The Mutant Ninja Turtles

Donatello's Biography: Part 5

By B.C.

The Window of Hell

            We move quickly at night. We don't have to look for shadows. They are everywhere. Lights that are supposed to expose those who would hide provide us with the shadows that we need to hide. I could hear all our hearts. They were beating like giant drums playing a march for our arrival. We didn't know what to expect. Ever since Shredder acquired that canister of ooze, we've fought mutants of every shape and size, and yet none we ever really like us.

            They were always simple. Either they were strong and stupid, or smart and weak. When we broke into shredders main lab, six months ago, we were stunned to find out that it took two hundred embryos to create one successful mutant. Two hundred! The odds of four turtles becoming "successful" mutants are one in a billion, especially since that one in two hundred embryos may not live past a year. Mutation is a roll of the dice. I suppose we had a lucky hand.

            The most difficult mutant we ever fought was a gorilla. The power that creature had was unbelievable. He was intelligent and brave. If it wasn't for the fact that Shredder raised him, he may not have had to die. Michelangelo cried when he killed him, which earned him his scar on his shell. He was shot by a guard. Nearly died too. When a shell is cracked, it is very difficult to repair. Oh…what was his name? Oh, yeah, Malish. He was an honorable opponent. As I was saying though, Shredder never could produce difficult mutants. However, when we destroyed Shredder's lab, we discovered something else; the thing that makes me afraid that I am going to die tonight.

            Donatello lost his footing on the edge of the roof, and nearly fell. He quickly regained his balance and caught up.

            Oh boy. I need to concentrate. Here it is; the warehouse. Whenever we battle, we usually use a warehouse like these. Shredder knows we won't meet him on his turf and that goes both ways. So we pick a place at random. Heh, sounds civilized doesn't it? Well, it's not. He's tried setting up quick traps before. They never worked then, and they won't work now. He finally wised up and quit trying to do them.

            We sneak in through the front. Sneaking in through the back is redundant. But there they are out in the open. Shredder is standing in the center of the open floor. There appear to be twenty, maybe thirty or so footies. Nothing that would take more than five minutes. Leo gives the okay to move to the floor. He leads off. We land softly and begin putting on our "kick butt" faces. Raph's is the meanest.

            "Right on time" said the Shredd in his "I have a frog in my throat" voice.

            "Hai. Junbiga dekiteiruka? (Are you ready?)" Leo always spoke Japanese to Shredder. I think because splinter always did. We learned all the Japanese cuss words from listening to splinter talk about shredder.

            "Come now Leonardo. Don't you want to engage in dialogue before you die? If you have any questions you should ask them now. It would be a shame to die without answers. It may prevent you from reaching nirvana." I can see Leo's hands tensing. If Shredd doesn't make the first move soon, Leo will, in which case we could get hurt. We don't know what we will be fighting against, and until we do, it's better to let Shredder say what he wants.

            "So when we gunna see your new test-tube babies, huh?" blurted Michelangelo.

            "Ah, so you did find those reports. I though you might have. Heheh. They are here. They have been waiting a long time to meet you. They are much older then you think. The growth hormones were causing the flaws in the mutation process. It was a mistake that I knew from the start. These I have been raising for ten years."

            Ten years! That's not possible! He's only had the canister for five years.

            "However, they do deserve a proper introduction. Jinketsu, Ramuda, Shokuma, Ryogatsu, come out here and show yourselves." Behind shredder I can see the wall splitting. It looks like three…no…four figure in the shadows. Oh no. They're big. Really big.

            "They're…they're tigers!" Donatello whispered to himself.

            "Yes" replied Shredder "Siberian Tigers to be exact. They are well trained, and vicious. I believe they will be more than a match for you."

            They look fierce. On is holding a spade (a staff with a crescent shaped blade at one end and a bell shaped blade at the other). The one to his right is holding a three piece metal staff. Oh he's mine. I'll show him how to work a staff. The one to his right is holding two Broad Swords, and to that one's right is a guy (I use that loosely) holding two Kamas (sticks with hook-like blades at the ends). They look fierce, but we've beaten meaner and bigger. They are wearing some funky clothes too. Almost samurai-ish. They each have black metal chest pates, but no shirts. They have red bandanas on their foreheads, and they have something black on their forearms. They are wearing yellow puffy pants, and have shinny metal shin gaurds and shoes. Pretty much like a samurai without the shirt, but add a huge tiger head with orange and black stripped fur, and about a hundred pounds of muscle. They each have to be six and a half feet tall, but that might just be intimidation talking. No more gawking. It's time to fight.

            There was a pause. Shredder stands in the center of the floor; his four minions behind him. The four turtles are standing together, waiting for the right moment to come. The Tigers were growling with every breath. The fierceness that lies in the eyes of a tiger is something that has struck fear into every creature that has ever crossed paths with one. The Turtles would be no exception, for all of Donatello's attempts at keeping in a positive state of mind, were fading away with every second. They look fierce. They are fierce. The Turtles were beginning to realize that these were not your usual mutants. They were perfect; strong, intelligent, and fearless. Donatello began to feel his fear death again. Shredder now raised his arm with a closed fist, extended it out and said "Let it begin!" He then opened his hand, and the slaughtering began.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes: Well, here we are, nearing the end. There are only a few chapters left, so I hope you enjoyed them. Once again, thank you for reading, and your criticism, whether positive or negative, is always welcome and appreciated. Thanks again.