No Escape

Chapter 16

Leonardo painfully opened his eyes. He had a tremendous headache. He moaned as he slowly sat up on his knees and rubbed the back of his head gingerly. He felt the tender spot and found a large bump, just above where his mask would be tied if he still had it on.

He had a moment at where he couldn't remember where he was or why he was on a hard metal floor before memories of last night rushed in and flooded his senses. He shook his head in denial. It wasn't true. It can't be true...He hadn't just witnessed the horrific and gruesome death of his baby brother. He stared at the blank wall in front of him reviewing his memory and the scene over and over, looking for some sign that what he had seen was an illusion of some sort. He prayed it was a cruel trick of the Shredder, but very slowly he came upon the horrible, earth shattering conclusion that his baby brother was dead, and he was responsible!

He had failed Mikey and had gotten his youngest brother killed because he had tripped the wire that had held the blade above his baby brother's body. He choked down a roar of misery because he wouldn't give the Shredder the satisfaction of knowing that his mind was about to break along with his soul.

Hot, salty tears, soaked his cheeks as he brought his knees up to his plastron and rested his arms on his knees before he buried his face into his arms and knees, trying to muffle his anguish crying. He tried not to give into his despair, tried not to let the death of his brother break him, like none of the other of the Shredder's tests could do before.

But Mikey's terror-filled face was seared into his memory; along with the gruesome image of seeing the blade slam into Mikey's stomach, spilling bright crimson blood and internal organs from the table, onto the cold, hard cement floor.

He shuddered as he recalled his brother's eyes, pleading for him to save him before it was too late, but all he had done was watch as the blade descended, forever ending his brother's life. He had let his brother down... he failed his baby brother when he needed him the most!

Leo didn't think that Mikey had even a moment to blame Leo for his failure before the blade had brutally taken his life from him. But Leo knew that his brother would never blame him in the first place. And that is what made it even worse.

Leo finally let out a choked sob. He could no longer restrain his agonized grief. "I'm sorry Mikey. I am so, so sorry." He whispered brokenly as he let out a keening wail of despair from the very deep dark depths of his soul.

"Leo?" A soft voice queried worriedly.

"D... Donnie?" Leo stammered softly, choking off his anguish crying in amazement. 'I failed to save Mikey, but I won't fail Donnie!' He thought with determination, suddenly flowing hot and fast through his veins. He searched his barren cell, hoping and praying that he was hearing things and that the Shredder had been lying to him, that he hadn't captured his entire family.

"Did the Shredder get all of you?" Leo asked into a vent where he had heard Don's voice come from.

"Yeah." Donatello agreed, confirming Leo's worst fear. The Shredder hadn't lied to him, but instead told him the horrific truth. Which would hurt more.

"The Shredder got all of us, Leo. We were trying to find you. I thought I had cracked the Shredder's system, but we walked into a trap." Donnie finished sadly.

"How long have I been missing?" Leo asked softly, not wanting to hear the answer, but needed to know.

"Nine days," Donnie replied quietly. His voice shook slightly as he spoke.

"Donnie, are you okay?" Leo asked as he located a small vent on the opposite wall, about as high as his shoulders.

"I... have you seen Mikey or Raph?" Don asked in a small voice.