The mere hour or so felt like days for Raph as he heard his youngest brother scream while the skin of his hands was slowly being peeled away. And what was worse was that Karai had come back into the room and ordered that the right half of Mikey's face be flayed as well. Raph secretly felt glad he had not been given any food, because he was sure he would have thrown it up at the thought of what was being done to Mikey. This was inhuman…even for a monster like Shredder.
Beatings…electric shocks…burnt flesh…that was the normal sort of torture a person could expect. Heck even being placed in an airtight container with only enough air to leave you at the point of asphyxia was not out of the realm of possibilities.
But skinning sweet and innocent Mikey like a grape, that was beyond monstrous…Raph didn't even know if there was a term for it. And what was even worse is that Karai sounded unaffected by the horror she was inflicting. She didn't enjoy it, but she didn't hate it…she just sounded indifferent to it. It was as though she didn't care that there was a humanoid turtle strapped to a table being flayed alive. And while it's only his hands and half of his face that was being peeled it was still evil.
Raph looked up with concern when he heard Mikey's cries of pain cease. That could mean two things: Mikey had passed out or the Foot Bot had completed his grisly task and left Mikey to his misery. That was at least until the torture began again.
That's when he heard it...a small whimper at first which crescendoed into wails as Mikey sobbed. Raph wished he could comfort his younger brother. Provided that they could did escape...
If they ever escaped, Mikey would be unable to physically do anything for himself without suffering serious pain as the peeled areas scabbed over. And the new skin that grew back…would it be normal flesh or would it just be a massive scar?
An opening in one of the walls opened and a tray of food with a pitcher of water was pushed in. Before he could consider running for the opening the small metal door lowered and sealed itself. The food on the tray was a bowl of fried rice with some old low quality meat. Possibly spam, more than likely two days past its use by date. As part of the fried rice were various vegetables, all of which were cooked to death to the point where they didn't have any discernable substance. Even the rice itself looked like it was recently defrosted leftovers. Hunger overcame him as he devoured the meal. Finding it saltier than it should have been which forced him to gulp down the water. It was only when the tray was empty that the concern the food could be poisoned finally occurred to him.
Painfully Raph clutched his stomach as he felt it roil and churn painfully in his guts as though his stomach was trying to digest rocks and broken glass.
"You guys…you guys didn't eat the food did you." Mikey groaned sounding just as bad if not worse. Though that could have been just from the pain of his injuries and not the food, after all Mikey had an iron stomach…he could eat anything.
"Donnie, Leo…ah…whatever you do…erk…Don't eat what they give you…" Raph gasped with pain as he curled into a fetal position on the floor of his cell as his guts continue to roil.
Donnie painfully ignored the sound of his stomach growling. He didn't need to be told that the food wasn't fit for consumption, he would rather eat a heaping bowl of worms and algae then run the risk of food poisoning. He could tell just by a cursory glance at the meat that it was rancid. The only thing that looked passable was the water and even then he wasn't sure he should trust it.
Truth was even if it did seem edible…Donnie knew nothing the Shredder or the Foot Clan gave them was to be trusted.
"Leo," Donnie called out over the audio feed. "Whatever they give you…don't eat it. From the sound of things, Raph has food poisoning…I don't know about Mikey."
"Leo, whatever they give you…don't eat it. From the sound of things, Raph has food poisoning…I don't know about Mikey."
That was all Leo needed to hear. As much as his stomach demanded food, he had feared the Foot would try something like this. While he was concerned over what was happening to Mikey and Raph…he needed to focus his mind and reach Splinter. Closing his eyes he began to take slow deep breaths as sent his mind out into the ether…his mind reaching for the bright star that was Splinter.
"Sensei…" He whispered into the void. ~Sensei…Father…~
~My son…~ Splinter answered. There were notes of concern with tones of relief in his spirit voice.
~Are you well?~
~I am Sensei.~ Leonardo admitted. ~As for the others I'm less certain...~
~Where are you?~ Splinter asked.
~I'm in a cell…I believe we are in Stockman's lab, there is nothing to indicate where we are.~ Leo explained. ~I don't know where the others are being held, but it sounds like they are individual cells too…the only one I'm able to hear at all is Donnie. The Foot Clan gave some food some minutes ago…Donnie and I haven't eaten it…but from what Donnie's told me it sounds like Raph has and is suffering from food poisoning."
~Stay strong my son…" Splinter answered ~I am getting in touch with the Mutanimals…We will be there when we can. ~
Leo felt his mental connection to Splinter break as he suddenly heard Karai's voice come over the audio feed from Donnie's room.
"So…I see you didn't appreciate the meal that was delivered to you." Karai said before there was the clatter of the rice bowl skidding across the room. "I would have thought you would have been grateful for my father's mercy. He simply could have let the four of you starve to death."
There was no response from Donnie though Leo was sure that his quiet, intellectual brother had some choice statements for the Shredder's so called mercy.
"Since you're choosing to be defiant, I guess I'll tell the Foot Bots not to bother feeding you." Karai nonchalantly commented. "In the meantime...restrain him." There was the familiar sound of electronic screeching from the Foot Bots as they obeyed Karai's commands."
"Why are you doing this?!" Donnie demanded.
"Oh, no reason really," Karai said with a thinly veiled smirk. "You Turtles mean nothing to me…the person I am interested in is Splinter. But I do owe Leonardo some pay back for defeating me last we met. However he would take any sort of physical pain and call it being noble…I call it being stupid. And yet…" Donnie made a sharp intake of breath. "Knowing the three of you are suffering, and there is nothing he can do about it…I can see what sort of emotions that must be crossing his face right now. Frustration…anger…maybe…helplessness…I heard the pathetic way he was begging me to leave poor little Michelangelo alone and take his frustrations out on him instead. I'm sure he'll be pounding the walls when he hears you screaming."
"LEAVE HIM ALONE, KARAI!" Leo screamed. He knew it was useless…she wouldn't hear him. He leaned his head against the wall. A wave of defeat swept of him as tears began gather in his eyes. He grit his teeth angrily, he didn't want to show weakness. If he gave into a grief and frustration, he would advertise to the Shredder that he had won.
This was madness…all of this was madness. This was the madness of a man who held no honor and tainted his soul further with every attempt to avenge his perceived slight.
"Those who live without honor…shall die without honor." Leo whispered to himself to try and maintain the conviction that they would all get out alive. Karai continued to gloat to Donnie, but Leo said nothing in protest…the only person who could hear him was Mikey. And while he didn't know what had been done to the orange-masked turtle, he could sense whatever it was…it was bad…really bad.
Leo suddenly looked up at the speaker with a gasp, his eyes widening in horror as the sound of a whip crack echoed through the room followed by Donnie's screams of pain.
