: Chapter 14: (Don's POV)
"Alright come on" I jumped out of the manhole and reached back down to grab April's hand.
"Ouch Don be careful!"
"Sorry." I pulled her out the rest of the way and then straightened my hat snuggly on top of my head. "How do I look?"
"Like a civilian on steroids." She shook her head and sighed. I had on Casey Jones's trench coat and one of his beat up hats that he brought for me to wear to the pharmacy. In the daylight, you could probably tell I wasn't the most normal looking creature on the planet, but it was dark outside so blending in should be a bit easier than usual.
"Good enough, come on, the pharmacy is just around the corner." I grabbed ahold of her hand and pulled her out of the alley and onto the busy sidewalk.
"Oh I just love the City at night." Her eyes twinkled from the lights that were being emitted from the buildings around us. "Don't you love how the sidewalks sparkle like their covered with snow?"
"Just remember our primary goal here." I gave her a reassuring smile.
"Then why are you holding my hand?" She stopped walking and tilted her head. I started to say something but then hesitated when I realized I didn't have a very good answer to that question.
"I…just…don't want you to get lost!" I dropped her hand and folded my arms over my chest. "But fine, get carried away by a thug and see if I care." I nodded my head and then continued walking down the street. I heard her little giggles immense from behind me and then the click clack of her running back up to my side. She threaded her arm through the crook of mine and then laid her head against me.
"So where is this place anyway?" She asked.
"Just over here a-"My words got cut short when I choked after she tightened her grip on my arm. "April…" I pulled away from her and smiled apologetically. "I don't know what's up with you today but Michelangelo is seriously injured and quite frankly…you're…distracting me." There was no other way to say it but I was getting a little fed up with the touchy feely mood she was in, for the time being.
"Oh Don, I'm sorry. Casey's been ignoring me and I'm just…lonely I guess." She dropped her head and fiddled around with the straps of her purse.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know..."
"It's ok, your right though. I need to get ahold of myself." She took a deep breath and then smiled happily. "Alright then, off to the pharmacy." She walked past me with a bright smile on her face. I lifted my head up and sighed deeply. Dumb mistake after dumb mistake, when will I learn?
When we reached the pharmacy April grabbed ahold of the big, metal handle and pulled. She began to grow frustrated when the door refused to budge.
"Oh no, I think their closed!" She looked at me with a sadden expression. After trying one more time, she finally let go of the handle and grunted in frustration.
"You done?" I gave her a half smile.
"What are you..?" She looked like she was about to slap me across the face for sassing her like that but after I placed my hand on the door and pushed, her jaw dropped and then she crossed her arms over her chest. "Not a word about this to anyone."
"Yeah, because the huge "push" sign on the door wasn't clear enough." I winked at her and then walked into the store before she could really slap me.
"Figure out that door ok?" An elderly man behind the counter waved at us and chuckled. I smiled and gave him a small wave but April slapped me on the shoulder and pushed me forward. "Can I help you folks with anything?" He asked us with a gentle smile.
"Yes actually." I pried April's fingers off my arm and walked up to the counter. "I need orthopedic padding and fiberglass for my brother's broken leg."
"I'm afraid I don't carry fiberglass but I do have plaster rolls. Will that subdue?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Isle 3 sir. It's right over there." He pointed a crooked finger across the room to the designated isle. I headed over, with April trailing close behind me, and started to look through the supplies.
"Do they have what you need?" She asked.
"Yeah, but it's all cheap generic sh…" I grunted and pretended to couch. "Shtuff."
"You can swear in front of me Donnie. I don't mind." She giggled.
"It's not polite to curse in front of a lady, or anyone for that matter." I pulled a package of three plaster rolls off the shelf and turned it around to examine the details. When I felt like someone was staring at me, I slowly turned my head to the side and saw April's bright green eyes were gazing into mine.
"Uh…hi?" I waved and she waved back.
"Why are you so nice?"
"I'm not nice." I turned away and continued browsing through the isle for the orthopedic padding.
"Yes you are!"
"This conversation is over."
"I bet you can't even say one bad word." She smirked.
"You're right."
"Donatello!" She slapped me on the arm and giggled.
"April please…" She stopped horsing around when I tried to show her how serious I was about getting my baby brother help. "Can you go in the next isle and look for painkillers?"
She smiled and nodded and then slowly walked away to the next isle. Once she was far enough away, I let out a sigh of relief and continued to look through the supplies. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy her company, just not when one of my brother's is hurt and quite bad for that matter. And like I said before, I don't really have feelings for her anymore either so this conversation defiantly was over.
"Find it April?" I called out to her. "April?" After she didn't respond I grew a little curious and walked over to the next isle. "April?"
"Hello Donatello." I dropped the goods I had in my hands in exchange for the Bo-Staff behind my back. I spun it above my head and then pointed it to the sickening face that had April's mouth covered with her hand. She clawed at her with her nails but the abductor stood strong and kept the same bloodcurdling grin on her face the whole time. "We thought we might find you here. I heard that your brothers got pretty banged up in that underground collapse. I do hope their alright." She gave a sinister grin.
"What do you care about them?" I growled and started to think about ways to break April free and escape the pharmacy. I was also wondering where the store owner was in all this mess. Anyone who was already in here had fled the building and ran out onto the streets. Good, they would contact the police, hopefully.
"If you sheath your weapon, I will explain." Her voice suddenly went form a threatening cowl, to a desperate pitch in a matter of Nano seconds. She released her hand from April's mouth and let her run over to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and hid behind my back.
"Come on Don, let's get out of here!" She tried to pull me but I refused to move. I couldn't leave though; when in the world would this girl ever take a prisoner and then just let them go? She probably meant business which is why I decided to stay and hear her out. I sheathed my staff and the nodded for her to continue.
"I was very serious when I asked you if your brothers were alright." She began.
"Raph and I are fine, but Mikey has a broken leg. April and I came here to pick up supplies to help him."
"What of your other brother?" she smiled but her face still looked completely serious as if she already knew the answer to her own question.
"Who Erasmus?" I said with great curiosity.
"So you remembered me."
April and I both spun on our heels and looked at the person standing behind us. The darkness of the room made it hard to clearly see his face but his muscular body and glowing red eyes stood out like an Oreo in the snow. He still wore the same black uniform but something was different, the red foot symbol that use to be on his left shoulder was missing.
"Woah, that's Leonardo?" April's jaw dropped in awe as he stood tall and walked into the shallow light. He was either taller than her, or she was crouching in fear as he approached us. I couldn't help but lower my head a little as well as he looked down on us.
"I thought maybe you forgot about me back in the lair." He grinned.
"Erasmus…I tried to help you but you didn't cooperate. I knew you could make it out on your own and my brothers couldn't." I kept my voice stern and clear to keep him from growing too confident.
"So I'm suddenly not your brother?" He scowled.
"No I mean…my brothers who couldn't get out of the wreckage. You were perfectly fine except for that nasty bruise on your head." This was not going very well. I do hate to say though that I'm actually glad to see him, even though he probably wanted to slice and dice me into a million little turtle pieces.
"Well you were right then I guess. Actually, I was so fine, that I headed back to the Foot building to gather some supplies that I would need to kill all you traitors off." The grin on his face made me reach behind my back to grab my staff. "But something happened before I could."
"What do you mean?" I raised my brow.
"I guess you can say that I found out the truth, the real way." He gestured to Karai who was standing behind us. "She betrayed the Shredder in order to set my life straight. Now he's out to kill the both of us."
"I'm sorry to hear that." I stood up straight and dropped my arm to my side.
"Donatello, do you not understand?" Karai stepped out from behind me and stood in front of Erasmus. "We cannot run away from him for the rest of our lives! The entire population of Purple Dragons and Foot ninja are both patrolling the streets daily trying to snipe us from a roof or slash our heads off with katana!"
"How is that my problem?" I was starting to grow impatient. Michelangelo needed me and these two goons were taking up precious time.
"We need your help to defeat him. We can't do it alone." Erasmus crossed his arms.
"Why should we help you? You tried to kill us!" I raised my voice but still tried to stay calm.
"And you kidnapped me!" Erasmus returned my tone of voice.
"Enough!" Karai placed her hands on both our plastrons and pushed us in different directions. "How about we make a deal?" She pulled out a large plastic bag with some kind of object inside. She reached her hand in and pulled it out then showed it to me. "Perhaps your brother would enjoy this?"
It was fiberglass. Mikey could heal better and faster with that material but I knew Karai would want us to fight by her side in return. This is when being leader comes to be a real pain in the shell.
"Please Donatello, we're desperate." I suppose Erasmus's words were what finally got me to consider their pleas and reexamine the two hurt faces that stood in front of me. Erasmus looked so different from the last time I saw him, which was only a few hours ago. He didn't have that Foot ninja scowl to him anymore and his personality seemed to be changed as well. Even Karai looked like some kind of magical being had floated inside of her and pulled all the darkness out of it.
"First you have to tell me what you did with the store owner." I frowned.
"We snuck past him…" Erasmus looked at me like I was crazy. "You know there's a back door. Plus the fact that he looked like he was 102 might help." He winked, making April giggle.
I sighed and took a few deep breaths. "I'm going to consult the others first. Erasmus, pull your bandana around your eyes, Karai, do the same with your headband." They unquestionably obeyed my orders and covered their eyes. I was going to bring them back to the lair but I had to make sure they didn't know where it was first. "I am so going to regret this." I may have just made a deal with the devil but right now, Mikey's health was all that mattered to me.
Police sirens began to be heard in the distance and getting louder by the minute.
"No you won't bro." Erasmus smiled and gave a thumbs up. Erasmus SMILED, and it wasn't an "I'm way better than you" kind of smile either. He's definitely changed; I can feel it, I just know I can.
:: About a half hour earlier… (Erasmus POV)
"Are you sure they will come this way?" Karai sighed and sat down on the roof.
"I'm sure; Donatello had to carry Michelangelo out of that lair. They're going to need supplies to fix him up." I kept my gaze on the small pharmacy down on the street.
"Even if they do come, how will you get them to even believe that we seriously need their help?" She sounded worried, a kind of tone you rarely heard from her.
"I don't know, but I'm not going to force them to help. If they do refuse, we're just going to have to take down the Shredder and his men on our own."
"Perhaps you can use your brotherly connections to get them to believe you?" Karai completely ignored me and continued to brainstorm ways to get the turtles on our side. I could definitely tell she wasn't happy about my decision to go up against the Shredder in the first place but like I tried to tell her on the way here, it was the right thing to do not only for us, but for everyone who has to suffer under his command in the present and future.
"Karai, relax. I'll protect your sorry ass." I grinned as she slapped me, rather hard might I add.
"You, Erasmus, are the one who has to watch his "sorry ass""
"Shhh…why don't you just yell to the Dragons and tell them where we are why don't yah?" I rolled my eyes and continued to watch the little store. "There they are!"
"Really?!" She jumped up and peered down onto the street. "You lie!"
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." She hit me again but then pulled out her katana.
"And I could not help but to remove your head form your body either!" she growled.
"Karai, shush up and sit down!" I swung my leg underneath hers and pulled the sword from her hand. For the first time in my life, I actually saw Karai smile and laugh. I guess I wasn't the only one who was changing on the inside. "How do you feel?" I asked her out of nowhere.
"How do I feel about what?" She said.
"About leaving the Foot and all."
"I have to admit Erasmus, I feel very different. It is like a huge amount of weight has been taken off my chest and I can finally breathe again." She smiled. "But now it will only return once we meet the turtles."
"I'll get them to help us. I think if they can understand our situation, then maybe we can do more than defeat the Shredder together."
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I just…was hoping I could return to them someday. Maybe even you too but, I've done so much to them and they've done so much to me…it just seems like a shot in the dark." I looked back down onto the street where a big, bulky figure and a small petit woman were walking together holding hands. "That must be one of them. You remembered to bring the stuff right?"
"Yes I did and I am not falling for that again Erasmus!" She grunted.
"Fine, stay here then." I jumped down off the roof and bolted across the street to the back door of the pharmacy without being seen because I'm just that good. This was the moment of truth and I'm going to go ahead and admit it, it was more than just a little conversation with a long lost friend, it was a matter of life or death for all of us.