A few days have passed and Leo's wounds were healing quite nicely. His body had healed just enough for his bandages to be removed, though his cuts, bruises, and scars still remained.

He spent most of the days and nights resting. Raph, Mikey, and Splinter would come in from time to time to visit him. And, each time, Leo convinced them that there was nothing else wrong with him.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal.

After waking up from his long sleep, Leo stretched his limbs out and did his usual morning workout routine. Once that was done, he placed his new blue mask on and lost himself in his depraved thoughts.

One turtle down. Two more to go. He has to make his next move, and he must do it casually and without notice.

With that in mind, Leo left his room and entered the living room.

There, Raph and Mikey were sitting on the couch, watching the anime cartoon while eating pizza.

"But Captain Coolstar, how could you!" Lunk exclaimed from inside the TV. He, Dr. Blip, Princess, and Squeakums were angrily looking at their leader, who was staring at them with an evil smirk. "How can you betray us by joining our enemy's side?"

Just then, a dark, skeleton figure wrapped in a genetic black robe appeared from behind Captain Coolstar, resting his boney hands on the leader's shoulder. "He can't hear you, fool, for he is under my control, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Captain Coolstar, attack!" the bad guy ordered, pointing his boney finger at the team.

With a holler, Captain Coolstar raised his weapon out and charged after his teammates. The team has no choice, but to fight back.

"Now this is getting interesting," Raph said with a smirk, taking another bite from his pizza slice.

Narrowing his eyes at the two turtles, Leo smiled to himself secretly before approaching to them with a cheerful face mask.

"Hey, got any pizza left for me," Leo asked them, announcing his appearance.

Raph and Mikey spun their heads around, beaming at the sight of their older brother. "Leo!"

"Hey, guys." Leo hopped over the couch and sat next to Raph.

"How are you feeling now," Mikey gleefully, but with a touch of concern, asked Leo.

"Better, though I do feel sore sometimes."

"Your neck's all right, though, right," Raph unexpectedly asked him.

Leo looked at Raph strangely. "Uh, yeah."

Raph smirked again. "Good."

Without a warning, Raph wrapped his arm around Leo's neck. "Glad you're getting better, buddy."

Leo grinned at his hot-headed brother. He rested his hand on Raph's upper-back shell. "Thanks, Raph."

Leo's finger swiftly pulled a mind-control device hidden underneath his finger wraps and slipped it onto Raph's neck, all the while Raph never noticing.

Once Raph let him go, Leo leaned back, feeling victorious. One last turtle to go. "So, what's going on in the show so far?"

"Oh, you won't believe what just happened," Mikey excitedly began, and Leo listened to the young turtle rambling, grinning clandestinely to himself.

**********

Although they were in the sewers, the turtles could tell from the time that nighttime was fast approaching once again. And, now that Leo was getting much better, Raph and Mikey wondered if Leo would join them on tonight's night patrol.

But Leo had other things in mind. And it involved finding the purple-masked turtle.

Strangely, Donnie was the only one that had not visited Leo when he was resting. When Leo asked where Donnie was to Raph and Mikey, they told him that their brainiac brother had been staying in his lab for hours, working on either his projects or trying to create retromutegen. When Leo asked why, Raph and Mikey had no answer to that. They tried to ask Donnie themselves, but Donnie was too busy to even respond.

Leo wondered if Donnie was doing this in order to ignore him. This, of course, wasn't good for Leo; he needed to insert the mind-control device on Donnie as soon as possible.

Leo had made some attempts on going into the lab, but every time, something would come up, such as training (although Leo was well enough to be there, he was only allowed to sit and watch, per Splinter's request) and meal times.

Leo though he finally has a chance. However, before he could even reach to the lab, Splinter stopped him.

"Leonardo," Splinter called to him.

Halting, and taking a moment to push down his annoyance, Leo turned around. "Yes, sensei?"

"Your wounds are healing quite well, Leonardo," Splinter said, stepping closer to Leo.

"Thank you, Sensei," Leo said politely, hiding his impatience.

Splinter narrowed his eyes at Leo. "Is there something the matter, my son?"

"No, Master Splinter. Nothing."

Splinter stared at Leo for a long moment. Then, he sighed. "Very well. Just . . ." He rested his hand on Leo's shoulder in a fatherly gesture. "Remember that, if there is something troubling you, my son, please let me know."

Leo paused. Then he said, "I will."

Leo gave a little bow and turned to continue his way toward the lab.

Splinter stared at Leo, feeling apprehensive for some odd reason. He wasn't sure why, but it had been bothering him since Leo healed. Splinter mentally decided to meditate on it in the Dojo.

When he came into the lab, Leo saw Donnie sitting at his desk. He was doing some testing on a few beakers full of different colored liquids. He was working so intensely that he did not even notice that he had company.

Leo walked up to his intelligent brother. "Donnie?"

Donnie jumped, greatly startled. But, with great reflexes, he quickly steadied his beakers from spilling the liquids all over his desk.

Donnie turned to Leo, annoyed. "Leo, don't do that! I was in the middle of something!"

"Sorry, geesh."

Donnie went back to his beakers, but Leo continued. "I was just coming in to pay a visit, cause I haven't seen you at all since you guys rescued me."

Donnie turned somber. "I know. And I'm sorry. It's just . . ."

"What, Donnie?"

Donnie paused, trying to gather up words in his sharp brain. "It's just . . . I feel like you getting captured was my fault."

Leo's eyebrows crossed together. "Is that all?"

Donnie suddenly shot him an angry look. "Is that all?! Leo, I should have warned you ahead of time that I was going to use my new smoke egg! Or at least, I should have told you before we left the lair! Then, you would have been prepared and we all would have made it home together!"

Leo was startled at the troubled Donnie. That was not what he expected to hear from his purple-masked brother.

"Donnie," Leo began. "It wasn't your fault. No one would have known the outcome."

Donnie looked away, still looking incredibly guilty.

"And I don't blame you," Leo finished.

Donnie paused. "You should. I felt such an idiot when we found out you were gone-"

"Donnie, it's okay!"

Leo rested his hand on Donnie's shoulder, turning his brother to face him. He gave Donnie a comforting smile.

"You got me back, before the Shredder could do anything else to me. We're together, now. And nothing is going to happen to me or anyone of us."

It took Donnie a while before a small smile made its way on his face. "Thanks, Leo. It is good to have you back."

Leo grinned, squeezing Donnie's shoulder. Then, a rumbling sound came from Donnie's stomach. The two of them couldn't help but chuckle simultaneously.

"Why don't you take a break and go over to the kitchen. I'm sure Mikey will spare a slice for you."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "I'm sure he will."

They exchanged amusing smiles as Donnie got up and left the lab.

Leo's eyes were narrowed on Donnie's back neck, where the mind-control device was unnoticeably attached to.

Leo smirked wickedly to himself once he was alone again. His mission was a complete success.

********

Night had, and the three turtles asked Leo if he was going to join their night patrol. Leo said yes, but he told them to wait for a minute; there was something Leo needed to do first.

So the three turtles waited. Raph was in the living room, practicing his double sai attacks on the dummy. Donnie was back in his lab, returning to his experiments. Mikey was in the kitchen, thinking of creative ways to eat his last slice of pizza for the day.

Hidden in the shadows, Leo sneaked out of the lair and out of the sewers.

He swiftly jumped on the escape stairs and climbed up to the rooftop. He scaled the billboard and looked over the entire city.

His sharp eyes spotted the Shredder's lair far away.

With an evil smirk, he pulled out a flare gun and shot it at the sky.

***********

The Shredder stood all alone, watching his windows.

His patience was slowly disappearing as each night passed by with no sign spotted in the sky.

At last, he saw it.

A red flare bursting in the dark sky. He smiled viciously to himself.

"Finally," his dark voice spoke to himself. He held up the remote control in his hand. "This had better work."

He then pressed the button.

*********

The mind-control devices on the three turtles blinked on.

Raph suddenly froze, his eyes widened and his pupils shrunken. His sais slipped through his fingers and landed on the floor with a cling.

Donnie was just about to pour some liquid into another filled beaker, when he too froze, his eyes widened and pupils shrunken. The beakers in both hands fell out of his grip, plunging and smashing into the floor, the broken glasses and liquid flying and landing on the floor and Donnie's feet.

Mikey had finally decided on what way to eat his very last slice of pizza. Just then, he froze and his eyes widened; his pupils shrinking. He unconsciously dropped his pizza, having it land on the floor before his feet.

Then, a menacing grin slowly appeared on all of the turtles' faces.