Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Warning: Undetailed violence.

Summary: The Madness of the Symbol has struck again, affecting one turtle in such a way that he is trapped and cut off from everyone and everything he loves. How do you cope when no one even knows you are lost? NOT a death fic! Thoughts, comments and concrit welcomed.

Creepy but gorgeous cover created by the awesome Sampsonknight over on Deviant Art.

– Snatched –

Ch 6

After his harrowing ordeal of being trapped alone in the dark all night, Mikey was irritable and sullen. However his mood lifted quickly once news about the dart that hit Donnie came through after training the next day. Thankfully it turned out to have been coated only in a simple sedative and Mikey whooped loudly in excitement and happiness for hours, simply laughing when Doppelmike complained bitterly of the headache Mikey unintentionally gave him.

The next few days passed with Mikey becoming snippier at Doppelmike's continuing treatment of him. In fact as a result, the only times Mikey didn't deliberately annoy Doppelmike were during training or when Splinter was addressing the body snatcher and the effort of that took an unbelievable amount of effort on Mikey's part. However he did spend as much time as he could practising at manifesting a form within his featureless environment and within the few days, he didn't even need to try any more. Actually it reached the point where it took Mikey far more effort to hide his new ability than to use it so he stopped bothering to try, no longer caring if Doppelmike somehow discovered him.

On the fourth day of the bet however, Mikey did everything in his power to annoy and distract Doppelmike during training, even resorting to repeatedly poking at the body snatcher from within with a no longer ghostly finger until Doppelmike finally cracked, winning Donnie the bet and freedom from chores for an entire month.

'I thought you were trying to help me with the damned bet, Mikey!' Doppelmike snarled once training was finally over. 'You even encouraged me to say a week!'

Mikey snickered, Well, I'd love to say that that was before you tried to abandon Donnie the other night and then shut me away in the darkness again but~ he said in a singsong voice, it was actually my plan all along, dude.

'Why?'

I'm bored! Mikey pointed out. And thanks to you I haven't been able to prank anyone in weeks so you just became my new victim, he added with a laugh.

Doppelmike stomped away to do his share of Donatello's chores for the day; Leo and Raph had stuck him with the bathroom, a horrendous task that required doing every few days to prevent build up of mould in the always damp environment.

'How did you do that anyway?' Doppelmike eventually asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him. 'It felt as if I was being tapped from the inside or something.'

Mikey smirked with amusement and hoping to distract Doppelmike from his questioning, began singing the lyrics of 'Star Trekkin'' in a loud, raucous voice; it didn't hurt that he'd heard the song play on the radio overnight so it was fresh in his mind. He had zero intention of outright admitting anything to Doppelmike; the body snatcher would have to work for the answers he sought as far as Mikey was concerned.

Fed up with being ignored, Doppelmike slammed down the cleaning supplies, closed his eyes and focused inwards, looking to Michelangelo and what he saw made him gasp in surprise. 'You're projecting a form! How the hell are you doing that?'

'Shell' dude, you gotta get used to it or you'll slip up in front of my bros or Sensei.

'I asked you how the hell are you doing that?' Doppelmike repeated, pushing lightly as if getting ready to shunt Mikey back into the terrible, lifeless dark depths once more.

Mikey sighed in annoyance at the terrible feel of the push, for a moment tempted to threaten to not explain if he was cut off again but he didn't want to risk giving up his knowledge that the body snatcher couldn't keep up that effort indefinitely, that he knew it took up too much energy or effort. Alright, alright dude! Geez, just ask nicely next time!

'Michelangelo!' Doppelmike opened his eyes and glared furiously into the mirror so Mikey could see he was serious.

Mikey rolled his eyes, It was because of that day I got to meditate with my bros and Master Splinter.

'Did you somehow say something you shouldn't have?'

Of course not! I'm not risking my family's lives just for my sake! Mikey snorted in disbelief that even after all this time Doppelmike still thought so little of him. Nuh dude, I just realised that the Astral Plain is a realm of the mind and so is this dump! If I could project a body there, then I can do it here too!

'Well you can just stop doing it then!'

Mikey smirked, Not a chance, Doppeldude! It takes far more effort to stop doing it than it does to just let it happen now; it's like breathing. Then he added in a small, almost lost sounding voice, only partially needing to put on an act, Besides, this makes it easier for me to cope...

'How do you mean?' Doppelmike asked suspiciously and Mikey knew the thief was wondering what else he could do or learn to do and that was the real reason he wanted him to stop.

'Fat chance!' Mikey thought disdainfully to himself. I mean, being nothing but a disembodied voice that can somehow weirdly see and hear stuff is too freakish even for me! The desperation was so bad it hurt but now that I can see myself and move, even if it's not really real... Dude, being able to project a body has saved my sanity!

Doppelmike was silent for a few minutes as he picked up the cleaning supplies and returned to work. Finally he spoke up again, 'Then explain why you've been more annoying than usual lately?'

Oh let's see now, Mikey snorted incredulously. First you try to abandon my brother and almost get him captured or worse, just to use him as bait, then you needlessly massacred all of those evil Foot...

'Like you just said, they're evil,' Doppelmike interrupted bluntly. 'They would have only come back after us again later!'

Even evil dudes have family! I don't care if you killed to save yours or someone else's life but that wasn't necessary! You went too far and worse, Mikey shuddered at the awful memory, you enjoyed it! You were freaking laughing about it! He paused, breathing hard from his emotional outburst. Mikey could still hear the mocking laughter from that awful night, so similar to his own but warped and somehow so terrifying.

Leo didn't punish you hard enough. He didn't even tell Master Splinter so you got off light! Mikey continued once he regained his composure. And then... you tortured me with the darkness again. So that's why I've been more annoying! It's all I can do!

And with that little outburst, Mikey hoped like shell that Doppelmike really would think that he believed he'd reached the limits of what he could do when in all actuality, Mikey had no intention of giving up so easily. Michelangelo planned on doing everything he possibly could to become stronger within his unbearable, vile prison.

-:-

The next few days passed with Doppelmike being far more considerate of Mikey and Mikey reciprocated by being less annoying, though he didn't stop altogether. He continued to occasionally distract Doppelmike during training but only so it would seem natural, though it certainly didn't hurt that he found amusement in Doppelmike getting into trouble either.

Doppelmike slowly began to show improvement in his skill level, just enough to be noticeable to everyone else but not enough to make them suspicious and once his week's grounding was complete, under the guise of going sewer skating, Doppelmike found a quiet, decently sized section of the sewers and went there every day to practise to his full ability. When Mikey questioned him about it, all Doppelmike would say was that Mikey hadn't left his body in the best shape it could be and he needed to build it up if he wanted to exact his revenge. However, the final insult came when Doppelmike paid a visit to Donatello.

Doppelmike knocked almost nervously on the door to the lab and Donnie invited him in, staring in shock over the fact that Mikey actually knocked. Then his expression changed to one of suspicion when he realised that his brother must have wanted something and only knocked to butter him up.

"Hey bro?" Doppelmike ventured while his fingers fidgeted restlessly, "I was wondering if you would do something for me."

What do you need Donnie for? Mikey asked, curiosity eating at him. Doppelmike hadn't mentioned this little side trip at all and he'd mostly kept away from Donnie ever since the incident a little over a week back.

Doppelmike ignored Mikey and approached Donnie, "I was hoping you could make me a new pair of 'chucks."

"Did you somehow break yours?" Donnie asked, exasperation evident in his voice.

Hey! Mikey cried indignantly. What did you do to my babies?

"Nuh bro, they're fine," Doppelmike assured them both. "I just want an upgrade, that's all."

"Upgrade how? What's wrong with your current ones? I thought they were perfectly balanced for you," Donnie asked at the same time as Mikey squawked.

What the shell's wrong with my 'chucks?

"Nothing's wrong with them, it's just..." Doppelmike sighed. "They could be more versatile is all."

Donnie looked down at the proffered weapons in confusion. "I'm afraid you'll need to explain more, Mikey. You aren't making much sense right now."

"I just had this great idea of how they could be convertible, both nunchaku and kusarigama," Doppelmike continued, sounding suddenly eager. "Can I have some paper and a pen? I'll show you!"

Donnie fetched what Doppelmike asked for and handed it to him.

Mikey snorted, Did you really just come up with that ridiculous idea?

Doppelmike started sketching the design with his right hand and Donnie stared perplexed at the strangeness until he remembered Doppelmike saying something about practising writing with his other hand a few weeks back. He hadn't put much credence into the idea of him keeping it up for long but obviously he'd underestimated his brother.

Mikey sighed, You're using the wrong hand again Doppeldude and don't make it too detailed! Donnie can work out the kinks if you're really serious about this, not to mention if it's even possible! He'll just get suspicious if you do it right the first time!

'I am serious and too late to switch hands now,' Doppelmike replied. 'Besides, my writing left handed sucks.'

I bet it does since you barely even practise, dude.

'It takes more than three weeks to learn to write well with the other hand. Besides, would you practise if you were in my shoes?'

You don't wear shoes, Mikey retorted, and anyway, I wouldn't be going around stealing bodies in the first place!

Doppelmike closed his eyes in exasperation, 'Stop going on about that! I'm here now and here's where I'm staying!' Opening them once more, he continued with his design sketch. 'As for your earlier question, no, it's not actually my idea. A couple of my previous lives had convertible 'chucks and they were extremely useful.'

"Mikey? When did you get so good at drawing up schematics?" Donnie asked, his expression odd.

See? Told you! Mikey crowed.

Doppelmike paused and grinned disarmingly at Donnie, "Actually, I've been thinking of this idea for a while now."

"So I see," Donnie mused, looking back down at the sketches as Doppelmike continued drawing.

"You could even do something similar with your bo, bro," Doppelmike added enthusiastically. "Make it convertible to a naginata. I know you're not really fond of violence but think how useful it could be in the right situation, when you need that extra edge!" He soon finished up and handed Donnie back his pen and the sketches.

Donnie continued to stare thoughtfully down at the drawings, his quick mind already working on the problem, "Yes, this could be quite useful. Let me see what I can do."

-:-

That night when Doppelmike was long asleep, Mikey scowled to himself and punched hard once at the 'walls' surrounding him. Doppelmike twitched but didn't wake. Slowly, piece by piece, Doppelmike was tearing apart the remains of Mikey's established life, tossing out an action figure here, a poster there and now he was set on replacing the precious weapons his father had given him; he'd been so proud the day he received those. The only things Doppelmike had left alone so far were Mikey's comics and that was only because he 'read' one a day for Mikey's sake. Mikey felt terrified about what would happen to him the day the last vestiges of his life disappeared from view.

After a few minutes of deep, calming breathing, Mikey settled into the lotus position. He reached out his mind, trying once more to deepen his connection with the environment surrounding him, trying to influence it the way he'd been trying to do since the day he'd helped Donnie win the bet. A couple of hours of intense, nearly unbearable concentration later, Mikey gasped in shock.

He felt something! He really, truly felt something!

And it was such an intense sensation after so long denied that he almost wept from the sheer joy of the feeling!

It was only a single finger against the edge of his shell and only for a single moment but it gave him much needed hope and it was all he could do to keep silent and not cry out. After all, he couldn't risk the chance of Doppelmike waking up and discovering him.

Instead, he grinned broadly to himself and settled down to try again. If he could strengthen the connection, feel once more, maybe he could learn to gain some control back in his life but he'd have to be incredibly careful.

Doppelmike could never find out about this or he'd really be lost.

-:-

to be continued