"It wasn't my intention to mislead
It never should have been this way.
It's true I did extend the invitation
I never knew how long you'd stay
When you hear temptation call,
It's your heart that takes,
Takes the fall."
(Martika "Toy Soldier")
I turned off the water to keep the bathtub from overflowing and then stepped back to watch Donatello.
Splinter put his hand on Donny's forehead. "He is still too cold. I believe he has gone into hibernation." His hand moved from Don's head to the front of his plastron and across his arms, tracing the cuts and bruises.
"Someone beat him up pretty good," I said. Nobody brought up Don's last word. We didn't want to think about Oroku Saki—the Shredder. He was dead. Again. There was no way he could still be alive.
"But they didn't kill him," Leo pointed out.
"Donny probably kicked their butts," I replied with a smirk, even though I knew that probably wasn't the case.
Splinter spoke up softly. "Donatello was spared so that he could deliver us a message."
We all stared at my brother hoping that the message he was meant to deliver had nothing to do with Shredder.
An hour later, we moved Donatello from the bathroom to his bedroom. He was still cool, but was beginning to regain some normal color. Splinter and I worked in silence dressing his wounds, while Leo went to make sure Donny wasn't followed.
"You think Shredder has Raph, Master?" I asked breaking the silence. Donatello moaned in his sleep.
"I am not sure, Michaelangelo. I have not sensed Saki's return, but that does not mean it hasn't occurred." He finished taping a bandage to Donny's leg and sat back. "He will be waking up soon. Stay here with him while I prepare some tea."
I pulled the blankets up to Donny's chin and tucked in several hot water bottles around him. "We really need to go buy an electric blanket," I told him with a smile. "One for each of us."
Don's eyes fluttered and his moaning increased. "Mikey?" he said softly.
"Yeah I'm here Donny," I said. "You had us worried there for awhile."
Don opened his eyes and squinted. "Had me worried too." He grimaced and shifted his body trying to get comfortable. "I'm cold."
"You'll be ok in a little while," I told him. "You're temperature got way too low." I grinned remembering what he said to Leo earlier. "It was really hard taking your temp while you were unconscious too."
1.1 Don looked up at me in horror. "You didn't…"
'Nah," I laughed. "Had you going there for a second didn't I?"
He chuckled. "Hurts to laugh...What happened? Can't remember…"
Before I could answer, Splinter came into the room carrying a steaming cup, followed by Leonardo.
"How do you feel, My Son?" Splinter asked setting the cup down.
Donatello coughed. "Like I was just jumped and…left for dead." His eyes slowly closed and he fell unconscious again.
"I couldn't find anyone sneaking around out there," Leonardo said breaking the silence. "I couldn't tell whether Donny's proximity alarm is working either." He sighed and stared down at Donatello. "Only he knows how that stupid thing works."
Splinter took a deep breath. "Then we must rely on a more traditional method."
"I'll take first watch," Leonardo said with a nod of understanding.
"I'll stay with Donatello," I volunteered. But Master Splinter shook his head.
"No, Michaelangelo. I will stay with your brother. You will get some rest so that you can relieve Leonardo."
"It's two o'clock now, Mike," Leonardo said with a glance at Donatello's alarm clock. "I'll wake you at five." We both bowed to our sensei and left the room.
Leonardo settled in a chair with a book and I sat across from him. "What do you think happened to him out there, Leo?"
Leo looked up. "I don't know, Mike. I'm just glad he's going to alright."
I sighed. "Me too, but…do you think Raphael is? Alright? I mean, they beat up Donny pretty good. What have they done to Raph?"
"We don't even know if the same people are responsible, Mike. Look, we'll find out when Donny wakes up. Right now, all this speculation is doing is wasting energy."
"Yeah, but…"
"Michaelangelo!"
We both turned at the sound of Splinter's voice and I could tell from the look on his face he wasn't too pleased with me.
Splinter frowned. "I told you to go to bed. Now, please do as I say."
I got up with a sheepish smile and bowed my head before hurrying to my room. I laid down with a frustrated sigh, knowing I wasn't going to be able to sleep. There were too many thoughts going through my head. Saki. Saki. That one name echoed over and over and carried me off to an uneasy sleep.
I woke up what seemed only minutes later to a scream. I jumped out of bed and followed the sound to Donatello's room. Splinter and Leo were already in there trying to calm Donny down who looked to be in the middle of a nightmare.
I had to put my hands over my ears because Don's never ending scream almost made me insane.
"Mike," Leo gasped trying to get a handle on one of Donny's arms. "Help us hold him down before he hurts himself."
I ran over to the bed and took ahold of Don's legs. He slipped out of my grasp and landed a solid kick to my jaw. I spun and hit the floor. "Oh yeah, that's gonna bruise," I said out loud shaking my head.
"Donatello," I heard Splinter say calmly. "My Son, you are safe."
I climbed to my feet, just as Donny opened his eyes and stopped thrashing around. He sat up with a terrified look. "Master! They're going to kill Raphael!"
Splinter remained calm and forced Donatello to lie back down.
"Master," Donatello pleaded, struggling to sit up. "You must listen to me."
"I am listening, Donatello," Splinter said with a touch of reproach. "But you must relax. Another shock to your system could seriously harm you. Now, slowly, who is going to kill Raphael?"
As calm as Splinter was being you would have thought we were discussing the weather. I felt a lot like Donatello. Ready to jump out of my skin. I looked over a Leo who was trying to imitate Splinter but in actuality was shifting from one foot to the other ready to bolt for the door.
Donatello closed his eyes and put a hand to his head. "I…I don't know. It wasn't The Foot." He opened his eyes and the glittered angrily. "They weren't all that good, but the damn cold…" He broke off and I could tell he was ticked off at himself.
"They told me that we have to meet with their boss or they will kill Raphael. I thought they were going to kill me on the spot, but they just beat me to a pulp and let me go."
"Where are we to meet them?" Leonardo asked.
Don gritted his teeth in pain as he shifted positions on the bed. "Central Park. Tonight. Midnight. From there, someone will take us where we need to go."
There was silence in the room for a moment. Finally Splinter sighed and said. "Donatello must rest if he is to go with you tonight. Michaelangelo, I believe it is your watch. Leonardo, to bed."
We all turned to go, but Don's voice called us back. "Wait, there's something else."
Everyone looked at Donny who took a deep breath before continuing. "They said 'make sure the rat comes too and make sure you tell him Saki will be avenged.'"
It never should have been this way.
It's true I did extend the invitation
I never knew how long you'd stay
When you hear temptation call,
It's your heart that takes,
Takes the fall."
(Martika "Toy Soldier")
I turned off the water to keep the bathtub from overflowing and then stepped back to watch Donatello.
Splinter put his hand on Donny's forehead. "He is still too cold. I believe he has gone into hibernation." His hand moved from Don's head to the front of his plastron and across his arms, tracing the cuts and bruises.
"Someone beat him up pretty good," I said. Nobody brought up Don's last word. We didn't want to think about Oroku Saki—the Shredder. He was dead. Again. There was no way he could still be alive.
"But they didn't kill him," Leo pointed out.
"Donny probably kicked their butts," I replied with a smirk, even though I knew that probably wasn't the case.
Splinter spoke up softly. "Donatello was spared so that he could deliver us a message."
We all stared at my brother hoping that the message he was meant to deliver had nothing to do with Shredder.
An hour later, we moved Donatello from the bathroom to his bedroom. He was still cool, but was beginning to regain some normal color. Splinter and I worked in silence dressing his wounds, while Leo went to make sure Donny wasn't followed.
"You think Shredder has Raph, Master?" I asked breaking the silence. Donatello moaned in his sleep.
"I am not sure, Michaelangelo. I have not sensed Saki's return, but that does not mean it hasn't occurred." He finished taping a bandage to Donny's leg and sat back. "He will be waking up soon. Stay here with him while I prepare some tea."
I pulled the blankets up to Donny's chin and tucked in several hot water bottles around him. "We really need to go buy an electric blanket," I told him with a smile. "One for each of us."
Don's eyes fluttered and his moaning increased. "Mikey?" he said softly.
"Yeah I'm here Donny," I said. "You had us worried there for awhile."
Don opened his eyes and squinted. "Had me worried too." He grimaced and shifted his body trying to get comfortable. "I'm cold."
"You'll be ok in a little while," I told him. "You're temperature got way too low." I grinned remembering what he said to Leo earlier. "It was really hard taking your temp while you were unconscious too."
1.1 Don looked up at me in horror. "You didn't…"
'Nah," I laughed. "Had you going there for a second didn't I?"
He chuckled. "Hurts to laugh...What happened? Can't remember…"
Before I could answer, Splinter came into the room carrying a steaming cup, followed by Leonardo.
"How do you feel, My Son?" Splinter asked setting the cup down.
Donatello coughed. "Like I was just jumped and…left for dead." His eyes slowly closed and he fell unconscious again.
"I couldn't find anyone sneaking around out there," Leonardo said breaking the silence. "I couldn't tell whether Donny's proximity alarm is working either." He sighed and stared down at Donatello. "Only he knows how that stupid thing works."
Splinter took a deep breath. "Then we must rely on a more traditional method."
"I'll take first watch," Leonardo said with a nod of understanding.
"I'll stay with Donatello," I volunteered. But Master Splinter shook his head.
"No, Michaelangelo. I will stay with your brother. You will get some rest so that you can relieve Leonardo."
"It's two o'clock now, Mike," Leonardo said with a glance at Donatello's alarm clock. "I'll wake you at five." We both bowed to our sensei and left the room.
Leonardo settled in a chair with a book and I sat across from him. "What do you think happened to him out there, Leo?"
Leo looked up. "I don't know, Mike. I'm just glad he's going to alright."
I sighed. "Me too, but…do you think Raphael is? Alright? I mean, they beat up Donny pretty good. What have they done to Raph?"
"We don't even know if the same people are responsible, Mike. Look, we'll find out when Donny wakes up. Right now, all this speculation is doing is wasting energy."
"Yeah, but…"
"Michaelangelo!"
We both turned at the sound of Splinter's voice and I could tell from the look on his face he wasn't too pleased with me.
Splinter frowned. "I told you to go to bed. Now, please do as I say."
I got up with a sheepish smile and bowed my head before hurrying to my room. I laid down with a frustrated sigh, knowing I wasn't going to be able to sleep. There were too many thoughts going through my head. Saki. Saki. That one name echoed over and over and carried me off to an uneasy sleep.
I woke up what seemed only minutes later to a scream. I jumped out of bed and followed the sound to Donatello's room. Splinter and Leo were already in there trying to calm Donny down who looked to be in the middle of a nightmare.
I had to put my hands over my ears because Don's never ending scream almost made me insane.
"Mike," Leo gasped trying to get a handle on one of Donny's arms. "Help us hold him down before he hurts himself."
I ran over to the bed and took ahold of Don's legs. He slipped out of my grasp and landed a solid kick to my jaw. I spun and hit the floor. "Oh yeah, that's gonna bruise," I said out loud shaking my head.
"Donatello," I heard Splinter say calmly. "My Son, you are safe."
I climbed to my feet, just as Donny opened his eyes and stopped thrashing around. He sat up with a terrified look. "Master! They're going to kill Raphael!"
Splinter remained calm and forced Donatello to lie back down.
"Master," Donatello pleaded, struggling to sit up. "You must listen to me."
"I am listening, Donatello," Splinter said with a touch of reproach. "But you must relax. Another shock to your system could seriously harm you. Now, slowly, who is going to kill Raphael?"
As calm as Splinter was being you would have thought we were discussing the weather. I felt a lot like Donatello. Ready to jump out of my skin. I looked over a Leo who was trying to imitate Splinter but in actuality was shifting from one foot to the other ready to bolt for the door.
Donatello closed his eyes and put a hand to his head. "I…I don't know. It wasn't The Foot." He opened his eyes and the glittered angrily. "They weren't all that good, but the damn cold…" He broke off and I could tell he was ticked off at himself.
"They told me that we have to meet with their boss or they will kill Raphael. I thought they were going to kill me on the spot, but they just beat me to a pulp and let me go."
"Where are we to meet them?" Leonardo asked.
Don gritted his teeth in pain as he shifted positions on the bed. "Central Park. Tonight. Midnight. From there, someone will take us where we need to go."
There was silence in the room for a moment. Finally Splinter sighed and said. "Donatello must rest if he is to go with you tonight. Michaelangelo, I believe it is your watch. Leonardo, to bed."
We all turned to go, but Don's voice called us back. "Wait, there's something else."
Everyone looked at Donny who took a deep breath before continuing. "They said 'make sure the rat comes too and make sure you tell him Saki will be avenged.'"