Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or anything associated with it. All I own of
my own creations, so if ya wanna use them, please ask first. Thank you. (
Chapter 6: Hoping for the best
A/N: *gets a fire extinguisher for her ignited keyboard* Sorry it took me so long to get out another chapter. Reality's a bit more brutal than I really like it to be and took another major toll on me. But I'm trying to stick out the trouble life's brought me and getting on with the show, so to speak. Enjoy the read ahead. (
Don and Mikey had gone straight to their room after Leo's departure. They had already started to divide the work between them and decided that Leo and Raph could have whatever was leftover. After all, the latter pair weren't there to voice any opinions, so it was only fair in the minds of Don and Mike. Especially since this was how they always divided the chores of cleaning the shared bedroom when they were separate groups.
Upon entering their bedrooms, the two had gone to opposite sides of the room. Don, who had the lower bunk of Leo's, began his share by pulling out another box that he had stored there and picking up the pieces of metal and trinkets that were scattered about the foot of his bed. These were things that he had gathered on his own explorations in the sewers and brought back home to experiment with to see what he could make.
Mikey had followed a similar course by going to his side of the room. He didn't store anything in a box under his bed though. Instead, he was picking up his drawing notebook and the few comics that he had. The notebook he put under his pillow, since its contents were private for the time being, and the comics he put in his part of the dresser that he shared with his brothers.
When he was done with that, Mikey then started to make his bed again. It hadn't been made very well when he had gotten up earlier and Splinter had told him to fix it later. Now that he had the chance, the young turtle took a chance to straighten the sheets and to put them in relative order. While he did, he chanced to look over his shoulder and spotted what Don was up to.
"How much junk do you have to put under there anyway, Donnie? It looks like you have a mini junkyard," Mikey snickered.
"Ha, ha. Very funny, Mikey," Don snorted as he finished putting everything into the box and shoved it under his bed," I'll have you know that this isn't just junk. It's part of my new invention that I'm working on."
Before Michaelangelo could respond with another taunt, Maggie suddenly burst into the room. She came through the door at top speed and only started making an attempt to stop herself once she was inside the room. Don and Mikey, neither one not sure what was wrong, did the only thing that they could think of to avoid a collision with their sister.
They both jumped onto their beds while she skidded to a halt right into the dresser. Not really hurt from the impact, Maggie had landed into a stunned head over tail heap. Her brothers continued to look at her from the relative safety of their beds, neither one sure what was going on.
Finally pulling herself into an upright position, Maggie started to collect her wits again. She was breathing hard from her mad dash and it took her several seconds before she was able to catch her breath again. Her brothers, surprised as they were by her sudden entrance into their room, looked at her with concern. After all, it wasn't often that they saw her scrambling into their room like something behind her was about to kill her.
"What's wrong, Maggie? Are you okay?" Mikey asked quickly as he and Don got off their bed and to the floor again.
Immediately forgetting her exhaustion, Maggie's head shot up and she stared Mikey straight in the eye. She stayed seated on the floor, but her hands were flying less than a heartbeat later into speech.
Leo and Raph are gone! Maggie kept signing over and over again.
Her motions were so frantic and frenzied that it was hard for Donatello and Michaelangelo to understand what she was saying. It was just a blur to them that looked more like gibberish movements than speech they were used to.
"Will you slow down?" Mikey finally demanded," I can't understand anything you're sayin', Maggie."
His words were enough to halt Maggie's words, but not enough to stop her still pounding heart. Nor did it help the worry and fear that had been steadily growing in her eyes. These remained as strong as the moment that her oldest two brothers had declared their duel and left.
Now that she had outwardly stopped acting so frantic, Don and Mike took this as a chance to make sense of the situation. To begin with, they both walked over and helped their sister back to her feet. She didn't resist them, though her body remained tense and rigid. This played as a major clue that something was definitely wrong and neither boy missed it. But they weren't going to rush this, that much was certain. If they did, Maggie would just start babbling again and they would be back at square one again.
"There. Now just take it easy and stay calm, Maggie," Don said," Just tell us what's wrong and we'll see how we can help."
I already told you! Leo and Raph are GONE! Maggie hissed.
"Gone? What'd ya mean they're gone?" Mikey asked.
Hissing in frustration, Maggie repeated, I told you! They're gone, not here anymore, they're.
To stop her from rambling, Donatello reached out and took hold of his sister's hands. He held them firmly, making it impossible for her to move them no matter how much she struggled. Not sure why he was doing this, Maggie glared up at her brother indignantly, her eyes demanding an explanation.
"You need to calm down for a minute," he told her," We can't understand a word you're saying, Maggie. You just keep babbling and not making any sense."
Maggie just looked at him urgent outrage, pleading with him to let her hands go. She knew what he was trying to say to her. But now was not the time for them to be acting calm. Now was the time for action before something bad happened.
"I'm going to let you go now," Don instructed," But you have to stay calm and speak slowly or else I'm gonna have to do this again. Okay?"
Maggie just nodded, though she nearly tried to yank her hands away again. Releasing her, Donatello said," Okay. You said that Leo and Raph are gone. What do you mean? Did something happen?"
Yes something happened. Leo came in the kitchen and he started arguing with Raph again, Maggie said more slowly but with an angry glare in her eyes, I tried to get them to stop, but they wouldn't listen to me. They just kept arguing and calling each other names until Leo said that it was time to settle things once and for all. Raph agreed with him. Then they left the lair and I came to get you. That's what happened.
Throughout her entire explanation, the two Turtles had undergone a serious change in attitude. At first, they had only been curious as to what was wrong with their sister and why she was so upset. Then they became concerned when they heard that their brothers were gone. Now, as they were filled in on the missing details, one was filled with worry while the other was caught between that and anger.
"I can't believe Leo. He promised me that he wouldn't argue with Raphael and he did anyway. I knew I shouldn't have let him go," Don grumbled.
"Just chill, Donnie," Mike told his brother uneasily," We gotta find out where they went. Maybe we can stop'em if we get there in time."
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry," Don agreed.
"Do you know where they went?" Mikey asked.
Not really, Maggie said, They just said something about going to some place called the Junction and finishing things there, but that's all I know.
Once she had explained what she had known, Maggie expected that her brothers might know what Raph and Leo had been talking about. She certainly didn't and part of her was dying to know just what the Junction was and why in the world her brothers would choose to go to it. But if she thought that she would get any immediate reaction, Maggie was seriously mistaken.
If anything, her presence was totally ignored. Don and Mike's faces greatly paled as they soaked in their sister's news and looked at one another with a sickened expression. They knew exactly where their brothers had gone and the dangers that were attached to that particular area of the sewers.
"I can't believe those two are so stupid. They know that we're not supposed to go near there. It's dangerous," Donatello grumbled.
"Got that right," Mikey nodded in agreement.
What is the Junction? Maggie asked, looking from one brother to another and back again.
And again, she didn't get an answer. Her two older brothers were too wrapped up in their knowledge to notice their sister's presence. They just kept saying that Leo and Raph were stupid and that this Junction place was dangerous. Which was really starting to get on Maggie's nerves and at this point, that was not a good thing for anyone.
First she had to put up with her oldest two brothers acting like idiots and going off to duke it out in a place that was obviously dangerous. Now she had to put up with almost the same thing with the last two. Only this time, they were ignoring her instead of giving her the answers that she wanted.
Why couldn't I have been an only child? Maggie thought.
She reached over and tugged on Donnie's arm. Startled out of his own frustrations, he looked down at his sister as if he were seeing her for the first time. Seeing her frown and the near hiss that was on her lips, he guessed that she was getting upset about something else.
"What now?" he said.
What IS the Junction? Maggie demanded again, letting go of his arm.
"Oh, well it's where all the drainage from the surface leaves the pipes and collects into a big pool before it goes into the river," Donnie explained," The only safe places that you can reach it is either by climbing from the lower conduits and onto a big pipe that's high over the pool or taking a lower passage that runs near the pool."
How high the big pipe? Maggie asked uncertainly.
"I'm not really sure. I think that Master Splinter said that it was about 15 feet or so," Donatello shrugged.
"But it's still a long way down," Mikey interjected.
"Yeah, it is," Don nodded.
What else did Sensei say about this Junction place? How do Leo and Raph even know how to get to a bad place like that? their sister asked frantically.
"We went there once a long time ago with Master Splinter when he was looking for supplies. The passage we took went near there and that's when Sensei showed us that it was dangerous. He said that we weren't supposed to go there, no matter what," Donatello replied.
I don't remember going to a place like that, Maggie protested.
"That's 'cause you were just three years old when Master Splinter took us there, Maggie," Mikey explained," You were too little to remember anything about it."
Oh, his sister said.
"But we remember enough that Master Splinter told us never to go there again," Donnie said," He said that if you fall off that pipe, the only place that you'll end up in is the pool. From there, the current will sweep you away underground until it pulls you under and you go with everything else out into the river."
How far is the river from the Junction? Maggie asked uncertainly.
"Too far, Maggie. By the time you reached it, you would have drowned. That's what makes that place so dangerous," Donatello replied solemnly.
Maggie's eyes lit up with fear at this information. It brought an instant realization to her mind that made her stomach turn in knots. If what Donnie was saying was true and the Junction really was dangerous, that could only mean one thing and she didn't like the thought of it at all.
Wait. You mean that if Leo or Raph falls off that pipe, then., Maggie began.
"Exactly. If one of them falls off at the Junction, they're in major trouble," Donatello nodded.
We gotta do something to stop them! Magnolia said quickly.
"Ya got that right," Mikey agreed," Let's go!"
He turned and started to make a break for the door. Before he had taken no more than a few steps though, Mikey felt a short pain spreading through his arm. He involuntarily yelped once and then stopped and turned to see what the cause had been. His eyes immediately met the gaze of Donatello, who had one hand positioned to strike again and looking like he was more than willing.
"What'd ya do that for, Donnie?" Mikey demanded, rubbing the sore spot on his arm for the second time in as many days.
"Use your head, Mikey. Someone has to stay here and watch Maggie," Donatello hissed," You know that Master Splinter would blow a fuse if we just left her alone."
"Then we take her with us," Mikey said," We can't just sit around here talking. We gotta find Raph and Leo."
Yeah, Maggie agreed instantly, I can keep up with you guys. I'm not a baby.
"No way. That's even worse and you both know it," Donnie said," If we're all gone, then Splinter will go ballistic when he finds out and you know that he'll never let us hear the end of it when he finds us."
"We.we could just go and be back before he gets here. He'll never know," Mikey stammered.
"Get real. You can't hide something like that from Sensei and you know it, Mikey," Don snorted.
"But.," Mikey stated.
Shaking his head, Don replied," First, if we make it there in time, we still have to convince Leo and Raph to come back and you know that won't happen without starting another fight. No, someone has to stay here with Maggie until Splinter gets back while someone else goes after them. Then they can tell him what happened and he can help too."
But I want to help too, Maggie protested.
The words had barely left her when Donnie's face took on a severe tone. It was a far cry from the sharpness that Splinter held in his expressions when he was about to go into a lecture. But it was still enough that the boy was able to get his own point across to a pair of younger siblings.
"Look we don't have time to argue about this, Maggie. You and Mike are staying here to wait for Splinter and that's final," Donatello ordered.
It was strange to see him take command as he had been doing today. That role usually fell to Leonardo, who had the natural tendencies of a leader. If he had been present and acting sane by his brother's standards, Donnie would have happily let Leo stay in command. But he wasn't in either case, so that meant that someone else had to be forced to take the reins of leadership for the time being.
Being the oldest present, Donnie knew instinctively that whether he liked it or not, he was that person. In reaction to this, he had adjusted at least part of his attitude accordingly. Which meant that he would have to keep his mind focused and on the serious side instead of just the rational he was used to. So when he spoke in that tone and action, his siblings, so unused to Donnie being such a person, had reacted to his orders almost without question.
There was still a small spark of rebellion planted in Mikey's heart however and it refused to die down. He knew that Donatello was right in that someone had to stay behind with their sister until Splinter returned. Being younger than her brothers, she was the boys' responsibility whenever their father was gone. Which meant that they had to keep her safe and out of trouble. That much Mikey was willing to do, even though he didn't understand the reason why it had to be him.
Donnie was just as capable of watching Maggie as he was and they both knew it. So why didn't Don stay behind while Mikey went out to find their missing brothers? It was a question that was burning in him and one that he wanted answered then and there, despite the urgency of their situation.
"Why don't you stay with Maggie?" Mikey demanded," I know the sewers as well as you do. I can find Leo and Raph before they get to the Junction."
Staring hard at his younger brother, Donnie answered," You're staying here with Maggie because I said so, Michaelangelo. I'm older than you both, so I'm just as responsible for keeping you out of trouble as Leo would if he was here. So just stop arguing about it and both of you stay here until I get back with Leo and Raph."
For a few seconds, it looked as if Mikey might try to argue his point further. But after another look at Don's hardening expression, he decided against it. Donatello was serious this time and he meant every word.
Conceding defeat, Mikey nodded and moved out of his brother's way. Beside him, Maggie did the same thing. Like Mikey, she wanted to do more to help than just stay here. But she also saw the reasoning behind Don's logic and she could only pray that it was enough to help him reach the others in time. So she moved out of the way and gave Don the room he needed to leave.
Satisfied that his brother and sister would be safe, Donatello made a dash for the door. Since his brothers had a head start on him, Don didn't even bother to get his bo and the rest of his gear. He just ran as fast as he could for the front entrance and out into the sewers. Taking a moment to get his bearings, he picked the best direction that he remembered for the Junction and took off into the sewers.
A/N: Okay, the end of the shortest chapter that I've written for this story and the opening for the next to begin. I'm sorry to say that the next part won't be out for sometime. I've got a lot going on right now and I can't get to my fanfics as much as I would like. But I'll get it out as soon as I can, that I can promise.
Chapter 6: Hoping for the best
A/N: *gets a fire extinguisher for her ignited keyboard* Sorry it took me so long to get out another chapter. Reality's a bit more brutal than I really like it to be and took another major toll on me. But I'm trying to stick out the trouble life's brought me and getting on with the show, so to speak. Enjoy the read ahead. (
Don and Mikey had gone straight to their room after Leo's departure. They had already started to divide the work between them and decided that Leo and Raph could have whatever was leftover. After all, the latter pair weren't there to voice any opinions, so it was only fair in the minds of Don and Mike. Especially since this was how they always divided the chores of cleaning the shared bedroom when they were separate groups.
Upon entering their bedrooms, the two had gone to opposite sides of the room. Don, who had the lower bunk of Leo's, began his share by pulling out another box that he had stored there and picking up the pieces of metal and trinkets that were scattered about the foot of his bed. These were things that he had gathered on his own explorations in the sewers and brought back home to experiment with to see what he could make.
Mikey had followed a similar course by going to his side of the room. He didn't store anything in a box under his bed though. Instead, he was picking up his drawing notebook and the few comics that he had. The notebook he put under his pillow, since its contents were private for the time being, and the comics he put in his part of the dresser that he shared with his brothers.
When he was done with that, Mikey then started to make his bed again. It hadn't been made very well when he had gotten up earlier and Splinter had told him to fix it later. Now that he had the chance, the young turtle took a chance to straighten the sheets and to put them in relative order. While he did, he chanced to look over his shoulder and spotted what Don was up to.
"How much junk do you have to put under there anyway, Donnie? It looks like you have a mini junkyard," Mikey snickered.
"Ha, ha. Very funny, Mikey," Don snorted as he finished putting everything into the box and shoved it under his bed," I'll have you know that this isn't just junk. It's part of my new invention that I'm working on."
Before Michaelangelo could respond with another taunt, Maggie suddenly burst into the room. She came through the door at top speed and only started making an attempt to stop herself once she was inside the room. Don and Mikey, neither one not sure what was wrong, did the only thing that they could think of to avoid a collision with their sister.
They both jumped onto their beds while she skidded to a halt right into the dresser. Not really hurt from the impact, Maggie had landed into a stunned head over tail heap. Her brothers continued to look at her from the relative safety of their beds, neither one sure what was going on.
Finally pulling herself into an upright position, Maggie started to collect her wits again. She was breathing hard from her mad dash and it took her several seconds before she was able to catch her breath again. Her brothers, surprised as they were by her sudden entrance into their room, looked at her with concern. After all, it wasn't often that they saw her scrambling into their room like something behind her was about to kill her.
"What's wrong, Maggie? Are you okay?" Mikey asked quickly as he and Don got off their bed and to the floor again.
Immediately forgetting her exhaustion, Maggie's head shot up and she stared Mikey straight in the eye. She stayed seated on the floor, but her hands were flying less than a heartbeat later into speech.
Leo and Raph are gone! Maggie kept signing over and over again.
Her motions were so frantic and frenzied that it was hard for Donatello and Michaelangelo to understand what she was saying. It was just a blur to them that looked more like gibberish movements than speech they were used to.
"Will you slow down?" Mikey finally demanded," I can't understand anything you're sayin', Maggie."
His words were enough to halt Maggie's words, but not enough to stop her still pounding heart. Nor did it help the worry and fear that had been steadily growing in her eyes. These remained as strong as the moment that her oldest two brothers had declared their duel and left.
Now that she had outwardly stopped acting so frantic, Don and Mike took this as a chance to make sense of the situation. To begin with, they both walked over and helped their sister back to her feet. She didn't resist them, though her body remained tense and rigid. This played as a major clue that something was definitely wrong and neither boy missed it. But they weren't going to rush this, that much was certain. If they did, Maggie would just start babbling again and they would be back at square one again.
"There. Now just take it easy and stay calm, Maggie," Don said," Just tell us what's wrong and we'll see how we can help."
I already told you! Leo and Raph are GONE! Maggie hissed.
"Gone? What'd ya mean they're gone?" Mikey asked.
Hissing in frustration, Maggie repeated, I told you! They're gone, not here anymore, they're.
To stop her from rambling, Donatello reached out and took hold of his sister's hands. He held them firmly, making it impossible for her to move them no matter how much she struggled. Not sure why he was doing this, Maggie glared up at her brother indignantly, her eyes demanding an explanation.
"You need to calm down for a minute," he told her," We can't understand a word you're saying, Maggie. You just keep babbling and not making any sense."
Maggie just looked at him urgent outrage, pleading with him to let her hands go. She knew what he was trying to say to her. But now was not the time for them to be acting calm. Now was the time for action before something bad happened.
"I'm going to let you go now," Don instructed," But you have to stay calm and speak slowly or else I'm gonna have to do this again. Okay?"
Maggie just nodded, though she nearly tried to yank her hands away again. Releasing her, Donatello said," Okay. You said that Leo and Raph are gone. What do you mean? Did something happen?"
Yes something happened. Leo came in the kitchen and he started arguing with Raph again, Maggie said more slowly but with an angry glare in her eyes, I tried to get them to stop, but they wouldn't listen to me. They just kept arguing and calling each other names until Leo said that it was time to settle things once and for all. Raph agreed with him. Then they left the lair and I came to get you. That's what happened.
Throughout her entire explanation, the two Turtles had undergone a serious change in attitude. At first, they had only been curious as to what was wrong with their sister and why she was so upset. Then they became concerned when they heard that their brothers were gone. Now, as they were filled in on the missing details, one was filled with worry while the other was caught between that and anger.
"I can't believe Leo. He promised me that he wouldn't argue with Raphael and he did anyway. I knew I shouldn't have let him go," Don grumbled.
"Just chill, Donnie," Mike told his brother uneasily," We gotta find out where they went. Maybe we can stop'em if we get there in time."
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry," Don agreed.
"Do you know where they went?" Mikey asked.
Not really, Maggie said, They just said something about going to some place called the Junction and finishing things there, but that's all I know.
Once she had explained what she had known, Maggie expected that her brothers might know what Raph and Leo had been talking about. She certainly didn't and part of her was dying to know just what the Junction was and why in the world her brothers would choose to go to it. But if she thought that she would get any immediate reaction, Maggie was seriously mistaken.
If anything, her presence was totally ignored. Don and Mike's faces greatly paled as they soaked in their sister's news and looked at one another with a sickened expression. They knew exactly where their brothers had gone and the dangers that were attached to that particular area of the sewers.
"I can't believe those two are so stupid. They know that we're not supposed to go near there. It's dangerous," Donatello grumbled.
"Got that right," Mikey nodded in agreement.
What is the Junction? Maggie asked, looking from one brother to another and back again.
And again, she didn't get an answer. Her two older brothers were too wrapped up in their knowledge to notice their sister's presence. They just kept saying that Leo and Raph were stupid and that this Junction place was dangerous. Which was really starting to get on Maggie's nerves and at this point, that was not a good thing for anyone.
First she had to put up with her oldest two brothers acting like idiots and going off to duke it out in a place that was obviously dangerous. Now she had to put up with almost the same thing with the last two. Only this time, they were ignoring her instead of giving her the answers that she wanted.
Why couldn't I have been an only child? Maggie thought.
She reached over and tugged on Donnie's arm. Startled out of his own frustrations, he looked down at his sister as if he were seeing her for the first time. Seeing her frown and the near hiss that was on her lips, he guessed that she was getting upset about something else.
"What now?" he said.
What IS the Junction? Maggie demanded again, letting go of his arm.
"Oh, well it's where all the drainage from the surface leaves the pipes and collects into a big pool before it goes into the river," Donnie explained," The only safe places that you can reach it is either by climbing from the lower conduits and onto a big pipe that's high over the pool or taking a lower passage that runs near the pool."
How high the big pipe? Maggie asked uncertainly.
"I'm not really sure. I think that Master Splinter said that it was about 15 feet or so," Donatello shrugged.
"But it's still a long way down," Mikey interjected.
"Yeah, it is," Don nodded.
What else did Sensei say about this Junction place? How do Leo and Raph even know how to get to a bad place like that? their sister asked frantically.
"We went there once a long time ago with Master Splinter when he was looking for supplies. The passage we took went near there and that's when Sensei showed us that it was dangerous. He said that we weren't supposed to go there, no matter what," Donatello replied.
I don't remember going to a place like that, Maggie protested.
"That's 'cause you were just three years old when Master Splinter took us there, Maggie," Mikey explained," You were too little to remember anything about it."
Oh, his sister said.
"But we remember enough that Master Splinter told us never to go there again," Donnie said," He said that if you fall off that pipe, the only place that you'll end up in is the pool. From there, the current will sweep you away underground until it pulls you under and you go with everything else out into the river."
How far is the river from the Junction? Maggie asked uncertainly.
"Too far, Maggie. By the time you reached it, you would have drowned. That's what makes that place so dangerous," Donatello replied solemnly.
Maggie's eyes lit up with fear at this information. It brought an instant realization to her mind that made her stomach turn in knots. If what Donnie was saying was true and the Junction really was dangerous, that could only mean one thing and she didn't like the thought of it at all.
Wait. You mean that if Leo or Raph falls off that pipe, then., Maggie began.
"Exactly. If one of them falls off at the Junction, they're in major trouble," Donatello nodded.
We gotta do something to stop them! Magnolia said quickly.
"Ya got that right," Mikey agreed," Let's go!"
He turned and started to make a break for the door. Before he had taken no more than a few steps though, Mikey felt a short pain spreading through his arm. He involuntarily yelped once and then stopped and turned to see what the cause had been. His eyes immediately met the gaze of Donatello, who had one hand positioned to strike again and looking like he was more than willing.
"What'd ya do that for, Donnie?" Mikey demanded, rubbing the sore spot on his arm for the second time in as many days.
"Use your head, Mikey. Someone has to stay here and watch Maggie," Donatello hissed," You know that Master Splinter would blow a fuse if we just left her alone."
"Then we take her with us," Mikey said," We can't just sit around here talking. We gotta find Raph and Leo."
Yeah, Maggie agreed instantly, I can keep up with you guys. I'm not a baby.
"No way. That's even worse and you both know it," Donnie said," If we're all gone, then Splinter will go ballistic when he finds out and you know that he'll never let us hear the end of it when he finds us."
"We.we could just go and be back before he gets here. He'll never know," Mikey stammered.
"Get real. You can't hide something like that from Sensei and you know it, Mikey," Don snorted.
"But.," Mikey stated.
Shaking his head, Don replied," First, if we make it there in time, we still have to convince Leo and Raph to come back and you know that won't happen without starting another fight. No, someone has to stay here with Maggie until Splinter gets back while someone else goes after them. Then they can tell him what happened and he can help too."
But I want to help too, Maggie protested.
The words had barely left her when Donnie's face took on a severe tone. It was a far cry from the sharpness that Splinter held in his expressions when he was about to go into a lecture. But it was still enough that the boy was able to get his own point across to a pair of younger siblings.
"Look we don't have time to argue about this, Maggie. You and Mike are staying here to wait for Splinter and that's final," Donatello ordered.
It was strange to see him take command as he had been doing today. That role usually fell to Leonardo, who had the natural tendencies of a leader. If he had been present and acting sane by his brother's standards, Donnie would have happily let Leo stay in command. But he wasn't in either case, so that meant that someone else had to be forced to take the reins of leadership for the time being.
Being the oldest present, Donnie knew instinctively that whether he liked it or not, he was that person. In reaction to this, he had adjusted at least part of his attitude accordingly. Which meant that he would have to keep his mind focused and on the serious side instead of just the rational he was used to. So when he spoke in that tone and action, his siblings, so unused to Donnie being such a person, had reacted to his orders almost without question.
There was still a small spark of rebellion planted in Mikey's heart however and it refused to die down. He knew that Donatello was right in that someone had to stay behind with their sister until Splinter returned. Being younger than her brothers, she was the boys' responsibility whenever their father was gone. Which meant that they had to keep her safe and out of trouble. That much Mikey was willing to do, even though he didn't understand the reason why it had to be him.
Donnie was just as capable of watching Maggie as he was and they both knew it. So why didn't Don stay behind while Mikey went out to find their missing brothers? It was a question that was burning in him and one that he wanted answered then and there, despite the urgency of their situation.
"Why don't you stay with Maggie?" Mikey demanded," I know the sewers as well as you do. I can find Leo and Raph before they get to the Junction."
Staring hard at his younger brother, Donnie answered," You're staying here with Maggie because I said so, Michaelangelo. I'm older than you both, so I'm just as responsible for keeping you out of trouble as Leo would if he was here. So just stop arguing about it and both of you stay here until I get back with Leo and Raph."
For a few seconds, it looked as if Mikey might try to argue his point further. But after another look at Don's hardening expression, he decided against it. Donatello was serious this time and he meant every word.
Conceding defeat, Mikey nodded and moved out of his brother's way. Beside him, Maggie did the same thing. Like Mikey, she wanted to do more to help than just stay here. But she also saw the reasoning behind Don's logic and she could only pray that it was enough to help him reach the others in time. So she moved out of the way and gave Don the room he needed to leave.
Satisfied that his brother and sister would be safe, Donatello made a dash for the door. Since his brothers had a head start on him, Don didn't even bother to get his bo and the rest of his gear. He just ran as fast as he could for the front entrance and out into the sewers. Taking a moment to get his bearings, he picked the best direction that he remembered for the Junction and took off into the sewers.
A/N: Okay, the end of the shortest chapter that I've written for this story and the opening for the next to begin. I'm sorry to say that the next part won't be out for sometime. I've got a lot going on right now and I can't get to my fanfics as much as I would like. But I'll get it out as soon as I can, that I can promise.
