-1"So, touching my brave freaks….Michelangelo is finished….who's next?"

Raphael had jerked away the second he heard the nearly silent cackle before the voice. Leo pushed himself up at once, despite the fact his legs were asleep from having been sitting on them so long. Donnie moved a step back into Leo, while Raph seemed to move away.

Raph didn't cry. Raph Didn't hurt, and yet not five seconds ago he had been crying on his brothers chest.

Something in Raph twisted angrily. He didn't like to appear so weak, it was humiliating. Despite the fact that in later days, if there -were- later days, he would say it was the jolt to his system of the shock, or exhaustion that caused him to revert to age five hiding in Leo's bed from the giant spider in his dreams.

Raphael's step away from Leo and Donnie had been only as far as the wall would permit. He wasn't sure how far it was but he was certain he could still reach behind him and touch his brothers if he wanted. He didn't mind closed spaces, something about the shadows and the darkness comforted him.

At this moment however, even the ninja in him was getting itchy with the closed space.

Leo was holding his breath, peering into the darkness as if expecting sheer force of will to open some magic door. The words of that same voice, dark and malice, echoed off the confining prison.

"So, touching my brave freaks….Michelangelo is finished….who's next?"

It was Raph who first found his voice, chalk it up to pride he had to rekindle.

"What do ya mean finished?! Where is my brother."

The possessive tone was not missed among his brothers. -My- brother, not our. Hot head or otherwise, in a fight it was Raph more so than Leo who managed to keep an eye out for his brothers. That isn't to say the others didn't as well, but Raph always seemed to be there first.

The silence echoed back, coldly.

"I am done with him."

The answer came back, with as much warmth as a hangman eyeing the convicted mans shoes.

"What do ya me-" Raph was cut off by Donnie, finding his voice and still fighting to find a way to gain some control of their situation.

"Then give him to us. If you don't need him anymore, give him back to us." Despite his best effort desperation fringed on his voice.

Raph and Leo both turned in the general direction of their brother, could that actually work?

The silence hung in the air, save their own erratic heartbeats.

"…For a price" came the voice's response after several minutes.

"Name it." Leo spoke for the first time since the voice had re-announced itself. He was hating himself at the moment. He was the leader, he had led them into this fight. HE had chosen all the wrong tactics. HE had been standing there when Raph was hit by that shock. HE had reached for Mikey one second to soon. This was HIS fault…and if they wanted a price he was more then ready to be it.

A static click before the voice spoke again, " Hammurabi's Code"

Donnie tensed and Leo was close enough to feel the tension coming off of his brother in waves. Leo knew why.

Raph was silent, Leo knew him well enough to know that it wasn't because he was doing nettle point. Raph opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Leo. He would not loose another brother. Unlike Raph he knew what the comment meant.

"Me."

Laughter.

Cold and uncaring laughter.

"No." Came the reply after the speaker had calmed himself.

"I want your healer before I make the trade."

Trade.

Now Raph understood. The bastard wanted a body for a body…NO. Not a body a brother for a brother. He refused to think anything so permit as death could have befallen their brother.

"Like hell." Raph and Leo spoke at once, who said they didn't agree on anything?

They unison response seemed to startle both of them as they looked in each others direction. Donnie took this moment to move the few feet to the farthest wall, as close to out of their reach as he could get. He seemed to feel their 'hosts' eyes on him.

Waiting.

Watching.

He knew exactly what he was about to do.

In the silence after the unified stance that he would NOT get Donnie, Donnie's own voice was strong in the silence.

"Agreed."

Before Leo and Raph could turn to reach for their brother only air was in his place. The same stale, fowl air that had always been there.

"Don!" Raph shouted while Leo swung at the nearest wall.

His knuckles struck solid stone hard even to crack his skin and draw blood …

Not that he felt it.

Not that it mattered.

Not that it helped.

Raph and Leo stood alone in their on misery each at the opposite end of there cell. Leo spoke first, his tone more Raph like in its dangerous rage.

"What the Fuck do you want with us?!" He snarled.

Raph actually looked his way from where he was feeling the wall for an opening where Donnie had been standing. He had heard Leo cuss on occasion…but never quiet that much.

The laugher from know where proved they were will being watched.

"Where is our brother? You said you would give him back!" Leo was venomous.

"And so I have."

Came that same amused tone.

Raph was about to shout at him, he hadn't given them anything back. What was he talking about? The he heard it. A Sound so tiny it was almost missed.

A whimper.

Leo was quiet….Raph was quiet…Donnie was gone…

"MIKEY!" Both brothers shouted together, seems they -did- agree on some things.

The two eldest converged on the middle point in the room where they found Mikey. He was breathing quickly and erratically. Though they could not see him the smell of blood was hard to miss. Raph reached for him first, a shaking hand would fall with a feather soft touch to where instinct told him his arm should be…

Nothing.

Simply nothing.

His hand it dirt.

"Leo.." The tone from Raph got an immediate reaction. Something was -wrong- , well more -wrong-.

Here things had been looking up.

No wonder they had wanted to take the healer.

Leo's hand was grabbed firmly by Raph and placed on Mikey's shoulder. Leo didn't understand at first, allowing Raph to slide his hand down further until about 4 inches below his shoulder the sweaty texture of his brothers upper arm vanished and was replaced by vacant space.

Leo made a very unusual sound somewhere deep in his throat before reaching up to the spot where his arm should be and repeating it. Hoping the arm would suddenly reappear. No such luck.

His hand slowly touched the skin where he felt tissue and bone but no blood. It had been sealed some how. His arm was gone but he wasn't loosing blood from that area.

About damn time for some good news…

If you could call this good news.