Nalong - Chapter 13

Disclaimer: The TMNT and associated characters are owned by people who are not me. I see no forthcoming change in that department. I don't get paid for this and I don't see that changing either. Only the OCs and the plot itself are mine.

A/N: Ok, I was working late on final editing of this chapter after not having eaten since breakfast because I got on a plane and when I got home, found that my car had come unplugged in the -35 F freezing cold and therefore wouldn't start. That didn't stop me from clearing the foot of snow and ice off of it though. I still haven't thawed out completely, and furthermore, there's no real food in my house! So any errors I choose to blame on that. Anyway I was working on this and got distracted by the Aurora dancing outside my window, but here it is. Thank you all for your incredible patience with me.

AND a huge Thank You to everyone who voted in the 2004 TMNT Fanfiction Competition. Especially to those of you out there who voted this story as Best Action/Adventure! It won! Wow. I'm still excited about that, although I only found out a couple of days ago. (grins sheepishly) You are all Awesome! And a great big congrats to all the other winners and nominees out there! And Thanks to Ziptango for setting that up. And especially, Thank you to all who reviewed

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Donatello and Annie were the first to return that evening. Donnie had been hauling all day while Annie had been harvesting. She knew that the job he had been given was tough, she couldn't even lift one of those baskets without a little 'help', and few in her usual work group could. She had been worried for a while this morning, but later in the day Don had seemed to get a second wind and looked ok, but he had been silent for most of the day. She didn't know him very well, but even she could recognize that something was wrong. When he came in the door the first thing he had done was go to his bed and curl up with his shell to the room. Hearing him sigh yet again Annie looked over her book.

"Don? What's wrong?" She asked gently.

The turtle sighed in response but did not answer right away. He rolled over carefully and looked at Annie. She was a little surprised by the intensity of his gaze. It was as though he was looking for something, evidently he found it because he continued.

"Annie, I heard something disturbing about Steve today." Donnie was speaking very carefully as though he was afraid that his words would cause her to break. The reaction he got was not one he had been expecting. Annie nodded; she seemed to know exactly what Don was talking about.

"You heard that he used to be a guard." It wasn't a question. Don's jaw nearly dropped through the floor. He finally regained control of his shock and spoke again.

"I heard that he was still a guard." He wondered how Annie could be so sure of the 'used to be'. All the same Don had felt his trust for the man evaporate like liquid nitrogen released from its container, and it left him just as cold. That had been this afternoon, but he still hadn't thawed out completely.

"There's no way." Annie insisted. "He's not a member of the cult anymore. I know he's not."

Don sighed and nodded. He really wanted to believe Annie, she was probably right, but he still wanted the story.

"You don't believe me do you?" Annie was a little shocked at Don's attitude. "You just want to think the worst of him. He's changed! He's not like that anymore!"

"No Annie, that's not it. I'm new here, remember? I want to believe you, really I do! I-- I… I don't know, I guess I'm just confused. It came as a bit of a shock today when I heard that."

"Don't you believe that people can change?" Annie asked.

"Of course people can change!" Don insisted hurriedly. Though he had yet to meet a foot soldier who had turned on the Shredder and decided that he would really rather help the turtles. Evidently he had 'but' face because Annie called him on it.

"You just don't think that something as evil as one of these cult members can."

Don realized that he was caught. He really wanted to believe her, he did, but it was a lot to swallow.

"Annie, I'll promise this. I will give him the benefit of the doubt for now. I will listen to his story, but I want to hear it from him, and I want my brothers to hear it too. For now I will believe you, but I reserve the right to change my mind."

It was Annie's turn to intensely study Don's features. He didn't pass the inspection with flying colors, but she did eventually nod and accept his terms. The silence was just getting awkward when Raph and Leo walked in.

Raph and Leo knew that they had just walked in on something and Don flinched at the looks on their faces. The renewed silence was even more awkward and it stretched for what seemed like miles before Raph broke it.

"Uh, Leo do you get the feeling that we stepped in something weird?"

Leo nodded as he glanced between Don and Annie who were still sitting opposite each other.

"So, uh, what's going on?" Leo asked, he wasn't sure if he expected an answer or not.

Annie sighed in exasperation and looked pointedly at Donatello. In that look Don could knew exactly what she was saying. It's your suspicion, and besides they're your brothers. It was Don's turn to sigh now, though his was more one of resignation. As he turned toward Raphael and Leonardo, Annie lay down on her bed with her back to the room and started reading again. At least that is what she wanted them to think. Donnie was just about to tell them what he had heard when Mikey, Eric, and Steve walked in. He couldn't help the accusing look he fired at Steve when the man entered, but he quickly remembered his promise and softened his expression. Steve's flinch told him that he had been too slow, and Don Immediately felt sorry for his actions. The book that hurtled across the room to collide with his plastron and the glare he received from Annie told him that he had already gone too far, and he hadn't even said anything!

Between Annie's glare and the confused looks he was receiving from everyone else Donatello could feel all eyes in the room boring into him like drills after oil. He sighed, it was now or never. Everyone was together now and he had to explain what he had heard. He started his tale. Uncomfortable under the gaze of all these people some of the story was a little tough to get through. At one point he noticed Raph's fists clenching and was afraid that he would go after Steve but Leo, who also noticed, gave the hotheaded turtle a warning glance that strongly suggested that Raph at least wait until Don finished. No one interrupted until he finished explaining the day's events right up to the verbal confrontation with Annie and subsequent arrival of everyone else.

Steve hung his head through most of Donatello's explanation and Eric was looking uncomfortable. Annie was glaring at Don throughout and the looks from his brothers ranged from shocked to angry to confused at given parts of the tale. By the time he was done Annie looked like she was incensed and about to pull a Raph on Donnie.

"Annie, no. It's ok." Steve said quietly, diffusing the situation. Annie visibly deflated.

"But…"

"Annie, he wasn't here. He was not witness to the events that led me to this point in my life like you were. He is right to have some suspicions."

"Huh?" Mikey was so thoroughly confused by the whole thing that the one word question was all he could come up with at the moment. He's not a cult member. There's no way! What events?

Mikey's question pretty much summed everything up, and his brothers were relieved that he had put out the question that was plaguing them as well. No one really knew what to ask. Lucky for them, Steve knew what to say. He started from the beginning.

"About 10 years ago I became involved with this cult. I started as a guard when they were first constructing this camp and bringing in prisoners, and I quickly rose through the ranks. Along the way I was one of the people who came up with and designed the Course." Steve looked absolutely ashamed, and Don was beginning to believe, without doubt, that Annie was right. After a pause Steve continued.

"Eventually, I became a Protector. They are the ones who bring in mutants. Well trained in the use of those dart guns and several fighting techniques, the Protectors are a zealous lot and are very committed to their cause. A cause that I admit I once believed whole-heartedly."

Leo's restraint of Raphael was now getting a little more physical. He had a hand on his brother's arm and the looks telling Raph to chill were getting more insistent.

"I was put in charge of a group on a mission to bring in a family believed to be telekinetic. They had kids. Never once during the whole confrontation with this family did they use any sort of telekinesis, and it was at that point that I began to have doubts about what I was involved in. I requested a transfer back to Guard and it was granted as long as I continued to create additions to the Course. This was about 5 years ago now."

Raphael had calmed down considerably and Leo had released him. Mikey was still standing in shock at the whole development, and Don still sat on the bed listening carefully to the story. Annie's expression softened and Eric was still looking at the floor.

"Two years later Annie and Eric showed up, and my belief in the values of this cult had continued to dwindle during that time. There is a lot of despair in this place and Eric is very sensitive to emotions that surround him. Annie has telekinetic potential and also some telepathic ability. She was able to keep Eric grounded on some of the worst days. One day I was on duty and he was having trouble keeping up. He should have been taken to the sick ward, but that was not what the head guard had in mind. He pulled out his shock stick and went after Eric with it. I snapped and pulled my own on my superior."

Now, all four turtles gazed slack jawed at the man before them and began to truly understand the pain that was always present in his eyes, even when he laughed it was always there, and it would probably always be there.

"Shortly, I was thrown into a barracks with these two. I remember the exact words of the former friend who slammed the door. 'If you love them so much then you belong with them. You are filth, just like them. I cannot stand the sight of you, traitor!' He spat on the floor in front of me and left." Concluding his story Steve hung his head and looked to the floor as he waited for the jury's decision.

"This may actually be to our advantage." Leo said quietly. Every pair of eyes in the room snapped to him.

"How so Leo?" Donatello asked absently.

Leo eyed his brother suspiciously. Don was usually a pretty quick on the uptake, taking a closer look he realized that Donnie was physically present, but his mind was elsewhere. He answered anyway.

"If Steve was once one of the guards, then he knows the layout of the camp. He knows how the system operates, probably as well as most of the current guards, and may even be aware of some weaknesses that we could exploit."

Raph had figured out where Leo was going and had been nodding in agreement through the explanation. Mikey had taken a little longer, but now also agreed that the idea was sound. Don was nodding absently, he was still elsewhere.

"What are you talking about?" Eric asked. Hope was surging from three of the turtles, but the fourth felt lost somehow. He would have to mention that to someone, probably Leo, later.

"Steve's knowledge of the camp might just be the very thing that tips the scales in our favor," Raphael informed.

"Our chances of getting everyone out of here just got a whole lot better," added Leo. He couldn't help but notice Don's flinch at the statement, and had to wonder why his brother was behaving so oddly.

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They were not making good time. Casey desperately wanted to kick the speed up a few miles per hour, but every time he tried he wound up getting in trouble. He hadn't forgotten Splinter's words from earlier in the trip, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were going to be too late.

Splinter didn't seem overly concerned and Casey felt anger at that too. He was their father for crying out loud. You'd think the guy would at least care a little about what happened to them. Maybe that wasn't fair, but Casey couldn't help it. April was getting to be the same way and he was getting mad at her too. She kept insisting that Splinter knew what he was doing, and she also insisted that Casey slow down. All the loyalty the guys showed these two people and this was the thanks they get? When the turtles needed them the most April and Splinter were leaving them helpless! Splinter was asleep in the back and April was almost there too so Casey pressed a little harder on the accelerator.

"Mr. Jones, you are going too fast."

Casey almost audibly growled at the rat. There was no way he could have noticed. He was supposed to be asleep! How had he known that Casey had sped up?

"Mr. Jones?"

Casey sighed and let off the gas a little allowing the Battle Shell to reduce to a more 'appropriate' cruising speed.

"If we get stopped, we'll be no good to them." April added, having woken up at Splinter's admonishment of Casey's driving. "Seriously, we can't risk getting pulled over."

"I know, I know. I've heard it before, but I don't have to like it."

"But you do have to drive slower." April finished.

An irritated sigh escaped Casey as the Battle Shell pierced the nighttime air, cruising precisely at the 55 mph speed limit.