A/N: Wow… only a couple chapters left. I'm so sad… but thanks for everyone who's been reading!

Mew Sakura: I know, Mikey has an interesting way of dealing with a situation, LOL! Here's more for you!

pig: Heh.... Raph... keep his cool... that's funny, LOL! Yeah, definitely had to be Mikey. Besides, Leo promised him a good part to play in this plan. =D

Yeah, when Leo makes a plan, Leo makes a PLAN. Prepare yourselves, dear readers. Confusion ensues… try to keep up! Remember… nothing… is ever… what it seems.

It was a curious power, Raph reflected, that Mikey had over the world. He always managed to bring out the "stupid" in people. Take himself, for example. Normally, Raph was a tough, unemotional sort of turtle. He didn't get bogged down with other people's feelings, or show too many of his own. When Mikey was down though, Raph found vast, hidden quantities of sentimentality that made him want to help his youngest brother feel better in any way possible. Even if he had to do something stupid, like giving him a hug or telling him a bad joke. Or, move in to back Mikey up even though Leo said to wait.

Take Donatello. Donny was a genius; they all knew that. He knew more than the rest of them combined, and had words for things that Raph didn't know existed. Give Mikey enough time to thoroughly exasperate him though, and even the super-smart Donatello was reduced to a spluttering idiot, babbling incoherently with nothing intelligent at all to say. Mikey could make words fail the turtle who knew all the words.

Take Leonardo. Leo made plans carefully. And then he made plans to cover anything that would go wrong with those plan, and a back-up plan for each and every one of those plans, and then a contingency plan for if everything got shot to shell. Leo never made rash moves, but for some reason he had seen fit to send Mikey right into the heart of everything with nothing but a stick and a fake helmet to fight off their two worst enemies and an army of trained ninja. Because Mikey said "he could do it." If that wasn't the stupidest plan ever…

Now take their enemies. Both Shredder and Bishop were men (or aliens) of action. They were always doing something evil and underhanded, and they were competent at it. They were always in control. They always knew how to be the worst of themselves. And yet, now they were staring at his brother, incapable of movement or rational thought in their advanced state of confusion. Mikey had single-handedly brought them to utter, hopeless, uselessness. Just by… being there. His mere presence was apparently enough to make the world go stupid.

It was actually awe-inspiring.

Before the turtles had split into their separate groups to fulfill their respective missions, Donatello had replicated the mind-controlling device out of Raph's bike helmet and some spare parts. This one, of course, had a fake screen over the eyes so that Mikey would still be able to see on his own. Otherwise, Don declared it a perfect mock-up of the helmet used on him, down to the mini-camera imbedded inside so that Raph could keep an eye on his brother from his portable view screen.

Raph was gonna take his word for it… After all, Donny had every detail of the blasted thing haunting him.

So now, Mikey was sitting quite calmly on the floor, grinning like a buffoon at his enemies who had managed to stop fighting long enough to stand there, staring and drooling like the morons they were, at a loss for words.

So curious, this power that Mikey had.

For instance, why was Raph still sitting there waiting on Leo?! Mikey needed him, and Fearless was saying to sit still and watch? He picked up the phone in angrily. Enough of this.

"Leo, I'm goin' in," the red-banded turtle informed the leader tersely as soon as Leo picked up. He could faintly hear the wind rushing by Leo as he ran. Back up was coming, but it might be too late by then.

"Raph, no!" Leo yelled. "Will you just wait for-"

"No, Leo!" Raph snarled back. "I ain't waitin' for anything! Mikey's in trouble!"

"Remember what Master Splinter said, Raph? We have to trust that Mike and Don can handle themselves. I gave him this job on purpose-"

"What purpose? To get him killed? Screw this."

"Raph! Raph, no! WAIT-"

With a click, Raph hung up, tucking the phone away. Shaking his head in annoyance, he stood from his hiding place, clutched his trench coat more tightly around him, and headed for the Tower.

oOo oOo oOo

"What are you doing here?" Shredder finally demanded, staring at Michelangelo in disbelief. He ignored Bishop's superior huffs from beside him. "Where is your brother, Donatello?"

The orange-banded turtle's face immediately turned from one of amusement to one of abject grief. He growled ferociously, causing a few of the Foot ninja to take a step backward as Mikey moved to a crouching position, looking ready to pounce at any moment on his enemies.

"Where do you think he is, you scumbag!" he yelled. "You killed him, or had you forgotten?!"

Ignoring the murderous glare from the turtle, Shredder turned smugly to Bishop. "There, you see?" he said haughtily. "Like I said… Donatello is dead after all."

"Then who was at my warehouse tonight, Saki?" Bishop demanded. "These turtles are up to something!"

"No doubt," Shredder agreed, his hands curling into fists. "And I'm quite sure that you are responsible for it!" He ignored the agent's offended grunt, gesturing at Michelangelo. "Sending him in ahead of you was just a ploy to throw me off-balance. How else would you have known it was the orange turtle and not the purple, if you did not send him here?"

"Because he doesn't even look like Donatello," Bishop exclaimed in exasperation. Really, how had he ever believed that this man – no, alien – was ever in the slightest bit intelligent? "I'm telling you, there's something else going on—"

Shredder held up a hand, cutting him off. The bright red eyes behind the helmet narrowed at Bishop, and the alien took a step back towards Michelangelo.

"I don't believe you," Shredder explained, smiling evilly. "But if the turtles aren't working for you, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I dispose of this one."

"Be my guest," Bishop returned, crossing his arms. "He's not with me."

Mikey gulped as Shredder turned on him. Where was his back-up? Any time they chose to arrive would be really quite wonderful…

"Shredder!"

The orange-banded turtle sighed with relief as his brother burst into the room right on cue. Both of the turtles' arch-nemeses spun around as the other turtle ran towards them. He had on a long, brown trench-coat that streamed behind him like a banner, and a hat pulled low over his face. The red bandana tails left little doubt that he would kill them where they stood.

"Get away from my brother!" he snarled, drawing his sai and leaping towards them. Shredder and Bishop simultaneously took a step back, both knowing the red turtle's penchant for violent defensiveness of his brothers.

The turtle landed lightly, crouching in front of Mikey protectively as he flashed his pointed weapons dangerously at them. Shredder recovered from his surprise quickly, raising a hand to signal his waiting ninja to attack.

Before he could speak, the door was opened once again and yet another turtle came hurrying in breathlessly, dressed, as the other one was, in a trench-coat and hat. He stopped short as he took in the scene before him. Eyes widened behind a blue mask, and to the shock of everyone present, the turtle spun and bolted back to the door.

"DON, PLAN B! RUN FOR IT! GET OUT!" he shouted frantically.

"GET THEM!" Shredder roared at the same time. The surrounding Foot ninja sprang into action, half of them chasing after the blue-banded turtle as he ran from the room. The other half moved in on the orange and the red-banded turtles who turned shell to shell to fight them off.

Bishop stood to the side, watching events unfold with a mistrusting eye. There was still something fishy here. Taking advantage of his enemies' current engagements, the agent took a moment to examine the bomb he had taken from Michelangelo. It was real enough, he could easily see. Something, though… something wasn't ringing true. He had practically written the book on double-crosses, and he could smell one happening now.

A yell of pain brought his attention back to the skirmish taking place beside him. A group of the Foot ninja had managed to pin Michelangelo down and take his weapon, while Saki had the red-banded turtle in a death grip, choking him.

"No!" Michelangelo cried from the floor. "Let him go!"

Obligingly, Shredder threw the turtle to the floor, where he was immediately overrun by the remaining Foot ninja, who held him firmly down. The ninja turtle struggled violently, but there were too many hands restraining him. Bishop frowned again as he caught the thrashing turtle's eye, staring right at him. What was wrong here?

The answer was just within reach of his mind when his musings were interrupted by a score of Foot ninja dragging in another fighting turtle. He was also clad in the same trench-coat and hat as the others. Bishop heaved a sigh of relief as he noticed the purple tails. So he wasn't crazy after all; it HAD been Donatello he'd seen earlier! The purple-banded turtle suddenly snapped his head up, staring Bishop straight in the eye.

Bishop blinked, and glanced back and forth between this turtle and the ones already captured. He sighed, rubbing his temples as he suddenly realized why everything seemed so… off. Unbelievable. Truly, it was unbelievable.

"What of the blue one, Leonardo?" Shredder demanded. One of the Foot ninja threw a hasty salute before returning his grip on the bucking turtle.

"We couldn't reach him, Master," the soldier admitted. "This one was blocking off our pursuit, and by the time we took him down, there was no sight of the other turtle."

Shredder growled in annoyance, gesturing at the other two turtles. "Put him with the others," he commanded. "So… you seem to have made a most miraculous recovery, Donatello." Behind him, Shredder could hear Bishop muttering in exasperation. He turned on his former partner with no small amount of irritation as the Foot soldiers dragged the third turtle to where the other two were being held down.

"Yes, Agent Bishop? You have something to say? Perhaps now you will try to talk me out of killing your friends here?"

"They're no friends of mine," Bishop retorted uncaringly. "But you still have a turtle unaccounted for."

"Leonardo will come for his brothers, never fear."

"Leonardo is already here, you stupid worm!" Bishop snapped. "This is Leonardo!" Shoving his way through the ninja guards to the red-banded turtle, he viciously jerked the hat and trench coat off. Shredder stared long and hard at the turtle, who smiled mockingly back at him. Sure enough, this was not Raphael. The large coat had hidden the fact that this turtle was nowhere near the same muscular body shape of his angrier brother.

"And this," Bishop continued, stalking over to the purple-banded turtle, "is Raphael!" He pulled off the turtle's hat, as he had done to Leonardo. Raphael grinned ferociously, growling and baring his teeth. "In fact, Donatello is the only one who hasn't yet managed to convince you that he is, in fact, Donatello," the agent added, sneering.

"Well, ain't he a clever one!" Raph said with a chuckle. "Read my mind, Bishop…tell me what I'm thinkin' now! I'll give ya a hint… it starts with an 'f' and ends with-"

"Watch your mouth, Raph," Leo admonished automatically, eyes flashing from behind the red mask. He was still annoyed with his brother for disregarding his orders… if he hadn't gotten there just before Raph made it into the building, the hot-headed turtle would have rushed in and all their work would have been for nothing. He'd only just managed to stop Raph long enough for them to exchange masks and move in as per the plan. "There's no need for that sort of language."

"Enough!" Shredder hissed, slamming the spikes of his gauntlet into the wall only inches from Leonardo's head, causing the turtle to snap his attention back to the huge, metal-clad alien. Shredder jerked his gauntlet free and held the tips directly under Leo's chin.

"Where… is… Donatello?"

"Somewhere you won't be able to hurt him anymore," Leo answered defiantly. "You were there, you saw what happened."

"Do not seek to deceive me, turtle," Shredder spat out. "I see through your game. You are wearing a red mask… Raphael has a purple one… I SAW a turtle enter here with a blue mask on, so I know he was here. You faked Donatello's death so that he could enter unsuspected to destroy me while you three kept my attention."

Shredder laughed sinisterly, shaking his head. No one got the better of Oroku Saki, the one true Shredder, for long. "Let's try it this way," he suggested lazily. "Tell me where Donatello is… or your brother dies."

Leo watched in horror as Shredder moved the lethal gauntlet away from his face and swung it instead to touch Mikey's. This had never been part of the plan…

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