Hey everyone!

Long time, huh? Well, here is the next installment. More updates to come!

Special Shout Outs to Puldoh, Michael J Angelo and Amanda for being such awesome fans! D

Enjoy!

Oroku Saki was in the middle of a meeting with Japan Industries arranging a transfer of equipment.

"You understand the risk of the dosage you used, Oroku? The amount of nano microbes in the bloodstream could very well be fatal."

Hiding his impatience, Oroku Saki nodded. "I understand completely, Kang. It is just a mock experiment."

"As it always is, my friend." Kang teased. "Now, tell me, how is this mutant if it's all right for me to ask."

Oroku Saki grinned. "The reptile is going according to plan."

"Very good and what of my son?"

"He's on assignment." Oroku replied, "I'm actually a little concerned with him, my friend. He hasn't exactly been as reliable as I would have hoped."

"Thus, the reason why I shipped him off to you, it was part of our agreement."

"Yes and also the reason as to why he has not experienced the brutality of my wrath."

Kang's smirk faltered. "Oroku, please forgive him on my behalf."

"I have overlooked his failures too many times." His voice was rough.

"The shipment will be documented and arriving by plane overnight the minute I give the orders, Oroku." Kang said.

Oroku Saki pressed his lips together, his arms crossed over his chest. It took a lot to change the mind of a prestige business man. "Very well."

"Excellent." Kang smirked, "Now about the completion of our bargain?"

"Not until his mission is successful, my friend."

Kang nodded. "Understood and I expect the results of this mock experiment to be faxed to me, correct?"

"Of course," Oroku Saki replied and switched off. He rolled his eyes in annoyance as he strode back to his desk and slouched into this chair. "Insufferable, little -" he was interrupted in mid rant by a knock on his door. He sighed, "Enter!"

He looked up to see Scorpius striding in, a smug look across his face as he came to stop at the foot of his desk and bowed respectfully. "Master Saki."

"Scorpius, you had better come with good news." He hissed.

"I have Master Saki. It took a great deal of persuading and fancy talking, but I was able to retrieve Michelangelo."

Oroku Saki raised his eyebrows in question. "You mean to tell me that he is here?"

"Yes." Scorpius replied.

"He went along with the charade?"

"Perfectly. According to him, he believes we are his kin."

"Excellent. Where is he now?"

Scorpius motioned to the guards at the door. "Bring him in."

Michelangelo entered the room, his eyes wandering around in slight awe. He had been skeptical of Scorpius' story; it sounded highly unlikely, but not completely impossible. Although, he showed less compassion than the others that resembled him, he figured that his so called father, or Master as he was to be referred to would be a little caring. His hope was swept away when he caught sight of him. He was very much like Scorpius. Stiff, void of emotion and a stare that sent shivers down his spine.

When the foot ninja stopped at the foot of the desk and bowed, Michelangelo did the same. Straightening back up, his eyes locked with that of Oroku Saki's and a familiar sense of doom washed over him. The red imprint black flag on the wall behind him didn't help either.

"Michelangelo." Oroku Saki acknowledged. "So good to have you join us again."

There was something in voice that said otherwise, but Michelangelo ignored it and shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, dude, but I still don't-"

"Understand?" Oroku finished for him. "What is there to understand? Those infidels tricked you into trusting them."

"They wanted to experiment on me." Michelangelo confessed. "Scorpius said it was to get answers, but… I don't have… any answers."

"It doesn't matter; you hold no answers for them." Oroku said. "You are now where you…belong."

Michelangelo felt slightly uneasy. "Where am I, anyway?"

"You are in foot headquarters." Oroku answered. "This is where I train my army of foot soldiers. A great amount of my time is spent here."

"What is my purpose here?" Michelangelo questioned.

"Ninjitsu," Oroku answered. "The way of the ninja."

"Ninja?"

"Correct. You lead your own group of specialized foot that you trained yourself personally. They have been under your brother's charge since your… disappearance."

Michelangelo nodded, "Was I any good?"

Oroku's face darkened slightly. "As much as I hate to say it, you were impeccable."

He opened his mouth to ask what 'impeccable' meant when he caught sight of the black imprinted flag hanging on the wall behind the desk. It represented the foot clan. Michelangelo vividly remembered that image so many times that it felt as if it were flashing across his mind. The sight of it filled him with a sensation of dread. He didn't know why, but the meaning behind it seemed evil.

His hands flew to his head, his surroundings blending together in a flurry of colors. He fell to his knees, his side suddenly flaring up in pain while the rest of his body felt as if he were on fire. Voices and laughter rose around him before the world went black.

"The serum is working." Scorpius stated, staring down at the turtle collapsed on the floor.

Oroku motioned for the guards. "Take this to the lab before it bleeds all over my carpet."

"Yes, Master." They bowed, lifting Michelangelo and steadily walking out the door.

"You have surprised me despite the number of times you have failed me." He pulled out a suit case form the drawer of his desk and laid it out. "As promised, here is the first half of your fee that your boss and I agreed on. Tell him the other half will be sent when you accomplish dismantling the rest of the turtles."

"My father will be pleased, Master Saki."

"An old friend is willing to take chances." Oroku Saki said. "We just made an arrangement over the phone. The shipment of equipment will be coming tomorrow night and I expect you to make sure it all gets here in one piece."

"Consider it done."

"Dr. Stockman, the reptile has arrived. We placed him on the examination table in the fourth quadrant."

"Excellent." Dr. Stockman said. He turned to his assistants. "Excuse me for a few moments. Keep recording the data, Master Saki wants a full report." He set down his clipboard and followed one of his other assistants out into the corridor.

"Right through here, Doctor."

"Send Scorpius, that low life scoundrel my regards." Stockman said as the turtle was strapped securely. An evil smile took his features as he untied the orange bandana and unhooked the belt that held Michelangelo's weapons. "Take his weaponry to the storage room." He instructed, "Also, get me some stitching equipment and a scalpel, it will take a lot of time to get this reptile ready for his… specialized attachments tomorrow."

"Yes, Doctor."

"Dr. Stockman," someone called. "Master Saki will like to see you in his office once you are through with your examining."

"Thank you, Cathy." He replied and returned his attention onto Michelangelo, who let out a low rumbling groan. "This shall be very interesting."

Michelangelo coughed, a haze entering his lungs as he sat up. His hands touched rough dirt and he looked to see that he was sitting on a dirt path.

"Where am I?" he breathed. "Hello!"

The only thing that he received in reply was an echo.

He pushed himself onto his feet, trying to find any clue as to how he got where he was. The black smoke caused him to cough again; there wasn't a way to avoid it. When the coughing subsided it was then he noticed that his side no longer bared any internal wound. It was as it should been.

"That only makes things harder!" he whined, "Is anyone out there who can-" he broke into a helpless coughing fit, his lungs suddenly constricting. "Breathe…"

"He still is not breathing." Stockman said in a rough voice. "Clear!" he sent a jolt through the near death reptile.

Nothing.

Stockman was starting to panic. If he let this animal die, he would sure be in for it when it came to confessing to Oroku Saki. Death would most definitely be the punishment. He could hear his voice now.

"You have foiled my plans, Stockman! This is your end."

"Doctor!" one of the assistants cried out. "He's reviving; his vitals are rising to normal."

He waved the air in front of his face, still hacking into his closed fists. It felt as if he were about to cough up one of his lungs! Without looking, he stumbled backwards and collapsed into a stream, the freezing temperature shocking him.

Breaking the surface, he sputtered and gasped, flailing his arms until he reached the bank. His skin shiny and slick the water that dripped off him, he collapsed exhausted onto the ground.

"This place has it in for me…"

"Michelangelo!"

He snapped his head up, peering through the thick fog.

"I can feel him, Leo! He's somewhere around here!"

Michelangelo growled. He recognized those voices. His feelings turned to anger; the surroundings around him followed his emotions. It was no longer dark and damp, but bright and hot as he stood on land, steaming rocks surrounding him.

A flash of green and blue and a burst of steam erupted, knocking the array of the two colors back. Michelangelo was satisfied and turned around, disappearing through the darkness. They would not find him.

"Mikey!"

He ignored them.

"Stockman!"

The doctor whirled around from checking over Michelangelo. Oroku Saki stood in the doorway, glaring at him.

"Master Saki."

"What is going on in here?"

"Nothing, sir." He replied quickly. "The reptile has fallen to a deep sleep. The anesthesia is working efficiently."

"Hmm…" Oroku did not seem convinced. "You had better take care of that reptile, Stockman. He is the downfall of our pathetic kame enemies."

"Of course, sir." Stockman answered, "I am just waiting on the attachments."

"They will arrive tomorrow. Scorpius is in charge of pickup."

"Excellent."

"Stockman."

"Yes, Master Saki?"

"If one thing goes wrong here, it will be your head. Understood?"

Stockman gulped and nodded. "Perfectly."

Leonardo opened his eyes, gasping and panting. He could almost feel the burn of the steam on his plastron, but there wasn't even a scratch. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he let his face fall into his hands. He had been so close to reaching his little brother and he had failed again. It surprised him that he was even allowed into Michelangelo's mind unless his brother had been sleeping or knocked out. He proffered the latter.

"Come on, April." He sighed, opening his eyes to look at his friend. "April?" he reached over and shook her arm. "April. Ape!"

The red head had not moved an inched or acknowledged that he was even in the room. She stood in the lotus position, her face set and eyes buttoned closed, the only sign of life was her chest rising and falling with each silent breath.

"Leo?" she called. "Where'd you go? I can still feel him!"

April carefully maneuvered around the steaming rocks, cautious of the small geysers. The last thing she wanted was to get blown back by a burst of steam.

"I'm going to find you, Mikey." She said to herself.

Leonardo pressed his lips together. He was impressed by her dedication and confidence, but the sinking feeling in his stomach did not help.

"Let her be, Leonardo."

The blue banded turtle turned to face the source of the voice. "Master Splinter." He said. "I thought you went to sleep."

"Yes, but only for a few hours." He replied. "My mind is dwelling on Michelangelo. Have you had any success?"

Leonardo nodded. "We were able to sense him through meditation, but he used his defense against me and attacked me through his surroundings. It was very strange."

"The mind is often a very strange place."

"Master, what about April?"

Master Splinter let his gaze fall onto the red head. "She is doing very well. I believe she can help find Michelangelo. She has a strong stamina. Let her be for now. Miss O'Neil will awaken when she is ready."

The door to the lab suddenly opened and Donatello walked out. "I have some good news and I have horrible news."

"Let's hear the horrible news first," Raphael stated from where he was walking from the Dojo. He stood a little behind Leonardo and crossed his arms. "Maybe the good news could cheer us up."

"Well, Leatherhead and I found what was in the contents of the syringe."

"What is it?"

"Nano microbes and they're very high in number." Leatherhead replied. "It can enter through the blood stream in a matter of seconds."

"What does this mean?"

"The nano microbes make him vulnerable. They come with a series of dangerous side effects. It explains the immense pain he was in and the amnesia." Donatello said. "And he can…"

Leatherhead laid a hand on Donatello's shoulder before sighing. "Michelangelo will die if we do not deliver the antidote before his time is up."

"Shredder is definitely gonna die." Raphael growled.

Leonardo tossed a glare at the red banded turtle over his shoulder before he turned back to Donatello. "How much time do we have?" he asked.

"I'm not sure exactly, but I determine no more than a few days." Donatello answered.

"What of the good news, my son?"

"There is still a way to track him using the frequency of the nano microbes in his system." He replied quickly. "It was very faint and then we lost it."

"Damnit!" Raphael shouted. "How is that good news? Huh!"

"If you let me finish," Donatello glared at him. "We got a lock on it before it was deactivated and you'll never guess where he's at." He gave a pointed look to Leonardo.

"Oroku Saki." Leonardo whirled around. "Master Splinter."

"Now is not the time." Master Splinter said. "We will come up with a plan and retrieve Michelangelo tomorrow."

"But Sensei-"

"My word is final." He said firmly. "I will be in my room, I need to meditate."

The three turtles exchanged glances.

"Hey guys," Casey called. "What's with April?" he snapped his fingers by her ear.

"Leo, what are we gonna do?" Raphael asked.

Leonardo sighed, "Master Splinter is right. We will wait to tomorrow."

"We can't afford to wait too long, Leo." Donatello said.

"I ain't stayin' around here while Mikey is in the hands of a maniac!" Raphael exclaimed. He turned and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Leo demanded.

"On patrol." was the curt answer.

"Casey…" Leo began.

"Yeah, yeah," Casey said, picking up his bag of hockey sticks. "I'll make sure he don't get into trouble."

"Thanks." Leo replied, watching him run out after his hothead of a brother.

Okay so what do you think? I'm a little rusty, so give me a chance to get back into things. lol.

I will love some critiques but flames will be used to fuel my car. lol. Lord knows I need it.

I really am sorry for not updating. I put it off because of school ending and my graduation and all these tests, but since it's summer now and I don't
have a job, you will be seeing quicker updates.

Anyways, be on the look out for Rat Bite Fever sometime this week!

Signed,
Caro