Chapter 3: Choices.

London, England. A few weeks later…

Michelangelo and Leonardo silently sloshed through the dark sewer tunnels towards their makeshift lair. A loaf of commercial bread swung loosely in Mike's grip, while Leo firmly held on to a bottle of milk in one hand and a packet of plastic party cups in the other. Their food raid had been rather successful tonight; swiftly managing to swipe the objects without being detected by the petrol station shop assistant or the security cameras, due to the unusual lack of activity in the quiet streets of London.

Leonardo glanced at Mike's solemn expression, pondering on why the orange clad turtle was so withdrawn tonight, as he usually couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Penny for your thoughts?" Leonardo offered, wondering what he was thinking. The two turtles continued their journey through the sewer; Leo waiting patiently for an answer.

"I've been thinking… I want to go back to America," Mike said seriously. Leonardo stopped walking, and quickly after, Mike ceased traveling as well.

"Why do you say that?" Leo couldn't help but ask.

"It's just…" Mike tried to put together what he was going to say. "I know how you feel about Venus, and I can't help but think that I'm getting in the way. You know, two's a couple, three's a crowd… I really want Donny back…" Mike finished.

Leonardo sighed. He didn't expect Mike to say that. "I don't think it's a good idea, going by yourself. What about the baby?"

"Raphael's gonna be fine. He's got both you and Venus to look after him. But I'm really worried about Don. He's been in captive isolation for months now… I want to see him again," Mike pleaded his case.

"Mikey… We can't get ourselves separated. What if you get caught? It's dangerous to be in New York, Washington, or anywhere else in the United States," Leonardo argued. Mike stared at him sternly.

"I'm not a kid anymore Leo," Mike said softly but with intention. Leonardo sighed, knowing that his 'little' brother was right. Michelangelo had grown up considerably since the unforgettable events in the glass prison. Leonardo looked down the tunnel they were currently in.

"We're almost home," Leo stated simply before walking again. Mike continued to follow him, still in deep thought about his decision. Both turtles bent down low and slowly treaded through a rather small pipe. At the other end was their lair; a considerably large blank concrete area with only another rusty pipe for an emergency exit. Although it was incredibly smaller and less high-tech than their old subway home in New York, they managed to be contented and thankful for what they had. Inside the lair, Venus greeted them both with a large smile before diverting her attention back to the little turtle in her arms.

"How is he?" Leo asked out of curiosity. Venus gave him another wide grin.

"Raphy was crawling around earlier!" Venus informed him with delight. She watched as Mike and Leo's faces brightened.

"Really?" Mike asked, astonished at how fast Raphael was learning considering that human babies would take months to figure out how to crawl. Willing to prove what she claimed, Venus placed the fidgeting hatchling on the ground before giving him some space. All three adults looked on with pride as the little turtle balanced itself on his hands and knees. Leo gave an amused smirk while Mike and Venus giggled at Raph's confused newly brown eyes, when he realised that he was traveling in the wrong direction. Human babies learnt to crawl backwards first, and it looked like Raph was no exception.

Venus didn't let him crawl too far in case he became too bold with his new ability. Once again she cradled Raphael in her arms before deciding to place him in the run-down crib they had been fortunate to find in one of the deserted alleys a week ago. Satisfied that Raphael wasn't going anywhere, she turned her attention back on to the two males who were currently trying to find a suitable place to put the milk and bread.

Venus noticed the uneasy glances between Leo and Mike as they slowly completed their task. "What's wrong?" Venus asked, wondering why she was sensing this disturbance. Leo and Mike looked at each other in silence, as if not knowing what to say. It was Leonardo who decided to speak up.

"Mike wants to go back to America to rescue Donatello."

*****

The Pentagon, Virginia, USA. One day later…

Donatello looked on from his cage with glee as the mathematicians celebrated with a bottle of expensive champagne. They had recently received news that the terrorist group living within the United States were caught and disarmed, thanks to Don who cracked the final code detailing their exact whereabouts and prominent targets. Months of hard work and sleepless nights had paid off, and everyone was in the party mood.

Although he was proud of the fact that he had saved millions of lives, Donatello couldn't help but eventually look at the partying workers with disdain, feeling like an outsider. Loud music began to play after a quick check was conducted to see whether any more terrorists were detected. Ecstatic, the humans cheerfully gathered around and chatted with each other as they delicately held their wineglasses, every one of them ignoring the caged up mutant turtle who sat in the middle of his barred cell. Donatello tried his best to talk to some of the people, but to no avail.

Donatello gloomily waited until the humans could barely stand due to either their tired and sore feet, or because of their level of alcohol consumption. The turtle watched as they left the room one by one, obviously going home to their families to continue the celebration. Joseph Fiffer remained behind everyone else. Sober as anything, he slowly picked up the mulitcoloured streamers that were strewn across the floor.

"Don't you have a family to go to?" Donatello asked him with a slight bitter tone. The mathematician looked up from what he was doing and slowly shook his head.

"Never married and I don't have a girlfriend," Joseph informed him, trying his best to sound cheerful.

"Oh…" was all Don managed to utter in response. Both of them were silent for a moment. Joseph continued to clear up the mess left behind by the other partying workers. When he was finished, he scanned his eyes across the room only to notice that the red 'power' light on the video camera in the corner of the room was off. Joseph cunningly thought of a plan.

"Don, listen. I want to thank you for helping us. Without you, I don't know what we would have done. There's nothing really of concern to us right now, but there could very well be another terrorist threat from a new group in a couple of months or even next week. I would be honoured if you continued to work with us… but I want to give you a choice," Joseph said, causing Don's eyebrows to furrow with curiosity. The turtle was listening intently.

"The video camera in the corner of the room isn't working, so I'm going to have to see what's wrong with it. It'll take me three minutes to walk over to that department in the Pentagon, and three minutes to walk back. If they're having computer problems then at most it will take me around eight minutes to fix it. That gives you about six to fourteen minutes to escape, otherwise I won't have an alibi as to where I was. If I come back and find you missing, then I'm going to have to sound the alarm so I'm not suspected," Joseph explained.

Donatello was astonished at what the mathematician was offering. "Why are you doing this?" he questioned with disbelief.

"I once wished that I could help you. Now I am. You have a family to go to and you should be with them, not spending lonely nights talking to me," Joseph said softly. The mathematician sighed before continuing.

"It takes approximately five minutes to walk to the exit, but if you run it'll only take around two. The combination for the door down the hall is 5, 3, 6, 9, 1, 0, 3, 0. You will then reach another corridor. The door down the end of that one has a six-digit combination code. It's 8, 6, 1, 2, 8, 7. The next corridor over is the least guarded of the three and the door only has a three-digit combination: 5, 9, 3. After that you'll be in the visitor's centre, where you can easily break a glass window to get outside. Of course, by doing that the alarms are sounded… If you do choose to escape, then I wish you the best of luck Don. It's been a pleasure working with you," Joseph said.

Donatello watched as Joseph extended his right arm. The turtle smiled with gratitude as he shook the mathematician's hand. "Thanks," Don said softly. He observed Joseph Fiffer leave the room for the last time. Don wasn't about to waste this opportunity to escape. The turtle waited for a minute, giving Joseph enough time to leave the corridor outside the room, so he wouldn't be questioned later on as to why he on purposely let him go. He looked around his cage one last time and tucked the article featuring the escape of his family into the back of his bandanna for safekeeping, as he didn't have a belt.

Quick as a flash, Donatello smashed his computer and, like he did before, fished through the contents to find a decent piece of wiring. He rushed over to the cage's padlock and managed to pick it in no time. Once opened, he swiftly moved to the wooden door and twiddled the thin piece of wire around its keyhole. A click was heard soon after. Not wanting to waste any of his precious time, Donatello frantically bolted down the white corridor. '53691030. 53691030. 53691030. 53691030. 53691030', Don repeated the combination over and over again in his head as he quickly sped towards the looming thick metal door.

He skidded to a halt when he reached it. Donatello tried his best to remain focused even though his heart was beating a mile a minute. He entered the number that was resonating in his head. Relief swept through him when the control pad glowed green; symbolising that the combination was indeed correct. He noticed that the security cameras that lined the hall were all defective; obviously the electronic problem didn't solely reside in his room, and was probably why he managed to get as far as he had.

Not wasting any time, he began to run again; his feet pounding on the white, slick surface of the new corridor. The next combination was repeated over and over in his head. Thankfully, Don had had months of practice in remembering long digit codes. As he expected, the six-digit combination worked like a charm and in no time he was sprinting down the final white corridor.

'593. 593. 593. 593. 593,' the code spiraled around his brain. He reached the final metal door in what seemed like seconds. Hands shaking uncontrollably in adrenaline, he pressed in the numbers five, nine and… 'What was the last number again?' Don's mind went blank. 'Dammit think! What was it? …Good one Donny!! You forget the easiest code of all!!' Donatello's mind screamed with anger and sarcasm. His fingers tensed over the keypad as sweat dribbled down his panicked face. He scowled in frustration, knowing he was wasting precious time. Anxious, Don closed his eyes and pressed a number at random.

He leaped for joy when the control pad glowed green, allowing the metal door to open. Don ran into a large darkened area complete with an information desk and café. Heart pumping with adrenaline, he took Joseph's advice and smashed through a window, giving himself small little cuts as a result. A loud siren was heard, causing Donatello to sprint like a madman over the grassy lawn outside and to jump the barb wire fence like a pro. Not stopping for anything, Donatello ran through the darkness of the night, enjoying the freedom of feeling the cool wind whipping through his purple bandanna tails.

*****

Heathrow Airport, England. Two hours earlier…

Leonardo and Michelangelo calmly watched the large jet from the safety of the shadows. "I should be boarding it soon," Mike said anxiously. "It'll take me directly to Washington DC," Michelangelo added timidly. It would be his first time completely away from the rest of his family. Leonardo sighed, worried about whether or not he'll ever see Mike again, as there was a high risk of being captured.

"At least you don't have to stop in New York," Leo tried to think on the bright side. "Take care. Be careful, okay?" Leo advised him, bringing his brother into a hug.

"I'll be fine. Donny will join me halfway through my trip, remember?" Mike said, determined to rescue his intelligent brother from wherever he was being held captive. At first Leonardo disapproved of Mike going by himself, but soon he reassessed the situation and discovered that Michelangelo was in fact right; they all missed Donatello greatly. Leonardo gave him a supportive smile.

"I hope you find him," Leo said softly. The two remained silent for a few seconds, reflecting on everything that they had discussed about this mission. Mike looked over towards his plane and noticed that the baggage loaders had disappeared for the moment.

"C'ya later Leo. And don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Good luck with Venus," Mike said with a wide grin and a wink, causing his older brother to roll his eyes. All of a sudden, Mike became excited about his upcoming expedition. Leonardo waved him farewell and sighed with relief when his brother successfully sneaked aboard the cargo hold of the airplane.

*****

Venus huddled into the armrest of the single dilapidated couch, patiently waiting for Leonardo to return from Heathrow airport. She looked over to the baby crib only to observe that Raph was still sleeping. Venus shivered as she heard a single drop of water drip into a puddle. Although she was now twenty and had been living with the guys for the past three years, Venus still got the creeps from being confined all alone in the deep depths of the sewers.

She sighed in hopes of calming her nerves, and reached for a yellowing and tattered-paged novel. Venus only managed to read up to the third paragraph when she was interrupted by Raphael's sudden loud crying. The female calmly walked over and tried to soothe her small infant.

Up above, in the dark streets of London, a man smoked a cigarette in silence. All of a sudden a noise drifted through the air: the sound of a baby being distressed. He looked around curiously, expecting to find the source of the disturbance to be within a nearby apartment. The man listened to the faint cries a little longer, only to find they originated from below the storm water drain that was a metre away. He bent down lower to the ground to confirm what his ears were telling him. Not having any second thoughts, he reached into his pocket and used his cell phone to alert both the police and ambulance that there was a baby trapped and abandoned in the sewers.

A/N: I'm going on holidays very soon, so this story won't be updated until the 2nd of January. Sorry about that. But to make it up to you guys I've created another 'What Would You Do?' question on my website. So if you're game enough to answer it you can include it in the review or an email. It's just for fun. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.