Different As It Always Will Be

Phase I:

Chapter Three: The Jester of Sorrow

The burning sensation around his eyes stung as the tears etched across his face. The taste of salt entered his mouth as the drizzle turned into a flow. Back flips, front flips, cartwheels, and twists made him fly, and the droplets flung themselves around. They were scattered onto the walls and floor as they soared through the air. He had to stay on top of things, protect those he held closest. He couldn't focus on what he had seen. What he was seeing. What he could never erase from his mind.

Donnie had always been the thinnest of the four of them. He spent so much time in his lab, that he often forgot to eat. He had a tough frame though, as Splinter would pull him out by his ears sometimes and make him drink tea and train with the rest of them. Splinter always encouraged their unique gifts, but he believed in balance.

Striking a Kraang in the chest, Mikey pulled away, watching as the nasty, gooey, life force oozed out of it. Alien blood was nasty and disgusting. Phaser beams surrounded him, but he was lucky. It wasn't that the Kraang were bad shots, it was just that they did not inflict enough damage. A shot to the shell was barely noticeable, and as long as it didn't hit you in the face, the pain it would rake across his arms and legs was similar to someone tickling him and pricking him with a punch of needles at the same time. Donnie told them before that it was messing up their nervous-y system or something like that. He always said that it would wear off pretty quickly, and it always did.

Lately though, as Mikey and Raph and Leo had discovered, the Kraang's game had become stronger. The bruises and bouts of paralysis during battle had become more frequent, no doubt a direct result from immediate changes their enemy would make.

As much as he tried to be himself at home though, Mikey found the loss of his best friend and brother disheartening. To top that off with the impossible mission of finding Donatello, and the discovery of other mutants that had been...messed with and experimented on had left Michelangelo the jokester straining to keep a smile for his father and remaining brothers. Even April's hopeful smile had long faded, and Casey's seriousness had evolved into brooding worse than Raph. Leo did nothing but plan and spar with Raph. The temperamental one of the family never slept, but so often would sneak out of the house to reign terror on any hoodlum he could. He got the most tips, including this one. And this time, he was right. Splinter rarely approved of their outings, and instead meditated. His mutant body had been weakening, between stress and the claim he had of a mental connection with Donatello. Mikey didn't know if it was true or not, but it didn't really matter. All he knew was that they had to save his brother. That Donnie's life was at stake, and he would do whatever he had to do to save him. They would work together, be a family again. Everything would be good again. Normal.

At least, as normal as four teenage ninja turtles could get living underneath the city of New York with their sensei and two human friends taking care of other mutants could be.

Guarding Leo, Donnie, and Raph as they crawled out of the breach, he could feel his muscles, as defined as they were, stiffen and freeze. Within minutes, seconds perhaps, he wouldn't be able to move his leg.

Flinching at Raph's firm grasp at his ankle, Mikey could feel himself being pulled out. Standing him up quickly, Raph wrapped his arm around his shoulder, supporting him. Because that was Raphael- the column and cornerstone in the temple of their family. At least, that was how Splinter always put it. He would be hard, and seemingly uncaring at times, but he needed to be.

The van sprang to life as Casey roared the engine. He was their getaway, and he was very good at it. They were sailing down the streets, and Mikey knew sirens would accompany them soon. His leg was jumping all over the place, and his hands were shaking. Raph was massaging his calf, but his mind, like the rest of them, was elsewhere.

Looking up, Mikey did not want to see. He didn't, after all the time he spent in wanting to, look at the mangled corpse of his brother. That's all he looked like. Something dead, no life in him. Blood was caked on his forehead, and his breaths were so shallow, he could hardly notice them. His skin was pale, peeling like a human with really bad sunburn. His nails- oh God- were near gone. They had been ripped out. Whatever was left had blood and dirt crammed under them.

As Casey took a sharp turn into the entrance of the sewers, Leo drew his katana. Mikey did not understand what he was doing, but Raph seemed to acknowledge. His heart nearly stopped as Leo drew the blade through Donnie's spine. His body started twitching, and Mikey did not want to look. Just in the nick of time, Leo pulled something from the bloody mess.

The scream that Donnie let out was nothing he had ever heard before today. It was the same sound that he heard outside of his brother's cell, magnified tenfold. Donnie was thrashing, convulsing with spasms. His warm, brown eyes were a dark red, his pupils so dilated Mikey thought he would be blind.

As Casey slammed on the brakes, Mikey flew forward. Donnie was still once again. He still trembled though, but Mikey dare not touch him. He would have to find the best way to bring comfort to his brother.

As Raph yanked him back up in the sitting position, Mikey glanced over to Leo. He was squeezing his fist until a very satifying crunch was heard. Kicking the window open slightly, Raph nodded as Leo threw out whatever it was. It didn't matter to MIkey. He trusted that they caught on to something he did not.

Settling on the terrifying view in front of him, he wished they could get home soon. It was taking far too long, and even though he would never admit it to anyone else, he was afraid. He was afraid of what happened to Donnie. He was afraid of what Donnie would do next. He was afraid of what Leo would do, or Raph. He was afraid of what was happening to his own body, but the tremors were starting to slow at least.

Casey braked abruptly, and Mikey tried to stand. The door had swung open, and April's sob made him grind his teeth. He had to think of this as a victory. This was not a loss, they had not lost anyone. They had won.

They had won. They had won their brother back.