In the Mind's Eye

Leonardo had lost. The foot elite held him down against the cold hard cement, keeping him pinned despite his struggling. Finally he accepted that he couldn't get free... he was too exhausted to break their hold.

He allowed himself to go limp as he warily watched Shredder approach. He forced a neutral expression on his face, refusing to let himself be intimidated. He would tell them nothing... they may have captured him, were probably going to torture and kill him, but he would never tell them where to find the rest of his family...

The Shredder stopped in front of him and stood above him as he inspected his inhuman captive. Leo watched him back, then strained against the hands that held him down as the Shredder crouched down. The turtle shut his eyes as Shredder raised his arm, steeling himself for the blow that would end his life.

The strike didn't fall. Instead he felt metal brush against his throat. He opened his eyes again to see that his enemy had brought that spiked arm up to rest it against his neck. And held it there.

The Shredder didn't say anything at first, which was the disconcerting thing. It was only when Leo felt the sensation of an odd tickling inside his head that he realized that he was up against something he had never encountered before. He stated to see saw flashes of images in his head from his past, Raph glaring at him from a fight, Mikey laughing, and realized that he was under mental assault.

"Where is the rest of your family?" The voice spoke both out loud and inside his head. His eyes widened as the probing grew sharper...

He clamped down on it. Used his fifteen years of meditation experience to shut down the searching mind and push it out of his own.

He heard the Shredder chuckle. "You can't keep anything from me, fool!" he hissed. And with that the Shredder tried to dig deeper.

Leo grit his teeth and concentrated on keeping him out. It hurt but he forced himself to keep his memories hidden, pushing back against the Shredder. "I won't tell you!" he choked out, using his voice for the first time that day.

-Foolish creature- Was the reply in his mind. -You WILL tell me what I want to know...-

That was when Leo felt it. Feather light touches... all over his body. This had nothing to do with finding out where his family was and that fact confused him. He stared at the Shredder as his body twitched, reacting.

-What...?-

He knew what he was feeling wasn't real. Knew it because he could feel the much stronger sensation of where the foot elite had all four of his limbs pinned. Even so the feeling of those invisible hands made his skin crawl as they trailed up his arms and legs, across his chest, down... he jerked suddenly, grunting, as they stroked between his legs, touching him where he least expected them to.

"Stop it!" he cried out.

All he could hear was laughter. He bucked and struggled as the touches wouldn't let up and became harsher, more insistent. Leo's brows flew together, a cold sweat breaking out over his skin as he fought to keep himself inside, deathly afraid of what would happen if he let himself go. "What are you doing?" He asked out loud, his voice high and strained despite himself.

-Say where I can find them and it will end- Shredder's voice said inside his head as clear as if he had spoken out loud. Leo knew then he had to break this spell, whatever it was. He struggled outright, using energy he hadn't had in hours, fighting to focus, to tear his attention from his body. He tried to mentally shove the Shredder away. When that didn't work he tried to call to Master Splinter. If anyone could help him it would be him... except the moment he tried to call to his master a searing pain erupted inside his head, blinding him to everything.

The pain was so intense he went completely limp and faded out of consciousness for bit. When he came back the rain and the foot elite and everything else around him was gone. He was still pinned though and he blinked.

Above him he could see the Shredder's metal faceplate and his narrowed eyes as his hand continued to manipulate him.

Leonardo whimpered softly. -Stop it...- he thought desperately. -I don't want this...- A chuckle met his thoughts and Leo shuddered. He had forgotten that his thoughts were currently not his own...

Miraculously those hands fell away, leaving Leo drained and only semi conscious. His head rolled to the side and he stared hazily into the darkness that surrounded him.

Shredder's voice called him back as his hands gripped the rim of his shell and settled between his legs.

-This is your last chance to tell me what I want to know- he hissed. Leo stared down at him, wondering for a second what he intended to do...

-Will never betray my family...- he thought, still a bit hazy, but sure of this fact.

A smirk was his response. A second later pain ripped through the entire bottom half of his body and he cried out, struggling for all it was worth.

-Stop!- He screamed. This was different than when he was attacked by the foot, he had never felt pain THERE before, and he didn't know how to handle it...

-How do you expect to protect your family if you can't even stop me from doing this?- Shredder asked sharply. He was above him now and Leo stared up at him with eyes wide and full of pain. He didn't expect this... never would have expected this... cried out as the harsh thrusts tore and stung. His only consolation was this wasn't real... it couldn't be... but he really couldn't tell the difference. All that mattered was the here and now and how he couldn't focus... couldn't focus or get away...

-Stop-, he groaned, unable to tell if he was speaking out loud or in his head. -Stop... please... there is...- He lost that thought suddenly, and desperately he tried to latch onto it and draw it back. His brow knit but at the last moment he found it again. -... no honor...-

Despair coursed through him as the Shredder laughed at his heartfelt plea. Of course he wouldn't stop... why would he? The Shredder had no honor, he never did.

Leo had no energy left to fight. He laid there and half observed as the Shredder began to shift around in his memories again. He frowned as he saw images of April's apartment flash through his head. The images layered on top of Shredder's face, and he watched with morbid fascination as his adversary's face morphed into the faces of each brother in turn and April and Splinter... people he was supposed to protect, to not allow to get hurt because he was too weak to fight off...

He had to FIGHT...

He thrashed suddenly, ignoring the feeling of tearing that caused down below. He tried to throw up mental defenses and push the invader out of his mind. It failed completely and he realized with a sinking feeling that he couldn't push out what was already inside.

The Shredder laughed louder as he thrust harder, pulling out image after image of Leonardo's family. Leo couldn't breath, the pain was so intense. Luckily that only lasted a short while until he couldn't feel anything, muscles unable to work and his body growing numb. He stilled and watched helplessly as his adversary grew closer and closer to...

Suddenly it was there, an image of April's shop from above, the sign as clear as day. He convulsed and made one last desperate bid to reach that memory, draw it back to himself, but it was gone. No longer his.

He could feel the sensation of Shredder pulling away, triumphant in his prize. He felt like he was fading... falling and wished he could... just escape, his mind unable to comprehend that he had given them away, betrayed them... if only he could attack...

His limbs moved sluggishly as he commanded them to work and he tried again and again, each attempt growing more promising...

And then he was back, gasping for air as the rain beat down on his face. The pain had returned but this time it was real, every blow and hit from hours of being chased and beaten coming back to remind him of his failure. He blinked rain out of his eyes as he focused on Shredder's face still hovering above his.

He knew what Shredder was going to do. Knew it the moment he had been caught, yet had been so sure he could keep the knowledge of their whereabouts from them. Now they'd be attacked just like he had been.

He couldn't let that happen... his brothers weren't ready. Master Splinter couldn't protect them alone. Michaelanglo would make a stupid mistake and get himself killed. Don didn't even like to fight, Raph would die defending him or doing something stupid himself. And April... the human had shown them nothing but kindness, taking them into her home, risking her life...

"Take me instead," He choked out. "I'm the one you want Shredder! Not them. Kill me and spare them..." His eyes widened as the Shredder merely laughed and turned away.

"Don't do this!" He tried to get up but couldn't, he was still held down. "Leave them alone!" but he knew that his words fell on deaf ears.

A hand motion behind himself by the Shredder and suddenly he was under attack from all four of the elite that held him. He didn't fight back. His eyes fell closed as he let himself go limp. He had failed... so completely to protect the ones he loved. The pain was almost welcome as he felt himself retreat further into his mind, accepting his death. His only faint fading hope was that his family, somehow, would survive.

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