sorting through his documents for anything that wouldn't require him to look directly at the kid. When he didn't answer, the cop caught his eyes darting towards the floor. An easy tell to whenever there was something upsetting him. "Don't tell me. Those nightmare's again giving you a hard time?"

"No, I just… I couldn't get to sleep. That's all"

"So, by taking the subway all the way over here, you figured I could help with that? How old were you supposed to be again? Sixteen? Seventeen? I mean I know you're a teenager, but I at least figured you'd be able to keep your sleeping habits in check a little bit better."

Leo had stuck both his hands down his pockets, frowning. His dark hair was swept all over his face, framing his almond blue eyes in what Hopkins could only guess to be a vague attempt to hide his anger. However, every time he did, that little vein in his forehead would usually make the giant scar underneath his bandages start to hurt all over again.

"You haven't even looked at my case" he muttered, audibly enough to just be able to hear it. Hopkins wasn't even surprised anymore. Leo was a curious one, ever since he'd taken him in about a months ago, but since the overworked cop hadn't been in his apartment for so long, that made him all the more prone to occasionally forget the runt was even there. It was a given really, that Leo wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself, Hopkins just hadn't anticipated tonight to be when he finally admitted it to his face.

Hopkins let out yet another sigh, rubbing his brow before turning his attention back to the kid taking up his worktime, "Snooping around in my work again, I see"

"It's been weeks! And I remember, I remember because you said in a few weeks' time, you'd have figured something out by now. That this was easy and now you're working on another case, aren't you? How do you plan on figuring this one out, if you're not even paying attention?"

"Hey, don't think I'm doing this for fun!" Hopkins snapped, pointing his finger as Leo desperately tried to calm himself before he'd explode.

"I'm not! I just think that maybe you should focus a little more on doing your job, instead of spending them on paperwork-

"You want food on the table, or not? Believe me, kid-
"Leo"

"If I wanted to, you'd be right back in that hospital before you could even blink. I'm doing you a favor here. You don't have to like the way I'm doing things, but did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe there were more important things circling around in this city than you?"

Leo opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately decided against it, his eyes darting back down to his shoelaces messily tied into little nots as if he'd never tied a shoe before. Hopkins struck a nerve and they both knew it, though the cop couldn't exactly pinpoint why exactly. In truth, neither of them was very good at reading the other, and part of that didn't just stem from the fact that Leo was a lost kid with a bump on his head.

Hopkins had offered Leo a roof over his head, so he didn't have to spend every day in the recovery room surrounded by nurses and crazy people. Though back then, the gesture had seemed to come mostly out of generosity than practicality. Hopkins had the extra space and Leo was too desperate to get out of the hospital bed to really argue with the idea. Then there was also, of course, the promise of help from a qualified cop seemingly capable of bringing him back to his family, wherever they were. But as time went on, and no one called in for him, the strange circumstances of Leo's assault become more and more complicated.

The missing parents' case no one, but Hopkins wanted to take.

Neither of them really knew how to talk to each other, even now. While Leo was constantly stuck wandering to doctor appointment after doctor appointment trying to regain his memories, Hopkins was faced with a teenager showing even more patience and determination than himself taking up a third of his home. Even if he wasn't around much of it, Leo had made it very clear that he was capable of taking care of himself, even preparing food for the officer before he came home or vacuuming the living room every once in a while. Like his own guardian in a weird way.

It didn't make any sense why anybody would abandon him, given he presumably had a decent upbringing- not even his lack of memories could change that. And then there was of course the mystery of who attacked him and why. But for someone like Hopkins, finally getting a real case in several years made it even harder for him to admit, that this was one he couldn't seem to crack, no matter how hard he tried. No, getting the kid out of his living space once and for all, seemed to get more and more difficult as even Leo started to lose his patience.

"Then let me help"

"Excuse me?" Hopkins only just now snapped out of his thoughts, Leo meeting his eyes again. He'd even managed to take his hands out of his pockets, so the officer knew the kid was actually serious.

"You can't wrap your head around this, fine."

"Who said anything about me not being able to wrap my head aro-

"But I can't just stay at home doing nothing all day! Please, let me come with you. Let me help too or just anything useful! I can do this!"

Hopkins didn't even try to hide his laughter, even if he wanted to. This kid was dead serious.
"Not for nothing, but I don't think busting Purple Dragon skull is a job for a teenager"

Rolling his eyes, Leo persisted eagerly, "Not that, but what if, I dunno, those marks are somehow connected to where they found me? Just think about it. I mean it follows the same pattern, doesn't it? What if I recognize them, or- or I've been there before and maybe that's the key to jugging my memories? Either way, it's worth a shot, don't you think?"

Hopkins was starting to wonder what they put in those pills at the clinic.

"Eh, hello? You any idea how nuts this sound?" he started, genuinely impressed that someone his age was able to decipher his outlines so easily. That didn't change the facts though. Even if Leo was somehow convinced that going after the Purple Dragon's would somehow help his case. Unless he'd somehow agreed to house a gangster these last few weeks, instead of the house cleaning, space loving runt in front of him, he couldn't see what added babysitting to his portfolio would accomplish.

"Did you forget? Whether any of us like it or not, you're still my responsibility until custody decides what to do with you. And you're not going anywhere but straight back to your room."
"With all due respect, sir, but I don't think you can stop me"

Hopkins felt the weight of five nights without sleep slowly eating away at his sanity. "You need your meds, Leo, not being roughed up by a gang of thugs in an alley."

"And you need to stop making promises if you're not going to keep them!"

"Eh, Mr. Hopkins?"

"What!?" both shouted, almost at each other's noses. Tom stood hesitatingly in the doorway, making both wonder just how long he'd stood there in the first place. If their little argument had reached the entire floor, which to be fair, wouldn't be all that surprising.

"The analysis, sir" he said, handing over the papers as Hopkins tried to remember what they were for, in the first place. And that's when all of a sudden, his own ego stirred, the information on the black and white lines beginning to click in his brain. I knew I'd seen that symbol before…! but how's that even… It doesn't add up, unless maybe…

Hopkins tried to calm his thoughts as they vibrated frantically in his mind like volts of electricity. The Hamato clan's crest. It was the same symbol on the katana the police found on Leo's back that day all those months ago. Hopkins remembered it, because he was given the damn thing as a stowaway in case the kid's parents reached out on their own. Since that never happened, and criminal activity became more and more active around the city, the police officer had almost forgotten about it completely. But now it made sense. Or, maybe sense wasn't the right word, given the term 'ninjas' running rampant in New York made it pretty difficult for him to believe that this was anything less than a prank. But the intel checked out.

What didn't check out was the fact that assumedly the last Hamato heir was allegedly killed in a fire, years ago, along with his wife and daughter. No one heard of the clan ever since… completely vanished all since the early 1990s…. so why would they return now? What reason would they have to be involved? In a different country nonetheless and with absolutely no foreseeable ties to the Purple Dragons. It didn't make any sense… especially not considering the DNA test was a flunk, meaning whoever threw the star was either very good on sanitizer or there was something else going on. But either way, Leo was a part of this now, whether Hopkins liked it or not. And if he knew something about it, then he had no choice, though it pained him to admit it.

His trail of thought was temporarily put on hold however, when he saw Leo halfway out the door, and he had to kick himself not to let him leave the office after all.

"Leo,"

"I'm going! I'm going-

"Will you just listen to me for a sec?"

I can't believe I'm doing this. It was ridiculous. Hopkins knew it, Tom probably also knew it, he hoped to god that Leo knew it because, if he was right about this, then that meant his intuition might actually prove to be the key to solving not only the Greenwich homicide, but Leo's missing parents case.

"Okay…. Fine. You can come with me on stakeout tomorrow, but that's it. Stay in the car and keep your trap shut or the deals off. You be out of that door at exactly seven am and no wining. Got it?"

As he said it, the kid's eyes seemed to light up like a Christmas tree. He could hardly believe it himself, "Are you serious….? You'll let me come with you?"

"Got it?!" Hopkins repeated, and just as he did it was like Leo automatically went into an almost ritual-like bow before he realized that he was doing it.

"Hai! I mean… understood. " Following this realization, he quickly straightened his back and nodded happily with the agreement. Hopkins on the other hand, was still pondering this new discovery with a spoon full of sceptic and a gut feeling he just couldn't shake.

"Now, go home, will ya? I'm busy as is and you need your sleep"

"Okay, I'll just… Thank you" he finally said, closing the door behind him as Hopkins sank into his chair still unable to fathom how big of a turn this case had taken, and definitely not in the middle-aged cop's favor.

"Don't mention it, kid"

"Dude, what the heck are you wearing?"

Simon stood in the hallway; arms crossed. He'd barely made it to his locker, before his journey to find his math books was unexpectantly interrupted by what he could only describe to be a wannabe detective in an oversized trench coat and fedora. It didn't take long though before he quickly recognized the lurking figure as Michelangelo, standing awfully still in the corner by the water fountain. He barely noticed he was there for a moment.

"S-Simon! Jeez bra, you scared the shell outta me!" he panted, nearly doing a summersault when he noticed his friend, straightening his back to meet his level. However, this proved to have no effect on the already one head taller kid who just continued to glare at him waiting patiently for an explanation. "Oh, this? Pretty cool right? Mr. R let me borrow it! Said it really… fits my vi-be… ya know? Hehe…."

The boy kept starring. They both knew Mikey was a really, really terrible liar.

"Okay, I might've taken it without permission…"

Simon let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead, "Because…?"

Mikey felt his hand reach involuntarily up to scratch the back of his head, before of course, he remembered the fedora over his curly hair further emphasizing the much-needed explanation he failed to provide. Where would he even start? Oh, yeah there's kinda this evil army of anti-foot ninjas trying to kill me and probably you too and everyone I love, so I have to hide my identity from now on- no big deal! It sounded nuts, even for him.

And the funny thing was, Mikey was certain that Simon would still take his words at face value even if he did tell him the truth. That's what really pulled him apart from everyone else Mikey had tried to befriend in his time as a human. Simon never questioned him, never made fun of him, just accepted him weirdness and all. He didn't care whether or not he believed in all the stuff Mikey spurred up on a daily basis, shell even Mikey couldn't blame him for that. But he always listened to him. Always.

Which also, unfortunately made keeping him in the dark even more painful than usual. His past was starting to catch up to him, and Mikey knew it. A fact that had made his snap decision to steal Mr. Robertson's overcoat this morning, feel even more like a desperate attempt to somehow escape the knowledge that he was no longer safe. At least, he was fairly sure that he wasn't safe… while Mikey did have a tendency of acting pretty paranoid at times, the foot soldier from last night told a different story. He knew what he saw. And if that wasn't enough, his ninja senses had been ticking all night through. And that's got to count for something.

"I was just ehhh…" Mikey frantically searched for a not-crazy explanation that somehow also tied into the 1940s Chicago detective disguise at the same time… needless to say, it wasn't easy.

"…. searching… for… "

And thus, his eyes picked the first thing they found.

"…charger? OF COURSE A CHARGER! Yeah! A charger. My phone's pretty dead so-

"You don't have a phone, Mikey"

"Oh… right"

He wanted to slap himself from forgetting, slowly coming to grips with the fact that this had already turned into a disaster. Where was Donnie when he needed him? Simon let out a sigh, trying by all means necessary not to lose too much composure. Something was obviously very wrong here and if it meant failing in math for the first time this semester, so be it. It was already too late to back out now,

"What's going on?"

Mikey looked like a criminal caught red handed. He even seemed paler than usual, sweat by the tip of brow as his eyes continued to sway behind Simons back at every turn, like he was looking at someone invisible. He tried to calm his nerves by jumping up and down like he'd usually done in the dojo, but all it really did was making him nearly trip in the coat's long fabric.

Should I just tell him? Warn him about the super pissed off master ninjas in emo pajamas? Come on, dude, it's Simon! Your friend! He'll understand he'll-

A thought entered Mikey's head.

-he'll see the monster you really are and run away screaming. Yeah okay… maybe Leo was right about something when he said to play it safe when facing 'uncertainties'.

"Look dude, can we just be… cool? Just for today? It's just something I gotta keep to myself right now, but I'll let you in on it, as soon as its safe, okay? I pinky swear it"

The pause that followed was nearly killing the young ninja. Finally, Simon's stoneheartened expression calmed into a smile, "Sheesh, another world-ending crisis again? God, they're getting more and more frequent these days. Sure you don't need my help?"

"Nah, it's all good. Thanks, but I got this"

"If you say so," the boy gave Mikey's hand a quick squeeze before walking back towards the classroom. He felt his cheeks tickle for a few moments and deciding that it was probably just his ninja senses kicking in, decided to follow his friend down the hallway just in case.

"Actually, maybe it is better to stick close. Just, to be sure"
"By the by, do you still have my glove? I think I forgot it after our daring race to the subway yesterday. You still didn't tell me what that was about-

"Oh, yeah. Sorry I'll bring it tomorrow"
"It's all good. Just a glove" Simon said, stopping the young ninja from taking the first step into class. Students where already starring and back talking everywhere they went, and Simon wished to god he had Mikey's fighting prowess to teach them a good lesson right about now. "So, not that I don't like your Humphrey Bogart spiel, but I don't know if the teachers are gonna take so kindly to you hiding your face under that thing. You're already on a streak from wearing that mask all the time, remember?"

Mikey's freckled face paled even more at this. "I didn't think about that… but hey, Martha Kingsley doesn't need that window seat, right?"

It turned out she did need that seat. Lack of C vitamin was apparently a very vital source of her condition, resulting in Mikey having to abandon the hat and sit in his regular seat by the door. A lot of the day went by like this, with Mikey being in what could only be described as a serious panic-mode. He checked every locker, every corner, every door and ventilation shaft wherever he went. Even the students around him didn't feel real anymore, and he'd been almost more than willing to sweep the leg of a few just out of suspicion. If it wasn't for Simon, he might've actually gone through with it. But alas, the school day ended, and Mikey hadn't encountered a single foot bot the entire day. He followed Simon to the bus, who was still slightly worried for his friend but respectful enough not to pry too much into what was going on yet. And though Mikey hated to keep his friend in the dark, he knew it would be much worse for both of them to indulge him in whatever the foot was cooking up right now.

But whatever it was, he new that it had got to be something involving his family, and he wouldn't have that. Not now, not ever. He kept the trench coat clung tight to his body as he walked down the streets of New York, imagining how it might've looked from above and memorizing the passage by way of his past patrols. It was still passed three when he found Chinatown, the restaurant Murakami owned standing exactly where it always was, longing for pizza rolls as his human nose was filled with delicious temptation. He had to fight his urge anyhow, and instead made his way to the nearest alley.

His eyes wandered toward the manhole cover longingly, before he ditched his coat and hat and folded it down into his backpack. He then fished up his beloved mask and nun chucks, readied his katas and climbed up the building as flashes of what Misses Robertson might do to him if she found out, entered his mind. He remembered her surprise every time she caught him doing acrobatics in his room, quickly followed by fear as she told him how dangerous it was to hang upside down from your top bunk doing push-ups. If only she knew the things he was really capable of, Mikey was sure she'd never let him out of the house again. The same way papa did whenever he'd get worried for him and his brothers… he wanted to tell her that he understood why she did it. That he knew she just did it to protect him because she didn't want him hurting himself...

But that didn't change the fact, that this was still something he had to do. Alone.

"OKAY METAL JERKS! HERE'S MIKEY! COME AND GET SOME SWEET DELICIOUS TURTLE PIE! NO CHARGE! I'M SERIOUS! YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT!"

In hindsight, maybe this plan wasn't completely thought out… He'd expected the foot to pop out first chance they got but Mikey was completely alone right now. Wearing his usual gear, ready for a fight, practically begging for anyone to show up. And as soon as they did, Mikey'd be the one getting some answers.

But after an hour of waiting, playing with his fingers, doing impressions of his brothers like the good old days and throwing rocks at the dumpster, it seemed as if no one was gonna show. It was getting darker and he regretted not bringing a jacket. "Should've known… Stupidstupidstupidstupid"

He let out a sigh, straightened his back and was about ready to leave when-

FLING

-the sound of a throw star being thrown at him send Mikey into a backflip, nearly reeling off the building.

"Hey! What's the deal-

The foot soldier was already in his face, sending him a flying kick to the chin Mikey didn't see before it was too late. He fell to the ground, shoulder first and groaned heavily before he gained his senses and swung his nun chucks for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He'd missed it more than he thought, so when his attack made the footbot crash into the wall, the young ninja couldn't stop himself from hollering a triumphant BOOYAKASHAA! so the entire neighborhood could hear.

What he wasn't expecting on the other hand, was for the footbot to quickly get back up on its feet, charging at Mikey before promptly throwing its weapons to the side and leaving him exclaiming a dumb-founded "Huh?!" before jumping over Mikey and down the building. "Hey, wait a minute ninja dude! Where do ya think you're going?!"

Mikey followed in pursuit as the ninja continued running hastily down the alley, bounding off the ledges and onto the busy street. This wasn't like the foot at all, Mikey thought second guessing if chasing right now was the best strategy. Only problem was, the one usually making the strategies wasn't here right now, and Mikey did not have the time to wait. He jumped over cars, swung around lamp posts and finally onto the pavement where he apologetically pushed passed people as the ninja led them both into the crowd, Mikey quickly tearing off his mask in one fellow swoop.

He was reaching for his nun chucks, ready to take aim as the footbot looked behind him, shoving past civilians yelling in terror, but just as he was about to strike, he suddenly lost his footing to what appareared to be the foot-ninja's dissapointment. Mikey hurdled several miles an hour into a person before being send to the ground in a force so great he was sure the cut on his cheek was going to leave a permanent mark. The world span for a while as New Yorkers walked by the fallen ninja, presumably ignoring the kid, until he heard another figure nearby let out a painful whimper.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there! I was just-

"It's fine it's fine! Just- next time maybe look where you're going?! I think I broke my rib" the girl said, and Mikey slowly got to his feet. Great job, he thought annoyedly, and reached out a hand towards…

"Something the matter?"

Mikey gulped, helping her to his feet. His eyes dilated, the realization kicking in as it finally dawned on him who it was he just involuntarily tackled to the ground. "A-April…?"

"Do I know you?"

It had been about an hour of waiting tirelessly in the backseat of Mr. Hopkins police car, before Leo finally began to lose his patience. He'd have hoped to at least be allowed some fresh air, but as of now remained completely underutilized as the officer continued questioning witnesses around the area without him. Not a lot of people lived in this neighbourhood, making it feel almost like a ghost town. In a way, the entire street felt like this. Completely empty. Leo couldn't possibly fathom why they'd have to come here of all places, in the daytime no less, where there was absolutely no sign of criminals. He wasn't exactly hoping for a battle royale, but it was at least more exciting than doing nothing all morning. And arguing with Hopkins about it only made the old man more stubborn.

"I said no-

"But what if-

"Do you want to help? Then shut your trap and do as your told"

He wanted to investigate, to help, not ask the old lady on the other side of the street if she'd seen anything suspicious these last couple of days. Truth be told, he felt restless, his body aching to do something, and it only seemed to get worse day by day. Not that this was anything out of the ordinary for Leo. He'd always felt like a timebomb ever since coming out of the hospital. As if somewhere deep inside his subconscious, there was something important that he just had to do, (besides of course figuring out who he was), but he just didn't know what or why. It was like he was trapped in some ways. More often than not, feeling like something was very, deeply wrong with himself. His hands feeling like they belonged to someone else entirely.

The doctors had told him that this could just be a potential side effect of his head trauma and that lots of other patients had experienced something similar in the past. But something in Leo told him that it wasn't that. Or maybe he was just going crazy.

Finally tired of waiting, he decided to step out of the car and into the sun, figuring that whatever Hopkins was so eager to investigate in this neighbourhood it would most likely be more important than whether or not Leo stayed in his seat. It was a hot day today, despite the season and it was honestly kind of nice to get rid of his jacket for once. He felt a lot more comfortable with his arms free, like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders finally able to move properly again. Leo eyed the street but found no sign of Hopkins. Maybe he went inside the building? Curious but cautious to find out, he went over the other side of the street, but didn't get very far when a sudden nagging in the side of his head sent him reeling over the roof of the car. He let out a heavy groan, a wave of electricity pounded his brain and Leo leaned heavily on his left shoulder as to not pass out in from the pain. Not again. Everything turned black and white for a second, before his eyes darted over towards a nearby alley. Okay, this is odd… I feel like… wait a minute.

His mind seemed to settle after a few moments, though the lingering headache still remained in his brain lurking underneath the surface like an annoying snoozebotton. He looked around again, praying Mr. Hopkins wasn't around to see him wander the other way, but it was like his subconcious demanded it. Nonetheless, he caught glimpse of something strange by the cover, moving carefully over to it as something almost evocative echoed in his mind. A voice… he'd heard it before, though he couldn't quite place it... but where? The entire area felt reminiscent of something, somehow, he didn't know how to explain it. He'd somehow been here before. In an empty alley he somehow didn't remember? Images began to flicker and he realized that if he'd been here before, he wasn't alone. There was someone else, there had to be but it was like the face in his mind was hidden behind a blurry cloud.

It didn't add up he just… he felt like something was missing here. Something important, something happening here for some reason, at least important enough for him to almost remember it.

Don't tell me that goodie-two shoes thing doesn't wear thin after a while.

He knew that voice from somewhere… he knew he did so why- why did he remember it now? The sound of something moving behind him however snapped him out of his thoughts. It was like the world was in slow motion, not knowing why or how, Leo somehow being able to sense the shadow behind him as if out of insstinct and when he turned around-

A girl stood by the cover, arms crossed.

"I'm impressed. Most people wouldn't have noticed. I take it you're not most people"

Leo had now completely lost track of himself wondering if he was still dreaming. As if any moment now he'd lose gravity again and wake up on the floor. Either way this was enough to make his entire body freeze up, taking a step back as he analysied the situation he now found himself in. The girl was only slightly taller than him, wearing jeans and a black leather jacket. Her hair was caught short, black in the front and light in the back. She just stood there, appearing as if out of thin air and Leo was even more confused than before. Her eyes analyzed him from top to toe curious, but there was also this gleam in her eyes that made Leo almost think she was familiar too.

"Where did- did you just… what? Who are you?"
"Funny. I was just wondering the same thing" the girl smiled, before very abruptly pulling a knife from her belt and twirling it playfully in her hands.

Yep, should've stayed in the car.

"Name's Karai"