Outside Chance

by WhyIsThisHappeningToMe

(set post s4 of TMNT 2012) Leo has to make a lifechanging decision when the rebel-foot clan destroys their home. In a desperate attempt to escape, the turtles use the strange substance 'purple ooze' to temporarily become human as a means to an end. But when the brothers are sepperated during the seige, how will they be able to find each other again before their enemies does?

7. Battle of the Bands

There came a time, very rarely of course (and keep in mind, Raph never really thought about this as a basic principle if he didn't have to) but sometimes, there did come a time, where the question of why they were fighting, for some unexplainable reason shot to the surface in his brain like a lightning bolt. This was never really something that occurred during their missions, it was after all, just what they did mostly as a general way of living. It was all so simple in his mind: stopping the bad guys, doing the right thing, saving people and calling it a night.

But it did happen, ever so often, when he'd find himself fighting for his life or the lives of his friends and family, he started to wonder what exactly it was that he hoped to achieve in the end... What was so worth sacrificing, that it was the very thing that drove them to risk their lives every night, again and again for people who didn't even seem to care about them? So far, there had been three times in his life when Raph had felt this way.

The first time was also coincidentally the first time he'd seen the surface. He still remembered that feeling of fresh air hitting him in the face, something he'd unfortunately been denied for a good portion of his life underground, and the ever-present urge to run away at full speed whenever he got the chance. He remembered the lights, the noises the entire city of New York coming to life around him like a carnival. An entire world left unexplored, and he was ready to take it for everything it had to offer. But of course, that dream didn't become a reality for many particular reasons, the first and most important one being his family.

The second time happened during the invasion, a reality check coming to him in the form of their older brother being thrown unconscious through a window beaten and comatosed. A grim reminder that at the time, and sometimes still, shook Raph to his core. He rarely talked about it, and for no good reason other than to really distract himself from the important stuff happening in the present. He'd lived by the idea that everything they did would make sense somehow, and even if it didn't- who cared?

And the third one, was probably the most obvious one. Because despite the fact that a few minutes ago he had no idea whether or not his brother was alive or not, now it suddenly didn't matter what it was he was fighting for. He fought for Mikey. And that was all that he needed to know. End of story.

"So, who wants to go first?" he grinned, cracking his knuckles with that almost eerie smile of glee plastered on his face. The hoard of goons looked at him with a mixture of anger and fear, a habit of theirs that already occured about two months ago after he'd fought through a good portion of their colleagues with ease. Without Casey Jones on the case, it seemed there had only been one vigilante left to protect the streets, a task in which Raph had initially taken up reluctantly. But soon enough, and perhaps not surprisingly, he quickly found he relished the position and every broken bone that came with it.

He barely noticed the kid behind him, still blue in the face from having been what appeared to be choked with scruffy looking head-bandages and looking very confused. Raph didn't get to look at him properly before he quickly had to dodge a baseball bat aimed for his head. And thus, the game was on. He jumped to the side, faster than he anticipated, the adrenaline rush in his veins when he kneed the first goon in the chin filling every vein in his body. For a moment it was like time stood still, more and more rushing in like blood thirsty dogs, and grabbing his sai, Raph did what he did best. He swept the leg of one pd, kicked another one into the wall, slammed a third one into his elbow and counted the seconds until eleven had been mercilessly rendered into ragdolls. Only thirty-two, yet still a tad bit slower than last time. It wasn't until two of them came running his direction with metal rods he started to sweat.

Suddenly, a blast from above made Raph jump in front of the stranger, shielding him from the incoming blast. But as fate would have it, the blast turned out to be a cloud of purple smoke and not an explosion, quickly followed by Donnie entering the battle in less than a second, using his "bo" to send one pd flying into two others. Only five to go it seemed, but more was on the way.

"What took you so long?!" he yelled, blocking the guy in front of him who's breath was nearly enough in itself to render him defeated. Donnie came stumbling to his feet, casually blocking the metal rod his contender was, at the moment, desperately shoving towards his face.

"Oh well, why don't I just plug in my super-sonic roller-skates and NOT save your life?! I was BUSY!" he wheezed, probably at a frequency only dogs could hear. Point taken. And as pr. usual, Donnie tossed him what looked to be small eggshells from across the other side, and as Raph kicked the nearest pd in the face, he held out his hands to catch them. Please don't be regular eggs, please don't be regular eggs, please don't be- but luckily none of them broke in his hands for him to find out.

They fought like this for a while, back and forth dodging and blocking, back-to-back like the good old days, but this time there was no doubt who would come out on top. If anything, the fact that they could fight like their old selves, was just a testament to their strengthened abilities. And Raph had the slight sense that these past few days might've something to do with it. They finally fought like a team again. The feeling he'd craved for so long finally coming to fruition again. And for just a moment, one sweet blissful moment of sending thugs to the hospital, it felt like everything was back to normal again. Well, circumstances aside. However, the festivities where soon cut short, as Donnie's painstakingly long war-cry rang through the alley behind him, sending his third attacker to his knees once he aimed his staff directly at his ribcage. But just as he was about to dodge another blow from an incoming enemy, he inexplicably stalled,

"Wait a minute, there's a civilian here?! WOAH- " the PD came at him from the side, leaving Donnie's shoulder mostly likely bruised in the morning. If Raph wasn't busy dueling the two-pound flesh on legs in front of him, he'd probably be a little more concerned- whereas his brother seemed to panic enough for both of them, "Why didn't you say there was a civilian?!"

"Don't see how that's important right now" Raph groaned, struggling to keep his attacker at bay using just his strength. Though he was just as curious as to who would come out on top in terms of muscle as he was eager to put the quarrel to an end, unfortunately he wouldn't get to find out, as Donnie knocked the guy out from behind with just one swing. Uhh, that's gonna hurt tomorrow…

"It's important if they're after him too, meathead!"

"Well then! In that case why don't we just ask them!"

The civilian boy was still watching the fight with a very mixed look of confusion and maybe a piqued interest. The 'interest' part, probably rendered into mostly a solid fear for his life, once Raph unapologetically wandered over to the unconscious thug and grabbed him by the face like a ventriloquist, "Hey there, mind telling us what you want with our friend over here?" as expected only a pained wail escaped the man and Donnie looked very much the opposite of amused at this. "That's what I thought"

He let go of the man and backflipped over to the other side of the wall, using the dumpster to launch himself high enough into the air, that he was able to kick the guns out of the two nearest PD's hands. Donnie rolled his eyes, not very surprised. He nonchalantly blocked an in-coming pipe with his staff, before wandering over to the frightened civilian and speaking in that sugary sweet tone he'd (mostly use when around dogs or April) holding up his hands to calm the stranger.

"Hey there, hehe. Everything's fine! Hehe, nothing to see here! Just stay where you are and remember, you never saw us-"

"Look out…!" the guy suddenly yelled, Raph barely catching a glimpse of the thug trying to bash his little brother's head in with his fist. Donnie barely managed to dodge this time, sweeping the man's leg and using his mob to at least break five different places in the poor guy's collarbone. As Donnie gave an approving nod, he let out his hand to help the kid to his feet. An effort that ultimately didn't do much good, as he almost immediately fell down exhausted in the aftermath, blood running down the side of his head.

"You're hurt… Raph this guy's hurt! We gotta get him out here now!"

Kicking what he counted as the seventh gun away from a thug and kneeing him in the back for good measure, he almost wasn't sure he heard correctly, "What? So, he can babble on about the freaks in masks beating up thugs in shady alleys? Not gonna happen"

"Fine! Then you take him"

"Why do I have to take him?"

"Just do it! You have the last smoke bombs and I can't make any more in time!" Donnie yelled.

"Oh, for the love of g-

But Raph didn't get to argue back this time, the world turning black and white for a few seconds before he realized he was on the ground- his skull throbbing.

"Raph! Argh"

Donnie tried to come to his aid, but was instead dragged back by two-pound, who made sure to keep him still as another guy started swinging his bat at his gut on repeat. The sight alone was enough to send Raph into a boiling rage, but as he tried to move, his legs suddenly failed him. And if that wasn't enough, a sharp burning ache in his back started to sizzle up and down his bones like a wildfire and he let out a scream nearly biting his tongue. His sai were just exactly out of reach as he struggled to get up, the sound of laughter from each blow to his brother only making him more and more furious. Everything was shaking from his field of vision, and any other day he'd have probable been able to get away with it, if it wasn't for the fact that he no longer fought for himself. More and more PD's started gathering around him eager to see the show, dizziness swelling in his head, hit after hit. They kept on kicking and laughing, spurting out different slurs and names to taunt him, not even his mantra would be able to shield him from. It was at times like these he wished to god that he'd never taken that pill in the first place. And yet-

"What the-"

A gunshot was heard nearby, bullet hitting concrete and stalling his circle of torment just long enough for him to get his strength back and freeing himself. Without a second to lose, he launched himself forward and grabbed his weapon. As soon as it was back in his hands, it was like that fire from earlier dampened a bit, once the color left each thug's faces as they realized the red masked kid was up on his feet again and hungry for violence. Before he got started however, he noticed the civilian holding up the gun, his hands shaking but his eyes steady and determined.

It wasn't until he joyously got to slam each PD bastard into the ground and Donnie quickly joining them that Raph really started to notice the stranger helping them out. Well, to the best of his ability, the cut on the side of his head still looked pretty severe, but maybe that was all the reason why he was crazy enough to not to run away. After all, he still had every opportunity available to run to safety or call the cops if he hadn't already, but for whatever reason he didn't. Not that it wasn't appreciated, but it begged the question: what was really keeping him here?

"Hey, not… bad" Raph muttered, as the kid used the handle of the gun he picked up to knock a tooth loose on a tall gangly fella holding a crowbar. The kid got to his knees in heavy breaths, and Raph noticed Donnie- now with a bloody nose, fiddling with a device behind the dumpster as more came after him in the meantime.

"Thanks, I think. So... mind telling me what they want with us?"

"Well…" he paused, unsure how to answer, when he ruthlessly (and not at all intentionally) stabbed one PD in the hand with his sai, so his screams could probably be heard for miles. Nice job. If there was one thing the Hamato clan and the criminal underground had in common, it was keeping their warfare as discreet as possible. And now, the cops would probably be there any minute. Nicely done! "Might wanna save the talking for after we get out of this?"

The kid nodded slightly disappointed, but decided not to question it further as his balance became wobbly and he had to lean against the wall for support. And just as he did, an all too familiar image entered Raph's head recalling that night for some reason. He was just about to lend him a hand, when a gun suddenly was aimed for his head forcing him to raise both of his' in defeat.

"Okay, that's enough! This ends nowAARGH!" but the thug didn't get to finish, when a solid kick to his face send him to the ground unconscious in less than a second. Raph would've probably thought he was dreaming it, weren't it for the strangely familiar way the civilian boy performed the move just now, and he had to stop himself from smiling like an idiot. Don't get any ideas… It was too quick- too clean. Something not even he'd been able to defend against, without several weeks of training beforehand. What the heck was that…?

"Hey, you're actually really good at this" Raph said, though it was more of a question than a statement.
"Huh, complimented by a criminal"

"Hey when you win some you lose some- what's your name anyway?"

"What's yours?" the kid countered, dodging another blow barely, before squinting in pain. The annoying as heck superior attitude certainly sounded familiar.

"What's it to ya?"

"Okay, fine" he sighed as Donnie suddenly send two guys flying in their direction.

"Sorry!" he yelled, both boys sharing a momentary loss for words before the civilian held out his hand all formerly and Raph understandably didn't know how to react, given they were technically still in a fight for their lives here. But then, as the name came over his lips-

"I'm Leo"

-everything started to make sense.

---

"Leo?!"

The kid with the red mask had been starring at him for a good solid minute now. The other one carrying around the mop for some reason (he still couldn't decide whether or not it was simply a hallucination brought to him by his head injury- though that would be a reasonable explanation or just the only thing available), lifted a brow, a hand under his chin speculatively.

"Huh, that's a weird coincidence"

Though the quiet that since had emerged around the alley would indicate they were finally safe, footsteps nearby were enough for Leo's instincts to kick in, and he without thinking, grabbed the mop out of his rescuers hands and slammed it over the thug's head enough times that he couldn't get up again.

Now both boys were starring at him, as the remaining Purple Dragons who wasn't unconscious hurried to their feet and over the rooftops in a quick get-away. Watching this proved to be an exhausting effort, and without a say Leo dropped the mop and fell to his knees, feeling his head buzzing like a ticking time bomb.

"Arg…"

All but the guy in the red mask seemed genuinely impressed, so much so the tall guy's entire face lit up with excitement upon retrieving his "weapon" from the concrete. Leo would join him, mutually impressed by his quick thinking and surreal ability to handle himself tonight, if his mind wasn't also burning at the moment trying to comprehend the transpiring events in a non-painful way.

"Nice going! I almost thought we were done for!" the tall guy laughed, jumping up and down like child on Christmas when he realized he was the only one not starring like a crazed lunatic. "You okay there, Raph?" he then asked, but with no response. "Raph?"

"Leo…" he just said, still starring, as if his name alone was the magical password to open up the gates of Narnia and the boy just realized he held the key. He still hadn't introduced himself, unless he also coincidentally was called Leo and that's why he kept on repeating it- but he assumed going by the tall gangly fella helping him to his feet at the moment, that it was either Ralph or Raph- if that was even a word. Fitting, thought Leo, based on the way he'd brutally stabbed, kicked and probably bit the Purple Dragons to pieces tonight. Some of them could still be heard groaning in pain nearby and he wondered if he should start calling for an ambulance or Hopkins. One for them and one for himself though he didn't know what order.

But as the sound of what would immediately be recognized as cop sirens started to wail nearby, he figured he didn't have to after all. When hearing this, however, the tall boy seemed to go pale, not sharing his relief at this. "Uhhh, I think that's or que. Come on, we might still be able to make it in time if we hurry"

"Leonardo."

Took Leo a second to process that the stabby-one was adressing him, "…are you talking to me?"

As the mop-guy seemed to become increasingly eager to escape before the cops arrived, so did the other one seem to become more and more frustrated, ignoring him completely and stepping closer towards Leo still clutching the side of his head.

"What are you-Yes I'm talking to you! Where the hell have you been?!"

"Raph, we really gotta go!"

He shook his head, grabbing Leo by the wrist with a force surprising for someone who just battled a platoon of thugs all night, the rifts and bruises started to show. "No, we really gotta go. Now. Before they show up"

"What are you doing?! Let go! " Leo bit, his hand shivering as he pulled away, the red masked boy not easily defied. First the PD and now he was getting abducted by crazy crime fighting teenagers with cleaning tools and knives. What are the chances all of this proves to just be another crazy dream? The sirens were close now and Leo realized that despite his conscious slowly starting to leave him, he was standing in front of probably the best witnesses he'd come across so far, and letting them go now wouldn't do anything good for his case. At the same time, he couldn't deny the fact that something about them gave him a weird feeling. Not really a shock given everything else he'd seen tonight. There was no doubt about it- these kids are the weirdest vigilantes I've ever seen.

Whoever these kids were, they weren't friends of the NCPD, they were definitely not friends of the Purple Dragons, and given their weird attire and extraordinary set of fighting skills, it probably wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume they were working for the same people Hopkins tracked down in Greenwich. Or at the very least, they were searching for the same thing, whatever it was, apparently important enough for them to safe his life. Well, that was his initial thought, but now he had the slight sense it wasn't all there was to it.

"Come on, Leo it's us! You know it's us! I can't believe it- I'm such an idiot! I should've guessed by your voice, the way you fight, t-the freaking annoying ass condescending attitude, you-you're… you're really alive." And just like that, it was like the anger turned off for a brief moment, quickly followed by what he could only describe as some kind of relief- as the boy without warning wrapped his arms around Leo who stood back lost for words right until he let go. "After all this time you're okay. God, you look so… different. Well actually you look awful, so I guess not much has changed, huh?"

The tall one put a hand on 'Raph's' shoulder, the words almost muttered out as if he was too afraid to speak them, "Raph, I don't think he-

"Yeah, I know, I know Donnie, you were right. Okay, I said it! You were right. Now come on. They're gonna be here any minute, and we need to fix you up" he continued, brushing him away and approaching Leo who wasn't quite sure how to react, a maelstrom of questions surfacing in his mind.

When the pain in his skull finally lessened a bit, he tried to speak not really knowing what to say, "What are you- argh… talking about? I don't even know you. I shouldn't know you. And you still haven't told me who you guys even are!?"

"Are you kidding me, Leo?! Wait just- " Raph started to dig around in his coat, every nerve in his bruised body seemingly moving at seventy miles an hour until he finally found what he was looking for. He held out a small blue fabric, holes in the middle and stains of blood around the edges making Leo wonder if it was their blood or the poor soul wearing it's. When he held it out, he looked like the mask would be the key to solving everything, waiting patiently for Leo to say something that would prove his point. But of course, all Leo saw was an old mask matching theirs, for some reason being handed to him like it would answer all of his questions.

"See? You believe us, right? I mean I would've thought Donnie's gap alone should be enough to convince ya"

"Hey!"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Leo muttered, genuinely wishing he could lie his way out of this one, but he was telling the truth, and just as he did the smile vanished on Raph's face. The sirens were getting closer- they could hear it. Soon they'd have company and by then, it would be too late to get answers without cops interfering.

"Okay, are you pulling my sai?! This isn't funny, Leo! We have to go! Now. "

"Raph"

Trying once more to drag Leo along by force, he stood firmly, freeing himself once again with ease, though this time the grip was a lot more locked around his wrist then when the PD's had grabbed him earlier tonight, "But I still don't understand- who are you people? Why did you save me?!"

"That guy hit you in the head or something? "

"You really don't recognize us?" the tall one- Donnie as he was apparently called, asked, worry in his eyes when he approached, as if someone had just kicked a puppy.

"Should I?"

Raph was the one raising his voice this time, already red in the face to the point where it was getting harder to see if he was wearing a mask or not, "Should you? What do you mean should you?! Great! Same old Leo. After all this time, and of course you had to go and-

He stopped, voice cracking and Donnie (to no avail) desperately tried to drag him along once the sound of footsteps nearby roamed the streets.

"Man, where the hell where you?! We thought you were dead! How could you just leave us like that! You're supposed to be our leader! Have you any idea the trouble we're in?!"

"Raph!" Donnie yelled, grabbing him by the shoulders though his gaze still lingered on Leo clutching his shoulder.

"What?! I'm not finished with you!"

"LEO!"

The yell came from somewhere down the other side of building, and they all turned towards it, time running out. Leo recognized that voice instantly, despite the growing pains making everything flicker. Either he was about to wake up on the floor of his room and all of this proved to be nothing but a dream, or he was about to get a serious ass-kicking once Hopkins showed up. The tall one let out a heavy sigh, fighting to get his partner's attention,

"We can't be seen. Remember? And Mikey needs us more right now, so we have to go. I know how you feel, trust me I do, but right now we have more important stuff, and we can't afford to get caught. Okay? We have to go. Now. With or without him"

And not surprisingly, Raph wasn't very quick to agree to this, glaring hopelessly back to Leo and Donnie as if he couldn't decide who to yell at first. "What? No! No, we're not leaving him! Leo, come on!" he begged.

And this is where Leo had to make a decision. Stay or go? The strangers that saved his life, who claimed to know him, one of them right now looking half out of his mind trying to get him to come along. But what about Hopkins? I can't just leave him… he promised he'd help and he will, but also… Leo glared around the alley. All the destruction caused in the span of a few minutes, these two knowing more than enough to make them likely candidates for the murderers and sending them straight to prison if they didn't leave now. They had to, because if he made them stay to get arrested if they were innocent, how would that help anybody? He'd already made one reckless decision tonight, and as a result he was right now on the verge of collapsing… no, Donnie was right. They had to go. And he had to get to a doctor. So as much as he hated to admit it, the truth had to wait a bit longer it seemed. And the last thing he wanted was to be a part of the so-called truth that had the same power to kill innocents as it did to fight criminals.

Honestly what was he thinking? Going along with criminals… they could be lying for all he knew. How could he be sure? Yet something inside still couldn't help but feel sorry. Guilt weighing him down along with his broken body.

"I'm sorry"

"I see him! Over here!" the voices called out, sirens blaring louder and louder mixed with the sound of footsteps echoing and radios buzzing. Raph stopped, disbelief making his pupils narrow. "You're not serious. Leo… its us. Your brothers"

Leo didn't know what to say, feeling more and more like this was nothing but a dream he couldn't wake up from, and yet he also felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach. The sight of both his rescuers becoming more and more darkened, all except for the scoff that left Raph who's eyes conveyed the cold sting of betrayal, though Leo had no idea why. He just wanted to apologize. This didn't feel right… why didn't it feel right?

"Well, isn't this typical… so much for being fearless, leader"

"Wait-

But before he could say another word, a cloud of purple smoke suddenly imploded in the alley. As it evaporated, he found himself alone again, eyes flaring everywhere at once as if they were just lurking behind the corner, but the action itself just made his headache feel like a migraine.

"LEO!"

He looked back, footsteps running up to him and when Hopkins reached him, the old geezer nearly threw himself to his knees probably out of his mind with anger. "Leo thank god! What the hell where you thinking?!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hopkins, I shouldn't have-

But when instead of an angry cop greeting him, instead, once again making Leo question reality, he was met in a warm embrace close to squeezing the lungs out of him in the process and he had to double check if it was really Hopkins there with him. "I've been calling you for I don't even know how many times! Have you any idea the trouble you're in, kid?!"

Leo sighed, closing his eyes.

"I think I'm starting to"

---

"You know, they're probably on their way already. Mr. Robertson- well probably not him actually, scratch that, but Mrs. Robertson for sure! That lady knows what's up, let me tell ya. And Tyler, well if he's not busy I guess, he might be in school which is totally fine- I can tell he needs those grades… and Simon… I really hope he's not looking either."

Mikey didn't know how long he'd been in that cell. Well, he wasn't usually good at keeping track of things, they all sort of just happened around him. He'd spend hours on end rolling around on the cold metal floor, carefully avoiding the glass around his cuffs while kicking the bars on his cage with decreasing effort.

"Don't get me wrong- I love Simon! He's the man for sure, but if he came here, it would probably be super dangerous… Not wanting him to know the truth? Whaaaat? That is so not what I was referring to! " he called out, sparring a glance in the other cage's direction, because what if Mr. Suitpants-guy really was still alive and was simply having a good afternoon nap? Or he was just a mute fella who was also coincidentally an excellent listener whom Mikey could confide in and not at all a corpse? At least, that's what he kept telling himself as his repeated efforts to break free proved to be doing him nothing worthwhile. "Okay, okay… you got me. I don't want him to come. I mean, of course I want him to come but I don't want him to come, you know?"

The bonking of his heel against the metal, emptied out into a loud echo filling the space, once his energy was finally used up and he collapsed on the ground.

"Yeah, you're right. I should just stop lying and tell him the truth. I mean, he'd understand right?" he muttered, nearly convincing himself that he wasn't alone in his thoughts for a moment. He looked around, simultaneously tired and also desperate to move. He was tired of his cage, tired of being lonely. He'd spend hours on end doing nothing but reminding himself how this was a horrible idea, and that once again running away from everyone never solves anything. He couldn't break out of the cage, and even if he could where would he go? He had no idea where they took him, and even if he did, he was sure the place would be heavily guarded. No, as time went on it felt more and more like him and Suitpants-guy were the only people left in the world, and it was driving him crazy. Because unlike the other times he'd been in this situation, he'd know his teammates would come for him as they always did. He had nothing to fear, he knew how it went- how it always went, but now? If Mikey was being completely honest with himself, he had no idea what was going to happen.

"AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I'm bored! What's taking them so long!? Need… food… sunlight… video games gaaarrrhh! I hate this!" he sighed, kicking the ceiling of the cage for good measure. He missed his room, he missed people, he basically missed everything that didn't have anything to do with cages or mutagen-cuffs or unconscious prisoners with fashionable taste in suits. Well maybe the last part wasn't so bad. He tried to move his wrists, going over and over again in his brain about how to free yourself, but even if he had listened when Donnie explained this, these cuffs were different. And the smallest of movements, could very well render Mikey into a big green slot of jelly if he wasn't careful enough, something not even he was crazy enough to try. Anything but that.

"I bet Leo would know how to get out of these- oh you don't know him, but he's my older brother. He's actually also our sensei, which is weird because I guess that technically also makes him our mom? It's complicated, but he'd definitely know how to make an epic prison escape if he was here… which he, probably won't be hehe… he's probably got important leader stuff to take care off before he can show up, just the usual."

"Sounds like one heck of a family you got there"

"GARGH!" Mikey shot up into the ceiling, promptly banging his head into it with a speed not unlike a cat realizing it touched water. The clang still bellowed loudly as he got back to his senses, trying to rub his sore head before he remembered that oh yeah- handcuffed. "Ouch"

"You okay, over there?"

Mikey was just about ready to explode with glee, when he saw Suitpants-guy on the other side calling out to him. "You're awake! You're AWAKE! YES! I knew you weren't DEAD! Who's the stupid one now Leo!" he laughed, as the old man blinked rapidly in the dim light of his cell. "Wait… uh, how long have you been not dead?" Mikey then asked, remembering how he'd just rambled on and on about his life like a waterfall for hours now… huh. it was weird being able to do that without someone banging you over the head repeatedly.

"About as long as the pizza topping debate- or whatever the heck that was. You okay, kid?"

"Am I?! Well… not really actually. I'm pretty hungry, my legs asleep, and I am pretty sure I was supposed to be lab partner with Robin McLiavitch in Physics, so she's probably gonna be pretty mad at me about that"

"I'll take that as a yes…?" the man said, a little unsure but ultimately accepting it as a somewhat normal answer. "How long was I out?"

Mikey shrugged, his concept of time failing him, but really, how was he supposed to know? After all, pantsuit-guy was still unconscious when he woke up, so for all he knew it could have been longer… a LOT longer. He barely knew day from night anymore, so the idea that he could've spend even longer in there without knowing, needless to say, terrorfied him. "I don't know… an hour? A day?"

"Of course…" he sighed, slightly troubled by this.

"Do you have a name, or can I just call you Mr. Pantsuit because honestly that's easy to remember and you do have a great suit."

He laughed, trying to manouver himself to the front of the cage, "My name is Marv Layton actually and don't worry, I'll get us out of here, uh-

"Mikey"

"Mikey. I just gotta get to my radio… somehow. It should be in my jacket"

"No, wait be careful dude! There's mutagen in the cuffs!"

"What?" Layton looked up, not following. He probably hadn't noticed the glow yet, and even if he did he most likely wouldn't know the danger it posed to him. And honestly Mikey would be pretty sad to already see his new friend go, if he accidentally broke the wrong mechanism trying to get free.

"Yeah, didn't believe it either. It sounds way cooler in comics but, I swear getting mutated is no fun. Well, I guess unless you're me, not that I enjoy getting mutated, but in my case it did have its benefits for my- well, existing and all but that doesn't mean that I-

"Your point?"
"Oh right, sorry. Basically, green gooey stuff equals not good. My brother would probably be able to explain it better- just don't let it touch you"

"Okay, okay… guess you're right. This seems an awful lot reminiscent of the canister back at the warehouse. Thanks for the heads up"

Thanks. Somehow that single word was enough to make Mikey feel like nothing short of a superhero and he proudly raised his chin, imagining himself saluting if his hands were free.
"No problemo Mr. Pantsuit- eh I mean Layton."

"You know, you're awfully calm about this" he noticed, still trying to somehow get his jacket up, though he seemed to struggle a lot.

"Eh, it's not so bad after the third or fourth time. Uh, except for the mutated part. That is a second for me and let me tell you first time was a doozy! So not fun- though Karai kinda wasn't Karai when she did it- she's my sister, long story, but she did apologize for it so it's cool. I think... Nah, it's cool."

Layton lifted a brow, still scanning the room through the bars to the best of his ability. Whoever this guy was he was quick to action, that much was apparent. Already on the "escaping-case" before Mikey could even blink. It felt comforting in a way to be with someone at least capable, and not hopelessly lying about talking about the mess of your life as you wonder why you're still alive after getting captured by the people trying to kill you. "You wouldn't happen to know why they took you, do you, kid?"

"Oh, they're just jealous because I have mad skills yo. Has to be that. I would be too if I were them, some people just wanna watch the world burn, dude" he sighed, wondering if the others were somewhere around here too, though Mikey figured that would probably not give the anti-foot much reason for kidnapping him in the first place if he was supposed to be the "invitation" or whatever that meant. "But don't worry. I've read a bunch of comics and so far, if you've been kidnapped at least three times, it means that you will probably also get out of it alive, so I am pretty sure that means we're going to be okay. Fan favorites and all"

Layton swore under his breath, probably just remembering that a minor was present, and he instead tried to calm himself, barely managing to shove his jacket off over his head in the process. "I'm glad you're optimistic at least, makes this a lot easier. But you have my word: I'll get us both out of here whatever it takes- I won't give up until you're back with your family again"

Mikey sighed, the memory of before still fresh in his mind. He leaned against the bars, trying to force a smile, though it slowly started to dawn on him the mess he was really in. "Probably won't matter anymore… I don't think they like me very much at the moment"

"Now, come on, what kind of nonsense is that? You had a falling out?" Layton asked, sounding generally interested. It was strange how two strangers could have a normal conversation while imprisoned by a crazy organization probably trying to take over the world. Yet here they were talking as if none of that mattered and honestly Mikey appreciated the gesture more than he could formulate with his own words. "I said some not so nice things… They probably won't take me back now. If they'll even get the chance" he sighed, the thought that maybe he'd never get the chance to see them again. To apologize, find his brothers, return Simon's glove and tell Simon the truth … for all he knew, it was too late and he'd missed his shot by actively running away from his problems instead of confronting them head-on like his family would have. Another habit of his, though this one was certainly not a recent one. "I think maybe that's why my brothers left… you know, being human and stuff is all fun and games of course, I mean I love human Mikey! There's been all this cool stuff that he can do now that papa would never let us near before. Its been great! But, my brothers? They don't know that guy… to them I'm still just the goofball who messes everything up. Same with the Robertsons…probably even Simon. And now look where that got me. I screwed it up again" he muttered, voice cracking along with whatever it was that had stuck itself in his throat like gravel.

"You're being too hard on yourself kid. Family's family. They forgive each other, that's how it works. No matter the squabble, the fighting, it doesn't matter. You love each other unconditionally- even if you forget to say it once in a while. Otherwise, it wouldn't be called family. And yours are out there right now, probably worried sick, and we need to do something about that don't you agree?"

Mikey couldn't help but smile a bit at this, surprised by the Suitpants-guy's response. He'd just poured his heart out to a stranger, yet he didn't immediately regret his honesty.

"You got a family, Mr. Layton?"

Layton chuckled, as if caught up in a memory, "A baby girl. And I know she'd never forgive me if I don't come home in one piece. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm getting the hell out of here, and you're coming with me"

Where have I heard that before? Wait a minute…! A thought clicked in Mikey's brain- yes he was just as surprised. "You know you remind me of my big bro. He used to quote all these cheesy lines from this old show Space Heroes to sound all dramatic and important and stuff-
"Dang it, I know I should've used a different speech!" he said, and they both laughed, somehow making the dark and gloomy prison they were currently in a little more welcoming. "Well, point still stands" he muttered, finally freeing a small device from his inner pocket. Trying to access it like a dog using just the tip of his nose, Layton all too soon let out yet another swear, which could only mean one thing-

"Damn. My transmitter's gone. They must've taken it when I was out"

"Is that bad?"

"Well, it certainly won't make escaping any easier. But don't worry. I'll figure something out"

Mikey nodded, trusting Layton despite plan A's recent fall from grace. No plan ever survives contact with the enemy- it is how you react to the unexpected that will determine whether or not you will succeed. And while that might be true, fact still remained that they were both in separate cages with nothing but the very thing out to get them available. And if that wasn't enough, the sound of a door opening nearby certainly didn't help their situation either and Mikey felt a chill down his spine.

"Okay, but whatever it is we better be quick, 'cause I think they're here!"

Light poured down the room from somewhere out of their field of vision, followed by the eerie sound of footsteps coming their way and echoing for every step. Mikey listened closely, remembering earlier lessons from Sensei about how to decode the number of people by the individual pace in steps, and he deduced there to be about four coming their way. Layton kept his guard up, sternly starring at whatever it was in the other end like he was just seconds away from shooting lasers out of his eyes. But then came another sound, this one proving to be something on wheels, creaking and whining along the metal floor it traversed. When their captors finally arrived, they only sparred Mikey one glance before proceeding to Layton's cage and Mikey got a bad feeling about this. Whatever it was they were transporting, it was big, round and glowing.

"Ah, Mr. Layton. Glad to see you finally awake" one of them said, and Mikey's mad detective skills told him this was the same guy who visited her earlier.
"Listen to me, whatever you freaks want it has got nothing to do with that kid, so let him go"

"Oh, I am afraid that is not true. It has gotten everything to do with them- not that ot will be any of your concern. You on the other hand-" he gestured towards the canister and immediately Mikey felt his heart beat faster in his chest. "We have special use for you, Mr. Layton"

They opened the cage, carried the canister inside and started holding down Mr. Layton by the neck as he kicked and bit, hair falling over his face and Mikey looked on in horror.

"What are you doing? Stop! Get your hands off of me!" Layton yelled, but was quickly silenced once one of the captors slammed his head into the floor, teeth first and the sound of bones cracking was all too loud.

"You can tell your cop friends to stay out of our way if they know what is best for them or this city, do we understand each other, Mr. Layton? Well, if you live to tell the tale that is… it is quite ironic actually, how your life depends on t hesuccess of our very new batch- the substance that brought you to us, don't you agree?"

"Hey, what are you doing? Don't you want to, maybe question him or something instea-

A sharp bolt of pain shot through Mikey's ribcage before he could register it even happening. One of the rods held by one of the captors making everything in him burn and double over in pain. The scream clawed its way out of his throat like a silent cry and he didn't stop before what felt like an eternity until it was finally removed, and Mikey tried anxiously to forget the feeling still echoing through his muscles.

"Silence, turtle. The grown-ups are talking"

He tried to breathe, tried to see… but everything felt heavy and distorted. Mikey felt tears he didn't remember crying on his cheeks as he tried to crawl over to the bars again anxious to see if his new friend was okay. But all he heard, was the sound of his wails as his captors' backs hid away the torment just a few feet away from him and honestly Mikey didn't know what was worse. He saw him flail like a worm panicked, crying out in pain as whatever it was in that tank was poured out on him.

"Don't worry Mr. Layton... The process only takes longer the more you squirm." One of them said, as Layton's body started to turn into an almost dying shiver. "Good thing you're so capable of lying still. "

Mikey wanted to look away, he wanted to close his eyes and cover his ears and drown it all out, but he neither had the strength nor the will power to do either. All he could do was just close his eyes and wait for it to be over… to pray that whoever it was they were hoping would show up to safe him, would please hurry.

---

Donnie was still having a coughing fit prior to Raph using the smoke bomb, nearly forgetting the sensation of vanishing with one altogether. Well that, but Raph didn't really give him any warning either, so in hindsight it made sense he'd be unprepared, despite the fact that he'd made them in the first place. They found themselves on the roof of the building, Raph eyeing the police cars roaming the streets with officers taking the remaining PD's into handcuffs and questioning the few eye witnesses available. Donnie on the hand, decided not to waste a second if he could help it. He'd managed to pick-pocket a fellow (at the moment suffering from a severe head injury in the back of one of the police cars), fumbling with some sort of tracking device that he quickly re-programmed with his scanner to enhance the signal. A minute or so passed of him turning and de-coding the device with his own tech ever so carefully, until finally the signal homed in, and he almost jumped up in the air at this revelation.

"It works… It WORKS! Ha-ha! Kraang-tech honing signal device is officially online, ladies and gentlemen! With this baby we'll find him in no time, believe you me!"

He glanced over at his brother, still hunched over the edge of the building glaring down at the mix of red and blue lights flickering. Donnie let out a sigh, trying to find the right words that would somehow refuel the fire Raph a few moments ago used to have. "Raph, I know how you feel, but we can't focus on that right now-

"How could he just leave like that?! Again? He didn't even take the dang mask and now look at him! He's with those cops- I mean what the heck is wrong with him?! We're his brothers! Why does he always have to be so-?!" he grumbled, turning the sai over in his hands on repeat, as he drummed his fingers anxiously over the handle. It didn't take a genius to figure out he was seconds away from exploding, "Look I know you don't believe it's really him, but I know Leo, okay!? And that right there? That's him alright. He just- Gargh! Look I don't know why he didn't recognize us! He probably just thought we were… I don't know. But that doesn't mean we still can't make him come to his senses. We can probably follow their car, then once he's alone we'll grab him and get the heck out of there. "

Donnie lowered his gaze, trailing over to the mass of people down there before spotting him again, this time blanketed and standing by one of the cars as an officer put their hand on his shoulder, most likely calming him down. Though judging by the look on his face, he was most likely just as bewildered as Raph was right now. Donnie still struggled to comprehend it fully, but once it was made obvious, at the same time it was even harder to look away knowing they were so close yet so far. At least for now. "Look I'm not an idiot, Raph. Of course, its him"

Raph opened his mouth, probably about to protest into another anger fueled rant, when he eventually registered the words just spoken and he turned to stare at his brother. "Wait, so you don't think I'm being crazy?!"

"You realize that's coming from the same guy who came into existence via alien liquid leaking into the sewers of perhaps one of the biggest industrialized cities in the world?"

"Okay, fair point" he muttered, and now it was Donnie's turn to cheer his brother up. One of the perks about being the tallest, though admittedly also the youngest. It all made sense when you really thought about it, just as soon as Leo had spoken up actually, but there was still that part of Donnie's brain refusing to listen to reason, because of course it wouldn't be that easy. After so much time apart, why would it? And yet, there he was. Right in front of their noses and it started to dawn on him, that maybe their older brother was even more lost than they'd been all week.

"And besides, you saw the way he fought down there. Even with his injuries he was at the top of his game, just like Leo would be under intense pressure, not to mention the general demeanor of which he spoke which is not uncommon for someone whom in an intense situation is used to being calm and level-headed-

"Donnie, what did we talk about with the lecturing?"

Ignoring Raph, he continued, "Then there's of course, the most obvious factor. His left knee was slightly bended whenever he tried to get up"

"Okay, you lost me"

Donnie let out a sigh, straining not to lose his composure, "The knee, dummy. The same one, need I remind you, Leo's injured in? Come on, he always leans on the other one more during training whenever he's about to lose to you, remember!? I'm surprised you didn't notice. Sensei even called him out on it a few times, if you were actually listening."

"But if you realized it too, then why in the heck are we not down there right now talking sense into him while we still can?!"

"Because, as much as it pains me to say, he's not our main priority right now! Remember why we came here"

There was a silence before defeated, Raph lowered his gaze and Donnie knew then and there that he understood, "Mikey…"

Leo was being led into the car now, the officer turning the key and starting to drive away, as they looked helplessly on. Donnie would lie if it said it didn't hurt a bit, and he more than anything wanted to fight for Leo when that time came, but even Raph had to realize that now wasn't that time. They'd come this far and turning away now wouldn't bring them any closer to finding their little brother.

"Exactly, and if my theory's correct, and let's face it- it probably is, then we can use this tracker to find out where they're holding him once we get underground. That is, if he's still captured and they haven't moved him yet or worse- started dissecting him"

"But what about Leo? I don't understand, how could he just-" Raph stopped, not really knowing what to say and Donnie did his best to put on a smile, leaning on the facts for any comfort they could provide them.

"Look, we'll come back for him as soon as we can. We already know he's alive, and going by his mental state of being, I'd say he's probably a patient somewhere and has been for a while now. I could probably hack into their database if I had the right equipment, and we'll find him in no time" he explained, Raph nodding along.

"You think that's why he didn't recognize us?"

"I don't think it's as much that he didn't recognize us, more likely that he just didn't remember us" Donnie corrected him, in turn making his brother roll his eyes in annoyance.

"Not. Helping."

The signal on his KHSD (as he'd just now decided to name it) started to flicker and the sun was coming up too. If they didn't go now, who knows what they'd meet down there. Fact of the matter was they had to leave now. The more time they spend on that rooftop was more time making Donnie's heart skip a beat. This was their only chance. Why couldn't he see that? "Raph, whatever's going on with him, we can figure it out once we're safe. But right now, the best thing we can do for Leo is find our little brother. Wouldn't you want the same thing if it was you don't there?"

"If I was down there, I wouldn't be ordered around by the police…" he muttered.

"Raph"

Another moment of hesitance before finally,

"Okay, okay… you're right. Let's get those bastards what's coming to them" he gave in, putting his sai back in their holsters and marching towards the cover, his knuckles white.

"Funny. That's twice today you've admitted I was right-

"Yeah? Don't get used to it" he just said, and they started to make their way down into the underground.

It felt odd, being back there. Donnie still remembered ordering his brothers explicitly not to go back there after the siege, knowing the anti-foot clan would most likely be surveying the area like a hawk following their disappearance. And while the freedom of living on the surface as a normal human being for the first time in his life was more than a relief, there was still that nagging feeling in his chest, every time he realized that they'd been locked out of their own home. Because despite the fact that the underground had contributed a great deal in sheltering them for most of their upbringing, it served as their home, and still did. This was their world, and the fact that their enemies had found a way to sabotage that, was something Donnie had struggled for a long time to come to terms with. And not just because that meant being locked out of his lab indefinitely. But while the plan had been to originally fool their enemies into thinking they'd perished, if these last few days had taught him anything it was that not every plan could go perfectly, especially not when your team was scattered to all winds.

They walked for a while, silently reminiscing the old corridors and tunnels they'd roamed as kids. Running up and down, or played hide and seek, doing special training with Sensei while telling ghost stories in the dark. Walking up and down them now, it was strange to think that somewhere down here might be their brother tied up. Their brother terrified of the dark, by himself maybe tortured or worse- Donnie's breathing started to escalate, and he tried to focus on the signal. It beeped along their pathway, reaching further and further down. The green light on the pixels lit their way like they were on their way straight into a horror movie. The fact made even more apparent as they reached a passage, not even Donnie seemed to recognize this time. "Huh. That's strange. I don't know this one"

Raph wandered over to the walls somberly, running has hands over the bricks like he did when they were younger and got lost. It was his own way of calming down whenever he got scared, in turn making Donnie feel more secure, every time his big brother lied and said he knew exactly where they were going, despite having no idea.

"That's because father wouldn't let you and Mikey patrol here at night"

"But he let you go here? But its miles away from the lair!"

"Yeah, well that's what I thought too, but there's more to it than that" he said, leading them further into the dark, the scanner illuminating their way ever so slightly. Finally, Donnie saw it too, eyes wide as he realized the various holes almost dug into the stones like a great big mole roamed the sewers. But upon further inspection, it became clear to him that this was an older construct, abandoned by time apparently because the dustiness of each whole where unbearable to breathe in. Nonetheless, just big enough for two people to crawl through. Raph looked at each hole with fondness, most likely recalling himself climbing carelessly up into one of them and scaring Leo half to death, "See?"
"I can't believe Sensei never told us about this. But it makes perfect sense…! these passages must be where the foot found their way to the lair without being picked up by my security cameras! But… how did they find out about them?"

"Beats me. How did they find out we're even alive?"

Good point. Donnie checked the parameter again. It was moving rapidly when leading it near the openings, so whatever was on the other side, he figured it surely wasn't their friend.

"Well, the signal's getting stronger, so whatever the reason, someone's been tampering with alien tech down here" he explained, hoisting himself into one of the holes and lending Raph a hand for him to follow- but he didn't. Instead, he just stood there. Looking at his brother with a lifted brow, arms crossed in that typical Raph-way and Donnie was starting to wonder if he'd picked the wrong hole and that's why he looked him like he just set off a minor bomb.

"What?"

"Why do you keep calling him that?"

"Calling who what?"
"You know" he just said, and Donnie gulped feeling every hair on his body rise to unprecedented heights. "You haven't even said his name after we left"

Donnie struggled to compute, frozen for a few seconds unable to move. "I haven't? Huh. That's weird. Anyway-

"Donnie"

Something very heavy weighing in his stomach all of a sudden, something that he was very much not in the mood to deal with. Even if there was a thing to deal with, which there wasn't. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why he was sweating, Raph's stubborn eyes adding to his increasing frustration. So, he decided to laugh it off, by habit scratching the back of head like he was trying to find his brain somewhere back there.

"Are you coming? We should be clo-

He stopped- no they both stopped actually. Because right then and there, a scream cut through the tunnels on the other side, leaving both brothers completely pale and freezing right into their bones. It continued for a few moments feeling like an eternity, echoing loudly, sounding like someone was being murdered and neither seemed to deny the fact that it was possibly him on the other side of it.

"You were saying?" Raph muttered, grabbing onto Donnie's arm and launching himself up. They started to crawl through the space, water reaching their angles and the familiar scent hanging thicker and thicker in the air when the moved along. They came to a deeper path, the tracker started to beep rapidly out of control until it shut down all together. Another scream hurled through the facility, louder this time, painful. Please don't be Mikey, please don't be Mikey, please don't be Mikey… and it stopped. The area expanded and it became clear that they were no longer in the sewers.

They found it.

Donnie could feel it in the walls, dim light flickering on the pathway they sprinted across becoming more and more organized. The bricks turned into metal hallways standing unguarded, plates and craters filling the space, as an almost glow emanated underneath them, dangerously close to where they were standing. And as the ceiling grew taller and taller, a thought dawned on Donnie as they silently made their way across it, his suspicion confirmed once he ran his hands over the walls.

"Incredible. This must be underneath the warehouse!"
"How do you know?"
"That, buzzing, it's exactly like the one from the energy surge in the canisters. With all of that mutagen, they could probably cover the entire city" he explained, equally amazed by this as he was terrified. Raph gulped, glaring about as if he was expecting for something to jump out at them any moment.

"So, uh… hypothetically what would happen, if they were to do that?"
Donnie shrugged absentmindedly, "I'm not sure, but if it's untested, poured onto a regular human being, it would most likely pull their atoms apart one after the other until their organs are rendered completely deteriorated. It's way too unstable if it hasn't been in contact with regular mutagen first. "

This made Raph completely and utterly forget that they were supposed to be silent,

"And you allowed us to put that purple stuff inside us?! Are you INSANE?" he yelled, in the process making Donnie nearly fall over himself by the sound of his ears growing deaf.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Raph, I had it under control!"

"Really, now?"

They both paused, suddenly realizing that they weren't alone anymore. Because right in the other end of the room stood a foot-soldier dressed to the T, his arms around his back, waiting patiently. He wouldn't be out of the ordinary- well they hadn't encountered any foot soldiers since their last visit, but that was so long ago they'd almost forgotten the threat they posed. And wherever they were, it was very apparent that the size of this facility, was at the very least big enough for several soldiers to hide patiently in the shadows, probably already having them surrounded. And yet here stood only one, this guy more peculiar than their usual bug-faced pals. His outfit black as inc, legs and arms armored in metal plates just like Karai's kunoichi outfit- but his face on the other hand stood out the most. Because covering it Donnie recognized it to be the accessory of an old Japanese Oni Mask, metal plated and with eyes cold and dead. In other words: Yep, we're screwed.

"Uh-oh…"

"I was wondering when you'd show up, young pupils" he said, once again, standing firmly in front of them, blocking the path and Donnie looked to his brother for guidance, reminding himself that leadership wasn't exactly eithers specialty. But even so,

"Raph…?"
"Go. Find Mikey." Raph starred straight into the enemies eyes- or lack thereof, losing his jacket and swirling his sai in his hands as he readied himself for combat by promptly cracking his neck to the side like he usually did. The bruises on his arms still showed reddish and blue marks from their previous fight, but there was no denying Raph's eagerness to bring this guy down. And Donnie new better than anyone that there was no talking sense into Hamato Raphael once he'd set his mind on something, as much as he didn't like this.

"Go. I'll take care of this" he said, a smile of confidence adding to his façade of bravery.

Donnie gulped, eyes anxiously trying to figure out the best way to argue against this strategy, but with no luck. He nodded begrudgingly and ran the other way, their mystery opponent seemingly amused by this agreement, but not losing focus. No, Donnie didn't like this. He didn't like this at all in fact. Was this a part of their plan? To split them up? How long did they know we were coming? Oh, Raph please don't do something stupid… He entered the other pathway, sparing Raph one more glance and it was one of those moments both brothers as if telepathically, knew the words without saying them out loud. Good look…

He nodded, shifting his gaze towards the enemy.

"Okay, you bastard. Let's dance"

---

"Okay, pal. We can do this the easy way, or the fun way. So why don't you just tell me where Mikey is and we can all go home happy, waddya say?"

The stranger chuckled, calmly pacing around the field like he was prey and Raph was the meal. "I am impressed you would think it to be so simple, Raphael"

Raph felt his knuckles tighten around his blades, eagerly scanning his opponent for any weapons- or more accurately, any zapping rods. Those were the fun ones, and his bones seemed to be eager for a challenge this time, which begged the question: where were the rest of those freaks hiding?!

"How do you know my name? No better yet, why don't you just go ahead and tell me who the heck you're supposed to be and spare both of us some time?" he said, swirling his sai in his hands on loop, the sound making sweet music in his ear. His opponent, however, chose not to say a word, feeling more and more like a living statue for every stilted movement. As if his very breathing was carefully formulated in his head, the freak seemed so sure of himself, and it pissed Raph the hell off. He could nearly see the smug smile on his face through the Oni, silently begging that it was all just a way to scare him of. But even Raph knew that he was in a tight spot, and it didn't help that he had no idea who he was up against. This is the bastard that hurt Mikey… Nuff said.

Tired of waiting, he took the first step, "Fine. Then how about I just find out for myself-

Raph sprang forward, his roar echoing in the halls as he charged the Oni, sai aiming for his head. It all happened so quickly that Raph almost didn't notice him move. One second, he was standing still, arms behind his back, and the next he was behind Raph dodging every blow like it was nothing. Raph could already feel his arms grow tired, resulting to kick him instead, only to be mercilessly swung around in the air at an almost supernatural speed, plummeting into a set of crates that pierced his back. He had to bite his tongue not to cry out in pain, rage fueling him as he hurried up on his feet, missing the days he had a protective shell to shield him.

Once he again however, he didn't get far, his plan B using seonake to catch his opponent off guard, only for his wrist to be twisted around along with the rest of his body. He crashed into the ground, chin first, and could taste the blood in his gums whilst imagining all the ways he'd suffer for what he did to Mikey.

"To think you have studied under the great Master Yoshi, it is indeed hard to believe"

"Hard to believe you still think its halloween- he yelled, shifting the end of his sai and swinging it towards his stomach. He shot out of the way, soring through the air before gracefully landing on his feet, arms still behind his bag and Raph, despite his anger, was running out of breath. "What's the matter? Not gonna call your little buddies for help?"

"Against you, it is not necessary" he said and like lightning he was suddenly at Raph's side, his elbow hitting him in the gut like a rocket and Raph felt his lungs collapsing, fighting through the pain and once again trying with all his might to jam his sai into whoever this jerk was' face.

"What do you freaks want with us anyway?!" he bit, shifting his sai in his hand and going for the gut this time, the other sai for his throat, but not surprisingly the Oni blocked him, keeping him at bay with little effort, once again not hiding his laughter.
"I believe the Americans have a saying"
"Yeah?! And what's that?"

But before he had time to dodge, suddenly Raph was spinning in the air, his head hitting the cold hard floor as one of his sais were kicked out of his grip, crushing his fingers and stopping Raph from being able to move.
"Our intentions are for us to know and you to find out" he said, giving his hand one more solid stomp as Raph yelled out in pain. Get up you idiot…!

But as the weight was lifted off his hand, Raph immediately got on his feet readying his fighting stance as every bone in his body was aching. I bet this would be easy in my old body… this is embarrassing, Raph thought mentally kicking himself for losing his edge. Oni held a hand under his chin, as if genuinely impressed by Raph's tenacity, though of course he was having none of it. Okay, new plan. I gotta… oh frick, I gotta think like you Le on this one, don't I? "You're an excellent study. It is indeed remarkable how far you've come from your transformation, young one. But you are still no match for me"

At this, Raph let out a roar, sprinting head long into battle, his weapons at the ready and his opponent waiting patiently for his opponent to counter. What instead happened, seemed to come as a shock to him, for instead of charging, in the very last second Raph tossed his weapons aside and kicked the Oni flat in the stomach- landing his first hit.

"Wanna bet?!"

The Oni flew back clutching his stomach, taken by surprise but still ultimately on his feet. Raph was about to reach for his mask in the nick of time, when something else grabbed hold of his wrist, sending him flying backwards.

"Argh" sore, tired and genuinely not doing so good, Raph felt the warmness of blood dripping down his nose, making him question if it was even possible to bring this guy down, his abilities rivaling that of the Shredders. When he got on his feet however, dizzy and slightly off balance, he nearly burst a blood vessel once he realized that the thing previously attacking him was none other than Mikey's nun chucks. Oni carried them tight to his body, swinging the other end in the air like a toy as he tauntingly approached Raph like it was a regular Sunday.

"Those are Mikey's… you don't mean… " Raph had to blink a couple of times, adrenaline pumping rapidly through his veins whilst the fire inside him turned into an explosion. He'd recognize those chains anywhere, and there was just something all wrong seeing them in that freak's hands. Something very wrong and he almost wanted to scream. You're gonna pay for that.
And without thinking, inexplicably and completely without any regard for his own well-being, Raph grabbed hold of one of his sais, jumped atop one of the nearby crates in a quick motion before he swung the sharp end directly at the Oni's head with all the strength left in him and an ear-deafening belt.

"Time's up, pupil"

But it wasn't until he was five feet into the air, murder in his eyes and hellbent on slamming this guy's face into pieces, that the chain smacking him solid in the face so harshly that the world turned black, made Raph realized something. Something he'd never admit openly to his family before but was eating away at him as he lied there, beaten and bruised, a broken lip and his pride as good as gone.

I have no idea how to beat this guy.

---

Donnie was running full speed on high alert, every corner of the facility brimming with life despite the fact that he found no one in his path. It was all too elaborate, too easy, like they wanted him to pass into a trap. Well, Donnie wasn't having it. He could still hear Raph's yells behind him, but kept his chin up and tried to focus. He stayed low and moved in and out of the shadows as quickly as possible, careful not to make a sound, pretending it was one of the games they used to play in early training with Sensei. He tried adjusting the tracker- that apparently was still not cooperating, making it difficult to figure out if he was going the right way. So, instead he decided to follow the vibrations, bo- well mop ready in his hands and that nagging feeling in his gut that something was array whenever he turned the corner. It led him deeper and deeper down, until at some point he noticed the silence becoming all the more apparent, the energy surge in the wall dying our little by little. But just as he was about to turn back, something caught his eye. A shaft imbedded in the floor.

He approached it carefully, the flickering light from underneath the half-closed door making him shiver. He held his mop tighter before opening it, glancing around to make absolutely sure he was alone. But even if he wasn't, once he dropped down that nagging feeling in his stomach eased up, and he realized that he was in some sort of old hospital of some kind. Dusty abandoned and broken, Donnie gulped praying silently that he wasn't about to make a huge mistake, whilst jogging down the hall towards the light. And that's when he reached it, darkness swirling around him, and he adjusted his scanner slightly to accommodate his vision. Not much of a flashlight, but once he entered a second room, he found he didn't need it once a small lightbulb in the ceiling lit up a good portion of his surroundings.

Then, a chill ran down his spine once he noticed the cages making him simultaneously want to jump into the air with glee, whilst also making him even more eager to get out of there as fast as possible. He searched each cage carefully, the little glow emanating from each cell seem awfully reminiscent of the purple mutagen and he started to sweat at the sight. Finally, he found something- though what exactly he found he wasn't quite sure. It looked vaguely like a person, though way too big for a kid Mikey's size, and Donnie sighed in relief. He tried poking the figure, whatever its gooey mass used to be, but it didn't move. Stayed as still as the grave, and he came to the conclusion that it was either not alive in the first place, or something else entirely. But then he turned around, a silent dunk just across the room letting him know that there was a person inside.

And rightfully so- the light in the room might've not been the best, but it was clear enough for Donnie to see the boy hand-cuffed on the ground, eyes closed, and he nearly thought he was hallucinating. Could it be…?

"Mikey?" he whispered, not really sure what good it would do, but nonetheless the freckled kid started moving, sleepily opening his eyes before slightly turned his head.

"Mr. Mop? You're alive?!"

"No, Mikey! It's me! Donnie!" he said, unable to wipe the smile of his face. He quickly took down his hood and leaned close, Mikey starring at him more or less unconvinced.

"Funny, that's exactly what an imposter would say. How do I know you're the real Donnie? HUH?"

"Mikey, we don't have time for this!" Donnie facepalmed. Yep, it was him alright. It was funny how three months of thinking your siblings are dead, could be washed away in just two small sentences. As if all of a sudden, no time had passed at all, and even though neither boy was really sure what to say, the words came naturally just like they'd always have. And under any other circumstance Donnie would probably be overjoyed to be the victim of his little brother's hijinks once more, if it wasn't for the fact that he was in a cage captured by the people responsible for their separation to begin with. But of course, that didn't stop his brother.

"Prove it then! Say something only the real Donnie would know"

"Mikey, I seriously don't have the time!"

"Hmm… a little angrier"

"MIKEY!"

"Donnie?" His eyes lit up, big and round and full of hope. Took him a few seconds of starring in wonderment before he jumped up from the ground, clearly trying to embrace his brother through the bars despite not being able to move his hands. "DONNIE! It IS YOU! OH, AM I GLAD TO SEE YOU! These guys are crazy man… c-raaazy! I don't know how much longer I can take it in here. Where have you been?! Why do you have a mop? Are you alone?! Did you bring snacks because I'm kind of starving here- Uhh, what's the deal with your hair by the way?! "

Donnie, happy of course, tried desperately to get back on track so that they could escape before more enemies showed. Not an easy task when dealing with Mikey, but this time he understood. Just knowing that he was okay after all this time put Donnie in a mood too risky to really act on, doing their current circumstances.

"Okay, how about you be quiet, I get you out of there and then we'll talk about this when we're not in anti-foot clan territory? Can it wait until then?"

"Okay, okay, you're right. Escape first. Good call, D."

Donnie didn't even realize how much he missed that nickname until it was spoken. It really was just one of those things you didn't realize you missed until it was gone.

"Careful, you might spring the glass!" he muttered, as Mikey tried to maneuver himself with his back towards the bars. That's when Donnie got to work, nearly choking on his own spit as he realized the mechanism on this thing, mutagen leaking all too closely towards his little brother's skin. And though internally Donnie was probably panicking more ways than one at the moment, it was still nice to see that at least Mikey was able to keep a cool head, starring starstruck at Donnie who probably didn't look top cleaned right now. Not much time to change out of your ripped attired and fix a bloody nose when you're on a timer.

"Woooow… Just look at you, broman! You're all cool and… janitory and stuff! Man, I thought I'd never see you again!"

Smiling, Donnie allowed himself a brief moment of joy whilst fiddling with the mechanism. At the same time however, it he couldn't help but feel a tad bit guilty too, expecting his brother to be furious with him and with good reason. Maybe even kick him, or demand that he took off, but of course Mikey was way too good for that. Even despite what Donnie did that night… what he continued to remind himself of when searching for his family.

"I'm sorry it took us so long. I missed you, Mikey" he muttered sincerely, Mikey returning his smile in excitement, before remembering not too move.

"You and me both, bromada. But we're here now! The old gang- back together!"

Donnie wanted to rejoice at this, when he noticed the markings on Mikey's wrist matching those on Raph after he got zapped by the bolts in the alley. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Suddenly, the cold that filled the room seemed to dampen and he hoped to god that Raph took his sweet time with Oni-man.

"Well, they did zap me once or twice, I guess. They were all like SILENCE TURTLE! YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING THIS CUTE! And then I was all like I WILL NEVER YIELD! YOU WILL HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST! And then they were all like-

"Okay, I think I get the picture" he said, "Now turn your hands, I gotta get these cuffs off of you"

"Careful! I don't wanna turn into a Mikey-pancake. Though pancakes sounds really delicious right now actually… with sweet buttery syrup and marshmallow toppings-

"Mikey, focus…"

"Oh, right. Sorry." Mikey started muttering under his breath, humming quietly to himself a song most likely made up on the fly. Not an unusual habit of his, though Donnie had to admit it didn't help his own thoughts from clocking up in each other as he tried to work the handcuffs. In fact, it only seemed to worsen his already shaking hands, but he still couldn't bring himself to ask him to stop. Hell, he was probably just as scared as he was.

"Oh-oh"

"Oh-oh?! OH-OH?! IT'S NEVER A GOOD THING WHEN YOU SAY OH-OH!"

Donnie tried not to be too forward. He was the oldest, and probably the only one capable of keeping cool at the moment whilst Mikey was panicking, "Calm down a bit, you're gonna be fine… But-"

"But?!"

"But it looks like I can only intersect the lock, but by doing so it will activate the spring trap and activate the vial in less than five seconds time"

"And that's… good?"
"Well, if you prefer spending the rest of your days as a pile of goo, then sure!"

"Donnie…"

Donnie could tell he'd already failed trying to calm him down, letting out a nervous laugh,
"Don't worry I'll figure it out, I'll figure it out I just… garhh! I need a minute" he took in a deep breath, carefully collecting his thoughts. Come on, Mikey needs you! Just calm down! You got this… of course you got this! It's just a lock! Easy piecy! You've done this before, just gotta… "Okay… Okay Mikey, you have to trust me here, okay?"

"I don't like the sound of that" Mikey gulped, his shivering making a clank sound against the bars every few seconds.

"You'll be fine. But you have to do exactly as I say, got it?"

He seemed to have to think this over, not even Donnie sure what was the right answer here, but to say that he was desperate right now would be an understatement.

"Don't know if you know this, D, but eh, the science stuff is not really my thing. Well, unless there's pizza involved. You know I got the mad pizz-science in my brain- wait, did you bring a pepperoni?"

"No! Just- " You haven't changed at all… Donnie moved on to the lock on the cage, quickly and fairly easily using his personalized tool-pen to open it, Mikey still scared to move."Listen, as soon as I unlock those cuffs you will have exactly five point zero seconds to toss them before they explode. So as soon as I say go, jump forward as fast as you can, and I'll catch you"
"I have a bad feeling about this…"

"You're gonna be fine. Trust me"

The brothers looked at each other, hearts beating like crazy as Donnie readied his pen in his hands. Well, at least it wasn't fixing pipes, he reminded himself. And today was not going to be the day his little brother would turn into a big pile of goo because he couldn't unlock a set of handcuffs…even if they were technically fitted with a big pile of mutagen, the same amount responsible for turning Bixter Sikeman into a deformed fly-man for the rest of his days- oh god I'm panicking again…

"Okay. I trust you"

Mikey was resolute and Donnie believed him, feeling the pressure lift slightly and he proceeded to wipe the sweat of his brow, focusing. "Good. Now get ready. On three, okay?"

They paused, their heavy breathing filling the room as Donnie forced himself to calm down. Five seconds. You got this.

"One"

The first lock opened, Mikey letting out high-pitched squeeches making him sound like a scared puppy. Donnie moved on to the next one,

"Two"

His left wrist was free now, leaving only the last lock in its place. He tipped the pen carefully over the slot, holding his breath before he turned it around.

"Three!"

Mikey threw away the cuffs as fast as he could into the cage behind him, and jumped forward, sending Donnie to the floor with a crash as the vial exploded behind them. There came a splat on the wall, Donnie crawling backwards while Mikey looked on in horror. They starred at it for some time, then each other, letting out a gigantic sigh- a sigh quickly turned into panic as both boys frantically searched their clothes and limbs as if spiders were crawling all over them. Once they both realized they were clean, it dawned on them… they were okay.

"You did it!" Mikey was per usual the first one to celebrate, hands in the air and a big goofy smile on his face. Donnie on the other hand, felt like he just ran a marathon, not fully being able to comprehend what just happened. It had been like that all day, as a matter of fact.

"I did it…"

"YOU DID IT! WOHOO! B-TEAM FOR THE WIN!" Mikey yelled embracing Donnie and the two sprang to their feet. The reunion was short lived however, as Donnie proceeded to run towards the exist nearly tripping over his shoelaces.

"Come on! We gotta get to Raph"

Mikey stopped for a moment- head tilted slightly.

"Wait, Raph's here too?!"

---

Everything flickered once he opened his eyes, coughing up what he imagined to be all his internal organs as he pushed aside the trashcans blocking his path. Raph found himself in the ditch, somewhere he didn't how and with the strangest hangover digging into his skull. The events from last night popped into his head slowly and steadily, as if reminding him only of the absolute worst parts of it and only those. When he came to his senses, the pain started to cease, well as compared to the feeling of his flesh burning off from earlier it at least, to him, felt that way. He slouched over, getting back on his feet and instantly the world felt all wrong. And he meant everything. He noticed it when he stood up for the first time, the daylight of New York city's sun hitting him right and the face and he had to shield his eyes. But once he did, the hand that held it made him let out an almost wheeze-like scream.

It all came flooding back to him now. The overwhelming realization that his nightmare from last night wasn't a nightmare at all, but that it actually happened. It was real. Just as real as whatever it was that right now made him stumbling forwards, human hands on his chest where his shell used to be and the cold wind blowing, sending what he soon realized to be hair in all directions. Once he found out the proper way to put on human clothes, he allowed himself to panic. Feeling his face, he was relived to at least his mask to still be intact, but it was that realization that also made him review the passing events in his brain all over again. The explosion, the crash, the crackling sound of his skull colliding with the debris.

"LEOOOO! MIKEY! DONNIEEE!" he yelled out, tumbling over the pavement and ignoring the by-passers starring at him. He called out again, not recognizing the area he was in but pushing forward. He tried to reach for his phone, but it was gone, along with everything else but his weaponry. "Damn it… where the heck are you guys?"

He walked around for a while calling out, staying close by covers and waiting patiently for anyone to show. What was it now… what did we agree on? Where the heck did you go? Avoiding any passing reflections that might inadvertently make him feel sick to sick to his stomach, Raph focused his attention on surveying the area, but everything felt so sore. His body was still recovering from the transformation, and even Donnie didn't need to tell him that he should probably take it easy, if that was even possible. Of course, he couldn't calm down! Why would he?! No, he needed to move. If he stood still, he would be too open to his thoughts, something he'd very much try to avoid right now, if at all possible.

But once the night started to dawn, and his voice was raspy and tired from screaming all day, it soon became clear to him that he had no idea what to do… they were his responsibility, but if he was being brutally honest with himself, he didn't even know if they were okay. Didn't know if they escaped in time, if they even made it that far. He promised to take care of him, but Raph had absolutely no idea where he even was… so when the night finally came and he decided that yelling wouldn't do him any good, he instead decided to keep on walking, shaking, feeling icky and strange. His balance was off kilter, and it wasn't until he made it all the way to the docks that he saw his own reflection in the water.

Starring hopelessly across the horizon he shut his eyes tight, forcing himself to swallow his tears and called out to the only person he could think off… he wasn't a leader. He needed someone to tell him what to do, because right now Raph was too scared to say it loud. And yet,

It was like they came on their own, and he didn't know how to stop them, "…Sensei, I messed up… I messed up big time. I wish I could tell you that I'll get them back and all, but if I'm being honest… I don't know what to do…"

The words filled up in his throat, or maybe that was just the pit in his stomach right now threatening to make him crack, but Raph held fast, holding himself together as best he could. Like a river over stone- but that still didn't change the fact that he'd lost them- possibly for good because there were still so much that they didn't understand about the purple mutagen. He'd lost them and it was on him.

"Sensei… what the heck do I do now?" he whispered, a shadow over his face whilst the waves continued to bask against the pier.

He felt his body grow could, his stomach roar and his weakened limps growing heavy. He tried again, trying to be patient, trying to remember how Leo would do it- choking the feeling that something terrible must've happened to him, for why else would he still be shaking? But once the silence finally became enough, at the same time Raph decided to lose his mantra and turn it into a hit to the pole just a few feet away from him- fitting the anger coursing through him. He hit it once, then twice, then again and again until his knuckles started to bleed, and he wanted to imagine that that pole was everything wrong with the world. He didn't even care about the bruises- how could he? This wasn't even his body. Why should it matter that he got a few broken bones if this was only 'temporary' as Leo so delicately had put it?! Why did any of it matter in the end? Why should he CARE? He didn't. And so, he kept going, each hit heavier than the last and he nearly wanted to take the damn thing and toss it into the sea.

"You know some people might frown on that, young man"

The voice came from an older man- not as Raph nearly thought, in his head. He waited on the shore, an old shopping cart kept from rolling into the sea by a pair of fingerless gloves. The man starred at Raph almost indifferently, and as he stepped away from the pole it started to become apparent that the damage, despite the fact that he still didn't care, still hurt like hell. "Well, are you coming?"
"I'm I com- Where?!" he yelled back, confused as all heck. The man however, just nodded, a toothless smile on his face as he gestured for Raph- still very confused to follow him.

"To din-ner. Come along now, while it's still hot"

And raph, with nothing better to do really and way too hungry to argue, decided to follow him down the docks, starring back at his broken hand and noticing the pole tilted slightly to the side when looking at it from afar. Raph felt himself calm down, though he was all too familiar with what came with it- that being mostly guilt and or remorse recoiling on his sharp edges once he'd realized he took it too far. Again... But before he could really stop and ask Bernie why he was helping him exactly, instead he quickly found himself-

-back in the warehouse, head still churning and bouncing heavily like some had taken a hammer to it. He came to his feet, the sting on his lip starting to evaporate slightly once he came back to reality very eager to break his bones. The Oni-man was still observant, playing with Mikey's nun-chuck in his hand and Raph was not about to take it anymore, despite every cell in his body telling him that he was in over his head. Once he realized his opponent wasn't down, he wasted no time, swinging the nun-chuck at Raph once more, most likely to keep him down for good this time. But despite his growing pains and relentless dizziness, Raph knew something Oni-man didn't.

So as soon as the chain reached around his arm, before the tug, Raph decided to pull down, wrapping his elbow around the end quick enough to grab the handle. He activated the spring inside it, realizing the blade and before thinking jammed it into the ground.

Oni-man was understandably puzzled at this, but regardless decided to toss the chain and instead charge first into Raph, who waited patiently for the final blow. And as soon as his opponent got ready to send him into the concrete, that's when Raph used the chain to his advantage. Catching his opponent off guard, he wrapped it around his angle, and in a split second of clarity, he used his sai to jam into the upper fabric by his shoulder, keeping him in place. Raph was still heaving, every bone in his body aching, but he couldn't care less the joy of winning allowing him to relish the moment for a little while.

"Now, time to see if your face is as ugly as your mask"

"Impressive… just still too slow"

But he didn't get the chance, Oni-man almost in a flash kicking Raph to the wall, freeing himself from his weapon. He ran to the other side, looking back, and it was too late Raph realized that there was something missing from his pockets before the flash went of.

"Now you see me,"

Leaving only a trail of purple smoke behind, Raph stumbled to his feet, the rage boiling over, and he wanted to scream bloody murder had his body allowed it.

"Hey I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!" he yelled, kicking the crate next to him for good measure, before letting his exhaustion take over and he slumped down instead, everything shaking in his field of vision. Good job… you let him get away… fantastic! What now?!

"Raph?"

He turned around, a chill running down his spine as the familiar voice hung in the air. Am I dreaming? Donnie was there too, standing across the warehouse with a slightly smaller boy next to him. Freckled, he wore a ridiculous shirt and protective gear covering his knees and elbows, bruises on his arms, but drowned out by the derby smile on his face. His hair was curly, bouncy and overall a big wild mess, greatly matching the big blue eyes that right now lit up like Christmas eve upon seeing the red-haired boy in front of him.

"Mikey?"

They stood there, both looking like they just walked through hell and back, starring in awe, but knowing all together. Maybe you could call it a brother's intuition, but it wasn't very difficult, despite how rapidly different they looked. Despite how long it had been. Didn't take Raph more than a few steps before he started running, every single month, week or day seeming meaningless compared to right now and time stood still for a few glorious seconds.

"You're kidding me… You're actually kidding me!"

Mikey jumped into his brother's arms like a little kid, wooing his victory cry and gleefully laughing as they held each other close. And though reality seemed to only get more and more fussy, the fact that after all of this time, they were finally together again, being a testament to the trials prior, but it didn't change anything. They did it. They actually did it. All this time thinking, without knowing, without as much as a clue, that the other was gone for good and now it seemed that maybe it wasn't for nothing after all.

"Look at you! Where the heck have you been?! "
"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR?! Wait, are you really Raph, or do you just also enjoy stabbing things?! If you do- no judging, we all have our hobbies- totally fine, don't worry. Wait, how do we know you're not a clone?! Quick, tell me something only Raphael would know!"

"Mikey" he growled, already tired. But as tempting as it was, instead of hitting him, Raph nuzzled his human curly hair instead, Mikey responding with immediately jumping into yet another embrace.

"Yep, it's really you. Oh, I missed you bro!"

"Missed you too, little brother" Raph just smiled, too exhausted to retaliate.

"Uh, hate to break up the reunion, but we probably shouldn't stay here too long, don't you agree? You know the anti-foot murderous ninjas on our tail, remember?" Donnie chimed in, leaving Raph wondering where the heck they would even go. They hadn't really planned that far ahead now that he thought about it….

"Well, we could always find a nice bridge to stay under?" Mikey suggested, and not surprisingly making both him and Donnie roll their eyes.

And then Raph had an idea. A probably terrible, albeit last-resort kind of idea that he would surely regret if this was any other day...

---

It's us. Your brothers.

That sentence still hung in the air like black smoke, making Leo silently contemplating whether or not he should've stayed in that alley. His brain was still replaying the scene in his head on loop as if every little detail was escaping him by the minute. The way they came out of thin air, the way their fought, talked, even their crazy attire seemed so scarily reminiscent of something somehow… and the way they looked at him. Leo was so sure that he would be able to get passed the doubts clouding his brain, telling him that he was somehow a part of this like Hopkins predicted. He was so desperate to see through their entire scheme as nothing but that- a scheme a rouse of some kind. Because it was fairly obvious that they knew him, they probably also knew Karai, and he remembered what she'd said that night on the roof. That everything would fall into place eventually. She just neglected to mentioned, that it would also come in the form of two kids his age, taken on the Purple Dragons head on like it was just a regular Sunday. The same guys the cops struggled for months on end to even interrogate.

Brothers… that's what he'd said. And going by the tall one's lack of judgement, he could only assume that it was genuine- at least in some way. But how… what was happening? How could he possibly be related to those freaks? No- it had to be something else… Leo clung onto that hope like a lifeline because facing the fact that tonight he might've possibly come face to face with his family was worse. Worse than when the cops took him to the station, redid his stitches and then proceeded to dump him inside the interrogation room until the sun came up. He hadn't spoken a word since then, flashes and images emerging like needlepoints. He might not remember it per say, but whatever it was those two were after, Leo knew straight away that it had something to do with him. And more than that, this was personal now. Though personal in the same way he was now put under suspicion for aided murder.

Of course, the night I finally get some truth, is the same night another victim is killed. Didn't help either that when the cops found him, he was surrounded by broken bodies unable to explain the fact that he was only partially responsible. The real culprits, Leo was honestly still unsure how to feel about… but his gut instinct told him that keeping to himself for now, might be for the best. As if they'd even believe him if he tried.

"He is a key witness, Hopkins! Maybe the first real clue we've had in moths and now you're defending him?! Look at the evidence!"
"A bunch of beaten down gang members isn't nearly enough evidence to convict a kid! Because that is all he is! A kid! And we won't get anywhere with blind accusations. Not based on what I've seen tonight" Hopkins said calmly, and Leo peaked closer. Having been instructed by him to wait outside his office, Leo of course decided not to obey, leaning against the wall separating him and college yelling at the top of her lungs on the other side.
"You had your change, and now another victim is dead. We missed perhaps the biggest breakthrough in this case because of your failure to conduct this investigation properly!"
"We need more time-

"No, we need you to get through to him. Hopkins, listen to yourself, you're admitting to withholding valuable information, information that very well might be crucial to solving these murders"

"This isn't about me-

"Then prove that you can do your job, Hopkins. Remember who you're doing this for"

SLAM. After she left, soon came Hopkins' appearance deteriorated by the second. However as soon as he saw Leo, it was like all the color shot back up into his face, vein popping out of his skin. "Leo, what were you thinking?!" he yelled, rubbing his forehead and Leo quickly understood that now that they were out of the hugging state, they'd moved on to the do you have any idea how mad I am routine.

"I was just-

"I told you to leave it to me. And then you go and do this, I mean- do you have any idea what trouble you're in?! You were at the scene. You could've died! And now everyone thinks you're the vigilante. I mean god damn it I told you this was too dangerous!"

"What if I was?" came his small voice, eyeing the floor whilst the same words echoed in his brain over and over again as if he said it enough times, it would all go away. Your brothers.

"The hell are you talking about?"

"Forget it…" he just muttered, letting out a sigh and as he got back on his feet, mustering enough restraint to look the officer properly in the eyes again. He couldn't say he blamed him one bit for being mad- though breaking Hopkins' rules so far only seemed to get Leo into just as much trouble as he was getting closer to help solving this case. His case. Deciding whether or not his colleges where right to want to lock him up, despite his young age.
"So, am I allowed to leave?"

Took Hopkins a moment of deciding whether to continue his rant, or simply allow his frustrations to dampen. He chose the ladder.

"I don't they you should be allowed to go anywhere, after the stunt you pulled." He just said, slumming into the chair, head in his hands. "But I did manage to convince them to put you under witness-protection. Meaning I have to keep an even closer eye on you from now on if you don't want to go to juvey. But one more slip up, Leo… after that, you're on your own"

"Yeah, I guess that's fair. "

A weltered smile came over him, well, it was more of a silent way to let Leo know that he thought this was getting more and more insane. That they were on the same page, everything considered. He still hadn't forgotten about his gesture from earlier, as if for just a moment Hopkins admitted to actually care about the kid. Even if it was just for a moment.
"What the heck am I gonna do with you kid?"

Shrugging, Leo slummed down next to him. He wanted to tell him about everything. To spill it to someone at least so that the burden of realizing that you might've been a criminal in the past, not to mention related to insane marshal-artists wearing masks and mops for weaponry who also happened to safe your life. Needless to say, it was a lot to take in. But not having to carry it by himself was so tempting, his every thought overwhelming him to the core. But as much as he wanted to let Hopkins get a clue that might salvage his career, Leo wanted even less for the entire New York City Police Department to come after them both.

"What about Layton? Have they found him yet?" he then asked, trying to change to subject.

"No… No, not yet" he sighed, and Leo instantly wished he'd stayed silent going by the look on his face. Leo only met him once, but even then, he could see how much he'd meant for Hopkins. And now he was gone. Well, according to everyone else- his friend included. So after a moment of starring into the abyss, he got up from his seat, hands in his pockets and headed down the hallway, Leo right behind him. "Come on, let's go home"

---

The sun was starting to come up over the horizon, snow started to fall over New York as Raph entered the tent, hot coffee in his hands that tasted like dirt. Courtesy of Bernie, now fallen asleep by the fire. Donnie was in the middle of tying Mikey's (at the moment lying on his broken mattress) bandages, though he didn't exactly make it easy.

"OUCH!"

"Would you stop moving already?! I'm being as gentle as I can here"
"Well, then be gentlerer!"

"That's not even a word Mikey…"

"Ouch! Okay now you're just doing it on purpose!"

"I'm not!" Donnie bit, just then noticing Raph by the entry way starring out at the city. "Raph, you okay there, buddy?"

Short answer, no. No, he wasn't. And it didn't help that once again, Raph had no idea what they were going to do, and not even a plan to start figuring out their next move. They were back to square one, thousands of enemies from almost all sides on the loose knowing they were alive and more importantly,

"What are we gonna do about him?"

Both Donnie and Mikey couldn't help but frown, knowing exactly what he was referring to and all three of them was slowly seeing that the reason the tent felt so much bigger than it actually was, wasn't because of the necessary breathing space it provided them. Finishing- this time more gently- in tying Mikey's bandages, he turned his attention back to the tethered mask by the mattress. "I know. But remember, we also got an entire city worth of purple mutagen on our hands here. Not to mention, we have no idea who's behind all of this to begin with, what they're even plotting, we're one leader down, and I still don't have the tools necessary to make an anti-purple mutagen serum that's also safe enough to turn us back into mutants, before-

"Before what?"

Donnie gulped, Mikey sending him the not even close to convinced look and he quickly changed the subject.
"Nothing. Point is, while we also have to find Leo, we're still not closer to figuring out what the anti-foot's plan even is! Or, not to mention, why they just let us go like that"

Raph sighed. He knew he was right- almost ready to agree with him entirely, before he caught glimpse of the crooked pole down by the pier. "First thing's first, we need our leader back"

"Uh, until then, can I be the temporary lead-

"NO!"

"NO!"

Noticing Mikey's pout, Donnie tried ruffling his hair to cheer him up, though the gesture seemed odd and uncoordinated coming from him but hey, at least he tried.

"He's gonna be okay though, right Raph?" Mikey then said, both brothers turning to red who was still flipping his sai in his hand, up and down, over and over again like a reflex. No more walls to lean against, this was now or never, all of them set on giving it everything they got. Even if right now the desire to get Leo back was equally on par with their desire to not get killed before they could safe the city and get everything back to normal again. I mean after all, they'd come this far already, bruised limbs and all...

"He better be"

---

The time was 6:08 am when Hopkins enjoyed a smoke down by the local bar.

He refilled his glass one after the other, drinking for him and his partner until a stranger bumped into him, suddenly and without warning. Now Hopkins might've been an old geezer and all, but he wasn't stupid. He knew a hand-out when he saw one. But he was honestly too intoxicated and tired to really care for it.

Before he knew it, he was led outside, gun at the ready as the stranger all covered in black approached him. His voice was mellow, a faint accent muffled under his covered mouth, leading Hopkins to think he was being confronted by the ghost of Hamato Yoshi himself if he wasn't the wiser.

"What do you want? I've had a heck of a long night, and I'm not in the mood for games"

"Of course not, Mr. Oliver Hopkins." The stranger said, and now the officer was really starting to smell a trap. "I am a fan of your work"

"Then you must also be a fan of getting a gun pointed in your face" he said, demonstrating his artillery from the underside of his jacket. The stranger laughed, surrounding the old geezer like he was on a stroll in the park- and Hopkins was having none of it.

"Funny how easily a rat can get cornered once he sees himself superior"

"Talk"

"I want to help you, Mr. Hopkins. I have something, as a matter of fact, I think might interest you greatly" the stranger said, unloading a crate carefully maneuvered behind the exit and grabbing a folder from inside.

"Look, whatever you're selling, I'm not interested in this little turf-war you got going on. Whatever it is, I'm never going to buy your crap until Marv Layton's killer is brought to justice"

"You misunderstand. I am not your enemy" he said, same chilly ring to his voice that made Hopkins want to start unloading the magazine, just to see something break to pieces. However, he decided to take the folder, carefully losing the strap and peeking inside with great caution. "She is" he said, and suddenly, all at once it was like he immediately became sober again. "I believe you recognize the name?"

There was a silence of Hopkins brain frantically collecting itself, a hint of skepticism painted in his furrowed brow, though his fingers refused to let go of the file all the same. He recognized the name instantly, speaking it over his dry lips like a silent promise.

"Hamato Karai"