Sounds of dripping filled the silence in the dark sewers. April and Donnie stuck to the shadows as they made their way to the exit. Keeping a guard, Donnie watched and kept an eye out for any Kraang bots that may be lurking; however, he hadn't spotted one yet. Feeling on edge, he felt like it was a matter of time.
"I don't like this." April whispered to him.
Feeling confused Donnie looked at her. "Why's that? Is it the smell?"
"No, it's too empty and quiet in here. We haven't seen any of those brain blobs down here!" She whispered back.
April had a point and Don did find it weird they haven't come across a patrol; then it hit him as to why, since it was simple.
"That's probably because they took over the city and they don't need to work behind the scenes anymore. They don't know we're here, so there's no reason for them to be down here." He explained.
Nodding, April understood and kept walking. The explanation was reasonable enough, but they shouldn't chance blowing their cover. Eventually, the two of them made it to the opening where they had entered earlier. Night had settled in and it was just as dark out there as it was in the sewer.
Carefully moving out to the ship, Donnie looked up towards the sky. None of the stars were visible along with the moon. As he looked towards the city, he eyed the purple glows from the crystals and the bright pink lights from the buildings. He drew his mouth into a hard line and furrowed his brows. Concentration took his mind and tension grew in his stomach. "So much work that needs to be done." he thought to himself. Suddenly, he felt a hand grab his arm and he snapped back into reality.
Looking at April, he smiled awkwardly. She stood next to him, looking out towards the city.
"It's awful isn't it?" She murmured.
Nodding, Donnie stared at her. Her face was full of different emotions, but he could tell it was mainly worry. "Yeah, but don't worry, we'll take back the city somehow and we'll get your Dad back." He assured her.
Looking into her blue eyes, he saw that she wanted to believe him. Then snapping her head away, she let go of his arm and headed towards the ship. Donnie watched as she walked away from him. Noticing that he was still standing there, she turned around.
Raising her hand, she motioned for Donnie to follow. "Well aren't you coming?" She asked.
Without hesitation, Donnie felt determination and caught up with her. They reached the ship and Don opened it. A soft thud sounded as the entrance hit the ground. Easing into it, his footsteps echoed in the sphere, with April's following after. As he glanced around, he located where all the stuff they had brought was and made his way around the ship and gathered them. He had noticed that April put on a large, heavy bag, so he made his way to her.
"Here, let me carry that." He offered her while giving her a sincere smile.
Looking up at him, her eyes flashed with some annoyance. "No, it's fine. I've got it Donnie….thanks." She replied.
Feeling dejected, he failed at his chance of impressing her. Then shrugging it off, he gathered up the rest of the stuff. Donnie had made an extra respirator in case one of them may have needed it, but he left in with their stuff on the ship. Looking at the cooler containing Icecream Kitty, he opened it and strapped her in it, knowing she probably can't breathe the air as well. Closing her back in there, while getting messy, he heard her faint mewls of protest. Don blocked them out, while wiping himself off. Once that was finished, he closed the ship behind him. Looking at April, he nodded that he was ready.
They quickly made their way back into the sewers with their haul. After being exposed to the smell earlier, it didn't hit him nearly as hard and eventually he got used to it. Splashing sounds echoed in his ears, along with his breathing. Following April, he kept his eyes on alert, just to be safe. However, something strange sounded in the sewers. Suddenly, his eyes widen and he then held his breath to listen closely. Noticing that he stopped walking, April turned around.
"What is it, Donnie?" She whispered.
"Shhh. I hear something." Donnie replied back as he brought a finger to his lips.
She didn't respond, however she listened closely herself.
"Yeah, I hear it too. It's coming from over there!" She pointed at the adjacent tunnel up ahead.
"There's a waterway over there...why would the Kraang be interested in that?" Donnie was confused.
"It doesn't sound like a Kraang; It's slithering around. Maybe...it's one of their pets? April tried to reason.
Looking at her, he was amazed by her senses, but he snapped back into focus." Well whatever it is, we need to keep moving." Donnie said.
He wasn't ready for a fight, and he wanted to avoid alerting anyone that they were down in the sewers. So leading the way, he motioned for April to follow. Sighing, she agreed and they both made their way through the tunnels, back into the train way. Shifting his weight, he readjusted the things he was carrying, and made his way to the entrance. Eying the Shellraiser, he planned on fixing it after he fixed up the liar and the lab. However, he had something awesome in mind for it.
As the others greeted the two of them, they relieved Donnie and April of the items. Rolling his shoulders, he thanked his brothers. Once he was comfortable, he scanned the lair. From the looks of it, they had started cleaning up and got a good amount of it done. The debris was piled up in the center still, but he planned on putting the metals to use.
"I need to figure out a way to clean the air in here." Donnie murmured.
His brothers looked up at him when they heard him speak.
"Will you be able to do that?" Leo asked with curiosity in his voice.
"Yeah, as long as we can seal up the lair. I might have to seal up the main entrance to the subway, but I can use sheets of metal and stuff to do that. I did notice most of the pollution is seeping in from the Dojo…so I'll need to seal that up first. Then I can work on an air purifier that should filter the toxic elements out of the air" Donnie explained as simply as possible.
Remembering what he encountered in the sewers, he also added "We also need to keep up our guard. We aren't alone in the sewers. We heard something rustleing around by the waterway. I will need to go over there and scout out for fresh water tomorrow. I'm sure the water ways still have holds of clean water."
Leo looked at him and his face hardened. It didn't please him knowing they weren't alone down here. Seeing his brother's reaction he followed his explanation with a solution. "Once we get all the repairs done, I can set up a security system. I feel we'll need it…." Donnie started trailing off.
Cutting him off, Leo responded "Well, if you're going to scout tomorrow, take Raph with you. I don't want anyone going out of the lair alone...This goes for all of you. Any trips out of the lair needs to be done in pairs." His voice held authority. After all, they were in enemy territory.
Nodding, no one argued. Raph sighed, because normally Donnie was paired with Mikey for these things. He was too tired to complain, however. He felt like he needed to pull his weight anyways.
"Okay Leo, well I'll do it tomorrow. We should get started on the repairs anyways." Donnie said dryly.
Feeling eager to get to his lab and start working on cleaning it, he left them to sort out their stuff. His arms were full of his tools, and he shouldered the door to the lab open. Glancing over at Timothy, he knew he had to wait before helping him. The world was just too dangerous now to let him roam free in any form. Walking over to the frozen chamber, he set his tools down and then he put his hand on it.
"I'm back. Once we get everything settled, I promise to make things right." He said with a soft expression, feeling the weight of his responsibility.
Turning away, he picked his tools up and put them in their proper places. Then he placed his laptop on the table and hooked it up. After that was finished, he went around the room picking up schematics and objects that were cluttered around, knowing they would come in handy eventually.