Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who has favorited, reviewed, followed and read so far! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Song Quote from "Maybe" (By Sick Puppies)

Disclaimer: Quotes (1,2) by Franz Kafka

...

A Turtle and his Sisyphus

...

"Maybe it's hopeless...Maybe I should just give up."

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

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

Leonardo's mind was screaming at him to go, to follow his brother and get to Michelangelo as fast as possible. He took a shaky breath, reading over and over the crumbled words. His eyes quickly darted over the rooftops. Someone had to be watching; someone out there was enjoying this.

Useless. He hated knowing that someone was toying with them, with his family. Leonardo would gladly take the burden himself, allowing anything to him if it meant saving his brothers. If Karai was telling the truth, and the Dragons are low key—there has to be an explanation. Thinking rationally was the only way he could keep his mind straight.

"Leo!" Leonardo looked over his shoulder, finding his brother pacing back toward him. Raphael still had his shell-cell resting on his shoulder. He could hear Donatello's voice frantically talking through his earpiece, which sounded more like gibberish on the other line. Raphael tensed up, but looked utterly defeated. He was probably thinking the same thing as him, yet something felt so wrong…

Everything was happening more quickly than his mind could process. If someone is purposely toying with us…

"Leo!" Raphael exclaimed again, this time roughly shaking his older brother's shoulder. "Let's. Go! We can't just stand—!"

"Maybe we should." Leonardo answered, more bluntly than he intended.

Raphael looked insulted, mumbling under his breath before shaking his head. "What the hell are you talking about? Leatherhead could be really hurt, and Mikey—!"

"Someone is toying with us," Leonardo handed his brother the paper, gesturing his surroundings as his voice escalated. "It's just going to repeat over and over before we loose him for good! We need a better plan then just running around in circles!"

"Oh, and sitting here like jerk-offs waiting for another mysterious little note is going to help?" Raphael snapped. Rolling his eyes, he looked over at Casey who was still waiting for his follow. A part of him knew Leonardo only meant to put an end to it—but that doesn't mean he shouldn't have to put up with it. "You can wait around all you want I'm going to find my brother—!"

"April and I are the closest to Leatherhead," Donatello's voice crackled through Leo and Raph's earpieces. Alarming the two, almost forgetting about their younger brother still on the other line. "She and I are going to check in on him, since he's not answering. Sensei will be okay, his condition is getting better and I fixed the lockdown protocol. She and I will take care of it. Don't get mad, but I snuck a tracking device on Mikey's belt just in case this would happen again. He's heading west toward the Junkyard. If you cut him off, you should be able to get him. Just be careful, he isn't going to be in the right mind. Sending you the coordinates now."

Leonardo took out his shell-cell and looked over the GPS. He's moving fast, but we can still catch him. Unless… For as long as he can remember, Master Splinter always encouraged him to trust his gut. As the leader after all, he has to grow and instinct for it. He has to be able to evaluate and plan all the possibilities. Sometimes, even shutting out his own emotions. Hell, he just wanted to take off right after his little brother and do everything he can to bring him home.

He couldn't help but remember when Donatello got sick, then suddenly had a second mutation. The monster he became, the fear of never being able to see his little brother as himself again—Leonardo promised himself, never again will he ever let his family get to that state.

That was, until Raphael reached his breaking point. After his return from South America, that dark and thundering night collided the built up tension between the two. A flash of lighting, Raphael gripping his sai directly at his neck, trusting in his brother. He and Raphael never dared mentioned about that night again, especially to their brothers. Leonardo knew in his heart that his younger brother would never, ever, do it—and yet, the fear and the realization in Raphael's eyes still haunt him to this day.

And now his youngest brother is facing the same threat. The most free-spirited, happy-go-lucky, always supportive—No, not him. Not Michelangelo too. For his brother's sake, he had to focus. Why all this trouble? If someone wanted to take him, they'd done it last night when he was gone. Why make him relapse? Why make him snap again?

"He's close! Let's go-!" Before Leo could speak, his brother and Casey were already running down the fire escape. Frustrated, Leo groaned as he chased after him.

Not too far ahead of him, Leonardo treaded carefully behind the two. Looking around his area from time to time, Leonardo kept his eyes on the rooftops. He hoped that just maybe, the mysterious figure would return. Picking up his pace, Leonardo watched Raphael run faster toward the fence.

"Wait!" Leonardo hissed, trying to catch up to his brother. "We need a plan-! Raphael!"

"He's close." Raphael waited for Leonardo to hop over the fence and stand with him, gesturing toward his phone. "He's not right in the head right now. Maybe we should just get him to stop moving—!"

"And terrify him? If he's seeing things, hearing stuff, we need to try and talk him down."

"Like in his room? Yeah right. I remember that working out real well, Fearless."

"Uh, fellas?" Casey whispered, leaning in closer toward the abandoned tractor. "I think he's here…" Casey carefully gripped his hockey stick, gesturing the others to go around the trailer.

"No weapons, Raph."

"It's nice of you to think that I would."

Leonardo sighed, he knew Raphael would take it the wrong way. But that would have to wait. Casey waited near the drivers' seat, crouching low. Raphael headed toward the front while Leonardo took the back. Treading around the rear end of the tractor, he could hear mumbling coming from the other side.

"Stop. Please, stop. It's not my fault! It's not my fault!" Michelangelo was completely soaked. Probably from the sewer, Leo figured. But what alerted him the most was the amount of cuts he had on his arms and torso. Clearly he was in a struggle with someone, could have been the culprit who did it all? Did he run into Dragons or Foot? He was sitting on his knees, holding himself as he continued to mumble quietly to himself. Michelangelo continued to tremble, sinking himself lower to the ground.

A sense of rage began to fill inside Leonardo. Whoever did this is going to pay.

With Michelangelo's back facing to him, Leo knew he didn't want to scare him. Raphael leaned in to see his brother, locking eyes with Leonardo. I need to at least try to talk to him…Maybe help him make sense of all of this. Kneeling on the ground, Leonardo carefully reached toward his brother. "Mikey. It's me, Leo—."

Snapping his head up, Michelangelo stumbled backward landing on his shell. His eyes grew wide as he stared right at Leonardo. He stumbled as he began to reach for his weapon.

"Hey, easy, little bro." Forcing a smile, he held his voice calmly. "I'm not going to hurt you. We were all worried about you. Me, Raph, Donnie, Sensei, Leatherhead, Casey and April? We just want to take you home. Are you okay?"

"N-No. You're dead. You're not real! I-I…GET AWAY FROM ME!" Turning to flee from Leonardo, his eyes locked onto Raphael's. Beginning to realize he was cornered, he began frantically looking around another way out.

Shit. Holding his hands up, Raphael stepped out of his spot. "It's alright, Mikey. Ya didn't do anything wrong, bro. Just snap out of it!"

Oh, real sensitive Raphael. Giving Raph a disapproving look, Leonardo tried reaching out his hand toward his youngest brother. "Mikey, just take a deep breath, okay? Remember why—."

Michelangelo began to corner himself between Leo and Raph. Michelangelo's voice broke, looking back toward the ground. "No! Stop! Stop! You're dead! I'm sorry, Raphie. I'm sorry, Leo. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Raphael's heart sank. He's never seen his brother this…desperate. He looked up at Leo, hoping he would make the next move. Since I clearly can't make the "delicate" choices. Leonardo nodded toward Raph, as he slowly stood up from the ground. Fearless better know what he's doing…

"Mikey," Leonardo spoke softly, treading carefully toward Michelangelo. "Remember how you got here. Remember what you were doing before this moment."

Michelangelo's posture began to ease, his voice growing composure as he looked at Leo. "I..I..L-Leatherhead. I…I was, there?"

Leonardo smiled as he slowly walked closer toward him. "Good, Mikey. You're doing great. Keep remembering, you were with Leatherhead, right?"

"Y-Yeah." Rising from the ground, Michelangelo turned to face Raphael. Forcing himself to smile, he rubbed his template. "I was…helping? Yeah, I was helping him figure something out. The…The…The thingy? Then your voices came on and-."

"Guys! We have a problem!" Casey hopped over the driver's seat of the truck and landed next to Raphael. Lowering his hockey mask and reaching for his weapon, he gestured toward behind the tractor. "Dragons at twelve o'clock!"

Leonardo instinctively jumped in front of Michelangelo, Raphael following beside Leonardo. "Raph, take Mikey back to the lair. Now."

"There's no way I'm leavin' ya-!"

"Mikey is in no condition to fight, he can get hurt or worse! You know what you have to do! Go!"

"Leo's right, man!" Casey chimed, readying his second weapon. "We got this! Get your bro to safety!"

Leonardo gave a quick nod toward his brothers before turned next to Casey, facing the dozen Purple Dragons that waited for them. Knowing his brothers were headed to safety, he allowed himself to smile devilishly. "Well, well, looks like you all are right where you belong. How about we make them stay this way?"

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

"Donnie," April couldn't help but break the silence between them as they paced their way through the dark and cold tunnels. Tucking her scarf in her jacket, she quickly opened her zipper pocket. Feeling her pocket knife secure in her pocket, she continued to focus on Donnie. Zipping in front of her, he kept his eyes on his phone. Probably looking at his brothers' locations, or maybe checking on Splinter's antibiotic dosages. April jogged faster to catch up to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder, making him flitch at the sudden sensation of warmth. "Talk to me. Please? I'm worried about you. You've been working non-stop for weeks, and now with this happening—."

Donatello snapped around, his voice more irritated than he intended. "And who's going to be the one to make sure Splinter gets better? Who's the one who's going to have to re-analyze Mikey's blood samples to make sure that this drug isn't going to get himself killed? Forget it, just forget it. We need to get to Leatherhead's."

April felt a sting of guilt. With her internship taking up most of her time, she really hasn't been around the turtles as much as she used to always be. If someone didn't force Donnie to take a break, he would be working himself sick. Just like he is now…

Trying to stop him wouldn't help. He was right, as much as she hated to admit it. Leatherhead could be hurt. And with Who-Knows-Who drugging Mikey, they do need to get to the bottom of it before it gets lethal. She knew she couldn't stop his worrying, but she had to at least reassure him. Continuing to keep up with his pace, she reached for his arm and tugged it tight. "Okay, Mr. Sassy. Keep it up and I'll cut off your caffeine."

Fighting the urge to laugh, Donnie allowed himself to chuckle. "Good luck with that. You underestimate me, y'know. Come on, it's right here." Turning down the tunnel toward Leatherhead's, a sudden chill stopped Donatello in his tracks. Holding his arm out protectively in front of April, he quickly shined his light around the area. A loud thumb echoed in the tunnels, making it harder for Donatello to found the source. "Do you hear that?"

April blinked. "Hear what?"

"Over there." Treading toward the end of the dark tunnel, he flashed his light over. Standing as tall as ever was Leatherhead, who was rapidly searching the tunnels. "Not exactly discreet, Leatherhead."

"Donatello! Ms. O'Niell!" Leatherhead walked up to the two. "Michelangelo! I-I tried to follow him but—!"

"Whoa, whoa. It's okay, Leatherhead. The others are getting him." Shinning his light, he began to see triples of blood dripping from a deep cut on Leatherhead's arm. "Leatherhead! Your arm! What happened? Did Mikey…?"

"No," Leatherhead said briskly. "No. After your brother ran out I chased after him, hoping I could settle him. Then, I realized that Michelangelo was no longer running from me. But from someone else."

"Someone else?" April echoed, stepping closer to see Leatherhead's wound. "Did you see where this guy came from?"

"I know these tunnels well, and even though I am getting older my senses are still sharp. There was no one with us when Michelangelo and I went to my home. I knew Michelangelo was heading away from your home, so I hopped to cut him off in one of the other tunnels to catch him off guard. By the time I caught up to him, there was someone attacking him—badly, from what I saw. I watched your brother try to fight back, but he was struggling. I immediately went to attack the stranger, warning Michelangelo to flee. He was dressed in black, I could not see his face, but he struck me. He was too quick, by the time I recovered he was long gone. I hoped to return to you all, but I have let you down. Forgive me, Donatello."

"Leatherhead, you did everything you could. You saved Mikey, that guy could have got him." Taking a closer look at Leatherhead's arm, he said, "Maybe you should come back with us and let me wrap that for you. Just so it doesn't get infected."

"Thank you, Donatello, but I insist on doing it myself. Besides, I was almost done cracking the encryption code on the device you left for me. I will give you a call as soon as it's done. Go, take care of your family. I will be alright."

"Thanks, Leatherhead. I should give the others a head's up about this guy though." Turning on his earpiece, he quickly connected to the others. "Guys, Donnie here. Leatherhead is okay but he said someone following Mikey was down here attacked him. This guy could be a lead. Keep your eyes peeled for him."

"Casey and I just finished putting the Dragons in their place. We're heading back. Raph? Did you and Mikey get back?"

Silence.

"Raph? Mikey?"

The painful silence was broken by a deep, emotionless voice. "So incompetent, Leonardo. I expected better from you."

Typical, using a machine to hide their voice. Quickly Donnie began punching in commands on his phone to trace the signal. A notification reading, "BLOCKED", popped on the screen. Didn't think it would be easy, after all.

What the shell? Maybe Donnie can trace the call, I got to keep him talking. Pacing forward, Leonardo gripped his katana instinctively as he looked around his surroundings. "Who is this? Where are my brothers?"

The voice chuckled menacingly. "You still haven't figured it out yet, Donatello? So predictable. The pacifist. The fixer-upper. You're weak. You think you can suffice for your 'team' by being the provider. You can't even solve the answers I have clearly given you. Maybe once this is all done, I can still use your brain for research. I'm sure that'll suffice for your lack of performance."

He knows us. He knows me. Donatello let the words sink in, fighting to keep his focus on hacking. He knew April and Leatherhead could hear the conversation, he felt her reach out to him to comfort. He didn't have time for that. He had to focus. He had to catch him. If it's not the Shredder or Karai…It can't be Bishop. He was killed. There's no way. And yet…

Leonardo's voice grew darker, his rage beginning to stir inside him. No one talks to his brother like that and gets away with it. No one. "Enough of this! You're nothing but a coward. Hiding behind words and games, if you want something from me then just stop playing around and show yourself!"

"Oh, so intimating, Leonardo." The voice mocked. "The 'Fearless Leader'. The one who abandoned his family, twice might I add, to 'better himself'. The prodigal son. Always trying to be the best to prove yourself worthy, honorable. To who, I ponder? Yourself? That rat you call a father? Your brothers? But I digress. You'll want to find your brothers I assume. I'll be seeing you all shortly. Do take care."

"No!" Leonardo punched the fence next to him. How could he let him slip away again? Allowing himself to compose, he asked, "Donnie, did you get the signal? Where are Raph and Mikey?"

"His signal is blocked. I couldn't trace it. He was also blocking calls from Raph and Mikey, they tried to call us twice during our little chat. Their GPS trackers say they're near the lair—."

"Casey and I are heading back right now. Patch them in." He knew he shouldn't let the words sink in him, and nether should Donnie. Right now he just needed to see his family in one piece, and together, before anything gets worse.

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

Overwhelmed would be an understatement. Michelangelo could barley piece together what just happened, let alone how he went from talking to Leatherhead to standing in the junkyard with his brothers and Casey. His head pounded, the cuts and bruises on his arms began to burn, he still felt wobbly on his feet—and his memory was terrible. I remember the Shredder…Did I fight him? He killed my family. Now they're here, but I wasn't really here here? Geez, won't anything make sense anymore?

"Let's go!" Suddenly a forceful pull leads Michelangelo toward Raphael as they began fleeing the area. Running ahead, Raphael turned back and called out, "Mikey! Can you keep up?"

"Saying that I'm trying would understatement, Raphie-boy!" Every step he took felt like he was taking one back, literally. While his vision was still blurred, he had to keep moving. I'm so sick of this stupid drug! I just want to go back home and eat a real pizza and just forget this ever happened!

"Over here!" Quick-stepping toward the sewer entrance, he opened the top and gestured Mikey to head down. Michelangelo watched as Raph's eyes began to study him. Raphael sighed, looking at his younger brother's arms. "Are ya gonna be able to with your shoulder—?"

"I'm not a complete lost cause, geez!" Mikey waved dramatically at him, beginning to climb down the ladder. "I can climb down a ladder!"

"Ugh." Raphael rolled his eyes as he followed down after his brother. Shining his light he continued moving forward. "Lucky for us we aren't too far from home."

"Y-Yeah, sounds good, bro."

"Look," Raphael sighed. He couldn't even begin to imagine what was going on in his brother's head. He couldn't even wrap his own head around it, let alone watching Michelangelo suffer like he is. It was cruel. Knowing what you were doing in one moment, then blinking, and finding yourself questioning what's real? It ain't right. He shouldn't be livin' that way. "I know this is a lot on ya. And coming home to Leo and Donnie is gonna be smothering, but…I promise ya, we're gonna get to the bottom of this. Ya gonna get better, and everything's gonna go back to normal. Okay?"

Michelangelo smiled. Even when things get messed up, Raphael always seems to hold his ground. He wouldn't ever let someone else see him falter; he was always the one to keep everyone together, even though he never vocalizes it. He caught up next to his brother, still smiling. "Thanks, Raph."

Raphael couldn't help but shake the bad feeling he was getting. He looked at his brother carefully. He was still tugging at his shoulder, knowing it's hurting him more than he's letting on. Still, he felt better knowing at least he was right next to him. This time, he won't let anything happen again. We need to get to the bottom of this. He has to remember something. Anything. "Are ya okay? The last time I saw ya, it didn't look like you were getting attacked by cats."

"Heh. Funny." Mikey shrugged. "Yeah, I've been wondering myself, dude. I…I don't know. I remember talking to Leatherhead. I remember you guys calling me. Then, like, I couldn't remember who you were. That's when everything got really fuzzy…"

"What do you mean you couldn't remember who we were? You couldn't recognize us?" Raphael mused. Explains his freak-out in his room, and the mirror. Is someone trying to condition him to forget about us?

"Yeah…It..It happened before I think too. I remember the Shredder attacking me, the foot soldiers attacking me you all—Ugh!" Michelangelo clenched his shoulder tightly. The bandaging had already fallen off, not helping much from keeping it getting roughed up. Aw, man Donnie's gonna kill me.

"Not if I don't get to it first."

"Raph? Did you say something?" He knew it wasn't his brother. He just hoped that maybe he wasn't totally loosing his mind.

Raphael shined his light toward Michelangelo, studying his brother carefully. Shaking his head, he said. "No? Why? Did ya here something?"

Michelangelo hesitated. He knew if he didn't admit to hearing something, the next think he knows he'll be in a ditch somewhere contemplating again what had happened. But, on the other hand, Mikey knew that if he did tell Raph about the weird-creepy-voices that he'll go on full worried mode. And he's definitely more irritable that way…

It began to build up more and more inside of him. Raphael stood directly in front of him, clearly waiting for him to answer. Everything that happened. It was like it was on the tip of his tongue, and yet no words came out. Maybe I can remember what happened…Come on! Think! Okay, you were with Leatherhead. Donnie called all of us. Then he said that the lair was never ambushed. Then-!

"Oookay, ya creeping me out now. You good?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm just trying to…" A light blub went off in his head. It was like a bunch of blocks stacking together, everything began to slowly come back. Words began to pop back in his head, one by one. "WAIT! A note. Leo. He found a note didn't he?"

Raphael halted. A chill went down his spine as he turned back to face his brother. Michelangelo tilted his head, rubbing his template as his eyes still focused on Raph. He slowly asked, "How do ya know that?"

"I…Left that note for him."

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

"They should be back by now."

Leonardo paced around the lair at least a dozen more times. After returning without any of the others back yet, he paced toward Splinter's room. Finding him resting peacefully comforted him, even for a brief moment. He always found peace whenever he was with his father, knowing his guidance and support will carry everyone through the darkest time. But, what about his own?

Clenching his father's hand tightly, Leonardo fought any emotion that was urging him to break. "Father. You will get better. You can't say things like that."

"Regardless of when it comes, my son, the day will come when I can no longer live. You must always be prepared for that. Have faith in your self, just as your brothers have faith in you."

"They're close, Leo. I've had my eyes on their trackers since you asked me where they were two minutes ago." Donatello perked his head up from his laptop, slightly shrugging in his seat. He thought running Mikey's blood analysis again could help clear up exactly what's been going on in his system. Returning back to his computer, focusing back on what he was typing. "Besides, Leatherhead messaged me and said he almost decoded the device."

April, holding two cups of coffee, rushed from the kitchen. Handing one to Leo, she sighed. "Do you think Karai was telling you the truth, Leo? All this manipulation seems like her forte."

Smiling at April, nodding thankfully for the drink, he hesitated to answer. He knew the question was more of a trap. In a sense, he understood Karai. It wasn't like she knew any better, the Shredder raised her—she was his daughter. To her, he was family. Yet, she recognizes what he does and supports him. Leonardo truly felt like she was telling the truth. Taking a sip of coffee, he looked back up at the others. He said bluntly, "This is way too elaborate. No, I don't think she or the Foot have anything to do with this."

"You guys should seriously have an Excel spreadsheet of who and when each psychopath attacks you." Casey sat next to April on the couch, putting one arm over the couch and the other on her shoulder. "At least then you can keep track of when you're gonna get attacked next and by whom!"

"Maybe it's the lack of caffeine in my system," Donatello smirked, laughing more so at himself then at Casey. "But maybe he has a point after all."

"Yo!" Raphael jogged into the lair. Throwing the flashlight on the other couch, he quickly looked back at Mikey who was walking much more slowly behind him.

"Raph, were you guys okay?" Leonardo noticed how stiff Raphael held himself. He knew it shouldn't have taken them that long to return; something must have happened. Donnie was already on his feet, handing his laptop to April he quickly rushed over to Mikey. He was already checking his cuts and shoulder, before Mikey pulled away and rushed up to Leo.

Michelangelo looked completely drained. We have to help him. We have to get to the bottom of this. Leo placed his hand on Mikey's other shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "I'm happy to see you're okay are you—?"

"Leo," Mikey said in a shaky voice, his eyes darting to the floor. "I…I remember what happened. It's like, really, really choppy but I remember pieces of it. Like watching a T.V show when you're half asleep except you really wanna watch it but you sleep anyway and you remember bits and pieces of it like how it ends but it's a nagging feeling of you trying to remember what happened and-!"

"Mikey, it's okay. Just take a breath, and start from the beginning. You remember what happened. What can you remember?"

"I remember my cell ringing. Hearing your voices, but not being able to tell who was talking. Then I attacked Leatherhead, I think? I…I ran off. I met with someone. I don't know who, but he attacked me and was telling me to do something, UGH! I can't remember. But I saw you. I saw you, Raph, and Casey on top of the rooftop. I left a note for you. But he…he said I couldn't be seen, so I ran. Then the voices came back, I…I thought I got you all killed. And then…I saw you guys and then, like, BAM. Everything was normal again."

Leonardo stood completely, and eerily still. His eyes never faltered away from Michelangelo. While his posture was steady, his mind was running a thousand miles a minute. Someone is trying to control his thoughts. Condition him to forget about us…And it's working. How can that even happen?!

Standing next to him, Raphael's arms were crossed as he looked over at Donnie then back at Leo. Mikey probably already told Raphael already, he was just waiting to see what would unfold from it.

"G-Guys?" Mikey's voice perked, his eyes now frantically looking at each of them. "Okay, like, I'm already freaking out enough! Someone please say something!"

"We're going to get to the bottom of this, Mikey." Leonardo narrowed his eyes, saying comfortingly, "Trust me. You aren't responsible for any of this. Donnie, is Leatherhead done decoding the device?"

"Y-Yeah," Donnie grabbed his laptop from April and began opening the file. "Like I thought, there was a message written in there." Turning his laptop to face the others, a picture of a note appeared in the same format as the previous one.

Leonardo read the message aloud, "The diabolic sometimes adopts the appearance of good, or even embodies itself completely therein." (2)

"The fuck does that even mean?" Raphael snarled. "Whoever is messing around with us is going to pay!"

"That's the question of the hour." Donatello commented, narrowing his eyes at the message. "Leatherhead believes the technology is Bishop's."

"I thought he went back to the underground?" April asked, "It's been almost a year, why would he suddenly be interested in you guys again?"

"I mean," Mikey smiled smugly, gesturing toward himself. "Look at us! We're irresistible! Except Raph. He's a little too stiff if ya know what I mean- OW!"

Raphael growled, smacking his youngest brother over the head. He knew he shouldn't have done it, considering what's happening, but Leo wanted everything back to normal didn't he? "Drugged or not, doofus, you better can it before I permanently make ya stiff six feet under!"

"Raph!" Leo and Donnie's voices echoed, both of them giving him a reprimanding look. Raphael shrugged, clearly unaffected by their disapproval glances.

For the first time in a long time, Michelangelo laughed. Smiling from ear to ear, he chuckled, "You should see the look on your faces!"

Donnie couldn't help but smile. It's been so long since they heard him laugh. For a moment, it felt like things were back to normal. Suddenly his smile faded. Something wasn't right. Looking at his younger brother's arms, he recognized a puncture wound. Oh no. "Mikey?" He asked carefully, slowly reaching for his arm. "Can I just take a look at your cuts for a second?"

"I'm fine, dude." Mikey shrugged, holding out his arm for his brother. "I mean, I don't remember where I got these from but I honestly feel better. Maybe it's wearing off?"

"That looks like an injection cut," Donnie said slowly as he turned to face others. "Whoever he was with may have put the drug back in his system when it was wearing off. That's probably why he remembers bits and pieces. If there's a chance of him relapsing again…"

"Regardless, the drug is causing him to have no recollection of where and who you were around." Leonardo mused as he crossed his arms. "And the fact that you didn't recognize any of us. This isn't just a hallucination drug. Someone is trying to alter your thinking and emotions toward us. I'm…" His voice dropped, his eyes softening toward Mikey, "I'm worried about you. It's like in one minute you're yourself, and in the next you're attacking and running off to God knows where."

"So what? It's not like you would have been trusting of me if I wasn't drugged, anyway." Mikey felt the sting of his words. It was impulsive, but he knew that's what he was thinking. Seeing Leonardo's face drop, guilty couldn't begin to describe his feeling. He knew he shouldn't have said that, before he could speak Leo beat him to the punch.

"Mikey," His voice softened, clearly trying to not sound as hurt as he felt. "That's not what I meant at all. I, we, are all here to help you. Don't doubt that."

"I know…Sorry, Leo." Mikey said sheepishly. Geez, I knew I shouldn't have said that. It felt like I thought and spoke it at the same time. Maybe I am going crazy. "I'm just so freakin' done with all this! Don, you can make it go away, right?"

"I…Don't know if I can make it completely go away," Donnie sighed, looking back at his computer. "I've been looking over your last blood analysis a dozen times and I still can't trace what else is in your system. I don't want to give you something that could contradict whatever else is in there. Really all I can say is time, lots of liquids, and sleep. Both times you blacked out, it began with you feeling dizzy and nauseous right? We just got to be sure to avoid any high levels of stress or emotion that could possibly trigger another hallucination. As far as the 'forgetting-who-we-are' part…?"

"If Bishop is really the one behind it, he's got to have a team behind him." Casey said. "Probably the Dragons, it's convenient of them to show up right when we find Mikey, right?"

"Or," April countered. "He was just paying the Dragons to play distraction for you guys. They'll do anything for some decent cash. Regardless, it's a place to start."

"Again?" Raphael moaned. "Hell no, I'm not wasting another damn minute on those assholes. They ain't smart enough to pull this off."

"We'll figure it out. Mikey, let's go to my lab and get you checked out, okay?" Donnie carried his laptop back to the lab.

"Okay, Dr. Donnie, whatever you say!" Mikey shrugged, reaching for his shoulder again he slowly followed behind him.

"April, Casey, you guys should head back before it gets any later." Leonardo offered. "I promise, we'll call if anything happens."

"Are you sure?" Casey frowned. "If this is Bishop doing his fucking games again…"

"We don't want you guys getting hurt again." April said as-matter-of-factly. The two remember well what happened the last time Bishop got his hands on all four of them. How close they were to being cut up into tiny little pieces, literally.

"I promise," Leo reassured. "I'll give you guys a call if anything comes up. We all need rest."

After saying goodbyes to Casey and April, the lair got eerily quiet. I didn't realize how late it got…Leonardo sighed, turning to Raphael. "He might relapse again."

"I know." Raphael said quietly.

"He might not remember us next time. Raph, what are we going to do if he-?"

"It ain't gonna come to that, Fearless. He's a lot tougher than ya think."

"We need to watch over him. Take shifts in sleeping. We can't have him leaving the lair again like last time. You rest first, once Donnie is done with him I'll sit in his room."

Raphael reluctantly agreed. He hoped, for his brother's sake, that everything he told Leo was enough. Enough for them to make it through the night. Enough for Mikey to be able to pull out of this. He knew a fight would come sooner or later, it always did. There was no other choice than to be prepared for it.

But to be prepared for whatever Bishop has in store for his brother? What that psychopath wants it to come down to?

Oh, hell no. I ain't gonna let that happen. None of us are.

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

"The specimen is reacting well, better than I expected. His willpower is stronger than I give him credit for."

"You underestimated him, all of them. They're close. Too close."

"Exactly. Soon, his thoughts, emotions, memories—I can alter everything."

"Then what?"

"I will make them beg for their demise."

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