Chapter 21: Last Ideas

Girl and Boy were sitting on the other side of the room, exactly where the ball bounced over to and none of the kind people were going to get it. Donatello would be forced to go over to the creatures to get his play thing. With cautious steps, Donnie walked over, almost completely sideways in his attempt at remaining a fair distance away from the two humans. With a tilt of his head, Donnie snagged the ball in his teeth and ran back over to where Smallturtle and Loudvoice were.

"That's it, Donnie," Smallturtle cheered, smiling at him. "You see. April and Casey are not bad."

Donnie grumbled and set the ball back at Smallturtle's feet. Smallturtle leaned down to pick it up, grimacing at the spit covered ball and rolled it over to Alpha and Snakelady. Donnie quickly gathered his feet and chased after the ball, ready to catch it and make sure it stayed away from those who hurt him.

Donnie chased after the ball as Mikey and Raph cheered on their brother. April wrapped her arms around her chest, trying to hold back tears at the sight. His eyes were still red but had flecks of brown in them. According to the others, Donnie was close to getting back in control but it still hurt to see her friend so afraid of her.

"Hey, Red," Casey whispered, his own eyes on Donnie as he chased the ball like a large puppy. "It's going to be okay. I'm sure of it."

"I hope you're right, Casey," April sighed.

"It truly is a terrible fate." Casey and April both jumped at the voice and turned around to see Doctor Rockwell and Slash watching from above them. Rockwell turned his eyes to the teens before continuing, "To be trapped in the body of a brute and lose your mind. I am deeply sorry that Donatello has to go through this."

"How's your work going, Doc?" Casey asked.

Rockwell sighed, "I wish it could be better. I'm having trouble locating what is from his original mutation. Everything is all mixed together so it is hard to tell the difference between the two mutations and without Donatello able to communicate, it is even harder."

"What does that mean?" April asked.

"Donatello would be able to tell us if we're going in the wrong direction," Slash answered. He had spent the past few days sitting with Rockwell, trying to be of some help. "They need him back." April nodded, looking at the family.

They were broken. Even though Karai was reunited with her true family, the loss of Donatello was heavy on their hearts. Mikey didn't smile as much, Leo was completely guilt ridden, and Raph had become secluded. Master Splinter spent too much time mediating. If this problem wasn't solved soon, their family would soon collapse.

Donnie pushed the ball once more with his nose before abandoning it and walking over to Mikey and Raph, laying down on the ground, grunting. Mikey knelt down, patting his head, and talking softly. Raph sighed before walking over to Leo and Karai.

Leo glanced at Raph before stating, "Maybe we need to infiltrate Shredder's lair."

"What?" Raph nearly shouted. Mikey and Donnie both looked up at the outburst. Raph immediately lowered his voice. "What are you talking about?"

"Stockman," Karai stated.

Leo nodded in agreement. "If what Karai says is true, Stockman may be on our side and we could get more information on Donnie's mutation. It could really help Rockwell."

"I'd love to go there and bust some heads but Splinter will not allow it," Raph said. "He barely lets us out to get pizza. What makes you think he'll agree to a mission to Shredder's lair?"

"I don't think he will," Leo admitted, turning to look at his two youngest brothers. "But I don't think we have any more options."

Author's Note: Yeah, kinda a short chapter. I'm a bit busy tomorrow so I decided to update today. Special thanks to Pilyartquitect, Andraia452, Fever To Write, Sonic155,Aoifetello, Juanita27, A Guest!, and BipperCipher3 for the reviews.