"Fine, I agree. You tell me what happened…" She started, not leaving Leo's eyes. "And I'll tell what happened that night Shredder faked your brother's death"
For some reason he didn't even want to know what Karai had to tell. He just wanted to go home with his little brother, and his family of course, and not hear about all the horrors Mikey had faced all those months. He didn't want to hear how much he had failed the one he had sworn to protect, and all the suffering that was brought upon his little brother.
And at the same time he wanted to know. He was dying to find out what happened that night they found Mikey in the park, or the blood that had been forced out of his body. His disappearance for days and then the revelation of him being alive. He wanted to know, the reason he ended up in the lab, and who were responsible.
Karai turned her head to them again and Raph bared his teeth, tightened his arms slightly around his little brother. Tears were staining his plastron and he would occasionally whisper Japanese words to the freckled turtle to assure him a bit. But as predicted it wasn't working, the shaking never stopped or even slowed down, he was terrified. Raph watched Karai closely as she opened her mouth.
"Around a year ago I was out on patrol together with Dogpound and Fish Face when we spotted your little brother" Karai started, gesturing to the trembling turtle in Raph's hold. "Must say, he put on a pretty good fight but Bradford eventually knocked him out cold" Mikey whimpered slightly in Raph hold, being forced to listen to Karai's story.
Leo growled and kicked slightly, still attempting to break free without Karai noticing. But as much the footbots were bad in fighting, and only good for beating the odds, they were incredibly strong and Leo was no match for the strong robots, and neither was Donnie or the two humans, who were all still tightly secured by the robots. Kari snorted slightly.
"We brought him back to the Shredder and he put Dogpound and Fish Face in charge of looking after him" She continued with a frown. Suddenly she pulled out her sword and walked over to Leo. The blue banded leader was hauled to his feet and Karai pressed her sword against his throat once again, narrowing her eyes dangerously.
"As much as I hate you Leonardo, I couldn't stand your little brother getting hurt but you know my father. He tortured him for answers, answers he would never give" Karai said with venom in her voice, speaking about her hatred towards the mutant turtles. The sons of the man, or rat, who took away her mother, or so she thought.
But at the same time, through all the hatred, there was sadness too. As much as she hated them and wanted revenge on the ones who killed her mother, the turtles being one of them, she couldn't stand that a teenager was getting hurt like that. The screams that were torn from his throat, the tears in his eyes and yet the will not to tell anything…
"My dad isn't patient, never was and never will" The sword was lifted from Leo's throat and immediately he was pushed onto his knees again. "He grew tired of your little brother after three days, I was honestly surprised he hadn't told anything by now, with everything Shredder put him through" Karai said, interrupted by loud growl from behind her.
Raph obviously not happy about the way Karai spoke of his little brother. Karai completely ignored the growling turtle behind her and instead trailed towards the small turtle in his hold. Mikey was still shivering badly and tears were leaking down his face but he stopped making a sound, anything at all, his face continuously buried in Raph's hold.
"He decided that if he couldn't get to your father, he would kill one of his sons instead… He drew a lot of blood that day from him, and asked Stockman to duplicate it. They recorded him while beating him and eventually they dumped all the blood in his mouth, giving you guys the illusion he was choking on it."
Raph let out another threatening hiss but stopped immediately when he noticed Mikey's labored breathing. Mikey whimpered slightly and the red banded turtle wrapped his arms around the shaking figure, mumbling Japanese words to him to comfort him. Mikey shakily nodded, but just faintly, and slowly regulated his breathing again.
Leo had stopped struggled, his eyes widened and looking over to Karai and his two brothers. He knew Shredder was ruthless, and was consumed by his hatred towards their father. But to think that he dumped Mikey's own blood in his mouth, letting them think he choked on it was just.. sick. Shredder was seriously sick.
April's eyes were filled with tears, slowly streaming down her face. She knew that Mikey had gone through a bad time. She and Casey found him in the lab, scared and full of terrifying scars but she never thought that Shredder had a saying in this too. He tortured the freckled turtle for days, and eventually 'choking' him on his own blood.
Donnie didn't even know what to say, he could only shudder in horror as his brain took in everything Karai had said. It was no secret Mikey had always been afraid of needles, he hated them. But most importantly he hated blood more than anything, he just couldn't stand it. And to think they drowned him in his own blood…. Slowly Donnie's eyes closed, squeezing a single tears through.
Karai looked around, overseeing the damage she had done by saying these things. From the corner of her eye she had always seen Leo struggling against her footbots, trying to break free but right now he was just an empty shell, staring at her without anything present in his eyes expect for fear and horror for his little brother, and she could even see a tear coming from the human vigilante.
"He would kill him that night, they stripped him of all his gear and his mask, leaving him alone in his cell with the thought he would die soon. I just couldn't let him kill him, somehow I couldn't. Dogpound and Fish face were supposed to guard him, but as usual they didn't" She continued softly, walking over to Raph and Mikey again, crouching down slightly.
"I sneaked into his cell that night, and freed him. He was almost too weak to stand and he was covered in blood from the recording so I had to support him. Even before we got outside the alarm went off, apparently Bradford got back to check on him and noticed he was gone. I could just hide your brother in the alley before they showed up, and I had no choice than to go with them and search for him."
To everyone's surprise Mikey slowly lifted his head from Raph's plastron, looking over to the human in front of him. Raph hissed slightly but allowed Mikey to do as he wanted to do. He still had his arms around him, ready to protect him whenever he needed to but Karai made no move at all, simply staring in Mikey's eyes.
"I-I have no idea what happened after that… Bradford split up but Fish Face was already suspicious so he wouldn't let me.. I really thought you'd be gone by then… but after hours Dogpound came back, blood on his paws and saying he killed you. Shredder was furious and tortured Dogpound by mutating him again and beating him up, and he took Fish Face legs for 4 whole weeks" She said, a slight hint of satisfaction in her eyes.
"I never saw your brother again, and still I was doubting Dogpound's, or Rahzar's, word. As stupid as he is, he wouldn't straight up kill him, afraid to anger the Shredder. You all grew colder from that day, I could never speak with you to ask you Leonardo. That's all I know" She finished, turning back to the blue banded turtle again.
Leo's eyes immediately narrowed when he noticed Karai staring at him, baring his teeth as Raph did just minutes ago. Karai sighed and walked over to Leo. He had asked for the story, and while she agreed to tell, she knew Leo would be beyond furious. Karai motioned the footbots to haul him up once again, and they immediately obeyed, bringing Leo to his feet.
"You had your share in my brother's captivity and I will never forgive you for that Karai" Leo hissed as a threat but then softened his gaze slowly. "But.. you also saved his life, and I cannot thank you enough for doing that, even if things didn't turn out… the way you expected." He finished, giving her a slightly nod, even if he was still angry Karai captured his youngest brother, she was also the reason he was still alive today.
It was Karai who, together with Dogpound and Fish Face fought and captured their little brother, when he was out all alone. She brought him home to her father, watched as he got tortured. And yet she saved him. Shredder wanted to kill him, and if Karai hadn't freed him, Mikey wouldn't be sitting here with them right now.
Karai's eyes widened at Leo's comment. She had expected him to hate her, she had captured his little brother, hurt his family and practically killed Mikey. In a way he really did hate her but at the same time he forgave her for her actions. And still she had no idea what happened with him after she hid him in the alley, she had no idea how he turned out to be alive this day.
They had never said anything about their little brother, and every time an enemy would tease them about the death of Michelangelo they would all go into full rage-mode. Not stopping until everyone was wounded or they were forced to retreat. He had really been dead, they thought so too, and somehow he was still with them.
"April, together with Casey, found him in the lab where she works" Leo started softly, gazing over to the two humans. "They brought him to April's home and called us. That was three days ago. He won't talk to us, and he has huge scars. We don't know anything besides that, and what you've told us." Leo filled her in, and it was true. Karai seemed to know even more than they did.
All they knew was that Mikey had 'died' that night, and then he somehow showed up again in the lab. Karai knew what happened, how he 'died' but she too had no idea how he ended up in the lab, only Mikey did and he was nowhere ready to talk about the things he had gone through. He almost had a panic attack just by telling he was fed through needles, or when he heard what happened to him.
"Footbots, release the turtles and their allies" Karai suddenly ordered, putting on her black mask in front of her face and putting away her sword. "I'm letting you go tonight Leonardo, go home before I change my mind" She snorted and watched how Leo immediately scrambled to his feet and ran over to Raph and Mikey, hesitantly drawing his sword.
Ready to attack as Karai attacked but she did nothing at all, her footbots lined up behind her and she was just staring at them. Donnie helped Mikey with getting up and Raph held him close to his body. Casey stood next to Leo as the rest turned around and jumped to the next rooftop. Raph was now carrying Mikey bridal style, not wasting any time on getting Mikey on his shell again.
It would take too much time and they had to get Mikey home now, before more enemies showed up. If Karai was out, then other mutants would surely be too. Casey and Leo stayed behind for a few minutes to deflect a possible attack but when it didn't come they both turned around. Casey jumped to the next rooftop but Leo was stopped before he could do so by Karai's voice.
"Leonardo" She called out, her voice sounding urgent. Leo turned around in confusion. "I do not wish to hurt you or your family but the others do, keep him safe because Shredder won't stop until he is really dead once they figure out he's alive after all…. Sayonara Leonardo" And with that she was gone, and so was her whole army of footbots, leaving the blue banded turtle all alone, and within seconds he was gone too, sprinting back to the sewers.