The phantom had approached them slowly, confidently. Silently. Mikey and Donnie had planted themselves before him defiantly, spinning their weapons in their hands to both prepare and intimidate. Donnie attacked first, the anger propelling him forward almost in a haze, screaming and flipping over his twirling staff, using the momentum of his landing to add force to his blow.

Mikey was right behind him, using a wall to jump over Donnie and land his nunchuks against the phantom's skull. Together, they knocked him back. Donnie spun toward him in a roundhouse kick, but the phantom dodged, hurtling Donnie past him. Mikey had to roll to avoid Donnie's falling body, then used the roll to strike low at the phantom's knees. The phantom fell to a kneel, but dodged Donnie's next blow and shifted his knee to settle on Mikey's nunchuk.

Trapping Mikey momentarily, the phantom ripped Mikey's T-phone away and punched him in the face with it, crunching it and knocking him away. Mikey hit the wall hard and sat in a daze long enough for the phantom to stab his neck with a glowing red needle. Before he could compress it, Donnie's staff caught his wrist and threw the needle. Donnie grabbed it from the air and lunged toward the phantom to deal his own medicine. The phantom planted himself and, at the last moment, struck the side of his hand against Donnie's wrist, slamming the needle into the wall where it shattered.

With a gasp, Donnie tried to spin his staff into the phantom's face, but the phantom caught it in a solid fist and wedged its other end in the corner where the floor met the wall. He used the leverage to wrench the staff from Donnie's hand and caught Donnie's wrist before he could react.

Then he spoke, his gliding rasp more chilling in person, especially as he gripped both of Donnie's wrists. "If you leave him here with me, I will let you take Leo. You walk out of here with no resistance if I'm allowed to keep him."

Mikey exhaled his surprise and slowly tilted his head in shock. Seriously? An exchange? Did he really expect them to accept that?

When Donnie didn't respond, the phantom kicked him to the ground. He used his falling momentum to crush Donnie's T-phone, then placed both knees on Donnie's arms. Once Donnie was pinned, the phantom reached into a new fold and retrieved another needle. As he moved to make the injection, Mikey appeared in the air behind him, letting loose a battle cry as both nunchuks came crashing into the back of the phantom's head. The phantom toppled forward but rolled back to his feet.

"How about we just defeat you and walk out of here with both of them?" Mikey retorted as he leapt over Donnie, nunchuks whirling at every angle. But the phantom was frustratingly agile and blocked or dodged every strike.

Donnie sat up with a groan and checked on his T-phone, but it was hopelessly broken, and Mikey's lay a little ways down the hall in miniscule pieces. The other two were probably on the phantom. That he could use.

"T-phone self-destruct!" Donnie shouted.

There was a small bang as a puff of smoke rose from the phantom's hip, and the baby explosion was enough to distract him. Mikey took a large enough step to catch the hem of the phantom's cloak and pushed him back, toppling him to the ground.

Donnie jumped in front of Mikey and put the end of his staff at the phantom's throat. The phantom released a low, gravelling chuckle. Donnie, in disgust, quickly drew back his staff to a safe distance and let the hidden blade shoot out. At this, the phantom slowly raised his hands in surrender.

"Fool!" Mikey spat. "You never capture just part of a team!"

Donnie's hands trembled. He was so close. Just one thrust, and it would all be done. He closed his eyes, and felt himself harden into a scary calm with the images of his brothers as clear as though they were there. The phantom should pay!

He slowly inhaled flame, then felt Mikey's hand on his taut bicep.

"Donnie?"

His voice had sounded tentative, but when Donnie glanced over, he saw Mikey's solid, determined sincerity staring back at him.

"I'm behind you whatever."

Donnie glanced back down at the phantom, the rage colliding with regret to constrict his chest. He couldn't do it. Not when Mikey was accepting partial blame. No, if he did this, it would be when he was the only one dealing with the consequences.

His expression became suddenly confident, and with a smug smile, Donnie retracted the blade, but then spun the other end into the phantom's temple.

After sucking in a shaky breath that surprised him, Donnie took two angry steps forward and used the end of his staff to pull back the hood, revealing the face of a normal man – out cold. He stared at him a moment longer, considering it again, then turned resolutely and strode back toward the door, leaving Mikey to chain him in case he woke up.

When Donnie opened the door to the cell, Raph flinched his hand from Leo's jaw and grabbed his remaining sai while turning toward the door, scooting back closer to Leo and throwing his arm across him. Leo, who had been wincing against Raph's shoulder, only opened his eyes wearily in reaction.

Donnie jumped back from the growl, hands raised. "Whoa, Raph! It's just me."

Raph held his stance for several heavy breaths. Then he slowly relaxed against the wall to keep from falling on Leo as the flash of adrenaline leaked away.

"The phantom's out cold. He can't stop us now," Donnie said. He stepped around Raph to kneel in front of Leo, who now leaned against Raph's back, eyes closed again in a controlled grimace. "Is he okay?" Donnie asked softly.

"He will be," Raph answered, looking away with anger-hardened eyes. "It wears off."

Donnie unwrapped his own bindings and leaned forward to swiftly secure them around Leo's unprotected wrists.

Mikey entered a few moments later and picked up Raph's arm to finish tying off the binding Leo had left undone. Watching Mikey's progress, Raph said, "Donnie, he's going to be really mad when-"

"It doesn't matter, Raph. We get out first. Then we figure out how to keep him away."

"But-" Raph didn't know what to say that wouldn't tell Leo too much, but it didn't matter; Donnie shot him the steeliest look he'd ever seen from him, effectively halting anything else he might have said.

As Donnie lifted Leo off the ground, Mikey double-checked the security of Raph's other binding. Satisfied that it would hold, he slid Raph's second sai into its holster and pulled Raph from the ground, apologizing every time Raph grunted.

"Oh, come on!" Raph said with a grimace as they headed out into the hall. "You guys are supposed to be ninjas! Can't you walk with a little less jerk in your step?"

Donnie glanced once more at the phantom tied up down the hall, just to be sure they were safe to leave.

But we're not safe. He'll come after them.

It would be so easy.

He could almost feel himself lowering Leo to the ground, then walking over to the phantom, pressing a foot to his chest, and thrusting his blade through his face.

So easy.

And then reality whooshed back, making him wince and painfully look away.

The man was unconscious. They could leave. They knew he was out there, so they could be ready for him next time. And they had to get Raph and Leo home.

Never kill in anger.

Subconsciously tightening his grip on Leo's wrists, Donnie turned and followed Mikey away, trying to banish the images of himself mutilating the phantom's body, trying to dispel the desire to go back.

"Donnie," Leo breathed, flinching against the grip but letting him hold him. "We'll be okay, Donnie."

Donnie grimaced mournfully, and didn't look back.

"I'm sorry!" Mikey said in response to Raph with genuine distress. "You're heavy! I'm trying!" He bounced to shift the weight and Raph cried out and tensed against him. "I'm sorry!" Mikey paused and began lowering Raph to start over with a better hold.

"No," Raph said quickly, changing his mind about his protest. "Just go." But after Mikey resumed walking, Raph pulled one arm from Mikey's grip to brace himself against the shell.

As Donnie caught up to Mikey, Raph glanced over to Leo and found him already watching him. There was still pain in Leo's eyes, but either it was easing or he was controlling it better. Raph guessed the latter, given that he was still panting slightly.

Raph closed his eyes and rested his head against his comfortingly bound arm, trying to sort through all the different things shooting through him. They would be in danger now, and it was his fault. He should have known his brothers would never let him follow through with that deal. He shouldn't have made it.

But maybe Leo and Donnie were right. Maybe it didn't matter. Maybe, now that they know he's out there, they could fight him if he comes back.

But at the moment, he felt protected. The air was calm. Mikey and Donnie had taken out the phantom. And they could again. It wasn't ideal, but it was enough for him to cling to. Enough to, for the moment, dispel all the pain and panic.

He nestled just a little deeper into Mikey's neck and let his brother carry him home.

b~~FIN~~/b