I don't own TMNT or UY.

I know this was a quick update (again) but I was dying to get this chapter up!

Xxxxx

Usagi and I waited patiently for Don to try and find some useful information in Bishop's network. The samurai was standing close to the door, listening closely for any other men that might be approaching. Donny was typing up a storm, frowning in concentration and completely oblivious to anything else in the room apart from the flickering screen in front of him. I found myself with little to do but wait. But the smell of blood was upsetting me and I felt the need to distract myself somehow.

I reached up and accessed my headset, calling Raphael to hear if he and Mikey'd found anything. I knew they hadn't or they'd have called, but it was something to keep me busy while I waited.

There was a click in my ear as Raph answered. "'Sup?"

"It's Leo. How're you two doing?" I asked, keeping my voice low. The last thing I wanted to do was to give away their position.

"So far so good" Raph's voice came back. "No sign of where they'd keep their prisoners though."

"We've got Donny working on a machine here trying to find that out for us." I let him know. "Any sign of Bishop?"

"No." Raph said with a clear growl. "No sign of the other creep either."

I nodded to myself. "That's a good thing Raph. Just keep going and let me know if anything changes."

"You got it." He replied.

I was glad to hear his voice sounded, if aggressive, at least calm and level-headed. I should give him more credit though. I knew he wouldn't do something overly stupid unless seriously provoked. I tend to act as if he's more irresponsible than he really is. Raph could let his emotions get the better of him at times but I'd trust him with my life. More importantly, I'd trust him with the lives of others I care about. Speaking of which;

"Still ok Mike?" I asked.

"Yeah." Was the only reply I got.

I frowned to myself. Mikey had been awfully quiet the whole day. I was worried he might be hurting more than he was letting on or something. His behaviour was making me all the more nervous.

"Don't worry Mikey. After this it's smooth sailing." I tried to reassure him.

"I'm holding you to that Leo." he said, sounding slightly less tense.

I felt a little better at hearing him ease up and closed the connection, letting them continue their search.

I turned my attention back to the room and noticed Usagi had been watching me quietly. I blinked at him, unsure of what he found so interesting. He merely smiled quietly in response and shook his head, turning to look at Don. I didn't get it, but now was no time to start idly chatting. I turned to Donny as well.

"How's it going?" I asked, coming closer.

Donny was staring at the screen with a slight frown. "I'm trying to figure out where he's got his specimens contained but It doesn't make much sense."

I frowned at this, leaning forward to look over his shoulder, although the flickering data meant little to me. "How so?"

"Well, according to the info I gathered yesterday there was over a hundred different specimens still in captivity, however I'm looking over the containment area's read-outs here and there's no way they could keep so many living things in such a small area and give them each their own cell."

I frowned, not liking the sound of this. "Are you saying they might have put the boy in a cell with another creature?"

Don gave a sombre nod. "They'd have to."

Usagi came closer, frowning deeply. "They would not put Jotaro-kun with something that would harm him would they?" He sounded more angry than afraid.

Donny shook his head. "There'd be no point." He turned to look at the samurai. "It's hard to explain unless you know the guy but Bishop would... consider that a waste."

Usagi grumbled at this but seemed to calm down slightly.

"We can swap theories on how Bishop thinks later," I interrupted, not wanting to get side-tracked. "Right now all we need to know is where the holding cells are and how to get there."

Don nodded and turned back to the screen, typing in some commands. "The base below ground is pretty big but it doesn't seem to all be focused on biological research. There's a lot devoted to the reverse-engineering of alien technology and duplication of alien mechanics as well as fusion of Terran-mechanics with otherworldly elements. The Biological division is rather small in comparison."

As he typed a graphic map of the base filled the screen, but it was so twisted and complicated there was no way for me to try and memorize the layout of the place. Donny ran a finger over the screen. "The Lowest levels are the ones that seem to be focused on the important projects. I can't even give you specifics because most of it's been classified to the higher floors and they've got some major security in the computer system locking me out. However the biological division is a bit above it." He ran his hand upwards, indicating to me where he meant. "Security's pretty tight but it seems more focused on keeping things in than keeping things out. Still I'd be on my guard guys. They're not gonna let you waltz in as you please."

"Can we get there using the elevator?" I asked hopefully.

Donny made a scoffing noise. "With our luck? No way." He moved his hand again. "We're on this floor here at the moment. If you take the elevator a few floors down you'll reach this passage here. Taking the elevator any further will require you to provide some kind of identification like a palm-scan or fingerprint. However it seems if you can get to one of the lower, more private elevators that don't go all the way to the top of the building you should be able to use one of those to get you at least one, maybe two floors down. Of course you'll need to get to them first."

I sighed but nodded. I hadn't expected it to be easy. "Can you guide us the rest of the way?" I asked.

Don nodded and gave me a smile. "No problem. I can hack in and disable some of the security cams and alarm grids but I'm afraid you're on your own as far as guards go."

I nodded again and patted his shoulder. "Whatever you can give us Don." I hesitated before asking. "You gonna manage here by yourself?"

He laughed and gave me a sideways look. "Come on Leo! I can take care of myself."

I smiled and nodded. "Just thought I'd ask."

I turned to Usagi who was staring at the convoluted map of the base on the screen. By the look on his face I could tell he was as lost as I was. He turned to face me and gave a purposeful nod.

I gave a nod back and turned to leave when Don suddenly stood up. "Oh wait!"

I turned back to him, a little confused as he got up off the chair and moved over to the fallen man. I pulled a slight face when Don turned him over and went through a pocket. He then straightened and came back over to me, holding out a keycard.

"Dunno how far it'll get you but you never know." He said, giving me a a sideways smile and a shrug.

I nodded and took it from him.

Usagi frowned, looking from Donny to me. "You are stealing from the dead?"

I was taken aback by this and turned to him. He was staring at me critically but I could tell he wasn't fully convinced that that is what Don had just done.

I shook my head and held out the card so he could see it. "It's a key."

He looked at quietly before nodding, satisfied.

Glad it was settled, I stored the card away and headed for the door, Usagi following.

"Good luck guys." Donny said before sitting down at the computer again, accessing his headset to report to Raph and Mikey.

----

Usagi groaned as another floor number pinged on the elevator's display. I blinked at him.

"You ok?" I asked.

He was looking a little sick, staring at the floor numbers with a slightly pained expression.

He nodded though "When is this contraption going to stop?"

I relaxed, realising he merely had a little motion-sickness. "3 more floors." I reassured him.

He nodded, reaching and drawing his wakizashi but leaving his katana in it's scabbard for now.

I reached back and drew one of my own katanas, ready to face anything that might meet us when the doors opened.

The elevator came to a stop and we hid ourselves on opposite sides of the doors. They opened with a soft ding. No-one entered. I risked looking around the corner and into the hallway.

It was long and dark. No longer sporting the very plain office building motif. The walls were an ugly dark red colour with wires and cables running along its roof. Small, round lights lit the extent of it, each of them placed an equal distance from each other. The floor seemed to be lit by some secondary light as well, like the walkway of a movie theatre or something. The walls seemed to have a slight bend to them, making the hallway look more like a tunnel. There were no doors lining the walls now, only other hallways branching off from this one. The area was empty.

I stepped out of the elevator and Usagi followed looking around quietly, whiskers twitching lightly as he listened for any-one who might be close. Myself I couldn't hear any-one and after a few moments he made a soft noise. "We are clear."

I nodded and started down the hallway cautiously.

"Don, we're out the elevator. Now what?" I whispered into my headset.

"There should be some passages fanning out from the hallway you're in. The fourth one will take you to what looks like some kind of auditorium or something. You'll enter the top level and should be able to go down a floor by leaving a lower exit in the room,"

I nodded, signalling Usagi to follow as I counted the side-passages until we got to the fourth. We turned and made our way down it, reaching a rather uninviting looking pair of doors. Once we were sure it was empty inside he pushed them open, entering the large hall.

It turned out to be more circular like an amphitheatre rather than an auditorium. Various seats all pointing to a a circular stage area in its centre. The stage look cold and clinical, the only thing on it at the moment being an empty steel table with a small medical basin next to it. It looked like an operating table. I shuddered and tried not to look at it, quickening my pace as we moved down the stepped walk-way to a door at a lower point in the room.

"What is this?" Usagi asked, staring at the stage as he followed. He'd whispered the question but the acoustics of the room made his voice sound much louder.

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. Just keep going." I said.

He continued to follow after me but he refused to look away from the stage. I glanced at him briefly and saw the frown deepening on his face as he looked over the steel table with its leather straps and the shallow basin. He slowed his pace and looked around to the rest of the hall, the chairs all facing the stage, the way the walls had been designed to amplify the sound and the obvious need for things done in the centre to be seen and heard. I saw his eyes widen as he put two and two together.

"This is an execution hall!" He said with a choked voice, stopping in his tracks.

I stopped as well, turning to look at him properly.

I felt my insides tighten. "Usagi come on. We don't have time."

He didn't move, looking around the room in slowly growing horror.

I swallowed and took a step closer to him, reaching and gripping his wrist firmly but not too tightly. "Usagi. We need to move."

He turned his gaze away from the room and focused his attention on me. There was something terrible in the expression he gave me, as if I'd just run over his dog. He didn't look angry or blaming; he looked deeply hurt.

"This is what your 'Bishop' does??"

It felt as if some-one had stuck me with a needle. My face hardened as I gave a stiff nod.

"...Why did you not tell me?" He asked, his eyes piercing into me painfully.

I bit my lip. "We didn't want to scare you."

Saying it out loud made me realise what a lame excuse it really was.

Usagi said nothing, staring at me with a mortified expression. He turned to the room again.

I took a shaky breath, tightening my grip on him. "Usagi. We need to keep going."

He remained still for a few moments longer before he nodded and turned to follow me. I relaxed and let go of him, turning to lead the way. I could feel my heart hammering against my plastron. I felt ashamed. Not once had any of us told Usagi just how much danger his son was in. I didn't think any-one would, but even so I had made sure to tell my brothers not to mention to Usagi that Bishop more often than not dissected those he captured. Before we knew Jotaro was ok I had done so because we didn't know the facts yet and I didn't want my friend to have to deal with any more stress, and after we found out he was ok there seemed no reason to do so any more. I had seen no point in scaring him. But now it felt as if I'd openly lied to him. I don't know if I'd made the wrong decision in not telling him, but just seeing him look at me like that... I felt as if I'd done something cruel, and I was ashamed.

"I... I'm sorry." I said, not daring to look at him.

I heard him come to a sudden stop.

I blinked, turning to face him properly, ready to try and explain myself; how I'd only wanted to protect him and not have him go out of his mind with worry. But my blood turned to ice when I saw him reach and draw his katana with his free hand.

I felt the skin on my face prickle as I paled. "Usagi... what....?"

"Some-one is coming!" He raised both his swords.

My brain tried to change gears as I spun to the door we had been heading for, reaching back and drawing my second katana as well.

The door was thrown open and a man in a dark uniform stepped into the hall, rifle at the ready. I swore as I realised our amplified voices had given away our position. Stupid, stupid ninja!

"Get down!" I yelled at Usagi, jumping sideways behind one of the hall's chairs just as rapid fire tore into the walkway's floor where I had been standing mere seconds ago.

I heard running footsteps as the man tried to get us in his sights to fire again. I could make out two other pairs following. Three men all together.

I jumped from my hiding spot when one came too close, striking with my swords. I heard him give a pain-filled cry as I ran by blade across a wrist, disarming him. I dropped down out of sight among the row of chairs again just as a hail of bullets tore into the cushions of the seat's backrests, sending sponge and material into the air.

I heard a man scream and a sharp, vengeful kiai as somewhere Usagi cut down the second man. I heard the last man unleash a stream of fire in a direction that wasn't mine. I took his distraction as an opportunity and launched myself at him. He turned towards me just in time for my blade to catch him across the chest.

"Security breach!" I heard some-one yell. "Security breach in the Demonstration Hall Sector QV12!"

I spun to see the man whose wrist I had cut yelling into a communicator watch.

"Repeat! Security breach in-!" He didn't get any further. Usagi struck with his katana, silencing him.

"Are you ok?!" I asked him hurriedly, looking around to make sure all the men were all down.

Usagi flicked his blades clean and gave a nod. "But they now know we are here."

I nodded, turning and hurrying towards the exit. "But they haven't caught us yet! Come on!"

-----

"Leo the alarm's been raised!" Donny's voice spoke up anxiously in my ear.

"Yeah we kinda noticed!" I replied, skidding to a halt and ducking behind a corner as some-one opened fire. Usagi pinning himself against the opposite wall.

"Any chance of some kind of distraction?!" I asked, flinching when a bullet struck the wall rather uncomfortably close.

I heard Donny pause. "I haven't got access to the alarms on that level from here, and their communicators are on an independent frequency! I've no way to jam it!"

"Why not ask the cavalry ta lend a hand?" Raph's voice spoke up.

"Raph where are you?" I asked urgently before I jumped my cover, lunging at the shooter and cutting him down, Usagi following split seconds later to leap over me and finish the second gunman.

"Close enough ta lure them away from you guys!" He replied. "I can hear the gunfire!"

"You're not far from the containment cells now Leo!" Donny added. "Just one more floor and you'll be at the doorstep!"

"Ok!" I nodded towards Usagi and we continued down the hall, heading for yet another, more private looking elevator at the end of it. "Raph, you and Mikey get their attention and lure them upstairs again if you can!"

"You got it bro!" Raph's voice said.

"Be careful Leo!" I was surprised to hear Mikey's voice speak up. "I have a bad feeling about this!"

"Don't worry about us Mikey, just get them away from here!" I replied as the samurai and I slid into the elevator. I pressed the down button frantically.

After we were discovered in the demonstration hall we've travelled down the last few floors much faster, although the going had been much harder. With no further need for silence we'd been running when we could and merely focused on not getting shot. Now there was only one floor remaining; And this damn elevator won't move!

"Come on!" I yelled, slamming a fist against its control panel. I could hear running footsteps some distance away before shots were fired.

"Leonardo the key!" Usagi said quickly, looking past me to the hallway, keeping an eye open for any approaching guards.

I pulled out the keycard and scanned the control panel hurriedly. I found the slit and jammed in the plastic card before hitting the floor button, not knowing whether the man we'd taken the card from had access to it.

Please work!

The button lit up and the elevator pinged, the doors closing as it started to move. I breathed out before tightening my grip on my swords, waiting for our stop.

"Leonardo." Usagi said.

I swallowed and turned to face him, otherwise keeping my stance. I'd noticed that since we'd learned Jotaro was still alive he'd stopped adding an honorific to the end of my name. Now was not the time to dwell on it, but even so, I felt touched.

He turned his gaze away from the doors slightly to look at me. "I do not blame you for keeping such terrible information from me. You were only looking out for me, and I know that."

I blinked, a little stunned he'd bring this up right now, but I gave him a grateful nod in response.

The doors of the elevator opened.

We stepped out into yet another hallway, but this one was more black than red. It was still lit from both he round lights on the ceiling as well as the lights along the walkway, yet it still felt dark and ominous. Apart from that however it looked just the same as the other hallways we'd come from. No-one met us as we hurried down it, alert and ready to duck down from any fire, but it seemed Raph and Mikey were keeping the base's attention for now.

"Where are we going Donny?" I asked into my headset.

"Left on the second hallway and then right on the third. But Leo... something about this information is kinda weird," Donny started.

I turned down the appropriate hallway. "Don, I'm sure it's important but I really can't focus on any strange computer stuff right now."

"I know that," Don said. "But... I've found an inconsistency regarding these specimen files that doesn't make sense."

"Don seriously. Not now." I said, turning again.

Another pair of doors came into view at the end of the hallway.

We walked towards them, coming to a stand still and listening to what could be on the other side. I frowned, putting my ear-spot to the door.

"I cannot hear anything." Usagi said out loud.

I nodded with a noise. "Me either. They must have it sound-proofed."

I looked over the outside of the doors before finding the control panel with the slit in it. I inputted the keycard, hoping it would still work. I was relieved when the light on the door went green and I heard it unlock itself. I gripped the handle to one door, Usagi taking the other before we turned, and threw them open.

The first thing that greeted us was a guard who had come closer when he heard the doors unlock. He'd obviously not expected a threat because when he saw us he reached down to remove his gun from its holster, much too slowly. Usagi was on him with a flash. The guard fell to the floor before he could squeeze off a single round.

I scanned the area, making sure we weren't under any other sort of attack. The room we'd entered was big. Very big. It looked almost like a hanger of some kind but much more sterile and sleek. Against the walls were numerous panes of glass, each one separating a smaller cell from the rest of the room. Each holding unit was lit individually from the inside and had their own control panel and a screen displaying vital signs as well as a lock requiring palm identification. Inside all of them was a creature or being of a different shape and species. They were all very much alive, and yet no sound could be heard from any of them. Each cell must also be sound-proofed to prevent them making a racket.

In the centre of the room stood a man wearing a more scientific looking uniform. He was of a much slender build than the guard Usagi had just killed and didn't strike me as the fighting kind. He was staring at us with a dumbfounded expression.

I shot forward to stop him raising an alarm. He turned to run, heading for some or other central control panel in the middle of the room but I was faster than him. I struck out with my sword, catching him across the back of his knee. He gave a cry and fell, unable to run. He spun around to face me and I pointed my sword at his face meaningfully.

"One wrong move pal and I swear I won't be so nice a second time!" I threatened him.

Usagi ran along the edge of the room, frantically looking into each cell before moving to the next.

"Leo!" Donny's voice spoke in my ear again, but this time it sounded very worked up. "Leo we got a problem! a BIG Problem!"

I kept my eyes and sword on the scientist lying at my feet. "What is it Don?"

"Leonardo!" Usagi cried out, turning and running towards me. He sounded panic-stricken.

"Bishop's got a separate list for some of his specimens!" Donny said as I turned to face Usagi, alarmed by his tone of voice.

He ran over to me, breathing fast and shallow. "Leonardo! He's not here!!"

"Leo I think he's moved the creatures he's not using to another location!" Donny's voice said.

Usagi was shaking. "Leonardo he's not HERE!!"

Xxxxx

.