Chewing on Glass Chapter 06, a ninja turtles fanfic

Chapter 06

I slid aside the manhole cover, the one closest to April's shop. In the past, it had been the only place they'd leave a message when wanting to contact us, and Splinter and I had been checking there periodically since my brothers disappeared. Her place looked alright, still intact at least, which couldn't be said for many places around the city. After she and Casey left, we'd done her the favor of boarding up the windows of the antique store in an effort to keep it from being looted. The wood was stained with graffiti but she would be happy to know that it otherwise looked fine. My attention wasn't on any of that, though. As soon as I caught sight of her place, I saw what I feared.

A note on the door, stuck to it with one of Raphael's sai. I ran to it. The note had just two characters on it, the Japanese kanji letters for revenge.

I tore the note away. I was beyond angry; I was furious. I ripped the sai from the door and stuck it into my belt. I was going to remove the heads from each and every last Foot soldier until I found him. This was not going to go without repercussion – I would find my brother. I would rebuild my team. And then we would show them the true meaning of revenge.

I left, heading back home to consult with Splinter.

I could always tell when Splinter was angry, even when he was trying not to show it. His whiskers twitched as I handed him the note and he narrowed his eyes. He finished wringing the cloth out in his hands and pressed it to Don's head, trying to offer him some comfort. He beckoned me away a moment later and we began weighing our options, debating different approaches. Obviously we were walking into a trap. They would probably be expecting us to sneak in, and so we decided to do exactly the opposite, in a way. Misdirection seemed to be the only way to go, but would they fall for it? It was impossible to say. One thing was for sure: this was not going to be easy with just the two of us and I was once again feeling the loss of my other teammates.

I didn't want to ask this question but I needed to know. "Master, do you think… do you really think he's still alive?"

They didn't need him alive. They just needed us to think he was. The Shredder would have no qualms about dropping his body at our feet once we were there, I was sure. Splinter drew in a long breath and exhaled. "I do not know, my son," he told me truthfully, "but I do not see any other choice."

I nodded. It was such a long span of time and I was trying not to think of the things they'd done to him. In the beginning, I'd actually spent a few nights looking in on the Foot, watching them come and go from several of their known bases, trying to determine if anything was out of the ordinary. It was suicide to go directly into their headquarters, especially without knowing for sure if any of my brothers were in there. Besides, it didn't make sense for Shredder to have them but not tell us. If anything, he would use us to draw out the others, and especially to get to Splinter. I had to wonder at that. Their note had been recent. If they'd had him all this time, why did the Foot wait so long before contacting us?

I didn't have an answer. We had a bigger problem, and that was what to do with Donatello. We couldn't leave him in this state, and every minute we spent here, Raphael spent caged up in there. Even Splinter was torn. He retired to his room to meditate on it, leaving me with Don.

I sat down by his bed. He shifted, staring at me, looking like he was trying to speak. "Donnie? What is it?" I asked.

He inched his hand over until his fingers bumped into the sai still hanging from my belt. Damn, I'd forgotten I was wearing it. There was no sense in lying to him. I sighed. "The Foot have him," I said.

His throat was working, straining to make sound. I leaned in closer.

"… go…"

I looked down, shaking my head. Splinter and I decided that it would take the both of us for this mission, but how could we leave Donnie like this? I'd already left him behind once to fight the mantis queen and it had been torture thinking that he might die without me or anyone there. There was no way I was going to do that again. He was safe from danger here sure, but the toxins in his blood were being absorbed into the rest of his body. He could literally expire at any moment.

He was staring at me, begging me silently. He didn't have to speak. He'd already made the same argument to me in the tunnels: what was done was done. There was nothing more we could do for him. Raph on the other hand, needed us. I couldn't do this. I couldn't make this decision.

"...pl …ease… Leo…"

Master Splinter told me that as leader, I would be challenged with making difficult decisions. He also told me that I would have to live with the consequences of those decisions.

I laid a hand down on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Donnie," I told him. "Forgive me."

Less than an hour later Splinter and I were ready. We were fighting the clock, it being just hours from dawn now and we wanted the cover of darkness for this. We packed up what few things we needed and each said our goodbyes to Donnie. It was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do. "Be strong, brother," I said to him. "We will return with Raphael, I swear it."

I put a call to April. I didn't give her too many details, just that we were going after Raph and that it could be dangerous. Then I told her the real reason I was calling. She was understandably upset over Don. I tried to reassure her, but it didn't feel like I was telling her the truth. I also told her not to tell Mikey yet.

I always have a Plan B. Or a Plan C, D – you can never really have too many exit strategies. The worst thing is to be blindsided. Nothing ever goes a hundred percent according to plan and as ninjas, we are taught to adapt. I have devoted no small amount of time to studying the art of war and pride myself on that very thing, to be able to revise tactics on the fly, to be ready for any surprise. If something happened to us on this mission, I wanted someone to know that Donnie was here and needed help. At the very least, I thought Casey could make his way back here. It was not preferable, but of course that's what made it the back-up plan.

I was thinking on this, running scenarios over in my mind, as we ran the rooftops towards the Foot compound. It was an impressive structure, multi-tiered and ornate in a Japanese style which might have looked out of place anywhere but the heart of Chinatown. This was no tourist attraction however, and no one would have guessed that the "rich, eccentric man" who owned the property was head of one of the worst gangs in the city, the deadly Foot Clan. Another trick of the ninja, they were hiding in plain sight.

The property was surrounded by a high stone wall and under video surveillance. Large, black, engraved iron doors made up the only entrance. I watched from my hiding spot as Splinter hobbled to the front gate, leaning heavily on his cane. The guards tensed as he approached.

"Stop where you are," one ordered, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "State your business."

"You have something of mine," Splinter said. "I have come to retrieve it."

The guards looked at each other. One nodded to the other and he moved to open the gate. "Surrender your weapons," he said.

"I have come unarmed, save for my cane." Not content with his word, they set to frisking him. Their search turned up nothing and they began to lead him inside. Now it was my turn. I waited until they were at the building, and then I went to work. I spotted two cameras watching the area around the gate. I was going to have to do this quick and dirty. Literally. I scooped up a handful of mud, wet with recent rainfall, and lobbed it at the first of the cameras. It landed perfectly with a heavy splat, covering the lens. I quickly repeated the action with the other camera, and then sprinted towards the building. They would of course know immediately that someone was coming in behind Splinter, but that didn't matter. I didn't need to be invisible, I just needed to not get caught.

Instead of following Splinter's path, I circled my way around the back of the building to initiate phase two of the plan. Almost immediately, I could hear commotion, men exiting from the front, no doubt checking on the state of the cameras I had blinded. They would be looking for me now. I had to hurry. I silently took out the two Foot soldiers guarding the back entrance and dragged their bodies from view, tossing a shuriken into another camera posted there. I reached into the small satchel at my hip and went to work.

A minute later, I was making my way to the main hall. One by one I took out the guards as quickly I could, as quietly as I could. I made sure to move in odd, haphazard directions, never cutting a clear path from one end to the other. I had to keep them guessing. I could hear them after me, trying to move silently, though it wasn't silent enough for my trained ears. I crept up behind them even as they searched, eliminating them one by one. I utilized every bit of my ninja skill, to the absolute best of my ability. I was never spotted, though I left signs of my presence everywhere I went. I looked for evidence of Raphael on the way, but I was not searching for him yet. I needed to close in on Splinter's position first. I made it to the end of the wide hall, put down another guard, and slipped into the shadows above. There were rafters running throughout the long room, giving access above a series of sliding doors leading in. It was there, above the final set of doors, where I perched unseen in the darkness, listening in.

"I will not leave here without my son," I heard Splinter say.

"Indeed. You will not leave here at all." Shredder laughed beneath his mask. "But you are too late, Yoshi. Your 'son' no longer lives."

My breath caught in my throat. Splinter remained calm. "Then I would ask to see his body," he said.

Shredder laughed again and stood, stepping lightly down the steps from the dais where he'd been seated, approaching Splinter. "You are no fool Yoshi, and so I will not continue the charade longer than need be. Consider that a final gift. I never had any your freakish kin. I did however, hear that you'd lost track of some of your flock, and saw an opportunity."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Never? The Foot never had Raph? Was this another trick? My thoughts were moving at light speed. Why wouldn't the Foot offer to buy him? Shredder could afford it, and he'd surely pay any price. Unless… unless Raph was never for sale in the first place.

Hun. I couldn't believe I'd trusted him. When I got my hands on that bastard…

"Tell me where my son is!"

I snapped back at the sound of my father's voice. "Why would I do that?" Shredder said. "How good it will be, to watch you go to your grave without knowing. Tell me rat, do you believe he still lives? Or perhaps he just wishes for death?" He was enjoying this too much. Watching him taunt Sensei over Raphael was infuriating, and my blood was boiling. "You have made more than one enemy in this city. I have an associate up north I hear paid quite well for some of your brood. I imagine they will be quite the contribution to science."

"My sons are not so easily overcome," Splinter growled. "Enough of this! If you will not tell me where he is, then I will force it from your lips!" With that, Splinter separated the sword from his cane and flew forward. I heard the clang of metal on metal but I was already busy initiating Plan B, which sadly meant only escape for the two of us. Raph wasn't here. I knew Shredder was telling the truth. If he had been, the tin can would have paraded him out here in front of Sensei first thing. But what now? Where was he? Did the Dragons still have him? Did they sell him off to another buyer, or…? My brother was reckless by nature. Impulsive. He didn't like to be caged. He would have seen Mike and Don being hauled off and I know it would have pushed him over the edge. I could see the whole thing play out. Maybe he'd fought back and it had gone badly. Mike and Don knew nothing of him; they were split up almost immediately.

There would be time to think on it later. For now, I had to help Sensei. I clicked the button on the first detonator, just as planned. A huge explosion ripped through the back of the building, stopping everyone below me in their tracks.

Splinter smiled, his sword locked in with the Shredder's gauntlet. "As I said, Saki – my sons are not easily bested. See, as they approach now."

Shredder growled at his men, ordering them to go and meet this "new threat." Most of the elite guard filed out and that was my cue. The second they were gone, I entered the fight.

I dropped down effortlessly behind the closest guard, taking him down with a single strike. Right away the others saw and rushed me, eight of them, all elites. I could have fought them and perhaps come out ahead, but it wasn't worth the risk of trying, not when there was no reason to linger here. I hit the second detonator and another blast, closer this time, shook the building. A beam on that side collapsed and we were showered with dirt and bits of plaster. Surprised, the elites froze in place, ducking down and looking from side to side, as if another blast were to follow. There was, but I waited, readying a handful of smoke grenades instead.

I looked just in time to see Splinter toss a palm strike. It landed with a direct hit to Shredder's chest, stunning him. Shredder fell back a few steps, gasping for breath, unable to block the next blow. With a flying kick Sensei sent him to the ground and that was my in; with a break in the action I threw the smoke bombs and retreated, knowing that Sensei would follow. We ran through the hall, cutting down foes as we went. Just as we exited the front of the building, I hit the final detonator. This one was much closer to where we were and I had to stop a moment to catch my balance, worried for a second that I'd placed the explosive too close to our escape route. A portion of the structure collapsed in on itself, effectively blocking our escape from the elites, though there were still plenty of regular soldiers to contend with. We wasted no time. I threw a few more smoke grenades to mask our escape and we hit the wall, up and over, and into the city beyond.

I knew they would follow us, but I wasn't worried. At the first opportunity, Splinter and I dropped down below, into the damp tunnels that led to our home. Down there, we would have the advantage; this was our turf, our domain. We separated, splitting their forces, leading them down the twists and turns of the sewers. Chased by half a dozen or more, I turned a corner and leaped, landing on a series of tubes I knew ran up high along this main line. They didn't see me. I waited until the last one passed by and jumped him, finishing him off instantly. The others sensed me a moment too late, and I took down another three before they realized what was happening.

I faced the remaining Foot in the dark, eliminating them with ease. These were not as skilled as their elite brethren and it showed. After I finished off the last one, I went to assist Splinter, only to find that he'd already made short work of the rest. We headed for home, but I could not hide my disappointment. I was relieved to know that Raph hadn't been tortured for weeks at the hands of the Foot (no pun intended), but now I was met with new concerns. Where was he? How were we going to find him? If we did find him… what would we find?

Splinter patted me on the shell. "A day when one faces one's enemy and survives is a good day," he said, adding, "A day one faces one's enemy and depletes his forces, a better one." I did put quite a dent in their numbers and I had to admit, knowing how much that would anger the Shredder almost made it all worth it. Still, I couldn't shake this overwhelming sense of unease. Raph was in real trouble, I just knew it.

"Come," Splinter said. "Let us hurry home to your brother."

We returned to Donnie as we left him, still alive thankfully, yet there was no change in his condition. I was exhausted to the point of seeing things, but I couldn't bring myself to leave his side. Sensei demanded that I rest but I respectfully declined. He seemed to understand.

Don slept most of the next day, which I chose to take as a good sign, thinking that his pain must have lessened in order for him to do so. I finally gave in and dozed in one of the cots next to him, allowing Splinter to keep watch. That evening, he was speaking to us again; the next day he was able to take water, and the day after that he could sit up on his own. He was still sick and in a lot of pain, but every day he improved a little more and I was hopeful. Communication with the others gave us even better news. Michelangelo was, aside from a pronounced limp, back to normal and beginning to drive April a little bit crazy with his constant need for attention. Passage was still too congested to try and bring him home (a deep sigh from April there, when I said so) and so we agreed it was best he wait it out at the farmhouse for now.

That only left Raphael. With the younger two on the mend, I turned my full attention to one task only: bringing him home.

I'd followed the car for a few blocks, leaping the rooftops and watching. The unpredictable roads made it much easier to track a vehicle on foot, and when I'd noticed the unmistakable purple colored low-rider in front of one of their dives, I'd waited until its owner left before giving chase.

He pulled up to another expensive-looking property, similar to his last one and no doubt acquisitioned the same way. So that was Hun's new hideout. I didn't wait for him to enter this time. I dropped out of hiding as soon as they exited the vehicle, cutting down the two bodyguards in a single motion, spearing each through his aortic artery. Their bodies hit the pavement before Hun even turned around.

"Aw hell," he said, looking at me, then at the two bodies. "I really gotta stop paying these guys in advance."

"Keep your hands where I can see them."

He smiled, raising his palms to the air. "Yes officer. You gonna frisk me next?"

Cute. I wasn't playing around, though. "You lied to me, Hun. I will ask this only once, and I suggest you be a little more forthcoming with the truth this time, if you value your life. Where is my brother?"

He laughed, but I couldn't tell if it was only because he was enjoying this, or if he knew more than he was letting on. "I told ya, two got shipped up north, the other got sold to the Foot."

My patience in general had been running on empty. When it came to dealing with Hun however, it was buried in the red. "The Foot don't have him and you know it! Now tell me where he is, or I swear to you," I growled, "I will make it my personal mission to eradicate every last one of your gang – starting with their leader."

"Alright freak, pull your panties outta… whatever you got goin' on down there. I'm tellin' ya – all I know is what I been told. I never saw the rest of your freak clan. By the time I caught up with the whole thing, they were long gone. And the guys who did the job… well, let's just say I don't like business being conducted behind my back."

Another dead end. Fantastic. "Why should I believe you?" I said.

"From where I'm standing, you ain't got a choice. Look, Shredder and I might be close business associates, but that don't mean we're best friends. I don't know everything he does. He told me he had one of yours, I had no reason not to believe it." Except that it was another trap, designed to bring the remaining members of my clan to the Foot's front door. Say what you want about the Shredder, he knows when to capitalize on an opportunity. I felt a twang of shame, sorry that I hadn't been able to see through their deception. "I know you probably don't wanna hear it," he went on, "but maybe they didn't exactly hang onto him long, if ya know what I'm sayin'."

"Shredder admitted the truth," I spat. "They never had him in the first place." I raised my swords, getting into a more aggressive position. "Didn't you question your men? What did they tell you?"

He grunted, laughing a little. "Afraid they didn't uh, hold out long enough to say. Hey, I put the word out. I even offered money for information, but whattaya know, no takers." He didn't have to look so happy about it. I wanted to punch the smile off his face.

"You seem to not know very much about what goes on in your little organization," I said. "Which I don't believe, not even a little bit."

"Yeah well, maybe you haven't noticed, but the whole damn place is anarchy. It's sort of affected business. I ain't really been able to keep tabs on everyone since all this started." He gave me another of those smarmy grins. "Maybe you can relate."

I raised one sword to throat-level, to show him how much I appreciated his little joke. "You've been zero help to me, Hun." I was grinding my teeth. "I ought to cut you down just for the aggravation."

He looked down at the two men, lying in puddles at our feet. "Yeah well, the feeling's mutual." He stood a little straighter. "Look, I can't help ya. My boys don't know nothin'. Hell, way Chinga and his crew were talkin', it sounded like they never got a payout for the third guy. Maybe he got away. You ever consider maybe he just don't wanna come home to your little shit-den-house-of-freaks?"

I ignored his attempts to rile me. This was going nowhere and we were at an impasse. I didn't believe him but I couldn't prove he was in on it. Even so, I owed him nothing. "Our deal is off," I said, and disappeared into the shadows.

I could hear his protests behind me as I ran off into the city. I didn't care. I'd held up my end of the bargain for too long, with nothing in return. That time was over and I'd decided: Dragons were officially back on the menu. Since I was back to square one, I figured it time to go back to where I began in the investigation. Someone had to know something and I was going to hunt Dragons until one of them talked. I formed a plan, thinking of places to hit, of people to corner. I went over my conversation with Hun to see if I'd missed anything, picking it apart and fuming a little at his attitude. How dare he screw with me, implying that Raphael was off on his own accord. As if he would abandon us like that. It was ridiculous, Raphael would never do that.

So why was I letting it get to me? Maybe because Raph did walk out on us, often, as a matter of fact. Not like this, though. He'd pull the disappearing act for a few days at most, and even that was rare. He'd never go into a situation like this and stay away on purpose. Would he?

No, of course not. I was tired. I was overstressed and these thoughts were the result of that, nothing more. I went home to rest a few hours, but was denied it once again. The moment I shut my eyes I was again pulled into dreams of crumbling teeth and bleeding gums, my tongue cut to ribbons as I chewed and chewed and chewed at what seemed like a pointless, self-destructive endeavor.

When I woke my jaw was sore from having ground my teeth together. Even with my eyes closed, I knew I would not relax. Not until the last of my brothers was safe.

"Donnie, you're up!"

We were another week in with no sign of Raphael. After hours on the streets, I'd come home to refuel and found him sitting in the kitchen. It was the first time I'd seen him out of bed on his own. I grabbed a bite from the fridge and pulled up the chair next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit by a truck," he said with a weak smile. He raised his right hand, wiggling the fingers. "The numbness is starting to subside. I don't think there will be any permanent damage."

I relaxed a little against my chair. "Good. Don – I have to admit, I didn't think you were going to make it out of this one."

He sipped at his tea. "Yeah well, that makes two of us." A little brighter, he added, "Still, goes to show you the capability and adaptability of the body, especially when it comes to us. This lends credit to my theory that our mutation gives us an increased immunity to these sorts of things, you know."

I smiled. "I'll believe that when you guys quit missing so much practice due to 'mysterious illness.'"

He seemed to think it over for a second, before admitting the truth. "And if I were to suggest that maybe some of those illnesses were less physical and more psychosomatic?"

"I'd say you were wasting your breath because I can always tell when you guys are faking it." I leaned in. "Always."

He chuckled a little, then set his cup on the table and stared at it for a few seconds. His demeanor changed so suddenly, I asked him what was wrong. "Listen Leo," he said. "Thanks. For pulling me out of there."

I nodded, a little embarrassed by his gratitude. "You don't have to thank me. I'm just glad you're okay. Mikey too."

Things got quiet between us there, and I knew he was thinking about Raph just like I was. Breaking the silence, Don said, "Um. Speaking of Mikey, he should be back tomorrow. Master Splinter left a couple of hours ago actually, to go get him."

"What, really?"

"Yeah," he said. "I told Sensei to go. I'm fine, I don't need you guys to babysit anymore."

"What about the bugs? It's still infested up there." The northern blockade was still in effect, too. It had only been a week since Don and I destroyed the hive and there were still plenty of leftovers to contend with. "That seems like a big risk to take, just because Mikey's homesick."

He shrugged. "It's not just that. Sensei hasn't seen him since… you know, before everything." Right. I hadn't thought of that. It was so difficult to travel between the north and south, and with Raph missing Splinter had been here for days, alone, looking for him. "Sensei knows what he's doing," Don said.

He asked me about the search after that. I told him everything I knew, which didn't amount to much. I'd been pulling the stuffing out of every Dragon I could find, so much so that they didn't even attempt to fight me anymore. The second any of them saw me coming they turned tail, and frankly I was getting tired of having to chase them down. I told Donnie about my last meeting with Hun, how I didn't believe him and how Hun had insinuated that Raph was never sold off in the first place. When I was finished, I asked Don for his thoughts.

"Well, I think you're right not to trust in anything Hun says."

"What about him not being sold?" I said, not really sure where I was going with this. "Do you think there's any truth to it?"

He studied me for a few seconds before answering. "Hun said they didn't get paid. That could mean anything." He dropped his tone a notch. "What are you trying to say, Leo?"

I wasn't sure. "What if he escaped?"

He again paused, looking at me strangely for a few seconds. He answered slowly, as if he were explaining this to a child. "Then he would have come home."

He would if he'd been able to. I kept running it over in my head: Raphael did not like to be caged. He would have fought them the hardest. He would have tried everything to escape. Something about this didn't sit right. Maybe he tried and didn't make it. Thoughts of him injured, trying to make it home through bug-infested tunnels plagued my mind. How many weeks and months would we search before giving up? Would we ever give up? Or would we start looking for his body instead?

"Yeah. Of course." I shook my head, trying to clear it. "Sorry. I just keep thinking there's more to it. I don't know how to explain it. I can't shake the idea that maybe he doesn't want to come home for some reason."

"Leo, that doesn't make any sense." He looked at me, worried. "When we were still together, he was fighting them, yelling at them, hurling insults… you know, being Raph. All he did was try to find a way to get us all out of there."

Exactly. He fought them, trying to escape. Yet no one knew where he was now. Maybe I was just losing hope of finding him alive. I didn't want to continue this line of thinking with Don though, he'd been through enough. I sighed. "I know. You're right." I stood to leave.

"Wait up a second. I think I can help."

Was he joking? "Don, you can barely move."

"Hey," he said, "physical capability is hardly my only asset to this team. Just because I can't join you topside, doesn't mean I'm totally useless." He had something brewing, I could tell. "Do you still have the pre-paid phone you used to contact Hun with?" I nodded, unsure why he was asking. "Give it here. I'm guessing Hun was stupid enough to give you his personal number." He started scrolling through it. "Dumb thugs don't even understand the technology they're carrying around," he muttered. "I'm going to try and trace this number back and hack into the microphone. Once it's on I can listen in on any ambient conversation. These mobiles today have made planting audio bugs by hand pretty much obsolete."

I was surprised myself. "You can really do that?"

"Of course," he said, like it was ridiculous for me to even ask. "It'll take me a little while to set up, but it should work. I'll call if I hear anything."

I told him that was great. Even to this day, Don's technological prowess never ceases to amaze me. "Don't overdo it though, okay?" I warned him. "The sooner you're back on your feet, the better." I didn't say 'because I need the help out there,' but I was definitely thinking it. I didn't know what to think about Raph, but I was sure we weren't going to get to the truth without a fight. I also knew that was another reason Sensei had gone off to get Mikey. If he was healed enough to make it home, then hopefully he'd be ready to join us in the search soon.

I found myself regretting past arguments, thinking back to petty things we'd gone after each other about. Of course it all seemed pointless now, in hindsight. It wasn't all regrets, however. I thought about good times, too. Training, sparring, watching movies together. Chasing after the Foot, tag-teaming the new recruits and picking them off like plucking soft grapes from a vine. Raph had always loved going after the rookies; they were so easy to scare. I thought about the past few months, watching as the city was attacked. The expression he made when he learned the city was being overrun by giant, mutated insects. I smiled a little at the memory. "Anything else," he'd said. "Anything! Giant robots! Aliens with seven heads! An army of the undead! Why? Why did it have to be bugs?"

Of course Mikey couldn't resist capitalizing on the situation. Raph was finding severed legs in his bed, husks perched on the toilet and antenna in the refrigerator, among any other insect parts Mike could smuggle into the lair without him noticing. I stayed out of it for the most part. Mike by far got the worst of it, not that it slowed him down any. I did have a talk with Raph though. He had to leave Mikey intact enough for him to join us in battle, after all.

It took two days for Mike and Master Splinter to return. We kept in contact all along the way and I wasn't worried. Apparently Mike was still moving pretty slow, and so they were taking a longer route to avoid as much of the conflict as they could. Since Don was grounded, he divided his time between listening in on Hun and keeping an eye on the news, which was finally beginning to report a decline in alien attacks. If there was one beacon in all of this, it was that our infiltration of the insect hive seemed to be successful.

I came back home after a call from Don to find my little brother there, looking much better than the last time I saw him.

"I'd ask if you missed me, but c'mon – we all know the answer to that." Mike grabbed me in a bear hug so tight, I couldn't breathe. I laughed, trying to shove him off. "Dude, Donnie's been telling me all about how you guys busted up the hive. He's messin' with me, though. You guys did not really fight zombies?"

"Yep, you missed out on all the fun," I said.

He whistled. "I dunno. Kinda glad I sat this one out. I get nightmares from the movies, you know?"

We sat for a little bit, catching up. I tried to stay upbeat when the conversation turned to Raphael, but it was difficult. I knew I was losing hope with every passing day; I just didn't want that to infect the others.

Mike was still out of commission as far as fighting was concerned, so I told him to help Don out where he could. That was a double-edged sword, because on one hand Don was happy to trade off the duty of wiretapping the Dragon's conversations (a job he was continuously disgusted by, and said so frequently). On the other hand, it meant he'd be cooped up with Mikey for days on end. I learned a long time ago that it was good to have a group around my more hyperactive brother to bounce him off of. As much as I loved the guy, he was pretty needy in the attention department.

After a brief nap late one afternoon, I woke to Don shaking me.

"Got something," he said, beckoning me to follow him into the lab. He sat at the computer. "They didn't mention Raph by name, but check out these transcripts. Look what it says right here." He pointed to the screen. I read the small piece of dialogue there. It looked like a conversation between three people, one of them Hun, the other two Don said were bodyguards. They were asking for the night off to go to somewhere, to some event it seemed like.

Guard 1: You got Rico and Alexis downstairs. They can cover, right?

Guard 2: Yeah man. I haven't been down yet. Cap said last week they were picking the dude's brains out of the cage. Fucking crazy. What's the payout up to?

Hun: Ten grand. Easy money, boys.

Guard 1: Aw hell no. I ain't trying to get killed, now. I heard the odds are at like, a hundred to one or something.

Hun: (laughter) What can I say, the freak can fight.

Freak. That was their favorite word for us. My heart skipped a beat. He had to be talking about Raph, there was no other explanation.

"I didn't get a specific address," Don said, "but I've narrowed it down to the Village. Whatever's going on over there is going down tonight, and it sounds big. I suggest patrolling the area and watching for Dragon activity. It sounds like it's going to draw a crowd."

We talked for a while, tossing around ideas. In the end I decided that beating it out of the Dragons hadn't been working, and so I was going to try a different approach. I started preparing right away.

I met with Splinter in the dojo and filled him in. I had decided to go solo. It would be easier to stay under their radar that way and Don would be monitoring my progress through a two-way earpiece. In the event that things went south, they would know immediately.

I fixed the scarf to my face. "I will not return without him Sensei. You have my word."

"Be careful my son, and good luck."

We bowed solemnly to one another and I left. On the way out, Mike and Don were both waiting for me by the door.

"Take these," Don said, handing me another small pack of goodies he'd put together for me. "And be careful with them." I nodded and stowed them under my sweatshirt.

As I said my goodbyes, I made sure to sound confident. I was anything but. As hopeful as I was that this was it, that I was about to find my lost brother, the bad feeling I'd been harboring since the disaster at Foot HQ was only increasing. There was no explanation for it, but I could not shake my unease. Either way, I'd sworn a promise to my family and I would not let them down. No matter what was waiting for me in the Dragon's den, I was determined to make good on that promise.

A small drizzle earlier in the night was now pouring rain; not uncommon for this time of year. I didn't mind. It only worked to my advantage, making it a good night to wear heavier clothing.

I pulled my hood over a little farther. I was crouched on the lip of a rooftop next door, three stories up and watching the basement entrance to some sort of club, it seemed. Every time the door opened I could hear heavy, rock music. I watched dozens enter, almost every one of them sporting emblems or tattoos of the Purple Dragon Gang. There was a single bouncer at the door; he was bald, mustached, and fat. Piece of cake. I leaped to the other building and peered over the edge, now directly above the door and its doorman. I heard cheers erupting from inside. I had a feeling that whatever was happening, the show was about to begin.

When there was a break in guests, I started scaling the wall down. When I was close enough, I tossed my distraction – one of Don's noisemakers, a small, non-lethal (and luckily waterproof), explosive – behind the guard a few feet. As soon as he turned, I dropped down silently and slipped in through the door. The easy part was over. Now to blend in. I was covered well, from head to toe. Around my face I wore a purple paisley bandanna, which I hoped looked natural enough, as I'd seen some of their gang wear them on occasion. Inside, the place was packed. I stayed close to the wall and circled around, trying to take in my surroundings. The lighting was dim, another thing in my favor, but it did little to ease my edginess. I was literally surrounded by enemies here, and if anyone caught wind of who I was, I was done for. Going incognito also meant no swords. Of course I could fight without them, but not effectively enough to take down large groups of people. I had to stay invisible on this one.

The room I was in was a basement space, very large with two bars and a stage on one side. The stage, which looked like it hadn't been used in some time, wasn't where the crowd's attention was. Instead, everyone's eyes were on the center of the room, where a large, octagonal steel cage sat. Oddly, one side of it connected to a door in the far wall through a long, caged hallway, cut off from the rest of the space as if whatever was behind that door must be some kind of wild animal. As I took in the details – the padlocks, the strange hallway, the fact that the cage was covered on all sides, including the top – the awful realization began to set in. I watched as money exchanged hands. I heard bets being placed on the "champ," and men laughing about it. So this is why Hun didn't sell him. I couldn't believe how angry I was. I had to stay cool though. And I needed to formulate a plan.

A cheer from the crowd brought my attention back to my surroundings. There was a short, older man at the octagon, unlocking one of the padlocks barring entry. A large, shirtless Asian man covered in scars and Dragon gang tattoos stepped through the crowd and entered, amongst more cheering. The old man immediately shut the gate and replaced the padlock. The fighter inside, easily over two hundred pounds of lean muscle, strutted around for a few moments, his eyes fixed on the door at the far end.

The old man next went towards the end of the caged hallway. He undid another set of padlocks there, grabbed the side of the metal, and slid the whole thing over like a boxcar door. I shifted position, trying to get a look, but the room inside was too dark to see into. A minute or so went by. The crowd was a frenzy of yelling and catcalling, insults and foul language.

I held my breath, not knowing what to expect. Would Raph be okay? I couldn't imagine him doing this, fighting for their amusement, made to dance for them. His pride would never allow this; he was so stubborn he'd refuse at the cost of his own life. Something still didn't seem right. The noise from the crowd intensified. Finally, he emerged. After weeks of searching, worrying, sure I would never see him again – there was my brother Raphael, and looking pretty good, all things considered. That was somewhat of a relief, after what I'd been through with both Mike and Don. If I could just figure out a way of getting him out of here, we could be home before sunrise.

He walked through the hallway at an easy pace, ignoring them, head high, face expressionless. They screamed at him, spit on him and threw drinks through the cage, yet amazingly Raph didn't react. I could feel my own blood getting hot, my adrenaline surging with contempt at these lowlifes, for treating him in such a way. How the hell was Raph keeping his cool?

He continued to the octagon and stopped, waiting. A bell rang, and the show began.

I tried to give Don a rundown on what was going on, whispering into the small mouthpiece beneath my bandanna, but it was difficult to relay anything through the noise of the crowd. He put it together easy enough. We'd already speculated on what was happening based on the conversation between Hun and his men. I couldn't see any way of getting to Raph in this situation though. At best, all I could think to do was return here after the event was over and try to break him out. In the meantime, I held my position and watched.

Right away, Raphael went on the defensive and stayed there. Strange, because I didn't see anything special about the guy he was fighting. It almost seemed like he was trying not to fight him, which I guess shouldn't have surprised me. Of course he wouldn't jump through their hoops. Or so I thought. I was about to find out how very wrong that was.

After several minutes, the Dragon finally landed a right hook, stunning Raph just enough to get him against the cage. The man, easily a foot and a half taller and much heavier, threw his weight into my brother and crushed him into the side of the octagon, the makeshift fence bowing outwards with the pressure from his shell. They struggled there, Raph pulling at the arm across his neck, trying to free his windpipe from the man's hold. That's when everything changed. A terrible, furious scream erupted from Raphael, unlike anything I'd ever heard come from him before. He tore the man's hands from him and launched himself forward, knocking the Dragon off his feet. They fell to the floor and I couldn't see what was happening through the crowd. All I could hear was Raphael, screaming like a beast over the crazed roar of the men surrounding me, cheering as the fight raged on. Something was terribly wrong. I had to get to him.

I pushed my way through until I was close enough to see. What I saw there didn't make sense.

Raphael was straddled over the top of the man, pummeling him without mercy, his fists dripping with blood. He was yelling and spitting like an animal. The man on the ground was not moving.

I felt the gun barrel press into the nape of my neck a second before I heard the click. Its owner leaned in and spoke into my ear. "Whattaya think? We trained him pretty good, huh?" I whipped around to face him, a lean, scarred man with long, greasy looking hair. Every eye was on us, and several more guns were already out and pointed at me. I was caught.

"Hun said to keep an eye out. Said one of you guys would figure it out sooner or later." I sensed movement behind me and dodged in time to evade the first hit. The second connected with the back of my head. My fists shot up on instinct and I turned, trying fiercely to defend. Dazed, I managed to block the next attack – this one from a wooden bat – with my forearm, which luckily didn't shatter the bone but did knock me off balance. I blocked two more punches from different angles but a third connected, again striking me in the head near my temple. It blurred my vision. I tried instead to use my other senses, but the blows to the head were interfering with my ability. I dropped low, sweeping my leg, trying to get at least one of them off their feet. It didn't work. I was tackled from behind, flattened to the floor by several bodies. I wrapped my arms around my head and neck in desperation but it was too late. Outnumbered and pinned to the ground, blows rained down on me until it was lights out.

I drifted in and out, barely aware that they were stripping me of my gear. I caught just small bits of conversation, unsure if I was imagining it or not.

"Where we taking him?"

"Hun said toss 'em in with the other. Probably won't last the night in there."

I heard laughter. I saw a door slide open and I was thrown to the floor inside. Before blacking out again, I just had time to wonder: were they putting me in with Raph? What did he mean, 'I wouldn't last?' Sometime later, I started to come around for good. My first thought was that I was in a small, grey room, imprisoned. My second thought: I wasn't alone.

I blinked a few times, trying to focus on him. Right away I realized how wrong I was before. He didn't look fine at all. Physically, not so bad; he was covered in small, taped up cuts and bruises, what you'd expect from someone fighting on a regular basis and not really so much different from any other day in our lives. No, it was in his look. He didn't look right; and as I lay there, trying to get my bearings, it started sinking in. He'd been here for weeks, made to fight, not knowing what happened to any of the rest of us. Raphael had never been the most stable of people and I could not begin to imagine the toll this had all taken on his psyche.

He was sitting on the opposite side of the tiny room, watching me. I sat up slowly, my head pounding. I opened my mouth but suddenly couldn't find words. What was wrong with him? What had they done to him?

After a few tense seconds of looking each other over, the cloud over him seemed to lift. He gave me a familiar smirk. "'Bout time," he said.

And just like that, he seemed like his old self again. "Raph!" Grinning, I scrambled forward on my knees and we hugged. "Can't believe it's really you."

"You find Mikey and Don?" he asked.

"Yeah! They're home, they're safe."

He relaxed and laughed. "Saved the best for last, eh?"

"You know it." I laughed too. I felt giddy with relief. Maybe I was wrong. He'd be okay once we were out of here and home. This whole thing had been rough for all of us. After a few seconds the shock of finding him began to wear off and I changed gears. "Raph, listen. I'm sorry… about all this." I looked around the cell with its two entrances, one leading to wherever they'd dragged me in from, the other to the "arena," where they'd forced Raph to enter the ring. When I'd looked at it from the other side, it reminded me of the doors that open into the matador's ring; the ones that release the bull. "I never stopped looking for you," I told him. "We just didn't know where they'd taken you-"

"Leo," he said, stopping me, "I know. You don't gotta explain." He reached out again and threw an arm around my shoulders, squeezing tight. "It's really good to see ya, brother."

"Likewise." I had to swallow hard, fighting it back. All these weeks I thought the worst, but here he was, a little worse for wear, but still alive. He asked again about the others and so we sat and I recounted the whole story. I told him about Mike's escape, Don's bait-and-switch getting in Bishop's lab and our subsequent infiltration of the insect hive. I related how we almost lost Mike and Don, and how I hadn't slept a wink in weeks. I told him all about my dealings with Hun, the wild goose chase at Foot HQ and how I'd almost given up hope of ever seeing him again. He couldn't believe the truth about the "aliens." I told him that things were already changing for the better on the outside, that their numbers were dwindling by the day and it was only a matter of time before things went back to normal.

I didn't hold anything back. I hadn't actually talked about the whole experience with anyone, and in a way, it felt good to share it. When I finished, he just grunted and smiled. "So ya found us all one by one and stopped the whole invasion. Great. 'S'not enough I gotta wait for ya to come to the rescue, but you also gotta save the world on the side."

I laughed. "Hey. We can't all be this good." I rubbed at the back of my head, where a good sized knot had formed. "Of course," I added, "it wasn't exactly my plan to get locked up in here." He looked distressed all of the sudden. Thinking he must have been eager to get out of there, I tried to reassure him. "Hey, don't sweat it. I had Donnie in my ear, he heard everything. He and Mike are still in recovery, but I'm sure Don's planning something." I told him Sensei was there too. I didn't think it would be long before they attempted to break us out. "We'll be home before you know it," I said.

He stared at me for a long second, before dropping his eyes to the floor. Then he said: "I can't."

I blinked a few times, thinking that I must have been hit harder than I thought. "You can't what?"

"I can't go home." He recited the words like he'd practiced them. "It's good to see ya, and I'm really glad Don and Mikey are okay… but when they come, I'm not goin' with ya."

I knew it. I knew something was wrong, I could feel it. "Raph, what the hell are you talking about?"

He began to explain. When the Dragons had first brought him here, naturally he refused to fight for them. He stood in the ring during his first match and used evasive maneuvers only, until the other guy ran out of steam. A simple choke hold after that and the guy went down, easy as pie. Raph said it wasn't much of a contest. Still, Hun must not have been happy about it. Boring fights didn't bring in crowds, after all.

Raph wouldn't look at me while he told me the rest. He said that they gave him an injection. He didn't know what it was, and at first he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Then, a few days later, he said he "lost it." He blacked out completely, and when he came to, his opponent looked like he'd gone through a meat grinder. He said after that it happened every time. He couldn't control it – whenever his adrenaline spiked, he'd go berserk until the other guy was on the ground. Then he'd rage out on the body. And when there was nothing left to pummel, he'd attack the sides of the cage.

"They told me it's a parasite," he said. "They got it in trade from the deal with Bishop, when they gave him Mikey and Don. It does somethin' to the brain, takes over, whenever it feels threatened."

"You're infected," I said, barely above a whisper. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I thought back to those things Don and I had fought at the hive facility. It couldn't be the same type of parasite. Hadn't Don said there were a bunch of known species? Something else came back to me then, something he'd said in there: "The very definition of a parasite means that the host is slowly destroyed in the process."

No. I wasn't going to accept this. "Well – then we'll find a way to get it out of you!" I said. "Donnie will figure something out."

He shook his head. "Donnie don't know everything. 'Sides, it's too dangerous. Like I said, I don't got any control over it. I blacked out a couple times in here, just thinking about stuff too hard. Just you bein' in here is makin' me nervous." He looked it. He was picking at the wraps on his knuckles, stained with blood and grime. "I been feelin' on edge since I saw ya in here. Have to try and not get too uh, emotional, I guess." He laughed a little, embarrassed.

"Okay, so… we'll take you home and we'll all be really nice to you." He gave me a dirty look. I tried to level with him. "Raph, listen. I've been through hell to find you. I swore to Sensei, to the others, that I would bring you home. This isn't up for debate. You're coming back with me, end of story."

"No. I'm not."

No? Okay, now I was getting angry. "Excuse me? You think you're so good we can't protect ourselves against you? I know you've been winning a lot of fights in here Raph, but you can't possibly think that our skills compare to a bunch of street punks. "

"I know what you're doin' and it ain't gonna work," he said matter-of-factly. "This thing in me, Leo… it doesn't just make me check out, it makes me stronger. Makes it so I don't feel tired, I don't feel pain. I've seen the aftermath of what I've done, it ain't natural." He was sitting cross-legged, his breaths coming evenly. A sub-meditative state. He was trying to stay calm. "You said it yourself, the other two ain't exactly at peak condition. Whattaya gonna do if I go after one of 'em? I won't stop until one of us is dead."

The way he looked in the cage… I knew he had a point, and I was apprehensive about bringing him back to the lair, in all honesty. But there was no way I was going to leave him here. I couldn't believe this. How far had I come, how much had I been through to reunite my family, to piece my clan back together – and here was the last piece, right in front of me. All I had to do was bring Raph home. All the weeks spent searching, trying to figure out what happened to him, and could you believe it? The stubborn bull wouldn't leave. I was not going to stand for this. I decided right then. I was leaving this place and I was taking Raphael with me, even if I had to break his legs and drag him out myself.

I tried another approach. "You can fight this. You just have remember your training. You can force yourself to stay balanced, no matter the situation. Take it down to the basic functions – breathing, heart, mind. You are the one in control, not that thing in you."

"You oughta write self-help books."

"Raph."

"You're askin' me to stay calm. Me."

"Raph, this isn't a joke-"

"I'm not jokin'!" His eyes widened suddenly. He placed a hand against the wall and swayed a little, his breaths coming hitched. I stared at him, unbelieving. Was it really that bad? After a few seconds he got himself under control and repeated it. "I'm not jokin'. Leo, please." He closed his eyes, still struggling to maintain. "You gotta trust me on this one."

"Then we'll just get you out of here! We can put you up somewhere outside the lair. We'll figure something out from there." I was pleading with him now. He had to be overreacting. I didn't believe for a second that he was as dangerous as he was making out. There was no way he'd attack his own family. Right?

"No," he repeated. "I'll hurt someone else. Leo, listen to me. I'm messed up. I need to be locked up." He reached up, pulling at the tails of his mask. "I had a lotta time to think on it. I knew you guys would come eventually. You know there's no way we're gettin' outta here without a fight. The second that happens… nobody around me is safe. You're gonna have to get the others and just run. Let the Dragons deal with it."

This was getting more ridiculous by the minute. "You're out of your mind if you think we're going to do that." Exasperated, I paused my argument there, dropping my eyes to his hands. They looked bad, swollen. I slid up closer and grabbed his right, turning it over and inspecting it. I started pulling off the wraps without asking.

"I need those," he said, but didn't stop me.

"You don't need them anymore." I finished removing the filthy thing and dropped it to the floor. "Can you even move the fingers?" I wouldn't have guessed he could, with how bruised and damaged it looked.

"Yeah. Like I said, I don't feel pain when I'm hittin' 'em." I pulled on one of his fingers, moving it. "Ah!" he shouted, giving me an evil look. "I can feel pain now!"

"Sorry." I started unraveling the other wrap and tried again, a little more subdued now. "You told me once it's like chewing on glass. Like it was a futile effort. I always pushed you to try harder, to do better. I've always thought it was because you just accept this about yourself, and that maybe you didn't care enough to try and get control. But now I think I see. It's not acceptance… it's doubt.

"'A mind clouded in doubt imposes false limitations.' Do you remember Splinter's lesson? I wish I had. I have never doubted myself more than I have in these past few weeks. I always thought that I would find strength in the face of any adversity, any challenge, any tragedy. I know you guys don't like doing the 'fallen brother' exercise, but I take it very seriously. I thought it would prepare me better for times like this."

We were trained to imagine a brother or brothers fallen in battle and to meditate on it. It was a common training technique for soldiers, yet so much more intense in our particular situation. The others I don't think ever focused as hard as I did (and Mikey straight up refused to do it at all) but I needed to. My role was to look out for the entire team, and it wouldn't do to lose composure over one when there were two more that could be in trouble.

"I wasn't prepared. I couldn't plan attacks without Donnie, I couldn't get information out of the street punks without you… I lost hope without Mikey around. I made a lot of mistakes. But you know what? Mike and Don pulled through. We stopped the invasion. I found you. And do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because I never gave up. I kept chewing until my mouth was scar tissue. I kept forcing each jagged piece down. And I would have kept doing it even if it killed me. Because I never accepted the alternative, Raph. I didn't stay put in some damn cell. I fought until the end, because you guys were counting on me." I zeroed in on him. "And now we're counting on you, to make the team whole again."

He stared at me for a few seconds. I could see the gears turning. Finally he said, "You really think Donnie might be able to get this thing outta me?"

I smiled. "He single-handedly figured out how to take down a government-perpetrated biogenetic war disguised as an alien invasion. What do you think?"

He gave me a serious look. "You wanna know what I think?"

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. "What?"

"I think you need to keep a closer eye on him. I heard him on the phone trying to buy some uranium… plutonium… somethin'. Either he's buildin' a time machine or an atom bomb – either way, I don't wanna be a hundred miles from it." He smiled.

I clapped him on the arm and laughed. "You don't even want to know the things I discovered poking around inside his lab."

As if he could somehow hear us (and really I wouldn't have been surprised if he could) a loud bang sounded from somewhere close by. We heard voices and men running a few seconds later, followed by gunfire.

"What do you know," I said. "I think that's our mad scientist now." Raph didn't look good, so I went into action. "Okay, here's what we'll do. Turn your mask around and blind yourself." He did. "Concentrate. Meditate. We will protect you – I'll help lead you out. Block everything. No matter what you hear, just focus inwards."

He nodded, breathing deep. Good. I didn't know if this was going to work but worst case scenario, I felt confident we'd at least escape the Dragons. This little setup of theirs was no match for all of us and I could already hear Donnie going crazy with the firecrackers out there (which actually made me realize he probably gave a few to Mikey... which in turn got me worried all over again). Even if Raph lost control, despite what he said, I was sure between all of us we could subdue him.

I listened at one door and then the other, trying to figure out what was happening. There was commotion on both sides though I picked up a lot more from the cage area. Every few minutes I would hear another explosion coming from outside. I waited, anxious, wondering if Don and Mike were healed enough to be pulling this off.

There were gunshots at the back door, the one opposite the cage area and leading to where I assumed was the back of the club. I didn't know for sure, since I'd been mostly unconscious when they dragged me in. There was a slot at the bottom of it, where they must have slid in food and water. The slot opened suddenly and to my relief, the hand on it was green.

"Leo? Raph?"

"Donnie! Yeah, it's us, we're both here!"

"Okay, hang on. I'm going to get this door open." I heard metal parts moving, followed by a click. The door swung open and he waved us out. "C'mon, we have to move." He paused, looking at Raph a second. "What's the matter with him?"

"I'll explain later," I said. I grabbed Raph by the wrist and pulled him out with me. "He can't fight though, we've got to cover him."

He nodded, saving the questions for now. We hurried down through the dark hallway and towards the back exit, stepping over a couple of Dragons on the way. I had to hand it to them, the coast looked clear. I could still hear bombs going off outside, and could only assume that the others (Splinter, I hoped) were out there creating the distraction for us.

Don pushed the back door open a crack, peering out. Suddenly, the sidewalk at his feet blew to pieces. He fell back inside, smashing into me. He picked himself up in a huff, threw the door open wide and stood there with his palms up, looking skyward. A second later I heard Mikey's voice, distant. "Sorry."

"You gave explosives to Mikey?"

"Look we're a little short on help," he said, checking the alley behind. "It was that or put him in my place, so forgive me for not sending the guy on crutches to the rescue." He rolled his eyes.

"What about Sensei?"

"He's with Mike. Mikey's tossing frags as a distraction, Sensei's picking them off as they exit, and I snuck in virtually unnoticed. Which was good," he added, breathing heavily, "because I only had to take down a few. I'm about spent."

"Hm. Good plan," I said.

He grinned at me. "Thanks. I thought so."

Outside, Don went to the nearest fire escape and tensed, readying his jump. "Wait." I said.

He looked around nervously. "Leo we really should get moving. The place is still full of them." To prove his point, another grenade went off to the right of us, followed by shouts.

I looked at Raph. I didn't want to break him out of his trance until we were away from the action. "The rooftops are not an option. I need to get Raph underground. We'll head that direction," I said, nodding towards the east. "Get the others and meet up with us."

Don didn't seem happy about it, but he didn't protest either. He made his leap and kept going, climbing up the building, though a little slower than normal. I pulled Raph ahead, pausing by the corner to check our surroundings. I could hear cars in that direction and it seemed like they were getting closer. I saw the first of their headlights and ducked back into the alley. I headed in the other direction, hoping it would be better on that end. It wasn't. There were a bunch of Dragons exiting a van there. We were trapped. I looked back at the door to the club. I really didn't want to go back inside, but I was running out of options. I started pulling Raph in that direction.

"Don't worry dudes, the cavalry has arrived!"

I turned around and there were my brothers, Mike and Don, grinning at us. "Good thing we kept an eye on you guys," Don said. "Come on, I think this way will be easier." We followed Don to the side of the alley where I'd seen the van. "Mikey?" Don said. "You're on deck."

Mike ran up, still favoring his leg, but I was impressed with how he was maintaining. He started giggling. "Get ready for Mikey's patented three-grenade fastball. This one's gonna be a sinker guys. Seriously I dunno why you guys never let me handle the 'nades before, I'm like a natural and-"

"Mikey just throw it!" Don said.

He pulled three pins at once, lobbed them around the corner and just had time to say, "Oops, I think that one went a little wide…"

There was a massive explosion as what I assumed used to be the Dragons' van blew sky high. We ducked against the wall as car parts went flying by. There was no time to waste now, every Dragon in a fifty mile radius would be on us in a heartbeat. I spared a look at Raph, hoping the noise wouldn't break him out of his state. He didn't look too good. I could see his breathing was getting more erratic.

"Dude what's up with Raph?" Suddenly Mikey was there. He slapped Raph on the chest. "Raph! What's goin' on man? Are you blind? Why you wearing your mask like that?"

"Mikey!" I snapped at him. "Don't! Don't mess with Raph right now." He must've sensed that something was seriously wrong, because he complied, looking like a dog with its tail between his legs. I felt bad, but there wasn't time to explain. They were on us. "Come on!" I yelled, dragging Raphael with me.

We hoofed out of the alley and down the street, opposite the flaming van, just as gunshots started to ring out, bullets ricocheting off the walls next to us. Don urged Mike to empty the grenade pack behind us and he did, tossing them to clear our escape. I managed a quick look back and saw arrows flying as well, picking Dragons off one by one from above. We ran as fast as we could until we'd put some distance between ourselves and the club. Don found an abandoned shop and ushered us in.

Inside, we crouched and waited. I could still hear men on the streets but it was distant. Occasionally a car would drive by, but we were well hidden and I didn't think we were seen coming in. We were safe. A few minutes later I heard a noise behind me. Startled, I turned to see my father standing there. I smiled when I saw him. No matter how good a ninja I thought I was, I didn't think I'd ever be able to pick up on Splinter when he was in full stealth mode.

I looked around at them. Mikey, his adrenaline wearing off, was holding his leg and wincing at the pain. He was leaning against Don, who was having trouble sitting upright without swaying from the exhaustion. Raph… still gone. I reached up and eased his mask off. "Raph?" I said, looking at his pupils. "It's okay now. You can come back down." His eyes seemed to focus. He crossed his legs immediately and placed his hands on his knees, the same position he'd held when I was locked in the room with him. "You okay?" I asked him.

He took a few even breaths. "Yeah. Yeah, I think so."

The others were watching us like we were people they'd never seen before. I started to explain. I told them everything, starting with when I entered the Dragon's club until they'd shown up to rescue us, only skimming the part where I'd actually seen Raph lose his mind. I didn't want to describe it in detail, and especially not with him sitting right there. When I was finished, Don said he would start going through the files he had from Bishop's lab. At Raphael's request, we were going to take him to April's place for now. I told the others I would escort him there myself and we'd take it from there.

Mikey was staring, wide-eyed and curious, like he was looking at some exotic animal at the zoo. "Sooo… are you gonna Hulk out if I give you a hug?" he asked Raph.

Raph sighed. He raised his hands and motioned him forward. "No. Bring it in."

Mike leaped up in obvious pain, but rushed Raphael nonetheless. I put an arm out to slow him down. "Gently!" I said.

Mike squeezed him. "Dude, I almost died! It was gnarly."

"I heard. Glad you pulled through, little brother."

"Me too. Donnie ate it, too. But his wasn't so bad." He looked at Don, a huge grin plastered all over his face. "It was like, what? A little scratch compared to mine. I mean really, it's amazing I came out for this one. I should probably take it easy for a while right? I'm thinking a few months, minimum." Now he was looking at me with the same grin. I wasn't buying it. "Anyways. Are you really all psycho now? Like more than normal? How can you tell the difference?"

"Michelangelo," Splinter warned him, beating me to the punch.

"Oh right. I'm not supposed to mess with ya. Maaaan… this is seriously gonna be the hardest thing I've ever had to do." He looked it, too. "Donnie! Hurry up and cure him already, jeez!"

"Oh sure," Don muttered. "No pressure. Like it's that simple to remove a parasitic organism embedded deep within the brain." I gave him a look of death. "I mean, of course it is! Heh. I've got all the docs on what they did, it will be a piece of cake."

For all their skills and talents, I'd swear sometimes I was leading around a bunch of children instead of fearsome ninjas. Nevertheless, and despite my concern over Raphael, it felt good to be here, now. For this brief moment, hiding in a gutted out bodega on the west bank, we were together at last. All of us, Sensei too, for the first time in far too long. I finally felt like we were complete.

It wouldn't last.