Chapter 3: Two Heads are Better than None

Leonardo sighed heavily as he looked down at the T-phone in his hand as if willing it to ring. Mikey and Raph hadn't contacted them yet like they were supposed to once they found the mutagen. Considering how close Donnie had said it was, he had assumed it wouldn't take very long to find. Having already retrieved their own canister, the two of them had returned to the Shellraiser, Donnie heading inside to store the container for safe keeping. Leo of course had then tried contacting his younger brothers, but neither had responded.

"Where are those guys?" he wondered aloud, placing his free hand on his hip. "If they're even just messing around, so help me..." He trailed off as he caught a whiff of rotten eggs, his sibling reappearing from inside the Shellraiser. Fighting back the urge to cover his nose, he reminded himself to lock Mikey in Donnie's room for a good, long while once they returned to the lair.

"Alright, Leo," said Donnie as he approached his older brother, "The mutagen is safely stored away. Were you able to get ahold of Raph or Mikey?"

"No," replied Leo with more than a hint of annoyance, "I tried calling them both, but neither one is answering. What could be taking them so long?"

"I would say that maybe they got into trouble, but you did send Mikey and Raph to search a playground," said Donnie with a smirk which his brother chose to pretend he didn't see. "You know how those two are. They're probably just goofing off."

Rubbing his temple, Leo closed his eyes and sighed again. "You're probably right," he said. He glanced over at his younger brother. "I guess we'll just have to track them down."

Donnie nodded as he pulled out his mutagen tracker. "I've still got a lock on the other canister. The signal is coming from that direction." He pointed to his left. "If we find it, we'll probably find them too."

"Alright," said Leo, putting away his T-phone, "Then let's move."

Allowing Donnie to take the lead, he silently followed his younger brother. It was an unusually quiet night. All Leo could hear was the whirring and clicking of Donnie's tracker. His senses on alert, the eldest turtle looked around cautiously as they ran through the city's back alleyways. He was unnerved by the stillness, unsure if there really were fewer birds above and rats about his feet than usual or if he was simply imagining it. Regardless, the silence put him on edge, leaving a ball of worry in the pit of his stomach, though he couldn't quite pinpoint why.

Donnie's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. "Over here! I think I got it, but this can't be right..."

Still keeping a sharp eye on his surroundings, Leo watched his brother curiously. Donnie had stopped to take the lid off of a trash can and was now digging through it. Walking up behind his sibling, the older turtle craned his neck and peered over his brother's shoulder.

"It's a good thing I can't smell any worse," Donnie muttered to himself. With a victorious "aha!", he pulled his head back out of the trash and raised a mutagen canister for Leo to see. Studying the tracker in his other hand curiously, he frowned. "This just doesn't make any sense."

"What do you mean?" asked Leo.

Donnie held up the tracking device for his brother to see. "My tracker clearly said that there was mutagen in that park earlier, but we're still a couple of blocks away." He again brought the device up to his own face, studying it closely. "And this container is definitely the only one in the vicinity, so this has to be the same one."

Mulling over this new information, Leo's eyes narrowed. If Donnie was right, and this was the same canister as the one from the park, it couldn't have gotten here by itself. Somebody purposefully picked it up, carried it out here, and threw it in a trash can. Considering the short amount of time that had passed, he could only think of a couple of explanations as to why, none of which he liked.

"Maybe Mikey and Raph did get into trouble," he said grimly. "What if that mutagen was another trap to lure us in and then whoever set it grabbed Raph and Mikey and ditched the ooze?"

"Or maybe they ran into the Foot or the Kraang and had to hide the mutagen for safe keeping," suggested Donnie.

"Either way, we'd better hurry up and find those two," said Leo seriously. "Donnie, can you track their T-phones?"

"One step ahead of you, Leo," he said, his tracker already attached to his belt, T-phone in hand. "And... there we go! But that's weird..."

"What is it?" The older turtle tried to keep his voice calm, anxiously watching as his sibling tapped at his phone's screen. "Weird" was not something he needed to hear right now.

Donatello looked up at Leo, unable to completely hide his own unease. "I'm only getting one signal," he said, "It's Raph. If Mikey - or his phone, anyway - were anywhere in the city, I would have picked up his signal, but, nothing. His phone must be either turned off or broken."

Unable to keep his body from tensing up at the news, Leonardo's face darkened. He clenched his fists at his sides, pushing away all of the disturbing thoughts that bombarded his mind. The unnerving feeling he'd had earlier was beginning to intensify. If anything happened to Mikey...

"Where's Raph?"

"His signal's coming from the park. This way!" Not waiting for any sign of acknowledgment, Donnie took off, mutagen canister in one hand and T-phone in the other. Leo immediately followed close behind.

The two turtles moved swiftly through the alleyways, keeping their eyes and ears alert to any sign of trouble. A chill breeze sent a shiver down Leo's back, prickling his senses. He tried to shrug it off, but upon almost reaching their destination, the older turtle suddenly reached out and grabbed his brother's arm. Donnie stumbled to a halt and turned back to him as Leo held a finger to his lips and cocked his head as if listening intensely.

Donnie stood still for only a moment before nodding in understanding. There was a faint roar coming from the direction of the park. Without a word, the two shared a glance before taking off once more, quickening their pace.

Looking down at his T-phone, Donnie mentally tried to calculate how long it would take them to reach the playground. But as he was doing so, he let out a gasp. The red light indicating Raphael's phone suddenly disappeared. He desperately tapped at the screen, but the signal was gone. Not wanting to alarm Leo, he silently put the phone away and continued onward, swallowing the lump that was forming in his throat.

As Leo watched his brother attach his T-phone to his belt, he felt as if his heart might beat out of his chest. Donnie was always using his gadgets to help him stay focused on the task at hand. Seeing him put the device away, he couldn't help but worry about his brothers' safety.

The animalistic noises weren't helping his anxiety either. His eyes narrowed as the sound grew louder and louder until finally they could see the park across the street. It was definitely the origin of the ferocious cries. As Donnie held out an arm, Leo paused, glancing up at his younger sibling. Donnie's face was grim, and for the first time that night, the older turtle could see a trace of fear in his brother's eyes.

"I know that roar," said Donatello softly. He instinctively reached up to grip the end of his bo staff, memories of the night he'd first heard it racing across his mind. He turned toward Leo, his face serious. "It belongs to Slash."

The impact of his brother's words slowly sunk in, and Leonardo's eyes widened as he fought to retain his composure. He had not been there to witness first hand the fullness of Slash's fury, merely getting swatted away as soon as he had arrived to help. What he did remember was the aftermath. Every one of his brothers had been bloodied and bruised. Mikey's black eye had healed quickly enough, but Donnie had needed to keep his arm in a sling for a few weeks, not to mention the emotional damage dealt to Raph. And now knowing that two of his brother's last known whereabouts were in Slash's current location, he could only pray that they were both still in one piece.

Without a word, Leo pulled out his swords and motioned across the street. Donnie replied with a quick nod, and as soon as the coast was clear, they darted toward the park, taking cover in the shadows of the surrounding trees. Cautiously peering out from his hiding place, Leo's breath caught in his throat as he took in the scene beyond the fence.

"RAAAAAPH!"

There stood Slash, still roaring furiously, but it wasn't the giant turtle that made his heart pound. It was the playground that now lay in shambles at the massive turtle's feet. There was no sign of Raphael or Michelangelo anywhere, and Leo's mind raced as his brain began forcing him to think of worst case scenarios.

He didn't have time to dwell on any of them, however, as the rampaging turtle suddenly grew quiet. Slash lifted his face into the air before turning his head sharply toward the two turtles' hiding spots with a low growl.

"Oh no," muttered Donnie, his face instantly paling.

Sneaking a look at his brother, Leo silently cursed. He feared that the smell of rotten eggs had given away their location, and if that were true, running would likely be futile. He exchanged a glance with Donnie before they both quickly ducked behind the trees once more.

Knowing he had little time to formulate a plan, Leo motioned to his brother, indicating that they should split up. Donnie nodded in response and began heading around the perimeter toward the park entrance while Leo took the opposite route, following the curve of the fence. If his hunch about how Slash had found them was correct, it may just give them the advantage they needed, and the sooner he was out of the picture, the sooner they could search for their missing brothers.

Keeping an eye on the spiked turtle, it didn't take long to realize that Slash was indeed only tracking Donnie. With a gulp, the younger turtle moved swiftly from tree to tree, hiding in the thin shadows they provided as much as possible. Glancing back at the advancing turtle, his gaze fell upon the rubble. If Raph, and Mikey, for that matter, really had been in the park, there was a good chance they were now buried under the debris. His mind started going over the list of possible injuries his brothers could sustain in such an incident, everything from broken bones to puncture wounds.

As he mentally went down the checklist, he was suddenly aware that he'd reached the front entrance. Eyeing the open sidewalk warily, he instead decided to hide in some nearby bushes. Once concealed, he peeked out, and to his surprise, Slash was nowhere in sight. Trying not to panic, he put the mutagen canister on the ground and remained where he crouched. Taking in a deep breath, he gripped his staff tightly with both hands, glancing around nervously.

"Hiding from someone?"

Donnie jumped at the gravely voice and wildly whirled around. It was then he noticed the large, dark shadow amongst the trees. Slash had already left the confinement of the former playground, and he was headed straight for him with an icy glare.

Hiding was useless now, Donnie knew. Leaving the canister behind, he stood and left the bushes, holding his bo staff out in front of him protectively.

Slash stopped only a few feet away, an annoyed snarl on his face. "This is between me and Raph," he warned, "I suggest you stay out of it if you wanna keep that precious brain of yours in your skull."

Baring his teeth, Donnie glared at the large turtle. "What have you done with Raph and Mikey?" he demanded, hoping his voice held more confidence than he currently felt.

"Raph and I were just talking," Slash replied, his eyes narrowing in irritation, "Then that little twerp showed up and got in the way. Not sure what happened to him after that. Don't care. Like I said, I'm only here for Raph." He suddenly banged his mace heavily against the ground with a growl.

Donnie took a step back at the sudden childish display of anger but then stilled, refusing to give up any further ground. Looking over Slash, he quickly took in all of the larger turtle's injuries. Someone had gotten in a few well placed shuriken, leaving him weak on the right side - his dominant side, it would seem, considering his somewhat clumsy hold on the mace. His left wrist also had some minor scrapes, and he was covered in sweat and taking deep breaths as he slowly continued toward him. While none of them made for a terribly big advantage, the smaller turtle was determined to exploit them to their fullest if need be.

"Just wanted to talk with Raph, huh?" said Donnie, trying to stall for time, "I suppose you just talked the playground into collapsing in on itself?"

At this, Slash smirked. "Things may have gotten a little out of hand," he said darkly. Continuing his approach, he again slammed his mace into the ground. This time Donnie refused to even so much as flinch.

"Now, if you don't mind," Slash continued, "I'm really kind of busy right now, so do yourself a favor, and get lost."

"And not take advantage of your injured right arm?," said Donnie, raising his voice ever so slightly as his line of sight drifted just beyond the large turtle's shoulder. Again meeting his gaze, he returned Slash's smirk. "Now why would I do that?"

Before the large turtle had a chance to reply, twin blades came down across his back, cutting into his shell and causing him to roar in pain. He quickly whirled around, swinging his mace wildly at his attacker, but the invisible opponent skillfully dodged the assault and rolled to his now wide open right side. Slash again cried out as he felt a fierce kick to his arm, causing him to topple over and land face first in the dirt.

Turning his attention away from the fallen turtle, Leonardo ran over to his younger brother. "You ok, Donnie?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, sure, just peachy," said Donnie sarcastically.

Balling his fist in anger, Slash glared up at the two brothers from the ground, rage rolling off of him in waves. "I don't have time for you!" he snapped. Breathing heavily through his clenched teeth, he rose to his feet, swaying slightly as he regained his balance.

Leo and Donnie both assumed offensive stances, returning their focus to their opponent.

"Well, you'd better make time," said Leo confidently. "I think you'll find me a bit more of a challenge then the last time we met. Think you can handle it?"

With a deep growl echoing from his throat, Slash gripped his mace tightly and let out a loud, threatening roar.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Leo taunted, "Come on, Spike, let's see what you've got!"

Glancing at his brother skeptically, Donnie readied himself for the oncoming attack. He didn't have to wait long before Slash sprung into action, moving at a speed the lanky turtle had not anticipated due to his earlier signs of fatigue. The massive turtle swung his mace, and Donnie quickly leapt out of the way right as the weapon struck the tree directly next to where he'd just been standing. As he turned to face the rampaging turtle once more, however, it was obvious that he was not the intended target.

"Is that all you've got?" Leo cried as he backed away, heading further into the sparse woods. "I know a walking jar of goo that fights better than you!"

As if under a trance, Slash followed the mocking turtle as he lead him away from his brother. Donnie's first instinct was to use the trees as cover, landing an attack to their opponent's remaining good arm as Leo drew his attention away. But he held back, knowing there were more pressing matters at stake. Two of his brothers were still missing, and this was his chance to find them. Leo could take care of himself, but if Raph or Mikey, or both, were trapped in the large pile of debris, they needed his help a lot more than Leo did right now.

Sliding his bo back into it's sheath, Donnie quickly darted toward the fence, climbing over it with a determined look on his face.

"I'm coming, guys."

"Raph?"

The turtle in question moaned, trying to ignore the voice calling his name. His body felt heavy, weighted down as if even attempting to lift a finger would take a strength he didn't possess. The very thought of moving was exhausting, but the voice was persistent.

"Raph," came the call again, this time accompanied by a soft shake on his left shoulder.

The light touch on his arm sent a shooting pain all the way down through his finger tips, causing him to jerk away. "Ahh!" cried Raph, instantly wide awake.

"Oops! Sorry, wrong shoulder..." The voice - which he now was lucid enough to recognize as Michelangelo's - gave a nervous laugh.

With a hiss of pain, Raphael tried to open his eyes to direct an icy glare at his baby brother, but upon doing so he found nothing but darkness.

"I'm so glad you're awake, bro," came Mikey's disembodied voice again.

In an attempt to regain his bearings, Raph blinked a few times before using his uninjured arm to try and push himself up. Once on his elbow, however, he found his shell bumping against a hard surface with a dull thud. Something was just above them, and that something was heavy. Falling back into the soft sand, Raph groaned.

"What happened?" he croaked weakly. His lips and throat felt dry and scratchy as he tried to speak.

"Oh man, Slash started going berserk!" said Mikey excitedly. Raph could hear him shuffling in the sand and managed a light smirk as he pictured his little brother trying to talk without the use of his hands. "I threw a smoke bomb in his face so we could get away, but he just started swinging that spiked ball of his all crazy like! He almost took your head off! But don't worry, Raph - " the older turtle could hear the pride practically dripping from Mikey's voice, " - I protected you."

It was all a bit hazy, but Raph could remember being pushed to the ground. One moment it was loud and chaotic, but then something had muffled the noise. Understanding dawned on him as he suddenly recalled the feeling of his brother's arms shielding his head protectively. Mikey had been calling his name, but that was where his memory faded.

"So how'd we get here?" he asked, strength returning to his voice, "Where are we?"

"The whole playground started to collapse," said Mikey, "I thought we were goners! But this bridge - " Raph heard a light knocking from above his head " - managed to keep most it off of us. Are you ok?"

"Been better," he replied, trying to ignore his throbbing arm. He briefly wondered if it was still bleeding and decided to try and adjust his position so as to take as much pressure off of it as possible. But as his weight shifted, he felt a sharp pain spread up his right leg. He cried out in surprise, finding himself unable to move his foot.

There was a bump of shell against wood as Mikey had clearly tried to move at the sound of his brother's painful shout. "What happened?" the young turtle asked frantically, twitching nervously in the sand. "Is it your arm again?"

Letting out a hiss, Raph gingerly moved his uninjured hand until it reached his belt. Once there, he fumbled around, feeling for his T-phone.

"Raph?"

"Just hang on a sec, ok?" Finally finding the phone with his fingers, he grabbed it and laid it in the sand in front of him, turning on the flashlight feature Donnie had installed so they could both see.

"Hey!" exclaimed Mikey as he used his arm to shield his eyes, "Warn a guy before you do that!"

"Sorry," Raph said simply as he squeezed his eyes shut and focused on taking slow, deep breaths. Peeling open his eyes once more, allowing them to adjust to the new light, he stole a glance at his baby brother. There was a long scratch on his forehead, and he could see shallow cuts all along his arms in addition to a nasty bruise forming on his right tricep. He couldn't help but feel guilty, knowing Mikey must have received those injuries protecting him while he merely laid there, uselessly unconscious.

"So what's wrong?" asked Mikey as he began peeking through his eyelids.

Turning his head ever so slightly, Raph glanced toward his right leg. "It's my foot," he said, wincing, "Something must've fell on it when we were being buried under here."

"Let me see." Grabbing the T-phone, Mikey shifted until he could see past Raph's shell and angled the light toward his brother's injured foot. A look of concentration covered his face until he suddenly gasped in surprise. "Dude, there's this giant piece of wood on it! It looks kinda fat and bruised."

Raph grit his teeth. "I had that feeling," he said grimly.

"We gotta get you outta here," said Mikey as he shuffled around, trying to bring the phone up to his face. "I tried to push this thing off us, but it's too heavy. I'll call Leo and Donnie, tell them to come find us."

"No," said Raph firmly, causing his brother to pause and look at him curiously. "Slash is still out there. Tell them to get as far away from here as they can and to come back and get us in a couple of hours."

Mikey nearly dropped the phone. "What!?" he shouted, an eye ridge raised in confusion and a frown contorting his mouth, "A couple of hours? But Raph - "

"If they come to get us now, Slash is going to be waiting for them!" snapped Raph.

"Not half an hour ago you wanted me to go get Leo and Donnie, and now you don't?" asked Mikey, thoroughly baffled. He knew that the plan his brother had concocted when they'd first run into Slash wasn't exactly well thought out, but this was utter nonsense.

Balling his right hand into a tight fist, Raph groaned in frustration. "It was never about getting Leo and Donnie!" he said angrily. "It was about getting you away from that maniac!"

Mikey blinked in surprise before narrowing his eyes in confusion. "Wait, what now?"

"Look, I know it was stupid trying to take Slash on alone, ok? But after what happened last time, I didn't wanna take any chances. Slash is my responsibility, and I'm gonna take care of him," said Raph stubbornly, glaring at his brother. "You should have just done what you were told and left me to handle it. If you had, we wouldn't be stuck here right now."

"If I had, you'd be a turtle pancake right now!" retorted Mikey with a scowl. "Or did you forget that I had to jump in at the last minute to save your shell?"

"I had it under control." As the words left his mouth, even Raph knew he sounded less than convincing.

Mikey was practically seething at this point. "Oh, I'm sure! What was it, part of your 'brilliant' scheme to roll over and play dead until he backed off so you could scratch him with another shuriken?" he mocked.

"I was trying to protect you!" Raph shouted, failing in his attempts to ignore his growing headache from all the noise.

At this the young turtle simply stared at him. The older turtle briefly wondered if his brother was going to respond when, after a short pause, he finally spoke.

"By sending me off on a fake mission carrying the one thing that Slash could use to track me down?" asked Mikey skeptically. He saw Raph glance away, at least having the decency to appear slightly embarrassed.

"I forgot he could do that," he muttered.

Mikey's glare softened a bit, but his voice remained firm. "After what happened last time, you shouldn't have tried to take him on alone," he said insistently.

Turning his gaze back to his little brother, Raph's eyes narrowed defiantly. "After what happened last time, I'm not gonna let him get anywhere near you."

"Well, I'm not gonna let him get anywhere near you!" retorted Mikey willfully. His older brother looked as if he wanted to object, but the young turtle refused to give him the chance. He was getting fed up with all of his selfish excuses. "Did you even see yourself back then? Instead of green, you were black and blue from head to toe. He was tossing you in the air like pizza dough and hitting you like you were some stuffed training dummy. He knocked you out cold, bro! He was ready to tear you apart! If it weren't for me and Donnie, you'd have been toast!"

Mikey had been practically shouting again as he finished his rant. Ending with an irritated huff, he watched as Raph turned his eyes away as if studying the sand beneath him. He waited for some response from his quick-tempered sibling, but for once his brother remained silent.

"I know how you feel, Raph," continued Mikey, softening his tone, "because I feel the same way. And I know I'm just your 'little brother', but that doesn't mean I can't look out for you and protect you like you always do for me."

The injured turtle finally looked up into Mikey's blue eyes and saw his own stubbornness reflected back at him. The fierce determination he saw in them caught him slightly off guard as they were usually filled with mischief and optimism, but at last his serious demeanor melted away into a much more characteristic smile.

"I'll make you a deal," said Michelangelo.

Raphael eyed his brother curiously. "A deal?"

"I promise to always let you protect me, if you promise to always let me protect you," said Mikey as he wriggled his left arm free, holding it out for his brother to shake. "Deal?"

After glancing down briefly at the extended hand with a cocked eye ridge, Raph leveled a dry stare back at Mikey's face. The young turtle's smile faded momentarily before he too looked down at his own hand and realized which one he had extended. He gave a nervous laugh as he quickly switched, offering the opposite to Raph's uninjured right hand.

The dull gaze remained on the older turtle's face for a moment more before a small smile began tugging at the corners of his mouth. Letting out a soft sigh, he adjusted his position in the sand and gingerly reached out to take the offered hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"Deal," he said, looking his brother in the eye. Receiving a bright grin in response, he smirked. "Now let's get out of here."

"On it!" said Mikey eagerly as he snatched the phone back up, ready to call his other siblings for a rescue. His face quickly fell, however, as he studied the small screen. "Aw, man!" he whined with a pout.

"Don't tell me," said Raph flatly, "no signal."

"Yup."

A heavy sigh escaped from his lungs as his head fell into the soft sand. "Of course not," he mumbled.

"Let's not give up," said Mikey cheerfully, "Maybe if we both tried to lift this bridge thing up, we could get it off of us."

Not bothering to lift his head, Raph grit his teeth, trying to hide just how painful that idea sounded. Between his pinned foot, raw arm, and building headache, he wasn't sure he was capable of lifting so much as his own body up off the ground, let alone a heavy, wooden bridge.

"I can't do this alone. It's worth a shot, don't ya think?" coaxed Mikey. He paused, waiting for an answer, but when none came, he grew impatient. "Come on, Raph. Whaddya say?"

Glancing up at Mikey's optimistic face, Raph found himself unable to dismiss the idea completely. With a loud groan, he carefully adjusted his position so that the palm of his right hand was laying in the sand. Taking in a deep breath before letting it go slowly, his eyes locked with his brother's. "Let's do this."

"Alright!" said Mikey enthusiastically as he mimicked Raph's position, placing both palms down in the sand. When he felt he was ready, he looked up at his brother and waited for the go ahead, not wanting to rush the injured turtle.

"Alright," said Raph at last, his heart already pounding in his chest, "On the count of three. One... two... three!"

With a loud grunt, he pushed against the sand, raising his back until his shell touched the fallen bridge. Using as much strength as he could muster, he did his best to force the wooden beams off of them, but it was simply too heavy.

"Keep trying," said Mikey through clenched teeth, "We can - do this!"

Raph drew in a sharp breath and squeezed his eyes shut. The roof of their cramped prison was refusing to budge, and he could feel his body growing weaker by the second. Sweat was beginning to pour down his face, and his arm was already shaking from the exertion.

"Come on," cheered on Mikey before abruptly switching to an attempt at an English accent, "'What is the point - of all those push ups - if you can't even lift - a bloody log?'"

Raph groaned, wishing he could slap his brother over the head. "If you've got enough energy - to throw movie quotes at me - you're not pushing hard enough."

Mikey managed a strained grin. "Sorry," he said, "Couldn't pass it up."

Opening his eyes, Raphael looked down at his wobbly arm. He knew he wouldn't last much longer at this rate. Steeling his jaw, he gingerly placed the palm of his wounded arm on the ground next to the other. With an air of sheer determination, he pushed, and, unable to hold it back, the injured turtle cried out in pain.

"Raph!" came Mikey's worried cry. But a different sound caught the weary turtle's attention; it was the soft groaning and scraping of wood moving against wood.

Raph's breaths were getting more and more ragged, but the prospect of freedom spurred him on. He called on every ounce of strength he had left, continuing to push with a loud yell. His arms felt like they were on fire, but at last the bridge began to shift under the pressure.

Spots had started dancing in front of his eyes. He was afraid he might pass out at any moment, but before his mind could even register what was happening, the weight was being lifted off of his shoulders. A thunderous crash alerted him to the fact that someone had shoved the bridge aside, and they were at last free. Fighting to remain conscious, he fell into the soft sand in an exhausted heap, gasping for breath.

"Raph! And Mikey!"

With a huge grin, the youngest turtle toppled onto his back and tiredly gazed into the brown eyes of their savior. "Donnie!" he cried, panting. "It's so good to see you, dude!"

The turtle in question was hunched over, leaning heavily against his bo to keep himself from toppling over. "You're telling me!" he said, panting, "First we couldn't find your signal at all, and then we were tracking Raph's and it suddenly disappeared. I'm just glad I saw this pile of debris start moving. Are you guys alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, but Raph's hurt real bad," replied Mikey anxiously as he craned his neck toward his collapsed sibling.

"Let me see," said Donnie as he carefully knelt down to inspect his older brother's injuries, his face serious. His eyes were instantly drawn to the newly opened wounds on his arm. He frowned. "What on earth did you do to your arm?"

Still struggling to get his breathing under control, Raph groaned. "Long story," he said weakly. He wanted to roll over so he could face his disapproving brother before the pain in his leg reminded him that it would be impossible. Instead he simply glanced up at Donnie. "Any chance you can get this thing off my foot?"

Turning his attention toward Raph's legs, Donatello stood and walked behind his immobile brother, finding the beam in question. Studying it carefully for a second, he reached down to grab one of the ends and heaved. While the single beam was much lighter than the bridge had been, this time he didn't have his brothers helping to push from below. For a moment he struggled to pull it off, but Mikey quickly jumped to his feet and hurried to the other end. Between the two of them, they were able to remove the thick piece of wood, letting it fall to the ground with a crash. Raph hissed in pain.

"Just hold still for a sec while I check it out," said Donnie as he bent down to examine his brother's foot. "It's really swollen. Can you move it at all?"

Raph grit his teeth as he did as he was told, trying to ignore the pain.

"Well, that's a good sign." The tall turtle reached down to gently touch it, looking slightly relieved as he did so. "I don't feel any broken bones, either. You're lucky; I think it might just be a sprain."

Donnie got to his feet once more and carefully stepped over toward Raph's good arm. Reaching down to pull him up, he helped the battered turtle to his knees.

"We've got to get you back to the Shellraiser," he said firmly. He hoisted Raph up with a grunt, practically dragging the muscular turtle to his feet, grateful that his brother was able to put even the lightest amount of pressure on his injured foot.

"Wait," said Mikey, "Where's Leo?"

Once Raph was steady, Donnie turned to his younger sibling. "When Leo and I got here, we saw Slash, but we didn't see either of you. Knowing that Raph's T-phone signal had last come from this area, Leo lured Slash away while I began searching the area for you guys."

"Leo went after Slash alone?" said Mikey, eyes wide. "We gotta help him!"

"He'll be fine for now," said Donnie reassuringly, "Between the injuries Slash sustained from you two and the surprise attack he took from Leo, he wasn't exactly in the best of shape. He was pretty angry, though, so we should hurry and get Raph back to the Shellraiser so you and I can back him up."

With a confirming nod from his younger brother, Donnie tried to help Raph along, but the short turtle resisted and stood his ground, earning confused looks from his siblings.

"I'm coming too," said Raph stubbornly, trying to force his voice to sound commanding in his weakened state.

Donnie looked just about ready to explode. "What!?" he exclaimed, "No, Raph, you are not 'coming too'! You are in no condition - "

"Look, you guys wanna protect me? Fine. But I'm still gonna protect you too," he said defiantly, ignoring the indignation on his brother's face at being cut off. "There's no way I'm going to let you go off to fight Slash without me."

Out of the corner of his eye, Raph caught Mikey's knowing smirk. This may not have been what his little brother had had in mind when making their deal earlier, but at least he wasn't protesting his involvement despite his current condition.

Donnie, on the other hand, was glaring daggers at his bullheaded older brother. "Well, it doesn't matter," he huffed, realizing that at this point there was no changing his mind. "We have to go back to the Shellraiser anyway in order to drop off the mutagen."

"Mutagen?" asked Mikey.

"Leo and I found it in a trash can a few blocks away from the park," explained Donnie, "I left it near the entrance of the park when I went looking for you guys. Since I've got Raph, Mikey, could you - "

"Donnie!" cried the youngest turtle suddenly, interrupting his brother and causing both of his siblings to jump slightly. Mikey threw both of his arms in the air, a huge grin on his face. "You're a genius!"

Both Raphael and Donatello paused and blinked in confusion, sharing a glance before staring at their little brother, curious as to what exactly was going on in that head of his.

"I-I am?" stammered Donnie at last. He then cleared his throat, holding his head high. "Well, I mean, I know I am, but - "

"No sweat, guys," said Mikey with an evil smirk, rubbing his hands together deviously, "Just leave it to me. I've got the perfect plan."

A/N: Well, that was certainly longer than expected. Didn't feel right cutting it in half, though. And as always, critics and grammar police appreciated!