A/N: Hey guys! This took me FOREVER, and was originally over 20 pages long! So I cut it short, and I plan on posting the next chapter pretty soon.

Hope you like this! Thank You EVERYONE who's faved/reviewd/followed this story so far!

I OWN NOTHING!

Enjoy!

Chapter 28

"I know a secret, and secrets breed paranoia."

― Simon Holt, The Devouring

"Whoa!" Donatello exclaimed as he peered through his telescope at the group of Kraang droids gathering on the empty street below. One of them was holding what appeared to be a strange gun of some description in its arms as the droid and its companions loaded it into their van parked on the kerb. From where he and his brothers stood on the rooftop nearby, Donnie was practically grinning from ear to ear with excitement. "That's a sub-spatial edopartical disruptor!" he cried, and then winced when he realized that he'd been a tad too loud. This was supposed to be an ambush, and the last thing Donnie wanted was to alert the Kraang of their presence before they could even get into position.

"Gonna have to explain if that's 'Oh no', or 'Yay', Nerd-a-tello," Raphael droned from behind his purple clad leader. Earlier that evening, April had stopped by the lair and tipped the turtles off with some intel she'd gathered about where the Kraang were going to strike next, so the three brothers had geared up and left the lair in record time, leaving the red head to train with Master Splinter. However, once they'd reached the area where April said they were supposed to be, there was no sign of them, so Donatello had suggested that they waited on the neighboring rooftop. Thus far, they'd been standing out in the cold for the better part of an hour already, waiting for the Kraang to show up (reminding Raph of their very first mission against the Kraang, which was equally frustrating), with Michelangelo continuously pestering Raphael with 'Ninja I Spy', a game that Raph was quickly growing tired of.

Now that the Kraang were finally here, the red clad turtle wanted nothing more than to get to the part where they actually got to hit stuff and then go back home again.

Donnie lowered the telescope as he turned to Raph, his earlier grin vanishing. "In the hands of the Kraang," he replied with a dreaded groan, "It's a definite 'oh no'."

"Why?" Michelangelo asked, adjusting his position where he sat on top of the glass roof of the building. "What does it do?"

Standing up and dusting off the grit from his legs and knee-pads, Donnie turned to Mikey. "The disruptor can de-synchronize subatomic resonances," he explained and held up a finger as he continued, "which invert poly-molecular structures, causing them to implode."

Mikey tilted his head and raised a brow at his smartest brother like a confused puppy. Beside him, he heard Raph sigh. "It makes things go 'boom'," he clarified.

"Technically, it makes things go 'Zweee-choooo! Pop!'" Donnie corrected, using dramatic hand gestures in the process of his 'observant' explanation.

Raph and Mikey could only stare at Donnie as they blinked in bemusement. Donnie only shrugged. "It's important to be accurate."

Mikey snickered at Donnie, whilst Raph only shook his head with an exasperated roll of his eyes as he sighed. He sometimes wondered why he was related to these two, and why he hadn't thrown one of them off the roof already. Perhaps those meditation sessions with Splinter were actually working…

"Hey Raph, you wanna play 'Ninja I Spy' again?" Mikey probed, standing up and letting his chin rest on Raph's shoulder as he prodded him on the cheek over and over. "Come ooooon, I know I can beat you this time!"

Raph made a face. He decided they weren't working as the urge to punch Mikey in the face began to grow.

Standing on a building nearby, unbeknownst to the other three turtles, Leonardo stood with his arms folded over his chest and a grimace permanently engraved on his features as he glowered down at the Kraang operation below, the tails of his scarf blowing in the cool breeze. The alien creatures were hauling out some kind of advanced piece of weaponry that the young turtle doubted even Tiger Claw knew of, but that was the last thing on his mind at the moment, despite the retrieving of it being the mission's top priority. No, what was really Leonardo's main concern was ensuring that if a confrontation arose between the aliens, which was bound to happen with his current company, that himself along with the annoying Bradford and increasingly irritable Xever managed to escape the melee with his shell still intact.

Well, there was that, and the fact that didn't want to miss meeting April again in a few days.

Not far from where Leo stood, Baxter Stockman was kneeling close to the edge of the building, still talking nonsense about the disruptor, or whatever it was supposed to be. Shredder had ordered them to take Baxter along with them, for his expertise specialized in such advanced technology, and he mused that he would be an adequate addition for their mission. However, he was being far too loud, and his incessant chatter was beginning to get on Leo's nerves as he rolled his eyes skyward; he wondered if Donatello was this bad with the others when it came to techno-mumbo jumbo that no-one else knew about, or cared to listen to…

And from the low yet very audible growl that Leo could hear rumbling from the pit of Bradford's chest, Leo could clearly sense that he'd had enough of Baxter as well as the dog roughly shoved passed him and loomed over the pink clad scientist, who remained unaware of the mutant dog's presence as he peered through his binoculars.

"With that edopartical disruptor on our arsenal, we'll be unstoppable!" Baxter grinned widely as he raised a hand, holding up two fingers. "Alright men, we move on my signal…"

Leo cocked a brow. "His signal?" he muttered under his breath. Since when did he call the shots during a mission? If anything, it should've been Leo himself or even Bradford that led this charge, not him. He turned to look at the Foot soldiers standing behind him, and he along with his companions all shrugged with a shake of their heads, all of them seemingly thinking the same thing.

Oddly enough, Bradford must have been thinking the same also as he suddenly lashed out and grabbed Baxter with his enlarged paw, earning a startled cry from the scientist as the dog lifted him off the ground effortlessly and held him close to his snout. "Your signal?!" he barked, revealing the sharp row of fangs within his colossal jaws.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Baxter clasped his hands together over his head as if he were in prayer. "Please, don't hurt me," he said timidly, no longer as confident as he'd been when he'd assumed that he was the one giving the orders. Leo couldn't help but scoff at the scene. He still had some respect for the human, but it didn't change the fact that he was still a bit of a boneless wimp at times. Then again, if he'd been under constant threat of death by Shredder, surrounded by mutants that could easily snap his neck at any given moment, Leo probably would've been the same...

Wait, no he wouldn't. That actually still happens to him anyways, regardless of his position in the Foot Clan.

Bradford narrowed his crimson eyes at the scientist trapped in his grip. "You do what we say, and then you thank us for letting you live. Got it, Stinkman?!" he snarled, before throwing Stockman across the roof, where he landed against an air vent curled up in a fetal position with a grunt.

Looking up again from where he lay in the gravel, Baxter glared at Bradford and clenched his fist. "Stockman," he corrected with a sneer. "It's Stockman."

Hissing through his fangs, Xever then marched over and kicked Baxter in the gut with his metal foot, and the human let out a strangled gasp of pain as he rolled onto his other side. "What was that?" Xever probed warningly.

"Nothing!" Baxter cried fearfully. Xever leered down at him, his eyes amber eyes narrowing in disapproval. Pressing his fingers together nervously, Baxter averted his eyes from Xever's deadly gaze. "…thank you for letting me live," he said, clearing his throat anxiously.

Predictably, Xever was not amused in the slightest. "Screw this up, and I'll finish you myself! Remember that!" he jeered before walking past him, ignoring Stockman's muttered reply as he moved to stand beside Leonardo and Bradford at the edge of the rooftop. Once he'd acquired his position, he glanced at his left to look over at Leo, who was giving him a pointed glare. Perplexed, Xever shrugged. "What? What did I do?" he asked.

Leo only narrowed his cobalt eyes further. Over the past few weeks since Xever had gained his new legs, the two of them had become friends somewhat, and though the turtle still found the older mutant to be a bit of a pest, it felt good to have a friend besides Karai and April, even if they weren't as close. He'd tolerated his attitude towards their captive scientist, and tolerated him in general, but now he'd had enough. "Friendly reminder that he was the one who gave you those," he said, nodding his head down at the metallic legs, which were the only things supporting the mutant fish upright, and Xever followed his gaze to look down at them. "If it weren't for him," Leo continued once Xever looked back up at him, "you'd still be swimming in circles underneath Shredder's tank and losing your mind over having no legs. Be grateful, at the very least, for that."

In response, Xever only stared at him for a moment before he scoffed with a flippant wave of his hand, but said nothing else as he returned his attention to the Kraang droids below. Leo sighed quietly before turning back down to the street, and raised one hand to grab the hilt of his katana blade as he released a calming breath through his nose, using the other hand to adjust his scarf so that it covered his mouth.

Time to go to work.

A few blocks away, the other three ninja turtles were readying themselves for their own surprise attack, the whites of their eyes shining in the darkness of the shadows they hid within.

"Okay guys…get in position."

"On my mark…"

"Ready…"

"Set…"

"Let's just do this!"

"Enough talk!"

With no warning, the three turtles leapt from the shadows, somersaulting in the air before landing in a crouch, taking the Kraang droids by surprise as they snapped their heads around to gawk at the reptiles. However, at the exact same moment, the Foot ninjas, led by Leonardo, Bradford and Xever, landed on the other side of the street, effectively surrounding the Kraang, and confusing the turtles as they straightened from their crouch and stared at the newcomers. In turn, the Foot and the three mutants mimicked their baffled expressions as they blinked once in unison.

"Leo?" Mikey and Donnie gasped in unison. What was he doing here? Better yet, what was any of the Foot Clan doing here in the first place?

Donnie's eyes met Leonardo's, and his expression flattened as he nodded his head once in silent, yet somewhat reluctant, greeting. In response to his younger brother, Leo returned Donnie's nod in acknowledgement.

"…Sayonara, for now. Keep what I said in mind…"

"…fine…I will. But my warning still stands. Got it?"

Leo restrained an amused huff at the memory of their last conversation only a few nights ago. He wondered if Donatello was remembering the same thing. Knowing the purple clad genius, he wouldn't be surprised if he was.

Unlike his two younger brothers, Raphael was grinning with delight at the sight of the Foot. "Kraang, and Fishface and Dogpound?!" he exclaimed. "I must be dreaming, pinch me!"

Grinning cheekily at the invitation to cause trouble, Mikey reached up and pinched Raph's left cheek hard, earning an annoyed "Ow!" from the older turtle before he knocked Mikey on the head once with his clenched fist. "Ow! You said!" Mikey whined, and Raph rolled his eyes. He was so going to regret doing that when they got home.

With no more words exchanged, the two groups charged each other head-on, weapons drawn and ready as they, with the Kraang as good as sitting ducks between them all, clashed in the center of the street. Laser blasts, shuriken and Kraang bodies were sent flying across the battlegrounds as the fight commenced, quickly turning into an all-out brawl as each team fought to gain the upper hand against the other. The turtles themselves were near untraceable as they flipped and spun over the heads of the helpless Kraang or Foot soldiers, picking them off one by one with ease and doing everything to either take down or completely avoid the mutant dog and fish.

Making short work of an unfortunate Kraang as his katana sliced cleanly through the droid and the alien inside, Leo then dashed towards the white van, where the disruptor was sat completely unguarded on the floor of the vehicle. However, as he reached for it, wood suddenly filled his vision as Donnie batted him away from the machine with a staff to the face. Leo stumbled backwards, disorientated for a moment before he shook his head and glared at Donatello, who returned his look with a narrowed-eyed scowl. "That does not belong to you, Leonardo!" Donnie snapped, twirling his staff expertly as he took on a defensive stance.

Leo scoffed through his blue scarf, drawing out his other sword as he circled Donnie slowly, like a hunter on the prowl. "Oh? And am I correct in assuming that it doesn't belong to you either?" he shot back, taking slight amusement in Donnie's frustrated grunt in response. "This is our mission, Donatello. So why don't you take your 'team' and leave before things get ugly?" he warned.

However, to Leo's surprise, Donnie only let out a chuckle as he eyed the older turtle knowingly. "Right, and by 'ugly', you mean before you have to fake your defeat again just so that you can avoid having to kill us, am I right?" he taunted.

His eyes widening for a moment before narrowing to angered slits, Leo growled lowly through his scarf as he charged Donnie, his Katanas raised. "Don't you mock me, Donatello!" he hissed, before wood met metal as the two turtles battled, their strikes sharp, rapid and just as angry. "I've told Michelangelo and Raphael the same thing," Leo grunted as he ducked under a swipe of Donnie's staff, retaliating with a swift, hard kick in the gut that sent Donnie sprawling. "You may be my blood, but you're still my enemy! I'll take you and your rat master down, one way or another!"

Glowering up at Leo from the ground as he wiped off a smear of blood from his bottom lip, Donnie snorted humorlessly. "Yeah, right. And maybe Shredder will do the conga for us while you're at it," he droned sarcastically as he picked himself up from the ground, though he could've sworn he'd heard Leo snicker under his breath at the remark. Once Donnie regained his balance, both turtles acquired ready stances once more, any earlier traces of humor between them vanishing in an instant. "You've said those same words over and over again, Leonardo, and to be honest I'm getting pretty sick of hearing it. You're not fooling anyone," Donnie said. "Admit it; you've finally gone soft, haven't you?"

Leo's left eye twitched irritably, and he fought to ignore the dull ache that began to bloom in the side of in his head once more. "Believe what you want," he spat. "But I will put an end to Hamato Yoshi. You can be sure of that."

Just as the two moved to strike once more, a low whine rang through the air, stilling them both as they turned to find that one of the Kraang droids had picked up the disruptor from the van, and was now aiming it directly at Mikey, who flinched with a startled cry as the weapon began to light up like a star. Donnie gasped in horror, sheathing his Bo staff as he sprinted towards his younger brother, leaving his oldest brother staring after him in bewilderment as the weapon opened fire. A large, white ball of light was sent flying towards Mikey, who could do nothing but gape in shock as it came spiraling towards him.

Seconds before the beam could hit, Donnie charged forwards and seized Mikey, sending them both tumbling out of the way as the ball flew over their heads and hit a red car parked nearby. The entire car lit up like the sun, before disappearing into oblivion with a 'zweee-choooo-pop!'.

His eyes wide as he stared at where the car had once been, Leo blinked hard. "Whoa…" he breathed in disbelief. "And we were going to take that thing back to the Shredder?"

Siting up from where he and Donnie had landed on the opposite side of the street, Mikey gasped in wonder before turning over to Donnie, who was panting heavily from the earlier bust of adrenaline and fear. "Donnie, you totally called it, bro!" Mikey crowed, pumping his fist in the air. Donnie only released a breath that was halfway between a sigh of relief and a huff of laughter as he climbed to his feet, extending a hand down to Mikey as he hauled him back up alongside him. He was going to be just fine. Still, that was a very close call…

Before the fight could recommence, sirens began to blare loudly through the streets, alerting the Kraang as they hauled the disruptor inside their van and drove away, their tires screeching loudly against the concrete as they fled. Snarling through his clenched fangs as the Kraang made their escape, Bradford turned and pounded down the street. "Foot! Fall back!" he shouted over his shoulder, before he and the rest of the Foot soldiers disappeared from sight.

Sheathing his blades, Leo turned to `where Xever and Raphael were still locked in combat. He rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh for the millionth time that night. Seriously, couldn't he hear the sirens?! "Xever! We're leaving, now!" he called.

"Raph, we've gotta move!" Donnie shouted, clearly just as irritated as Leonardo was with the pair of hotheads.

Reluctantly, Raphael and Xever finally drew away, with the red clad turtle scowling deeply at the grinning fish-out-of-water. "Yes, run along now, boy!" Xever mocked, before turning on his metallic heel and darting past Leonardo, who stalled only for a moment to glare at Donatello, before he followed after Xever. Donnie stared after Leo's retreating form, frowning with an irritated growl.

"This isn't over, Fishface!" Raph shouted back, before following after his brothers and dashing down the streets, the three of them vanishing without a trace.

It was just as he and Xever made it into a dark alleyway to hide from the approaching police cars that Leo suddenly smirked, slapping his hands over his mouth before doubling over and dissolving into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. Raising a non-existent brow as he watched the turtle laugh, Xever folded his arms over his chest. "Hey, what's so funny?" he probed.

Wiping a stray tear from his left eye as he regained control of himself, Leo straightened up and tugged his scarf from his face as he beamed up at the fish. "D-did they just call you Fishface?!" he snickered. "Are you kidding me?! Why didn't I think of that; that's absolutely genius! A-And Dogpound for Bradford?! Oh, Karai is going to love this! I'm totally calling you two Fishface and Dogpound!"

His mouth gaping open in wordless shock, Xever then hissed testily at the younger mutant turtle, raising a webbed fist and shaking it warningly. "Don't you dare! It is a ridiculous name!" he scowled, but Leo only waved him off, still unable to stop smiling. Fishface hadn't seen the turtle act this giddy since…well, ever. He'd always retained a serious demeanor around the rest of them, and only ever showed any playfulness when he was around his so-called 'sister', Karai. Perhaps he was becoming more comfortable around Xever now that they'd established a companionship of sorts? The thought almost touched Xever. Almost.

"Nope, nope, too late, I'm gonna call you that from now on," Leo smirked, before finally sobering up with a sigh of satisfaction as he folded his arms over his chest. "Well, we lost the alien weapon. I guess all we can do now is head back to base and tell Shredder what happened."

With a heavy sigh, Xever – Fishface now – nodded his head reluctantly as the two of them made their way through the alleyway. "I suppose. He isn't going to be very pleased to hear the bad news, though," he said, and then shuddered at the thought of what Shredder would do to them after hearing that they'd failed him...again.

"Well, obviously. It's the Shredder we're talking about after all; when is that man ever happy to hear anything?" Leo joked with a smirk, earning a chuckle and a good-natured punch in the arm from Fishface. However, it was just as they neared the mouth of the alley that Leo stopped mid-step, his eyes popping wide open in realization. "Uh oh," he squeaked.

Pausing in his stride, Fishface turned to him. "What?"

Leo groaned, slapping a hand over his eyes. Amidst all the action between the Kraang and Hamato's disciples, they'd forgotten all about Baxter Stockman, who was still stuck on the rooftop with no other way down other than to jump down. Unfortunately, the poor guy would only end up with either a pair of very broken legs or worse if he attempted to jump from that height. "We forgot Buster…" Leo muttered, jabbing the thumb of his free hand in the direction of the building they'd stood upon earlier.

"It's Baxter!" shouted an aggrieved voice from the roof, surprising the two mutants as they whirled around. How had he heard them from that far away?

In unison, Leo and Fishface rolled their eyes, but couldn't restrain their grins as they hurried back down the alley to retrieve the stranded scientist.

It was very clear that the Shredder was far less than thrilled with his four henchmen kneeling before him in his grand throne room as he slowly paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back as he glared down at each of them, his discolored eyes disapproving and very angry. All of them but Leonardo, unsurprisingly enough, had their heads lowered to the floor in shame, which only added to his frustration as the overgrown mutt began to explain the cause of their failure this time.

"We had the alien technology in our grasp, master," Dogpound said, his tail twitching nervously behind him.

"Unfortunately, Stockman's plan was flawed," Fishface declared. Leonardo jabbed his elbow hard into his side, with an angry look and a shake of his head. Fishface only smirked, earning a low growl from the turtle. They were definitely going to have words after this, for sure.

Shredder stopped his pacing as he focused his glare on Baxter instead, who seemed to wilt like a weed under his stare. "Is this true?" he asked darkly.

Dogpound and Fishface slid their eyes towards him, pinning him with their threatening scowls, promising dire consequences if he dared to disagree. Leo glanced over to him as well, but only out of curiosity as Baxter turned his head away. "Well…um…" he began uncertainly. Then, to all of their surprise, he looked back up at his master with an apologetic smile. "Yes. They're right, it was my fault. I'm sorry," he said, crawling forwards slightly on his hands and knees. "And I'd like to make amends. That is, if you'd allow me…"

Narrowing his eyes, Shredder considered silently for a moment, before giving Baxter a wordless nod of his head to permit him to proceed.

"You see, I've designed a trap for the turtles, a fool proof trap! But, I'd need the help of my good friends here to lure them into it," Baxter continued, gesturing the mutants kneeling behind him. The aforementioned mutants all raised their brows and exchanged glances with each other at Baxter's proposal. Seriously? He was asking for Shredder's permission to use them as mere bait for the turtles? Who on earth did he think he –?

"Very well," Shredder agreed, much to all of their shock – even Baxter's – as he turned his back on them with a swish of his black cape, facing his throne. "Consider those three at your disposal."

Leo's mouth fell open in outrage, as did Dogpound's and Fishface's. Had they just been demoted?

They all then turned to glare at Baxter, who glanced over his shoulder and sent them all a smug grin, a rare sight to see on the man's face, especially in the presence of three individuals who could easily dispatch him where he sat without batting an eye. However, Leo noticed something else behind that smile of his. It was as if he knew something they didn't…and Leo decided that he didn't like it in the least. In that moment, Leo lost any respect he'd ever held for the man as his frown deepened.

Bowing once more to Shredder, they all rose to their feet to leave the throne room and prepare for whatever trap Baxter had in mind for the turtles for the next night. However, it was just as he turned to leave that Leonardo was stopped again unexpectedly.

"Leonardo, I want to speak with you now, in private," Shredder called over his shoulder.

Stopping just in front of the doors, the blue clad turtle quirked a confused brow before he turned to glance at Fishface, who only shrugged. "What did you do now?" he asked in a whisper. Shaking his head, Leo shrugged back as he walked back to kneel down on his knees in the center of the metallic walkway that led to Shredder's throne, where the man himself stood with his back facing the turtle and his hands clasped patiently behind his back. Once the doors slid closed as the others took their leave, leaving the two of them alone in the vast, dark room, Shredder finally spoke, his tarnished eyes looking out into the city beyond the windows of his lair.

"Do you think I am blind, Leonardo?"

Leo's brows furrowed at the unexpected question as he looked up at his master. "Um…no, Master Shredder," he replied hesitantly, though he very much wanted to say otherwise, but kept that thought to himself, or at least stored it away for a later date.

Nodding, Shredder then turned around to face Leonardo, his eyes as dark and threatening as ever as he regarded him. "Do you think I am ignorant?" he asked slowly.

Again, Leo shook his head, but was slowly beginning to feel dread sinking into the pit of his stomach. "No, sir," he said, refusing to look away or clench his fists out of old instinct.

Shredder deliberately strode down the steps of his throne and came to stand in front of Leo, his large shadow casting over the kneeling terrapin like a black, foreboding cloud as Shredder narrowed his eyes sinisterly at Leo. "Then you are very much aware that I know what goes on beyond these walls, yes?" he pressed, watching Leo's expression carefully as his left eye twitched. "Do not think that I cannot see what you are doing, turtle."

As the realization finally sunk in, Leo's eyes widened, and his hand clenched tightly at his side before he could stop himself, hard enough to crack the knuckles and turn them white as he lowered his eyes to the ground. Shredder couldn't mean…but how? How could Shredder possibly have known about how he'd met with –?

Oh no. How could've he forgotten? Shredder even said so himself; he had thousands of spies at his disposal, planted everywhere within this city alone. They must have spotted him sneaking out of the lair all those times…and then they reported back to him, telling him everything they'd seen, everything they'd heard. That night in Central Park with Michelangelo…that night downtown with Raphael…even that night on the rooftop with Donatello…Shredder knew about them all.

And Leo feared that he knew about April as well…

Upon Leo's response, Shredder smiled with grim satisfaction behind his metal mask. It had been years since he'd seen the turtle cower beneath him like the worthless creature he was, and he was deeply enjoying it. "That's right, Leonardo," he said slowly, his voice dark and taunting as he loomed over the turtle. "Tiger Claw may not be conscious of this, but I am fully aware of everything you have been doing. You have been meeting with Splinter's disciples, even after I have specifically told you that they mean nothing. They are the enemy, they are your mission…and yet, you deliberately disobey me…"

Dipping his head low enough so that his forehead nearly touched the ground, his blood turning cold and his heart pounding fiercely against his ribcage, Leo dared not meet Shredder's eyes, not this time. For the first time since he was but a child, Leo once again found himself terrified of the man that stood above him, for now that he knew about his little secret, there was no telling what he would do to him. Would send him away; separate him from everyone he cared about? Would he lock him away in the dungeons? Would he kill him right there and then…?

Leo didn't fear death, not as much as he'd used to as a child…he only feared the thought of leaving Tiger Claw, Karai, or even April behind. He feared the darkness that would swallow him whole after the final blow was struck…

He felt Shredder's hand come to rest on his left shoulder, and Leo couldn't help but flinch under his touch and squeeze his eyes shut, his breath caught in his chest. This was it. He was done for. Shredder was going to kill him –

"Well done, Leonardo."

Leo's eyes popped open again. Wait…what?

His head slowly lifted from the floor to stare up at his master, his brows raised. "…I…I beg your pardon?" he stammered.

Releasing Leo's shoulder as he straightened up, Shredder motioned for him to stand up before he folded his hands behind his back. "I must commend you on your ingenious planning, Leonardo," he spoke, turning his back on him once more. "I had not realized that you sparing Raphael's life that night was only the beginning of your plot to draw closer to your brothers in order to gain their trust, to make them believe that you truly desire to be reunited with them once more. And when the time is right, they will take you to their lair…where you can finish them off, one by one, and finally bring Hamato Yoshi to his knees." He looked back at the turtle over his shoulder. "Of course, that is your true intention, correct?"

Stunned, Leo said nothing for a moment as his eyes slid to the side, his mind a raging storm of confusion as he repeated what Shredder had just said. He believed that everything he'd been doing for the past few weeks, going against his orders, talking to and befriending the enemy, was all just a part of some trap he'd devised? Of course, such methods were not unheard of, especially within the Foot Clan or as any trained assassin. But Leo tended to never use such methods, since he'd felt the sting of being lied to once before…or, so he believed. But to have Shredder assume that was what he was doing every time he encountered his brothers, whether it was planned or pure coincidence…he was unsure whether to count that as a blessing or a curse.

Well, considering he wasn't dead yet, he could count that as a great blessing.

"…yes, Master Shredder," Leo nodded once, his earlier apprehension now replaced with the familiar emotionless mask that he wore whenever he was in the presence of Shredder, though he inwardly wanted to retch; he was actually going to suck up to Shredder of all people. This was a new low for him without a doubt, but if it meant that he could live for a little while longer, he supposed there was nothing else he could do. "That was my plan exactly. The process is ongoing of course, but I'm getting closer. With time, I will have gained their trust completely. Rest assured that they will be dealt with, master," he said.

Shredder nodded. "Excellent. Such independent strategizing is admirable within the higher ranks of the Foot. And such efforts deserve to be graciously rewarded."

Turning once more to face the turtle, he reached out and placed a steady hand on his shoulder. Leo went rigid beneath his gloved palm, just as he'd done the first time when he and Karai had brought back that Kraang body for him. He was just as confused and as repulsed now as he'd been that day, but he dared not move away from his touch as lowered his narrowed eyes to the floor instead.

"I had not noticed the potential within you at first, Leonardo," Shredder spoke again. "Perhaps I have been underestimating you for all these years. Perhaps, now that you have the chance to seek your own vengeance upon Hamato, you have finally begun to embrace your role within the Foot. I am sure that once I give Tiger Claw the news, he will be proud."

His eyes still fixated on the ground, Leo felt his jaws lock and his fist tremble as he clenched it tight. No, Tiger Claw wouldn't be proud of him. He'd be disappointed, or even disgusted upon hearing such a thing about his son…

"You have done well thus far, Leonardo," Shredder continued, oblivious to Leo's growing rage. "…so do not fail me. Understood?"

Once Shredder released his shoulder, Leonardo reluctantly bowed once to him. "Yes, Master Shredder. Thank you," he replied, his voice collected as ever despite his inner fury – and fear – boiling within him as he turned and headed towards the exit, leaving the ninja master staring after his retreating form.

Outwardly, the boy had seemed to have regained his calm, detached exterior that he attained whenever he was within his company. But Shredder could see the traces of fear still present within his eyes before he left, and his hand was still shaking lightly at his side. He was still very much on the edge. And Shredder took great delight in his rising anxiety.

The turtle undoubtedly believed that he'd been lucky. He believed that Shredder was ignorant of Leonardo's true intentions, and had merely mistaken them for another. But in reality, it was he who had been fooled. And by the time the child realized it, it would be far too late…

The next evening…

"This is pathetic," Leonardo sighed, leaning lazily against the graffiti-covered wall of the old Futon Factory with his arms crossed over his chest, a scowl creasing his features as he glowered down at the ground.

It had been hours since Baxter had sent him, along with Dogpound and Fishface, out to lure the turtles out of the shadows and into his 'fool proof' trap, a trap which none of them knew about, much to Leo's growing suspicion and frustration. Baxter's attitude towards them had changed ever since Shredder had put him in charge of the operation, and not only was it annoying to be forced to work under the command of a lesser man such as him, reduced to acting as mere bait, but it made Leo think…was there something else that the scientist was planning? And did it involve more than just the three turtles?

He brushed those thoughts aside for now as he yawned, rubbing his eye tiredly. After everything Shredder had told him the night prior, Leo hadn't been able to sleep. The thought of always being watched wherever he went, always at risk of getting caught and then punished severely, had lingered in his already aching brain. He'd been restless that night, so much so that Tiger Claw had woken up, concerned for his cub. In the end, Leo had ended up lying side by side with his father, feeling better with the larger cat mutant nearby. However, sleep had still managed to elude him for the duration of the night, which did not help Leo in the least during training. Heck, even Karai seemed worried about him after she'd knocked his shell into the carpet of the dojo…

…Which was exactly the reason he hadn't told them why he hadn't gotten any rest. He didn't want them to worry about him any more than they already were.

However, as the day dragged onwards, Leo found himself getting rather grouchy, as what tended to happen when he didn't get enough sleep. On top of that, the two mutants he'd been forced to work with were at it once again, having grown bored of waiting out in the open for the turtles to show up, and were now bickering over who was the most attractive out of the two of them.

As if the night couldn't get any worse.

"Clearly, I am the better looking one!" Fishface claimed, striking what was supposed to be dashing pose which was ruined due to the robotic legs that looked so out-of-place on him…and the fact that he was a mutant fish. "I'm thinner, and not covered head-to-foot in hair! And besides, the ladies love a man with an accent!" he chuckled haughtily.

"As if!" Dogpound countered, bringing up his larger arm to flex his over-sized muscles. "Everyone knows that the man with the most muscle gets the girl! Not some scrawny, sashimi faced –"

"Oi! I am not scrawny!"

"Have you even looked at yourself lately?!"

"I don't need a mirror to tell me how handsome I am!"

Visibly cringing as he listened to them bicker back and forth, Leo wanted to hurl as he shook his head and sighed heavily in despair. Those two were truly hopeless. Why were they even talking about something as ridiculous – and somewhat inappropriate with a fifteen-year-old standing right beside them – as that? They were mutants for crying out loud! No woman would even thing of coming within fifty feet of them –

A flash of orange caught his eye, and Leo straightened up sharply as he gazed past his two arguing companions and up to the rooftops nearby where they were standing. His eyes narrowed as he locked onto three, very familiar figures stood upon one of the apartment buildings on the opposite side of the street. Better yet, his cobalt eyes met reddish brown as the tallest of them turned and caught sight of him, and they narrowed darkly in return.

"Guys, they're here," Leo hissed to the mutants behind him, his stare never straying away from Donatello's. Finally, the two of them ceased their mindless chatter as they turned around and followed Leo's gaze upwards. They grinned widely as they spotted the turtles staring down at them from above.

"Well, well. Looks like they came after all," Dogpound chuckled, cracking his knuckles and flexing his claws in anticipation. "Time to crack a few shells…"

Rolling his eyes yet again, Leo drew out a single blade from its sheath. "Don't get too carried away, boys," he warned. "Remember, stick to the plan…even if it is a pretty cheap plan."

"Get 'em!" he heard Raphael holler from the roof before he, Michelangelo and Donatello leapt down and met the opposing three mutants head-on. Instantly, Raphael locked onto Fishface, Dogpound headed straight for Michelangelo, leaving Leonardo facing off with Donatello once again. As metal clashed against wood, it was clear that Donnie was in no better a mood than the previous night as he glared at his older brother, growling through his teeth. Clearly, Donnie was frustrated with having to fight him yet again. In truth, so was Leo…

However, perhaps he could use his frustration to his advantage. Of course, he would feel dirty for doing it, especially to the most sensitive of his brothers, but he had to keep up appearances. For all he knew, Shredder could have sent out one of his little spies to keep an eye on him again, even during a mission. He had to keep up the act…he couldn't be too careful anymore…

Oh, great. Now he was getting paranoid. As if he didn't have enough to worry about already –

A shout from Donnie shook Leo out of his thoughts as he snapped himself back into reality, and he barely had time to roll out of the way before Donnie's staff came down hard, a loud crack ringing through his ears as the rod hit the concrete.

"What's the matter, Leonardo?" Donnie probed, his tone mocking as he spun his Bo and assumed a defensive stance. "You seem a little out of it tonight. Getting tired already, are we?"

His shoulders bristling at the comment, Leo growled at his brother through clenched teeth. However, he couldn't deny that Donnie was right about one thing; he was tiring out quickly, and letting himself get too distracted. Shaking his head, Leo slapped his cheek twice before readying his katana for another strike. He had to push those paranoid thoughts away for now, keep his head together…

It took him a moment, but he noticed that Donnie wasn't smirking at him anymore. Instead, his expression turned curious as he tilted his head to the side. "…hey…are you okay?" he asked, becoming genuinely concerned as he looked, really looked, at his brother. His stance was rather ungainly, his eyes were reddened around the edges and unfocused, and his katana was held at an odd angle. Donnie couldn't hold back a gasp. He looked horrible.

Had Shredder done something to him? Was it because they'd failed to retrieve the disrupter for their master?

The older turtle didn't get a chance to answer as Dogpound let out a bark. Leo turned, meeting the canine's hellish red eyes as he sent him the barest of nods. It was time to move.

Nodding back once, Leo then turned back to the baffled purple clad leader. This 'ingenious' trap of Baxter's was a low, dishonourable act, one that Leo truly wanted no part of. However, if Shredder heard that he'd gone against orders yet again, he would begin to get suspicious. Leo couldn't afford that to happen. "This isn't personal, Donatello…really," he said quietly, not wanting his comrades to hear him as he sheathed his blade and spun on his heel, hurrying after Fishface and Dogpound, who were already retreating back the way they'd come.

Uncurling from his stance, Donnie watched as Leo ran after the larger mutants. Something didn't seem right…and it wasn't just the current state of his brother either…

"Look! We got 'em on the run!" Mikey crowed, grinning widely as he came to stand beside his stricken leader.

"Oh, they aren't getting off that easy!" Raph growled, charging after them and leaving his brothers in the dust. It was only then that Donnie blinked himself out of his perplexity as he realized what Raph was doing. And then Leo's words finally sunk in…

"This isn't personal, Donatello…really…"

Oh no. He couldn't mean that there was some kind of trap waiting for them, could he?

"R-Raph, wait!" he called out to his older brother. "Something's not right here!"

"Yeah," Raph retorted over his shoulder as he ran on ahead, ignoring Donnie's warning, "you talking, while they're getting away!"

Sighing in agitation, Donnie had no choice but to sheath his staff and tail after his impulsive brother. "C'mon, Mikey!" he called, beckoning his younger brother forwards. "We can't let Raph get himself killed for being an idiot…again."

Mikey snickered as he ran beside his brother. "You mean like a bloated buffalo?" he teased.

Donnie couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, Mikey. Just like a bloated buffalo."

"I heard that!" Raph shouted.

"Good!" Mikey and Donnie chimed in unison.

Not long later, the three turtles followed the two Foot mutants and their brother into a dark, unfamiliar warehouse, filled with old wooden crates that were littered over the lower floors. The three of them drew close to one another, their hands already reaching for their weapons as they silently scanned the warehouse. Though it appeared empty, there was no doubt that their enemies were hiding, waiting for the right moment to –

"Alright…you've got us," called Dogpound from the shadows, startling the three brothers as they turned to find the colossal dog emerging from behind one of the crates, whilst Fishface came out from behind a metal support beam. Leo leapt down from the floor above moments later, landing inches away from Donnie as he regarded them all flatly. However, the larger mutants were grinning at them smugly, despite having been cornered with nowhere to go.

Donnie's brows furrowed. "…this is way too easy," he said, eying Leonardo in particular. The older turtle looked no different from before, and though he was doing his best to hide it, he was swaying slightly on his feet. Was he really that exhausted? What had happened to him last night…?

Raphael was quick to cut off his train of thought as usual as he huffed and rolled his eyes. "Why are you always worrying?" he snapped.

Before Donnie could come up with a snarky reply to his impatient older brother, a click and a robotic whirring silenced him, and a bright red circle suddenly formed on the ground around them, before it rose upwards, enveloping the six mutants in a strange, black and white enclosure of sorts. There was no way in or out. And after glancing around him in shock, Raph blinked once. "…oh, I see," he said.

Unlike his two grinning companions, Leo was just as surprised as his brothers were upon becoming encasement; though he'd known it was coming, he'd never seen it before, and it put him on the edge. Also, the walls seemed as though they were slowly closing in on him…

"Careful guys," Mikey warned as he warily glanced around their entrapment. "This may be a trap." Donnie and Raph collectively rolled their eyes. Leo simply shook his head with a quiet sigh.

"Welcome, contestants!" an annoyingly familiar voice sounded over the intercom, making Leo wince as the microphone screeched. "I'm so glad you could join us tonight!"

"Blister Stockboy?!" Donnie cried.

"It's Baxter Stockman!" Baxter snapped back angrily. "I'm your arch nemesis!"

Mikey smirked at that as he turned to Donnie. "I can totally think of five nemesis's way archer than him," he joked. Despite himself, Leo found himself smiling as well as he snickered. Funnily enough, he could already think of six.

"You'll be playing for the ultimate prize; your lives!" Baxter announced, "In the all new family friendly, incredibly deadly, Maze of Doom!"

At that, the four turtles all rolled their eyes and sighed exasperatedly as they shook their heads. The man really loved his theatrics, didn't he?

Suddenly, large balls of fire rained down from the ceiling, earning yelps of terror from the three turtles as they ducked and dove out of the way of the projectile flames. And soon enough, Leo, Dogpound and Fishface were forced to evade the blasts of fire meant for them. Once they'd regained their footing after flailing about to avoid being fried to crisps, Fishface looked up at the ceiling, where he was sure Baxter was watching them through the cameras he'd situated all over the room. "You fool!" he shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm sick of you freaks!" Baxter growled through the intercom. "You treat me like dirt! Threaten me! Baxter Stockman doesn't make threats!"

His eyes widening in realization, Leo gasped sharply. So, this had been his plan from the very start; to bait all of them into his trap, where he could easily destroy them without fear of being killed by their hands. And worse still, no one would know what had happened, and nor would they care, because Shredder had ignorantly left the three of them to his disposal…and Baxter had taken that command in the most literal sense. Leo's eyes narrowed, a dangerously low growl emitting from his chest. "You dirty, rotten liar…have you gone mad?!" he snarled.

"Mad?!" Baxter cackled wickedly with undisguised glee. "I'm full-on mega crazy!"

"You traitor!" Dogpound bellowed, his fangs bared with killing intent that Leo could actually relate to for a change.

"And even if you make it through my maze alive," Baxter continued, "You'll still have to face my Monster of –"

"Let me guess, 'Doom'?" Leo mused flatly, his earlier anger melting into mild annoyance as he planted a hand on his hip. "Is it a 'Monster of Doom'?"

"N-no!" Baxter faltered. "…Monster of…uh…uh…oh, the heck with it!"

Without warning, the floor suddenly opened up from underneath them, and the six unfortunate mutants plummeted downwards, spiraling and tumbling uncontrollably through the seemingly bottomless pit and all of them screaming as they fell. And all the while, Leo couldn't help but curse the heavens above for his utterly rotten luck.

This night really had taken a turn for the worst.

The drop seemed to last for an eternity, when in reality it had only been mere seconds before the six mutants made contact with the ground again. Because of their rounded shells, the four turtles hit the floor rolling before they all slid to a stop, groaning and rubbing their throbbing shells in pain. Not long after, Dogpound and Fishface landed, not as lucky as the turtles with the protection of their shells as they crashed on top of one another, with Fishface underneath the crushing weight of Dogpound. Sitting up on his hands and knees, Leonardo winced in sympathy for the unfortunate fish. He'd feel that in the morning for sure…well, that is if they managed to escape this crazy 'Maze of Doom' alive, of course.

Wobbling to his feet again as he shook his head, Dogpound growled as he turned to the three turtles just recovering from the fall. "Where were we?!" he barked, before charging for the young terrapins.

Fishface stumbled to his feet, bending backwards and popping the bones in his spine back into place again before turning his glare onto the turtles. "Total Turtle Take-down!" he chimed as he trailed after Dogpound. Rolling his eyes, Leo mused that he had no other choice but to follow suit as he unsheathed his blades and leapt into the fray as the battle resumed.

After being knocked backwards by a hard punch to the face from Dogpound, Raphael was sent flying straight into Leonardo as the two of them collapsed in a heap on the floor. Dazed for a moment as he shook his head, Raph looked down and locked eyes with his brother, who appeared just as stricken as he was. His green eyes flattened. "Was it your idea to let the whacky scientist lead us all into this death trap?" he asked flatly as he climbed off of Leo and allowed him to stand up. He didn't really want to fight him, not this time. Especially after everything that'd happened between them that night…

But he had no choice; it was either he fought his way out of the maze, or he died trying, though he hoped that Leo chose not to kill him as he readied his Sais for an attack.

Letting out a strained huff of amusement at Raphael's question as he climbed back to his feet, Leo allowed himself to smile faintly at his distant younger brother as he poised his blades, albeit clumsily. "Blame Shredder. It's his call, not mine," he replied. In truth, Leo wasn't so keen on fighting against him either. In fact, he was rather surprised and not surprised at Raphael's new, somewhat positive attitude towards him…and admittedly, he was also a little relieved. Too bad they still had to kill each other.

However, before the reluctant killing could commence, red beams of light in pendulum-like forms began to swing back and forth across the long runway they fought upon. Leo was quick to notice this new threat, and his eyes widened. "What is…?" he muttered aloud as he slowly turned to his right, only to find more laser pendulums beaming down nearby where Dogpound and Fishface fought against Donnie and Mikey. "Uh oh," he groaned with dread. "This can't be good."

Raph had noticed them as well, his eyes wide as he watched them appear one by one. And just as another prepared to power up, Fishface groggily walked into its path after being clonked on the head by Mikey's nunchaku. Raph gasped, already moving before he could stop himself. "Watch out!" he shouted, leaping forwards as he shoved Fishface out of the way seconds before the laser pendulum took their heads clean off their shoulders. The two of them watched, mouths agape, as the contraption swung inches from where they'd stood, before turning to each other.

"I saved you…why, Calamari Boy?" Raph muttered in disbelief, glaring up at the mutant fish as he glared back.

Letting out a sigh of relief in knowing that both his brother and Fishface were safe, he turned to Dogpound as his remaining two brothers. "Everyone, I suggest a fight rain check!" he called out.

"Never! "We do this now!"" Dogpound hollered, slamming his fists down and nearly crushing Mikey and Donnie beneath them had they not moved out of the way in time. However, just as he turned to go after the younger turtles once more, he'd failed to notice that one of the pendulums was headed straight for his face until it was too late.

Narrowing his eyes and praying that he didn't miss –despite his disdain for the canine behemoth – Leo quickly drew out a tanto blade from his wrist wrappings and threw it into the gears above. It hit its mark, forcing the blade to narrowly miss Dogpound's head by sheer inches even as he ducked down and covered his head with his large hands. Instead, the blade only chopped off one of the spiked bones on his shoulder.

The six mutants then huddled closer together, standing with their backs and shells pressed against one another as the blades swung on with no intention of stopping, but every intention of slicing them into pieces. "If we keep fighting, we are never gonna get out of here alive!" Leo said, exchanging an adamant look with Fishface and Dogpound. After a moment, the two mutants nodded in wordless agreement, and then Leo turned to Donatello, who watched Leo sceptically. "You call the shots on your team, Donnie," he said. "Can we have a temporary truce?"

Donnie bit his lip with uncertainty. He'd been rather worried about Leo at first, but that didn't mean that he'd suddenly trust him out of the blue. They were still enemies…enemies that were now trapped within a 'Maze of Doom', with no way out unless they agreed to work together, even if it was only for a little while. He quickly looked back at Raph and Mikey. Immediately, both of them nodded their heads, with Mikey just as eager as he fixated his gaze on their oldest brother. Why was he not surprised?

He then chuckled humorlessly as he turned back to Leo. "Do we really have much of a choice right now?" he replied, ignoring Mikey's tiny squeak of glee behind him as he nodded to him once.

Leo nodded back, confirming their truce. He was well aware of Donnie's distrust of him, and there was no doubt that Fishface and Dogpound would try to take them down once an opportunity presented itself, but that no longer mattered for the time being. What mattered right now was that they all made it out of this mess with their body parts still in one piece…at the very least.

Looking back down the length of the long hallway, Donnie noticed that at the end of the tunnel, through the ever swinging blades, there was a white light that shone brightly for all to see. "The exit! There!" he called, pointing towards the white circle.

"Follow me!" Dogpound shouted, shoving his way past the turtles as he bolted, with the others having no choice but to follow him as they weaved their way through the hallway of pendulums, rolling across the ground and running along the sloping walls to avoid being sliced in two as they headed towards the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, the three turtles were well aware that whilst they could trust Leo – well, Donnie trusted him to a certain point – there was no way they could trust his two over-sized partners.

At one point or another, they would turn on them. But they would have to trust that they saw it coming first.

A/N: Aw snap! Here we go Maze of Doom! See you guys in the next chapter coming very soon! And I've got BIG plans XD