Author's Note: After a two year hiatus, I'm so so happy to finally be returning. I figured as an apology, I'd make this chapter extra longer than I usually write. I just want to take a moment to truly and deeply thank those who have reviewed, followed, favorited, and messaged me support and motivation to continue writing. I hope you can all forgive me for being absent for so long, and I hope those who have stuck around enjoy and those who are new to also enjoy! Reviews will help me go faster...! Thank you again so much for the support, and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Song quote from "Maybe" (by Sick Puppes)

Disclaimer: (1) Quote by Franz Kafka

...

A Turtle and His Sisyphus

...

"Don't want to live a better life, what am I waiting for? Cause' nothing stays the same. Maybe it's time to change..."

...

Gathering his equipment, Leonardo knew exactly what he signed up for. Knowing Karai, he was confident in his ability to get through to her. Deep down, he felt like they both had a mutual understanding of each other. Karai only looks out for herself; and yet, is willing to negotiate or talk with him before any of her actions. And yet, Leonardo still felt haunted by the events of his return from the ancient one—learning that his entire family was gone, because of her. After almost losing his family once to her, he vowed to himself to keep an eye on Karai himself—even if that means putting himself in danger over his brothers. He had to take the matters into his own hands; it was his duty to his family. After what happened with Michelangelo…

This just wasn't right.

His youngest brother in a complete drugged paranoid frenzy, Donatello working himself completely down to help Splinter, Raphael being the one to keep the family steady while not loosing it himself—this isn't the way they were supposed to be living. None of this seemed real. He felt sloppy, inconsistent. Things haven't gotten this out of hand—not when Splinter was in charge.

If only Sensei can see how it's holding up now…Then maybe he'll understand how conflicted all this is to me. I've let him down, I've let the family down.

His own doubts were replaced with fear. Fear of who, or what, is after his family. Leonardo felt his heart race, remembering the fear in Michelangelo's eyes. Donatello, looking so weak and defeated. Raphael, trying to keep the pieces together. He knew he was failing his family. He was going to find the monster that is attacking his family, and put it to rest once and for all—even if he had to do it alone.

But first thing's first. Leonardo rushed out of his room and headed toward the center of the lair, hoping to find Raphael before he rushed off to Casey. Right before Raphael began heading toward the rear exit, Leonardo rushed over to him.

"Raphael," Leonardo jogged over to his brother. Firmly grabbing his shoulder, Leonardo's tone was firm—hoping his brother could see the necessity in his offer. "Before you go to Casey's, I need you to do something for me."

Raphael didn't mean to roll his eyes; but he knew what was coming up probably wasn't a simple favor. Not that he cared, especially with things happening the way they are. Even when Leonardo was gone for almost a year, Donatello had to be the head-of-house. He remembered that conversation with Sensei with Donnie, how pressured Donnie felt to be the next head-of-house. Raphael would be lying if he said he didn't feel hurt by the fact his little brother was picking up responsibility where Leo left off. But running off being the Nightwatcher wasn't exactly helping his case either. I was too busy trying to fix myself, I couldn't even be there for our family. He knew for Leonardo to rely so heavily on him wasn't just because of the dire necessity that his family was in—but because he trusted him.

Ugh, crap. Shrugging his shoulders, Raphael continued to gear up his supplies. "What do ya want me to do? It better not be playing mother-hen to anyone…"

Leonardo sighed, knowing already he was set up for trouble. "Before you meet with Casey, I want you to go with Mikey to Leatherhead's. Just to be sure he gets there safely. With someone else knowing our location and the lair, it's safer to travel together. At least for the time being."

Raphael knew he shouldn't start anything with Leonardo, but if Leo was so willing about putting himself at risk then why is he the exception? Scoffing under his breath, Raphael faced his back toward Leo as he began cleaning off his sais. "That's pretty hypocritical of you considering you're going on a solo date with the same bitch who nearly killed you and us—but sure, whatever you want."

"Raph…" Leonardo sighed, sounding both defeated and irritated. "If I show up to see Karai with you or anyone else, she'll get defensive and I need her to cooperate. I can handle her on my own. This isn't the first time I went to her for information, you know that."

"Oh, yeah, sure, until she stabs you in the back again." Shaking his head, he turned to face Leonardo. Watching is brother minimizing himself is like playing a broken record; but, then why does it still bother him to see him go off alone? "Didn't Mikey say that the Foot who attacked the lair were looking for you? Couldn't this be just a distraction to get closer to you, or us?"

He couldn't lie if he didn't consider that possibility. But if that were true, Leonardo knew that it was better for him in that case to face it himself than to drag Raph or anyone else along with him—putting them in danger. "Maybe. But, if that were true why go through all the trouble in drugging Mikey? He ran off for hours, someone could have taken him let alone attack us while we were all separated. We need to consider all our options, and this is the best way to do it."

God, he can be so frinkin' stubborn. "Fine, whatever. I'll play mother hen for you and make sure Mike doesn't go zombie mode while you 'charm' your way into finding answers from Karai."

Leonardo couldn't help but smirk, rolling his eyes at the hand gestures Raphael was making toward him."Thanks. Also, let Leatherhead know what's been happening—in private, not in front of Mikey. Leatherhead's resourceful, but I still want him in the loop just in case. Keep me updated on what you and Casey find. And, be safe."

"You too, bro. You too." Raphael watched Leo run off toward the southern end of the sewer system. He knew to never, ever, trust Karai with anything let alone some information. But, this wasn't his call. And he had nothing left to do but to hope that he'll get something, anything, to put an end to all of this.

He hated feeling so helpless.

"Hey! I thought you were going off kick some Dragons' skulls with Casey?" Raphael slightly jumped at his younger brother's voice as he made his way toward the eastern end of the sewer system. Raphael cursed under his breath; he knew Mikey would be insulted if he knew that Leo was sending him as a "watchful eye". He knew he had to cover it up, and hope his brother would buy it.

"Yeah, I'm meeting Casey near the East Side near the pizzeria. Figured we might as well walk together, heading in the same way and all."

Mikey tilted his head as he caught up to his brother, walking side-by-side. "Huh. Weird, that's not where you usually meet Casey. While you're there you might as well bring a pie or two back with you!"

"Eh, felt like checking out another Dragon's hotspot. And, nice try but no—with my luck I'll get another one of your drugged pizzas and go crazy like you did." Raphael bit his tongue. Crap. I shouldn't have said that. "Eh, sorry, bro. Too soon?"

Michelangelo smiled, laughing more at himself than his brother. "Ha! Like we need two of me running around the city completely blind-sighted, huh? Dude, it's cool. I mean, this all isn't cool and definitely getting drugged and not remembering what happened isn't cool either, but the sooner we find out what's up the sooner we can get things back to normal!"

Raphael and Michelangelo continued moving forward without saying much after that. Both contemplating on their own thoughts, it wasn't until they passed the sewer exit that Mikey spoke up. "Uh, isn't this your stop, bro?"

"Uh, yeah. Figured I'm already more than halfway there from Leatherhead's, I might as well see him." Raph knew it wasn't a very good excuse, and by the dull look on his brother's face he knew he didn't go for it either.

"Okay, Raph, who told you escort me? Donnie? Leo? Both of em'? Or are you doing it out of the own kindness of your heart, Raphie?"

"Ugh. Idiot." He didn't feel like arguing or defending his point. Instead, Raphael unconsciously smacked his brother across the head. Ignoring his brother's dramatic cries and continued forward. "The sooner we get to Leatherhead's the sooner I can go beat some dragons."

"Ow! Geez, that was uncalled for! At least answer my question for me!" Michelangelo's tone grew more serious as he caught up with his brother. "It was Leo, wasn't it? I saw you two talking. I'm getting the feeling that he's beginning to doubt me even more so then usual, huh?"

Even though Michelangelo confided in him earlier, Raphael knew Mikey and Leo were on rough terms. Leo's stress, Mikey's…well…Mikey. It's no doubt that tension was going to brew. "Look, I get where you're coming from, bro. But…with everything going on, especially with you, he just wants to make sure you're okay. Don't take it too personally, 'kay? You know how Fearless gets when shit hits the fan."

"Yeah, I don't blame him. I haven't exactly made things easier, huh? But…Raph, you believe me right? About what happened during the attack on the lair, me honestly not remembering anything?" Michelangelo began to feel anxious; he didn't want to admit that not remembering what happened to him terrified him.

"I don't see why you'd make any of this shit up…But," Raphael hesitated. When he was blacking out, why did he call out to Splinter? Why did he seem not to recognize us at all? Donnie better found out what the hell was in Mikey… He knew Mikey wouldn't have the answer for him, and it would just upset him more. Better to just get him to Leatherhead's and focus on that later. Playfully shoving Mikey forward, he smirked, "Just don't be an idiot, okay? You got to keep your eyes sharp out here especially now. And learn how to answer your damn shell cell!"

"Ow! Dude! I'm totally 100% focused!"

"Ah, still bickering as ever."

"AH!" With a girlish squeal and instinctively jumping back toward Raphael, Mikey grabbed his weapons quickly. Raphael pushed his brother off. "Yo, Leatherhead! How's it goin'?"

"My friends, forgive me. I didn't mean to startle you." Leatherhead emerged from the sewer entrance. With a warm smile he greeted the two turtles. "Raphael, Michelangelo, what brings you two here? I wasn't expecting any company this evening…"

"It's kind of a long story, dude. But, I got some homework for ya if you're interested!" Michelangelo handed Leatherhead the small device. "Don thinks there's some kind of recording stuck in there."

"Hm…Such a strange device. I'll take a closer look at it, but, what is going on that you require my assistance? Are Donatello and the others alright?"

"Oh! Yeah, they're fine! Splinter is just under the weather and, well, frankly we could really use a hand! I'll fill ya in on what happened on the way to your place."

Crap. Now how am I going to talk to Leatherhead? Raphael watched as Mikey began heading toward Leatherhead's place. He waited until Mikey was further enough for him to grab Leatherhead's arm. He quietly called to him, and quickly said, "Hey, listen, Mike will tell ya what happened but—keep an eye on him. He's been drugged earlier and he may still have some of it in his system. Call us if anything happens at all."

Leatherhead nodded. "Of course, Raphael. Your brother is safe with me."

Raphael smirked as he waved to his brother. "Yo, call us when you guys find anything."

"You got it! You and Casey have fun!" And with a quick goodbye, Raphael watched his brother leave with Leatherhead. Raphael checked his cell, and found a couple of impatient text messages from Casey. Quickly heading up to the surface, he rushed to the rendezvous point. Waiting for him on the rooftop was Casey Jones, decked in his latest gear, tapping his foot while humming to himself.

"You took your sweet time, princess." Casey smirked, greeting Raphael with a forceful pat on the back.

Raphael returned the gesture with a powerful punch to Casey's arm. "Had to make sure Mikey got to Leatherhead's okay, asshole. Since when are you ever on time?"

"Since it involves bashing some Dragons, on a Tuesday night too. That's a change. I had to get out of work early for this. What gives?" Casey recently picked up more hours at the auto shop more so for April's sake than his own. Nearly his late twenties, April felt like he needed to become more "career oriented"—which, to his rebuttal, involved him saying that he had an exciting career already. Especially after Raphael's Nightwatcher days, April has been more consistent in persisting Casey. He loved her, but he couldn't lie that he felt the pressure of adulthood hitting him head on. "April's gonna kill me if she finds out that I ditched work for this so we better have a good reason for coming out here."

As the two began to scan the Purple Dragon's hotspots, Raphael updated Casey on the current situation. Casey cursed under his breath, slowing down his pace. "Shit, you guys had way more going on than I thought. April mentioned about Splinter, but now Mikey being all drugged up? No offense, but it doesn't sound like the Dragons' style. Shouldn't we be looking into whatever the Foot is up to?"

"It wouldn't be the first time we overlooked the Dragons, besides it was Leo who called the shot. Is it just me, or is it weird that we haven't found a single Dragon lurking the streets?"

"Maybe there's a ragger happening tonight that we didn't get the memo for. I hate not being invited places."

"Hm…" Raphael leaned over the edge of the rooftop, examining the streets below. Maybe the Dragons really did have nothing to do with it. Maybe Casey's right, and they were just wasting time. Reaching for his shell-cell, he speed dialed Leo. "Let's hope Fearless got more than we did…"

/././././././././././././././././

There weren't too many places Karai would be, but it wouldn't hurt to start with the Foot Lair. Any other time he'd be going there, he'd be walking into a suicide mission. With the Shredder being gone for almost a year, there wasn't much putting the turtles on their toes—except for Karai.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, he continued to focus his way toward the old foot lair. It wasn't until he heard a sword seething that he stopped in his tracks, and pulled out his katanas.

"Leonardo," Emerging from the darkness, Karai held her sword close to her as she approached him. A dark smile stretched across her face, as she continued to get closer. "It's been quite some time. You don't usually come looking for me unless you're asking for a favor…"

"Karai. You've been quiet, picked up a new hobby?"

"You know me, always keeping busy." Circling her sword around in the air, she continued to near herself toward Leonardo. "But tell me, what do I owe the pleasure? You've been quiet yourself, considering you and your brothers getting into messes. Or, is that too why you're here?" Leonardo locked his eyes on her. With the Shredder gone she seemed more confident, arrogant even. Though she looked better without the Shredder, he wondered if their separation helped her or made her worse.

"I'm not in the mood for playing games, Karai. My family was attacked tonight. I thought we had a deal."

"Do you always go accusing people without any evidence? You're getting sloppy, Leo."

Leonardo grew tenser, his eyes piercing right at her. Firming his stance, he held his katana up to her. Even as upset as he was, he kept his control. "The foot attacked my brother, and asked for me. Explain yourself. Right. Now."

Looking at the sword, then back up at Leonardo. She smirked, pushing the sword away from her. "As intimating as you are, that's not my style and you know that. If I wanted to talk to you, directly, I would have found you. I don't need to hurt your brothers to get what I want…sometimes. But, I digress, you know more than half the Foot are no longer loyal to me. They are still loyal to the Shredder, or what's left of him. Many of them returned to Japan, the rest joined washed-up gangs. Does that satisfy your question?"

Leonardo remained still, watching her every move. "And the Foot that are loyal to you? Why stay here? Why not go back to Japan? What more do you want from here?"

"I'd miss you too much." Karai waited for a reaction from Leonardo. Receiving nothing but a darker look, she sighed. "Why I choose to remain in this city is not your concern, and if it was you'd know by now. Shouldn't you be trying to figure out who's after your precious family or you for that matter? I have nothing to offer you, Leonardo."

If she's not involved…Then the Foot ninja who dispersed, if they're loyal to the Shredder. Would someone else pick up where he left off? Placing his swords back into their holsters, Leonardo watched Karai do the same. "If I hear even a word of your name mentioned, I'll come back for you. You better not be involved in this."

"I do hope that's a promise, you do know how much I love our chats." Karai smiled mischievously as she began to make her way off. "See you around."

Karai… Leonardo watched her disappear into the night. Shaking his head, his shell cell suddenly went off. Reaching for his phone, he quickly answered, "Hey, Raph, any news about the Dragons?"

"Freakin' not a single one, must be their night off or something. Casey and I were thinking of checking one more hotspot that most of them hang out before heading out. Did I interrupt your little date or…?"

"It's not a date!" Leonardo sighed, he knew that came off way more defensive than he realized. "And no, I don't think Karai is involved. Leaving our options pretty slim. Message me your location, I'll go with you and Casey on your last round."

"Sounds good, bro." And with the location set, Leonardo continued forward toward Raphael and Casey's location—hoping one more final Dragon sweep can help find an answer.

/././././././././././././././././

It's 12:15AM. And yet, I'm on my second cup of coffee. Does this mean I'm an addict coffee drinker? Donnie shrugged off his mindless thoughts as he continued to give Splinter another dosage of the antibiotic. Splinter's vital signs were getting incredibly better—more so than he thought Splinter would. Luckily, catching the pneumonia early on allowed him to treat it more quickly. But he's no doctor; he feared at some point, there wouldn't be much more he couldn't do. At least he's getting better now, that's what matters. I better ask April to pick up some more antibiotics…

It was simple to worry about Splinter, knowing he was recovering. Thinking about his brothers on the other hand…He knew that was completely different. With Mikey and Leatherhead focusing on the contents of the device, he hoped he could get more time into looking into Mikey's blood sample he got from cleaning up his wound. The blood analysis should be done soon, hopefully I'll be able to figure out what was used.

"My son," Splinter weakly spoke. Rising slightly from his bed, he smiled gently toward Donatello. "Forgive me for being in such a state, you should be assisting your brothers. They especially need your strength at this time…"

"Sensei, right here is where I'm needed. The faster I can take care of you, the faster I can get to cleaning up their messes too." He hoped with a forced laugh, Splinter could see past his own concerns.

Frowning, Splinter reached out for his son. "Donatello. I truly feel much stronger, and better since you have helped me. From what Leonardo has spoken with me, we are all at great risk. Your brothers need your support, I too fear for their wellbeing. Especially Michelangelo…Please, do not worry about me, my son."

"Father," Donatello sat beside Splinter. Here he was, almost near his deathbed not too long ago and now he's the one comforting him. "I trust you, and I trust my brothers too it's just…too many variables right now, and nothing is clear."

"Perception is so fragile, and yet so critical. Wouldn't it be easier if you could just see it through another's eyes?"

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

"That must be the blood sample analysis. Sensei, I-."

"I'm perfectly fine," Splinter reassured, holding his son's hand firmly. "Go, I will call you if I need you." Feeling guilty leaving his father's side, Donatello hesitated as he made his was back into the lab. He could remember when Leonardo left for six months for Central America, when Raph never came home—how Splinter asked him, him, to watch over Raphael and Michelangelo. In other words, he was practically leader at the time. Maybe that's why he became so bitter at the time; why he blamed Raphael, why he snapped at Mikey easily, and why he was so frustrated at his I.T job. Watching his father tell him to leave him, even for only a few moments, reminded him of that burden. Leonardo wasn't here to reassure him, he had to trust his gut without overthinking.

And now here he was, trying to put the pieces together again. Printing the blood sample analysis, Donatello waited impatiently. Worse case scenario? Mikey would needed an antibiotic to fully recover. An even worse case scenario? It's something that even he couldn't think of.

Grabbing the papers, he began to skim over the analysis. Everything else seems to be okay except…wait. Quickly rushing toward his computer he began connecting the analytical findings to some key terms. "LSD? I guess that explains the mood changes, his hallucinations, why he heard voices, and why he freaked out. But, the symptoms usually wear off within twelve hours…?" It's only been about five or six…Meaning he can still have a reaction to anything, or anyone. The others left only about an hour or so ago and still nothing. Continuing his research, Donatello continued to find any ways to help Mikey. "I get that it's coming up LSD, but what's this other compound with it? Nothing is making any sense…"

He was still wrapping his head around the fact that his brother had even been drugged, let alone his reaction to it. Why would someone go through all that trouble…

"Do you always talk to yourself when you're alone?"

Not realizing how much he let his guard down, Donatello jumped up at the new voice. Standing at his doorway was April O'Neill, still dressed in her casual formal attire from her internship site. Now as a technical assistant for an upcoming researching facility, April has continued to prove her own accomplishment—with an occasional martial arts training on the side. Laughing, she approached Donatello with an embrace. "Aw, Donnie. I'm sorry, I texted you but you didn't answer and I knew Splinter wasn't feeling well so I thought I'd swing by…Is everything okay?"

"Hey, April. Sorry I didn't get back to you, things have been...Well," Hugging her back, he then sat back at his desk and handed her the blood analysis. "I guess it's never a dull moment here. Someone slipped LSD into one of Mikey's oh-so-many pizzas and…well...let's say he didn't have the best of reactions. But, what I don't understand is why the analysis is coming up saying that the LSD has been laced with some other compound. I can't find any single thing about it anywhere, nor have I seen it before. It's only been about five or six hours since he was, you know, so he can still relapse and I'm worried about what the hell else he was drugged with. Thoughts?"

April sat on his desk and began slowly reading over Donatello's analysis, as well as his side notes he always did on his findings. "Hell, you guys really did have a rough day, huh? You should have called me!"

"With Splinter being sick and everyone off their game, and then the foot attack-!" Donatello suddenly stopped. Wait—the surveillance video. Maybe there was something I missed!

"A foot attack?!" April echoed, following Donnie over to his collection of several computer monitors. "What the hell is the foot doing around? I thought they all disbanded months ago! Don't tell me that Karai isn't…?"

"We'll find out whenever Leo is done having his date with her," Realizing April's reaction he laughed, quickly cutting her off, "And don't even start—I know, we all told him he's crazy. But, he's just as stubborn as Raph can be. Raph is out with Casey checking out the Purple Dragons—."

"Casey?" April sighed, sitting back down beside Donatello. "He's supposed to be at work, but if things are this desperate…What are you looking for?"

"Anything that can lead us closer to what Mikey was talking about when he got attacked earlier in the night— Here!" Pulling up the exact timeframe it occurred, Donatello's mouth dropped. "You've got to be kidding me."

April and Donatello watched the monitor carefully. "I-I have to call them…"

/./././././././././././././././

"That's it, I'm giving up. If it's not the fucking Dragons or foot, then who the hell-?" Raphael paced back and forth on the rooftop. Casey and Leonardo continued checking the area. "I mean, what the fuck—Oh great, it's Don calling. What's up?"

"He's calling me too," Leonardo said as he flipped open his phone. "Don? Are you okay?"

"Guys, it's me. I got us all in a conference, I figured you guys would want to hear this together." Donatello continued playing the footage over and over again, he couldn't be right—not this time. "I've been going through scanners on our security logs again to find the footage that Mikey was talking about during the attack last night. Last time I looked, the video shots were all missing. I decided to look one more time just to be sure and I found the missing video footages and…Guys? There are no sights of the foot ever coming in…"

"What?!" Raphael roared, clearly trying not to scream. This made Casey jump up, running beside Raph to hear what Donnie had founded.

"Don, that's impossible." Leonardo trembled, his voice becoming tense and quiet. "The damage done to the lair, Mikey's shoulder—it has to be manipulated or something. You can't honestly think that—!"

Donatello's voice grew grimmer. "Guys…it gets weirder. When Mikey gets to the perimeter he's just walking around aimlessly. Then this figure comes out, Mikey tries to fight him, he stabs Mikey, it looks like he's telling Mikey something, and then leaves him there….There were no robot foot ninja in the first place."

"But then what did all that damage to the lair?" Leonardo asked wearily. "You can't tell me that's…"

"It was probably Mikey—I found out he's been drugged with LSD but it's been laced with something really, really, weird. April and I are trying to find out more but it looks like we just wasted more time…"

"Raph and I will try to look more into it, Donatello. Just focus on figuring out how we can cure Mikey before it gets worse…" Raphael and Leonardo exchanged glances of worry. Leonardo showed his phone to Raphael, gesturing that Mikey was in the call as well.

Leonardo's voice softened, "Mikey, it's going to be okay— did you and Leatherhead find anything?"

It was too quiet. No one said a word, not even a breath. Raphael looked up at Leo with a worried look. "Mikey? Mike, talk to me, are you there?"

"Mikey? Mike, what's wrong? Are you there?"

"NO!" Michelangelo shouted, and not one of his dramatics. It was an agonizing cry. Crashes echoed into the phone.

"MIKEY!" All three brothers shouted into the phone.

From a distance, they could hear Leatherhead crying out, "Michelangelo! What are you doing?! I am your friend!"

"NO! I will not let you take my brothers away you fucker!"

Raphael's eyes were wide. Leonardo shook his head. Donatello remained dumbfounded.

"Leo, we have to get there! RIGHT NOW!" Raphael held his phone against his ear as he ran off at full speed. Casey gestured for Leonardo to follow them as he rushed after.

Leonardo was about to take off when something behind him caught his eyes. Stopping in his tracks. Turning around, he saw a flash of black before nothing at all. Lying on the cold rooftop was a single piece of paper. Leonardo hesitantly made his way toward the paper. Shaken by the sound of his baby brother's cries, Donatello arguing with April about heading after Mikey, Raphael desperately calling out for someone to answer—all grew silent as he crouched down and picked up the single piece of paper….

Simply written, "But what if all tranquility, all the comfort, all the contentment were now coming to a horrifying end?" (1)

/./././././././././././././././

The sewers were a lot cooler than usual in October. A shiver went down Michelangelo's spine as he continued to go deeper into the tunnels. Think happy thoughts, think warm thoughts—Leatherhead will be there and all this will be over soon! Clenching his nunchucks, his steps picked up pace. He couldn't help but start to feel a little bit more cautious, considering how his track record has been.

Rubbing his shoulder, he could feel the bandages becoming more damp and loose. I'll have to have Donnie fix this when I go back. He ignored the dull ache, keeping his focus on getting to Leatherhead's. Michelangelo still couldn't wrap his head around the events over the past couple of days—Splinter's illness, his blackout for over a couple of hours, and now robot foot ninja looking for Leonardo? This was all too weird.

He couldn't help but blame himself. All this wouldn't have happened if he had just kept his emotions in tact and been more careful when getting the pizza. Now his entire family is in jeopardy by who-knows-what, and the guilt began to kick back in. Drugged, stabbed, confused—I should be used to this by now, huh? At least his arm was starting to feel better a little bit better considering.

"Michelangelo, you're awfully quiet." Leatherhead picked his long head up from the small device. His lab was smaller than Donatello's but it's equipment was just as efficient, and dare he say, more powerful. It was enough to keep him busy with his own work, let alone when helping the turtles. Mikey sat in a spinning-chair across from Leatherhead, watching him work on the device.

"Huh?" Mikey snapped his head off his thoughts, picking up on of Leatherhead's tools as he examined it. "I'm good! Guess I'm still trying to figure things out."

"Hm…Forgive me, Michelangelo. I was going to come see your brothers and Sensei. I should have came sooner, perhaps something else I could have done…"

"What? Dude, no way! You're totally helping now! Besides, we were all running around anyway! No worries!"

"But, I digress. This technology is very advanced, far more so than the material I have been gathering."

"Ugh!" Mikey cried out, rubbing his template, he moaned as he said sarcastically. "Don't tell me it's the quarter of Baxter Stockman's brain still rotting in there or something! Like that would be a total shocker!"

Leatherhead continued focused in on chipping away at the device. "No, all the equipment I've gathered is actually from one of Stockman's abandoned warehouses. I know how he works, I fear it's someone who is capable of…far more advanced technology."

"The Kraang?" Mikey shrugged, bouncing his leg anxiously in his seat. "The last person who had anything close to their technology was—."

"Bishop." Leatherhead hissed, his own haunting memories honing in on him. The man responsible for his life, his torture.

Mikey watched as Leatherhead's demeanor began to change. He couldn't blame him, Bishop was cruel, unyielding. After what he did to Leatherhead, anyone would be terrified of that man's capability. Mikey could remember the sound of the saw buzzing as Bishop went closer and closer to him…He shuttered at the memory, never in his life did he feel such fear before. "I…I thought he was backing down after all this time, ya know, like picking up a new hobby or discovering a new species somewhere else, I don't know! Why all of a sudden is he coming after us again?"

"Your question is as good as mine. We do not know yet if this is truly Bishop's work."

Agent Bishop, next to Shredder, was probably one of the only humans that he's ever meet to actually be afraid of. Sure Bishop was fast on his feet, pretty good in a fight—definitely a challenge to say the least. But it was his mind; it was the amount of power he had. Different from Shredder, yet it was what he could do…the endless things he could do, that make Michelangelo feel uneasy. Suddenly, Mikey began to feel more and more anxious.

Geez, why am I so edgy right now? I feel like I can just do anything! Michelangelo began to feel his heart racing, his leg still jittery in his seat. His palms were sweaty. If someone like Bishop were after them…Did I really let Bishop back into our lives again? What if us separating is exactly what he wanted? What if…?

"It's all your fault…"

"No." Michelangelo mumbled to himself, shaking his head. It's the same voice, from before. Why do I feel so nauseous?

"Michelangelo?" Leatherhead watched as Mikey continued to stare blankly at the table. His cell phone continued to ring, and yet he did not move an inch. "Michelangelo. Aren't you going to answer?"

Suddenly, the sound of his phone ringing snapped him back for a moment. Just long enough for him to flip his phone open. His vision began to get more blurry, his head hot and light. At least all he had to do was listen…

"Worthless…Pitiful…Unwanted…"

"Guys, it's me. I got us all in a conference, I figured you guys would want to hear this together." Donatello sounded urgent. "I've been going through scanners on our security logs again to find the footage that Mikey was talking about during the attack last night. Last time I looked, the video shots were all missing. I decided to look one more time just to be sure and I found the missing video footages and…Guys? There are no sights of the foot ever coming in…"

"What?!" Raphael echoed, much louder than he thought.

Michelangelo froze. No foot ninja…? There's no way. There's NO way—how the hell?

"Don, that's impossible." Leonardo commented, sounding tenser than he's been. "The damage done to the lair, Mikey's shoulder—it has to be manipulated or something. You can't honestly think that—!"

Mikey held the phone tighter, staring blankly ahead. I…I imagined it? NO. There were nearly twenty of them! Ganging up on me!

Donatello's voice grew grimmer. "Guys…it gets weirder. When Mikey gets to the perimeter he's just walking around aimlessly. Then this figure comes out, Mikey tries to fight him, he stabs Mikey, it looks like he's telling Mikey something, and then leaves him there….There were no robot foot ninja in the first place."

"But then what did all that damage to the lair?" Leonardo asked wearily. "You can't tell me that's…"

"It was probably Mikey—I found out he's been drugged with LSD but it's been laced with something really, really, weird. April and I are trying to find out more but it looks like we just wasted more time…"

"Worthless…Pitiful…Unwanted…"

NO!

"Look what you had done, what you could have done to your family. You're a disgrace. A failure. You do nothing but fail those around you."

That voice…How do I know that voice?

"R-a-p-h and I will try to look more into it, D-o-n-a-t-e-l-l-o."

Who? I can't understand. Who's name?

"Mikey, it's going to be okay—did you and Leatherhead find anything?"

Is that Le-? Who? Why can't I think straight. I need to get out of here! I can't be here!

"Mikey? Mike, what's wrong? Are you there?"

R-aph? I can't open my mouth, I can't talk. Can you hear me?

"Michelangelo? You do not look well." Leatherhead cautiously approached. His skin had turned paler, his light blue eyes grew dull, he was shaking, and he looked absolutely terrified. "Michelangelo, let me talk to your brothers."

My what?

"Let me take your brothers. I'll make their deaths swift."

Shredder?! You're dead! You're dead! I won't let you-! I-!

NO!

/././././././././././././

"NO!" Michelangelo jumped. Dropping the phone he reached for his pocketknife and pounced on Leatherhead. Leatherhead dodged quickly, grabbing Michelangelo by his torso and pulling his arms behind his head.

"Michelangelo! What are you doing?! I am your friend!"

"NO! I will not let you take my brothers away you fucker!" Leatherhead was taken by surprised my Michelangelo's sudden strength. This wasn't the same Michelangelo that was smiling, offering a joke or two—he was vicious and out to kill. Leatherhead knew if he let his guard down again, Mikey could very well be the one to end it for good.

"Stop this! I do not want to hurt you!" Pulling his restraint on him tighter, Michelangelo continued to fight his way off of Leatherhead. With a powerful kick to his shin, Leatherhead fell to his knees. This gave Michelangelo the perfect opportunity—kicking Leatherhead down. He reached for his pocket knife again and went to attack Leatherhead. "STOP THIS!"

Michelangelo suddenly hesitated, his mouth dropped as he looked down at the knife and then back at Leatherhead. "Michelangelo…it's okay…I'm going to help you!"

Swiftly, Mikey took off like a flash of lighting without looking back.

/./././././././././././././././././