TMNT FANFIC: Lost and found

Understanding

"Is everyone ready?" Donnie called for the fifth time, glancing at Raph who stood next to him, tapping his foot impatiently. Sunlight beamed through the windows, flooding the hallways.
"Yeah." Mikey emerged from the kitchen, fixing his hoodie. "Woah, what are you dudes wearing?" He remarked, referring to the balaclavas and beige army trousers Donnie and Raph were dressed in.
"What do you mean, what are we wearing?" Raph growled, gripping the door handle. "Have you seen it out there? Well I'm sorry, I understand you've been pampered with your human privileges all your life, but when you're with us, expect to be shot down any second." With that he stormed out, not uttering another word. Donnie followed, gesturing for Mikey to come.
"Sorry about Raph. But he does have a point...have you ever been past the boarders?"

Mikey just shrugged. "No, but I'm not oblivious about what's out there either."

They walked simultaneously along the path, keeping together as they approached the boarder.
Raph leaned down, scrambling through the same hole both he and Donnie had used. Sand whipped around them with the wind, offering significant cooling compared to the searing sun.
"He should be meeting us around here." Raph grunted, staring out into the empty desert.
"Who are we meeting exactly?" Mikey pressed, standing a short distance from Raph.
"Me." A gruff voice spat from behind them.
Donnie spun around, taken aback slightly at the sudden appearance of tall, muscular man, dressed pretty much identically to Raph and Donnie. Next to him sat a large box, covered in fabric to conceal its contents.
"I got enough explosives here to wipe out the entire city, but we're saving that for TCRI aren't we Raph." The man leant down, uncovering the box to reveal several batches of limestone, each imbedded with tiny explosives.

"Thanks LH, they're perfect." Raph nodded, hauling the box along as they began their trek back to camp. "I understand your price is only a place to stay?"
"Yeah." LH confirmed, grabbing the other side of the box as assistance. "And my reward will be seeing the growth in our population once TCRI are no more."

They stopped off at several points to cool off, swapping the box between them. Eventually, the familiar layout of Raph's camp could be seen, a welcoming sight to Donnie's cramping feet.
He collapsed onto the log, groaning as he hit his back.
"How long have you been here."LH pressed, making himself comfortable near the box.
"A few days." Raph admitted, rubbing his hands. "I've made plans to leave tomorrow though. Now that we have all we need."
Donnie stared at him, alarmed at the sudden decision. "What do you mean tomorrow? I live here Raph. This is our home, we can't just abandon it!"
"It's already pretty much abandoned." Raph sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Besides, it's time we do something. Do you now how many lives we're gonna save?"
Donnie narrowed his eyes, shaking his head.
"Do you know how many lives you'll be taking! They're still people Raph. They deserve to live.-"
"Alright listen kid. TCRI have pretty much whipped out our entire species. They have slaughtered children." LH butted in, glaring at Donnie. "They must be stopped. And we're the ones who are gonna stop them. With or without you."
He then stood up and left, entering one of the many tests circling the fire.
"It's not right Raph." Mikey muttered gravely, averting his eyes. "The woman who adopted me knows TCRI inside out and there are good people in there. People who needed those jobs to earn for their families. That's one of the reasons she worked there."
"Oh yeah, well if you love all of their employees so much, why don't you leave and go back to your replacement family." Raph snarled, rearing on Mikey who's eyes widened at the statement.
"She's dead Raph..." He muttered, staring at the ground. "A rebel, like you, went and killed her a couple years ago." He looked up tears pooling in his eyes. "You think I don't understand but I do. I'm a mutant too. I've watched people die, I've seen first hand the pain caused by this system. But it's not right to take your revenge on innocent lives."
Raph pondered his words for a moment, looking him directly in the eyes.
"I need to end this. Everything they've done, everything they plan to do...we can prevent further devastation."
"Yeah but what then Raph? Don't you get it. To them, people are dispensable. They'll always build more. You think I'm clueless don't you, but what you don't realise is that I've changed since I was six. We all have. Sure, I haven't been exposed to as much as you but I'm still scared. We all are. We all-" He choked on his breath, shuddering as sobs racked his frame. Raph dipped his head, leaning forward to embrace his baby brother. Tears soaked his shirt as Mikey poured out his sorrows, panting in the dense desert air.
"It's ok...I'm sorry..." He whispered, rubbing soothing circles around his brothers back. He'd forgotten how open Mikey was, scared by the fact his youngest brother's innocence had been torn from him.
Donnie stared at the scene, watching as it merged in his mind with the many memories of when Leo would comfort them, most often Mikey, who was most emotional. Donnie smiled at the memory, closing his eyes as the words to the sweet lullaby his brother would sing entered his mind. His worries diminished as he sunk into his thoughts, clinging onto every word uttered.

"sleep pretty darling do not cry......and I will sing a lullaby..."