((To be honest, I'm not sure if this is where I'm supposed to add an 'Author's Note', but I'll do it just in case. I DO NOT OWN THIS STORY/PLOT IN ANY WAY AND NOR DO I OWN THE CHARACTERS USED. The plot is by Matthew K. Manning from the 2017 TMNT comic book, volume 4. I decided the best way to see if I had 'writing potential' was to turn a TMNT comic into a written story. Again, the plot is not mine. I did add in some lines to make the story 'flow' nicer, as you don't have pictures to see what's going on. Constructive criticism is welcome, but please, no flames! There will be more chapters posted later on and original stories on the way, too!))


The day drew to a close with the leisurely descent of the sun as it willingly surrendered the sky to its lunar counterpart. Without a moment to spare, night began to silently creep upon the famous City That Never Sleeps. The people within the lively, bustling city appeared to be blissfully unaware as witching hour approached, carrying on as though it was still day. Crowds formed on the sidewalks within mere seconds and vehicles bunched up at intersections. A cool breeze swept through the city, as if to taunt those who did not wear layers of warm clothing to expel the oncoming chill.

Despite this, it was just another mediocre night in New York.

Unbeknown by most, however, there were a few beings that did not inhabit the lively ground above. Rather, their souls reside below the streets and towering skyscrapers, hidden from all of society. Deep underground, in the confines of the sewers, it was just another mediocre night in the lair, and an uncharacteristic silence that taken ahold of the retreat the four mutant turtles and sensei call home.

It was an odd change in the constant white noise that usually played in the background of their day. After all, without Raphael shouting or taunting the others, Michelangelo bouncing off the walls, or even Leonardo scolding his brothers to stop acting like children, unintentionally making the noise more unbearable than it already was, it was not the same lair that Donatello had grown accustomed too. For years he patiently put up with their shenanigans and trivial bickering… well, mostly, Raph and Mikey's shenanigans.

Thankfully, Leonardo, their oldest brother, had a bit more self control and dignity.

Of course, Donatello wasn't complaining about this lack of clamour. In fact, he felt rather relieved that the group's choir of racket subsided for at least one night. It wasn't everyday that he could hear himself think clearly. But with the day ending with every passing second, it was only a matter of time before sleep and exhaustion would slow his mind.

From inside the lab, Donatello slouched wearily by the cluttered table, futilely trying to rub the ever-growing need to sleep from his eyes. He attempted to focus his brain on everything and anything but rest, and settled on getting right back into the experiment he had started a little over seven hours ago. Reaching out for the cup of black coffee before him, he quickly downed the rest of the bitter drink in one gulp. There hadn't been much left, anyway, and he hoped the boost of caffeine would activate sooner rather than later... he wasn't in the mood to make what would be the fifth pot of coffee today.

He placed the now-empty cup back onto the counter before him, where vials and other scientific precision instruments were scattered in disarray. It was only a wonder how his 'clean freak' personality wasn't mocking him for allowing such a mess to occur on his once spacious desk, the layout of the chaos (or how he would sternly put it, organised chaos) memorised in his sluggish mind. Closest to him was a beaker half filled with a glowing, green liquid. He picked up an empty vial from the disarrangement of tools, pouring a small amount of a blue substance into it before pouring that into the beaker.

The chemicals fizzed like an opened can of shaken soda. Carefully, he held the vial over the beaker and used his free hand to cover his mouth as he yawned once again. When is that caffeine gonna start working? Oh, well... I shouldn't get too distracted...

"Now... to add the... the invigorating compounds to the... the..." He trailed off, rubbing his eyes for the eighth time in the past minute in an attempt to keep himself awake. "Muta... mutagen..."

His mind, though overworked, was still functioning enough to inform him that the chances of the experiment being completed in one night were next to nothing. If he had any common sense, he would pack up the test tubes and beakers and call it a night. Unfortunately, his stubbornness easily won over his body's basic needs, even though he was practically sleeping upright in the seat. He was certain the caffeine would give him the boost he needed anytime soon... Eh, whatever. I can do this without caffeine...

While subconsciously pondering whether he'd pass out from exhaustion or receive the rush of caffeine first, he tilted the vial and watched through hazy eyes as the liquid began to trickle out from the glass. It was only sheer moments afterwards that his bloodshot eyes involuntarily shut altogether, his stiff limbs going slack against the counter.

He succumbed to sleep for only a split second.

Just when he appeared to have fallen victim to fatigue, Donatello's eyes snapped open wide in surprise, figure jolting from its slouched position into a straighter one. The vial was flung upright in his hand, and from inside the thin, glass container, the liquid splashed over the lip and onto the desk. Thankfully, the chemical inside was not acidic enough to burn through metal... or the scales on his hand.

"Zzzz... Not the cuticles!" Donnie exclaimed, quite disoriented. His body stiffened up into a state of shock as he glanced around, slowly recalling the familiar surroundings. "I said don't trim the... the.. erk... what?"

He rubbed at his eyes again, buying himself some time to realise what exactly had happened to cause such an embarrassing outburst. He easily concluded that he had been dreaming, that even in that split second, his mind had wandered into the unknown corners of his psyche.

"Come on, Donatello, wake up. Master Splinter is counting on you." He reminded himself wearily, the sternness in his voice lost alongside with the enthusiasm. Returning back to his exhausted, scrunched up position, he could feel himself slipping from reality once again.

"If I combine too much of these chemicals the... the results would be..." He didn't even finish his sentence before his body began shutting down again, fatigue taking its toll on his subconsciousness. Maybe I should have tried stronger coffee? Espresso? Probably... "The results... cata... catastroph..."

For only a moment did his grip on the vial release ever so slightly, his eyes closing sleepily for the second time. Unaware of the action, his hand turned just enough for the glassware to tilt over and spill its contents into the mutagen-filled beaker.

The two chemicals fizzed and bubbled in irritation as they began to fuse together in the jar, emitting a rather intoxicating greenish-blue glow that lit up the laboratory. Too much had been added... The terrible aroma swiftly awoke the sleeping turtle, and his eyes flickered open in surprise, noticing the action he had unwittingly made. However, his reaction time was a little too slow.

For a moment, all appeared to be calm, as though the inevitable had been delayed for a few seconds. Then, without the slightest warning, there was a deafening boom that shook the entire lab. The beaker exploded into shards of glass from the impact and pieces of the chipped wall and other debris were sent sailing across the room in a shower of rubble. The heavy metal doors rocked on their hinges, as if they too were trying to escape the cloud of black smoke that filled the up the room to the ceiling.

The sound of the eruption echoed throughout the sewer, causing anything within a thirty foot radius to be left with ears ringing for a solid minute. As for Donatello, though, his senses had shut down the moment the explosion. He felt himself crash hard onto the cement floor, vision going black as a different type of sleep claimed him.


((A.N - More chapters on the way! It might be a little while before I post again because editing takes me a while (school/art classes/etc) . Hope you liked it, even though it was kind of short! Thanks for giving this story a chance and I hope you stick around!))