This chapter is a bit of a break from all the action scenes, added some nice family moments... Now Lets see how long the turtles can stay out of trouble.
And thank you to all new followers and those who keep following, it is much appreciated :)
Chapter 4: Back to Normal, Yeah Right
It had been two weeks since Don had been cured; he sat in the new lair that had been made under the abandoned reservoir pump station. He watched as his three brothers tried to arrange furniture.
"A little to the left" Mikey called out as Leo and Raph were moving a large cabinet in the corner
"Now to the right" Mikey called. "That's too far, back to the left"
Don just sat on a chair in what was going to become the kitchen, he laughed at his brothers, and he suddenly became warm as he remembered how they had treated him when they first got back from Bishop's base. They embraced him, hugged him like he had never been hugged before, they got food for him, tucked him in. He remembered his first night back, when he everybody had gone to bed and was just dosing off, when he was awoken by the sound of foot steps….
(Flashback)
"Donnie, hope I didn't wake you"
Don looked up from his cot on the floor and into the face of his younger brother
"No Mikey, you didn't wake me" he whispered, "I Thought you went to bed"
"I did," Mikey replied, "But then I couldn't sleep, I just wanted to talk to you"
"At one point I was almost sure we lost you bro," he continued. "I just don't know what we would have done without you, what I would have done without you. I'm so glad your back with us, and not a giant creature that's trying to eat me". Through the dark Don thought he saw his brother's eyes start to look wet from emotion.
"I'm sorry Mikey", Don replied feeling ashamed, "I don't remember any of it happing"
"You don't need to apologize!" Mikey stated, "It wasn't your fault dude, it was Bishop and his aliens."
'Thank you," Don said as he too felt a rush of emotion, he hugged his younger brother tightly for a few moments before reluctantly breaking the embrace.
"Now we have had a long day Mikey and we have work to do tomorrow, so I need my sleep, as do you"
'Your right" Mikey sighed. "Goodnight Donnie"
'Goodnight" Don replied back before closing his eyes.
Mikey got up and headed back to his room with a smile on his face. He was happy to have Don back and that for the first time in several nights, he was going to get a good sleep because, he knew his older brother was at home safe and sound.
(Flashback ends)
"A little more to the left," Mikey called out
"Why do you have to be so picky?" Raph exclaimed as it was evident that he was starting to get annoyed with Mikey.
With that Don was greeted with another flashback, he had been home for a few days, it was the afternoon and he was sitting on an old, worn blue sofa….
(Flashback)
He was just getting up off the couch as Raph came into the room
"Yo Donnie," he called out. "What do ya need? Ill get it"
"No need Raph, ill be ok" Don reassured him.
"Don't, no need me; Donnie" Raph replied sharply, but calmly "Sit down an' don't you dare move a muscle, tell me what ya need and ill get it"
"That box of tools and left over gear from the other lair" Don said as he pointed to a large box in the corner.
Raph walked over and picked up the large box, he brought it over to Don and set it on his brother's lap before sitting down on the couch beside him.
"Thanks Raph" he said as he took a small gadget out the box and began to fiddle with it.
"Anytime," Raph replied casually before sighing,
"Ahh….bro, you," he stuttered before taking a deep breath "Ya really had me worried there a few days ago…and well, I'm glad your back, and I'm not sure what we would have done without ya brainy-ack."
"Are you being open with you emotions Raph?" Don joked
"Yea" Raph confessed, "But don't get used to it" he continued as he went to give his brother a playful punch in the shoulder, but he stopped himself and instead put his hand on Don's shoulder.
"Seriously tho, I'm glad your back bro," And with that Raph got off the couch and left
(Flashback ends)
"Now move it bit more to the left" Mikey tilted his head and looked at the display, "Ok now turn it and move it across."
Raph and Leo turned it and moved a bit, but it still was not where there brother wanted it.
"Across", Mikey called out again as they moved it, "Across!" he said again, this time loudly.
Raph was had taken about all he wanted to hear from his brother, he gestured at Leo to put down the cabinet before shaking his fist in the air.
"Ill give ya a cross Mikey, a cross to the jaw" Raph called out as he made a punching motion in the air.
"Alright guys settle down," Leo commanded calmly.
"Lets just try to relax and celebrate that things are finally starting to get back to normal"
"Yeah!" Mikey cried out as he dashed to the couch in front of an old TV he had found at the dump. He tired to turn it on, but the screen stayed black
"Awww," he whined, "It was working yesterday, what happened?"
"I was fiddling with some power cords last night," Don called from where he sat,
"I probably disconnected the power to that room, ill go reset the panel" and with that he got up and grabbed his tool box before heading down a dark hallway.
"Ill go with you," Leo said and with that he followed Don.
"Could you hold the flashlight for me?" Don asked him as he turned around to face the wall.
"Sure," Leo replied. He took it from Don and flicked it on.
Don was now crouched down and removed the front of the panel gingerly off the wall, he set it down beside him. Don said nothing as he waited for Leo to say more, Don knew Leo had came with him for a reason; he was the only one who had not said much since his return. Something was bothering him, but Don wasn't sure what it was
"Hey Don," Leo said awkwardly, "I have been wanting to say something for a while now, I just wasn't sure how I wanted to say it"
"I'm all ears Leo," Don replied as he stopped working for a moment
"Well I just want to let you know that words can not describe how happy I am to have you back, but I also want to let you know that I'm sorry"
"Sorry?" Don replied surprised, "What are you sorry about?"
"I'm sorry about what happened," Leo replied, "I just feel that… I don't know, maybe if I had done something differently, been a better leader, what happened to you could have been prevented" he confessed.
"Leo, you of all people have nothing to be sorry about, there is nothing you could have done to stop me from mutating," Don stated, "and besides," He continued,
"It was your idea to seek out Bishop, if it wasn't for you I probably would have never gotten cured and I would be stuck as a monster forever"
"Thank you," Leo said softly as he embraced his brother in a hug.
"No, Thank you Leo," Don said as he let go of his eldest brother and went back to his work.
"Now let's get the power back on," Don said as he re-arranged a few wires and flipped a switch.
There heard the TV switch on and Mikey holler with joy. With the job done, Don the front of the panel back on, and the two turtles headed back out to the cluttered, dirty living room.
"Time to watch my favourite super hero movie" Mikey yelled, "The Justice Force Returns"
"No way Mikey," Raph yelled out, "Deres a big football game on next and I don't wanna miss it"
"Well tough luck," Mikey laughed, "I didn't ask you, besides, I called the controller first"
'Oh you'll be askin' me in a minute Mikey; askin' for mercy" he yelled as he tried to grab the controller from him brother and tackled him off the couch.
"My sons," Splinter called to them, Mikey and Raph stopped rolling immediately and looked up at there father as he spoke.
"Perhaps it would be better if you all went for some fresh air,"
"I agree," Don called out as him and Leo came into the living room, "I have done nothing but sit around for two weeks, I'm fine and I have had plenty of rest. So there is not a chance of any sort of relapse."
"Sounds good to me," Leo said, "Come on guys, lets go"
Soon the four brothers were topside and happily running roof top to roof top, jumping, laughing, and playing happily in the night; it was the most fun they all had in a long time. But as they rounded the next building, Leo who was in front: came to a dead stop.
"What's goin' on Leo?" Raph asked as him, Mikey and Don stopped behind their brother.
"Look," Leo said as he pointed across to the next building. They all ducked down and looked on as the four members of the Foot Elite Guard ran swiftly across a nearby roof top and down its fire escape to the ally way.
"Let's go check it out," Leo said cautiously
Soon the Turtles had hopped down from the rooftops and were outside the alleyway. They poked there heads around to see what was going on, what they saw were the members of the Foot Elite talking to some strange unknown figure who was hidden by the darkness.
"You're late," the male voice of the dark figure stated impatiently
"You dare to criticize us," the twin bladed Elite retorted.
"Besides, we had to take special care to secure what you requested," he revealed a black briefcase from behind his red cape and handed it off into the darkness.
"Looks like some sort of deal is going down," Mikey whispered as the turtles watched from there hiding spots.
"Now do you have what we requested?" asked the trident wielding Elite
"Of course," answered the dark shape and from the shadows a dark brown briefcase was tossed into the twin bladed Elite's hands.
"Now need to count it boys, take my word for it," the dark shape laughed as the Elite peered into the bag.
"For your sake I hope so," The spear axe wielding Elite sneered. "Our master does not take kindly to trickery"
"The dark shape said nothing and a short clicking sound was made as the hidden figure opened his briefcase and looked into it.
"Ahhh, just marvellous," he answered as he awed at what he saw. "You boys do good work. I will take as many as you got, and I will pay full price of course, an opportunity like this does not come often."
"Our master will be pleased to hear that," replied the Elite holding the spear, "We will meet back here in two hours with the rest," And with that the Elites turned to leave.
The turtles vanished just as the Elites came around the corner, who briefly surveyed the scene before fleeing to the roof tops and heading back towards Foot Tower.
"Let's get back to the lair and get Master Splinter," Leo said as he and his brothers gathered on the fire escape.
"If the Foot are up to something big we need to get to the bottom of it, and fast."
Two hours later the turtles and Splinter arrived on a rooftop by the alleyway. Don had brought some surveillance gear from the lair so they could get a good look at what was happening while staying hidden in the rooftops. They were just unpacking a few pairs of binoculars when a black truck drove down a far dark street and turned down an alleyway; the arrival of the truck was soon followed by the Foot Elites.
"We don't look now, but it looks like the party's about to begin" Raph called as he leaned on the edge of a railing, he then turned to Leo. "So what's the plan?"
Leo was about to speak, but remembering his place, he instead turned to his father. Splinter looked at his son and smiled before speaking,
"Donatello and I will try to get a closer look from the street," he said as he gestured in the direction of the alleyway. He then brought his sons attention to a nearby rooftop to the right of them.
"While I want you, Michelangelo, and Raphael to get a good vantage point from that rooftop." Leo nodded,
Alright guys lets go," he called as he turned and hopped to the next rooftop, quickly followed by Raph and Mikey
Meanwhile down in the alleyway the truck had parked in the end of the dark alleyway, the doors opened and several large men wearing dark blue uniforms with Foot emblems on them emerged from the truck. The Elite came down from the rooftop and landed gracefully beside the truck they looked to the darkness and saw the same figure they had met before. The twin bladed Elite turned to the men who had just gotten out of the truck.
"Begin unloading, but wait for our signal before taking it around back" he commanded. The men just bowed in response before the Elites turned and went towards the dark figure.
"Nice to see you fellas on time for a change," he joked before gesturing the Elites to follow him. "Now lets go inside and make the final arrangements, then you and your caped companions can have your money." Without objection the Elites followed the figure and disappeared into the shadows.
From the far rooftop Raph and Leo sat watching as Mikey crouched holding a pair of binoculars.
"Looks like something big is going on down there" Mikey exclaimed as he peered through the binoculars. "What do you think it is?"
"There plannin' a birthday party for there buddies " Raph remarked sarcastically as he rolled his eyes, "Your guess is as good as mine bro, now give me those" and with that Raph snatched the binoculars from his brother and took a look.
"Whoa" Raph said surprised as he saw a close up view of a dozen large black boxes being removed from the back of the truck. "Looks like a deal of some kind" Raph then handed the binoculars to his older brother.
"What do you think Leo?" Leo observed for a moment before speaking.
"Looks to me as if Karai has found a way to make some extra spending money
"How cute," Raph mocked, "Guess her allowance disappeared after her daddy got exiled"
Leo gave a quick smirk at Raph's joke before pulling out a small headset and placing it on his head.
"How's it look from your end Donnie?" he asked as he spoke into the mic.
"It is defiantly some sort of deal, and considering it's the Foot, my guess would be high tech weaponry of some kind" Don replied, "I'm going to see if I can get a better angle."
Don pulled out a special pair of binoculars and turned the X-Ray setting on, he then took off his head set and replaced it with a larger headset. He pulled out a small handheld device and plugged it into his headset before setting it on top of the trash bin. He looked through the binoculars and could see the a white screen and the black outlines of the men unloading the truck. He could also see seven men inside the nearby building; four of them of course, being the Foot Elites. He then pushed a button on his small device, it used a recording mechanism to scan the building and pick up the voices of the men talking inside.
"I'm impressed with what you got here," a smooth voice said
"These devices will defiantly be beneficial to our cause, very beneficial"
"Master Splinter, listen to this" Don whispered worriedly as he handed on side of the headset to his sensei
"Don't forget our deal", a gruff voice stated. The smooth voice came again
"Oh I am a man of my word, you will get your full pay upfront, and as promised the Foot will have our full support in their upcoming project"
"Upcoming project, that doesn't sound good" Don said nervously
"I believe you are right Donatello," Splinter replied
"One can only imagine the kind of people that the Foot could pick up as an alley, we must…" he stopped suddenly and sniffed the air cautiously
"What is it Master Splinter" asked Don, his sensei turned back to him with worry
"I sense we are not alone"
As the two looked up they saw a dozen Foot Ninja appear on the roof top above them. They tried to make their way for the nearest hiding spot but were intercepted when the Foot ninja slid down the fire escapes. Then several ninja came around the corner, blocking any chance of retreating from the narrow alley. They drew their weapons and advanced toward Don and Splinter.
Meanwhile Leo looked on through the binoculars, the boxes were all unloaded and the Elite had emerged from the shadows.
"Looks like there almost done" Leo said as Mikey and Raph came beside him. "Ill get a hold of Don and Master Splinter, then we can…" Leo suddenly sensed there was something not right. He turned around as out of no where Foot ninja popped up from the roof tops around them.
"Ambush!" Leo cried as he and his brothers drew there weapons. Dozens of Foot ninja sprang from the roof tops and formed a circle around the three. They were surrounded and went back to back, ready to take whatever the squad had to throw at them. But they were surprised when the ninjas did not attack, but stood and maintained there circle formation around the turtles. Then Leo looked up and saw a dark shape poised on the rooftop.
"Karai," Leo's voice hissed as the name passed threw his teeth. Karai then jumped from the rooftop and landed in front of the three turtles. As if it being a signal, the Foot ninja began to move in on the turtles.
"Back to normal he said," Mikey claimed sarcasticly, echoing what Leo had said back in the lair as the Foot ninja closed in.
"Back to normal, yeah right!"
And BAM! were back to action again... Karai just cant seem to leave our heros alone.
