The Birth Order Effect

by Zairihannah

When Donatello's desire for answers leads to something he never expected, his world is turned upside-down. When a new threat surfaces who seems to have no end of bloodlust, things go from bad to worse. Will Donatello come to his senses, or will something worse than he and his brothers ever imagined come true? NOW COMPLETE!

10. A Turn for the Worse

AN: Just to warn everybody right off the bat, I've decided to stop bleeping out swear words that are not the f*** or s*** word. (I particularly hate those words.) I guess this chapter just seemed better with them in. So, yes, there is quite a bit of language in this one, particularly in the beginning. But, it's rated T for a reason. Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed! Amazingly enough, I've actually gotten the rest of this story planned out, even to the end! So you're free to guess, but everything's already planned, so, unfortunately, I won't be able to take any major suggestions. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I called my lawyer and he informed me that no, I do not own the turtles, dark or otherwise, Splinter, Cody, Darius Dunn, or Karai. Dang it! Well, better send out those applications for that new lawyer soon! The only character I own in this chapter is Alexa Rodriguez. And who cares about her?!

A Turn for the Worse

"Donatello, what is the meaning of this?" Splinter sounded distressed, eying the woman with unease in his eyes.

"What the hell is she doing here?!" Raph cried. "That bitch has no business being here!"

"Dude, she's over a hundred years old!" Mikey looked even greener than usual. "That is sooooo disgusting!"

"Guys, please!" Donnie held up his hands in a placating gesture, stepping in front of "Karai" when Raph grabbed the hilts of his sais. "Please, just listen!" His gaze centered mainly on Leo, knowing that if he could get his eldest brother on his side, the others might relax, if only momentarily.

Leo met his gaze with an intensity Donnie had never before seen in his brother's eyes before he took a step back and nodded. "Explain."

That one word held so many meanings, that Donnie had trouble pinpointing one as he struggled to compose his suddenly scattered thoughts. He had come in here with a speech all prepared in his mind, but the reaction of his brothers and father had made him completely forget what he had been going to say.

"Please," the woman who looked uncannily like Karai spoke quietly. Her emerald green eyes flashed as she lifted her hood back up and tucked her long black hair inside of it. "Let me explain."

"Shut the hell up, bitch!" Raph cried, his hands trembling from wanting to send his sai through the evil woman's heart. "Ya ain't got no right bein' here!"

"Raph," Leo gripped his brother's shoulder a little more tightly than necessary, an unspoken warning. "I don't think she's Karai."

"What the hell are ya talkin' 'bout, Leo?!" Raph exclaimed, despite the disapproving looks he was getting from his father and oldest brother. He had trouble curtailing his tongue when he wasn't angry, but, when he was, it was pretty much hopeless. "Of course she's Karai! JUS' LET ME KILL THAT BITCH ALREADY!"

"Your brother is correct in his statement," the woman spoke quietly, stepping forward so that she was mere feet from the irate, murderous turtle, who was only being held back by his brother's hand on his shoulder. "I am not the one you call Karai."

"Then who the hell are ya?!" Raph cried, leaping forward only to be hauled back and further restrained by Leo. "LEMME GO, LEO!"

The woman sighed and bowed her head, a few strands of hair falling from her hood and into her face. "My name is Alexa Rodriguez." Raph watched her cautiously, disbelief in his eyes. "As you very well know, it is impossible that I be the real Oroku Karai, seeing as she died over sixty years ago."

"DAMMIT, LEO!" Raph suddenly exclaimed, once again attempting to leap at the woman. "JUS' LET ME GUT HER ALREADY!"

Leo had wrapped his arms around his brother's waist, pinning his arms to his side and holding him tightly to his plastron. "Raphael, please watch your language."

"HELL IF I CARE!" The irascible turtle practically screamed, his hatred for the woman standing before him making him more irrational than usual. "I'MMA GONNA SEND YA WHERE YA BELONG, BITCH! YA HEAR ME?!"

"RAPHAEL!" Splinter very rarely raised his voice, but, when he did, his sons listened. Raphael immediately quieted, grunting when his brother stole the opportunity to lift him from behind and carry him backwards. The red clad turtle protested wordlessly, appealing to his father, but the rat turned his back on his struggling sons and returned his attention to the woman before him. "Who are you, child?"

Alexa sighed and pushed her hood back once more. "It is a bit of a long story," she watched the still wrestling turtles for a few moments before returning her attention to the rat. "The blue banded one is Leonardo, yes?"

Splinter looked surprised. "How do you know my son's full name?"

Alexa grimaced. "I suppose, in a manner of speaking, that I am the one you call Karai. At least, biologically."

Donnie had already heard her back story and decided to interject at that point, since he doubted Splinter or Mikey would pick up on her insinuations, and Leo and Raph were a little busy at the moment. "To be blunt, she's her clone."

Splinter did a double take and stumbled backwards, dropping his walking stick. Mikey looked more disturbed than shocked. Raph was so shocked that he stopped struggling for a moment, and Leo's arms went lax, dropping his larger brother to the ground.

"I know," Donnie continued, pressing on despite the overwhelming silence blanketing the room. "I was just as shocked as you. But it's true! Apparently, Karai gave orders a few years before she died that she was to be cloned after her death. Since she had no heir and she trusted no one besides herself, I suppose it seemed like a logical solution."

"But something went wrong," Alexa picked up on the explanation, looking like a little girl whose mother had just caught her sneaking a cookie before dinner. "After my—creation—one of the scientists who had been caring for me took pity on me and put me up for adoption behind Karai's second-in-command's back. I didn't even know any of this myself until that same scientist tracked me and my family down years ago."

Leo had since rejoined his family, standing face-to-face with his worst enemy and former friend, so to speak. "And why should we believe you?"

"Yah!" Raph interjected, standing up from where he had been frozen on the floor and limping over to join them as well. "Why should we trust a bitch—"

"Raphael," Splinter began warningly.

"Er, I mean, a woman like you?"

Alexa raised her eyes and met the red clad turtle's fiery gaze, her own holding an intensity and a fire that Raph had never seen on Karai. The more he studied this woman, the more he realized just how unlike Karai she was. Karai would never wear something so tight and revealing, she wouldn't smile seductively at him, and she wouldn't wear her heart on her sleeve.

This woman was a different soul in Karai's skin, unnerving but much better than the actual Karai somehow being here in 2105. "Perhaps you have no reason to trust me," she began coolly, her soft tone earning her the rapt attention of Splinter and his sons. "But I have some information that you desire."

"And that would be?" Leo prompted briskly, his voice cool and calm.

"I know where your friend is."

That particular information, Donnie hadn't known. "WHAT?!" He rushed forward and grasped Alexa's upper arms, swinging her around to face him a little more roughly than necessary. "WHERE IS HE?!"

Unlike Karai had been, Alexa was not a seasoned warrior and the grip the turtle had on her arms made her wince quite noticeably. Thankfully, Donnie took note and loosened his grip. Alexa tried to smile, but she found it hard. She almost never smiled genuinely. Her smiles were usually sarcastic and caustic.

"I do not know exactly where he is," she began, keeping with the soft tone since it was keeping the largest turtle wearing red from ripping her to shreds, as she knew he wanted to do. "But I do know who has him."

"And?" This time, it was Splinter who prompted her.

Alexa turned and had to bow her head in order to look the rat in the eye. She had to admit, the giant rat was a lot creepier than the giant turtles. Then again, she'd never been that big of a fan of rodents. "I believe you know them. The clones of your sons?"

Rage boiled within all four of the turtles, even Mikey, and they looked to each other. "Where?" Leo asked for them all, reading the question clearly on every single one of his brother's faces.

Donnie found himself shaking with rage. He knew that if they were all to go after Cody, it would make it far more difficult to sneak in without being seen. He knew that they had done so on many other occasions, but this time felt different somehow. That, and he felt somehow responsible. He should have been keeping a closer eye on Cody. After all, he had been supposed to be watching him as they had been working on the time portal together. He'd just gotten caught up in his work, and, next thing he knew, Cody had disappeared. He had just assumed that the boy genius had stepped out for a minute, but that had clearly not been the case.

"I'll go," Donnie said in such a quiet voice, that only one member of his family heard him.

Leo's head jerked up and he met his brother's gaze, speaking one word. "No."

"It will be much faster and quieter if only one of us goes," Donnie continued as if his brother had not spoken. "It has to be me. I'll be the only one who will be able to bypass any security measures there may be."

Leo's gaze hardened and he shook his head. "No."

Splinter watched the exchange with interest. He sensed there was a reason behind Leonardo's unwavering answer besides sheer obstinacy. Clearly, he knew something about his youngest son that Splinter did not. Hard as the old rat tried, he was unable to enter either of his sons' minds through advanced meditation, and their faces were unreadable.

Donnie was starting to lose his patience. "Look, Leo, I'm not a little kid that you can just boss around! I'm going to find Cody whether you like it or not!"

He turned to go, but Leo grabbed his arm, yanking him back. "I said 'no,' Donatello!" He hissed, his voice soft but dangerous.

Donnie's eyes narrowed and he ripped his arm from his brother's grip in a surprising display of strength. "I'm going."

"Is this some kind of sacrificial thing?" Leo cried. "You figure you're going to die anyway so why bother putting it off?!"

Splinter and the other two turtles reeled back in shock, looking as if they'd been slapped. Alexa just looked confused, wondering what in the world she had just stepped into.

Donnie felt his face heating up. If the others had felt as if they'd been slapped, he felt as if he'd been shot. "Is that what you think of me?"

"I don't know what to think, Don!" Leo exclaimed, his worry for his brother causing him to say things he normally wouldn't have. It was hard being the only one that knew that your brother was dying and being unable to tell anyone else. "But, you need to stop being such an ass and trying to get yourself killed!"

"I'm not trying to commit suicide!" Donnie shot back, beginning to tremble as his emotions got the better of him.

"DAMMIT, DON!" Leo cried, clenching his teeth in frustration. "Why won't you listen to reason?!"

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE?!" Donnie screamed back, taking several steps back for the door. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to find my friend!"

"Go ahead and leave!" Leo screamed back. "You're nothing but a burden on this family anyway!"

A wounded look took over Donnie's previous angered features and Leo realized what he had just said. "Oh shell, Donnie, I'm—"

"Shut up, Fearless Leader," Donnie hissed coldly, saying his brother's hated nickname with venom in his voice. "If I'm such a burden to you, I'll just get out of your life. That will make things a lot easier on everybody, won't it?" With that, he was gone and Leo was left to face his family.

He would rather face the fires of Hell itself.

TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT

The coldness was already creeping into Donnie's mind as he stalked up the stairs leading to the rooftop hangar. Adrenaline coursed through his body after the heated argument, and he could feel his blood boiling. His head pounded and his hands still shook, his eyelids threatening to spill over with tears. He was finding it hard not to just completely break down there in the hallway.

It was only his anger that was keeping him going. Donnie was not a turtle who clung to emotions like a lifeline. He was a scientist. He needed facts and figures, preferably down on paper so that he could read over and critique them himself. He was also normally calm and reserved. It most certainly wasn't like him to just lose it like that.

But, something inside of him had snapped in the last couple of days. Perhaps it was the knowledge that in less than a year he could be dead, or the fact that none of his family besides Leo knew about it, but it was making him angry. Donnie was not used to holding in this much anger. He had been doing quite well keeping his emotions at bay the last couple of days, but Leo's blatant dismissal of his desire to set things right had sent him over the edge.

And now he feared he would never be able to climb back up.

The heat returned to Donnie's face as he finally reached the roof, panting partly from the exertion and partly from the pent-up anger that was still curdling inside of him. He marched over to the HoverShell without a word, leaping up to the roof and yanking open the hatch with much more force than was necessary.

He dropped down inside of the dark interior, bringing the lid down with him. He robotically went to the switch and flipped it on, not even pausing as he went straight to the pilot's chair and manned the controls.

The engines roared to life and Donnie hit the button that would open the doors to their hangar. He clutched the joystick-like controller in his hands for a long moment, trying to push his brother's words to the back of his mind.

"You're nothing but a burden on this family anyway!"

Donnie knew that people could say things in the heat of the moment like that, that they didn't mean. He knew how the mind worked. If someone got worked up enough, he could go on autopilot and be in little control of what his mouth decided to say.

But, as much as he tried to tell himself that, his brother's words still cut deep into his soul, because they had hit a nerve. Deep down, Donnie had feared that his having AIDS could become a burden on his family, therefore making him a burden. Donnie didn't want to be a burden. He didn't want to be dependent and helpless.

He managed to strengthen his grip on the joystick and maneuvered the HoverShell out of the hangar, blasting off into the sky, intent on finding his friend. He didn't know why he felt this crushing guilt overwhelming him, but he couldn't help but feel that all of this was his fault.

All of this had begun with his desire to know their birth order. And look where it had gotten him! His family was falling apart, Cody was gone, and Leo . . . !

Donnie's thoughts trailed off as his breath caught and he had to blink repeatedly to keep the tears at bay. He was afraid that even thinking the words would make it true. Leo had been a constant source of comfort for him, not just in the past few days, but his entire life as well. He couldn't stand the thought of losing any of his brothers. And, he was even more afraid that he would lose Mikey and Raph as well if they were to find out about his having AIDS.

And that was when a chilling thought settled over him. Splinter would have demanded an explanation once he was gone and Leo, being the perfect son that he was, would have reluctantly answered. Then his father and other brothers would know just how dirty he was.

None of this was FAIR! He hadn't done anything to deserve this! His life wasn't fair! It had NEVER been fair! Always having to live underground in the filth that was the sewers, hiding away from the humans that he fought to protect because they saw him as a monster. Being hunted down by enemy after enemy. Then being sucked into this time that wasn't even their own where, despite being able to walk around in broad daylight, they still felt like strangers—unwanted strangers.

How did people deal with this? Back in his own time, it would have been possible for him to receive treatment that could greatly increase his lifespan but, without this treatment, he had mere months, not years. There were some things in life that you could not control, indeed.

As he flew the HoverShell over New York City, he looked down on it through the windshield, but something didn't feel right. Even though any map you looked at would tell you this place was New York City, it wasn't the city Donnie had always known since his first trip out of the sewers. This city seemed too bright and cheery, too fake. Something about this place was just unreal, as if it were hiding its darkness under thick layers of niceties and friendships.

With his crushing guilt and his brother's words still ringing in his head, Donnie continued to fly the HoverShell, wondering if it was even worth it. Maybe Leo had a point. As long as he was alive, he was a burden on his family.

He glared at his shaking hands clutching the joystick-like controller before returning his attention to the sky. One wrong move, and it would all be over. All he had to do was pull back his hands, and he could be at peace.

He stared at his hands and waited . . .

And felt the darkness consume him completely as he made his choice, his hands slipping from the console as he fell back, the HoverShell immediately losing altitude and spiraling out of control as it careened towards the ground.

But all Donnie thought as he faded into unconsciousness was if it would hurt.

TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT

The turtles' old lair had seen better days, although its newest occupant wouldn't have known that. He sat in a puddle of filth, trapped inside a small alcove that his captors had blocked with an enormous slab of rock. His clothes were ripped and dirtied, his hair was so filthy it appeared brown, and his body was covered in large bruises and deep cuts, the filth of his prison already making acquaintance with his pale skin.

The boy coughed and shifted, leaning his head back against the slimy back wall of the alcove, and groaned. If only he had listened to that little voice in the back of his head that had told him not to leave the penthouse alone. If only he had been smarter and acted more like the ninja apprentice he was. If only . . .

His thoughts trailed off as another coughing fit sent his thin body into spasms. He curled into a ball and huddled in the corner of the alcove, wondering to himself if his friends had even realized he was gone yet. He knew that they would come searching for him, but how on earth would they know where to find him?

The harsh grinding of stone against stone alerted the boy to his visitor. He glanced up and blinked through foggy eyes as the slab of rock was heaved aside. With his poor vision and the relative lack of light in this section of the lair, he could only make out the silhouette of the figure as it peered down at him. If he had to guess, he'd say it was Dark Leo, but he was too exhausted to care.

"Our fight is not with you," the figure spoke after a long, uneasy moment of silence, confirming Cody's suspicion that it was Dark Leo. "But, yet, your 'friends' have taken one of our own. We are merely returning the favor."

Cody made no attempt to respond as his body was once again overcome with a coughing fit, the spasms making his body shiver and jerk involuntarily. The mutant turtle in the doorway, whose shape blocked most of the light, looked in at the boy with a mask of unidentifiable emotions on his face before he leaned down and forward, scooping the boy up without a word.

The blue mutant cradled the boy in his arms as he turned and strode across the length of the main room of the lair, towards a corner where Dark Don had set up a small "lab." After much pleading, Darius Dunn had grudgingly provided the curious clone with a tippy metal table and a small collection of gadgets to keep him busy during those long, uneventful days. Of these gadgets, some were medical equipment, and Dark Don, who could read due to the knowledge being passed from his original to himself, had devoured the medical books Dark Leo had stolen for him.

The purple mutant glanced up at his brother's approach, eying the boy in his arms with interest, but disconnection. "Is the human sick already?"

Dark Leo shrugged as he passed the boy to his brother, who dropped him in his lap begrudgingly. "I'm not sure. He was coughing pretty bad when I went to get him."

"Fairly badly," Dark Don corrected without looking up, digging around on the small table for his stethoscope.

Dark Leo rolled his eyes and growled. "I will let you know if I desire a grammar lesson, Donatello."

"You know," Dark Don said as he retrieved the dented stethoscope and proceeded to listen for the boy's heartbeat, "we really should come up with original names for ourselves. I mean, do we really have to have the same names as our originals?"

Dark Leo raised his brow ridge in amusement. "I suppose if you are up to the task of coming up with different names for us, then knock yourself out."

Dark Don thought for a minute, tapping his finger to his chin as he absentmindedly took the boy's blood pressure. "I think we should call you Hun."

Dark Leo's brow ridges were now raised in confusion. "Uh, what?"

"You know," Dark Don smiled up at him maliciously. "As in, Attila the Hun?" Dark Leo still looked confused and Dark Don's smile faded, his joke lost on his ignorant brother. "Uncouth barbarians," he muttered under his breath.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Dark Leo quipped, watching as his brother continued his examination, doing so now by feeling the boy's forehead and looking into his eyes. "He'll live, right? You know we can't make the trade if he dies."

Dark Don said nothing for a long moment, but, when he did, it was not what Dark Leo had expected. "I believe that it's the sewers that are making him sick."

"How so?"

"It's filthy down here, as you very well know. We have excellent immune systems, partly from our originals and partly from Sh'Okanaba's goop that he put us in while we were developing. He doesn't." He waved vaguely at the boy, who had unconsciously curled against the large turtle's plastron. The purple mutant had taken no notice, too absorbed in his explanation. "You wouldn't believe the amount of germs down here. I would have been more surprised if he weren't sick."

Dark Leo frowned. "So, we should take extra efforts to keep him healthy?"

Dark Don frowned as well, unconsciously wrapping an arm around the boy and drawing him closer. "Well . . . I'm not entirely sure how we should do that. I suppose one thing would be to keep him in a cleaner room than that sorry excuse for a prison."

Dark Leo glanced back at the alcove and scowled. He agreed whole-heartedly with his brother. As much as he wanted their brother back, he had no desire to treat the boy like a worthless piece of scum. He had only placed him in that filth hole on Darius Dunn's orders. His hatred for their "master" grew stronger every minute, and he couldn't help feeling a foreign emotion as he watched the boy, realizing just how small and helpless he was compared to them.

Pity. Compassion. Any emotion besides anger, hatred, or resentment was foreign to the three un-captured turtles. Yet, they were also emotions that were not far from them. The four clones were far more alike their originals than they cared to admit. Leonardo was a warrior through and through, but he was also honorable, with a compassionate heart. Raphael was passionate, vividly hating his enemies and voraciously loving his friends and family. Donatello could be logical and undetached to the point of being robotic, but he was also tender-hearted with a quieter voice and softer touch than his brothers. And Michelangelo may be a goofball, but he was kind, generous, and unconditionally loving.

Indeed, sometimes, Dark Leo wondered why he hated his original so much. Leonardo had done nothing to him. But, whatever Sh'Okanaba had exposed them to while developing had festered hatred inside of him that, logically, was unfounded. Their originals had taken him in, given him a chance to prove himself, but he had blown that chance. Perhaps it was his bitterness at his own self that fueled this hatred, or perhaps it was his way of dealing with his guilt, but, seeing the poor boy that Darius Dunn felt nothing for suffering like this, something was stirring inside of him.

"Will blankets and some hot water help?"

Dark Don glanced down at the boy on his lap, noticing for the first time how the boy was huddled against him, but made no move to shove him away, opting instead to simply nod his head. "It's a start."

Dark Leo nodded and took several steps back, already strategizing where he could find blankets that weren't moldy and moth-eaten or where he could find hot water that wasn't contaminated with sewer filth.

"I don't care—what—anybody says," the soft voice of Cody startled the two turtles, who glanced at him in confusion. "You aren't—monsters." He coughed loudly and trembled, pressing his feverish face to Dark Don's plastron.

The boy might as well have twisted a knife into the two turtles' hearts. Their cold demeanors shattered and Dark Don stood, cradling the boy in his arms and meeting his brother's gaze with his own fiery one. An understanding passed between them and Dark Leo nodded. "The fresh air will be good for him." Dark Don murmured.

"Agreed," the other mutant said quietly. "Darius Dunn can kiss my shell for all I care. We don't follow his orders."

They turned and disappeared into the rest of the sewers, feeling freer than they ever had before.

AN: Can I just say it right now? I HATE DARIUS DUNN! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM! Not as much as Agent Bishop, Shredder, or Stockman—he's too lame of a villain to beat those three—but I still want to see him suffer miserably. Anyway, I believe this story has officially earned a changing of the second genre. I was not expecting it to come this far. Anyway, I hope everybody enjoyed it! Don't forget to review! Seriously, does anybody want to come after me after what I did to Donnie? Feel free to tell me! In the meantime, I'll try to update soon. Thanks for reading!