Time travelled differently from behind bars. Mikey guessed it might have been a day or so, but it felt like months had passed. He'd noted every detail about the cell; each brick, each crack, even the welded on bar of the cell door, as if someone had worn through it to escape. He could guess who.

At first, they believed the Shredder may simply kill them and get it over with. He'd never shown any particular interest in them otherwise; just tools for getting at Master Splinter. But as they waited, it became increasingly obvious that it wouldn't be that easy.

They were brought simple meals; bowls of rice and glasses of water, but nothing metal or thin that Donnie might use as a lock pick, and nothing heavy Mikey could use as a weapon. Their bed consisted of a scrap of cardboard on the floor, but they refused to use it, cuddling together in a corner for comfort and warmth. Of course, Razar and Fish-face taunted them at every chance they got, even encouraging Stockman-fly to join in, though his efforts were rather poor. Xever and Baxter scattered like startled mice whenever Tiger Claw appeared, while Bradford simply bowed in respect and left in a dignified manner.

The large feline would never mock them, never interrogate them. He brought them food occasionally, but for the most part he simply watched them. Mikey had fallen asleep one night with his cheek on his brother's chest, then awoke to find Donnie locked in a cold staring match with the tiger.

What the staring meant was lost to them, but it was more than disconcerting. Donnie spent hours scribbling in the dust and dirt to try and work out an escape plan, but Mikey got the feeling their time was running out.

"Why haven't Raph and Leo come for us yet...?" Donnie looked over his shoulder at his only younger brother. The orange turtle was sat against a wall hugging his knees, peering between the bars longingly, as if their big brothers would come bursting into the dungeon. The young genius winced and squirmed, piecing together an answer that wouldn't distress Mikey any more.

"They've probably beefed up the security since Karai escaped. And hey, maybe they got caught up in some Kraang scheme! Gotta put the safety of the city first." His response was rather pathetic, and he knew it, since even the prankster didn't seem to be buying it. He just sighed and dropped his forehead in his knees.

Then again, Donnie knew for a fact his younger brother was smarter than everyone gave him credit.

He crawled towards him on all fours, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and sliding him towards him, pulling him to sit between his legs so he could envelope the younger turtle completely. "Hey, c'mon, it'll be alright. Either we'll escape by ourselves or Leo and Raphie will be here real soon. You'll see." He didn't reply. All the freckled turtle did was lean into his brother, letting himself be smothered and rocked.

And then, well... he supposed it was Judgement day.

They were both startled awake by the door to the prison swinging open abruptly, making them both sit bolt upright, and they shared a sense of dread when the Shredder marched towards their cell, Tiger Claw and several Foot bots trailing behind. The dark ninja stopped just short of their cage, glaring at them through the bars. The youngest Hamato sons glared right back.

"Tell me," Shredder rumbled, statue still. "What do you see before you?" They glanced at each other, then back again.

"A madman," Donnie replied flippantly.

"A jealous freak," Mikey added.

"A psychopath," they said in unison; an odd little talent they had that Leo and Raph lacked. Tiger Claw snarled and took a menacing step forward, but Shredder lifted a hand and halted him. The limb lowered slowly, his piercing gaze intimidating even through the bars. Sensei had always taught them to never forget fear; it was an innate feeling meant to keep a person alive. But he had also taught them to remember courage. "What do you see?," they asked.

Oroku Saki stared for a few moments longer, then replied, "A pair of children. Half of a complete set, raised by a selfish, thieving coward in the gutters of New York." Their gazes hardened spitefully, but Shredder continued. "Trained in the arts of stealth and power, to kill if necessary, even at the tender age of fifteen." He shook his head, helmet rattling. "Children robbed of their childhood. Animals robbed of their nature." They stared at one another for a while longer, Tiger Claw and bots looking relatively confused by the silence, before Shredder suddenly tensed.

"Take the eldest."

They both lunged for the door, intending to slip past, taking advantage of their smaller size. But Tiger Claw grabbed Mikey around the waist and hoisted him up, holding him tight against his chest. Donnie, of course, turned to save his brother, planting a punch in the feline's rib cage. The larger mutant grunted in pain and surprise; evidently, Donatello was physically stronger than Karai. He almost released the younger turtle, but Shredder grabbed the purple clad reptile by the throat and lifted him off the ground. Donnie gaped and choked, clawing and bashing at Oroku Saki's arm, but found it ultimately useless.

"Yoshi has trained you well," Shredder commended lowly. "But it is clear to me that your elder brothers are the alpha males." Tiger Claw threw Mikey back into the cell and slammed the door shut, locking it just as the young reptile threw himself against the bars. Shredder jammed his fingers into the pressure point in Donnie's neck, causing him to flinch violently, then go limp and unconscious.

"What are you doing?!," Mikey shouted as they began to walk away, his brother carried like a sack of potatoes under the human's arm. "Where are you taking him? Give him back!," he screamed, bashing and rattling the bars in a futile attempt to bend them. "Put my brother down! Stop! No!"

…

Time travelled differently from behind bars. Mikey guessed it might have been a week or so, but it felt like years had passed. He'd noted every detail about the cell, for all the good it would do; each brick, each crack, even the welded on bar of the cell door, as if someone had worn through it to escape. He could guess who.

At first, they believed the Shredder may simply kill them and get it over with. But it had become obvious that it wouldn't be that easy.

His arms trembled and his tears dripped down onto Donnie's cheeks, those near-maroon eyes staring up at him distantly. One hand pillowed his brother's head, the other stroking his face and wiping away his own tears, hiccuping and biting his lip, trying to swallow his sobs.

"It'll be alright, Mikey..."

"No it won't..." Donnie blinked slowly, each breath laboured and encumbered. The younger turtle concluded it was probably the human part of their biology keeping him alive now, even as the blood pooled faster and faster.

"I don't feel it anymore," he said quietly. "It's gone beyond feeling now. It's sort of all... overlapped upon itself." Mikey choked, eyes squeezing shut. "That probably wasn't very comforting."

"I... I don't know what to do...," the youngster sobbed. "Dee, tell me what I'm supposed to do?" Donatello blinked slowly once again, expression blank and unchanging.

"I don't think anyone can do anything now. Turtles aren't supposed to be taken out of their shells." Mikey turned his head away, swallowing down the bile threatening to fly from his mouth. As if he hadn't vomited enough already. "Mikey...?"

"Yeah?"

"Kill me."

Michaelangelo let out a wailing sob, pressing his forehead to his dissected brother's. "Don't ask me to do that!," he howled, descending into hysterical gasps and whimpers. "Don't ask me to! Don't ask me to!"

"Mikey...," Donnie wheezed. He went quiet, trembling against his mutilated brother for a moment, then lifted his head slowly, baby blues staring into deep brown. "Please."

The orange clad turtle swallowed slowly, then closed his eyes and sobbed again. His clever, kind, wonderful older brother lay in his lap, completely de-shelled; what little bones were left and internal organs out on display for all to see. He didn't even want to imagine what pain Donnie was in, or what he'd been through while Stockman and the Foot bots had pried away his carapace and plastron once he'd regained consciousness. The spark in his eyes had vanished, leaving only those sweet brown irises looking up at him.

"Please."

Michaelangelo shuddered, then carefully slid the hand under Donnie's head further forward, until his neck was cradled in the crook of his elbow. He tried not to lift or jostle him too much as he looped his other arm around him and somehow, despite the absolute agony he must have been in, Donnie lifted one hand to grasp Mikey's shoulder. "I love you, Niichan."

"I love you, too," Don whispered, and Michaelangelo hugged him, squeezing tighter and tighter around his throat.

He wasn't sure how long it took for Donnie's hand to loosen on his shoulder and slip down again, or for that final puff of air to escape his lips. But he knew the lack of oxygen would have numbed Donnie's last few moments of pain.

He let his brother sag in his lap, head lolling to the side and eyes half closed. Mikey gently closed them for him, hand sliding over his face and thumb stroking his cheek.

He managed to move Donnie onto the scrap of cardboard, placing his arms at his sides. He sat on his knees beside him for a while, taking in every detail of what was left.

Then Mikey screamed.

… I have no excuses or explanations for this. I'm just a sick bastard.

Hail to the princess, baby!