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Raphael couldn't focus on anything but the growing dread as they approached that steel door.
Months of searching had led here.
To this sterile hallway with its too-bright lights and antiseptic smell that burned his nostrils.
The door opened with a soft hiss that felt like a death knell.
Time stretched strange as they forced him inside. The observation room was small, dominated by a massive window that stretched from floor to ceiling.
Two-way glass, his mind supplied distantly. The kind used to observe test subjects.
The kind used to watch people suffer.
The door locked behind him with a final click.
For a moment, Raph could only stare at his own reflection in the glass, at the wild look in his eyes. At the blood running down his wrists from fighting the cuffs.
Then movement beyond the glass caught his eye.
The lab stretched white and endless under harsh fluorescent lighting.
Chrome surfaces gleamed like surgical steel, catching light in ways that made his vision blur. Everything was precise. Clinical. The kind of place that spoke of carefully documented pain.
The sound of wheels on tile made his head snap up.
Leo.
Five months. Five months of searching. Five months of nightmares that didn't come close to the reality before him.
"Leo!" His fists hit the glass before he could think, the impact sending shockwaves up his arms, "LEO!"
But the barrier swallowed his voice. Soundproof.
He was screaming and his brother couldn't hear him. Could only lie there as white-coated techs transferred him to the exam table with practiced efficiency.
Like they'd done this before. Like this was routine.
Bile rose in Raph's throat as he really looked at his brother.
Really saw what five months had cost.
Leo was thinner. Muscle mass eaten away until his frame looked wrong under the harsh lights. His skin had gone grey-pale, mapped with surgical scars that told stories of methodical violation.
Some of the cuts were fresh, barely scabbed over. Others had healed to silvery threads that spoke of months of careful documentation. Of pain recorded with scientific precision.
But it was the burns that made Raph's world start to crack.
Electric burns trailing up Leo's arms in branching patterns. He’d seen that pattern before.
They'd been electrocuting him.
The realization hit like a blade to the chest, stealing his breath. Of all the things - electricity. The one thing Leo had never been able to handle.
Memories crashed through Raph's mind without mercy. How he'd shake for hours after any fight involving tasers, trying to hide it but never quite managing.
And now...
"No." The word came out like gravel as Raph slammed his fists against the glass harder, "No no no-"
But they couldn't hear his desperate denial. Could only continue their preparations as techs attached leads to Leo's temples, his plastron, his limbs. Each point of contact made Raph's stomach heave.
Leo's hands curled into fists now, the only outward sign of tension. Still maintaining that iron control even after everything they'd done to him.
Still their fearless leader even after months alone in this hell.
But he wasn’t alone now.
"I'm here!" Another hit against the barrier. Harder. Blood smeared across the surface but Raph couldn't feel it, "Ya hear me, Leo? I'm right here!"
But Leo's eyes stayed fixed on some middle distance, jaw set in that familiar stubborn line that meant he was bracing himself. That meant he knew exactly what was coming.
God, how many times had they done this?
The thought sent something shattering in Raph's chest.
He didn’t have time to grieve.
"Beginning neural response trial." Bishop's voice crackled through hidden speakers, making Raph's blood run cold, "Note baseline readings."
"Don't ya touch him!" Raph threw himself against the glass hard enough to make it shudder, "Don't ya dare-"
The techs moved like this was routine. Like they'd done this a hundred times before.
One adjusted something on a monitor, making notes about heart rhythm and neural response. About previous resistance levels. About how many volts it took before-
"I'll kill ya!" The promise tore from Raph's throat, raw and animal. "Every one of ya! Ya hear me, Bishop? Ya fuckin’ dead!”
But they couldn't hear his threats. His promises. Could only continue their careful documentation as Leo's vitals began registering on their screens.
Raph could see fine tremors running through his brother's frame now. Could read the tension in every line as Leo steeled himself for what was coming.
Could see him fighting to maintain that control even now.
"Initial voltage set to maximum sustainable threshold." Bishop adjusted something on a control panel. "Subject has shown remarkable tolerance in previous trials."
Previous trials.
The words sent acid burning up Raph's throat. His vision blazed red.
How many times had they documented his brother's screams while Raph had been too slow, too late, too-
A tech touched something on the control panel. The generators hummed to life with a sound that made Raph's heart stutter.
Leo's breath caught, barely noticeable.
But Raph saw it.
Saw the way his brother's chest hitched as that sound filled the lab.
Saw him trying so damn hard to maintain control.
"Commencing trial." Bishop's voice remained clinical.
The first surge hit.
Leo's body arched off the table, every muscle seizing as electricity tore through him. The restraints cut deeper into already raw flesh as he strained against them, reopening wounds that hadn't had time to heal.
A sound escaped him - not quite a scream. The kind of sound Leo never made.
Not Leo. Not their unshakeable leader who endured everything in silence.
"Stop!" Raph's fists hit the glass harder, blood smearing across the surface, “Stop!”
But they couldn't hear him. Could only document readings with mechanical efficiency as Leo's vitals began to spike dangerously.
The monitors beeped faster, tracking his brother's heartbeat as it climbed. Too fast. Way too fast.
No, no, no, no!
“No…” Raw desperation crept into Raph's voice as the monitors screamed warnings, “Ya gonna kill him!"
"Fascinating arrhythmia developing." Bishop made another note, studying the readings like Leo was just another lab specimen, "Increase amplitude by twenty percent."
The second surge ripped through Leo.
This time, his brother's scream cut straight through Raph's soul.
Leo's head slammed back against steel as his body convulsed, electricity turning his muscles to liquid fire. Blood ran from his wrists where the restraints had torn through skin. More burns blossomed across his arms, following the paths of older scars like lightning made flesh.
"I'll fuckin’ tear ya apart!" The words came between desperate hits against the glass, Raph's vision blurring with tears he refused to acknowledge. "Every last one of ya! I'll-"
But his threats meant nothing against the sound of his brother's next cry. Something primal and wounded that stripped away years of training and control.
A sound that spoke of agony too deep for words.
The heart monitor's rhythm grew more erratic.
"Note the exceptional neural response." Bishop's voice held satisfaction as he studied the readings. "Subject continues to provide remarkable data."
"He ain't your damn lab rat!" Raph's voice cracked as he threw himself against the barrier again. "He's-"
The third surge hit before he could finish.
Leo's scream went beyond sound.
His body twisted with such force that something cracked audibly. Raph couldn't tell what through the roaring in his ears.
But he saw the way Leo's chest heaved wrong after. Saw how each breath caught.
New blood ran from the restraints. The monitors shrieked warnings as his vitals spiked into dangerous territory.
Raph had seen Leo hurt before. Had watched him take hits that would have killed anyone else. Had helped patch him up more times than he could count.
But this...
"Please!" Real fear strangled his voice now as he watched his brother's heart rate climb higher, "Ya're killing him! Ya gotta stop!"
The monitors showed Leo's pulse racing dangerously fast. Too fast. While Raph could only watch.
"Increase voltage by thirty percent." Bishop adjusted another dial with clinical precision.
"No!" The word came out between sobs as Raph fought to reach his brother. "He can’t take it-”
But they couldn't hear him. Couldn't hear how his voice broke on each plea. Could only continue their careful documentation as Leo's body began to fail.
The fourth surge tore through Leo like a blade.
This time, his scream died in his throat. Raph could see his muscles seizing, could see electricity burning through him like fire.
Could see his brother dying in front of him.
"Leo!" He threw himself against the barrier harder. Again. Again. Until his shoulder cracked but he couldn't stop. Couldn't do anything but fight uselessly against the glass separating him from his brother, "No no no please- ya can't- not like this-"
The heart monitor's rhythm began to stutter.
His voice cracked on a sob as he slammed against the glass. "Please stop!”
The monitors screamed a final warning as Leo's heart began to give out. As his brother's iron control finally shattered under waves of electricity that burned through him like fire.
Then...
The flatline hit like a physical blow.
That single, unending tone drove Raph to his knees as Leo's body went still.
Too still.
Wrong in ways that tore through Raph's chest like razors.
"LEO!" The sound that tore from Raph's throat wasn't him anymore. Wasn't sane, "No no no please no-"
His fists hit the glass until they blood ran down his arms. His vision blurred with tears he couldn't stop as that flatline filled the room like an accusation.
Leo lay motionless on the table. The brother who never stopped fighting. Who always got back up. Who had survived everything life had thrown at them.
Gone.
Just... gone.
"Beginning resuscitation." Bishop's voice hadn't changed. Like he hadn't just murdered someone's son. Someone's brother.
His brother.
Like this was just another data point in his endless experiments.
Raph could only watch as they shocked Leo's heart. As his brother's body jerked with each attempt to restart it. Each jolt sent fresh electricity through already burned flesh, creating new patterns across skin that was more scar than whole now.
"Please." All the fury had burned away, leaving nothing but raw desperation, "Leo, please…"
Another shock. Leo's body arched off the table, but that terrible flatline continued.
Unending. Accusing.
"Ya can't..." Raph's voice cracked on a sob. "Not like this…"
Another shock. Another violent convulsion that spoke of dead muscle responding to current.
But no heartbeat. No life.
"I'm sorry." The words spilled out between broken sounds that barely seemed human anymore, "I'm so sorry. I should've been faster. Should've found ya sooner. Shouldn't have let ya patrol alone that night. Should've-"
Memories crashed through him without mercy. Leo leaving to patrol alone that night. Raph letting him go, not pushing it.
The last time he'd seen his brother whole.
"Please." His forehead pressed against the blood-smeared glass, shoulders shaking with sobs he couldn't contain.
Another shock. Another failure. Another moment of watching his brother die.
Leo's body jerked again, electricity coursing through him. Through a heart that had finally given out after months of torture.
After months of Raph failing to find him.
"I need ya." The admission came out broken. Wrecked. "Please…”
Beep. Beep. Beep.
A heartbeat.
Weak. Thready. But there.
Raph’s legs gave out, collapsing to the floor.
"Time of resuscitation noted." Bishop's voice held satisfaction. "Remarkable recovery rate. Prepare for next phase."
Next phase.
The words hit Raph like a knife to the chest. They weren't done. They were going to do it again.
Relief was fleeting.
Because they were going to kill his brother again.
Were going to keep doing this.
Over and over and over again.
Raph slumped against the glass, whole body trembling.
"I'm here." The words were useless. Were nothing against the horror of what was happening, "I'm right here, Leo."
But Leo couldn't hear him. Couldn't know he wasn't alone. Couldn't know his family had finally found him.
Raph pressed his forehead against the blood-smeared glass, shoulders shaking with sobs he couldn't contain anymore.
His chest felt like it was being torn open, like everything inside him was being ripped to pieces as he watched them prepare to murder his brother all over again.
And Leonardo would never know he wasn't alone.
Would never know his brother had witnessed his death.
Would never know Raphael's heart had stopped with his...
Raph woke with violence, out of bed before his eyes fully opened.
He spun, fighting phantoms that existed only in memory now.
The sound of flatline still echoed in his head, mixing with his ragged breathing until he couldn't tell which was real.
His heart slammed against his plastron hard enough to hurt, trying to escape the weight of what he'd just witnessed.
Leo dying.
Leo on that table.
Leo being torn apart over and over again.
Just a dream.
The thought offered no comfort. Not when the details felt so sharp, so specific.
The exact pitch of Leo's scream. The precise pattern of burns tracking up his arms. The way his heart had struggled against electricity. The way it had always hit him harder than the rest of them.
Details Raph's mind shouldn't have known.
His stomach heaved as memory crashed through him. Leo's body arching off that steel table, blood running from restraints that cut too deep, monitors documenting every moment of carefully measured torture.
Of his brother's death.
Oh fuck.
Raph barely made it to his trash can before everything came up.
His knees hit concrete as he retched, shoulders shaking with the force of being sick.
When he finished, the lair's silence pressed in like a physical thing. Like accusation.
Because some part of him, some deep instinct that had nothing to do with logic, whispered that maybe it hadn't been just a dream.
"No." The word came out wrecked, barely recognizable. Speaking it aloud, grounding himself, "Just a nightmare."
But he couldn't shake how real it had felt. How precise the details were.
Because Leo was strong. Stronger than any of them in ways that went beyond physical.
Master Splinter had always said his spiritual awareness was exceptional, even as a child. Had worked with him for years to develop it.
What if...
The thought rose unbidden, making Raph's chest tighten until he could barely breathe. What if Leo had reached out somehow? What if months of isolation and pain had pushed him to project without meaning to?
What if Raph had somehow reached back?
His fist hit the wall before he could stop himself. The pain helped ground him, helped drive back the memory of his brother's heart stuttering to a stop while Raph could only watch.
It had to be his imagination.
Had to be his guilt creating worst-case scenarios. Taking what they'd learned from Bishop's files and twisting it into nightmares.
Had to be.
Because the alternative...
The alternative meant somewhere in Bishop's labs, Leo had died. Had been brought back. Had died again.
Alone.
Another wave of nausea hit. This time Raph didn't fight it, letting his body try to purge horrors his mind couldn't process.
When it passed, he stayed there. Shell against cold brick, hands shaking as he tried to convince himself it had just been a dream.
But he couldn't stop seeing Leo strapped to that table. Couldn't stop hearing that flatline. Couldn't stop remembering how real it had felt.
Terror clawed up his throat. Because what if the reality was worse?
The thought sent him stumbling to his feet, out his door before he could think. His feet carried him through the lair without conscious direction.
Past the empty dojo where Leo's katanas still hung, waiting.
Past Don's lab where screens showed endless searches, tracking Bishop's movements.
Past Mikey's room where soft sounds spoke of restless sleep.
Until he reached Leo's door.
The room was exactly as Leo had left it that night. Bed perfectly made. Books carefully arranged. Everything in its place.
Like he'd just stepped out for a moment.
Like he'd be back any minute.
Something in Raph's chest shattered completely.
The room felt wrong without Leo in it. Too quiet. Too empty.
But somehow still holding echoes of his brother in every careful detail - the precise way the bed was made, the methodically arranged books, the lingering scent of incense and leather and tea.
The first sob caught Raph by surprise as he curled into his brother's bed.
Tore from his throat before he could stop it.
Because this wasn't how it was supposed to be. When nightmares came, Leo was supposed to be here. Was supposed to be the steady presence he'd been when they were younger, before Raph's temper and Leo's walls had built distance between them.
Before pride and stubbornness had made Raph stop coming to his big brother after bad dreams.
The way Leo always seemed to know exactly what to say. How to make the monsters feel less real.
But now...
Now the monster was real. Was wearing Bishop's face, was holding Leo somewhere Raph couldn't reach.
His fingers curled into Leo's blanket as everything he'd been holding back finally broke free.
As the possibility that he'd just witnessed his brother's death - real or imagined - crashed through him with devastating force.
"Please." Raw desperation in his voice now. "I need him back.”
But only silence answered. The same silence that had swallowed Leo's screams in that nightmare.
That had watched him die alone while Raph could only beat uselessly against glass that wouldn't break.
He pressed his face into his brother's pillow and let the tears come. Let himself break under the weight of everything he couldn't know.
Everything he was terrified might be true.