Chapter Three: Enough to Worry About

{Leo}

I can't get what Donnie said out of my mind; it's driving me nuts! Could he really make us human? How on earth would he manage that? What would we look like? What would it feel like? And could he change us back when the situation called for it?

I shake my head with a grunt. Stop it! We have to find Mikey and get home—don't think about anything else!

I hop a curb and skate across the street with Donnie and Raph close behind me. We've been looking for almost an hour and haven't found him anywhere. He wasn't in any of his usual skate spots and he's not answering his T-phone. Honestly, I've got enough on my mind. Where could he have run off to?

"Come on, Mikey," I whisper under my breath. "Where are you?"

We move through another alleyway and pull up by the little park with the swings that Mikey sometimes goes to when he wants to be alone. But the swings are all empty and squeaking faintly against the night breeze.

I kick my board up and grab it out of the air as Donnie and Raph pull up behind me.

"Seriously? Raph growls. "He's not here either?"

I shake my head and shrug. "Guess not. Donnie, have you tried to call him at all?"

"Since the past five seconds?" Donnie grumbles. "Yeah. He's not answering—in fact, I think his phone is off."

"Well what the heck are we supposed to do?" Raph snaps. "We can't go home till we find the idiot, and it'll be morning in a couple of hours!"

"Don't yell at me," I hiss. "You're the one who made him leave in the first place!"

"Oh, so this is all my fault now, is it?"

"Yes."

"Wait, wait, guys—" Donnie interrupts with a spontaneous wave of his T-phone. "I installed GPS on all our phones. It may possible to track him using that, even if his phone is off."

Raph and I both glare at him.

"And you just now remembered?" I mutter. "Gee, how convenient."

He scowls. "I've been a little occupied, thank you."

"With what?" Raph asks angrily. But Donnie just gives me a look and says nothing more. I take a deep breath and shake my head.

"Alright, alright—whatever. Just find him so we can get home."

Donnie nods and starts typing in some codes through his T-phone. I lean up against the swing set and stare at the night sky. The horizon's already beginning to lighten… I hope he didn't get into any trouble.

I sigh and glance over at Raph. He's pacing nervously around Donnie, spouting off questions in his angry voice.

"Is it done yet? Can you find him?"

"Give me a minute, Raph—"

"And why didn't you think of this earlier? It's almost daybreak, and our brother's out there somewhere and we have no idea where he is or what he's doing—"

"Raph," I say firmly. He stops and glares at me.

"What?" he bites.

"We'll find him. Just calm down and let Donnie do his thing."

His upper lip curls into a slight snarl. "You're not worried at all?"

"I didn't say that," I mutter. "But I know worrying isn't going to get us to him any faster, and neither is badgering Donnie. We're going to find him. Just be patient, okay?"

"It's not finding him I'm worried about," Raph grumbles. "It's what he's gonna look like when we do."

~T~

{Raph}

It's not taking a minute—it's taking forever. I'm slumped against the swing set, sitting on the cold cement with my arms crossed, my head down and my eyes closed. I'm trying to fight off the worrisome thoughts, but I'm not very good at it. Mikey's gotten into trouble before, and the last thing I want is for it to be my fault—again.

I push the air from my lungs and chew on the inside of my cheek.

"Donnie?" Leo asks, his voice edged with irritation. "You found him yet?"

Donnie's nostrils flare in frustration and he shakes the T-phone. "It won't lock onto a signal long enough for me to track it…" He punches in another string of nonsense, brow knit in annoyance. "Come on, come on!"

I groan, clenching my eyes shut again and bumping the back of my head against the metal pole of the swing set impatiently. We could've found him on our own by now…

"Wait, wait," Donnie says quickly. "I think I got something… Yes!"

My eyes snap open and I jump to my feet fast enough to give me a head rush.

"You found him?" I ask a little too loud.

Donnie pauses and tilts his head at the screen. "Yeah, but…what's he doing out by the docks?"

"Doesn't matter," Leo says sharply. "Let's go!"

Back onto the skateboards, back into the winding alleys and cramped streets of the city, we move through the darkness with the night breeze at our backs and worry clouding our minds. I can see it on both of their faces, but Leo looks almost as anxious as I am. Dark as it is, the few streetlights catch and reflect the fear swirling in his blue eyes. I swallow hard and focus on whatever's ahead of me. Mikey never goes out to the docks. The place has freaked him out ever since I made up that story of zombies crawling out of the ocean. And even if it didn't, he has no reason to go over there at this time—especially by himself.

"Something must've happened to his phone," Donnie chimes in from the back. "I keep losing the signal."

Leo's eyes harden, but he doesn't say anything. Instead, the churning of asphalt and gravel beneath the wheels of our boards fills our ears and drowns everything else out.

If anything's happened to the dolt, I'm going to smack the green off him.

~T~

{Donnie}

"Left!" I shout. We finally break from the suffocating layout of the city as all the skyscrapers and dark alleyways fall behind us. Several old warehouse and fishing buildings come into view, along with the port. The salty smell of the ocean and stench of factory smog smother my senses, and I shake my head to chase it away. I glance back down at my T-phone, but once again, the signal from Mikey's phone isn't appearing. I guess we'll just have to look from here.

Leo hops off his board and whirls around. "Where is he?"

I skid to a stop and step off, giving my T-phone a useless shake. "The signal's dropped again. We'll have to split up—"

"What's that?" Raph interrupts, pointing ahead. I squint my eyes and catch the small glow off by the dock. A thin trail of smoke drifts across the air.

"A fire?" Leo guesses. "But it looks pretty contained. Come on, we'll check it out. Donnie, you keep trying the phone."

I nod without bothering to explain to him that it's basically useless now that we're here. He has to be within a quarter-mile radius from what the original signal's location was when I had it working for a second or two. He shouldn't be far from it.

I follow after Leo and Raph, all of us on foot now, and head toward the dim glow. We reach the area in seconds, and a billion questions shoot through my mind as soon as my eyes land on the crumpled, blackened heap of metal.

"What the heck is that?" Raph growls. He kicks it and I gasp.

"What're you doing? Don't touch it!"

He arches a brow. "What? It's not like it's gonna jump up and stab me."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can ruin it! Everything we find is evidence; it has to be taken back to the lab so I can study it—"

"If you found a piece of trash on the street, you'd take it back to the lab to study it," he derides. "Besides, the thing's busted. And on fire."

"Yeah, but how?" Leo inquires. He stoops down on his haunches and tilts his head, inspecting the machine. "It looks like a robot of some sort."

"A Kraang-droid?" Raph offers.

"No," I say, bending down beside Leo. "This one has a much different build. I think it was running on some sort of oil, and the Kraang are more advanced than that."

"That explains the fire," Leo says. "So does that mean Mikey ran into this thing?"

"Well, he's out here. Or he was before he misplaced his phone."

Raph scoffs. "So he took out this hunk of junk without calling any of us? Why does he get all the fun?"

"Wait, wait…" I pull my bo staff from the back of my shell and swat away the weakened flames before pulling what looks to be the robot's arm outwards.

"Is that blood?" Leo asks, his voice tinged with fear. "There, on the blade coming out from its wrist."

My eyes narrow and an uneasy feeling creeps into my gut. The dark red stains the edges of the rusty blade. If Mikey got hit with that…well, it wouldn't have been pretty.

"Blood?" Raph snarls. "Mikey's hurt?"

Leo stands to his feet. "We need to find him. Now."

"I'll check the perimeter of those three buildings to the left." I push myself off the ground with a knot growing in my stomach. "Raph, you get the two warehouses over there, and Leo can check—"

"Wait, shut up for a second!" Raph hisses. I fall silent and look around, waiting and listening.

"What is it?" Leo whispers.

"I thought I heard something…" Raph steps away from the broken robot and walks farther down the dock. The wood creaks slightly underneath him, and the waves pull in and out, washing around the beams support the wooden structure. I move to the guardrails along the side and glance over at the dark, frothing water. The cold spray soaks the wood and creates a hazy mist that slowly rises into the air. I wonder…

"There it is!" Raph shouts suddenly. "I heard it again—it must be coming from the end of the dock!" He takes off running down the moorage, and Leo and I waste no time to follow. Our feet thump across the creaking wood, the sound broken periodically by the crashing of waves upon the rocks and beams. We reach the end of the dock and stop everything to listen for the noise again, but Raph is already searching.

"I know I heard it over here… It sounded like Mikey." He stretches out over the edge of the berth, staring into the darkness of the waters. Leo does the same.

"You think he went in?" he inquires.

"If something spontaneously burst into flames while I was fighting it, I'd jump into the nearest puddle," Raph mutters.

I watch the two converse for a moment when a small sound catches my ears. I stop and listen, and sure enough, when the next wave hits and sloshes against the support beams, a faint thumping noise follows it, as if something is bumping up into the docks. I walk to the side and lean over as far as I can to see what might be underneath the structure.

But when I do, my heart jumps into my throat. "Mikey!"

~T~

{Leo}

Donnie cries out behind us. "Mikey!"

Raph and I whirl around and scramble to Donnie's side.

"What?" I shout. "You see him?"

"Where is he?" Raph practically shoves me aside and hangs over the side of the dock, trying to see whatever Donnie's seeing. And by the sound of his reaction, I'm guessing it's not good.

But before I can get a look, Raph's climbing up and over and throwing himself into the frothing waters. I reach out instinctively and call after him.

"Raph, wait!"

But he's already plunging headfirst into the tremulous sea.

"Donnie, get your staff ready to help pull them out," I order. He nods, his eyes flashing with fear. And when he speaks, his voice is reduced to a whisper.

"I saw him holding onto the metal ladder attached to the dock down below," he explains quietly. "But Leo…he wasn't moving."

I swallow and shove down the thought. "Raph will get him out."

Donnie keeps his eyes to the dark water and says nothing more. We both stand ready, listening to Raph splash and grunt as he struggles to carry Mikey out from under the dock. He's panting when he finally comes into view, coughing up water as he tries to swim and hold Mikey above the churning waves.

"Now, Donnie!" I shout. Donnie lowers his staff obediently, and we both grab hold of it before Raph wraps his free hand around the wooden pole. Donnie and I grunt, straining to lift the two of them out from the waters without snapping the weapon. We get them a good few feet out of the water before Raph manages to take hold of the side of the dock on his own and heave Mikey over his shoulder. I scramble to grab Mikey's limp body and pull him against me until I've got him completely over the side rails. Raph climbs over the edge and drops down with a groan, dripping wet and shaking from the cold water.

"I think he's unconscious," Raph says between coughs and sputters. "But he's still breathing."

I lower Mikey to the ground and Donnie immediately begins examining him.

"His body temperature is dangerously low," he says frantically. "And his pulse isn't good. We need to get him back to the lair."

"What's wrong with his skin?" I ask. "There: his legs and hands are blistered and swollen."

Donnie tilts his head and tenderly lifts up the wounded appendages. "Burns, I think. Most likely from the robot. If he had gotten any of that oil on him during the fight…"

Images flash behind my eyes and I clench my jaw. Images of Mikey, in pain and alone, struggling to keep his head above the waters as his wounds rage. My fingers curl into fists at my sides. I shouldn't have let him leave—I should have kept him there with the rest of us!

"Both of you, just shut up!" Raph snarls, shoving me aside. "We have to get him home!" He hauls Mikey's unconscious form over his back and starts running back towards the city.

I begin to chase after him until I realize Donnie isn't following. I stop and turn to see him standing there on the dock.

"I need to get the robot," he says quickly. My eyes widen.

"What? No! We need you at home to help Mikey! The heap of scrap metal can wait!"

"But it might not be here if I come back later!" Donnie snaps. "And we have to know what it is! We have to know what's going on, and who's to blame for hurting Mikey!"

My lip curls and I snarl, "Fine! Whatever!" I turn on my heels and kick the steaming pile of machinery away from the glowing remnants of the fire so that Donnie can scoop it up as fast as possible.

"It's hot!" he shouts, hissing in pain.

"Well we're not standing around to wait for it to cool down!" I bark. "Either grab it now or kiss it goodbye!"

He winces at the heat, but he doesn't drop the crumpled machine, and we both tear off after Raph with our hearts beating out of our chests.

~T~

{Raph}

"Come on—stay with me, Mikey," I huff as I weave my way through the empty streets. "Please…"

Leo and Donnie keep on my heels, but I hardly notice them. In fact, everything around me has melted into a blur of mushy grays and blacks. The rush of blood and the thundering of my heart are the only things I can hear, and I can't feel or think anything past the gaping hole forming in my gut. He's hurt, he's bleeding, he's ice cold and he's probably dying and it's all my fault—

I stumble over a crack in the asphalt and curse under my breath, struggling to hold Mikey as still as I can. We need to get home. We have to get back to the lair before—

Before what?

No, I won't let myself think like that. We've been through thick and thin; no one's dying on me now!

"Raph!" Leo's voice, faint, distant, like he's shouting at me across worlds. I manage to stop, manage to control my body past the numbness seeping through me, and I look back.

"We need to get below ground!" Donnie calls. The pumping of blood roars in my ears and the sound of my breath is like a whirlwind. I swallow past a dry throat and stagger towards my brothers, feeling hollow and cold.

Leo lifts a manhole cover and Donnie hops down below the surface, carrying the crumpled remains of the machine. Leo looks up at me, motioning for me to follow. I stand there, panting and trembling, staring into the black that drops beneath the streets.

"Raph, come on," Leo says softly. He steps towards me and wraps his hand around my wrist, giving a gentle tug to move me along. "We gotta get home."

I nod weakly and shift Mikey's body onto my back. I hold him with one hand and take hold of the sewer ladder with the other, slipping into the depths. My arms and legs are shaking from the strain as I descend the ladder. I jump down, skipping the last few rungs, and splash into the shallow waters. I run after Donnie on legs that feel like rubber. The sound of water breaking around our feet echoes throughout the tunnel as we go. My lungs are strained, my heart is pounding, and my entire body is aching.

The familiar stench of the sewers doesn't even register to me. I can't think or breathe past the fear turning my blood to ice. Tears burn across the rim of my eyes and my jaw clenches so tight, my teeth grind beneath the pressure.

Because all I can see is the image of Mikey flashing behind my eyes, lifeless and freezing, his arms weakly wrapped around the bars of the ladder as the waves push and pull at his small, wounded frame.

And all I can think of is the look in Splinter's eyes when we bring our brother's body home.