After the shouting match, the Turtles split up. Raphael stood by the home gym, poised to spring. Donatello was working on the T-Phones alone. Michaelangelo was trying to meditate, but the fight was still fresh on his mind. Leonardo was in a dark corner for a while. He then stepped out after a while. “…Guys, we gotta talk,” he said.
“Whoever you are,” snarled Raphael, “there ain’t nothing left TO talk about!”
“I want to apologize,” said Leonardo. “You’re all free to not trust me. After everything that’s happened, that’s more than fair. Right now, I know that I AM who I say I am. And I have to trust that you’re all who you say you are. This thing doesn’t wanna show itself. It wants to hide and make us want to kill one another. If it IS hiding, that suggests that it’s vulnerable out in the open. If we fight and kill each other, then it won’t have any enemies left and would be celebrating its victory.”
“Even if you ARE Leonardo,” growled Raphael, “it doesn’t change the fact that we’re still stuck here and the dope with the oversized stick still hasn’t figured out a way to get us outta here!”
“Bite me, Raphael!” snapped Donatello.
“And,” continued Raphael, “it don’t change all the things YOU did by leaving us with Slash!”
“It WAS a mistake,” said Leonardo. “I’m sorry. I should have-.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you should have! I’m hearing a lotta that woulda-coulda-shoulda crap, but not a lotta what you DID!”
“Damn it, Raphael! I’m trying to get us-!”
“Oh, you’re trying to-!” At that point, Leonardo and Raphael got into another shouting match.
“Stupid intellectual dwarves!” grunted Donatello to himself. “Don’t know why I bother with them!” Michaelangelo simply gave them a sour expression since his meditation was going nowhere…then he saw a shadowy figure. Donatello then looked at Michaelangelo. “Look at him!” he continued to himself. “All the intellect of a-!” He then saw the shadowy figure. He then noticed that Michaelangelo was trying to get his attention. Donatello then pointed at the shadowy figure while maintaining eye contact with Michaelangelo.
“Uh, guys?!” Michaelangelo called to the still shouting Leonardo and Raphael. No dice. The two were still wrapped up in their shouting match. Donatello then pointed at a small, black ball on his belt, then pointed at Michaelangelo. Michaelangelo nodded and reached for his own. The two quiet Turtles then moved their hands to their weapons. Michaelangelo counted down from three with his fingers, then threw the ball at the ground, creating a smoke screen. He then appeared at the figure’s side and swung his nunchaku while Donatello swung his bo. The figure grabbed both weapons and threw the two Turtles into the wall at high speeds! Leonardo and Raphael stopped arguing when they heard what happened. Raphael then saw the figure.
“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!” he shouted as he charged at the figure, drawing his sai. Leonardo drew his katanas and the two Turtles attacked, but the figure threw them into each other, making them drop their weapons. A katana and a sai landed near Leonardo.
“MIKEY, CATCH!” he shouted as he threw the weapons at Michaelangelo. Michaelangelo caught the weapons and stuck the sai into the figure’s chest. The figure roared an electronic roar.
“YEAH, SCREW YOU TOO!” replied Michaelangelo as he swung the katana through the figure’s neck, decapitating it and dispelling the shadow. The Turtles could now see that it was a humanoid machine.
“…The hell IS that thing?!” spluttered Leonardo. Donatello picked up the head.
“It looks like an Utrom-droid,” he said.
“Then where’s the brainy-toy surprise that’s supposed to pop out?” asked Raphael.
“Um, Donnie, should the eyes be flashing now?” asked Michaelangelo. The eyes of the machine were blinking.
“So, are we done fighting?” asked a voice through the machine.
“SHREDDER!!” snarled Leonardo.
“But, why?!” asked Donatello.
“Because your master didn’t teach you a lesson he taught me all those years ago,” replied the Shredder.
“What lesson?!” growled Raphael.
“That brotherhood is fragile in the heat of conflict. I had my technical staff alter this Utrom-droid to create an illusion that would stir up conflict in all of you and simply let you try and destroy each other. Since you’re still alive, I can see that they failed in that regard. No matter. They still achieved my aims. Now you understand what I learned when your master killed Oroku Nagi all those years ago. Brotherhood is nothing. It is weak in the pursuit of power. …I’ll see you again when you’ve mastered that lesson.” The eyes switched off. It was then that they heard a banging on the door.
“MY SONS!” called Splinter’s voice.
“SENSEI!” called Leonardo. He ran to the door and pulled it open to let in Splinter and their human friends! The Turtles goggled.
“…Dudes, we couldn’t open that thing, right?” asked Michaelangelo.
After a few explanations, Raphael was sitting alone in his room, feeling ashamed of himself. He heard a knock on the door. “Raphael?” asked Splinter.
“…Come in,” mumbled Raphael. Splinter entered the room.
“You missed the meeting, my son,” he said.
“…I didn’t think it was a good idea for me to be there right now. …Did Donnie and April figure out what happened?”
“They couldn’t find anything wrong. Donatello believes that everything was most likely working as it should be and the four of you couldn’t hear anything over your own yelling.”
“…Great.” Splinter sensed something else in Raphael’s emotional state.
“…Raphael, this is probably a stupid question, but are you all right?”
“No, Pops, I ain’t,” muttered Raphael. “Is Leo near here?”
“Right here, Raph,” replied Leo as he stepped into the room.
“…Leo, it don’t matter if it came from the Shredder’s toy,” muttered Raphael. “All those things I said, they were real. I WAS that angry about Slash. …I was ready to put a sai in your eye.”
“But you didn’t. That’s the important thing.”
“No, the fact that I was even thinking about that about my own brother is the point! I…” Raphael sighed. “I-I need to get away from here. I need some time to think. The Mad Dogz are working a case and offered me a slot in their team.”
“…Will you be home in time for Mutation Day?” asked Splinter.
“…I wouldn’t hold my breath about it, Pops.”
“…Very well, my son.” Splinter put a reassuring hand on Raphael’s shoulder.
“Raph,” said Leonardo, “for what it’s worth, I AM sorry about Slash. Last month, I said you guys were my greatest strength. That opinion hasn’t changed.” There wasn’t much to say now. After a few seconds, Leonardo and Splinter left Raph so he could pack.