Chapter Four

Sparks

Donatello could hear his brothers yelling behind him, but all his thoughts were on the computers at his fingertips and the strange metallic device at his feet. His mind raced, deciphering the code as it scrolled by, and every time he tried to turn away he was pulled back in by a word or two that leaped out at him, increasing his curiosity. More and more data was revealing itself, and he felt as if he were very close to cracking this puzzle when the screens began to flicker.

A moment later a schematic of the odd device popped into view, all in shades of gray and white, except for the representation of a single cable, which was glowing an ominous red. Understanding well enough what the computers were trying to tell him, Don bent down and ran his fingers along the wires at the back of the box. He found the one he was searching for and tightened his jaw, hesitating for just a moment before yanking the cable out of the housing. The image stabilized and Don wiped the sweat off his brow, returning his attention to the codes that were back before him.

"Donny, come on!" he heard Mike holler. "We gotta…"

"Just give me two more seconds, I'll be right there!" Donatello yelled, looking over his shoulder in time to see Michelangelo tumble out of sight. "Mikey!"

The computers began to beep in unison, drawing his focus back to the words scrolling across their screens, but the data he had been concentrating on was now gone and all he saw flashing before him was the insistent warning of imminent breakdown. It was obvious now that whatever Hun and the Foot had planned, it was destined to fail. Still, Don didn't want to leave the device on the verge of a potentially catastrophic overload. After hearing Hun speak about the last "cleanup", he couldn't bring himself to believe that the box was simply going to fizzle and smoke when its time was up.

Don thought for a moment, then slid behind the desks, feeling around the backs of the computers. He found the power cord and followed it to the wall outlet where it was connected, then grabbed the plug and yanked it out of the wall.

That takes care of that, he thought, grinning.

But the beeping didn't end and Don turned around, grimacing when he saw that all the computers were still on. He returned to the keyboard and started typing. The device's schematic popped up again, this time revealing a glowing blue rectangle--a freshly-charged battery, he realized--at the center of the box.

What the shell? he thought, scowling. This thing has a mind of its own.

Don decided this was a good time to leave and turned away from the computers, running to the window and looking down. To his relief, he saw his brothers lying atop a semi trailer directly below; they had fallen quite a distance, but, whether by virtue of shells or ninja reflexes--or by some form of extreme luck--they seemed to be none the worse for the tumble. Raph and Mike were already standing and were in the process of helping Leonardo to do the same when Leo turned his face up towards Don and shook out of their grip, yelling and pointing furiously.

Donatello spun just in time to feel Hun's fist make contact with his jaw. The turtle fell back into the room, landing on his shell and smacking his head against the floor. He leaped to his feet, drawing his bo just as Hun vaulted over the windowsill. Hun didn't waste any time, taking two quick strides ahead and slamming his fist into Don's shoulder, spinning the ninja into the computer monitors and sending them all crashing to the floor.

"You freaks don't know when to mind your own business," Hun bellowed, pulling into a kick that sent Don through the open closet door.

Donatello landed in a graceless heap in the corner, but quickly regained his footing and leapt back into the main room, faltering back slightly as the man lumbered towards him with his huge hand curled into a fist. The Turtle stepped onto one of the desks and flipped over Hun, hitting him on the side of his head with his bo and landing beside the silver box.

"Far be it from me to give you advice," Don said, spinning to face him, "but I'd get out of here if I were you!"

"And why should I listen to your kind?" Hun bellowed. He punched Don again, sending him flying under one of the desks.

"Because that thing is about to overload," Don yelled, trying to sit up but managing only to hit his head on the drawer above him.

Hun was preparing for another strike, but stopped suddenly, his eyes growing wide. With a growl, the hulking man changed the target of his attack and kicked the box under the desk, pinning Donatello beneath it. Past a shower of sparks, Don could see Hun sprint for the window and leap through.

One problem taken care of, Donny thought, trying to shove the contraption away from him. He heard a high-pitched whine and put his ear to the metal. "This is not good," he frowned.

Don twisted around awkwardly, managing after several long seconds to wedge his bo between himself and the box, then pushed up hard, dislodging the device. It crashed to the floor in front of the desk and he slid out, trying to stand but finding himself ensnared by the twisted mass of wires that ran between the box and computers. He started to carefully untangle himself, but the whining grew more insistent and he decided that this was not the time for delicate actions.

He closed his eyes and grabbed the cables, pulling hard and tearing some of them free of the metal housing. The wires skittered around, hitting each other and causing great sprays of electricity just inches from Don's body as he struggled loose of his bindings. He got to his feet but still found himself being held back. He turned to look at what had gotten hold of him, then slapped himself on the forehead when he saw that his bag had managed to catch on the meshwork antenna on the top of the box.

Raph could be right about this bag, he said to himself, grabbing the dish and rotating it away from himself.

He yanked back on his bag, freeing the snagged canvas, then somersaulted across the floor, landing on the far side of the room. He spun his bo and grinned triumphantly at the dish, which was now bent out of shape and twisted around towards the window.

The window, Donny reminded himself, I have to get out of here.

He stood and ran to the pane, throwing his leg over the ledge and looking down at the commotion below. All manner of people were racing from the building, none of them stopping or looking back. He watched for a few seconds as they made their ways out across the parking lot, into the darkness beyond the fence. City lights reflected off black water a few blocks to the west; Don figured, as some flashlight beams bobbed off in that direction, that at least some of the people were headed for the ships that were moored at the wharf.

Looking straight down, he saw that, in the midst of the exodus, his brothers still stood waiting for him on the back of the truck. Leo was waving his arms, motioning for him to take the leap. Don nodded and leaned out the window, preparing to jump, but a sudden crackling noise brought his attention back around.

He spun in time to see one of the cables, propelled by an intense surge of power, tear itself loose of the metal housing. The lights in the room began to flicker violently as the errant cable whipped up into the air, spitting out sparks. It lashed around again and the frayed copper end struck the dish on the top of the box, arcing electricity from the antenna to one of the nearby metal desks.

Donatello dropped his bo and lifted his hand, shielding his face from the sudden, severe light. For a moment the air around him went silent…

oOoOoOo

Leonardo watched as Hun jumped from the window above and landed on the truck, putting a huge dent in the metal. The Turtle drew his weapons and watched from the corner of his eye as his brothers did the same, preparing for the upcoming fight. But Hun didn't attack; he barreled straight ahead, shoving his way through their ranks and knocking them to their shells before jumping off the end of the semi trailer.

"Evacuate the area!" Hun yelled to the people around him. "Now!"

Leo rolled to his knees and watched as everyone around the building dropped what they were doing and obeyed the order. Cars roared to life and took off, their tires skidding on the ground as they spun out. Others fled on foot, the beams of their flashlights cutting through the darkness as they made their way from the building.

"What the shell was that all about?" Raph asked, helping Leo to his feet.

Leonardo sheathed his swords and turned back towards the window. "Don!" he yelled. "Can you hear me?"

"Hey, Donny! You okay?" Mike hollered, standing as well.

After a few seconds of no response, Raphael stepped closer to the building and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Yo, Donny!"

The three breathed a collective sigh of relief when, nearly a full minute later, their brother came into sight. Don put his leg out the window and looked off into the distance, then down to where they stood.

"Come on, lets go!" Leo yelled, waving him down.

Don nodded, then looked back over his shoulder.

I bet he's kicking himself for not having time to figure that thing out, Leo thought, allowing himself a smile.

His smile faded when he saw the lights in the room begin to waver. The illumination flared and Don thrust his hand in front of his face, allowing his bo to tumble from his grip. A deep silence descended and, for a fleeting moment, Donatello was silhouetted within the frame of the window; then all sounds rushed back in and Leonardo watched in horror as his brother was consumed by a torrent of flame.


Continued...