"Master Splinter?" Raph asked, still sitting on Leo's thrashing form. "How're we gonna do that?"
"I must meditate on this. It has been long since I have removed something as sinister as this from such a powerful mind, and I am forgetting much in my old age. Remain here and keep Leonardo under control at all times. Remember, he is no longer your brother and will take any chance to attack you."
"Hai, Sensei," Don answered, bowing. The rat walked slowly out, using his walking stick a little too much for Donnie's liking. "Poor Master Splinter. He's getting old." It had never really hit him that Master Splinter would actually leave them one day.
Leo – or his body, anyway – suddenly stilled.
"Guys?" a timid voice from beneath Raph asked. Mike took out his 'chucks, hoping it was a trick. "What's going on? Why are you sitting on me, Raph?"
"Ha ha ha. Listen to the demon who's taken over my brother. Nice try, but we're ninjas. It ain't gonna work." Raph shifted slightly to pin Leo's knees down with his hands. "Don't try anything funny."
"No, I'm serious. What's going on?"
"It… sounds like Leo," Don offered. "Maybe Darkwing gave up his grip?"
"Donnie," Mikey whined. "It's Leo, I betcha. Raph, get offa him. He won't hurt us!"
"I doubt it, Mikey," Raph answered. "Darkwing's probably playing a trick. As soon as I get offa him, Leo's body will attack. That's just it, plain and simple. We wait for Master Splinter to get done studyin' and then see what we can do to help him."
"I have meditated, my sons," Master Splinter's old voice told him. "Raphael, please restrain your brother. Donatello, please fetch us some heavy tranquilizers. Michelangelo, please help me once more. Lend me your strength and we shall rid your brother and leader of Darkwing's influence."
"Hai, Sensei," Mikey answered, bowing. He knelt behind Splinter, slipping into a trance carefully and slowly. Besides Splinter and Leo, no one could sit down and meditate right on the spot. They needed time to settle and calm their thoughts.
Raph adjusted his grip on Leo's hands, pinning them firmly against his shell, and let his weight keep the eldest's plastron pressed against the mats. Soon, Don came back in with the drugs, shooting one of the blue and red needles into Leo's arms as Raph applied pressure to a point that rendered the blue turtle's shoulder immobile.
Raph's red bandana swayed as Leo rocked a little, and then went limp with a slight smile. Donnie nodded and put the needles – their tips covered – in his belt and sat on Leo's legs carefully, in case Leo was tricking them.
Splinter frowned as he meditated, and Raph lent him some strength from his innumerous store, which was fueled mainly by his anger and hate. Mikey was shaking his head slowly, as if to tell someone only he could hear that they were lying. Mikey had a habit of doing that.
Suddenly, Leo's body shrieked in anger, his eyes open and staring at Master Splinter. Raph pushed on a pressure point to render the turtle immobile, and Master Splinter frowned deeper, trying to concentrate harder. He gasped and snarled once, a noise that Raph knew meant he was beyond furious. Leo winced a few times, then laughed happily.
"I have removed the evil presence, my sons," Master Splinter said tiredly. "But you must keep an eye on Leonardo. He will be tired for many days."
"Why don't we see somethin', Master Splintah?" Raph asked, his Brooklyn accent coming forward predominantly like it did when he was concerned or worried. He slowly stood up, lending their hardly-conscious elder brother a hand to his feet. Leo leaned against Raph, his eyes closed in sheer exhaustion.
"Because I left Leonardo in charge of the Inhabitant. Now, Leonardo may choose when to transform. He is the master of that mind, now," Master Splinter explained, standing stiffly. Don leapt to his rescue, helping Master Splinter into his room. Then, the brainiac woke Mikey, who had fallen asleep despite everything, and they got Leo into the sick bay.
Their elder brother was pale and shaking when Don checked his pulse. Raph took his katanas, shruiken, and pads to the table next to the bed Leo was lying on comfortably. Mikey was sitting on another, watching his older brothers apprehensively. Don went over Leo carefully, looking for bruising or bleeding in case Leo was hurt.
"Look at this," Don suddenly whispered. Why am I whispering? Don wondered to himself.
"What?" asked Mikey, peering at Leo's shell. Don had turned Leo over with help from Raph. It was normal, to Mikey's eyes. He had all th plates, and it wasn't chipped or cut.
"Right here," Don said, pointing. Mikey looked closely and gasped. It was something writing on his shell. Tiny letters, though.
"There's more over here," Raph exclaimed, picking up Leo's leg. Indeed, there was writing all over Leo that was slowly appearing.
"It's all over him," Don breathed, tracing around Leo's shell. "Let me get my magnifying glass."
"Don't bother," a hoarse voice chuckled.
"Leo!" Mikey shouted, hugging his brother as best he could.
"Ow!" Leo groaned suddenly, flipping back onto his shell and standing. Don pushed his back down.
"Hey, no getting up until I say you can!" he admonished.
"Sorry?" Leo offered. "Are you guys okay?"
Raph looked at Don. Who looked at Mikey. Who looked at Raph again. Then they all stared at Leo.
"What?"
"Welcome back, bro!" Mikey yelled, hugging Leo fiercely. However, he backed off guiltily when Leo hissed in pain. Don moved in, taking Leo's arm. The writing was glowing bright black, standing out very well against Leo's skin. Raph stared at Leo's head and Leo caught him.
"What?" Leo asked again, raising a hand to his head. Mikey looked at it, too, and backed away slowly. Don's eyeridges snapped together and he pulled Leo's hand away.
There, growing out of Leo's head, were a pair of black, wickedly-sharp horns. He looked at his hands. They were growing claws, too, and his shell started itching.
"What's going on?" he asked, staring at his hands.
"I… I don't know," Don admitted, rolling Leo onto his plastron again. "Hold still. You've got a pair of wings growing in back here."
"Wings?" Leo asked, wincing again. His throat hurt, and he coughed. His pillow caught fire.
"Aaah!" Mikey screamed in a high-pitched voice, dousing Leo's head and the pillow with water from the sink as soon as he had filled a small bucket.
"Don…" Leo started, then coughed again. Everyone now saw the flicker of flame that left his mouth.
"Shut up, Leo," Raph said. "You do that again, and you'll light something else on fire."
Leo nodded and then closed his eyes. Raph looked at his shell. Wings were shifting restlessly as they grew in, and Raph could see the bones growing from his shoulder blades into the wings. It looked very painful, but Leo wasn't showing it. Typical Fearless Leader, Raph thought, putting his hand on Leo's arm. It was hard under his touch.
"Hey, Don, he's growing scales and stuff down here," Raph told his brother, amazingly calm. Mikey laughed as he touched Leo's feet.
"Yeah," Don mumbled. He was examining the wings and had a shot in his hand.
"What's that?" Mikey asked.
"Pain killers," Don murmured, preoccupied with the wings on Leo's shell. With a crack, the shell suddenly split a little and the wings fanned. Don studied the muscles as they bunched. It was amazing; the shoulder blades and arm strength were unaffected, but Leo's wings looked big enough – and strong enough – to carry him. Leo grunted as Don touched them.
"Leo, can you sit up for me?" Don asked, signaling for Raph to help Leo. Shaking a little, Leo rolled over and sat up in one motion. His wings were folded tightly against his shell. "How do you feel?"
"Like shell," Leo whispered, his voice hoarse and deeper than it had been before. He opened his eyes and looked at them, and Don got his billionth surprise. Leo's pupils were slits and bright red. Their brother closed them quickly.
"Can someone get the light out of my face?" he asked politely.
"Uh, Leo, there's no light in your face. Just the normal room lights are on," Mikey alleged.
"Don…" Leo looked pup, but kept his eyes shut. "What's going on with me?"
Don felt everyone's eyes on his. He was supposed to know everything. But he didn't. Why not? Well, he was an engineer, not a doctor or biologist. But he had to guess. He knew more about this than did anyone else.
"Um… Considering we're about twenty years old and so should not mutate or grow any more, I'd say you're going through something unnatural. When Master Splinter saved you from that evil Inhabitant, he said he left it in you so you could choose when to change into Darkwing and when not to. When Darkwing was controlling you, he said that your body took on attributes sometimes because your brain was trying to adjust to what was happening in your mind."
"In short," Mikey added, "you're kinda growing parts of a dragon."
Leo groaned and shook his head, fanning his wings.