Chapter 10

Blackness swirled all around him. The sound of thunder boomed as the floor shuddered beneath him. Pain laced through his shoulder and broken shell. He staggered up from his own puddle of blood. 'So weak…so damn weak!' is all he could think.

Voices echoed faintly in the distance. "L-Leo…please… can't you save us?"

Four figures are huddled together, broken and dying…his family. Mikey is lying on the floor unable to get up; he's fighting the tears that are threatening to spill over. Don is clutching his broken arm, his eyes huge with fear. Raph is also on the ground, doing his best to hide the pain that his shattered rib cages are causing him. And Master Splinter…he's practically dead. His body is burned to the point where it's almost unrecognizable. It breaks Leo's heart to see his master like this. But what's worse is the look in his eyes. "Why," he whispers through a cracked sob,"…is my oldest son…so useless? Why can't he protect his own master?

"No!" Leo gasped, "I won't let this happen. I can do better! I WILL protect you!" He stumbled forward, each step shooting new waves of pain to his shoulder. But all in vain. No matter how far he's gone they're still too far away. Despite all his best efforts, he can't reach them.

Then his body is smashed into the floor as the shredder's large robotic foot crushes him. Blood spurts from his mouth as Leo chokes. The shredder's laughter fills the air around him as he grins, "Do you really think you can stop me? Out of all of your miserable family, you are truly the most pathetic. I almost pity your half-hearted efforts. You couldn't even defeat my daughter, so what makes you think you could possibly defeat me?"

Leo snarled, pushing against the floor and fighting against the shredder's weight. Feet suddenly appear before him. He manages to look up and see the smirking face of Karai, her blood-soaked sword still in hand. She points it at his face. "Why do you even try, Leonardo? No matter what you attempt the outcome will always be the same. Your family will die…either today or tomorrow; it doesn't matter. You cannot escape fate."

The images of his brothers and father corpses burn into his mind. "No…" he mutters as grief and rage rack his body, "NO. I'll do anything, everything, to protect them! I won't fail again!"

The inside of shredder's rocket fades around him and Karai begins to walk away. Leo tries to go after her, but the darkness keeps crushing him down. His family appears before Karai, captured and beaten. Leo's heart beat accelerates and his body begins to shake with the effort of escaping the chains that seem to be bound tightly around him. "See, Leonardo?' Karai says mockingly as her foot soldier's swords are raised, "There's nothing you can do."

Leo struggles wildly, but to no end. He can't break free and the swords are inching closer. "Wait, don't Karai!" he yells madly, but it's too late. The sickening sound of the sword sinking into flesh and the screams of its victims fill all the air around him like white noise. Tears stream down Leonardo's face as it contorts in anguish. His hands clutch his head as he screws his eyes shut. "No, no, no! This can't be happening! How could I have failed again!"

The suffocating darkness that blanketed him gave away to a cold evening breeze. Leo sat up in shock and looked around him. He saw his brothers fighting foot on the roof of a building not far away. Leo's heart soared. They were still alive!

He quickly rushed to their aid. The nearest foot was cut down as Leo brandished his swords. He called out to his brothers. "Guys! Don't worry, I'm here!" The foot fell before him like dominos but still his brothers didn't respond. "Guys?" Leo asked hesitantly. Raphael, who was closest, suddenly turned on him. "Who the hell are you?" he growled, raising his sais. "Raph, what are you talking about? It's me: Leo!" But Raph just grew angrier. "Ya look nothing like the brother who abandoned us, got that? And what do ya know 'bout him, ya lousy human?" Leo backed away, clearly confused. Human? What was Raph talking about? Looking at himself he realized with dread that he was human.

He tried to explain, "Listen guys, I've been-" But he was cut off as Donatello's bow suddenly pressed against his chest. "So you became human, huh, Leo? I guess that's the reward you got for joining the foot." Don accused, practically spitting out the word 'foot.' Leo almost fell over in disbelief, "Foot? Why the hell would I join them?" Michelangelo swung his nunchucks threateningly as he replied, "You're helping Karai, aren't you?" Leo shook his head in frustration, "No, you've got it all wrong! I would never-"

"Save the crap, Leo!" Raph angrily interrupted. "You didn't kill her and now she's after us. What kind of leader are ya? Running off with that bitch and abandoning your family takes some nerve. But don't worry, cause I'M leader now. And I'm actually gonna stick around and protect my bros."

Raph was just inches from his face now, eyes glinting as he snarled "I'm not a failure like you."

…..

Leonardo jerked out of his sheets, sweat covering his body as he gazed wildly around him. He was in a Japanese-style room laying on a futon. He relaxed when he realized he was still in Kaki's home. But staring at his trembling-human hands, Leo's unease came back. Letting out a shaky breath, he realized that his nightmare was far from over.

TBC…