The damp, wet, smelly sewers was probably not the best place to tell someone, let alone your very protective father, some very bad news about your helpless baby brother. But that's what the three turtle brothers did.
They each knelt in front of their father with the heads bowed in shame, waiting for the worst.
Splinter stroked his beard and gazed down at his sons. He sighed. "I am very disappointed," He said rather calmly; easily hiding the actual disappointment or worry he had. "It was your responsibility to take care of your brother in his time of need.
"I will decide a fit able punishment for all of you when Raphael is home and safe." Splinter stated.
Leo perked up slightly, "I was also in a state of need when Raphael went missing," He paused letting his words sink in, "So I'll be excused from this punishment, right Sensei?"
Mikey and Donnie each turned their bowed heads and glared daggers at Leo before glancing up at Splinter.
"Leonardo. You are the leader of this team. If your team goes down, then you shall go down with them."
Donatello and Michelangelo smiled. "B-but Sensei… I was three!"
"And you lead your team to disaster. You will receive the punishment just like your brothers." Splinter stated.
Leo gaped while Mikey and Donnie sniggered. "Three, Sensei. Three years-"
"You will go and find your brother," Splinter stated, "I will contact Miss O'neil and Mr. Jones and we will see what we can do down here." He paused. "We will do all we can to bring Raphael home."
Each turtle bowed. "Hai Sensei," They chorused before standing up.
Splinter nodded back before leaving for his room, leaving just the turtles. "Alright guys," Leo stood up, followed by his brothers, "Where to next?"
"T.C.R.I?" Mikey suggested. "They wear suits, right?"
Leo hummed for a moment as he thought about his options. He turned to Donatello. "What do you say Donnie?"
Donnie's eye ridges shot up in surprise, "Oh, uh, I was thinking maybe Foot HQ." He paused and thought for a second. "Karai might have something to do with this… Hopefully Karai and not Shredder." He sucked in a breath which seemed to take in all the noise in the whole lair with it.
Donnie swallowed. "But, we could check out what the Kraang are up to. They knew about Raphael's… They might have taken him."
"Karai was there to though…" Leo added.
"T.C.R.I seems like our best bet right now. If he's not there then we'll go to foot HQ…?" He looked to Leo for confirmation and smiled when he got one.
"Alright team, let's head out." The crew nodded before following their leader in blue past the turnstiles and through the sewers. They slowed down their run when they came up to the manhole cover closest to the T.C.R.I building. Leo climbed out first and scanned the area before motioning for his brothers to follow, where they all used their stealth to get to the rooftop across the street from the green glowing building.
"How are we getting inside this time?" Mikey asked.
"We'll get in any way we have to if it means saving Raph." Leo stated while Donnie nodded in agreement.
"It doesn't look like anyone's on guard duty," Mikey said as he peered down at the front doors, "But who knows about the inside." Mikey grinned evilly, "Inside where monsters lurk and spiders drip down from every door way. Where doctors wait with needles and teenagers-"
"Ok! We get it Mikey!" Donnie and Leo snapped in union.
Mikey shivered. "Dudes, I just gave myself goose-bumps!"
"What's your plan, Leo?" Donnie asked seriously as he glared across at the building.
"We're going to walk in." Leo stated.
"We're going to… hold up, wait what?!" Mikey froze and stared wide-eyed at Leonardo.
"Just trust me!" Leo ordered as he motioned for his brothers to follow him. He jumped down off of the roof. Mikey and Donatello hesitated before making the way after the older brother.
Leo snuck across the deserted street and into the alley right next to T.C.R.I. He then stood up straighter and walked right to the front doors.
"He's good mad…" Mikey said with a British accent before following after him. They walked through the front doors to find it empty.
"Well this is going to be easy…" Donnie stated.
Leo narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Keep your guard up." He stated before slinking his way towards the elevator right across the room.
"You totally just jinxed it." Mikey murmured to Donnie as he followed Leo.
"Wait, what?"
"You don't ever, ever, say stuff like that, because then you just end up jinxing everything!" Mikey ground out as the elevator moved up.
It opened three stories later, earning every head turn of over fifty Kraang, who immediately started shooting.
Mikey quickly unsheathed his Nunchucks and blocked a plasma blast. "I told you!" He shouted. "I flippin told you!" Mikey flipped and kicked two Kraang out of the way.
"Well excuse," Donnie used his Bo staff as a leverage and jumped over a group of Kraang before turning around and sweeping their legs out from under them, "me for stating obvious things!" He shot back.
But Mikey was no longer paying attention to Donatello, instead he was glaring at the Kunoichi that laughed in front of him on an upper platform; he began spinning Nunchucks as Donatello unsheathed his Bo staff and held it out defensively.
"Karai." Leo hissed; his own swords out and ready.
Karai shook her head and jumped down from the platform she had been perched on. She held a single Katana lazily in her hand. "I wasn't expecting to see you here again, Leonardo." She said calmly as she walked up to Leo, who held his place and growled.
She looked towards Donatello and Michelangelo. "Only three today?" She asked before turning back towards Leonardo. "What happened to the forth, Leonardo? Did something go wrong?" She was now walking circles around Leo, like a hungry panther, ready to strike at any moment. "Raphael… wasn't it?" She smiled when she saw Leo bare his teeth and growl. "Man, I liked that one, he sure was cute, huh? Always fierce… angry… quite a warrior." She stopped circling and stared at Leo. "I thought maybe I could have fun with that one…" She grinned as Leo's shoulders tense.
"What did you do to him?!" Leo shot; his swords twitching for attack.
"Me?" She asked innocently. "What could I have possible done to him?"
"Don't make this difficult, Karai," Leo hissed.
"But, that's what makes everything so fun." Karai whined slightly. She turned to a Kraang, "Set it up." She ordered.
"Where is my brother?" Leo asked again; losing patience.
"Now, Leo… I have no idea what you're talking about…" She smiled as the large blue and green machine that had once turned Raphael and Leonardo into three year olds was rolled in and pointed straight for the three turtles.
Leo let another low growl echo out of his throat as he stepped in between the machine and his brothers. "What did you do with Raphael?!" Leo shot out once again.
Karai tilted her head and hummed, "Nothing really, just gave out some information… Captured a turtle… and delivered it." She smiled her evil smirk. "I got a decent amount for all of it too."
Leo snarled and was about to lung when suddenly the machine powered up and a blue light filled the room.
Raphael grunted as he tried once again to get off of the table that he had been strapped down to. He squirmed and struggled and finally gave up in a fit of gasps and pants.
"Hello Raphael." The man with the pointed face waltzed in, grinning triumphantly at Raph.
"Let me go!" Raph whined and began to struggle again with the restraints. Raphael's struggles were useless however.
"Interesting…" Bishop slowly began walking around the medical table, rubbing his chin in thought, "You don't remember me do you?" Bishop had learned, thanks to Karai, that Raphael had been reverted back to a three year old thanks to some miscalculation in their alien tech. "Tell me," Bishop continued when Raphael only replied with a glare. "How did it feel having your age reversed in the same body? I believe you must have been in great pain."
"You're stupid!"
"I wonder what that makes you then." Bishop replied calmly. He turned around; his back now facing Raphael, as he began looking over some of the few notes they had already taken. "If you don't mind," Bishop picked up a vile, held it up to his face, and swirled the contents inside, "I'll begin my testing now." He poured the chemicals in the vile and poured them into a syringe.
"I am very interested in your molecular structure now." He continued, "The effects of the alien technology on your mutated body must have done big enough damage to leave at least some evidence that I can study."
Raphael whimpered and tried to move the opposite direction of Bishop as the man turned back around and flashed the needle. He flickered the needle a couple of times and then looked down at Raphael and noticed the fear that the toddler was showing.
"Oh, no need to worry, Raphael, testing is fast, and isn't even close to as painful as dissection. Which we'll do later," Bishop added.
"Get away, you big meanie!" Raph's voice cracked.
"Your younger self probably hasn't learned the curses that your older self called me the last time we met." Bishop inquired.
Raph tried to push away from Bishop as he brought the needle to Raph's skin. "My b-brothers' won't let you do this!"
Bishop didn't even bother looking up as he pushed the needle into the turtle's emerald green skin. "No one is here except me and you Raphael. No one is about to stop me."
Big hot tears streamed down the turtles face as he turned his head away from the chemicals that were being pushed into his body. The chemicals started working in Raphael's blood, causing pain to course through his small body.
Raphael screamed.
"Hmmm, that probably isn't good." Bishop inquired as he took notes; watching Raphael convulse and once again try to get out of the restraints.
Bishop walked over to the wall and pushed the intercom button, not even bothering talking, and allowing the turtles screams to let everyone know he was in need of some assistance.
The red-clad turtle's screams lessoned to heavy pants and his eyes soon started to droop. Bishop watching carefully the whole time.
The door opened and two other scientists in lab coats came in. One, the familiar red head from before, and the other a petite woman with blonde hair, glasses over her dull blue eyes, and a small amount of freckles covering her nose. She walked over to the desk in the back corner of the room; trying to avoid looking at the small turtle on the table the whole time.
"Chaplin." Bishop stated, not taking his eyes off of Raph. "Start with tests 504 and 229."
Raphael tried to keep his eyes open, but they soon fluttered close.
"Yes sir."