A/N: Howdie my fellow buckaroos! As you can tell, I am in a very good mood! And you know why? It's because of you guys! I have received so many reviews and such good feedback! Thanks so much! And for that, anybody who has a DeviantArt can come check out my page and get a free feature AND a free wallpaper! Yep! :D So can you tell I'm in a good mood?
"My son," Splinter reached out for Donnie, grasping his trembling, green hand. That slightest show of affection flooded Donnie's thoughts, reminding him of when he and his brothers were young. He squeezed his father's hand back tightly, a lone tear trickled down his cheek. He remembered that, despite his brothers' mocking laughter, Splinter would hold him as they walked down the terrifyingly dark sewer tunnels. His fears were often based on nothing more than a creaking pipe, or a rat scurrying by, but his imagination would take over, sending him falling into the nightmarish aperture of his mind. His father would comfort him, washing away the rears, banishing the terrors until next time. He had always been there for Donatello, always there to protect, support, and care for him. And how did he repay him? Instead of returning the love, he abandoned him. He was not there to protect him when the Shredder came, nor was he there to support his father as he watched his family disintegrate before his very eyes. He wasn't there to care for him when he needed him the most. But worst of it all, Donnie knew that if he had been there, he could have prevented it all.
If. That single word was the sum of his existence. One empty, meaningless if. You could track that 'if' back to his biological parents, even further if you truly wanted too. If those two unknown turtles hadn't hatched a clutch of eggs...if he hadn't been strong enough or healthy enough to sell as a pet...if that specific store hadn't requested turtles...if his father hadn't purchased him...if he hadn't survived his exposure to the mutagen...the list went on and on. To many if's, yet all one in the same.
"Donnie?" Mikey snapped him out of his thoughts. "Are you going to be okay?" It was such a childish question. It was impossible for Donnie to know, and in a way, he didn't want to be okay. He just wanted to wither away into nothingness, to get away from all the emotions that coursed through his body. But as much as he wanted to shun himself, he couldn't. His heart willed him to remain. He had to remain for his family. He had to be here. He couldn't let them down. He couldn't let them suffer. Not at his hands. Not like that.
So he nodded. He nodded at the innocent, freckle faced turtle. And that small, reassuring nod spread relief throughout the young, orange banded ninja. His brother was going to be okay. It was that relief that filled and assured the others, a connection that, despite their doubts, helped them to be able to ease up a little bit.
"Donatello," Splinter remained ever vigilant. He was, of course, a father, and his son's mysterious attack was not going to be just waved off and forgotten. As Donnie gazed into his eyes, he could see the concern, the desperation. He had already lost a wife and daughter, he could not bear to lose a son as well. As he placed a paw on Donnie's shoulder, he blinked, and Donnie expected to see strength return to his father. Instead, there was a weakness he could not explain. The weakness had began to eat at him, corroding him, and if it continued its course, it would surely be the end of him. "What has caused this?"
Donnie was at a loss for words. Bowing his head, he barely spoke above a whisper. "I...I don't know...I...I don't have the equipment...I don't understand how the biometric system works...I can't pinpoint a problem...I don't have the knowledge..." The last part shocked him.. He truly did not know. He found himself rambling, but this time was different. Usually his brothers grew bored of him, simply nodding, or in Raph's case, walking away. But now, now they hung on to every word he said, processing it as if it meant life or death. And it a way, it did. But it didn't really matter. He could barely speak, meanwhile comprehend what he was saying. He was just going through the motions, responding to the situation as if it were rehearsed. He knew this was a sign of shock.
Splinter was shaken, to say the least. He searched for an answer, just as the rest of his sons did. Donnie just watched in awe as his brothers seemed to all simultaneously sit around him, in a circle. It was a hedge of protection. Their caught on to what they were doing, and sat in front of Donnie, crossing his arms. Together, his family began to mediate for an answer. Together. Together forever.
Donnie was speechless. Slowly he made his way to the floor, taking the position that he had every day since he was a child. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus, tried to relax. The horrors he had faced crossed over his vision, but seemed to melt away into a puddle of nonexistence.
Donatello hadn't felt so relaxed in what felt like ages. The nightmares, the fears, they all seemed to disappear. It was wonderful. It seemed Sensei was right- mediation did help the body and the mind.
As Donnie concentrated, it hit him that he could not remember why he was meditating with his family. It was something important, and it was something to do with him, that much he knew. The rest was a blur, a hazy cloud that blocked his memories. He desperately tried to sift through his thoughts, he tried to understand why he needed to meditate so fervently. But there was nothing beyond the misery of the unknown. And it was the unknown that scared him. "Sensei?" He whispered, hoping not to disturb his brothers. Hopefully they were to deep in that they opted not to pay attention to him. If they did, they would no doubt make fun of him, teasing him how he should have been focusing. That was why they were all meditating. To focus. On something. "Sensei?" He spoke louder this time, waiting for his father's reply. No matter how deep he could be in, he always heard his sons. Always. So when no answer came, and not even a snicker from Mikey, Donnie opened his eyes.
It was at that moment that Donnie's world fell beneath him. His heart dropped, crashing into an undeniable abyss below. The sight before him...it terrified him...it shook him to his core...what had just happened?!
His home, the lair, it was trashed. No, that was the wrong word. 'Trashed' was to soft, to kind of a term to describe the scene before him. His family's sanctuary was completely and utterly destroyed, everything torn, burned, or decayed. Even the walls were crumbling, threatening to collapse at any given moment, and a thick, hazy dust filled the air. How could he have not noticed?
He yearned for an answer. Only seconds ago his family had sat around him, and now they were gone. Where were his brothers? Where was his father? How could they just be gone? He had to find them. He had to save them from whatever had taken them, from whatever had them. He had too. He had to right the wrong.
So, stumbling room through room, he looked. He looked anything, for a clue, for a sign. But nothing aided him. Everything seemed so old, like it had sat in the same places for decades. The entire feel of his home was wrong. It felt abandoned, discarded. Tossed away like the garbage it appeared to be. But how was that so?
There was nothing there that could help him. Amongst all of the wreckage, and all of the junk, nothing actually seemed to out of place that called his attention. All except one thing. It was something that didn't belong, and although it was extremely faded, it had caught his eye immediately.
It was a stain. Sure, they had plenty around, but this one was different. It was blood. He had seen it countless times, but not like this. Not stained into the concrete. Not so ghastly and pallid as this. It was from one of his brothers. He could fell it. Something was lost the day that blood was spilled here, something that abetted to this destruction.
He didn't know what to do. He couldn't sit here and wait, as it was evident nobody had been here in such a long time. He was at a loss. There was just so much to process.
April. He could go to April's! She might have a clue, or at least be able to help him solve what had happened. She was his only ally, the only person he could turn too. Or at least the only one who wouldn't grab him by the face and shake him like a rag doll.
Donnie jumped over the rails that he had so frequently the past few months. He did it every night as he went on patrol with his brothers, seeing glimpses of his father as he carelessly whisked off into the night. Oh how he wished he could just go back to that. To just see their faces, to know they were okay. It would be a miracle.
Donnie raced down the subway tracks, keeping any eye out for anything unusual. He didn't know how he was handling the situation like he was, all he knew was that he had to find April. He had to find his brothers. He had to find Master Splinter. He had to recover his family.
He stopped completely dead in his tracks. There had been a cave-in, and it wasn't a recent one at that. It looked more like an old explosion gone wrong. The walls and roof had completely buckled, leaving no hole to pass through to the other side. The only other option was to go topside right here, right now. Sure, he might risk being seen, but what did it matter any more?
Donnie fumbled for the manhole ladder. For whatever reason, this section of the tunnel was darker, causing him to lose his sight. Instead of touching the cold, metal handles though, he felt something else. It still had that metallic feel to it, but it was much, much larger. It was...the Shrellraiser? Why was it left right here? Right where the entrance to the surface would be? It still felt intact and whole, but he wasn't sure. It was so hard to tell.
Clambering to the roof, he crawled up to the heavy cover. He hesitated for just a moment, trying to weigh out whether it would be wise to venture outside. But his family was counting on him, they were waiting for them. He couldn't let them down. Slowly he lifted the heavy piece, expecting sunlight to fill the dingy space, but none came. It wasn't night- no, it was cloudy.
Donnie quickly, but cautiously pulled himself up. The nasty, smog filled air entered his lungs, and immediately he wanted to dive back to the sewer. It was so atrocious. But he had to continue. He had to move on.
Slipping through the backways and alleys, it struck Donatello odd that there were no people out. And when he meant no people, he didn't mean just a few. He really meant none, zero, zilch, nada. All the buildings were broken down, and they looked like it had been that way for years. There was no answer for it, at least not right now.
As Donnie rounded the street, he looked for April's building. But where it should have been was nothing- nothing but a pile of bricks around the base. It was entirely demolished. His last, true friend was gone, just like his family.
He couldn't hold it in any longer. He fell to knees and screamed. He didn't care if anybody heard him, if anybody saw him. It didn't matter. He had to let it out.
He screamed for as long as he could, until there was not a breath left in him, and his voice was gone. After that, he just cried, sobbing like there was no tomorrow. And for him, there was none. Without his family, he had no life.
He didn't hear hear the approaching footsteps, he didn't feel the rumble of the machines that drew near to him. He completely toned out the world until a voice spoke out to him.
"Place your weapon on the ground, and raise your hands in the air!" It was loud, and almost like static, as if it was coming out of a megaphone.
Donnie slowly stood up, facing the man who was no doubt a confused policeman. He didn't know how wrong he was.
A group of about some forty men stood around him in a half circle. They were dressed differently, and yet identically, like soldiers. A red flame was sowed onto the right arm of their uniforms. The Shredder's signature. Donatello should have known he was behind this the entire time. Who else but his father's nemesis would try and destroy their family so?
Donnie had no mercy left in him. His sorrow was replaced with vengeance and hatred, hatred that boiled over and blinded him. He struck at the man nearest to him, knocking him down in an instant. The man did not rise again. But Donnie didn't care. He was in a raging fury.
He didn't see the figure watching from the shadows, nor did he see that figure jump into action alongside him. He was too consumed with what he felt he needed to do.
An explosion finally caught his attention. One of the military vehicles had imploded, scattering parts and Foot soldiers everywhere. The source? A jumping shadow who at this moment trying to evade being shot at. The person moved swiftly, jumping through dead cars, only to swing out, surprising the enemy. He was an expert at fighting this specific adversary, but it wasn't until he pulled out the nunchuck that Donnie actually blinked. His ally swung rapidly, but it was coordinated, and confident. He countered many blows, deflected even more shots, and at the the same time, set off a chain of events that ended up with a helicopter bursting into flames. He was clearly a master in this game of cat and mouse, although he was neither cat nor mouse.
As the enemy retreated, he landed beside Donnie. "Don?" He sounded hoarse, but Donnie recognized the voice in an instant.
"Mikey!" He grabbed his younger brother into a tight hug. He was somewhat surprised that the affection was not returned- in fact, Mikey seemed to stiffen at the mere touch of him. "Mikey?" Donnie pulled back to give his brother a good look over. His eyes widened as his brain tried to register what he was seeing. "Your...your arm..." He reached out, his fingers brushing against the nub that used to be his brother's arm. He gazed into Mikey's face, but the look that he received back was even worse. His brother was old, to old to be Mikey. But he had to be. He was still sporting those same mischievous freckles, taking in the world around him with those same bright blue eyes. But he was so different than the innocent teenager he had once been. He was older, and more mature, as unbelievable as the latter was. But despite his surroundings, he still seemed himself, although a hardened warrior.
"Don?" Mikey repeated. He too blinked in disbelief as he looked at his brother.
"What happened to you?" They spoke at the same time, in unison, the question filling the air with uncertainty as both tried to find an answer.
A/N: Mwahaha! That almost reached 3,000 words. Hope you guys appreciate it. It's almost 2:00 AM where I am, and to top things off, I'm at my grandparents house. Nana already came out here once telling me to go to bed. If she catches me up again, I'm a goner. But I just had to get this out to you guys! Oh, and did I forget to mention we're getting up early? So you can thank me in your review : D All of you people who are reading this. Even you anonymous people. I take all reviews! Except for flames, cause those are mean. But please please please review! It's what is keeping this story alive! You guys! Your reviews! Keep feeding me! Keep feeding this story! Keep feeding your love (or lust) for SAINW fics! Oh, and for all who are STILL reading my rant, let me tell, there is something BIG coming up. I'll warn you when my little surprise is up. It'll leave you scratching your heads XD But again, thank you to all you wonderful people who spend their time not only reading my junk, but reviewing too! It means a lot to me!
And yes, now I'm just rambling because if I ramble just a little bit longer, I'll hit the 3,000 word point. Blame me being tired. And the fact that I want this chapter to be 3,000 words. And that was it right there! We are now over 3,000 words! Yay!