CHAPTER 18

My family

Stars danced across Donatello's vision as he slid to the ground and lay in a daze amongst the puddles. His focus slopped this way and that, minutes passing in a blink as he drifted in and out of consciousness for an indeterminable period of time.

Part of him would have liked nothing more than to succumb to the welcoming blackness that kept stretching out encouragingly to embrace him. But he could still distantly hear the clashes of combat and the erratic sound of Michelangelo's voice as he fought alone.

With a groan, Donnie slowly pushed himself back to sitting and pressed a hand against his head. He'd been the unfortunate recipient of a powerful blow from the hybrid clone, which had left one part of his face throbbing intently. He could already feel his eyelid growing puffy on that side and he quickly discovered that grimacing didn't help.

Blinking and rubbing his eyes, Donnie tried to clear his hazy sight enough to take proper stock of the situation. Mikey needed his help, that hybrid clone was a foe unlike anything they'd faced before. Just before he'd been hit, he knew he'd had a plan to defeat it. But those moments had been knocked loose from his memories and he couldn't find where they'd gone.

Despite the ringing in his ears and the increasing wail of approaching sirens, the sudden sound of Mikey's gleeful exaltation was hard to miss. Were they winning? With one final groan, Donatello shakily forced himself to look up and properly assess the situation.

He winced involuntarily as he raised his head just in time to hear the hybrid clone shriek and witness as it was the brief and unwilling recipient of 33,000 volts of electricity. After several seconds there was a loud bang and a plume of smoke, as the short circuit blew the fuses and cut the supply. But it was too late for the creature, even for those few moments such a huge electric shock could only have one outcome.

Somehow, miraculously, Michelangelo had managed to carry out the plan that Donnie had never finished describing and been able to win the fight. The blackened form of the clone created from their combined genetics dropped to the ground and lay there unmoving.

Or was it unmoving? As Donnie's vision continued to clear, he noticed that the creature seemed to be twitching. Initially he just put it down to the final muscle tremors, but then realised with sudden horror that it wasn't.

It was a bubbling sensation beneath the hybrid clone's skin, just as Raph had described. The fact that he was close enough to see it meant that he was too close. Far too close.

"Oh no…."

With no time to flee as it exploded right in front of him, Donatello's instinctive reaction was to disappear into his shell. Even as he did, he knew that it was futile. Even if the mutagen only hit his carapace, it would still trigger a secondary mutation.

He felt a sudden connection, as the force of it pushed him against the ground. He was hit. The sickly smell of burnt flesh and mutagen was all around him, the scent seeping through to torture his senses even with his head tucked down.

What was going to happen to him, Donnie wondered fearfully. The best he could hope for was that he'd maintain his mind but become some horrible skeletal version of his former mutation, as had happened to Rahzar. The worst… Well, he could see himself spending a lot more time in silent contemplation with Timothy, as they sat together in matching jars.

That was assuming his brothers weren't forced to destroy him, lest he destroy them first. The idea that he might mutate beyond all recognition, turning violent on them to the point where they had no choice but to take him down, was a horrific image that burned through his thoughts with increasing fervour.

The impression grew stronger in his mind. It was a feeling like when he'd been engulfed by Speed Demon. He was still dimly aware of himself, but unable to act upon his rational thoughts. Like something of nightmares, he envisaged himself emerging as a twisted and deformed husk of the one they had called brother. All the intelligence that had once been there was gone, as had any remnant of humanity.

The overwhelming love he felt for each of them ripped away, replaced with an insatiable destructive fury that could not be restrained. The concrete would be stained red with their blood. None would remain to return to Splinter, to tell him that he had lost his family all over again.

But even there, the devastation could not be curbed. Casey's broken body would fall into the pile with his brothers. Then, all that remained was April. Reflected in her enchanting eyes was his own grotesque form. Her screams of absolute terror rang out, as she saw death gazing back upon her from the one that had once been her mutant.

He could hear her voice, calling to him, imploring him. But he was lost, he could not be saved, there was nothing…

"I've got you!"

Who had him?

"I've got you, Donnie!"

April?

"Donnie, are you ok?! Are you ok, Donnie?"

Miraculously, the tormenting nightmare began to fade. He focused on the beautiful voice, losing himself to it before it guided him to recovery. For several panicked moments he felt trapped within a claustrophobic darkness, until he realised that he was still hidden within his own shell.

Slowly, cautiously, he emerged.

Crouched over him with a knee pressed against his plastron, her arms were holding her coat spread wide as a protective barrier. Lightning dramatically illuminated her worried face, as April stood resolutely while large globs of mutagen oozed over her back and dribbled down onto the ground behind her. The relief was obvious on her face as Donatello finally revealed himself to be unaffected by any further mutation.

"Thank goodness…" she gasped. "Be careful! Don't move. We'll find a way to get you out of this mess."

Donatello just stared, riveted by her gaze and lost in his own exoneration. She'd saved him. April had saved him, acting as a shield against the explosion of mutagen. He wasn't a horrific monstrosity, doomed to destruction. He was still himself. He was safe.

"April…" he started, his voice wavering.

But he didn't get any further, as there was a sudden clang as a container door was thrown down over the mutagen a short leap away. It had been ripped off and manhandled by Raphael and Casey, who were both now gesturing frantically.

"Come on!" Raph urged, before turning back to help Mikey with Leo.

"Yeah, dude. We gotta go!" Casey insisted. "The cops are gonna be here any moment!"

With a quick swipe of his eyes, which Donnie hoped the others would assume was just the rainwater, he scrambled to his feet before carefully jumping onto the metal and running along it. At the end, he was far enough away from the epicentre to leap the distance to an area clear from the mutagenic explosion.

April followed him, benefiting from her immunity as she could ran through the mutagen with impunity. However she was then forced to keep a safe distance from the others as they fled the scene of the battle, lest any of the messy substance upon her should touch them.

Glancing briefly back as emergency vehicles arrived on the scene, Donatello realised that Hun and the other Purple Dragons were no longer there. Doubtless they had taken opportunity to escape again. But, right now, he didn't really care. He just felt giddy with the euphoric knowledge that he had cheated a fate worse than death.

It took a considerable amount of time to get back to the lair. While Michelangelo was relatively unharmed, all of the others were sporting an array of hampering injuries and conditions.

Leonardo, to everyone's relief, came around a short time after their initial escape. He was bruised and battered, with a new scratch running down his shell from where it had caught on a sharp edge of metal, but seemed to have escaped without significant harm. After resting for a few minutes, during which he was filled in with an animated update of everything he'd missed, he was able to move under his own strength.

Casey was limping slightly and April kept putting a hand to her shoulder, while Raphael was evidently still struggling with the nauseating effects of the protein and enzyme combination. Though it seemed to be fading, as Donatello knew it would after the initial consequence. For the others, who had only received the protein part of the combination, the only likely effect would be a day of feeling a bit bloated and lethargic.

For Donnie, the giddy feeling from before persisted long enough for him to realise that it was probably only partially triggered by euphoria and mostly related to the blow he'd taken. After he obliviously ran into the second lamp post, Mikey took it upon himself to act as a guide and make sure his path was clear of any obstacles.

Ninja stealth was forgotten, as they openly traversed the back streets of New York. Fortunately, given the early hour of the morning, the sidewalks were mercifully abandoned and their journey passed uneventfully.

After ensuring both Casey and April got home safely, with April gushing excitedly about taking a long hot bath as she was dropped off, the turtles headed down into the familiar sewer network. Reaching the lair, Splinter was there to welcome his battle wearied sons back with open arms before tending to their wounds.

Donatello dropped into a dreamless sleep soon after, spending the remainder of the night blissfully unaware of his father sitting by his side and watching over him in case the concussion worsened.

It didn't, but it was well into the afternoon before Donnie awoke. A wash later and he almost felt back to his usual self. Albeit with an impressive array of tender bruising marring one side of his face, mottling the green skin with a rainbow of colours.

"That is impressive." agreed April, having arrived at the lair with a donation of pizza during the middle of the afternoon.

While his brothers were busy devouring the food offering, Donatello had opted instead to take the opportunity to speak with her. April had a few bruises herself, but didn't seem too worse for wear following the battle of the previous day.

"My shoulder is pretty sore." she confessed. "But I think it'll be fine. I spoke to Casey earlier and he's gonna be ok as well."

Donnie nodded. "I'm glad." he said, genuinely.

"April…" he then continued, scratching the back of his neck and shuffling his feet. "I just… I wanted… Um. Thanks. Thanks for saving me."

"If that mutagen had hit me," he continued, his voice catching slightly as the memory of his nightmarish delirium was reawakened, "then I…"

April reached out to gently pat his arm. "It's fine, Donnie." she replied, kindly.

"You guys have saved me so many times, it's only natural for me to do the same for you!" she continued, before smiling widely. "Especially you."

She moved in to give the astonished turtle a warm hug. "I don't have any brothers or sisters. I know it's genetics we share, rather than parents, but… Well, you're the closest thing to a brother I'm ever likely to get!"

"So there's no way I'm going to let something happen to you, little bro!"

"Little?" Donnie protested, amicably. "I'm taller than you!"

"I'm older." April reminded, as she stepped back.

He couldn't really argue that one, so just shrugged agreeably. "I concede the point."

A smile then slowly crept across his face. The genuine, toothy type that was typically reserved for a response to the hijinks of his brothers, rather than the awkward, blasé smile he usually gave to April in his efforts to impress her.

"You're my sister." he affirmed, testing the term out. For the first time, the words and the meaning behind them felt right. He'd never experienced having a sister before, beyond the occasional strange dream reality. Now he truly had a sister, and she was April. His beloved April.

"Yep! And big sisters are fiercely protective." April pointed out, responding with an open smile of her own.

A warmth spread through Donatello. The love he felt for her was still there but just as Leo had described, it was different. A familial affection, like that which he felt for his brothers and father. He still felt just as devoted to her as ever, but rather than being tarnished with possessive desire, her safety and happiness was paramount.

But, even more than that, the shared a bond unlike any other. It went beyond the family connection. As Donatello smiled at April and she smiled back at him, he realised he could read more from her expression than he ought to be able to. The telepathy that linked them gave him a unique window into her mind that no other would ever be able to emulate.

"Oi, Donnie!" Raphael called, breaking the moment as he twisted round from where he was sprawled to look at them. "If you don't hurry it up, we're gonna eat your share of the pizza."

Michelangelo stuffed another slice into his mouth, chewing enthusiastically and then spraying crumbs over the others as he spoke. "Iz nuuuummy!"

"Mikey!" Leonardo chided, in disgust.

Donatello glanced towards his brothers. But before he had a chance to respond, April stepped over to stand resolutely at the edge of the raised area above the living space.

"You had better not!" she chided firmly, hands on her hips. "I brought that for all of you, including Donnie! Give me his share, or there will be trouble."

Startled, the three turtles shared a glance before humbly yielding to April. Mikey meekly stepped over to pass her the remainder of the meal in one of the pizza boxes, which she took from him with a playful smirk.

Behind her, Donnie grinned. "I could get used to having a big sister."