Chapter 5: Waiting

With a grunt, Donatello was thrown back in his cage, the glass shield sliding shut, locking him in place. Shredder walked up to the glass and stated, "I have given you enough time to research, tomorrow, you will begin the work on the cure." With that said, Shredder left with his minions following, only Stockman pausing long enough to look at the turtle.

Once he was alone with his thoughts, Donnie reached down to his leg. The blood had long since dried, leaving a brownish stain on his skin. He had no supplies or anything beside the belts he was wearing and the water bottle on the opposite side of the room. His leg was very painful, Donnie knew something important must have been hit. He unwrapped one of the wrapping on his hand and carefully wrapped the wound on his leg. He would clean it out later, for now, he needed rest.

Donatello dragged himself to the corner of the cage, near the back so he would have some warning when the cage was opened. With a groan, Donnie sank to the corner, using a hand to steady himself. As he lowered himself, he felt his hand give on the wall near the bottom.

"What the…." Donnie whispered to himself as he pushed on the wall again. A small portion of the wall, the size of a brick, was moving at his touch. "A way out." Donnie put his back to the glass, hopefully shielding what he was doing and continued to press the wall, hoping to get the space open. After several minutes, the piece of wall fell out the other side with a thump.

Donnie was about to give himself a little smile when hissing erupting from the other side. "Karai?" A single hand snaked out, the snake head open and sniffing at area. Donnie remained calm and offered his own hand. The hand retreated and the hissing stopped. Donnie lowered himself so he could see through the opening to see brilliant snake like eyes gazing back at him.

"Hey," Donnie whispered, giving his signature tooth gapped grin. "I hope you can understand me, but I'm going to help. It will be alright, Karai." The eyes narrowed for a second before Donnie recognized the emotion filling those voids, trust. "Thank you. I'll fix everything."

Leonardo ran over the rooftops, keeping his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. Raphael and Michelangelo followed close behind. It felt so strange for there not to be a forth. They all missed Donatello's presence greatly and only wanted to get him back. Master Splinter told them it was too dangerous to storm Shredder's lair, they were only to spy and return home.

"What?" Raph's growl interrupted the silence. Leo looked over to see the Tphone pressed against his head while Mikey leaped up onto a higher perch. They were at their spying point.

"Everything appears normal… No, we don't need help… Just stay away." Raph clicked the conversation close and looked over at his brother. "Casey. He wanted to know if we needed help."

"You shouldn't be so mean," Mikey whispered as he laid down. Raph's temper had been off the charts since Donnie's kidnapping and it didn't take much to make him snap.

Leo shook his head and watched the building. He could remember telling April and Casey what had happened. April had been devastated while Casey tried to calm her down. Both had wanted to help rescue him but Leo knew they would need only experienced ninjas only. It was too dangerous for two human kids.

"Has Master Splinter said anything about his mediation?" Mikey asked from his perch. Raph perked up slightly and looked over to Leo, hope in his green eyes.

Leo shook his head, "Not really. He said he can sense him but nothing else."

"We'll be able to get him back, right?"

"Of course, Mikey. We'll get Donnie." That had been the extent of their conversation. Each was left with their own thoughts as they watched Shredder's lair. Leo took note of everything. The whole in the ceiling was still unguarded, the front doors had two Foot Bots posted, and Fishface had left and returned in a three hour period.

"Leo, we should get back." Leo looked over at Raph. His fingers were tight as they clenched into fists, his green eyes blazing with anger. He could tell his immediate younger brother wanted to storm the place but respected their father's wishes. Mikey jumped down, ready to leave as well.

Leo nodded and gave the command for them to return home. As he watched his brothers run off, Leo paused and turned back to Shredder's lair and whispered, "Please, be safe, little brother."

Author's Note: Kinda short chapter. Hopefully you like it! Shot outs to Pilyarquitect, LeaderLeo, and BipperCipher3 for the reviews! Reviews are always welcome!