An Ordinary Day
It was a warm and beautiful day in the city of New York. The sun was shining brightly, its warm ray of life reflected by the various window panes of the numerous skyscrapers in the city, and the weather was absolutely perfect with no sign of it changing for the worse any time soon.
On the streets, the inhabitants of the great city were casually tending to their daily business like every other day. Everything was perfectly normal in the city of New York…as well as under it.
Underneath the busy and lively city life above, there was an unusual family inhabiting the inside the darkness of the sewers, a family that greatly differed from everything one could ever start to imagine – a family consisting of four mutant ninja turtles and one mutant master rat.
They were powerful warriors of the night who fought against the forces of evil to protect the innocent. Despite their countless heroic deeds, they were unknown, not even thought to exist by the majority of people, for they were ninjas – warriors who fought side by side with the shadows and faded into the darkness of the night without leaving any trace of their existence behind.
As the inhabitants of the New York were keeping themselves busy above ground, the stealthy turtles were also spending their time in their own ways, trying their very best to keep themselves distracted with various activities until the night, their domain, fell upon the life above.
It was a day like any other for the turtles inside their home, and nothing was out of the ordinary. They had just finished yet another rigorous training session the Master Splinter had conducted earlier that day and were finished for the time being.
Right after the ninjutsu master signaled the end of training, Michelangelo, the youngest and most fun-loving member of the four brother turtles, all but bolted out of the dojo at a speed that the others deemed unconceivable, all the while yelling things that made sense to him alone. On his way out, the excited turtle-shaped bounce ball accidentally bumped into his red clad brother and almost knocked him over.
"Darn it, Mikey!" Raphael, the red clad powerhouse with an extremely short fuse of the team, yelled angrily after his perpetually energetic sibling, "Watch where you're bouncing, will ya!"
Mikey, on the other hand, didn't even pay attention to his hot-headed brother. Instead, he jumped on the couch and instantly grabbed the remote, turning on a superhero cartoon that he loved and watched it with undivided attention, oblivious to everything around the Lair.
"I do wish Michelangelo would be as focused on his training as he is right now on this rather unproductive pastime. He can go so much further if he devotes himself more" Splinter said with a sigh as he stepped out of the dojo and looked at his youngest child. However, his other sons didn't fail to notice a tiny smile that the aged master had on his face.
"I believe that wish is somewhat far-fetched, master Splinter" Leonardo, the oldest and the leader in blue of the four-turtle ninja team, said to his father with a slight shake of his head.
"I believe the correct word should be "unattainable". Asking Mikey to stay focused on something like training is pretty much the same as asking ordinary pigs to suddenly grow wings and fly" commented Donatello, the purple clad genius, medic, and inventor of the household, "And as far as I'm concerned, that is not possible on Earth."
"Hey, shell-brain, get yer hands off da remote, I wanna watch my match right now" Raph yelled again and headed toward the couch.
"Sorry Raphie boy, this seat is reserved for the day" Mikey retorted, not glancing away from his show.
"Oh yeah, yer shell is gonna be reserved fer my feet fer the next five hours if ya don't drop da blasted thing in the next five seconds" Raph threatened, but his words had little to no effect on his stubborn sibling.
True to his threat, the brute turtle then lunged for his orange clad brother to get the remote forcibly. As a result, a rather violent fight broke out shortly afterward between Mikey and Raph, their screams completely breaking the tranquility of the sewers. If one didn't know better, he would consider the act of Raph holding his brother in a tight headlock an act of child abuse. However, for the turtles and their aged rat father, it was a daily occurrence that they had long gotten accustomed to.
"How soon do you think Mikey will give up this time?" Leo asked his calmer, and more serene brother next to him.
"Well, I'd say ten minutes" Donnie replied as he watched the two turtles in question wrestle one another on the floor for their remote, "More or less?"
"Less" Leo replied decisively after studying the wrestling match for a while with watchful and analytical eyes, searching for every detail that indicated when the youngest sibling would inevitably forfeit his "precious".
"Deal!" Donnie said again with a grin on his face and shook his brother's hand.
After nine minutes and fifty agonizing seconds, Mikey, having been caught in another grappling maneuver, ultimately tapped and let Raph take his spoils. In front of the dojo's steps, the blue and purple clad ninjas settled their friendly bet, with Donnie reluctantly giving his elder sibling a ten-dollar bill.
"I'll win next time around" Donnie said light-heatedly with a mock annoyance in his tone, which Leo knew really well.
"Sorry Donnie, you may be able to wipe the floor with me when it comes to chess and Go (a board game), but when it comes to my own team, I know best" Leo replied with a smile on his face, which Donatello instantly returned with a friendly one of his own.
"Fair enough. Well, I need to finish a project of mine in the lab, see you at lunch…or at dinner…or maybe until patrol…." Donnie said, his voice getting softer and softer toward the end of his sentence, before turning around and quickly heading for his proud haven within the lair.
"Better make that lunch, genius" Leo said sternly, knowing full well how entranced and tuned-out his intelligent brother normally got when he was locked inside his lab. The oldest turtle watched the retreating form of his quiet and calm brother for a while longer before turning around to address Splinter.
"Sensei, if you don't mind…" he began, but stopped in mid sentence when e realized the aged rat had already vanished at some point during their bet, and the most amazing part was that he had been standing in front of them the whole time.
"Wow, he still hasn't lost his touch" Leo whispered to himself before walking back into his room to meditate, an activity the he did to keep his mind focused and also block out the noises and ruckus that his two rowdy brothers were making in the living room.
Yep, it was nothing short of a perfectly ordinary day for the unusual family of mutants underneath the busy city life of New York city.
…
After leaving the noisy living room, Donatello was now safely locked inside his haven within the lair, immersed entirely by everything scientific and mechanical. Though he enjoyed spending time with his brothers, the resident genius loved putting his brain to good use and coming up with various things that could potentially make their family more comfortable inside the sewers.
Truth to be told, the lair wouldn't even be functional without Donnie around to constantly keep it up and running. Ever since he was a young turtle tot, the silent ninja had been gifted with a mind that far exceeded even the most brilliant of men's, and with that incredible intellect, he had managed to, at a tender age of five, create various household appliances for his brothers and father from the scavenged junk and thrown away parts around the sewers.
As to be expected, the other turtles and the aged rat had greatly appreciated his efforts when they first discovered his knack for inventing. Donnie had initially started out with small things like an old radio, a compact fan, and some simple toys for his brothers shortly before moving on to more complex and necessary things like the heaters, the air conditioners, the refrigerator, the water systems, power lines, the TV, etc. Thanks to his initiative and hard work, the hostile sewers had been wholly converted into an unimaginably comfortable place that all five mutants could proudly call their home.
For that reason, the other grateful family members had unanimously decided to reward Donnie, on his sixth birthday, with the largest unused room inside their lair at that time – the very one that would eventually become the lab and workshop he was so proud of. Needless to say, the young scientist was happy beyond belief, even to the point of uncharacteristically tackling his unsuspected siblings to the ground and hugging them warmly.
As time went by, more and more of his talents came to light, much to the shock and merit of his family. When his brothers were sick or hurt from their rough housing, he was their attentive nurse and medic. When they needed an understanding and non-judgmental ear to confide in, he was their designated confidant, and many more roles, but most dominantly among his numerous positions within the clan was the role of an inventor.
When the teenage turtles were deemed mature enough by Splinter to leave the lair and explore the topside, they immediately ran into troubles with various villains and criminal gangs, most notably the Purple Dragons and the Foot Clan, with the latter presenting more of a threat.
Since their first encounter with the hostile criminal organizations, the resident genius had been trying restlessly to come up with more and more useful creations for his family, all of which were extremely helpful in their daily grinds as well as in their struggle against the Foot Clan and its leader – a nefarious Ultrom criminal called Ch' rell that took on the mantle of Oroku Saki, a fierce feudal warrior known as the Shredder.
The other turtles knew that Donnie loved spending his time inside the lab and letting his mind work at a speed of a supercomputer, so they didn't interfere with him too much, until they deemed that the genius needed to take a break, in which case one of the brothers – normally Raph - forcibly dragged the purple-banded turtle out of his heaven by the bandana.
The other members of the small ninja clan knew very well that Donnie loved his inventions, but they didn't know the full reason behind his motivation – the reason why he spent so much of his free time surrounded by scavenged mechanical parts.
For Donatello, it was his way of proving how much he could be of service to his clan and his loved ones. In addition, he loved the moments when his brothers would show recognition – Leo's case, thrill – Raph's case, happiness – Mikey's case and appreciation for his amazing gadgets.
However, as they grew older, the brothers' displays of gratitude toward their intelligent sibling gradually decreased and became scarce; for his intelligence, though still amazing to them, had long ceased to impress the three turtles the way it had initially done in the past; but that didn't bother Donnie…much. He still wanted to whole-heartedly serve his family as best he could, to the best of his ability, even when he wouldn't receive anything in return.
"Alright, this goes here," Donatello said quietly as he tried to put the finishing touches on the wiring of his latest creation. His mutated three-fingered hands moved gracefully and nimbly around the tinier wires, fixing any problem he could spot. It truly was a sight to behold. His gestures were smooth, precise and decisive, like those of a talented maestro masterfully conducting a symphony.
All of the sudden, a spark of electricity flared up and shocked his fingers, causing Donnie to let out a surprised yelp and immediately pull his hands back. Despite his unfathomable mechanical talents, there was little he could do about the less than favorable materials and parts with which he had to make do.
"Ouch, that hurt…" Donnie commented as he shook his shocked hand and looked at his unfinished invention, spotting an open wire a second later.
"Now how did I not notice that?" he mused to himself and instantly got up to get a replacement. Once he had found what he was searching for, the purple clad genius settled down once again and continued fiddling with his project.
His concentration on his project was so great that he didn't even hear the door to his lab open. Donnie's absolute focus was only shattered abruptly when he felt a furry hand on his shoulder, which shocked him upon contact and caused the surprised turtle to swivel his chair around to look at his visitor.
"Oh…Sorry sensei…I…I didn't hear you come in…" Donnie said, his face getting red from being surprised by his own father. However, to Splinter, there was something else inside those brown chocolate eyes that he couldn't quite figure out…something akin to guilt and shame, and it was puzzling to the aged rat.
"It is alright, my son" Splinter reassured his bashful son with a stern yet kind fatherly tone, "It is I who should be sorry for not announcing my presence beforehand". However, he couldn't help but notice that his son's skin was much warmer than usual.
"It's okay, sensei. Is there anything you would like me to help with?" Donnie asked with a smile on his face.
"No, I just came in to check up on you because I heard a rather loud yelp coming from here a while ago. Is everything alright in here, my son?" Splinter asked again, seeing his son getting even redder than Raphael's bandana. Again, the aged ninjutsu master was puzzled by his son's reaction to such a simple and seemingly harmless question. He was about to ask Donnie again, but the turtle beat him to it.
"Oh, don't worry, Master Splinter, everything is perfectly fine. I just got shocked by an open wire, that's all, no harm done," Donatello said, a sheepish smile forming on his face as he looked nervously at his father.
"Is that so?" Splinter asked, raising an eye ridge at his genius son's questionable reactions. His fatherly instincts urged him to ask Donatello what was puzzling him, but his rational mind won the debate in the end. He knew full well how withdrawn Donatello normally became when pressed, so he decided to put his bewilderment to the back of his mind for the time being.
"Are you sure you didn't hurt yourself?" the rat asked again, concerned for his son's well-being.
"Oh, it's no problem, sensei. Stuff like this happen all the time, so I'm pretty much used to it by now" Donnie reassured his father with a smile. Seeing that genuine smile on his son's face, Splinter decided to let it slide for the time being.
"So then my son, please tell me what is it that has been preoccupying your mind to the point of skipping lunch and neglecting your own health" the rat asked with a stern voice, earning another sheepish smile from the turtle in question.
"Oh…has it been that late already? I haven't noticed…" the genius stammered quietly, making Splinter sigh.
"My son, I know that you have a burning passion when it comes to your art of creation, but under no circumstances should you allow your passion to serve as your own health's detriment".
"Hai, sensei" the turtle replied again.
"Now then, could you tell me what is it that you're so preoccupied with?" the rat then looked at his son's shocked face and couldn't help but feel somewhat uneasy. 'Why is he reacting in such a manner to my simple enquiry?' he wondered.
"Oh…ah yes…" Donnie overcame his surprise and snapped back to reality, "I'm sorry, master Splinter, it's just that it's not often I get asked that question around here, well, at least not by someone other than April" the turtle said before cheerfully turning around to scoop up his project on his desk. Because of that movement, he failed to notice the frown on his father's face.
"Do you remember the Foot Tech Ninja we faced?" Donnie happily asked, and his father simply nodded. "Well, I've been trying my best to replicate their cloaking device and reducing its size to a small badge. So far, I've been making steady progress with my first prototype, and everything is in place."
"That is wonderful, Donatello, but if you do not mind my asking, why would you want to recreate this cloaking device?"
"Why not, sensei?" Donnie said cheerfully and held his proud creation for his father to behold, "This technology is absolutely incredible, it'll be an extremely helpful tool for us once completed. Can you imagine the various practical uses of one simple device? If I can perfect and improve Stockman's cloaking technology, we can potentially avoid a lot of direct confrontations with the Foot, the Purple Dragons, and even Bishop, sneak into the enemies' lairs undetected, or maybe camouflage the Battle Shell in plain sight without worry, or even casually stroll around the streets of New York in plain daylight without being screamed at…"
Splinter couldn't help but smile at his genius son's enthusiasm, which was really hard to resist. The ninja master had to admit, Donatello had made a valid point. This simple cloaking device would indeed save his sons a lot of trouble in combat, or maybe even help them greatly in their training to come up with counter strategies against their high-tech opponents. What Donatello had presented him was a multi-functional invention in one tiny package.
In addition, that device suited Donatello's pacifistic nature so well. It was not that he was a coward, it was more like the peaceful ninja detested all forms of violence and he would always try his best to come up with ways that could solve the problems without having resorting to brute force – a distinct contrast with Raphael. Unfortunately, all of his attempts at peace had failed miserably most of the time.
"That is an excellent invention, my son" Splinter commented with a fond smile on his face, "Once again, you have outdone yourself" he added when his eyes fell upon the various parts and pieces of metal that he considered junks. Not only had his son managed to replicate Stockman's highly advanced technology, he had done so with the thrown away and wasted materials he savaged during his routine trips to the junkyard.
"It took me a lot of time and efforts to conduct thorough research and find the suitable parts I needed, but it was worth it in the end" Donatello continued, his smile was still plastered on his face. "I'm sure the guys will be happy to see this baby in action."
At that moment, Splinter's smile dwindled somewhat. 'Of course, it is always for "the guys" with Donatello" he mused, 'Never once did I hear him say "It's a project for me"…'
"Sensei? Are you okay? You kind of zoned out for a while there" Donnie said, breaking his father out of his trance.
"Oh, I'm fine, my son" he quickly reassured Donnie, who nodded in acceptance and beheld his finished prototype once more.
"I think I'm going to show them this. They will be thrilled" Donnie said before running out of the lab and heading for the living room. Splinter looked at his excited son and wondered if he was really seeing Michelangelo wearing purple, not his calm and tranquil Donatello. When his son was out of the lab, the rat chuckled light-heartedly, but then, his smile faded as he took a closer look at the place. It was spacious and stacked with numerous inventions, but it looked lonely, and to think Donatello spent his days in here for hours on end…
Donatello's surprised expression came back to his mind and he once again found himself frowning at that image. 'It's not often I get asked that question around here' Donnie's words echoed in his head, making his frown more pronounced.
Out of his four sons, Donatello was perhaps the most hard-working one. His oldest child and leader, Leonardo, was extremely devoted and diligent in his training and responsibilities, that was an undeniable fact, but Splinter knew that his sons, along with himself, would be completely lost without the resident genius to keep the lair from falling apart, and hearing Donatello utter those surprised words really made him feel a bit uneasy…or even guilty.
In the spacious lab, the lone rat stood still and looked at the various books, journals, blueprints, unfinished projects, etc. piling up. He knew that his sons all had a few things in common when it came to their interests –such as pizza – but Donatello's passion was perhaps the least in common with everyone in the small clan.
Mikey and Raph could easily get together and play video games from dawn to dusk, or carelessly wrestle and chase each other around the lair for hours, while he and Leonardo shared the same interests in tea, meditation and training.
But Donatello, he had nobody in the small family to share his passion with. There was hardly anyone they knew that could match his intelligence anyway. Leatherhead, a fellow mutant scientist and Donnie's personal friend, lived too far away in order to keep his wild side in check, and April, the turtles' brilliant human friend, was busy with her own life, so she couldn't afford to visit the lair everyday to talk to Donnie about science and technology. Baxter Stockman…Splinter didn't even want to go there - there was absolutely no hope for that mad man.
Inside the lab, the lone rat stood still and asked himself another question in response to his son's earlier one.
'Are we neglecting Donatello?'