Chapter 2

'So close…' Donnie mentally said to himself after trying, for a second time, to pinpoint the next set of Master Splinter's data bits on his computer scanner, but with little success due to unexpected changes appearing on their location status.

He had been working non-stop for days to find them all, even if it meant not eating or sleeping as much as he normally would and putting his own health and wellbeing at risk in order to complete his mission.

Donnie sat on his chair with a frustrated sigh and put his head in his hands.

"Why is this so complicated? Why!?" He said angrily whilst trying to maintain his calm demeanour and trying so hard not to smash his computer to pieces. Unbeknownst to him, Mikey was slowly approaching him from behind with a nervous look on his face.

"Hey, Donnie…"

Donnie suddenly looked up and turned around with a surprised look to see who was talking to him, where he saw Mikey a few inches away and standing behind him still looking slightly nervous. He then sighed in annoyance before he spoke.

"What do you want Mikey? Can't you see that I'm trying to work on bringing Master Splinter back home!?"

"I know you are, but I've also noticed that you've hardly touched your food, again…" Mikey replied in a concerned tone as he looked over to the side table where the food he made for Donnie at lunchtime was placed hours before, which had been left untouched… again.

"I'm not hungry, and I can't afford to be distracted right now...!" Donnie said in denial.

"But the reason why I'm here is to tell you something import-" Mikey tried to explain himself but he was suddenly cut off by an angry Donnie.

"What's more important than saving our father!? I don't even know why you're asking me that, Mikey, because everyone should know that this is our number one priority, but I'm the only one who is trying really hard to accomplish this since you and everyone else only care about doing other things inside and outside the lair!" By this point, Donnie was seething.

"That's not true! We do care about saving Master Splinter, but it's difficult when we have to keep an eye out for trouble up topside at the same time! Besides, you won't let us know if you need any help with this because you push us away, mostly me! Why!? Why are you not talking to me!? I miss you, Donnie!" Mikey shouted with tears stinging the corners of his eyes and nearly ready to fall.

"Why!? I'll tell you why; because all you care about is reading your comic books and joking around the lair to see the seriousness of what is happening right now in front of you! You hardly helped us when we were upgrading the computers and you think that everything is a game to you each time we go on missions in cyberspace!" Donnie responded heatedly with narrow, angry eyes as he slowly approached Mikey and continued speaking.

"You have also done enough damage whilst trying to get us back to our own time when your big mouth made Viral transport us to a dimension involving more than one Shredder in it, which we almost died from!"

Mikey's eyes slowly widened and his skin slightly paled as his theory about his recent actions began to come true bit by bit.

"I-I never…" He tried to speak in his defense, but Donnie continued as if he didn't hear him.

"You just bring disaster to us every time you say or do something during missions because of the way you act, and that gives us and Master Splinter a good reason why we shouldn't trust you in important missions! Our father already came close to losing his life more than once because of YOU!" Donnie scolded as he jabbed his finger on Mikey's chest when he said the last word loudly, whilst Mikey began to struggle with keeping his tears from falling.

After taking a moment to catch a breath, Donnie then told Mikey something that would definitely cause a heartbreak.

"Just go away Mikey, you have already proven my argument right by distracting me from the task at hand! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!"

That did it. Mikey couldn't contain himself anymore; his tears began to fall heavily from his widened eyes before he closed them tightly. His fist that had the test in shook whilst trying not to let go of it. He slowly stepped back away from Donnie and, whilst whispering the words "I'm sorry", he ran from the lab area and headed towards the exit.

It was then that Leo and Raph entered through the same way after dropping off Kane at April's place to babysit whilst they went out on patrol, and Mikey went past them at lightning speed but accidentally bumped into Raph's shoulder and unknowingly dropped the pregnancy test in the process.

"Hey, watch it ya-" Raph cut himself off once he saw Mikey's heartbroken and teary face shortly before taking off again.

"Mikey, wait!" Leo shouted after his youngest brother, but it was too late; Mikey had already disappeared into the darkness of the sewers.