A/N: Wow, it's been awhile! Hello, my wonderful readers, sorry it took so long. If you read the update on my bio page, then you know why I've been gone so long. But, if you haven't then I'll say it again. The reason it took me so long to update is because life's been a little hectic what with school and all, and in all honesty, I lost interest in writing this story there for awhile. So sorry! But, it's here now, and I think I'm gonna get back into writing. I want to see this story finished just as much as you do! So, anyways, thank you for baring with me, and not giving up on me or my story. Reviews would be splendid as well!


"Uuuuugh...", Leonardo groaned as he slowly started to come back to conciousness. He opened up his eyes expecting to see his bedroom ceiling, but was met with a dark and unfocused, concrete ceiling. He blinked rapidly and brought his hand up to his head as he tried to sit up, before having to stop himself from falling over as the room started spinning. 'Awww man, I think I'm gonna be sick' he thought, shutting his eyes until the spinng finally stopped.

He scanned the dark, desolate room, trying to determine where he was, and, more importantly, if his brothers were with him. Three of the four walls were concrete, as were the floor and ceiling, which had a single light bulb hanging from the center. The front of the room had bars, floor to ceiling, making his eyes widen as he realized where he was. He was in a cell. "Uh oh."

He jumped as a groan sounded to his right. He squinted in the darkness and could just make out the silhouette of a form with a large hump on his back. One of his brothers! He quickly crawled to the unconcious form of his brother.

From what he could tell in the minimal light of the dark prison cell, his brother didn't have any serious injuries. He lightly ran his hands over his brother's body, looking for any minor damage that was hidden from his view. Despite a couple bumps and some scratches here and there, his brother was fine. He breathed a sigh of relief at that revelation.

Judging by the size of the muscles and the small crack on the plastron, he knew exactly which brother it was lying in front of him. "Raph?" he called as he gently shook his brother's shoulders. "Raph. Come on, man. Wake up." he started to shake a little harder, trying to rouse Raphael awake, before two bleary, green eyes finally fluttered open.

"Uhhhh, Leo?" Raph asked as he squeezed his eyes shut, putting a three fingered hand over them. The insistent pounding in the back of his head making it hard to keep them open. "Uhhh, man. What happened?" he asked, pushing himself up. He swayed slightly as the room started spinning. "Ugh..."he groaned, holding his stomach.

"Easy, easy. Don't rush yourself." Leo replied, putting his hands up in case he needed to catch his brother from falling back down. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't know what happened. All I remember is running down the halls of Foot headquarters after we got Donnie, and then, nothing. Next thing I knew, I woke up here with you." he explained with a sweep of his hand, gesturing to the tiny cell.

Raph's eyes suddenly widened. "Donnie", he whispered. They failed, he failed. He couldn't save his little brother. He squeezed his eyes shut as angry tears threatened to fall and hung his head. Leo put his hand on his brother's shoulder comfortingly with the same look of despair.

"No...mmm silly kitty...that's my pizza..." They both jumped at the ridiculous mumblings coming from the opposite corner of the cell. Snores and parts of a dream reached their ears as they looked at each other with shocked looks. "Mmmm...I didn't tell the sheriff anything...I swear..." They stood up and silently crept towards the sprawled out form from which the noise was coming. "...It was the evil cabbage...mmm...I saw him do it."

Crouching next to the slumbering figure, Leo gently laid his hand on it's shoulder and lightly shook it. "Mikey." he whispered, "Time to wake up." With a snort, Michelangelo jerked awake. His bleary eyes struggled open, only managing to open half way, before he caught sight of his oldest brothers staring down at him. "Mmmmmm...Leo? Raph?", he asked in a sleep filled voice. He rubbed his tired eyes with a yawn, "Uhhhh, what happened?"

"We're not really sure." Leo replied with a sigh. "All we know is that we woke up here."

"Where are we?" Mikey sat up, noticing his surroundings.

"Somewhere in Foot Headquarters, most likely." Raph gave a frustrated growl, clenching his fists. "I can't believe we let ourselves get caught."

Mikey looked up at them with fearful eyes. "What about Donnie?"

Leo's and Raph's expressions darkened. They had no idea where their brother in purple was. They hadn't seen him since the rescue; he wasn't in the cell with them. He had looked so bad when they last saw him; he looked on the verge of death. Who knew what was being done to him as we speak. They feared for their brother's life.

Leo's head dropped as he closed his eyes shut, tears threatening to fall out. 'Why couldn't have been me?'

The silence in their cell was suddenly broken by the sound of a metal door opening. Their heads snapped up to the large room outside of their cell as the cause of all their pain and suffering entered, followed by two foot ninja dragging behind them, the familiar, bloodied form of their brother.


Pain. That was the only sensation Donatello was aware of as he slowly came back to conciousness. Unbearable, searing pain. He barely managed to lift his eye lids, blinking slowly several times trying, and failing, to clear his vision. This was all very familiar to him. Waking up to find himself looking at a concrete floor, arms wrenched above his head, dangling by chains around his wrists. He let his head fall in despair. Not again.

The sound of metal scraping concrete echoed through the room as the door was opened, again, and the familiar silhouette of the Shredder walked in...again. It's like someone hit the rewind button.

"Hello again, turtle." Shredder mocked the dangling mutant before him. Donatello could do nothing but glare at floor.

"It seems your brothers have failed you," Shredder grinned behind his mask. "Would you like to see them?"

Donatello's eyes widened as panic started to fill his mind. No! Not them too! Shredder chuckled at the turtle's reaction, slowly walking closer.

"But first..." Shredder brought his gauntlet up and quickly slashed it across Donnie's plastron. Donnie jerked with a cry of pain. The thick black thread that held his plastron together snapped where the blades had cut through, only a few strands remained, the rest dangled down like the loose string of a sweater. Blood dribbled from the new wound, mixing with the dried blood beneath him. He panted through the pain.

"Unchain him." Shredder ordered two foot ninja who stood at attention by the door. They hurriedly walked up to the still panting turtle and quickly unchained him, yanking his dislocated shoulder in the process. He groaned in pain.

He wasn't very aware as they uncerimoniously dragged him down the all too familiar stretch of hallway, into an unfamiliar room that contained more cells within, before being propped up in a kneeling position while the one of the foot soldiers held his hands behind his back. With half lidded eyes he looked up into the shocked faces of his brothers. From what he could tell, they were unharmed. A little worse for wear, but no major injuries. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Donnie." Leo whispered sadly as he gazed at his broken brother. His eyes flicked to the fresh wound marring his brother's plastron, blood flowed out freely. He narrowed his eyes, fixing his angry stare at Shredder.

"Haven't you tortured him enough?" Leo growled, clenching his fists till the knuckles turned white.

Shredder chuckled. "This torture isn't just for him anymore." He unsheathed the blades of his gauntlet again, hovering them dangerously close to their brother's exposed neck. Donnie tensed, almost afraid to swallow. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Raph slammed his hands into the bars, holding on tightly. "Don't you dare touch him!" he screamed.

"Leave him alone!" Mikey joined his red banded brother at the front of the cell, desperation evident in his voice.

"Stay away from him, Shredder!" Leo grabbed onto the bars as well, looking as if he was ready to explode. No one hurts his brothers.

Shredder smirked at the three turtles behind bars, hidden from view by his mask. He suddenly retracted his blades. The turtle in front of him instantly deflating slightly in relief. Shredder chuckled.

"Hmmm..." he hummed in thought, looking towards the other three turtles. "If I can't break your brother," he moved slightly in front of Donatello, managing to keep him in view of his brothers. "I'll just have to try and break you three instead." With that he swung his fist back, bringing crashing down into Donnie's already abused chest. The air instantly left Donnie's lungs with the impact. He coughed and gasped, struggling to get it back.

"Stop!"

"Don't hurt him!"

"Donnie!"

Raph, Leo, and Mikey all shouted simultaneously as Shredder brought his fist back up, and then down again, this time across their brother's face. They felt so helpless. They could do nothing as the blows continued to rain down on their poor, defenseless brother.

Shredder laughed at the shivering form, as he threatened to topple over any second. "Your brothers are weak." he landed another blow. "It will only be a matter of time before I get them to talk." Punch.

Donatello remained double over with pain. Panting, he barely managed to wheeze out, "Jigo-kuni-ochiru." (Go to hell.) Shredder landed another punch.

Shredder gestured to his foot ninja to leave. Without someone to hold him up anymore, Donnie fell onto his stomach, straining his arms to try and push himself up. A hand suddenly clenched around his throat and Shredder threw him across the room. He hit the ground hard, landing sprawled out on his shell.

Mikey had sunk to the floor in tears halfway through the beating. He covered his face with his hands, unable to watch anymore. Leo and Raph remained standing, Leo gripping the bars tightly with a look of pure hatred, and Raph continuously punching at the wall in his fury.

Shredder walked over to the abused turtle before relentlessly kicking him in the side and then picking him up by the arm and dragging him over to the cell that contained his brothers. Shredder opened the cell door and quickly tossed the turtle in before slamming it shut and walking out of the room with an "I'll be back."

He kept his eyes closed as his brothers rushed to his side. He struggled to take in a breath, each one sending a flaring hot pain all through his chest. Mikey sobbed quietly as he lay Donatello's head in his lap. Leo and Raph put their hands over his wounds, trying to stop the blood flow.

"I'm sorry, Donnie. I'm so sorry." Mikey repeated between sobs, gently brushing his hand over Donnie's scarred cheek. He couldn't stand to see his brother hurt like that. How could a person do that to someone like Donnie? To anybody?

Donnie slowly opened his eyes with a groan, looking up at his family. He stared into the tear filled eyes of his baby brother and broght his hand up to wipe away the tears, wishing nothing more than for his innocent little bother to be happy again. Mikey had to guide Donnie's hand to his face as he struggled to keep it up; he held it there to his cheek and gently kissed it.

Donnie continue to stare at him with half lidded eyes. "It's-gonna-be okay-Mikey." Donnie struggle to get out between his gasps for air. This made Mikey sob harder. He wanted to believe that it would be okay, but he couldn't.

"It'll-be-okay." Donnie repeated as his eyes slowly slid shut, his body going limp from exhaustion. He continued to gasp for air as he fell asleep, still feeling the pain even while unconcious. Mikey squeezed Donnie's cold hand in his own.

"It'll be okay." he repeated Donnie's words over and over trying to reassure himself, trying to believe it. "It'll be okay." But would it?


And, there you have it. Chapter 9, done. Tell me what you all thought about it. Any suggestions, constructive criticisms, or whatever are always welcome. Thank you!