"Donatello!" Rockwell called noisily, drawing the attention of everyone in the main room, including Raphael. With a furtive look in his eyes he glanced first at Raphael, then back to Donatello as he spoke. "I have finished readying the-um-tests you wanted to perform on Raphael."

Donnie raised an eye-ridge. Was Rockwell hinting at what he thought the monkey genius was hinting at?

Slightly frustrated, Rockwell sighed. Donatello really was rather slow sometimes. So he did his best to elaborate without giving too much away. "You remember don't you? The tests you asked me to prepare last night? To make certain that his heart is still in good shape? I figured you'd want to get them over with as soon as possible."

The purple-masked turtle stiffened a little and sent a reluctant look at Raphael. Raph, in turn, sent him a stern, knowing stare. He was trying to tell the brainiac that he had already seen part of the files, but telepathy wasn't part of the ninja curriculum, and Don didn't seem to be getting the message.

Finally, Donnie just sighed and nodded his head, deciding to get it over with. After all, Raphael already knew that he had the files, and as Mona's guardian he would have to know what was in them sooner or later. "Alright. Let's get Raph into the lab."

"I'll help." Leo offered, about to lift Raph up, but the hothead shoved him away.

"I don't need your help, Fearless. Donnie will give me a shoulder to lean on."

"Nonsense. One of us can carry you." Don argued. He really wanted to face-palm. Why oh why was Raphael always so difficult? He was stressed enough as it is, he didn't need the added pressure of a ridiculously stubborn brother on his conscience. The next thing he knew he was in the midst of a glaring competition that he knew he wouldn't win. As soon as he lost, he sighed. "Fine."

Leonardo, meanwhile, was not very happy about what had just happened, or what was going to happen, for that matter. "Why does he need more tests in the first place? I thought you said he was going to be fine."

Dr. Rockwell was the one who answered. "He should be. But a high-voltage shock like that is very dangerous, especially to the heart. We need to do a couple of follow-up examinations just to be sure."

The eldest nodded. "I see." There was a short pause. Then Leo asked, "Do you mind if I just tag along?"

Both Donnie and Rockwell unintentionally bristled. "Yes, actually we do mind." The monkey mutant said quickly, a little bit too quickly for Leo's taste. "Donatello and I will work better without any outside distractions." He turned to Donnie and Raph. "If you two will come as quickly as possible, I think we can be done by noon."

Leo glanced at the clock. It was a quarter-past eleven. That seemed like an awful long time for a 'simple' series of tests. He didn't know about Rockwell, the monkey was acting a little suspicious, but that could just be his imagination. What he did know was that Donnie and Raph were hiding something. And he was going to call their bluff. "Why would simple tests take that long?"

Don immediately sensed the change in his older sibling's voice. Leo had just gone from gentle curiousness to Spanish Inquisition mode. Judging by the way Raph straightened the hothead had noticed it too. "They wouldn't." Donnie admitted, forthrightly, hoping that the honesty of the statement would quiet Leo's suspicions. "There are some other things the three of us need to discuss." Again, Don tried to use the truth to dissuade his sibling from asking any more questions. Unfortunately, it wasn't working.

"What kinds of things?" Leo asked. He was now even more suspicious than before. He could see that his brothers were hiding something from him and he didn't like it. Hands on his hips, he fixed a stern glare at his younger siblings.

Donatello had always believed that when it came to telling lies, Raphael had a special knack. As the type of person who constantly got himself into trouble, Raph knew how to manipulate people and, horrible as it may sound, he was especially good at manipulating Sensei and Leo. Once again, Donatello was reminded of Raph's incredible understanding of their oldest sibling. Raph said nothing, but his eyes strayed to Mona Lisa.

That one little action was all the answer Leonardo needed. He immediately deflated and backed down. Don didn't even wait for the eldest turtle's apology. He lifted Raph's arm over his shoulder and helped his brother down the hall towards the lab. Once they were out of hearing range, he whispered, mainly to himself, "How do you do that?" He wasn't expecting an answer, but he got one anyway.

"I know my brothers." Raph answered softly.

Rockwell led the way into the lab. Once the door was shut, and locked, they got down to business. Much to Raph's surprise, Donnie said, "Get on the table, Raph."

"Huh? I thought we were hear to talk about Mona and," he lowered his voice a little, "the files."

Donnie nodded. "We are, but I really do want to monitor your heart for a few minutes, just to be certain."

The other genius nodded his agreement. "Indeed. As the saying goes: one can never be too careful. And why waste a perfect opportunity?"

"Aren't those two different sayings?" Raph asked, trying to delay the inevitable.

"Raph." Don chided, pushing him gently towards the lab table. "Please. For my peace of mind?"

Raph sighed. "I tell ya Don, one of these days you really are going to jinx it."

"I don't believe in jinxes, Raphael." The brainiac replied evenly as he stuck the little electrodes to Raph's plastron.

"But I do. That's what really matters." Raph grumbled.

Don rolled his eyes. "Has anyone ever told you that you're impossible?"

The smirk on Raph's face was very childlike and mischievous. "In my life? Or in the past month?"

The purple-masked sibling sighed. Raph looked down at the wires now attached to him. "How long do I have to wear these?"

"Half an hour, ideally." Rockwell grinned at the chagrined look on the turtle's face and quickly reassured the adolescent, "But do not worry. You will not even realize that that much time as passed. We'll review the aspects of the files on Mona Lisa as you are being monitored."

Even though the hothead huffed, Donnie could tell that Raph was pleased by Rockwell's plan. Knowing that his brother would be fine, Don turned to the monkey mutant, about to ask what he had found out, but then he realized. "You don't seem anxious or surprised." He said, crossing his arms over his plastron as he glared daggers at his brother. The only way that Raphael would have known anything about Rockwell working on the files is if he had somehow managed to get the monkey scientist alone. And the only way Raph could have done that when he wasn't around and without him finding out about it, was if Raph had disobeyed his direct orders.

Raphael held up his hands. Donatello's eyes narrowed to slits. For once Donnie wished that Raph would at least show a little bit of anger, a little bit of concern for his own health! This selfish do-it-by-myself attitude wasn't helping anyone! "I'm fine, Donnie. You don't have to get so worked up! I got up late, saw the light on in here and thought you were in here working late! Go on, Don, yell all you want. Yell at me for caring!"

A soft hand landed on Raph's shoulder and squeezed tightly. Don's face and voice were soft as silk, even as he sighed. Raph hated seeing the sadness in Donnie's big brown eyes. Slowly, Don admitted, "I don't blame you. And I'm not," he took a deep breath, "going to yell at you." His hand gripped Raph's shoulder even tighter. "It's just—I worry too."

Raph grinned and nodded. "I know."

The two brothers shared a brief moment of companionable silence before Donatello finally turned back to Rockwell. "What did you find out?"

Rockwell stood tall and proud, after all, he had just completed a very hard task and was eager to share his findings. "A lot. Mona Lisa was apparently brought to that facility about ten years ago. The scientists estimated that she was approximately six years old at the time." The monkey mutant's eyes strayed to the heart monitor, noting the way that Raphael's heart rate had suddenly spiked. He muttered, "On second thought, we should probably monitor Raphael's heart when he isn't under quite so much stress."

Drawn by Rockwell's quiet words, Donatello's attention also came to rest on the heart monitor. "Agreed. The findings will hardly be accurate." A deep, concerned frown tugged at Donnie's lips as he saw that Raphael was very still. He was about to reach out, but Rockwell caught his hand. He turned to his fellow scientist with a questioning glare.

"Have you ever tried monitoring his blood pressure? Given his temperament, I wouldn't be surprised if he is at a higher risk for heart attacks." The monkey mutant said slowly.

Though he wanted to snap at Rockwell that he wasn't an idiot, Donnie realized that the scientist had a valid point. He shook his head. "No. I could never get him to let me. I tried to make him understand, but you'll find my brother is as stubborn as a bull."

"Hmm. Yes. I have noticed as much."

"What else?" The hothead growled lowly, making the two geniuses eye each other worriedly.

They both tried to reason with him. "Raph, why don't you calm down a little bit first okay?"

"No, I won't calm down, this is my girlfriend we're talking about here!" Raphael argued, sitting up on the lab table.

"Raphael, you really should try to take a few deep breaths, you will not do anyone any good in this state of rage."

Slowly, Raph came down from his angry volcano, the burning fire in his eyes dulling to a dim flicker. He took two, very shaky deep breaths. "Okay. Fine. I'm calm. Just tell me everything."

The purple-masked turtle was still a little bit worried, so he was thankful when Rockwell said, "One more outburst like that, Raphael and I will send you back out into the main room with the others. You are in no condition for high-stress levels. If you cannot keep yourself reasonably calm, I will not allow you to hear anymore of this."

Needless to say, Raph was not very pleased about that, but Donnie was relieved when he saw that his hotheaded brother really was determined to control himself.

Rockwell waited until the red-masked turtle accepted his terms with a nod before he went on. "As far as I can tell, while they did many DNA and blood tests over the years. And even though these are the complete records there are some aspects of the file that are missing, those sections are probably locked away in top secret government vaults. Donatello, I believe you once mentioned you suspected that her physical and psychological trauma was what had resulted in her inability to speak?"

"Yes." Don answered with a nod.

Rockwell motioned to the computer and Donatello immediately went to look over his shoulder. The monkey mutant turned the screen so that Raphael could see a little better as well. He pointed to a particular paragraph of text. "That is what they seemed to believe, too." The wrinkled, bony finger followed the line, "This scientist mentions that she would mutter and whimper in her sleep, yet never spoke a word to any of the people working there when she was awake or as they put it, in a clear state of consciousness."

Emerald green eyelids flicked closed and Raphael forced himself to take a long, slow breath. His inhale was halted by Rockwell's next word:

"Except—" Both turtles looked over at him, in anticipation. "—once. Three years later, at age nine, one of the female scientists who was observing her behavior, an intern according to the files, stated that Mona Lisa looked straight at her and asked 'Why are they hurting me?' I gather that the people in charge of the research facility, or possibly even the scientist in charge of Mona Lisa, quickly silenced the intern, paid her off, or had her transferred, because there is no further mention of the incident."

"The bastards." Don growled, his hands clenching into fists. "It makes me ashamed to call myself a scientist."

Rockwell agreed softly, "Indeed." Then his eyes moved away from Donatello and he tensed.

Curious, Donnie followed the monkey-mutant's gaze. His heart was plunged into a bucket of ice water. When Mona Lisa had that horrible nightmare a couple months ago, Donatello had thought to himself, I've never seen Raph so upset. That was a day at the beach next to this.

Raphael's eyes were closed. His entire body would be shaking if it weren't for the fact that he was using every ounce of strength in his body to keep still. Donatello thought that he was shaking from rage. And he was. But it wasn't just rage. A couple of tears dripped down his dark cheeks.

"Raphael..." Rockwell's voice was much softer this time, "Perhaps we should—" he was abruptly cut off.

"No." Raph said. His eyelids slowly flicked upward, uncovering his piercing, neon-green irises. His voice was so eerily level that the sound of it made Donnie inwardly cringe. "I'm not going anywhere. I need to know." After a long, slow moment of consideration, Rockwell nodded.

Making up his mind, Donatello hopped up onto the lab table beside his distraught sibling, flinging an arm across Raph's shoulders. His other hand, he offered to Raphael, who took it and squeezed it gratefully. Don grinned as his brother's tough-guy façade returned.

After sending a grim nod to his brother, Raphael turned back to Rockwell. "Go on."

"Aside from in-depth reports about every experiment they performed on her, which I do not think would be appropriate or tactful to present to you at this moment in time, there was only one really interesting piece of data which I believe will aid you in your efforts to find out more about Mona Lisa's background."

Don's bright brown eyes glanced down at their hands as Raph squeezed it in a death grip. They traveled slowly up to Raph's face. He wished that there was some way he could make this easier on Raphael, but he knew he couldn't. His other arm held his brother close to him. Even he was beginning to weaken under the strain of all this, but he had to stay strong. Right now, he was Raph's support. He wasn't about to let his brother down.

"It would seem as though the scientist who first brought Mona Lisa to the research facility is the same scientist who was in charge of the experimentation."

Don's eye-ridges furrowed, "What? But why would they allow that? Wouldn't they want a specialist of some kind?"

The monkey scientist sighed. "Indeed. I thought it was curious, as well. So I also dug into her personnel file. She is a research scientist and her qualifications are good, but hardly the type that most facilities would require for a research leader on a top-secret project. I suspect that she used Mona Lisa to further her scientific career and advance much more rapidly than normal."

Raph's grip was getting painfully strong now, but still Donatello said nothing. Barely keeping himself together, Raph asked, "You mean she said something like 'I'll hand over this mutant specimen if and only if you make me project head'?"

Dull, brown eyes glinted sadly and Rockwell frowned. "Yes. I'm afraid that is exactly what I mean." There was a moment of silence. All three of them could feel the anger swirling in the atmosphere. Rockwell's voice returned, this time with a hard edge, "I have looked through as much of her file as I could, but there is very little to go on. Her name is Rouge Knight. Dark hair, dark eyes and a dark disposition. I gathered from some of the other scientists' notes that she is not pleasant to work with."

"Did you get anything else? Pictures? Videos?" Don asked insistently.

Rockwell's eyes brightened, he turned back to the computer and began scrolling through the files in a frenzy. He stopped abruptly as he found exactly what he was looking for. "Here! I know it's not much help, but there were a few audio files tucked in with Knight's notes." He clicked on the file and it began to play.

Professor Rouge Knight, head of research project SX71364.

Donatello and Raphael went completely rigid and Rockwell immediately paused the audio. "What's wrong?" He asked, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable. Donatello looked as though he were planning a vicious murder. Raphael was the only thing keeping the brainiac from completely flying off the handle. Hesitantly, Rockwell repeated the question, "What's wrong?"

"That voice," Raphael growled. "That's the voice of the woman scientist who threw me down the drain pipe."

"Are you sure?" The monkey mutant asked slowly, getting a shaky nod in response.

Fists pounding on the door made everyone jump. "Open this door!" yelled a loud, and very angry-sounding Leo.

With a bitter smile, Raph removed himself from Don's grip. "Looks like we've been exposed, Don. Leo was probably listening at the door the whole time, and these walls aren't soundproof. Prepare yourself for a mighty lecture, the likes of which you've never seen before." He sneered, jokingly.

"Cut it out, Raph, it's bad enough as it is." Donnie said with a grimace.

Raph grinned at his little brother's predicament. "That's the problem with secrets, Donnie. They have a very bad way of blowing up in your face at the worst possible moments."

The hard pounding at the door continued and then Slash's voice could be heard. "Rockwell, let us in." At least Slash sounded relatively calm.

Rockwell sent the two turtles on the lab table a questioning glance. "Should I?"

Raphael nodded towards the door and leaned back leisurely. "Might as well. If we don't they'll bust it down anyway."

No sooner had Rockwell unlocked the door than Leo shot into the room, Master Splinter trailing slowly after him. After that, Mona, Slash, Pigeon Pete, Leatherhead and Michelangelo all filed in one by one. Raph waited until they were all present before he remarked, "Well, now that we're all here."

Leo glared darkly at him and snapped, "Shut up! Just shut up!" His eyes stared straight into Raph's with a fiery fury that the hothead had seldom seen. Everyone else in the room exchanged shocked glances. Leo wasn't usually the type to yell like that. "Tell me the truth. Now." He ground out through his teeth.

Out of everyone in the room, Raphael was the most practiced when it came to his older brother's ire. He shook his head firmly and crossed his arms over his chest. "No."

"What?" Leo growled dangerously.

"No." Raph repeated, honestly and calmly. "It isn't my secret to tell." Slowly, he turned to Donatello.

The eldest turtle turned to his younger, purple-masked sibling and asked lowly, "What did you do?"

Donnie used all his power to remain strong and steadfast in the face of Leo's anger. "I went back to the research facility."

Everyone, aside from Rockwell, Raph, and Slash, gasped. Mikey, Splinter and Mona Lisa rapidly came forward. Mona Lisa rushed up to Donatello and worriedly felt him for injuries, the way she usually did with Raph. The hothead smiled at the sight. Mikey slowly pulled Don into a hug. The brainiac returned it stiffly. He could see the disappointed look in Master Splinter's eyes as the rat spoke. "Donatello, what you did was foolish and dangerous. After what happened to your brothers you are lucky that you made it out of there alive. You disobeyed my direct orders. My trust in you has now been shaken. I am most displeased, my son, and I hope you will understand that it will take time me to regain my trust in you."

Slowly, Donatello nodded. "I know, father. I understand. But I had to do what I did for our family's sake. I admit it was selfish and irresponsible of me to act in such a way, but I do not regret my actions. Though I can assure you, for what little my word is worth, that I have seen the error in my judgment. Were such circumstances to present themselves again...I would not make the same decision." There was a long pause. Michelangelo pulled away and Splinter drew closer, staring deep into Donnie's eyes. Finally, just when Don was starting to think that his father would never forgive him, the old rat pulled him into a fierce embrace.

"I should hope not, my son." There was a warning edge in Splinter's voice that told Donatello it was a very real threat. Master Splinter slowly released him.

"Donnie..." The turtle in question turned to face his eldest sibling and stared.

Leo looked stricken. He staggered forward, suddenly so unstable that Donnie had to reach out and balance him. Leonardo gripped him like a lifeline, squeezing all the air out of him in a bear hug. "Donnie..." He repeated, sounding even more desperate than Sensei.

Affectionately rolling his eyes as he patted his very over-protective and emotional big brother's carapace, Donatello said softly, "I got them, Leo."

The elder turtle's breathing hitched. "What?"

"I got the files. I got the intel that we needed." Don repeated, shaking Leo gently by the shoulders.

"Technically he had help." Raph added, "Even though he didn't intend to."

Dark blue eyes questioned his sibling and Raph pointed to his right, where Slash and Rockwell were standing side by side. Leatherhead and Pigeon Pete both let surprised noises.

"What? Slash, Rockwell, my friends, why did you not tell us?" The giant alligator mutant asked, sounding a little betrayed.

Rockwell sighed. "I believed that if I informed anyone else, Donatello would know he was being followed. And I wasn't entirely certain of his plans. The last thing I wanted was to arouse suspicion where none was needed."

Slash allowed Rockwell to justify himself before he gave his reasons. He looked past Raphael and Donatello at the other members of the turtle clan. "You were under enough stress as it was regarding Raphael's condition. I knew that telling you would have resulted in a panic and a heated confrontation, which was the last thing anyone needed. I decided to follow them and make certain that they both returned safely. After which, I confronted them both on their irresponsible behavior."

"Even if that criticism was a little hypocritical." Rockwell pointed out, earning a stern glare from the giant turtle.

Leatherhead grunted as he slowly considered their words. "I can understand your desire to act alone, my friends, but it was dangerous."

"I couldn't agree more." Slash said, raising his hand, placatingly. "And I do not intend to ever do this sort of thing again."

Raph's voice cut off anybody else's. "Good."

Everyone tensed as Leo spoke. His anger was back full force. "Donatello, if you ever do anything like this again I will personally see to it that you never leave the lair unaccompanied again."

Donatello gulped and nodded. "Understood."

The dark cloud over Leo's face lifted, replaced by his stoic, leader face. "You said you got the files. That's what Rockwell was talking about?" At Don's nod, his eyes flashed. "And you found out who hurt Raph?"

This time Don's answering nod was a little more delayed. He knew that Leonardo's anger was just as potent as Raphael's if one pushed the right buttons. The woman who had attacked Raphael had pressed all of them. And, of course, Donatello was smart enough to realize that as soon as he uttered the woman's name, Leo would storm off on a rampage. Reluctantly, Donnie filled his big brother and his family in on the information Rockwell had just given them. "She was also the head scientist in charge of the," he eyed Mona and lowered his voice a little, "experimentation on Mona Lisa."

"What is her name, Donnie?" Leo growled. The additional information that she was the one responsible for Mona's injuries only made him more furious. If there was one thing he wouldn't stand for, it was people hurting his family. This woman had brought more pain to his loved ones than he was going to stand for. It was settled. She needed to be neutralized. The wound Michelangelo had inflicted upon her was no longer enough for Leo's taste. Suddenly, a hard, angry voice broke his stormy reverie like a flash of lightning.

"You can't kill her, Leo."

All eyes turned to Raphael. Mona Lisa approached him warily, placing her hand on his shoulder. He lay his hand over hers gently and she climbed onto the table and sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, tightly.

Leo's eyes were on fire. "I will do as I see fit."

"Over my dead body." Raph retorted, noticing the way that everyone stiffened. Mona was stroking the side of his face insistently, staring at him with wide, panicked eyes. He pecked her forehead sweetly and returned his attention to his older brother. "That woman was the one who brought Mona Lisa to the research facility in the first place."

"So?" Leo growled.

"So, we can't kill her if she's our only link to Mona's past! What if she knows something, Leo? What if she knows who Mona Lisa really is?" Raph sent Mona an apologetic look as she flinched at his volume.

"I'm not risking my brothers' lives for a 'what if' Raphael! I know that helping Mona find out who she really is important to you, but this woman is too dangerous!" Leo yelled, his face starting to get red with his anger and frustration, combined of course with the amount of air he was using to yell like this.

Raph looked down into Mona Lisa's eyes. She was staring straight up at him with confidence and reassurance. He shifted and gripped her shoulders tightly. He kept his voice low, this question was for her and her only. "Mona...do you want to find out the truth?"

A flicker of uncertainty glimmered in her eyes. She pulled Raph's hands off her shoulders and gripped them tightly in her own, never breaking their eye contact. He could feel the almost completely concealed tremor of nervousness in her hands. But slowly and resolutely, she nodded.

Raph's face steadied and his eyes dulled. He turned to Leo, defiantly. The feeling of Mona Lisa's hand in his gave him strength. He felt invincible. "I'm going to confront her, Leo. We have to know."

Leo glanced at his younger brother, then he looked down at where Raph and Mona's hands were joined. He exhaled slowly and bowed his head. There was no way he'd be able to convince Raphael otherwise.

Donatello straightened and cleared his throat. Raph and the others turned to him. "And I'll be right beside you." He stated, sending Raphael a look that told his older brother he wouldn't be backing down.

"Me too." Mikey added quickly, startling Raph a little. The hothead smiled at his little brother's enthusiasm.

A tap on his arm made him turn towards Slash. The big, spiky-shelled turtle glanced at the Mutanimals and they nodded at him. "So are the Mutanimals."

Raph grinned happily at Slash, but a soft tap made him turn back around. "My son," Splinter ran a loving paw over Raph's smooth head, "I will always support you and your brothers. I love you all very much."

"I'm sure April and Casey will help, too." Donnie added softly.

Raph nodded gratefully at them all. He turned to Leo and frowned. After gently lifting Mona off his lap, he slid down from the lab table. Don tried to step forward and help, but he motioned his younger sibling to stay back. His feet ground to a halt about a foot away from his older brother's.

Leonardo slowly lifted his head to look at Raphael.

The red-masked brother held out his hand. "We're gonna need a leader, big brother." Leo eyed the hand impassively, but didn't take it. Raph frowned and pushed it out further. His voice dropped with the intensity of his emotion. "We can't do it without you."

Never before had Raphael thought his older sibling capable of being even casually likened to an octopus. But he could think of no other way to describe the manner in which Leonardo was now clinging to him. It was an octopus or perhaps an extremely affection barnacle. There was absolutely no way he was going to be able to get Leo off before the leader was good and ready, but when Leo whispered, "I don't want you to get hurt," Raphael realized that he didn't want to.

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Well, how was it?