Haunting memories plagued his dreams. Sometimes he would revisit past mistakes. There had been many times where he had barely managed to escape death. His brothers looking at him in desperation as they cradle their broken bodies, the fear of death in their eyes.
Sometimes his fears of the future manifest themselves. In the worst ones he finds his family dead, their milky eyes looking up at nothing. A blade from nowhere would pierce through him, a feeling he remembered well and one he will never forget.
He dreams changed as his family grew. He had seen Snow, dead among the rubble more times than he would like to count. He has heard Rachael’s screams mixed with Hun’s laughter or the sounds of Bishop’s saws.
“You’re alright,” Rachael’s voice echoed in the darkness. “It’s just a dream.”
Leo’s eyes snapped open. Taking a few steading breaths, he waited for the dreams to fade before turning his head to look at Rachael. There had been times where he thought he was awake and turned to find her dead. He had learned to wait.
“I’m okay,” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry I woke you.”
“Don’t,” Rachael replied. “You don’t need to apologies.”
Leo looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly five in the morning. “I might as well get up.” Getting out of bed, he collected his gear. “It’s my turn to fix breakfast anyway.”
“Get me when it’s ready,” Rachael mumbled, closing her eyes and pulling the blanket higher.
Leo leaned over the bed and kissed her cheek. “I love you.”
“Love you too,” Rachael replied with a yawn.
Leo entered the kitchen to find Donny leaning over the counter. “You okay,” he asked, rushing over to check on his brother.
“I need to get this baby out,” Donny replied out of breath.
“We’re taking you today,” Leo reassured him while rubbing Don’s carapace. “Dr. Chaplin will take care of you.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Donny grunted, drooping his head as his hand came up to cover his stomach. The pain in Donny’s expression gave Leo cause for concern.
“You okay,” Leo asked.
Donny looked at Leo and forced a smile. “The baby’s moving and there’s not much room for it.”
“Do you need us to take you now,” Leo asked.
Donny stayed silent for a moment as he thought about it. “Yeah, I think so,” he whimpered, nodding his head. “I want to go now.”
“I’ll get the others,” Leo said and rushed out of the kitchen.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Leo made a mad dash for Donny’s lab but quietly entered. Since Leatherhead suffered nightmares as bad if not worse than Leo’s, there was a level of caution needed when waking him.
“Leatherhead,” Leo called softly from across the room. “You need to wake up.”
With a low rumble, Leatherhead’s eye opened. There was an intensity in his gaze as it shifted to Leo. “What is it?”
“Don wants to go now,” Leo said as he carefully made his way to Snow’s crib. “He’s in pain. I need you to go to the kitchen and help him into the Battle Shell. I’ll take care of Snow and wake the others.”
“Are we brining her as well,” Leatherhead asked.
“Whatever happens, it is likely Don will be staying there for a few days,” Leo said. “Are you going to be staying there with him and do you want Snow to be there with you?”
“Yes, to both,” Leatherhead said as he headed for the door and pointe to a bag on the floor. “Don’t forget her diaper bag.”
Leonardo slung the bag over his shoulder and then lifted Snow from her crib. She sighed softly as he adjusted her in his arms but stayed asleep.
As he headed back down the stairs he saw Leatherhead carrying Donny from the kitchen and turned his attention to waking the others. One by one he knocked on bedroom doors, speaking loud enough for his voice to carry, “We need to go,” then he would wait for a reply before moving on.
When he got to Raph’s door, there was no answer so he knocked harder. “Raph!” When he was met with silence a second time, he tried the door. Finding it was unlocked, he opened it. “Raph, we need to go. Raph?”
The room was empty.
Closing the door, Leo walked to the bottom of the stairs and called up to the upper levels. “Raph? Donna?”
“What’s going on,” Mikey asked, yawning as he exited his room. “Where are we going?”
“Don needs to see Dr. Chaplin now,” Leo answered. “We’ll have breakfast and training there while we wait. Also, Raph’s not in his room. I don’t think he’s in the lair.”
Leo looked over to see Leatherhead waiting on the platform, worry etched on his face. Where ever Raph was, they couldn’t worry about it now. They needed to get Donny to the Foot headquarters.
“Everyone, grab your gear and load into the Battle Shell,” Leo said and then turned to head into the dojo. “Father?” he called out as he entered.
“What is it, Leonardo,” Splinter asked, coming from his room. “Why is there such a commotion so early in the morning?”
“Donatello is in pain,” Leo answered. “We’re heading to the Foot headquarters now. I’ll do morning training there.”
“Give us a moment longer and we will join you,” Splinter said.
“Raphael isn’t home,” Leo said, shaking his head. “Donna must be with him. I do not know where they have gone, nor do I have time to investigate.”
“We will wait here for them and check in to see if they went to visit any friends,” Splinter offered. “Go.”
“Thank you, father,” Leo said, bowing before turning to exit.
He hurried to the Battle Shell and handed Snow to Leatherhead before getting in the driver’s seat.
It was still dark when they reached the surface and Leo turned down a back road to avoid as many people as possible. It was still early enough on a Sunday morning that traffic was sparse so they were making good time. Things were going well enough that Leo started to relax.
A loud bag and the Battle Shell pulling to the side, indicating a blown tire, ruined that feeling. “Typical.” Rolling his eyes, Leo pulled into an alley so that he could get out and investigate without being seen.
After checking to make sure no one was around, Leo opened the door and stepped out. As soon as his foot touched the cold pavement, there was a sharp pain in his shoulder. In the second it took him to turn his head and see the dart, his vision started to turn black and he felt himself start to fall.
…..
“Leonardo.” The silky voice echoed called out to him. His thoughts were muddied and nonsensical. The room was spinning and his stomach churned.
“Wake up,” the voice demanded.
He knew the voice but his mind was too groggy to place it. His eyes fluttered open. He was on the floor, in the dark. There was someone next to him. He tried to reach out but his body wouldn’t respond.
“I thought you were stronger than this,” the voice mocked. “Maybe I overestimated you.”
“Bishop,” Leo mumbled as he struggled to regain control of his body and mind. “What…?”
“I captured you,” Bishop said. “I will admit, it took longer than I would have liked, but my patience payed off. I’ve had agents all over the city, lying in wait for months.”
“Why,” Leo asked, regaining enough control to begin lifting himself off the hard ground.
“You’re my prisoner,” Bishop stated. “I get to ask the questions first.” He waited for Leo to get himself into a sitting position. “Where did the females and second Donatello come from?”
Leo’s head was spinning so bad that he had to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths to keep from throwing up. There would be nothing gained in lying so he stuck to the truth. “Don managed to make an interdimensional portal.”
“How is it that Donatello is still alive,” Bishop asked. “He should have dissolved by now. Or, is he also from another dimension?”
Leo looked up to see that he was in a small, windowless cell with Rachael. Bishop’s voice must have been coming through a speaker system. He could hear banging in the distance but could not identify where it was coming from.
“The Donatello from the other dimension managed to stabilize him,” Leo answered, reaching down to check on Rachael. She was unconscious but alive. There were signs that she put up a good fight.
“How?” Bishop demanded.
Leo shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him. I don’t know.”
“He’s in no condition to answer any questions,” Bishop said.
Leo’s heart sank and his head snapped up to look directly into the camera on the wall. “What did you do to him?”
“Nothing,” Bishop stated. “As soon as he came too, he tucked himself into his shell and hasn’t come out. I didn’t know you could do that.”
“We can’t,” Leo said. “His fear understandable given the fact that the last time he was captured, his was forced to watch as his family was tortured and killed,” he said aggressively enough to make his head throb. Resting his head in this hand, he took a few deep breaths. “What about the others? What did you do with Donny? He needs medical attention.”
“We’ve removed the baby from Donatello,” Bishop said. “They are both in the lab along with the little girl for testing. The large crocodile isn’t happy about it.”
That would explain the banging, Leo thought. “What about Mikey and the other two females?”
“The female whose oviducts were filled with the frightened Donatello’s sperm is in a cell with him,” Bishop answered. It didn’t surprise Leo one bit that Bishop conducted such invasive tests on them “Michelangelo and the other female are in a cell together. I plan on injecting him with that hormone that will drive him to mate. When the females lay their eggs, I will collect them.”
“You would take our children,” Leo said in disbelief. “We’re not your enemy. We fight for the same things. Why are you doing this?”
“Soldiers. It is something I have wanted for a while now,” Bishop replied. “Why else do you think I gave Donatello a uterus?”
“What,” Leo asked, not fully understanding Bishop’s meaning.
“You have proven yourselves to be formidable fighters,” Bishop answered. “The only problem is that I lack complete control over you. Your children will be raised to obey me. However, if you can get the other Donatello to tell me how he stabilized the clone, I won’t need you or your children. Since you have done so much for this world, I will release you and you will never have to worry about me again.”
“I can’t do anything from in here,” Leo said as a matter of fact. “Put us all together, including Donatello and his children, then we can work something out.”
“That can be arranged,” Bishop replied followed by a click that ended the connection.
