TW: ideation and intentions of suicide. This is your only warning. Know your limits.

The only way Shelby could describe what was happening around her was static. 

Imagine sitting in a dark room and the only thing your eyes can look at is a TV screen filled with static. Voices come through, but you can't pick out what they're saying. Images flash momentarily, giving you a brief glimpse of the world before the signal goes out again. The only voice you can pick out clearly is the voice telling you to do terrible things, and no matter how much you shout and cry, curse or plea, it has no effect. No one can hear you. That was her reality whenever Aiden's will took over her mind.

So you can imagine the confusion she felt as a ear-splitting scream sliced through the static, knocking away the screen and bringing her back to her own body. 

Her senses were overwhelmed. Sharp and dull pains were filling every centimeter of her nervous system and she shuttered, shaking and gagging. Something fell out of her mouth and the overwhelming taste of iron washed over her tongue. And all this information was coming in as the shrill scream continued. It felt like her entire being was vibrating at a frequency too high for her to handle. And then, something hard and fast slammed into her head.

She collapsed, momentarily losing consciousness, her body snapping and cracking back into its human form. She let out a guttural cry of pain, squirming on the hard floor as she tried to gain her bearings, but all the sensory feedback was crashing over her like giant waves, hitting her with brute force, receding for a moment, just long enough for her to get her head to the surface before it smacked into her again.

She felt a pair of hands grab her and sit her up. "Shelby? Shelby?" That voice was familiar, but her mind was struggling to identify it over the continued screams. Actually, the screams sounded familiar as well. 

Shelby managed to open her eyes, which squinted against the light as she watched the face in front of her slowly come into focus. "Tyler?" She muttered, too confused and disorientated to push him away. "What're you..?"

"Casey! Casey, please!" Yes, that voice. April. April and Casey? Shelby's heart felt like it skipped a beat as she spun to face the scene next to her. April was kneeled over Casey, holding his head in her lap as she sobbed, frantically trying to cover the wounds on his head. But as her vision returned, it dawned on Shelby that Casey's head wasn't just bleeding. It was crushed and misshapen, dripping like a watermelon that was thrown violently onto the floor. 

Casey Jones... was dead.

April's tear filled eyes landed on Shelby, and they instantly filled with such malice that Shelby would have dropped dead if looks could kill. "Get away from him! You're a murderer! Get away!"

"Wha..." Shelby hand went up to her mouth, which she realized was slick with liquid. She pulled her hand away, and her knees buckled when she saw the sheer amount of bright red blood dripping down her fingers. The iron taste in her mouth suddenly connected with the carnegie around her, and she could not stop the upheaval of vomit as she began to shake violently.  

Casey Jones, the first person who tried to help her stave off punishment from the Shredder. Casey Jones, who came to her defense even though she was the reason he was held hostage by the Foot Clan. Casey Jones, who had her back in every argument or predicament she found herself in. Casey Jones, her first friend other than Michelangelo. He was dead, and it was Shelby's jaws that took him from this world.

The vomiting quickly turned to crying as Shelby wrapped her arms around her chest and squeezed herself tight, trying to tether herself to this reality. Of all the terrible mistakes she had made, including giving the Foot Clan a way to sustain a constant mutagen supply, or biting Leonardo, or attacking Michelangelo. Those were nothing. This... this was unforgivable. 

Suddenly, she was brought back to the chaotic scene unfolding around her as another voice pierced the noise. "I'm not done with you yet!" The disheveled voice of Aiden screamed as he picked himself up off the floor.

"Oh yes you are!" Donnie yelled back, and suddenly Shelby felt a needle plunge into her shoulder. She made no attempt to resist. Even if it was poison, she deserved it. "That was the antidote." Donnie stated as he kneeled down to her level. Shelby could feel him looking at her, but she could not bring herself to look back into his eyes. "You're... safe now." Those words held no substance. Shelby felt a couple tears run down her cheeks as another wave of nausea overcame her.

"NO!" Aiden yelled, and Shelby looked up just in time to see Aiden racing towards her. Then, Raphael swung into view and landed a kick to Aiden's head that sent him crashing to the floor. 

"Thought you were gonna get away with this without me getting a lick in on you too?" Raph's voice was thick with his tears. "I have half a mind to throw you into that fire." He growled.

"We need to get out of here!" Leo yelled. Shelby tried to stand, and she now felt four hands on her to get her to her feet. Tyler on her right, and though she expected Donnie when she looked to her left, she saw Michelangelo instead. Shelby searched his features frantically, trying to take everything in. He wasn't crying like April or Raph, but she doubted that was from lack of emotions towards the situation. Likely, he was shell shocked from it all. 

"Mikey," she whispered, "I-" her voice lost itself as her gaze fell onto the deep claw marks that trailed down his plastron. And then it dawned on her that whatever feeble apology she had to offer would never make up for anything. She felt all the energy she had left leave her body. Her skin began to flush as her eyes found the floor again. She was starting to wish whoever hit her as she was waking up had taken her out with that blow.

It sounded like Mikey might have started to say something, but whatever it was was blocked by a roaring in Shelby's ears. The warmth causing her skin to flush was beginning to burn, and as she realized that smoke was beginning to billow out around her feet, she looked up to see the intimidating tower of fire that was roaring behind Mikey. It had almost engulfed the wall it was by and was now quickly crawling across the floor. 

"I'm not leaving until everyone of these assholes are DEAD!" Raphael screamed back at his brother, before turning to Brianna Stockman, who was the nearest to him after rushing to Aiden's rescue. 

"No, Raph! Mission accomplished, we need to leave!" Leo yelled with a ferocity Shelby had not yet heard from him. "Donatello, grab Casey. We're getting out of here NOW."

"No, no, no!" Aiden picked himself up from the floor while Raphael was too busy deciding if he was going to kick Brianna's ass or Leo's. He raced towards Shelby, and in that moment, Shelby saw a miniature Chris Bradford grab a syringe from his belt and raise it as he rushed at her. His arm swung down so fast, Shelby barely had time to react.

But Tyler reacted. He stepped in front of Aiden's strike, the syringe plunging into forearm that blocked his face and the liquid quickly seeped into his body. Tyler collapsed mere seconds later, leaving Aiden and Shelby to lock eyes with one another.

Without thinking, Shelby's hands wrapped around Aiden's throat as she tackled him to the ground. "What did you do to him?!" She demanded, her voice shrill with rage. 

"It- mind 'rase serum." He choked out, before kneeing Shelby in the gut and causing just enough of a distraction to free himself. "It was supposed to be for you, you traitor!"

"I'll kill you, Aiden!" She screamed, lunging at him again. Around her, everyone was evacuating. Baxter Stockman was corralling Brianna to the doors, Chris dragging himself behind them. Aiden landed a punch to Shelby's cheek, chest, and stomach, but nothing fazed her as she attempted to wrestle him the floor, though the energy from her adrenaline was draining quickly. Donatello picked up Casey's limp body and led April out while Leonardo ran over and scooped up Tyler, despite Raphael's screams in protest. 

"I'm sure you'll try to kill me, Shelby. Just look at what you've already done!" Aiden yelled. "You ARE a killer! You are a Bradford, it's just what you are. And after all of this, you're still going to abandon us when the Hamato Clan is never going to forgive you? You have nowhere to go, no one to trust. And you're still resisting for NO REASON!"

"I'm resisting because YOU TURNED ME INTO THIS! I HATE YOU!" Shelby screamed, grabbing Aiden's shoulder and shoving him back with such strength, there was no hope for him to recover his balance. He fell back into the wall of flames, which engulfed him without mercy. The screams were eviscerating as Shelby watched him collapse to the floor, unable to move due to sheer pain.

"Shelby, Mikey, we need to move NOW!" Monica yelled as she helped a now defeated looking Raphael towards the doors.

Shelby heard her. But she didn't dare turn. The heat of the fire was now singeing the peach fuzz from her skin as she stared at her brother's now still body. Tears were spilling down her cheeks as every muscle in her body fasciculated in protest. Her hands shakily balled into fists. She had no plans to leave this dojo. She deserved to burn with Aiden.

"Shelby." Mikey stated from behind her. His voice was hot chocolate on a cold winter day. Her bottom lip quivered at the sound of it. She wanted so badly to melt into his arms. But she did not deserve it. Not after all this.

"Go, Mikey." She stated through clenched teeth, her voice hoarse from the smoke that was now taking over the entirety of the room. She had no desire to exist past this moment. 

"What are you trying to do to me?" Mikey demanded, his voice cracking with pain. Shelby had to cover her mouth and squeeze her eyes shut at the sound. "All those sleepless nights thinking of having you back, and now-" She could tell he was struggling to talk through tears. Her body was as stiff as a board. She knew that if she turned around, the sight of him crying might be enough for her to change her mind. "You are coming with me whether you want to or not because I don't want to imagine a world without you in it, Shelby."

Her chest heaved with effort to take her next breath, smoke and heat filling her lungs as she removed her hand from her mouth. "This is for the best." She stated. She waited to hear his footsteps retreat, but suddenly, she felt his hand wrap around her arm. Before she could stop him, Mikey pulled her arm, causing her to whip around and face him as he blew a white powder into her face.