Rating: T for occasional language. Also see other warnings.
Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.
Summary: Bradford has always blamed Michelangelo for his misfortunes and especially for his mutation so when he manages to capture the young ninja, he's going to make sure he knows exactly what it's like. 2k12 AU.
Warning: Warnings for physical and mental torture in this story abound, as well as for implied and highly disturbing situations. Trigger warnings may apply for some chapters. There will not however, be gruesome details. Some things are best left up to the imagination.
Concrit, thoughts and comments always welcomed.
A/N: Much needed talking is done and plans are made. Lot's of Mikey Morse Code in this chapter so... lots of bad spelling in his speech. Apologies in advance.
Minnie1015: Poor Mikey indeed XD He's definitely improving but he still has a long way to go.
ViolaHarmony: Yeah, I liked that meaning. I mean, I know I'm not showing his name in Kanji so in a way it doesn't really matter about the kanji meanings but still, it's nice to know and I do like when there is meaning in names :-) yep! Well, I hope you enjoy/ed the calm before the storm!
T420000: My, my how a week and a half flies when you're having fun (or recuperating and sleeping a lot of it away) That they have. Honestly, I tried to look up how long it takes by cargo ship from Japan to New York but... my net searches weren't exactly forthcoming so... I guessed... The power of fiction. Aquaman has nothing on Hamato Donatello XD
How Much is that Turtle in the Window
ch 32
Mikey sat quietly on the threshold of the shipping container next to Donnie as he stared out at the clear night sky. A week and a half had passed since he returned to the storage unit and his brothers had been extremely protective of him during that time. Almost a week passed before they allowed him to leave the bed for anything but the toilet and two of them helped him walk every time. The sandpit was toast after the storm, which only left the chemical toilet or a bedpan borrowed from the ship's infirmary and either method involved much embarrassment at needing the help but thankfully his brothers never said or did anything to make it worse.
It was only the last few nights that Donnie, after the clearance from Asahi-sensei who came to check on Mikey a couple of times, had allowed him to leave the mattress of his own volition, on the proviso that he took it easy of course and Mikey was all too happy to spend his time quietly looking out at the ocean and sky when they could have the door open.
He hadn't spoken much in that time but tonight, after Leo and Raph left, Mikey opened up to Donnie about Hakuba and his training regimen. Explaining the master's harsh methods and the things he'd forced Mikey to learn and do, including following a scent and retrieval like a real dog.
{Thing is,} he tapped hesitantly after a few minutes of quiet, {he made it clear I was useless from day one. Mast... Hakuba did...n't teach me that stuff to be useful to the Foot. He did it purely b'cuz it was...} Mikey paused mid-tap, struggling for the right word.
"Demeaning?" Donnie suggested softly.
{Hai,} Mikey tapped miserably. {Between that and other typical dog stuff... begging, sh...aking, rolling o...ver and playing ded... giving me puzzle balls with food inside...} Mikey closed his eyes in pain at the memories. {There were s...um days he even made me fight the other dogs for food and if I couldn't get anything then I starved til the next day. Or... to te...st my obedience, they wouldn't let me eat for a day or more, then put food in front of me but I still culdn't eat until told...}
"And if you failed that test?" Donnie asked quietly, his eyes on Mikey as Mikey continued staring ahead into the dark ocean waters.
{Food taken away and punished...}
"Just the food being taken away wasn't punishment enough?"
Mikey shuddered as the memory of the beatings and shocks filled his mind again. He could almost feel it now so he worked to push it out of his mind and pull himself back into the moment where he was free and safe and with Donnie within touching reach. {No.}
Donnie clenched his fists in anger.
"What kind of punishments did they give you? Just the shock collar or..."
{Com...benation,} Mikey cut in. {Shock to stop me. Sumtimes whipped.} His eyes flickered hesitantly over to Donnie. {Sent to Mai to...} He trailed off, unable to bring himself to continue. Mai was a particularly sore point with him. Not as bad as Three though but still really, really bad.
"To what, Mikey? What did Mai do to you?" Donnie asked firmly when Mikey didn't continue.
{Lot's of things, D. She hurt me,} Mikey admitted. Then reluctantly went on to explain a few of the tests she performed to learn about him and how she often tried to work out how it was he healed faster than humans. {The wrst ws when she tested new drugs on me tho.}
Donnie stiffened. That much he'd already worked out based on what Mikey had said before but Mikey had never gone into any depth or explained any of it.
{Mind altaring drugs mostly,} he tapped, looking down at his paws in disgust and almost overwhelming hatred. {She... wanted me to think mor like a dog, make...} he struggled to find the word again, {adjusting to my new life easier. Alp... Dogpound didn't want that tho, wanted to break me the hard way, so insted...} Mikey turned and looked up at Donnie plaintively as he fought back the tears that suddenly threatened, {she made me forget you, D.}
Donnie stared at him in horror. He'd known Mikey didn't recognise them at first but didn't know why and now it seemed like he was finally getting some answers.
{I still knew I had a family, brothers, father, at first enyway but... she wiped your faces and names from my mind. All my memories of you other than you existing. That was Dogpound's idea, not hers. Did it to hurt me. They worked out the effects only lasted a few days so whenever I disobeyed or didn't obey fast enuff, and if enough time had passed since the last treatment, they made me forget again. Over and over,}he tapped tiredly, withdrawing onto himself. {I culdn't take it, D. It got so hard that... after a few months, I just tried to stop thinking about u b'cuz I thought u weren't coming... and then, I forgot u for real...}
Donnie was speechless for several seconds but he reached out and pulled Mikey closer to comfort him. "That may have been just as well, Mikey. That kind of stress could make someone crazy."
{Hai... Felt like I was going crazy,} he admitted miserably. {That wasn't the only thing either.} He then went on to explain the other things she'd made him do or forget, the way the thinking of Dogpound as his Alpha and Hakuba as his Master was firmly embedded in his mind among them and how he'd lost his words in more ways than one.
"So the more you were exposed to what you were made to forget the faster it came back to you?" Donnie asked curiously at the end of it.
{Hai.}
"That explains why you didn't understand English at first," he mused thoughtfully. "Okay, so what about your voice? Was it also something to do with that drug that makes you unable to speak?"
{No,} Mikey answered, actually shaking his head ever so slightly, {It was taken from me wen...}
Just at that moment, Mikey heard someone coming and looked up in alarm. He pushed himself back to all fours, preparing to quickly back up inside. A moment later he relaxed as Leo and Raph's scents hit his nostrils and sat back down. When they finally came into sight, Leo held a small container of food in his hands courtesy of Asahi-sensei who continually insisted on making sure that Mikey at least had enough to eat to help him heal. At first, Mikey had tried to insist on his brothers sharing, until Donnie pointed out his medication was already mixed into it.
Mikey looked curiously up at his brothers who seemed to be brimming with excitement.
"What's up?" Donnie asked flatly, annoyed by the interruption.
"Asahi-sensei told us the Umi Ryuu is coming into port tomorrow. Estimated time of arrival is in seven hours."
"That's great!" Donnie exclaimed quietly as Mikey straightened eagerly.
{We get to go home?} Mikey tapped rapidly, looking up at Donnie in hope.
"Yes, we finally get to go home," Donnie beamed, jumping to his feet and whirling to go back inside. Mikey gingerly pushed himself to all fours again and followed Donnie inside more sedately, Leo and Raph on his heels.
{U'll finally get these paws off me? And the collar?} he asked once far enough away from the door for his brothers to enter.
"Of course," Donnie promised as he pulled the door closed. "The paws will be the first to go and then I'll get that collar off."
{Can hardly wait to breath proply again!} Mikey smiled broadly, excited at the thought of finally being really free again.
Donnie shot him a sharp look. "Wait, you can't breathe properly with it on?"
{Not always,} Mikey admitted, shooting a wary look his way.
"Why on earth didn't you say something, Mikey?" Donnie exploded in disbelief, making him cringe in fright.
{B'cuz...} Mikey swallowed, flicking his gaze to Leo and Raph who similarly didn't look impressed. {Wat... cud you rly do about it anyway? You cudn't get it off. Right?}
"Right," Donnie sighed in defeat at the logic, "but that's beside the point, Mikey. The point is, you should have told us!"
Leo crouched beside Mikey, bringing him to eye level. "We asked you to tell us if you were ever in pain or having trouble with anything and you agreed you would."
Mikey looked away for a moment, then back at his brother, tapping slowly enough for Leo to follow. {It's not anything I'm not used to tho. Been hard from the day Stockboy put it on.}
"So you're saying you never even thought about it being a problem?" Raph scowled after Donnie translated for him.
{Hai,} Mikey tapped guiltily.
"That makes sense," Leo conceded reluctantly, "but what else haven't you told us then?" he asked gently and Mikey shrugged.
{If I haven't thawt about it, how would I no?}
Donnie huffed a laugh. "Well, that's a point. Still, from now on, no matter how trivial something seems to you, you tell us! Okay?"
{Ok,} Mikey tapped in agreement, wondering if he'd even be able to bring himself to do so if it wasn't obvious to them as well.
Leo shook his head and removed the cover of the container, placing it down for Mikey. "Fish stew tonight," he offered.
Mikey stared down at it, swallowing in trepidation. Thankfully though, it didn't look anything like the 'stews' he'd been served in the past while under Foot 'care' so he tentatively began to eat and finding it delicious, began eating faster.
"Once you're done, Mikey, you need to go rest," Leo said firmly.
Mikey looked up sharply at Leo. {Y? Feel fine.}
"No headache at all?" Donnie asked, gazing at him knowingly.
{Well, a little bit,} Mikey tapped, pulling a face. His headache wasn't as bad as it often was but he seemed to have a permanent one ever since that night with the storm, or hurricane, as they'd later been informed it was and they'd only even been caught at the edge of it. It had been an unusually fast forming system grown from a cluster of thunderstorms ahead that the Umi Ryuu had adjusted course to skirt around. There hadn't been time for the ship to get completely clear of the danger though and that's how they'd been caught by it.
"We're going to have to deal with getting past the Foot when we reach New York," Leo explained, looking Mikey directly in the eye and making him go cold with terror. Leo's face softened. "They know something happened to Bradford, Mikey and they saw us in the recording before Donnie destroyed the camera. They also have to know something happened to the agent they sent to recover you by now so they'll be waiting for us when we arrive which means we are going to have to break through them somehow. That means, you need to be rested and at your best."
Mikey stared down at the half-eaten food, suddenly feeling sick again. He began to quiver.
"Hey," Raph said harshly, "You better not be thinking we're going to let you fall into their hands again, are you?"
But what if they couldn't stop it from happening? Mikey stared from one brother to another and then back to Donnie. {D...} he tapped hesitantly.
"Raph's right, we're not going to let that happen," Donnie said softly, coming over to sit by Mikey and putting his arms around him."We only just got you back, buddy and we're never losing you again."
{But wat if u hav no choice?} he tapped fearfully, still staring up at Donnie.
"What's that supposed to mean? Of course we have a choice."
Mikey shook his head once, hard. {I can't fight them,} he explained.
"We don't expect you to fight them, Mikey," Leo promised. "That's our job. Yours is to stay close to us at all times."
{And wat if I can't?} he tapped furiously as the panic built. {They conditioned me to the point I obey without even thinking! I didn't no Alpha was there until I was in front of him!}
Donnie swallowed and translated.
"You've been back with us for almost a month now, Mikey!" Raph spat dismissively. "You'll be fine!"
{How do u no?} Mikey tapped back, glaring at Raph. {One month isn't enough! An' we were't even free of Foot the whole time! Alpha came! Three came! I didn't even no I was obeying until too late!}
"You're right, Mikey, one month isn't enough to break nearly a year of constant abuse and conditioning, we're... we're going to have to help you break that conditioning but we can't do it in less than seven hours," Donnie whispered softly.
{See?} Mikey asked hysterically, his breathing increasingly out of control. He wobbled in place slightly as light-headedness hit him.
"What is...?" Raph began but Leo waved him silent, trying to concentrate on the conversation and failing.
{If we surrounded by Foot, I won't be able to fight them if they command,} Mikey tapped, fighting to keep steady and breathe so he wouldn't worry his brothers but it was hard! {Don't want to be a living trophy for Shredder. Don't want... to... to go bak to that life! Rather die!}
"And you won't, we promise," Donnie said firmly, straightening up. He swallowed and turned to Leo and Raph, explaining the crux of the problem.
Raph worked his jaw tensely. Then turning back to Mikey, he asked, "But what about when we were back in Japan? You managed to fight against them a few times before the factory."
{U there!} Mikey tapped slowly for Raph's benefit. Without meaning to, he sped up as he added, {Almost obeyed but u touched me, held me. Helped!}
"Then we'll just do that again!" Raph exclaimed once Donnie translated.
"And if we're surrounded by Foot and having to fight the whole time and Donnie without a weapon?" Leo asked tiredly. "No, unfortunately, Mikey's right, we're not going to be able to break through the Foot. We'll have to think of something else to get us through."
Raph scowled ferociously. "Well, what if we just stay aboard? Is the ship going to any other ports after New York?"
"I'm not sure but it wouldn't be too hard to find out," Donnie shrugged. He'd taken possession of Leo's T-phone, cannibalising it for parts after finding his own irreparable otherwise and had created a backdoor into the ship's limited computer network.
Leo shook his head. "It wouldn't work. Even if that was an option, the ship would be in port for too long and the Foot would soon discover we aren't in the shipping container or anywhere else and sneak aboard to come looking."
A look of dismay passed over Raph, even as Donnie nodded in reluctant agreement.
Leo suddenly turned to Donnie. "I know you designed the Turtle Sub to be operated by four, three if you take out the person operating the periscope but... could it be operated by two? Especially if they had enough time?"
"Yes," Donnie replied slowly. "It wouldn't be easy though and it would take an awfully long time to build enough power to jump-start the engine but it would definitely be doable."
Leo nodded thoughtfully.
"Hang on, are you thinking of asking April and Casey to what, come meet us with the sub by themselves?" Raph asked belligerently.
Casey? Mikey looked up at Raph suspiciously. He'd heard that name before but having been unable to ask at the time, still had no idea who that was. Tentatively, he reached out a paw to tap quietly against Donnie's leg.
"Oh, Casey's a friend," Donnie replied absently. "We met him about seven... almost eight months ago now."
A friend? Mikey stared at his brother in disbelief. They were out making new friends while he was captured and going through hell? He began to shake in anger and glowered at the floor between his brothers. What happened to them constantly assuring him they'd spent the entire time doing everything in their power to find him, telling him he was the most important thing. It sure didn't fucking sound like it! He bared his teeth in a silent snarl and abandoning the remains of his meal, pushed himself to all fours and stormed over to the mattress where he turned his shell on his brothers, despite the fact it meant he was laying on the side that still hurt.
"Mikey?" Leo called, his voice concerned.
{Full,} he tapped petulantly against the mattress, his metal board on the other side of him.
"O...kay," Leo replied in confusion.
Mikey closed his eyes, doing his best to ignore his brothers as they worked out the details of their budding plan.
Once everything was hashed out, Donnie pulled out his T-phone and began tapping away at it. "And sent," he stated finally after a time.
Several minutes passed in relative silence before the phone rang and Donnie eagerly answered it.
"H-hey, April!"
"Donnie! What the hell took you so long to contact me?" an achingly familiar voice accused from the other end.
Mikey couldn't help it. He shifted onto his plastron and turned over, facing his brothers anxiously.
"Do you know how worried I've been?"
"I... I have an idea and I'm sorry w-we couldn't call sooner but you know we weren't exactly in a position to call before now."
"I know, Donnie but just a simple text saying you found him! You had to stop sometime, right?" she asked plaintively. "So, how is he? Is he there? Can I speak to him?"
Donnie looked over at Mikey and gave him a small, encouraging smile, "How about it, buddy? Do you want to say hi to April?"
[How does Lady sound for the name for your soon to be mate?]
Mikey shrank back, curling in on himself. How was he supposed to do that anyway? 'No,' he blinked, looking away again.
In disappointment, Donnie turned back to his T-phone, "I'm sorry, April but he's not up to it right now."
"Oh... Okay, well, he can hear me, right?"
"Yes, he's only a few feet away but keep it short, okay?" Donnie asked, sheepishly. "I've uh... hacked the T-phone into the ship's communications and we might be detected if we keep this line open long."
"I understand, Donnie."
Mikey heard her take a deep breath on the other end of the line and he cringed, unable to even remember what she looked like, other than her face being framed with red hair.
"Hey, Mikey," April called in a combination of joy and relief, "I'm so happy your brothers found you. Things haven't been the same without you and I can hardly wait to see you again tomorrow."
That got Mikey's attention. He sat up, looking at his brothers in alarm. Tomorrow? 'No way,' he blinked desperately. He couldn't really remember her and he didn't want her to see him like this!
"So April, are you and Casey okay with the plan?" Leo asked, standing and leaning over Donnie's shoulder.
"I haven't had a chance to talk to Casey yet," she laughed, "but trust me, he will be. I'll call him as soon as we hang up and get started. And on that note, I should go. We'll see you guys in a few hours!"
"Bye, April," Leo said and she hung up before Donnie could add in his own goodbye.
Raph chuckled, "So long since you last saw your girlfriend and you didn't even say goodbye. What a horrible boyfriend you are," he mocked.
Bright red, Donnie glared at Raph, "She's not my girlfriend and you..."
{Don't want to see April!} Mikey tapped frantically, interrupting his brother.
"Of course I want to see..." Donnie blurted out before it suddenly clicking. "Oh... you mean you don't want to see her."
Three sets of eyes turned accusingly on him and he cringed back fearfully from their onslaught.
"She's our friend, she's family," Raph frowned. "Why the hell wouldn't you want to see her?"
"Hush, Raph," Donnie rebuked mildly, getting up and walking to site beside Mikey.
"Don't hu..." Raph fell silent as Leo placed a warning hand on his arm, shaking his head and motioning at Mikey's shaking form. Raph harshly shrugged him off but didn't protest again.
"Are you scared of April or what she might think?" Donnie asked gently. "Or are you embarrassed?"
Yes, yes and yes. {No!} he tapped emphatically. It was far more than that.
"Then what's wrong?" Donnie frowned. "Oh, do you even... remember April?"
Mikey hung his head in shame, looking away again.
"Did they make you forget her too?"
{Hai...} he tapped quietly. {Evrybdy.}
"Wait a minute, what do you mean, did they make him forget her too?" Raph asked, stomping over angrily and making Mikey jump. He stood over Donnie, glaring fiercely down at him. "Did you keep something important about Mikey from us?"
Donnie sighed at the instant accusation and looked to Mikey. "Can I tell them?"
{Hai,} he reluctantly tapped again, this time against Donnie's leg so the others couldn't possibly hear.
"Right," Donnie muttered. He looked up at Raph and over to Leo and Leo came closer to join them. "Okay, I'll tell you the details later but the short of it is, the reason Mikey didn't recognise us when we first rescued him was that they used some kind of experimental drug on him to make him forget us and it seems that includes April. It's also a large part of why he had so much trouble understanding English at first, too. However, it seems the more he is exposed to the things he was forced to forget, the more easily and quickly they come back."
"And you're just telling us this now?" Raph asked through grit teeth. "Isn't that something we should have known about earlier?"
"Mikey only told me about it tonight," Donnie frowned. "In fact, he was telling me about it when the two of you returned."
"I see. That makes sense," Leo breathed in relief before turning to Mikey. "I mean, it's terrible that they did that to you, Mikey but I'm glad to know it wasn't because you blocked us out or anything."
Mikey cringed shamefully into Donnie's side at Leo's words and Donnie winced sympathetically.
"Either way," Donnie cut in quickly, turning to Mikey in an effort to distract Leo from their reactions to his faux pas, "unfortunately, there's no choice. I'm sure you were listening before so you know the plan to escape the Umi Ryuu involves us being picked up by April and Casey. In fact, Leo and Raph are going to go make the preparations now and then we'll leave the ship before dawn breaks and the Umi Ryuu enters the harbour."
-:-
Mikey stared in horror at the pile of scuba gear Leo and Raph pulled out of hiding. Their plan was to swim for it? {Y not take lifeboat?} he tapped frantically, looking pleadingly up at Donnie.
"Because it will be missed more easily than the scuba gear will," Donnie explained patiently, "and if the missing lifeboat is noticed, the Foot will realise we took it and come looking."
{But I can't swim with these!} Mikey exclaimed, his fear building again as he held out one paw. {I'll drown!}
"That's why we borrowed the oxygen tanks."
"Borrowed," Raph snorted in amusement. Donnie and Leo just shot him looks. "What? How're we supposed to return them afterwards? Not like the ship'll be staying that long!"
"True," Leo sighed in defeat, "but it's a necessary evil. Just like with the vehicles we took in Japan."
{Still can't swim,} Mikey insisted, agitated, {and how long will the air last?}
"For a human, a little over an hour, which means for us, about four hours or so," Donnie replied patiently. "Just hold your breath as much as possible and only breathe when you need to and you'll be fine. That goes for all of us, by the way," he added sternly, turning to look at Leo and especially Raph.
Raph rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we got it already, Donnie."
"Do you, Raph?" Donnie asked sharply, unable to hide his irritation. "Because we're not going to be able to talk underwater if anything goes wrong."
Well, he and Donnie could, Mikey realised with a tiny glimmer of pride. Although the water would make tapping harder it would still be doable.
{I'm still going to sink and dosn't going too deep make ur hed explode or sumthing?}
"Not quite, Mikey and the water isn't so deep around New York that it will cause that problem for us. However..."
"Hang on, what problem is that, Donnie?" Leo asked, frowning in concern.
"The pressure at the depths of the ocean," Donnie frowned back, glancing at Leo. "We'll be fine. Mikey, don't worry, we'll be helping you so you won't sink straight to the bottom, okay?"
Still scared, Mikey stared up at Donnie a moment more before blinking, 'yes.' He didn't like this plan at all but he had to trust them and it was better than having to go through the Foot. He kept as still as he could while watching his brothers secure an oxygen tank to his shell. Donnie smiled reassuringly at him.
"Everything's going to be fine," he promised. "We'll get off the ship, make it home safely and then we'll get those manacles off you at last."
{Ok,} Mikey tapped quietly. He could hardly wait to be free of them! Then his brothers helped each other with their oxygen tanks and once they were all in place, Donnie crouched by Mikey again, fitting a face mask and the mouthpiece in place.
"I want you to take a couple of breaths, Mikey. Make sure everything's working okay."
Mikey breathed deep twice, then tapped, {Works.}
"No trouble at all? Getting enough air in each lungful?" Donnie pressed anxiously.
{Hai. Is fine.}
"Okay, good," Donnie nodded emphatically. Then he turned slightly and still crouched, looked up at Leo and Raph, "How about you both?"
Raph pulled his mouthpiece out, letting it dangle from where it was attached to the mask and nodded, "Yeah, it's fine. Leo?"
"Mine's working right too. How about yours, Donnie?"
"Just a moment." Donnie fixed his in place and tested it. Then. "All clear. Raph, you can turn on your T-phone now," he said, taking his own out and also turning it on. "I'm ready whenever the rest of you are."
{Y both T-phones? Wat if battry dies?}
"Just in case something goes wrong with one, the other will still be able to transmit to April and Casey so they can find us," Donnie explained, suddenly staring off into the distance, his gaze fixed on something Mikey couldn't see.
Wondering what caught his attention, Mikey frowned and though he strained to lift them that high, put his paws on the railing and struggled to wobbly legs so he could see over. Raph quickly moved close to support and steady him. There was a faint glow on the horizon, signalling the oncoming dawn. He turned his head and looked in the direction the ship was heading to see the bright lights of New York beckoning over the dark waters. A warmth burst in his chest. Home. Up until this moment, he'd never truly expected to see home again and a broad smile began to spread across his face at the sight. Suddenly, a sound caught his attention and he turned to see the door to the inside of the ship open and a couple of humans walk out. He looked frantically over to Leo to see he'd noticed too.
"Right, time to go," Leo commanded softly.
The three brothers immediately replaced their mouthpieces before Donnie helped Mikey with his. Then with Leo and Donnie lifting Mikey onto Raph's shell and tying him in place so he wouldn't slip thanks to being unable to hold on, Raph climbed over the railing and rappelled down the rope they had ready. Donnie quickly followed and once they were just above the water, dropped into the ocean, swimming away from the ship. Leo also jumped over the side of the railing immediately after Donnie, holding on as he carefully watched his brothers swim away. Once they were at a safe enough distance, he released the rope to make sure there was no sign of it ever having been there and pushed off from the hull, diving for the water below. Moments later, the brothers were reunited and knowing how much being trapped or tied up bothered him, untied Mikey from Raph. Then, after one last check to make sure the equipment still worked correctly, Raph and Donnie draped Mikey's arms across their shells and dove with Leo right behind them. Once they were deep enough, Leo turned on the underwater lamp he carried and swam ahead to lead the way.
For what felt like days they swam, with Mikey trying desperately to remember to only breathe when he had to. Like his brothers, he kicked as they swam, hoping to take at least some of the strain off them by the weights on his hands constantly trying to drag them down but he tired quickly, his recent head injury beginning to bother him again. Prior to leaving their shelter, Donnie had replaced his dressings with supposedly waterproof ones and Donnie had mentioned it was healing well but it wasn't fully there yet. As he tired and kicked less, he also began to feel cold and he hesitantly tapped against Donnie.
{Cold, D.}
{Me too,} Donnie tapped back slowly with a reassuring smile. {It gets cold at these depths, that's why humans wear wetsuits when diving.}
Mikey frowned. He would like a wetsuit right now.
{It's too bad there were none that would fit us,} Donnie tapped again.
{Hai... How long, D?}
{How long have we been down here or how long until April comes?}
{Comes,} Mikey frowned again, no longer caring about seeing her for the first time in nearly a year. He was starting to get really tired and just wanted out of the water already.
{I don't know, buddy,} Donnie admitted, suddenly looking past him.
Mikey turned to see Raph looking at them and frowning, so knowing he wouldn't understand anyway, Mikey smiled slightly and tapped against Raph, {Just talking, bro.}
Raph's face screwed up in concentration before becoming frustrated at the realisation he couldn't understand.
Mikey smiled at him again and shrugged. Raph was really bad with the Morse code and though he had all the letters now, there was no hope of him understanding without the accompanying sound.
{Just hang in there, okay, Mikey?} Donnie suddenly tapped again.
{'k, D.}
-:-
A/N: Well, they've finally reached New York but that doesn't mean everything's going to be magically better XD
For anyone following my 'And One to Grow On' series, I recently published a one-shot under 'Tales from AOtGO' celebrating the anniversary of the 2k12 series. And the next story that will be updated is 'AOtGO Aftermath'. Look for that hopefully next weekend!
Don't forget to let me know what you think!
