Okay, lovies. Sorry about the wait - which only seems to be getting progressively longer between chapters - but this is for you :) I have no earthly idea when I'll be able to get the next chapter up, but it always finds a way to cross my mind so I will not be forgetting about it, that's for sure. Between school, work, and a new boyfriend, finding little spaces of time to devote to fanfiction has just proven itself to be rather difficult is all.

Anyhow, I'll do my best not to be entirely too long with the next update but in the meantime proceed, read, enjoy, and let me know what you think :)

He brushed a drop of sweat from the end of his nose with his thumb and carefully slipped a tube of sodium hydroxide into his solution. The yellow compound fizzed for a brief moment and then went flat again. He wrinkled his beak against a stench that stung his nostrils and gently pushed the beaker toward the middle of the table.

No sooner had he taken his hand away from the glass then the doors to the morgue burst open so violently he nearly jumped a foot out of his own shell.

He at first thought that maybe Fishface was coming back to tease him, but instead his heart clambered up to his throat and clogged his airways as the Shredder stomped into the room with Tigerclaw right behind him.

Donnie's eyes glanced quickly toward the beaker sitting on the table before turning back on Shredder who had crossed the distance between them at an alarming speed. The young turtle didn't even have time to back away.

He stiffened as the Shredder yanked him up by the rim of his plastron and extracted his titanium claws. The tip of each blade was so close to Donnie's throat that he could feel the cold callousness of them hovering over his skin like a frost. His heart gave a couple of startled throbs and he stared up at Oroku Saki with unblinking eyes.

"This is taking too long," Shredder growled.

Donnie's hand fit itself around Shredder's wrist as though he could detach himself from the threat. He glanced warily at the blades and Shredder shook him when he didn't respond.

"I want that retro-mutagen now!"

"I-I …" Donnie stammered, eyes snapping back to his enemy's charred face. "I-It's a very intricate formula. And the compound takes months to synthesize—"

Shredder let out a snarl and threw Donatello back against the table. His fingers latched onto the edge as though clinging to it might somehow protect him.

"I do not have months, do you understand? I will not wait that long. You will finish it now, or else you can count yourself one brother short."

"I can't! Th-that's impossible. There are solutions that have to consolidate and re-liquefy, chemicals that need time to bond to—"

He was blinded by a backhand so fierce that it sent him sprawling to the floor. He landed flat on his plastron and choked on the wind that escaped him. His cheek burned and when he pushed himself up on his knees he watched as shiny crimson droplets dripped down to the floor.

"Bring him in," Shredder said.

Donnie's heart stuttered and he whipped around just in time to see Tigerclaw opening the doors. He made a gesture and Fishface filed in with three Footbots and a limping Mikey.

Donnie's eyes immediately procured a sting and he turned them on Oroku Saki. "Shredder," he said, his heart stuck in his throat. "It takes time. There are all kinds of variables that have to be considered—that have to be tempered. I can't just pour chemicals into a beaker and make it poof into existence. It requires patience."

Shredder wasn't listening to a word. Instead, he strode over to where his little brother had been forced to his knees and held out his hand.

One of the Footbots offered over a handheld buzz saw that looked as though it had been yanked straight from the screen of a horror movie. Donnie's stomach roiled as his eyes grazed along the jagged edges of the circular blade and for a moment his arms were too wobbly to push himself up.

"I have no patience," Shredder said. He flipped a switch and a sickening whir curled through the morgue and made Donnie's muscles cringe the same way a manicured nail would dragging across a chalk board.

Mikey's eyes widened on the tool and even through the ear-grinding buzz Donnie could hear his whimper.

It was this that brought Donnie to his feet, faster than he realized he could still move, but of course the moment he got close enough Tigerclaw snatched his bicep and squeezed off his circulation.

"Shredder, please! I can get it done, just give me time."

Shredder never once glanced in his direction. His chilling eyes were for his brother only. "I have given you time. Lay him down."

Mikey moaned as the Footbots forced his chin to the ground and held him still. He tried to look up, his blue eyes glossy and round, but one of the Footbots shoved his cheek against the floor and instead his gaze shot up at Donnie. Tears very quickly pooled around the rims of his eyes but he bit his lip and squeezed them shut.

Donnie struggled. "Shredder …"

"I have always been curious," Saki said, "of what lies beneath the shell of a mutated turtle."

Donnie knew Mikey was trying not to appear frightened but that didn't stop the sob from escaping the little turtle's throat.

Donnie tried to lunge forward but all it rewarded him was a furry headlock. "Please don't!" He kicked his feet but his heels bounced off of Tigerclaw's shins as though he was swinging at tree trunks.

"I'll get it done. I can get it done!"

Shredder tilted his head to the side, as though to indicate that he was listening. "When?"

Donnie opened his mouth, but to his horror no words came out of it, and Oroku Saki proceeded to lean the saw closer to Mikey's shell. The blade spun so fast that the jagged points were a blur and the face of the saw gleamed with a sinister shine.

Donnie choked and words tumbled out of his mouth. "No! No, please don't do this. Please. I promise I'll get it done. I'll work as fast as I can. Please leave my brother alone. This has nothing to do with h—"

An ear-splitting screech punctured the atmosphere, and Donnie had no idea how much of it was from the blade grazing across the keratin of his brother's shell and how much was coming from Mikey himself who thrashed against the floor. The Footbots didn't give an inch.

"Mikey, don't move! Don't move."

Donnie could hardly see anymore, let alone hear himself screaming over the noise. Tigerclaw's arm tightened around his neck the more he struggled, but however much he knew it was useless there was the smallest part of him that dared to hope if he fought hard enough he could stop this. But telling Mikey not to move produced about the same results as telling himself not to panic. Mikey's squirming only allowed the blade to drive a deeper notch into his shell. Soon there wouldn't be shell enough to protect him.

"I can do it, Shredder! Just give me a couple of days. I can—"

His words turned into gags as the very edge of the blade quickly went from silver to bright red and Mikey's shrieking thickened.

The room tilted and Donnie was sure his knees would buckle at any second, but before they could, the ground quaked with a thundering explosion that sounded from somewhere above their heads. The whir stopped and Mikey's screams quieted to breathless moans of pain that hardly lifted from the floor.

They all looked up toward the ceiling and paused as though waiting for something to burst from it.

Another explosion went off, this one louder than the first, and the force rattled the beakers on the table.

Shredder's glare snapped down. "Tigerclaw!"

The morgue doors burst open and all eyes lifted to Rahzar who panted in the doorway and looked toward his master sheepishly.

"Uh … The um … They … They're here," the wolf muttered, hanging his head.

"What!"

The saw was thrown to the floor. Both Donnie and Mikey flinched as the blade landed half an inch from Mikey's nose.

Rahzar backed away, hunching lower as Shredder stomped over to him. The Foot clan leader grabbed the wolf by the ear the way a mother might her disobedient son. Rahzar gave a very dog-like yelp.

"How did they find us?"

Rahzar shook his head with a shrug and whimpered when the Shredder kicked him back out into the hall.

"Never mind," he growled. "Get back up there. Do not let them past the lobby. Tigerclaw, find Stockman and round up the Footbots."

Donnie gasped as Tigerclaw's arm uncoiled and slipped away from his neck. The tiger marched obediently out of the morgue.

"Xever," Shredder said, his voice so sharp it might have been a weapon of its own. "Do not let these two out of your sight."

He swiped a bladed hand through the air and pointed it at Donnie. "Finish the retro-mutagen now. Do anything to attempt an escape and Xever will slit your brother's throat."

And with that he turned on his heel and left, cape swishing fluidly behind him. The doors closed. Donnie, Mikey, Fishface, and the three Footbots were alone.

Xever's lips curled into a sneering glower. He yanked Mikey up from the ground and held him against his chest, whipping out his butterfly knife to hold over Mikey's throat.

The little turtle sagged and Donnie could see him struggling to focus on what was happening. Blood dripped from the bottom edge of his shell and began to puddle just beneath him. Xever was probably the only thing holding him up.

Donnie turned his eyes up to the fish and for a long while they just stared at one another. But there was a shift changing the atmosphere. The power, as far as who had the upper hand, began to flip and they both knew it. But Fishface narrowed his eyes and pressed the blade of his knife so roughly against Mikey's neck that it broke the skin and a small drop of blood rolled down over his collarbone.

"Finish the retro-mutagen, now!"

Donnie straightened his spine and backed away until he reached the table. His eyes only fell when he was back in front of his workstation and even then he continually glanced up at the scene before him.

The three Footbots were flanking Fishface's back, ready and waiting either for orders or movement. Mikey had nearly sunk to his knees and Fishface had a grimace of discomfort to his expression, however threatening he meant for it to be.

Donatello pulled in a large breath and calmly proceeded to busy his hands. He pulled a rack of empty test tubes toward him. Overhead more explosions erupted and shook the framework of the building. He was surprised that the entire hospital hadn't fallen on top of them yet.

"You don't have to do this you know," he said quietly.

"Shut up! Finish the retro-mutagen or I'll finish little Michelangelo. Don't you say a word to me."

Donnie didn't respond for a moment. He added more acid to his solution and stirred it placidly. Then he set it over the Bunsen burner and let it heat up to a simmer before extracting a small amount with a dropper and filling a test tube. He corked the tube and waited for another explosion to draw Fishface's attention before he slipped it beneath his wristband.

He did the same with a second tube, this time holding it in his hand, and took the beaker off the burner.

"Don't you think you should be joining the fight?"

Xever snapped his gaze to him and hissed. "Don't taunt me, turtle."

"It was an honest question. Sounds to me like a pretty serious breech in security. I'm just wondering if they need the extra hand."

Xever scoffed. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"I don't." Donnie shrugged. His eyes glanced to Mikey whose body sagged to the left. Xever tightened his hold and stood him up straighter.

Donatello forced himself not to grimace. "Xever," he said. "I know you don't want to be in here."

The fish's eyes narrowed.

"Mikey and I are useless. He's in no condition to fight and neither am I. What could we possibly do?"

"You're standing on your own two feet. That's enough for me. I'm not going anywhere and you're delusional if you think I'm going to leave you alone to escape."

The muscles in Donnie's cheek twitched. "He needs medical attentio—"

"I don't care!"

Donnie clenched his empty fist and shot a glance toward the Footbots.

"He's going to die anyway," Xever said, "unless you finish that retro-mutagen."

Donnie sucked in a breath and plucked the beaker off the table. He held it high over his head, displaying it before Fishface's gaze until he was satisfied with the desperate hunger that glimmered across his yellow eyes. Then he coiled his muscles and slammed the beaker down on the floor.

The glass shattered. Xever howled in protest. The Footbots charged.

Donnie clutched the tube he still held and braced his back leg. He ducked the first Footbot's swipe, palmed its neck and pushed it down to the ground then snatched a pole arm out of the hands of the second, stabbed the first in the back and punted the second in the stomach which sent it crashing into the lab table with a symphony of breaking glass. He yanked the pole arm back up, sliced the head off the last Footbot and shot up the fist holding the test tube. Xever's muscles twitched as his eyes stared fervently at the solution in the vial. The blade of his knife began to tremble.

"Retro-mutagen," Donnie said, sure to keep his voice as even as possible despite his loss of breath. Sweat rolled down his temples and he resisted wiping it away though it stung the corners of his eyes. He glanced toward his brother whose blue eyes gazed half-lidded out at nothing and slid out of focus. His knees slumped further toward the ground.

Donnie looked back at Fishface. "There's enough for one person and one person only."

Xever's eyes flashed as he met Donnie's gaze. He took a step back and reestablished the threat over Mikey's throat.

"Give it to me."

"Hand over my brother."

"¡Jamás! Give me the retro-mutagen and I might consider letting him live."

Donnie's fist clenched around the pole arm and he aimed it directly at Xever's face. "If you kill him, I will kill you."

Xever laughed. "You don't have the guts. I've seen the way you fight, and I know how your kind works. You were not bred to murder. You won't kill me."

"Remember what I told you about our honor code, Xever? The rules change when you're standing in front of me with a knife over my brother's throat. I can be a threat when I want to be and you can be sure that I won't fall short on my promises. I swear I will kill you the moment his heart stops beating. I wouldn't take the chance, Fishface. Let my brother go and I'll give you the retro-mutagen. We all get to keep our lives and you can walk out of here on real legs."

Xever's brow creased but he said nothing, as though he wasn't sure whether or not to believe anything Donatello was saying. After a moment of hesitation, his lips curled up.

"I could just kill him, kill you, and take the retro-mutagen by force."

Donatello shook his head. "You won't."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You would have done it already."

Those yellow eyes took on a flash of surprise as though he'd only just realized that he could indeed have made a move this whole time. And still, he took no step forward or back, nor did the knife dig its way any further beneath Mikey's skin.

"Maybe I'm biding my time, waiting for you brother to die on his own. Makes things easier for me," Xever said.

"Or maybe you're second guessing yourself," Donnie shot back. "You don't want to kill him, and you don't want to kill me. If you'd ever had half as much the opportunity you do now, we would have been dead months ago. You haven't finished us off because you can't, not because you're choosing not to. You're a human being, and maybe you don't have near as much compassion as you should, but you know the value of life and you have no willingness to take it. Mikey is a child."

He paused, allowing this to sink into the forefront of Xever's mind before continuing. "He's just as innocent, debilitated, and vulnerable as your little brother was the day that he died, and I'm just as prepared to steal what I need to in order to save him, the same way I'm sure you were. Do. Not. Test me."

Xever's chest heaved and his expression wrinkled with hatred, but still he made no further movements.

Another bead of sweat dropped from Donnie's chin and he could swear he heard it hit the floor. But then, maybe that was the drip of Mikey's blood.

He glanced at his brother. Mikey's eyes stared through him blankly. His foot slipped an inch across the floor, spreading a smear of red over the pale grey concrete.

Donnie swallowed and glared back at Xever who huffed and shook his head to himself.

"We'll trade at the same time," he said. "You toss me the vial, I give you your brother. On three."

Donnie inched closer and steadied the pole arm, bending his knees at the ready. "One …"

"Two …"

"Three."

It was only with every drop of faith he had that he tossed the tube to Xever who, in return, shoved Michelangelo forward and forgot both turtles instantly. He caught the vial the same moment that Donnie dove forward and caught Mikey. The pole arm clattered against the floor, unheard, and Donnie wasted no time in lifting his brother onto his shell and running for the exit.

Xever neither followed nor said a word to him, and it wasn't until Donnie had one foot over the threshold that he felt a squirm of discomfort and stopped to turn around.

"Xever."

Fishface looked back over his shoulder.

"Don't use it," Donnie warned.

The fish scoffed, a grin curling up through his beet red scales. He uncorked the test tube and Donnie said nothing more.

He turned away and made his way down the hall as fast as his exhausted muscles could move.

He had already rounded the last corner and found the elevator before the echoes of Xever's anguished screams ricocheted off the walls and rang against his ears, and though his stomach twisted with a knot of guilt, he didn't turn back.

He pressed the button and waited, gripping his brother's legs securely beneath his knees.

"That wasn't retro-mutagen, was it?"

If Mikey's voice had been any farther from his ear, Donnie might not have heard the question.

He shook his head. "No."

The elevator doors slid open with a cheery ding and Donnie stepped in. When the doors closed again, the atmosphere in the little box was just quiet enough that Donnie caught what sounded like the faintest of chuckles.

"Booyakasha."

Mikey's head lolled forward and he said nothing else.