Chapter Three: Defeat...It's Bitter
AN: Sorry for the delay... have other projects I'm working on. Finally got Submit finished and uploaded, and of course, delving back into the world of Transformers and cataloging and recording the wonderful Lamborghini twins.
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Raph growled an obscenity that would have earned him being taken over a rat's knee. Drawing out his phone, he sent a text to Donnie, demanding to know his location. A couple minutes went by with no response.
"Watch Leo,' Raph ordered. "If I'm not back in twenty minutes, call Master Splinter."
Mikey was too weak to stand guard, so he opted to kneel next to Leo. He didn't waste what little energy he had in whirling his nunchakus. He gave a crisp nod to his bigger brother, ready to defend Leo in Raph's absence.
Raph snarled, rolling his shoulders and puffing his shell, making him appear twice as big. If the Foot had captured Donnie, Raph was going to make them pay.
No one hurt his brothers.
No one!
When he was well and truly pissed, he became a force to reckon with. It wasn't often he got this mad, but when he did, the only thing that quelled his bloodlust was the death rattles of his enemy.
Sais in hand, he sprinted down the dark tunnel, retracing his steps. Not bothering to listen at the door that lead into the subbasement he burst through, ready to charge the first shadow that challenged him.
Dust was his only companion.
Judging by the tracks on the floor, only he and his brothers had visited the dank underground room. Up the stairs as swift as a shadow Raph moved, gaining the door that lead to their bitter defeat. The concussion blast was still wedged against the door, meaning no one had tried to follow the turtles.
Raph twisted the concussion grenade, resetting its safety mechanism and placing it by the door. Balling his fist, he slammed into the plank, knocking it clear off the hinges. The door skittered to a halt nearly a dozen feet away. Raph followed it through, flowing into the room as a tsunami, preparing to decimate a beach.
Only the room was empty.
As in, completely devoid of life.
There were bloody puddles on the floor where some of the ninja had bled, but their comrades must have carried them away. Even the scientists in the glass enclosure were gone, the glass doors standing wide open. Raph's gaze swept the inside of the glass enclosure, just in case someone was hiding on the floor, but no one was there. Leo's fallen katanas still lay where he dropped them. Knowing his brother would need them, Raph hastily picked them up and tucked them along his shell.
The door where the elite guards had observed the ninja roll upon the turtles like an inky tide, was shut. Something was lying in front of it.
Something… with a piece of purple tape attached.
Raph glided to the door, careful in case of a booby-trap. He may be pissed and ready to kill to retrieve his brother, but he didn't want to fall victim to a senseless trap. He'd never live it down.
He'd rather exercise caution than be thought of as brash and reckless. Which he was, but he didn't want to give his brothers any more fodder against him. He was learning to cool his hot temper.
Sometimes.
Raph retrieved the black rectangular object, realizing it was one of the numerous electronics Donnie always had strapped to him.
The door was locked when Raph tried it. He sniffed around the edge, searching for the unique chemical signature of explosives. Finding nothing to raise the alarm, Raph grasped the handle and yanked with all his strength. The door bowed in the middle before snapping free, granting access into a long tunnel that stretched left and right.
Raph went right, following the blood trail down the hall to where it forked. He took another right, counting off the 4 plain white doors that blended into equally white walls.
He was glad he had a blood trail to follow. Otherwise, he could be lost for hours in the maze of identical doors. The blood ended at the last door on the left, and judging by the dark smudges, it was a frequented access point.
Sniffing again, Raph curled his nose. The only thing he could detect was the coppery smell of spilled blood. Huffing loudly, he grabbed the door and shoved. It too warped and fell away.
Raph groaned in aggravation.
There were three doors along the shortened hallway. Blood lead to all three. But only one had a flickering EXIT sign above it.
Raph opened the door and found himself standing in a giant garage that could easily hold 20 garbage trucks. The light was diminished by the many recesses and failing bulbs, but Raph's vision adapted quickly. Being a natural underground dweller, he had a passing friendship with the night. As a ninja, the darkness was his lover.
Once his eyes adjusted, he knew he found the right place because next to one of the thick concrete pillars was Donnie's equipment. Raph raced to the pile of electronics, bending down to examine the discarded items.
They were definitely Donnie's. Some were still wrapped in purple tape and a couple of loosened scales stuck on the sticky side.
Goggles, Ipads, and the camera Donnie always kept mounted on his shoulder, were bashed upon the concrete, their screens cracked and dark. The Foot must have thought there were trackers embedded in the equipment, breaking them and leaving them in the garage.
And they were right.
Only, they didn't know Donnie also wore a tracker.
They all did. Embedded in their skin.
Donnie had constructed microchips that allowed him to monitor his brothers' vital signs and location at all times. The trackers had come in handy when they were captured by Eric Sachs.
Raph picked up Donnie's goggles. Blood was on the lenses. Snarling obscenities Master Splinter didn't approve of, Raph clenched his sais, screaming into the emptiness that echoed in the hollow chamber and points beyond. Tucking his useless weapons away, and growling oaths of self loathing and incompetence, Raph collected the broken electronics.
Whirling, Raph retraced his steps, stuffing the broken gear into his pockets. He replaced the busted door in the subbasement, placing the shock grenade in the lower right hand corner, hidden in shadow. If the Foot came back and tried to track them, they'd find a reason to change their minds.
When Raph neared the place he left Mikey, he called out, "It's me," and turned the corner, giving Mikey a chance to identify him before stepping closer.
Mikey still knelt where Raph left him. Sweat covered his face, his breathing ragged. His chuck was hanging limply in his good hand. "Did you find him?"
"No," Raph said, clasping Mikey's face in his hands to examine his kid brother. "They took him. We can track them when we get back to base. Can you walk?"
It cost Mikey great effort, but he nodded, tucking his weapon away.
Raph swept Leo up and over his shoulders before looping his arm around Mikey and steering him toward home.
"Let's take the substation route. To be on the safe side."
Weakly, Mikey agreed. When they passed a storm drain, the light of the street filtered through, showing Raph how pale Mikey had become. He gained momentum, deciding on a more direct route, as he wasn't sure how much longer Mikey would remain conscious. And though he was strong, he couldn't carry both brothers.
Ten minutes passed, Mikey leaning more and more heavily on Raph until Raph was practically dragging him into the lair.
"Dad!" Raph yelled.
"What has happened?" Splinter answered, rushing forward to help stabilize Mikey, who was wavering. "To the treatment room!"
Splinter helped his sons into the room where Donatello always dealt with their medical issues, few as they were. They rarely had sickness but were prone to suffering heavy contusions, bruising, and required the occasional stitches for their idiocy.
"We underestimated their numbers," Raph explained, placing Leo on the main table. Raph's anguished face turned to his father. "They got Donnie."
Splinter directed Mikey onto the gurney they had kept during Leo's rehabilitation. He didn't pause while examining Mikey's arm.
Raph felt the need to explain his gross miscalculation. His horrible lack of attention that led to their most vulnerable being taken. His disastrous mistake.
Blame was his and his alone.
"I saw Leo go down," Raph said hurriedly. "Mikey tried to get to him and they overpowered him. They were coming at us from all around. Some were invisible. It's how they got the drop on us. I yelled at Mikey and Donnie to retreat while I fought to get to Leo. I could only think about getting us out of there. Alive. With our shells in tact."
Raph bit back tears, his hands covering his face in utter defeat. This was all his fault. He wasn't strong enough to protect his brothers. Donnie could be dead or being tortured right at this moment.
And it was all Raph's fault!
"Leo was unconscious. Mikey was hurt," Raph muttered, fighting hard not to cry. It pained him to see his family so broken. Add to the fact it was his utter ineptitude for leading the team to safety, Raph's stoic front was cracking, fearing his father's harsh judgment for his failures. "I thought Donnie already escaped. But by the time we were far enough away, and made sure we weren't being followed, I realized he wasn't with us."
Mikey moaned, finally succumbing to his injuries. His head lulled to the side, giving Splinter a chance to twist his broken arm, resetting it before bandaging it into place.
While Mikey was out cold, Splinter jabbed a needle into his arm, giving him a dose of pain killers. The rat worked as if not hearing Raph's story, but Raph continued to speak, knowing his father was listening, just concentrating on Mikey's care.
"I went looking for him. Found his gear," Raph said, emptying his pockets of the smashed electronics. "They got him, dad. The Foot has taken him."
Splinter drew up, realizing his most belligerent was finally realizing the full depths of responsibility in a leadership role.
Raph's gaze was cold, distant. "I failed. I failed the team. The mission. I failed my brothers."
"It is alright, my son,' Splinter said softly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Raph's huge shoulder. Blood was smeared on his green scales. Leo's blood. "You did the best you could, Raphael. You got your injured brothers home. Once we have stabilized them, we can concentrate our efforts in locating Donatello."
"His implant,' Raph said absently, finding a flicker of hope. He shook off his despondency and set about attending Leo's injuries. He picked up a scanner Donnie designed to read their unique bio-signatures. "We can send out the frequency that activates it and find out where they're keeping him."
Raph ran the scanning device over Leo's inert form. It was so strange, performing such a task. Not that Raph hadn't performed it dozens of times before. It was just, every time there was a major emergency, Donnie was the one that assumed the role of their medic. Their geeky and hardworking nerd of a healer.
What if he was lost?
What if Raph made the wrong choice?
What if he waited too long to realize his geeky brother was missing?
What if Raph's oversight cost them their techno turtle?
What if Donnie was lost, forever?
What if?...
Splinter drew Raph's attention from the dangerous spiral he was falling into.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of," Splinter said, guessing Raph's emotional dilemma. He had witnessed such emotions on Leo's face many times. "Your brothers were in need of medical attention. You did right in getting them to safety."
"But, what if we've lost him, dad?" Raph asked, scans forgotten. Usually he referred to Splinter as sensei or master, but when he was at his most vulnerable, he reverted to his childhood. "They could have killed him by now. He could by lying dead somewhere, being cut up into little pieces and examined under a microscope."
Splinter fought back the urge to cry. The thought had crossed his mind upon hearing Donnie's abduction. There was always the possibility of such a thing. Such was their lives. It would always be wrought with danger and subjected to human curiosity and fear.
Mikey whimpered, tears rolling over his cheeks as he regained consciousness. He blinked sluggishly, trying to focus on the brick and mortar above him.
"Attend to Leonardo,' Splinter ordered, "I will finish with Michelangelo."
Mikey groaned as Splinter wrapped his arm, stabilizing it before immobilizing it at his side.
Raph read over the bio scans of Leo.
"Heart rate forty seven. Blood pressure and temp are normal. There's signs of bruising along his sides and next to his shell. Three inch gash that will require stitches. Concussion." Raph looked up from the screen. "Should I call Dr. Kingston?"
Dr Kingston was the vet who had assisted in Leo's recovery the last time he was severely injured. They had maintained their distance from the man, as none of the turtles or Splinter trusted him.
Splinter weighed the pros and con and finally decided against it. "No. We allow Leonardo to wake up and monitor him for signs of danger."
Raph nodded, glad his father had taken charge. He lay the scanner down and stared into Leo's unconscious face. "Hurry and wake up, Leo. You have a team to lead."
As if in omen, Leo's eyes slowly cracked, widening until he was blinking up at Raph. "What happened?"
Splinter stepped forward to examine Leo's injuries, Mikey shakily getting off the gurney to join them.
Mikey sidled up to Raph, seeking comfort by touching shells. Raph wrapped his arm around Mikey's shoulders, mindful of his broken arm, drawing him close. Mikey may be annoying and drive his brother insane, but Raph would always be his protector.
"You were knocked unconscious. Michelangelo was severely injured. Raphael barely got the two of you out alive," Splinter said, without mincing words. "Donatello has been captured, but we are going to find him."
Leo scowled at Raph. "You lost Donnie?"
"I didn't see him, so I assumed he'd already retreated. I carried you and Mikey into the subway when I realized Donnie wasn't with us." Raph visibly deflated. He couldn't meet Leo's gaze. His hold around Mikey's shoulders tightened. "I should have looked out for the little dork. He's not as strong as we are. He needs us watching his shell."
Leo rubbed the side of his head, gasping in pain as he found the nasty contusion caused by the blunt object wielded by the invisible ninja.
"I'm sorry Leo, I know I should've done better," Raph said finally risking Leo's wrath. "We'll turn on his tracker and I'll go get him."
"We'll go get him' Leo corrected, struggling to sit up. He gagged as if to puke and lay back down, closing his eyes and panting hard.
"You and Mikey will stay behind,' Splinter said sternly. "Raph and I will rescue your brother."
Leo groaned in answer, not bothering to argue. Mikey shifted aside to allow Raph room to work. With Donnie and Leo injured, medical care now fell to Raph.
To which Mikey was secretly grateful.
He wasn't affected by the sight of blood, but lacked the conviction to help and heal his brothers. Such a delicate and important thing was left to more experienced, steady, trustworthy hands.
"You'll need some stitches," Raph said, collecting everything he needed. He didn't warn Leo before jabbing him with a needle.
Splinter caressed Mikey's face tenderly, soothing the turbulent emotions swirling in youngest turtle's blue eyes. "Everything will work out. You will see."
"Someone could be hurting him," Mikey muttered, every bit the lost little boy seeking reassurance from an adult. "What if we've lost him, dad?"
Raph's scowled as he stitched Leo up. Despite being the largest and most cumbersome, Raph was very adept at caring for injuries with delicate hands. Five knots and he was done, tapping Leo on the shoulder, who grunted in response.
"You stay here and rest," Raph said, leaning over Leo. "Sensei and I will get Donnie."
Leo grumbled something inarticulate, rocking on his shell to sit up. Raph helped stabilize him. Leo wavered for a moment before catching his balance. His breathing was labored as he swung his legs over the edge of the table with the intention of getting up.
"Stay," Raph repeated, placing his large hand on Leo's shoulder. He knew how to word his argument to make Leo see logic. "You're injured and need to heal, lest you become a liability and get us all hurt or killed."
Leo gave a tight lipped nod in affirmation. Truth be told, he was still feeling the affects of whatever struck him. His vision swam and his stomach churned. He lay down, assuming a meditative pose to aid in his healing.
"I know how to initiate the tracker," Mikey said, perking up despite his obvious pain. It wasn't often he got to show off his computer skills. Unless a video game was involved.
Splintered eyed Leo's deep, even breathing for a long moment, then joined his sons at Donnie's main computer station.
With one hand Mikey manipulated the keyboard. He had watched Donnie enough times to pick up a few tricks.
The program opened, icons appearing on the screen to show active monitoring but there was a distinct lack of 'blip' that showed Donnie's location.
"Where is he?" Raph asked, pushed up close to Mikey's shell to crowd him.
"Dude, personal space," Mikey groused. Now he knew why Donnie got so pissy when they gathered around him. It was suffocating. Mikey scanned the electronic map, not finding the telltale mark to lead them to their wayward brother. Mikey's tongue pressed between his teeth in a perfect imitation of Donnie when he was scouring the internet. "Tracker isn't active or it's being shielded."
"Maybe they're out of town?" Raph guessed, squinting at the screen. "Where are we on the map?"
"We won't show up. We're in the lair," Mikey said, typing a code to broaden the search. "Donnie put a dampening field and a scrambler around the place. No unauthorized signals allowed."
"How do you know that?" Raph asked, surprised their youngest, and most immature, possessed such knowledge.
"Donnie explained when he was setting up our wifi," Mikey explained, tapping away on the keyboard. His voice was hollow as his hope faded. "Until his signal can get through, we're blind. No direction."
"You have done all you could, my son," Splinter said softly.
Mikey's blue eyes were dulled in defeat. "Sure doesn't feel it."
Raph couldn't agree more. He felt the bitter tang of defeat as well. Maybe more so than Mikey. Donnie could be lost and it was all Raph's fault.
"The computer will continue to search for your brother," Splinter said, nodding toward the contraption that showed a silent screen. "In the meantime, you will use the respite to heal, both in body and in spirit."
Mikey sighed heavily. He hated to admit it, but he wasn't in any shape to rescue Donnie, even if they could find him. And with Leo benched with injuries, their numbers for a rescue mission were laughably slim.
April, Casey, and Vern would offer to help, but being human, they were far too vulnerable to take on a search and rescue mission against the vast number of trained ninja undoubtedly surrounding Donnie.
No. Their best bet was to lay low. To recover and regain their strength. Then, and only then, would they stand a chance to bring Donnie home.
Mikey only prayed they weren't too late.
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I know, I'm a shitty person for the cliffhanger, but be warned, I plan on doing a whole lot worse later! Trying to figure how exactly how far, how twisted, how mean I wanna get with this. That's why this is taking so long. I try to think of all the aspects of the story, not just a little bit at a time. I like to plan how it will unfold and make everything have a reason and make sense later on. Never know where the story will take me so I try to be flexible, but still maintain a strong voice and advance the plot each time.
Reviews are LOVED!
