Chapter 13: Tortured
A/N: And now, here's the chapter you all have been waiting for. It's time for Leo's chapter where you'll see what happened to him while he was gone. I want to thank everyone for the kind reviews you have given me thus far. Your kind words and encouragement have been greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Disclaimer: See chapter one.
Leonardo was ready for patrol like always. He had been practicing some katas when he looked at the clock and saw that it was time for their nightly patrol. He gathered his brothers together one by one. Mikey had been reading a comic, Don had been in his lab like usual, and Raph had been in his room working out. Once they were all gathered together, they got ready to head out. Splinter wished them luck as he always did and told them he would be waiting up for them.
"You don't have to wait up for us, Sensei," Leo replied.
But Splinter insisted on waiting up, saying that it was his duty as a parent to make sure that his sons were home safely. Leo knew better than to argue and let the subject drop.
Once the Turtles were topside, Leo put on his Leader Face, as the others called it, and gave directions. "Okay, this is just a routine patrol," he said. "We're scouting the area to make sure there are no enemies. If you see anything, do not engage unless attacked. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, we got it, Leo," Raph grumbled.
"Hey, I say we make this more fun by playing a game of Ninja Tag," Mikey suggested.
Leo wasn't very happy about the idea. The whole object was to do just scout the area and that was it. But it was just like Mikey to turn things into a game. It was a habit he had a hard time breaking. "We don't' have time for that," he insisted. "We're just doing a basic patrol."
Then Mikey gave his famous puppy dog eyes, trying to entice Leo to go with the plan. Leo tried to resist, but no one could ever resist the puppy dog eyes no matter how many times they tried. The blue-clad Turtle finally gave in.
"All right, we'll have one quick game," he said. "But remember that we're still on patrol, so try and scout the area anyway."
Mikey gave his brother a smile. "Okay, bro, you're it!" he called as he tagged his brother on the shoulder. Then he sprinted away, laughing at his antics.
Leo gave chase, causing the others to sprint away and split up. Leo decided to chase after Raph first since it was so much fun to do. He and Raph always competed with each other, and this was a good way to beat his brother at a game. Raph took the bait and continued running.
"Let's see if you can catch me, asswipe!" the red-clad Turtle teased.
Leo smiled, knowing that Raph was just being good-natured. Despite their apparent rivalry at times, the two brothers were really close and cared deeply for one another. Leo hurried to catch his brother and thought about what would happen once he did. He saw Raph stop abruptly when they reached the corner of Fifth and Main. Leo was ready to tag his brother, but he saw where his brother's gaze had shifted. He spotted a group of Foot Ninjas on the roof across from them.
"That can't be good," he muttered. Were these Ninjas lying in wait for them, or had they just stumbled upon the Turtles by accident?
The Foot Ninjas wasted no words and began to attack. Leo unsheathed his katanas and began to defend himself. He saw that Raph had his sais out and was also engaging the enemy. But as more and more kept coming, Leo knew that he and Raph couldn't take them on their own and would need backup.
"Raph, call Don and Mikey!" Leo ordered. "We need them now!"
Raph nodded and dug out his Shell Cell to make the call. Leo didn't pay much attention as he was too busy trying to fend off as many Ninjas as possible. He was starting to feel tense as memories of another encounter with the Foot started to plague him. But that had been different than this instance. This time he had his brothers, and he focused on that in order to keep on going. He could hear Raph, Don, and Mikey engaging the enemy as well. They were going to win and prevail. He could feel it.
But suddenly, something pierced Leo's shoulder. He hissed in pain and turned to see a dart sticking out of it. He pulled it out and continued to fight, but he began to feel the effects of whatever was in the dart. His katanas fell from his hands, and he toppled forward, trying to catch himself but failing. He fought to stay conscious and tried to cry out for his brothers. The last thing he heard was Raph crying his name as the darkness claimed him.
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Leonardo moaned and opened his eyes. At first, his vision was blurry, but he blinked a few times, and the room swam into focus. He was in some sort of cell with brick walls. He tried to move his hands, but they were chained to the wall as were his feet. One thing was for sure: the Foot had captured him somehow. But what about his brothers? Were they here, too? Or, had they been able to escape unharmed?
The door to the cell opened, and Karai came in dressed in her Shredder armor. She smiled as she saw him look at her. "I am glad to see you are awake, Leonardo," she said. "I have been waiting for this day."
"Karai!" Leo snarled. "Where are my brothers? What have you done with them?"
Karai took off her helmet and smiled evilly. "I have disposed of them," she replied. "After my guards took you, the other soldiers killed them instantly."
Leo wasn't sure how to take this. She had fooled him before into thinking his family was dead, and they had turned out to be unharmed. "I don't believe you," he hissed.
"I had a feeling you would say that," she replied. "That is why I took the liberty of bringing proof." She signaled to one of her soldiers to come forward. The Ninja held out his hands to reveal three colored masks. Leo looked at them and recognized them as his brothers'. He gasped as he gazed at them. It couldn't be!
"Now do you believe me?" Karai simpered.
Leo's eyes went from shock to anger. He would grieve for his brothers in private. If he did it now, that would show her that he was weak, and that was something he was determined she wouldn't see. "I swear to you, Karai, I will make you pay for this," he vowed.
Karai laughed. "You are in no place to be making threats to me, Leonardo," she responded. "You are my prisoner and are therefore going to do as I say. Now, your Master does not know of your brothers' deaths yet. I figured I would wait until I killed you before letting him know. But then, that would be too easy. You have a choice to make, Leonardo. You can swear allegiance to me and the Foot Clan, and I will spare you and your father. If you refuse me, then I will have your father hunted down and killed. The choice is yours."
Leo couldn't help but laugh. "Do you really think I would join your Clan?" he asked sarcastically. "I'd rather die than join you. And as for your threat about Master Splinter, you don't even know where our Lair is, so how can you hunt him down?"
"That is where you come in," Karai said. "Since you will not join me, perhaps you can tell me where your Lair is? I promise, I will make your father's death quick and painless. He will not suffer."
"Never," Leo declared. There was no way he was going to give in to her. He would never betray his family no matter what.
"Very well," Karai replied. "If you will not willingly tell me where it is, I will have to force it out of you. One way or another, you WILL tell me where your Lair is. I will make sure of that." She signaled to one of her soldiers to step forward. "Begin the punishment," she ordered.
Before Leo could ask what she had in mind, the Foot Ninja pressed a taser to his body. The electricity surged through his body, causing him to cry out in pain. It lasted for a few minutes before Karai told the soldier to stop. Leo glared at her hatefully. If this was what she was trying to do, it wasn't going to work. He still wouldn't cave in.
"Are you going to tell us, Turtle?" she hissed.
Leo spat in her face and thought about how proud Raph would be. She wiped the saliva from her face and gritted her teeth at him.
"Fine, then have it your way," she said. She motioned for the soldier to come forward again, and again Leo felt the pain from the electricity. He tried to block it out with thoughts of his brothers and father. They would want him to fight and not give in. He was a ninja and a great warrior. He wasn't going to let Karai think she'd beaten him at her game. Each time the taser was lifted from him, she asked if he was going to give in, and each time he refused. The pain kept coming in bursts, but Leo didn't care. He'd endure it if it meant keeping Master Splinter safe. He wasn't going to let Karai kill his father, too.
"That will be enough for now," Karai decided. "I am going to give you a bit of a break to think about what has just transpired. You had better have an answer when I come back, or you will receive more punishment." She turned on her heel and left, the solider following behind her.
Leo relished the silence now that Karai was gone. He knew that he was trapped here, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to let her win at any cost. Tears filled his eyes at the thought of his brothers. Even if they had died, at least they had died in battle. That was some sort of comfort, but it didn't soften the blow that they weren't going to rescue him. But at least Splinter was still alive. Maybe Master Splinter would think of a plan along with April and Casey. Maybe they could get him out of here. He knew Splinter would stop at nothing to find them if he had the chance. This thought made Leo feel a little better.
He closed his eyes and began to meditate. He could feel his father's presence, but he was too weak to really reach out and communicate with him. Still, feeling his father's aura was more than enough to convince Leo that Splinter was still there. He even sent a message to him that his brothers were coming and to hold on. Leo didn't have the strength to communicate to Splinter just then, or he would've sent him a message about what Karai had said. He eased out of his meditative state and tried to get some sleep. He knew that he would need it for the days to come.
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As days passed, things didn't get easier for Leo. He was still continuously tortured by Karai and the Foot. They even went so far as to use him as a training dummy for the Foot Ninjas in the dojo. His arms and feet were chained up, and he hung there while the Foot Ninjas kicked, punched, and hit him with their weapons. They glorified in hurting him, and Karai seemed pleased as well. Leo endured it all even though he would've liked nothing more than to fight them on his own. But he didn't even have his weapons anymore. Karai had probably destroyed them along with his other possessions. Each time the Ninjas hit him, he just took the pain and reminded himself that he was doing this for his brothers and Master. He pictured his brothers giving him encouragement to keep on fighting, and it fueled his resolve.
After practice was over, they hauled him back to his cell and chained him again. He didn't fight back because he didn't even have the strength to do so. He decided that the next time they did this, he'd try and escape. They were giving him food and water so that he'd live, but they figured he'd still die in here. He would save his strength and try and escape once they attempted to use him for a practice dummy again.
Karai smirked at him. "I know you think you're being noble enduring all of this torture, but we will break you yet," she told him. She turned to her soldiers. "I want you to cut off the food and water. Perhaps as he grows weaker, he will succumb and tell us what we need to know."
After she left, Leo thought about his options. His escape plan didn't work now because he would eventually grow too weak to even fight. Now what? He didn't want to die by her hands, but he wasn't going to give her what she wanted. He wasn't going to betray his father. If that meant that he died, so be it. Splinter would be saddened but proud that his son died like a true warrior. Blood dripped on the floor from his wounds, and his body throbbed from the bruises he'd received. However, no one came to tend to his wounds or make sure that he was okay. Then again, that didn't surprise him at all. Once again, he began to meditate but couldn't reach his father anymore. That worried him a little. Had the Foot searched for the Lair and killed him? No, that couldn't be right because he would've heard about it. Maybe Splinter was looking for a way to rescue him. Yes, that had to be it.
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Leo grew weaker and weaker as the days went on, but he continued to try and remain as stoic as possible. He wasn't going to let Karai know he'd been bested. But as his strength gave out on him, he began drifting off for longer and longer periods. Soon, he was afraid he would die of starvation and tried his best to ignore the pangs of hunger that kept plaguing him. His mouth was dry form thirst, and his throat burned with the need for water, but he didn't complain. He knew that if he did, it would only show weakness.
He was used for a practice dummy day after day, and kept on going despite the countless hours of pain and abuse. One day, he was knocked unconscious and was simply brought to his cell without anyone checking whether he had sustained damage. Even after he was knocked out, the Foot kept on hitting him as if to prove a point that he was not going to win as long as they were around. The blue-clad Turtle didn't feel the blows and had no idea what was going on.
22222
Leo could hear voices that were familiar to him, but he didn't know if he should wake up. At the sound of Raph's gruff voice, he moaned and opened his eyes. But as he looked around him, his brothers weren't there. It was the Foot. Were they playing tricks on him? He grew angry and demanded to know where his brothers were. He didn't want to believe they were dead.
"We're right here, Leo," Don answered.
"No, you're trying to trick me," he insisted. "You won't beat me."
"Leonardo, calm down, my son," Splinter soothed. "Focus on my voice, my son. You can fight this. Just close your eyes and focus on my voice."
Leo closed his eyes and focused on his father's voice. It was soothing and gave him hope. Maybe Splinter had rescued him after all. When he opened his eyes again, he saw not only Splinter there, but his brothers as well.
"Am I dead?" he asked.
"No, you're alive, bro," Raph replied. "We rescued you and brought you home."
"That can't be," he whispered. "Karai told me you were dead. She said the Foot killed you after they took me."
"Karai said that?" Raph asked incredulously. "Why would she do that?"
"To try and break Leo," Don replied. "She figured if Leo thought we were dead, he would be devastated and do anything she told him to. That's how conniving she really is. Look, Leo, now that you're awake and I've patched you up, I'm going to tell April you're awake. I won't stay long, and I'll check on you once I get back, okay?"
Leo nodded. Raph had decided to visit Casey and tell him the news as well. Mikey decided to stay with Leo and keep him company. He went to his room, probably to fetch some comics to keep him occupied while Leo slept, and Splinter went to make some tea. Leo was very thirsty and needed something to help his throat, which was a bit sore.
When Mikey came back, he had his newest comic with him as well as Klunk. "Hey, Leo, someone wanted to see you," he said. He released Klunk from his arms, and the cat gently leaped up on Leo's bed. The blue-clad Turtle smiled and began stroking Klunk's fur, causing the cat to being purring. Then Mikey began chattering about his latest video game and how he'd beaten it. Leo reveled in his brother's chatter and Klunk's purrs. Both were like a soothing lullaby and very comforting.
"Um, Leo, am I boring you?" Mikey asked, mistaking Leo's look of contentment for boredom.
Leo shook his head. "No, Mikey, I'm not bored," he replied. "It's great to hear your voice. You can keep on talking. I don't mind."
So Mikey continued to talk while Leo sipped the tea Master Splinter had brought him. He was feeling better already knowing that he was safely at home and that his brothers were alive. He still carried a lot of mental and physical wounds, but he knew that with his family by his side, he would be able to overcome anything. And once he became fully healed, he vowed to seek revenge on Karai for all that she had put him through. She wouldn't get away with what she'd done to him. He had given her too many chances, and now it was time for her to see what happened when she messed with Leo and his family.
A/N: And so, Leo's chapter has come to an end. I'm so happy I finished it. There's only one chapter left to go, and then this story will be completed. I'm so excited that I'm nearing the end of this story. I never thought I'd complete it, but I'm almost done. Feel free to leave a review after you've finished reading. Have a shelltastic day.