A/N: Hello everyone, thank you to all who are still reading. CW: Minor character death.
-Awareness Bringer- Thank you for the review. It means a lot to me.
"That's not fair," Mikey complained, his voice sounding more whiny than he had wanted it to. He crossed his arms, frowning. The group of brothers were silent. "You don't trust me," the youngest realized with a gasp, his face turning to one of shock. The youngest brother gave the older ones an accusatory look. Don shifted his weight uncomfortably, feeling pinned. Raph just smirked and gave a quick nod. Leo looked sympathetic and was the first to speak.
"It's not that we don't trust you to watch Lita by yourself. It is that Master Splinter is coming home tomorrow. It would be better if we got the Lair in a presentable condition before then," Leonardo explained, his tone even. Mikey looked over the Lair quickly. There was some trash and the floors could be clean, but otherwise it looked presentable. It was better than his room at least. The four, no five of them could clean it up easily tomorrow morning.
"How about the mutant we ran into a couple of nights before. Shouldn't we be searching for her?" Mikey asked. This got his older brothers to look at each other. Raph gave the other two a shake of his head. Don looked to consider it, wordlessly arguing with the red-masked turtle. Raph shook his head sharper. The youngest brother felt proud that he made them think twice.
"New York is a big city, Mikey. The probability that we can find her again is slim," Don explained, turning back to the youngest brother. The purple-masked turtle face turned to a somber one. Mikey knew that the brainiac was feeling guilty. The look matched Leo's.
"Look Mikey. If we left yous two alone, ya will be hopped up on suga' and making a mess," Raph said bluntly. "And I don't wanna clean it." He crossed his arms. Mikey just raised an eye ridge, trying to picture the quiet turtle making any sort of mess. Don cast a look to Lita who was starting to wake up from one of her multiple power naps. Leo even gave the red-masked turtle a disbelieving look as well.
"Fine," Mikey said, turning away from the trio. He plopped himself on the couch. He turned it on and switched it to some cartoon. He wasn't really watching the show. He was listening to his older brothers whisper amongst themselves. He could sense the turtle approaching before he felt the soft brush of fingers.
He tilted his head to Lita who twisted the sleeves of the oversized pink sweatshirt, moving her hands close to her plastron quickly. "I t-t-trust you, aniki." she said, pausing before the last word as if testing it out on her tongue. Mikey absolutely beamed. He had been trying to convince her to call him that term of endearment for days.
"Aww, imouto. At least someone believes in me," He crowed, pulling the younger turtle into an awkward hug over the armrest of the couch. She didn't squirm in his hold. He released his younger sister when she patted his shell. She had a small smile on her beak that she hid behind her sleeve-covered hands.
"Ugh, don't encourage him, Lita," Raph growled, pulling at the lip of Mikey's shell to straighten his posture.
"You're just jealous that she doesn't call you, aniki," Mikey said as he flipped through the channels on the television. Raph rolled his eyes, but continued walking to his punching bag. Solid smacking sounds soon filled the Lair. Mikey patted the seat beside him. "Sit down, sis. We can play a video game or something," he suggested. Lita tilted her head but sat beside the orange-masked turtle. She watched as the older turtle started up the system. He unwound the cords to its full length, handing a remote to Lita. She rolled the piece of plastic around as Mikey settled into position.
He jolted as he realized that his sister would have no idea how to play or even how to hold the remote. He facepalmed, how could he forget that all she knew was a lab. He looked over to help. She was staring at his hands, mimicking the same position. She looked up at him and gave him a smile. "Good job, sis," Mikey praised which caused her to sit a little straighter.
"What are you going to play?" Leo asked, his voice had a slight edge. Mikey wanted to ask his older brother what got under his shell. Lita patted the cushion beside her, mirroring Mikey's actions earlier. The blue-masked turtle sat to Lita's right as she scooted to give him space.
"Space Fighters, Leo. I wasn't going to play Mortal Combat or anything too much for our sister," Mikey said. "How irresponsible do you think I am?" He pouted at the thought that his brothers didn't trust him.
"D-d-did you w-w-want to play?" Lita asked, holding the remote to the eldest. Leo shook his head, leaning back to get comfortable.
"I'll just watch, Lita. It can be just as fun as playing," Leo answered.
"Nah. That's not it. Leo is the worst when it comes to video games," Mikey said with a wide grin.
"Just start your game, Mikey," Leo said.
All right. Are you ready, imouto?" Mikey asked. She nodded as the game started. Mikey was glad that he was as good as he was. The other struggled keeping her space ship in the center and shooting. Both ships blew up on screen. Leo chuckled on his spot on the couch as Mikey complained. The orange-masked turtle tilted his head back in frustration. "Ah Shell. I thought we almost had it."
"S-s-sorry. It w-w-was my fault," Lita said, hiding into her hoodie. Both brothers were about to respond.
Don cleared his throat as he approached, "Hate to break this up, but a report came over the police scanner that I think we need to check out." The brothers perked up, Leo looking more ready to pounce.
"A mutant?" Leo asked, getting to his feet. Mikey leaned over to his purple masked brother.
"Possibly. The police are letting the feds handle it," Don said,"I would assume that it is one." Mikey could feel excitement buzz through his veins. They could bring home another sibling. The Lair could be full of more mutant turtles. Lita pressed herself against Mikey's side and he patted her shell distractedly.
"I'll get Raph. Get the Battle Shell ready," Leo ordered as he ran away. Don jogged in the opposite direction. Mikey cheered silently as he watched his brothers gather at the exit to the lair. "Don't stay up too late," Leo called over his shoulder as the door closed.
Mikey turned to his little sister with a wide grin. She looked distant toward the entrance of the Lair. Her hands were curled in her lap around the game remote. " Don't worry. Our bros will find whoever it is and they will be back soon. But for now, I got a whole lot planned. We are going to have so much fun. Swimming in the reservoir, baking cookies," the orange-masked turtle said, excited to show the younger so much. He took the video game remote from her hands and put both away. He turned off the system and television. "We should swim first. The water can get cold later in the night. We don't want to be turtle-sicles." He walked quickly to the stairwell that went down to the lowest floor of the Lair. He led the way to the large pool of water. He didn't need to turn to know that Lita followed with quick steps.
Mikey stopped at the large pool, looking over the still water. Sticking one of his toes in the water, he found it to be not too cold. He leaned down to pull off his knee pads. He hated when they got wet and soggy. "Have you swam before?" he asked Lita as he moved to remove his elbow pads. He tossed them into a pile far away.
"Y-y-yes," Lita answered, "T-the doctor t-t-t-, had us s-s-swim. We w-w-w-ould swim a l-l-lot." She pulled her sweatshirt off. Mikey stopped listening after yes. He jumped into the pool.
"Cannonball," Mikey called as he hit the water. The water splashed over the edge, hitting the albino turtle. The orange-masked turtle broke the surface of the water. He gave Lita an apologetic look as he saw her dripping wet. The younger turtle smiled and gave a soft giggle. She tossed the sweatshirt aside and jumped in as well. The splash was small, but she didn't reappear.
Mikey waited for a moment, not feeling too worried. The water started to settle and still no sign of the white turtle. Mikey could feel his heart start to speed up. His blue eyes darted from left to right looking for the smaller turtle. The ripples had stopped entirely.
"Uh, Lita? imouto?" He called nervously as he couldn't see her. He took a deep breath and dove. He closed his third eyelid as he looked under the water. Mikey could see her bobbing in the water, unmoving. Her eyes were shut. Mikey swam to her and tugged her out of the water. He held her out to look her over. "Hey dudette, what are you doing?" he asked, voice rising higher in panic.
Lita blinked twice, "S-s-swimming. I can s-s-stay under l-l-longer. D-d-did I do s-s-something wrong?" She looked upset.
"Nah, just give me a heads up if you want to have a competition. That's not very fair imouto," Mikey tried to joke, but his voice sounded flat. He released her, allowing her to tread water easily. He wondered if this was how his older brothers felt. Worried that their younger sibling got hurt. He rarely felt that before; his brothers were strong and capable. As the youngest, he didn't need to watch out for them. Mikey shook off these negative thoughts. "I'll race you, sis." With a splash, the orange-masked turtle kicked away.
Don almost tipped over in his seat as Raph took the turn sharply, his olive green fingers dug into the leather seats to keep himself upright. "Careful, don't tip her," he pleaded with his older brother. A pair of leaf green hands appeared in his peripheral as Leo stuck his head between the two of them.
"We can't afford to replace the Battle Shell again," Leo added as he braced himself.
"Yea, I heard ya the first time," Raph complained as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Don noted that he kept his foot still on the gas.
"Find a place to park. We can't get too close to the EPF," Leo ordered. His eyes narrowed behind his blue mask. His third eyelid slid shut to hide his dark eyes.
"Sure thing, Fearless," Raph replied as he turned into an alley. He killed the engine as the other two hopped out of the vehicle. Don flinched as the red-masked turtle slammed the door. He wished they were a bit more considerate with the machine. Raph treated his Shellcycle better. "Where to, Donnie?" Raph asked, putting his hands on his sais. Don redirected his thoughts to the task at hand.
Donnie pulled out the radio he brought with him from his duffle bag. He held it to where his ear would have been if he were human. He could hear the police stating that they had set up a perimeter and closed the four blocks. "The police perimeter is two blocks west from us," Donnie answered. "The mutant is somewhere within it."
Leo nodded, pointing upwards to signal that the trio were to go to the roof. It was simple to jump onto the fire escape and climb for the ninja teens. "Can you listen in on the EPF?" the leader asked as he reached the roof. He started to run west, footsteps nearly silent. Don and Raph followed on the eldest's heels.
Don sighed, "No, whatever channel they use on their walkies, I can't connect to." He fiddled with the radio with a frown. He switched the channels quickly, searching for a signal.
Raph smirked, "Something that the genius can't solve. Neva thought I would see the day. " The trio leapt to another building. Donnie gave his brother an unamused look.
"I think they found out that I had hacked their system. I haven't been able to see any of their internal emails," Don said, "I covered my tracks so they shouldn't find the Lair." Leo, who had slowed the pace, nodded. Donnie knew that the eldest was concerned about the Lair's safety after the last was destroyed by Karai. It was a sentiment they both shared.
Leo held out a hand to stop the other two. Red and blue lights bounced off the buildings. The three lowered themselves to the roof out of sight. "There's the perimeter," Raph stated.
"We stick together," Leo flatly said. His eyes ran over the vehicles below, counting them.
"We would cover more ground if we split up," Raph said. "We don't need ya to hold our hands, Leo." Don rolled his eyes at his brother's comment. As long as the two older turtles didn't start a full blown argument, he wouldn't intervene.
"I know, Raph, but this is the EPF. If Bishop is down there, we have a better chance together," Leo said, brow furrowed. Donnie couldn't agree more, the government agent was spry and strong. The red-masked turtle furrowed his brow, but didn't continue. He must have realized that Bishop would be the last person they wanted to run into alone. "I'll take point," Leo said "You two stay together." The blue-masked turtle looked for a way to cross the police perimeter. Donnie followed as Leo led the way. The eldest turtle spotted a roof-top crane working on a building to their right. "Think you can make us a path, Don?" he asked as he led the trio to the machine.
Don grinned at the thought of hot-wiring the machine. "Of course I can. I've always wanted to pilot one of these." He tossed the radio he had in his hand to Raph who caught it easily. The purple-masked turtle climbed into the operator seat. He opened his duffle bag, pulling out a flat head screwdriver. He popped open the panel beneath the controls. With a couple of snips and twisted wires, the machine came to life. He moved the crane to reach over the street below.
"Good one, Donnie," Raph complimented as the technician exited the vehicle. Donnie gave a little bow before the trio leapt into the metal arm of the crane. Donnie watched as Leo froze for a second as the crane arm rumbled beneath their weight. Raph put a hand on his shoulder, steadying him. The leader nodded his thanks as he walked carefully across. Don and Raph walked side by side. The purple-masked turtle chanced a glance down. Police were standing beside their cars, looking up and down the street. They never glanced to look up, but then again most people didn't.
Don held a breath as they passed right overhead of the blinking lights. Raph tightened his hold on his sai while holding the radio in one hand. Leo walked ahead, not looking down. He jumped off the crane and onto the next building. Don and Raph landed right after without a sound. "Now what, Fearless?" Raph asked, "we got four blocks to canvas. We can always split up."
Leo was thinking for a moment," We start at the southside and move northward and we stick together." Decision made, the leader headed south. He leapt over alley ways quickly, barely glancing down. Don would pause to scan the same alleyways before leaping. The brothers reached the perimeter quickly. "The police are moving," Leo stated, looking over the edge of the building. "They are narrowing the perimeter."
"They are moving on the eastern side too," Raph noted as he pulled the radio away from his head.
"Maybe if we head to the center, we can find this mutant," Don suggested as he worried with the handle of his duffle bag. With that last statement, Leo moved in a northwestern direction. Donnie followed closely behind, keeping pace with Raph. He didn't even notice when his older brother fell behind, but Leo noticed. He looked over his shoulder as he heard only one pair of following footsteps. Don also turned to look for the hot-headed brother.
Raph was looking below at the alley they had just passed. Leo retraced his steps to the edge of the building. Donnie gave his brother a questioning look over the distance between them. The red-masked turtle pointed downward. "This alley is really dark." Don followed the finger into the dark alleyway. He couldn't see anything. Out of all the alleyways they had passed this was the only one that was completely dark. All the lights were off. This made Don raise an eyeridge. All three brothers stared into the darkness.
A metallic clatter sounded, breaking the stillness between the three. In an instant, Leo dropped with feather light landings as he made his way down. Don didn't have to look up to know Raph was doing the same as he was. Picking his way down as quietly as he could.
As soon as his feet hit the pavement, Don pressed himself against the wall of a building. His older brothers were in sight, hidden by shadow. This alleyway had the distinct smell of rotting food. Dumpters lined the way, filled to the brim. Shuffling noises came from a dumpster that looked the emptiest. Leo slinked like a jungle cat toward the dumpster. Whatever was making the noise tumbled out of the rubbage. They landed gracelessly on their chest.
The shadow had a rounded back like a shell. They struggled to sit upright. "Can we help you?" Leo's soft voice whispered, Don could barely hear him. The shape startled, backing away from the voice. "We are not here to hurt you," the leader continued. The mutant tried to pull himself backwards, Donnie could see the mutant's arms shaking before they collapsed. Leo stepped silently closer, putting a hand on the mutant's upper arm steadying him.
"You're a turtle, too," a male voice said with a sigh of relief. He looked up at Leo.
"Looks like we got a smart one, here," Raph said gruffly as he padded quietly to the mutants' other side. The mutant flinched at the sudden close voice, but calmed as another scaled hand helped him upright. The new turtle squinted into the darkness, trying to see his rescuers. "I don't recognize you from the lab," he said, "or at least your voices."
Donatello stepped forward, taking heavier steps before speaking, "We were not mutated in the lab."
"You're the original specimens," the mutant said with awe, "the one's Bishop was trying to recreate." Don frowned at the word leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He reminded himself he couldn't blame the former lab experiment.
"Ugh, that creep has another thing comin'," Raph growled. "I oughta put him in the ground." Don couldn't agree with the sentiment more.
"We will have to do that later. First we need to get out of here," Leo said. His voice trailed off as he turned his head upward. Don looked up as well as he heard what caught his oldest brother's attention. It was the distinct sound of helicopter blades. "Disappear," the order came off as a hiss. Raph and Leo pulled the new turtle against the wall with quick care. Don sunk into the shadows.
The hum grew louder and louder as the air began to vibrate. A bright searchlight shone down at one end of the alley. Donnie watched the bright light create new shadows out of the dumpsters in the narrow alley. Thinking quickly, he adjusted his position. He lowered his plastron toward the ground, holding absolutely still. The light fell around him, his spot still remaining in shadow. Donnie looked to his older brothers as the light passed over him and toward them.
The light caught the edge of a black scaled arm with orange markings. From Donnie's position he could see the string of letters and numbers. J15. It was a brief instant and the turtles were in darkness. "Do you think they saw us?" the new turtle asked.
The light stopped at the street and swung around and headed back. "I'm gonna take that as a yes," Raph said drily.
Mikey was starting to think his brothers were right. He looked over his previously immaculate kitchen. Flour dusted the floor and counter, egg was dripping off the counter, and sugar was sprinkled on the floor. He sighed and gave the culprit a look. Lita sat on a kitchen chair with a spoon in her mouth. She stopped licking the spoon for a moment to look at him. She lowered her head, "I'm s-s-sorry." Her pink eyes looked over the mess. Mikey sighed it wasn't entirely her fault. He was the one to startle her when she held a cup full of flour. Though the chirping noise she made was pretty cute. He also was the one who gave her an egg and told her to 'crack it' without giving her more instruction.
"It's okay, sis. We just got to clean up before Raph gets home," Mikey said like the good brother he was. Yup, best big brother here. He slumped his shoulders as he grabbed a washcloth. He soaked it in the sink. Footsteps came up beside him and a spoon was dropped into the sink. Mikey wrung out his washcloth and watched as Lita grabbed a washcloth of her own. She put the cloth under the water, copying Mikey's motions exactly.
He grinned at the younger turtle before he turned to clean. He started on the counter as the girl knelt on the floor to wipe the concrete. They were finished before the oven's timer went off. Mikey tossed the dirty washcloth into the sink perfectly before pulling the baked cookies from the oven. Lita tried to do the same, her bundled up washcloth not making the distance and landing on the floor. "Nice try, dudette. With some practice you can be almost as good a shot as your big brother," Mikey bragged as he put the hot cookie sheet down. Lita picked up the fallen washcloth and put it into the sink before walking to the warm cookie sheet. "We can't eat them yet. They're too hot," Mikey said, patting the top of the albino's head. "I got something I want to try anyway. Wait in the living room for me." Lita nodded a padded away, her footsteps so loud in comparison to his brothers. Funny because she was so much smaller than them.
With the girl gone, Mikey went to his room and pulled the plastic container from his closet. He could see through it easily. Ten giant white bowling pins were laced together. He hurried back to the living room to see Lita waiting patiently on the couch. She gave him a curious look and focused on the bag in his hand.
"I saw this giant bowling set in the trash if you can believe it. Who could throw away something fun like this. My bros didn't want to play. Those three are so boring. They don't know what they're missing out on," Mikey said as he unzipped the bag.
"H-h-how do you p-p-play?" Lita asked as she followed the older turtle. He slowly put up the pins a little further apart than normal. Mikey motioned her away from the pins. He untied his mask, setting it on the ground about ten meters from the pins.
"Easy. You try to knock down the pins," Mikey explained. "Like this." He gave a running start, dropping himself on his shell. He spun toward the pins. He heard the collision, more than felt the plastic pins as he scattered them. He spun to a stop before hopping to his feet. "Ha, a strike," he crowed, pointing to all the pins that now scattered the floor.
He looked up at Lita who had a small smile on her face. He gave her a bow before setting up the pins. "Your turn Lita," Mikey called from his side as he set the last pin down and jumped out of the way. The girl nodded and ran to the orange marker. She landed on her shell hard and quickly spun out of control. Mikey watched as she knocked half the pins down without slowing. The white shelled projectile sped out of the room and a loud crash made the older turtle flinch.
Raph pulled the new turtle as he ran. He squinted against the bright searchlight blinding him from above. "You should just leave me," the black box turtle said. "It is pointless to try."
"We don't leave one of our own," Leo said from his position at the point of their mad dash. "Can you do anything about the helicopter, Donny?" Raph could almost feel the heavy sigh that his younger brother did.
"No. I don't have anything to take down aircraft," Don said. He pulled out the radio from his bag. Raph didn't like the look that passed over his face. "The perimeter is narrowing."
Raph cursed. They are going to be sitting ducks. "How 'bout the sewers?" he asked. He grunted as the turtle that he was helping tripped. Raph picked him up a little roughly.
"That might be our only choice," Leo said, skidding to a stop holding out his arms. Don collided with the appendages. Raph stopped before reaching the pair. The sound of muted gunshots sounded. Leo backpedaled, pulling Don backwards. Raph barely gave his partner a warning before pulling him into a fireman's carry.
"Just leave me. I am just slowing you down," the box turtle said, dropping his head.
"Look, I'll smack ya if ya weren't on my shell. We ain't leaving ya," Raph growled.
"I saw a manhole cover the next alley over," Leo said as he turned already ahead of his brothers. Putting more effort in his run as Leo started to fall back, Raph was leading the way now, grateful this mutant wasn't as heavy as his brothers. "We need to take to the roofs. It will be quicker" Leo ran ahead to jump onto a fire escape. Don was next to him in an instant. Both brothers reached down to the red-masked one.
Raph nodded, not needing to be told twice. "Hold on," he warned his passenger as he made the jump. Two pairs of hands caught him under his arms, pulling the pair onto the fire escape. Leo pushed Raph closer to the building. He nearly yelled at his older brother before he heard the muted gunshots again. Don and Leo spun their weapons. The sounds of deflected shots sounded behind Raph as he climbed.
"They look like tranquilizers," Don said as he and Leo followed up the fire escape. Raph didn't look back as he reached the roof.
"They want to take me back," the box turtle on Raph's shoulders said. The emotion in his voice was complex, a mix of resigned and fearful. Raph continued to run as Leo overtook him and took the lead.
"We are not gonna let that happen," Raph said firmly, tightening his hold. Leo scanned the alley below quickly before giving Raph a questioning look. He could read it easily, the leader was wondering if Raph could carry the mutant a little longer. Raph gave a firm nod and Leo leapt to the alley below. Don ran past Raph as the hot-headed turtle made his way down. With each brother scanning the ends of the alleyway, Raph walked to the manhole cover.
Leo appeared in front of him, pulling the metal cover off. The leader turned his back to the opening, holding his katana protectively in front of him. "Get down, Raph. We'll follow you," Leo ordered.
"Just save some for me, bro," Raph said with a smirk and started the climb down into the sewers.
"Why are you going through all this trouble to save me?" the mutant asked as the pair touched the floor.
"Because it is our duty," Leo's calm voice sounded above, "We released you from your cells and didn't even guide you out of the facility." The eldest brother lowered his head shamefully. "I hope you find it in your heart to forgive us."
"What Fearless is tryin' to say is that it's the right thing ta do," Raph said. The light from the alley was cutoff as Don closed the manhole cover. The sound of gunfire roared overhead.
"We have to keep moving," Leo said, not waiting for Don to drop from the ladder. He held out a hand as a flashlight fell from above, dropped wordlessly from Don. The blue-masked turtle flipped the switch giving the four light.
"Thank you," the mutant's voice said barely over the soft splashes of their footsteps. "for everything. Can I ask your names?"
"Leonardo," answered the blue-masked turtle, "my brothers, Rapheal and Donatello." He pointed to each as he said their names, but his eyes were focused ahead. Raph could see how tense he was.
"You don't have a name, do you?" Don's voice came from behind the pair. The turtle shook his head. "How about Vincent as in Vincent van Goh?" the purple-masked turtle asked.
"Vincent?" the turtle repeated softly. "I like it." The new turtle sounded a little brighter, a little more hopeful.
"Think ya can walk, Vince?" Rapheal asked as his breaths started to sound like pants.
The newly named Vincent chuckled. "I have a name for only two seconds and I already have a nickname. But to answer your question, yes I can walk." Raph knelt down, sliding the other turtle off his shoulders. Vincent wobbled a little, but seemed to steady himself.
"I have a couple of granola bars if you are hungry," Don offered. Raph chuckled at the Mikey smuggled treat. The new turtle accepted the offered treat. The four took a turn toward what Raph assumed was the street that they parked the Battle Shell.
"There they are," a man's voice exclaimed moments before beams of light illuminated the four turtles. Raph grabbed Vincent roughly by the arm, pulling him as Leo dropped behind to face the problem. Raph growled to himself. He would rather be helping his brothers.
"Vince, go ahead. We will deal with these guys first. The first ladder to your left should lead you to the street," Raph said, pushing the black box turtle ahead. He turned around to face the approaching agents.
Leo and Don already sent several shurikens toward the agents. They struck their mark: the flashlights. The lights went out sending them all into darkness. Raph shut his eyes as they were useless now in the completely dark sewers. He could sense his brothers near. He could feel them tensing up ready for a fight.
He could hear the shuffling of fabric from the agents. Without a single sound between them, the three ninja struck. Raph knew that Leo would take the man at the point position, Don the right. He had the man on the left. They fought together enough to know without speaking. Raph could hear the startled breath of the agent seconds before he hooked the gun in the man's hands with his sais. With a twist of the wrist, the weapon fell into the water with a plop. The turtle wasted no time, continuing the motion to toss the human over his shoulder. The man lay stunned for a moment before being knocked out with the pummel of Raph's sais.
The red-masked turtle could hear the grunts of pain from men. A loud bang echoed through the tunnel. Raph flinched as another voice cried in pain. In a brief moment of relief, he didn't recognize it as one of his brothers. A wooden thud punctuated the noise followed by a splash as a body hit the water. "Vincent," Donatello's panicked voice called out as splashing footsteps ran from the fight.
Leo turned on the flashlight in his hands. He ran the light over the agents now lying on the water covered floor. Satisfied, Leo moved the light to where Don was knelt by a fallen Vincent. Raph ran in time with his leader, stopping behind Don.
The black box turtle was sitting in a pool of blood, holding his arm. The red liquid swirled with the water below. "You're going to be okay," Don's voice said shakingly as he pulled gauze from his duffle. Raph caught the lie in his younger brother's voice. He looked at Leo who looked at him confused.
"I thought you said they had tranquilizers?" Raph said, his voice sounding harsher than he intended.
"That's what they were shooting earlier," Don replied as he pressed gauze into the wound on the turtle's arm. Raph watched as the thick layer of gauze turned red, soaking and dripping past his brother's fingers. Something was wrong. Raph could just tell as Don muttered something in Japanese under his breath.
"Why isn't the bleeding slowing down?" Leo asked, his voice tense.
"Hemophilia," Don replied, voice soft. Lights appeared behind the ground. Raph turned to face the new agents that appeared.
"You should leave," Vincent insisted, "there is nothing you can do for me. I'll bleed out before we get to your Battle Shell."
"We ain't leaving anyone," Raph growled, squaring his stance. "Pick him up, Leo and we'll take him out of here."
"To what? Bleed out in the streets?" Vincent asked, "the lab might treat me. They have before." The splashing footsteps were getting closer.
"Can we move him, Don?" Leo asked. The purple-masked turtle nodded.
"Leave me or you'll all get captured," Vincent insisted, pulling away from Leo as he reached for Vincent's uninjured arm. Leo was insistent, grabbing hold of the other turtle's arm. "Wouldn't you leave behind another brother alone if you were captured?" Leo froze and Raph flinched. He could think of Mike and Lita waiting for the three of them to show up. He thought of Master Splinter who was coming home tomorrow. "If you saved us once, I know you can do it again."
Leo wavered, looking at Raph and Don. Raph could see how conflicted he was. His eyes hardened and he lifted Vincent onto his shoulders. With a speed that Raph didn't know he had, Leo climbed up to street level. Raph followed at his heels while Don reached into his bag of tricks. The purple-masked turtle sent caltrops into the air and they littered the ground behind them. Raph turned around to pull Don out of the manhole before a hail of bullets pinged off the ladder. Don slid the cover into place, careful to stay out of sight. Raph spotted a heavy-looking box that he then placed on the cover, blocking their followers.
Raph looked toward Leo who was already at a sprint heading in the direction of the Battle Shell. Leo ducked into the shadows. Raph followed suit, not waiting for an order. Red and Blue lights sped by as cop cars raced down the street. "Donny," Leo hissed between clenched teeth. Said turtle slinked past Raph to stand beside Leo. Don looked at Vincent's injured arm. Raph couldn't hear what he said next, but he could hear the tone; it was hopeless.
"Leo, we ain't got all night. Move ya tail," Raph said gruffly, hoping to kickstart the group before the agents behind them reached streetside. The blue-masked turtle squared his shoulders before continuing his run.
"We have a block and a half to go," Leo said, "We'll get you to the Lair and treat you there." Vincent didn't respond, Raphael could see the silhouette of his head just bobbing. The other mutant must have lost conscientiousness.
"Mikey and Lita are both universal donors," Don said. Raph wanted to ask how his younger brother knew that, but he figured that Don must have been reading the files that they gathered from the lab.
"How 'bout him? What's his blood type?" Raph asked.
Don sighed, "I haven't read his file." Raph could see Leo relax as they approached the Battle Shell. Raph, himself, released a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Isn't this a nice surprise," a smooth voice said, sending shivers down Raph's spine and fire pumping in his veins.
"Bishop," Raph growled as the man stepped from his hiding place behind the Battle Shell. Raph took a step forward as Leo stepped back. He heard a soft thud as Leo set down Vincent on the ground.
"I believe you have something of mine," Bishop said coolly. The man unbuttoned his trenchcoat and readied himself.
"Vincent doesn't belong to you," Leo said as he stepped beside Raph. The sound of metal sent Raph's heart pumping. "Let us go. He is of no use to you," Leo continued, pointing a katana at the man.
"Ah, but he is. His corpse will provide more data for my super soldier program," Bishop continued, taking a step toward Vincent who lay hunched over against the wall of the alley. Leo stepped forward to block the man's path swinging his katana. The agent slipped away, gracefully. Raph followed Leo aiming where the agent had dodged. Bishop just jumped and back flipped off his shell. The weight made Raph stagger forward as a kick connected with his side. Raphael gritted his teeth against the pain as he tumbled to the side. Leo chased Bishop away from the fallen turtle.
The man in black side stepped and back-pedaled away from the blue-masked turtle. The twin blades sailed harmlessly by the agent. Raph got to his feet and followed after his brother. The red-masked turtle jabbed his sais toward Bishop's chest. Smoothly, the agent kept away from the blades. The sound of the Battle Shell's engine came to life behind the pair of turtles. "Now, before Donatello gets J15 into the van," Bishop said into his cuff. Raph kicked the man in the gut. He was a little startled that the blow connected.
"No," Leo shouted, turning around and running back to Vincent who they had left to chase Bishop. Raph looked toward where his brother ran to see agents propelling down the building. Don ran out of the Battle Shell, bo staff in hand. The purple-masked ninja looked up where Vincent struggled against the agaents pulling him upwards. Raph turned back to Bishop who tried to strike him. Raph blocked the blow with his forearm. With the sai in his other hand, he stabbed downward toward the agent's knee. The man rotated and his foot connected with Raph's head. The turtle's vision went black for a second. He blinked twice to rid his vision of spots. He could hear Leo's growls much closer and a grunt from Bishop.
"We have to go, Raph," Don's urgent voice said at his side as he pulled on Raph's arm. The red-masked turtle didn't complain as he was practically shoved into the Battle Shell. His eyes looked to the rooftops where he last saw Vincent. He saw only ropes before the Battle Shell door closed. Wheels squealed as Don burned rubber. Raph rubbed his aching head.
"He got away," Leo's voice muttered beside him. "I should have paid more attention. I let them take Vincent." The leader slammed his fist on the armrest. The car was silent. Raph looked to Don who normally could calm any of his brothers. The purple-masked turtle kept his eyes on the road as he made reckless turns.
"We did all we could, bro," Raph said, not quite believing it himself. "He said that the lab might treat him, so maybe he will be okay." The words hung in the air. He put a hand on Leo's shoulder. The quiet stretched on, only the running motor provided sound.
"There wasn't much we could have done for him after he got shot," Don finally said as they pulled into the garage. He put the Battle Shell on park. "He had lost too much blood by the time we made it to the Battle Shell." The three exited the vehicle and walked to the Lair. They grew quiet once again.
"What do we say to them?" Leo asked as they stopped at the Lair's entrance. He looked at Raph then Don. Both couldn't meet his eyes. The leader sighed but opened the door.
The sound of two pairs of laughs clashed with the heavy atmosphere they carried. Mikey's loud laughs nearly masked the softer huffs. Raph stiffened at the sound, looking quickly at Leo. The blue-masked turtle was covered in blood as was Don and himself. "Hey, bros. Watch out the ground is lava," Mike's voice yelled out from the unseen living room. "Of course, I'll be careful. I am the Battle Nexus Champion," Mikey's voice boomed as it grew closer.
The orange-masked turtle appeared as he tossed a couch cushion on the floor in the entrance. Mikey's beaming smile dropped as his blue eyes scanned his older brothers. "Hey, sis. Our bros are going to clean up. Why don't you get some cookies for them." The three couldn't hear a response, but the youngest turtle didn't appear. Mikey stepped off the couch cushion and started to shove the trio to the restroom. "What happened?" he asked.
Leo was the first to recover. "We found the mutant," he replied in Japanese. Mikey didn't say anything, he didn't show the earlier excitement that he had before. His eyes were trained on the blood splatter. "The EPF was already there."
Raph slammed his fists against the sink as Mikey turned on the faucet. "We shoulda been faster. I shoulda handled Bishop."
"Bishop was there?" Mikey's voice rose in pitch. He ignored the washcloth in his hands, getting soaked in water. Leo took it from him, straining it of the excess water.
"It's not your fault, Raph. I should have stood guard instead of starting the Battle Shell," Donnie muttered looking at the blood on his hands. Leo pressed the now red-tinted washcloth into Donnie's hands.
"I am sure you did the best you could," Mikey said, "Maybe we can get him back when Master Splinter comes home?"
"That's if he didn't bleed out on the trip to the lab," Don said bitterly, handing the almost red washcloth to Raph. "He had hemophilia." The purple-masked turtle said the last word in English, unsure if his brothers knew the Japanese word.
"Ew, gross. Maybe it was better he wasn't here with little Lita," Mikey said.
"That's not what hemophilia means, Shell-for-brains," Raph said, smacking the youngest brother over the head.
"Huh?" Mikey said intelligently.
"I-I-it means he-he-he bleeds a l-l-lot," Lita's stuttering voice said. The four older turtles turned guilty to the newcomer. Raph hid the bloody washcloth behind his shell. "Y-y-you found J15?" she asked, before hiding behind the door frame.
"Vincent. His name was Vincent," Leo said, stepping forward. He knelt so he was closer to her height. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. We couldn't bring him home yet." Her expression was distant and blank.
"Th-they t-took him b-b-back," she whispered as she clasped her hands in front of her plastron. They shook slightly.
"Hey, sis. Don't worry. You're absolutely safe here in the Lair," Mikey said a little too loudly. Raph scratched at his mostly healed hands and Don rubbed his arm. The girl nodded, but she looked down at her feet. "Uh, how about we eat those cookies. You'll love them. They are chocolate with white and milk chocolate chips," Mikey's loud voice echoed.
The three older turtles looked at each other. They could tell the youngest brother was trying to lighten the mood. "Sounds like ya need some milk," Raph said trying to continue to chase the dour mood away.
"Did you help make them, Lita?" Don asked. The girl nodded distractedly. The five turtles left the restroom and headed to the kitchen. Their voices were stilted with false joy, trying to keep the group from the despair they found themselves in.
A/N: So I have looked over the new lair so many times and the layout is still a mystery to me.
